102 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



t Feiraary 1, 1872. 



the descriptive remaike, appeared in the Jauuary number of 

 " Tlie Gai'dcuer." Mr. Hunter informs us that from a plant 

 nine months and thirteen days old ho cut a fruit weighing 

 5 lbs. IS ozs., finely formed, high-coloured, and -nith the pips 

 evenly swollen. — Ei>s.] 



THE GKOS COLMAN GBAPE. 

 M. ViBEiiT, then residing at Angers, sent mo this Grape 

 some twenty years siuoe. It bore abundantly with me, but 

 did not ripen its fnitt, being in a cold house. I have since 

 Been it m fine perfection with Mr. Miller, of Bishoii Stortford. 

 ■ Its berries were so fine lu size and colour as to command a 

 iiigli price, making 'Jn. a-pound, wliile Black Hamburgh and 

 Muscat fif Alexandria ma<le 7x. a-pound. Fully ripe its flavour 

 is very rich, but when not so its flavour is not good ; it keeps 

 well, and requires to be " dead ripe." I send three or four 

 berries ; they were ripe ki July. It seems as if it would bo 

 valuable as a market Grape from its large size, fine colour, and 

 kf eping quality. — Thos. Hivees. 



[The Gros Colmau has now been grown for some years in 

 many gardens with varied success. In some places it colours 

 badly, its substance is hard and fleshy, and its flavour is that 

 of a Grape, and nothing more. The fruit Mr. Elvers has sent 

 is jet black, tho substance tender and melting as a Black Ham- 

 bm-gh, and the flavour ricljer than that of any late black Grape 

 pe know.] 



PEIMULA JAPONICA. 



Thinkwo that it will ihterest your readers to leaju some- 

 thing of tho habit Sind growth of this magnificent Primula, we 

 foi-ward you a few extracts from letters received from Mr. 

 Kramer, of Yokohama, Japan, who has at various times for- 

 warded to us seeds and plants of tliis species. 



He writes as follows : — " If tho dra\Yings in the European 

 })eriodicals are true. Primula japonica must be very much finer 

 at borne than it over is seen here. A cold chmate and good 

 cultivation have no doiibt grea,t influence, for its native country 

 is said to bo the island of Yeza. It is generally found growing 

 on the banks of Btrea»is and watercourses in yellow loam. I 

 hav4 seen it growing tram 2J to 3 feet high with six or seven 

 tiers of flowers — a magnificent sight. 



" In sowing the seed it is very important to know, that as 

 this Primula is not ft native of a warm country, it requu-es no 

 artificial heat for germinating, and that frequently the seed 

 does not germinate until next spring, in fact the latter is the 

 rule. I would, therefore, advise that the seed should be sown 

 immediately, and left for at least six months undisturbed." 

 (June, 1870). — " I have now some boxes which have stood for 

 two years, and this yew there are more plants coming up than 

 even the first year " (May, 1871). 



From this it appears that the seed takes a long time to 

 germinate. 



A moist yellow loam ie best suited to the plant, and it is 

 likely to improve much under cultivation. It will also prove 

 especially valuable for hybridisation on account of its tendency 

 to vary. — Teutschel & Co., Colchester. 



MADRBSPIELD COUET GBAPE. 

 I HATE with a friend of mine to-day (Jauuary 23rd) cut the 

 last buncb of this variety, and from what I now see it has 

 fuUy borne out the character given to it by the Eoyal Horti- 

 cultural Society. S. Simpson, Esq., of Manchester, a very 

 good judge of Grapes, assiu'ed me a few days ago that a bunch 

 I gave him, after hanguig in a ivy place, but still moderate in 

 temperature, was kept five or six weeks amongst other thin- 

 skinned varieties, and at the end could not be surpassed in 

 flavoiu'. I have it vefy fine in colour, with large berries. I 

 am very sorry that I Imvt not more of it on account of its ex- 

 cellent quality. I am devoting a house, about 40 feet by 

 18 feet, to its cultivation. The constitution is good, and I 

 have no hesitation in sajing it is a very desirable variety to 

 gipw. — Joseph Meeemth, The Vineyard, Garston, Liverpool. 



been decided upon. Tho arrangements will, we beUevc, tako 

 something like this form : On Tuesday, June 25th, there will 

 bo a public dinner ; on the followhig three days, Wednesday, 

 Thursday, and Friday, a lumjieou at a convenient hour and 

 at a very moderate figure ; and afterwards each day, as ])er a 

 programme to be issued in due course, papers wiU be read, to 

 be followed by discussions upon them. With a view to enable 

 the Committeo to make suitable arrangements, it is requested 

 that all who are interested in tho success of the Congress, and 

 who have suggestions to offer, and all who are willing to read 

 papers and take part in the Congress, wiU at once communicate 

 with the Hon. Seoa-etary, Mr. E. W. Badger, Midland Counties 

 Herald Office, Birmingham. In the case of those who wish to 

 read papers, it is desirable that they should state the subject 

 of them, and the length of time they desire to occupy. These 

 communications will be laid before the Sub-Committee, whose 

 special business it will be to arrange for visitors, the dinner 

 and luncheons, and the Congress. Early communications will 

 be much appreciated. 



HoEiicuLTUEAL CoKOREss AT BiEMiXGHAM. — We are requested 

 to annoimce that the Birmingham Local Committee, in connec- 

 tion with the Royal Horticultural Society's visit in June next, 

 intend that there shall be a Congress during the show week, 

 the details of which will be published as soon as they have 



IRON IN SOIL FOE EOSES. 



The question raised in your Journal by a correspondent ou 

 the effect of iron upon Eoses and other plants is one of veiy 

 great interest. I have not yet had a lengthened experience of 

 the results of manui'es on Eoses, but, like most of those who 

 have studied the subject of manurial agents scientificaU3', I do 

 not yet beUeve in the plant differing very materially from 

 most others in its food-requirements. One general theory 

 taught is, of course, that only those elements wliich enter into 

 tho composition of the plant are valuable as manures, and 

 there is no proof, or well-sustained attempt to prove as yet, 

 any agent is of use a.s a tonic or stimulant which does not 

 feed the plant, or, Uke lime, make soluble or decompose the 

 valuable matter in the soil. I do not allude here to tho me- 

 chanical effect of soil materials, as this is to a great extent 

 distinct. Some plants, of course, will put up with a poorer 

 soil, and others, which are often called gi-oss feeders, Ac., ^vill 

 take more food from the soU, and particularly food of a nitro- 

 genous character. 



From general testimony it seems as if the Eose belonged to 

 this class of plants, but I should Uke to see a trial of the ex- 

 periment of growing Roses in a rich mmcral soU against those 

 treated with ammonial manure. It must be remembered, 

 however, that we do not grow this plant for its seed, like 

 Wheat, but for the leaves and flowers. I must confess being 

 sceptical as to these strong shoots on your correspondent's 

 Roses being sent up by the iron. 



Iron does occur to the extent of a trace among the consti- 

 tuents of most plants, but hai'dly seems a necessity, and it is 

 present in nearly every soil in more or less abundance. Its 

 useful chemical effect ou the soil would be difficult to see, the 

 oxide being a very mUd base — not to be compared in this re- 

 spect with lime. As an uulicator of the condition of soils by 

 colour it is well knowni, and, doubtless, may have some effect 

 on that of plants, both leaves and flowers. In some combina- 

 tions it is considered most injurious, and your readers, unless 

 indifferent to the loss of their plants, must be careful in ap- 

 plying it. 



It almost makes one smUe to see the various nostrums re- 

 commended by a "hundred doctors" to achieve great resiUts. 

 One vamits soot, another malt sweepings, a third nitrate of 

 soda, a fourth sulphate of ammonia, and another guano, 

 believing them all to have a totally different result, whereas 

 an simply depend, or nearly, on some form of nitrogen for 

 their efficacy. 



I was also somewhat amused to think of some of the readers 

 of a contemporary being induced by an article from a dis- 

 tinguished florist carefully to collect aU the hoof-parings from 

 the farrier's, as being the verj' best manure for Eoses ; failiug 

 to obtain which, strange to say, bones were to be substituted, 

 but on what principle it would be difficult to say, except their 

 being equally parts of an animal. The former had one recom- 

 mendation — it T^as a lasting maniu'e. No doubt it would be; I 

 hope their patience would be equally so. About as well make 

 a man sit loolung at his breakfast mitU dinner-time, and praise 

 the lasting quaUties of the food. 



At a future time I should like to say a few more words ou 

 this subject if your readers would care to see them, but enough 

 for the present. I would conclude by saying I do not wish to 

 have given the impression that experiments of all kinds should 

 not be persevered in, but a little more knowledge among hor- 



