50 



JOUENAJD OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 18, 167: 



thaakful to say, appeared in this locality as far as I am 

 aware. 



In houses such as I have described a stage is fixed in a space 

 at the back, which should always be occupied with a varied 

 assortment of useful plants. Ours is used for pot Vines, Figs, 

 and Oranges grown for dessert, of which the Tangerine, 

 St. Michael's, and Maltese Blood are the best. I am now 

 gathering the last-named two, and am told that the flavour is 

 distinct aud very superior. They require much heat to ripen 

 them, and if the fruit is set in March, the plants must be con- 

 tinned in the temperature of the Cucumber house until Christ- 

 mas, when it will be ripe. 



Tomatoes in pots are also grown on these back stages. Sown 

 about the first day in February their frait will be ripe about 

 the end of May. They are grown in 12-inch pots in a compost 

 of turfy loam and pulverised bones, and when the proper sorts 

 are chosen it is astonishing what a large crop a pot of this size 

 will carry. Six pots of them are sufficient for my employer's 

 family, and a margin is also left to give away to friends. When 

 growing they require much water at the roots and syringing 

 freely overhead twice a-day. Orangefield Dwarf Prolific is the 

 best I have yet tried for pot-culture. Hepper's Goliath I tried 

 last year. It is said to be .similar to the American variety 

 Trophy, but as it grows too tall and carries a croj) of very 

 small fruit with one of immense size, it is discarded for pot- 

 culture. Barley's Defiance promises to be an excellent variety 

 for pot-culture. It is said to be fully two weeks eai'lier than 

 any other kind, and the fruit is large, nearly round, and con- 

 tains a large proportion of pulp. Gardeners who compete in 

 collections of vegetables early in June will find a good dish of 

 Tomatoes a strong point in their favour. — J. Dooolas. 



OLD PEAKS UNDER NEW NAMES. 



BBOCKWORTH PAEK. 



Me. Eivers seems aggrieved because we have in our adver- 

 tisements attached our name to the valuable Pear we discovered 

 at Brockworth Park. He says it is pomologieally incorrect to 

 do so, untQ it is proved to be a seedling. Mr. Eivers is an 

 authority, we bow to his decision, and express our regret at 

 having transgressed pomological laws. In our catalogue we 

 call it simply Brockworth Park (without our name), and in 

 future we will do so in eveiy instance. 



The important question, however, remains — Is it a new 

 variety, or an old one under a new name ? 'We have known of 

 the original tree some four or five years, and each year have 

 tasted the fruit. During this time we have made inquiry as 

 to its history, and hear that it was received from Cheltenham 

 witot hua name. Mr. Anthony Bubb, of Witcomb Court (the 

 agent to the Brockworth Park estate), knows Pears well, and 

 has a good collection, but he does not know any name for this 

 Pear, although he knows the tree, and we believe had some- 

 thing to do with planting it. It has been exhibited two years 

 consecutively at the Eoyal Horticultural Society's Fruit Shows, 

 recei%ing a first-class certificate in September, 1870 I'last 

 October at the International in competition with hundreds, if 

 not thousands of dishes of Pears, both continental and EngUsh, 

 an(l no one could recognise it, though very critical aud knowing 

 eyes surveyed it). 'We believe it was utterly unknown in com- 

 merce at the time we brought it out. It bears more resemblance 

 to Louise Bonne of Jersey than to any other sort, but is much 

 larger and handsomer than that variety ; it has every appear- 

 ance of being a cross between it and Williams's Bon Chretien, 

 but this is only surmise. We can only say, he would be a very 

 rash man who would attempt to palm oS an old Pear under a 

 new name before such men as Dr. Hogg, Mr. BaiTon, and the 

 Fruit Committee of the Eoyal Horticultural Society. — J. C. 

 ■Wheelee & Son. 



ESTIMATE OF STRAWBEERIES. 

 As " J. G." desires a few words I wiU endeavour to gi'atify 

 his wishes. I am surjjrised to hear the account he gives of 

 Dr. Hogg. In the chalkv- land at Bushton and in the strong 

 sandy loam here I have "always found the plants do weU and 

 crop well. The crop of this Strawberry, and indeed of all the 

 sorts I keep — namely, Eivers's Eliza, Dr. Hogg, Mr. Eadclyffe, 

 Wonderful, and Galande, Bed Alpine, were grand last season. 

 Cockscomb, the only other Strawberry here, was kept from 

 bearing last year in order to afford early runners. The runners 

 of this and Eliza were planted July 7th, and are now fine 

 plants with several crowns each. '• J. G." would find Trol- 



lope's Victoria, Empress Eugenie, and Marguerite good useful 

 sorts, which wDl do well with Eliza, Eclipse, Sir J. Paxton, 

 Cockscomb, and Wonderful. 



I should think the above would succeed well in all lands ; 

 and, if properly planted in July and well looked after, would 

 overburden " J. G." with fruit. Cockscomb sets every flower, 

 is very large, hangs a long time witnout injury, is Pine-fla- 

 voured, but not very good in its coloirr. 'Wonderful is very 

 hardy, an immense cropper, Pine-flavoured, colours well except 

 at its points. To effect this the leaves must be penned back. 

 It is one of the best for jam, being so firm after cooking. 



Much fuss has been made about Vicomtesse Hericart de 

 Thury ; it is the same as Marquise de la Tour Maubourg and 

 Duchesse Trevisse. They were all raised by Jamain and Du- 

 rand. I had it under the second name. It is a good plant, 

 aud the fruit is of a nice crimson colour and of good flavour, 

 but it is not so good nor so much to be relied upon as Eivers's 

 Ehza. The British Queen likes strong irony clay that requires 

 a pickaxe to break it up. La Constante does well in the same 

 stiff clay land. It is hardy as regards cold, but burns in light 

 land, and the crop gets stewed. It is a tufted (the same form 

 of plant as Ehza), dwarf-habited plant. The form of the 

 plant and the form and flavour of the berries arc first-rate ; 

 moreover, its flavour is quite distinct. Mr. Eadclyffe is like 

 the British Queen in leaf and flavour ; but it is much hardier, 

 does well in chalky soil (the British Queen likes iron but not 

 chalk), and also in sandy loam, and bears well here. In the 

 last most severe winter I gave my plants of it no mulching 

 whatever. The leaves were less affected by the frost than any 

 other Strawljerry here. The others were all mulched. 



As regards miilching, beware of excluding air from the crowns 

 for any length of time. A little loose straw put over them 

 during the intensity of the frost may be of service, but it must 

 be removed as soon as tlie frost is over, or the crowns will be 

 softened. For the many years I have had Eivers's Eliza I 

 have never known it fail. — ^W. F. Eadclttfe. 



GEEEN PEAS. 



I AM venturing on a vexata qutvstio when I touch npon the 

 subject of new Peas, there are so many and such conflicting 

 accounts. New sorts come out with such an unmistakeable 

 character, and are so guaranteed to be good, that it seems to 

 be downright heresy afterwards to question them, whUe one 

 must expect charges of " not knowing anything at all about 

 it," etc., from those fi'om whom one differs; but as dear old 

 Lord Pam once said to Spring Eice, " Ton ought, if you want 

 to be a pubhc man, grow a rhinoceros hide." My cuticle has 

 become so hardened that it will take a good thick birch of pea 

 haulm, by whomsoever administered, to raise a blister, and so 

 I must have my say. 



Now first of all -with regard to earhness. Some one said he 

 had made a computation of the statements made on this point, 

 and that there ought to be no difficulty in having them by the 

 first week in April. Now I must confess this is a point about 

 which I am tolerably indifferent — that is, I do not care to 

 meet my neighbour, the Eev. Smith, and say, " Had any 

 green Peas yet ?" " No." " Dear me ! what a muff your man 

 must be ; I had a dish three days ago." If I can get them in 

 tolerably early time a few days make but Utile difference to 

 me, and thus a recommendation of three or four days in a new 

 variety is of no moment, especially when one recollects how 

 much soil, situation, the very time of putting in the seed, 

 whether it be favourable or not, aud climatic influences, mLl 

 affect Peas in this point. 



Then with regard to what constitutes the real value of a 

 Pea. We must place — at least I would — flavour first and pro- 

 ductiveness afterwards. In a large estabhshment, where the 

 servants' hall has to be considered quite as much if not more 

 than the dining-room, and Jeames is often more particular as 

 to the amount of his provisions than his master, of course 

 productiveness is a great element to be considered, and a Pea 

 hke the Cook's Favourite will doubtless win fame with aU 

 gardeners whose circumstances require them to furnish large 

 quantities of vegetables, but where flavour is considered it wiU 

 hold a low place. 



New Peas are derivable from two sources — those which are 

 really and genuinely sent, the results of careful hybridising 

 and patient sldll, and those which are merely selected strains 

 of some well-known variety, which has been carefully grown 

 on good soU, and then by constant selection improved. Take, 

 for example, Daniel O'Eourke; imder how many aliases has 



