February 1, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



I6l 



plants of any description rarely thrive if sucTtlenly romoTed 

 from a high to a low temperature, or the contrary, yet at the 

 Fame time many can be subjected to either with uupuuity if 

 tho heat is tolerably regular, and other circumstances, such as 

 air and moisture, suitable. 



To give some idea of the amount of moisture m this house, 

 I may mention that tho sphagnum on the surface of the pots 

 is as moist and growing as freely as in its native swamps ; in 

 fact, it keeps us supplied for potting and other purposes, and 

 it gives off a wholesome moisture, in which tho plants seem to 

 delight. In some places, also, tho common Liverwort may be 

 seen growing on the loose nodules of Cannel coal with which 

 the slate benches are covered. 



Most of the " cool Orchids," or those which come from high 

 elevations, will endure any amount of water when making 

 their growths, and should never be allowed to become thoroughly 

 dry ; for as they are often discovered close to rivers, waterfalls, 

 and in similar places, and as some often send their roots into 

 tho water, to do so would be entirely contrary to nature. 



With regard to air, when iu their mountain homes they are 

 constantly surrounded by fresh air freely circulating around 

 them, and when brought to our houses this should be admitted 

 as freely as tho external temperature will allow. Doubtless, if 

 a little more attention were paid to this point, the result would 

 be more healthy and robust plants, with leaves perfect to 

 the points — a condition very pleasing to the eye of a good 

 cultivator. 



I may add, that in order to subject the plants as little as 

 possible to the influence of fire heat, the house is protected by 

 means of blinds at the approach of frost. — C. J. W., The 

 GardcM, Fcrnichiirst. 



LILIES IN RUSSIA. 



MiY I again ask Lily-gi-owers in different parts of the comiti-y 

 to give tiieir experience of the cultivation of any sorts of 

 Lilies which succeed well with them ? 



Since my last notes, page 33, I have received the following 

 very interesting account of the growth of Lihes in Russia from 

 my friend Mr. SVolkonsteiu, a distinguished horticulturist and 

 Secretary of the Royal Russian Horticultural Society : — " I re- 

 ceived jour .... notes on the LUies. I must teU you that 

 we cultivate these bulbous plants successfully by placuig them 

 also amongst shrubby perennials, as Dielytra spectabilis. 

 Spiraeas, &c., or near the groups of woody shrubs, shadowed 

 from tho hot spring sun. We bury the bulbs 6 or 8 inches 

 deep in the soU, laying under the bulb some sandy porous 

 earth, and covering it with the same compound. In this way 

 we have, iu spite of severe winter frosts, every spring and sum- 

 mer well-flowering Lilies of the following species that are quite 

 hardy with us : Avonaoeum, bulbiferum, canadense, candidum, 

 chalcedonioum, croceum, longiflorum, Martagon, Maximowiczii, 

 pulchellum [qy. our Buschianum?] pyrenaicum, speciosuni, 

 spoctabile, superbum, Szovitsianum, tenuifolium, testaceum, 

 and tigrinum. As to the dung, tlie custom with us is to renew the 

 ground every four or five years by adding a sufficient quantity 

 of well-decomposed cow manure, and diggmg the ground well." 

 — Geoeoe F. Wilson. 



STRAWBERRY PLANTING. 



Pebsons who fiud it difficult to obtain a good crop of fniit 

 from plants a year old may try the following plan : — To pre- 

 pare plants for transplanting, a piece of ground should be 

 selected, say 8 feet by 7 (this will plant a bed 4.5 feet by 9) ; 

 take oft the top sojl'to the depth of 4 inches, then have the 

 piece covered witli turf 9 inches wide, grass side downwards, 

 replace the top soil, and plant at 9 inches apart each way. The 

 following autumn tho plants will have large crowns with strong 

 healthy foUage. A month before transplanting cut tho turf 

 across i so as to allow each plant to have a piece of turf 9 inches 

 by 9. Tho plants shonld not be allowed to bear fruit in the 

 nursery bed. By the above mode a large crop may be expected 

 the following year. 



It i.^ rather late in the season to try this plan. I should 

 have drawn attention to it before had I not been detained in 

 Italy several weeks longer than I had intended. — Observer. 



next, £5 5.<!. for the best six dishes of Peas, half a peck of each 

 sort, to include Dr. Maclean's Best of All, and £2 2s. for the 

 second best ditto, also £.5 5s. for the best three brace ofJCu- 

 cumbers, including Marquis of Lome, and £2 ,2s. foi^the 

 second best ditto. The competition is to be confined to i: oble- 

 men's and gentlemen's gardeners. 



The R+iyal noRTicni.xcRAL Society's Birmingham Snow. — 

 Messrs. Sutton & Sons have announced their intention to offer 

 at the Royal Horticultural Meeting at Birmingham, in June 



SEEDLING PINE APPLE RAISED AT LAMBTON. 

 In our November issue we referred to what we considered a 

 most promising seedUng Pine Apple which we saw growing at 

 Lambton Castle. Since then Mr. Hunter has favoured us with 

 a photograph of a fruit of it. The plant from which the fruit 



iu question was cut was nearly iiuietccn months old. Tho 

 fruit measured 12 inches in height by 20 inches in circum- 

 ference, and weighed over 10 lbs. Its colour is a high orange, 

 the scales on the bottom sides of the pips being nearly red. 

 Including the crown, the height over all did not exceed 30 inches. 

 In growth it is more robust than the Smooth Cayenne, and 

 m habit less spreading ; and, from its very free-fruiting qua- 

 Uties, it sometimes ripens its fruit before it attains the height 

 of a Queen. Mr. Hunter mforms us that' he cut the fruit 

 from which our engraving has been taken after it had been 

 in the fruit room for three weeks, and found it quite fresh and 

 free from speck or discoloration. One of the fruit recently 

 ripened from a plant which twelve months and eleven days 

 before was a moderate-sized rootless sucker, weighed 7 lbs. 

 10 ozs. ; and another now swelling — December 9th — on a plant 

 potted a rootless sucker last March, is 10 inches high by 

 IG inches in circumference, and will be ripe in ten months 

 from the time it was potted. AU have been grown in the Dur- 

 ham 11-inch pots, which are a small size, owing to the extent 

 they taper to the base. The foliage is very distinct, beuig 

 clad mth very strong prickles set wider apart than any Pine wo 

 know. From the above qualities, in conjunction with that of 

 its being more juicy and better-flavoured than any other largo- 

 growing Pine in cultivation, this variety must prove a very great 

 acquisition in all collections of Pine Apples.^(T/i« Gardener.) 

 [We are indebted to the courtesy of the Messrs. Blackwood 

 for the above representation of this Pine Apple, which, with 



