Febi-nary 15, 1872. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



151 



trusses are thrown up should be retained for plants. When 

 the fruit is set it is a good practice to inulch between the rows 

 with rotted manure. If the weather is dry a good watering is 

 beneficial, and this niulcliing serves to retain moisture. 



The best method of preservuig the ripe fruit from damage is 

 an important consideration. I have seen the mowings from 

 the lawn used to place between the rows ; this is a bad material — 

 clean straw is the best, and in diy weather it is very efficient. 

 In wet weather it is very tiresome to have the best fruit eaten 

 by slugs ; the only way to prevent this is to keep the fruit in a 

 hanging position, which is easUy managed by using smaU 

 branches of Elm, Beech, or Hornbeam, sticking in a few close 

 to the plants and letting the fruit hang over from the clefts of 

 the sprays. I tried some of the galvanised Strawberry protectors 

 last year, but I prefer the branchlets about a foot long. 



I may also make a few remarks on pot culture. There are few 

 gardens where this is not carried on to a greater or less extent. 

 The principal object to be studied in pot culture, is to have the 

 crowns well matured, so that the largest possible per-centage of 

 plants may throw up flower-trusses. In very early forcing it 

 is annoying to have 50 per cent, of the plants unfruitful, and 

 such an occurrence is unfortunately by no means uncommon. 

 Wlien the plants are required for forcing very early, 5-inch 

 pots are the best size in which to fruit the plants, and these 

 should be m the fruiting-pots by the first week of August. For 

 later forcing 6-inch pots are the best. The compost reijuu-ed 

 is very simple — turfy loam five parts, and rotted manure one 

 part ; and if convenient it should be laid up a few months 

 previous to use. I generally layer the runners in 60-sized 

 pots ; these average 2^ inches in diameter, mside measure. 

 This aUows a good space round the balls when repotting into 

 5 and 6-inch pots. The compost should be rammed in quite 

 firmly with a wooden rammer. 



With regard to sorts, much has been written about the capa- 

 bilities of this and that variety, but it is utterly impossible to 

 say which is the best to plant on certain soils without trial. 

 The only way by which anyone can ascertain which is the best 

 variety for his garden is by planting, say, a dozen of the most 

 approved sorts, and selecting those most suitable for the soil 

 and situation. British Queen I now place at the head of the 

 list as the best variety, both for pot culture and planting out in 

 the garden ; it is not the heaviest cropper, but the fruit is 

 large, even in size, and surpassingly good in flavour. Of La 

 Constante I do not think so highly as formerly, but it is very 

 distinct, of neat and compact habit, and bears large crops of 

 equal-sized fruit. Lucas is now preferred to it as being rather 

 better in flavour ; the fruit is larger and finer in appearance. 

 President, a variety of sterling merit, does equally well in 

 pots and planted out. Premier we gi'ow for its cropping capa- 

 bilities, and the fine appearance of the fruit ; it is only of 

 medium flavour. Frogmore Late Pine is the best late sort I 

 have j'et tried, a good cropper, good in flavour, and even-sized. 

 Amongst new varieties Bradley's " The Amateur," is,IbeHeve, 

 the best, but I shall not be able to thoroughly prove it until 

 next year. 1871 was the worst year in my experience for 

 Strawberries out of doors, but this new variety of Mr. Bradley's 

 was the best I had the opportunity of tasting. 



Can any of our contributors or readers say anything of the 

 new continental varieties ? I haVJ tried some of them ; they 

 are tolerably good, but not good enough to displace our ovni 

 approved sorts. I see that both Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Radclyffe 

 think very higlily of Dr. Hogg. It was splenchd with me at 

 first, but it has degenerated, and even young plants die off as 

 if diseased ; perhaps a new stock would be an effectual remedy. 

 Galande mentioned by Mr. Radclyffe, and Black Bess spoken 

 higlily of by Mr. Gilbert, I know nothing at all about. I can 

 quite understand the secret of Mr. Eadelyffe's success, when 

 lie states that his runners were planted .July 7th. Such plants 

 will cany immense crops next season. — -J-Docolas. 



KING OF THE MAREOWS PEA. 

 In your number of the 25th ult. the Rev. W. F. Radclyffe 

 mentions Kuig of the Marrows Pea as " large and of ad- 

 mirable flavour." I quite agree with that, for it is quite 

 worthy of such comment, and he says he believes it grows 

 5 or 6 feet in height. Last sunnner I had two rows 15 yards 

 long. When they were 4 feet in height I planted a row of 

 Celery between each, thiuldng they would shade it just liuig 

 enough for the Celeiy to hold its own ; but imagine my 

 chagrin when, instead of coming into crop, up the Peas went, 

 and stiU up. I put in a pole 10 feet long at each end of the 



row, and one in the centre, then stretched strings along each 

 side, and when the Peas produced they were 9 feet 6 inches in 

 height 1 Of course, owing to their having to stand so long 

 the Celery was considerably drawn, and being ratlier short I 

 had to use a step ladder in gathering, for the haulm did not 

 bear nearer the ground than 4 feet. The Peas, however, were 

 much praised, being large, bright green, and of fine flavour. 

 There was an immense crop. The soil was stiff, but had been 

 trenched and mamxred in the previous autumn at both spits ; 

 but the Peas looked magnificently, and were wonders. — James 

 Lock, Sain-ij. 



GLEICHENIA RUPESTRIS. 



FvLLY agreeuig with " T. B." as regards the great beauty of 

 this, to my mind the queen of its tribe, I certainly come to a 

 different conclusion as to why so few amateurs exhibit it. I 

 say, and I think without fear of contradiction, that it is simply 

 because of its great rarity we so seldom see it exhibited by 

 either nurserymen or amateurs. In not one catalogue, and I 

 possess all the principal ones, can I find it, though G. speluncn?, 

 flabellata, diehotoma, dicai'pa, and semivestita are quoted in 

 many of them. I only know of three specimens — Mr. Mendel's, 

 Mr. Baines's, and my own. I have just been to measure mine. 

 It is "2 feet 7 inches high, and not quite 4 feet in diameter. I 

 grow my plant in the cooler Fern stove, and " T. B." is quito 

 right that too much heat is uijurious to all the members of 

 this lovely tribe. My specimen has fairly started its new 

 growth, and I daresay many of yom- readers will see it exhi- 

 bited during the coming season. 



The great difficulty with Gleichenias is propagating them. 

 Division is dangerous, and often fatal, while fructification is, 

 with me at any rate, unknown. I am aware that seedliug;^ 

 have been raised, for Mr. Bull's traveller informed me only 

 yesterday that Mr. Bull had been successful in raising some 

 upon one occasion. 



Let me conclude by making a rem.ark about Adiantum far- 

 leyense. I possess four plants of it, one a very fine specimen 

 4 feet in diameter, yet I have never seen a fertile frond, and 

 Mr. WiUiams, of HoUoway, when ealluig upon me a few weeks 

 ago, said that his experience was the saiie. I cannot help 

 thinking that " T. B." is the possessor of one of the three 

 specimens of G. rupestris known to me. — T, M. Siiuttlewoktu, 

 Golden Hill, Leylaiul, near Preston. 



DESTROYING PREDATORY INSECTS. 



At page 109, "An Old Subscbibeb" asks your advice for 

 scale upon orchard-house trees, and I feel much surprised you 

 do not recommend my insect-destroying compound, it being 

 such an easy and effectual cure. If gardeners would give 

 then- trees two good syringiugs as a winter dressing they 

 would not be troubled with scale or any other insect. 



My first grand experiment with it upon Peach trees was 

 when the fruit were colouring, and at that time my trees were 

 so infested that the fruit were being discoloured with the secre- 

 tion from the scale, and I was in fear of losmg the whole of 

 the crop. However, I ventured to give them a regular good 

 syringing with my compound, and to my great surprise it 

 not only killed the scale, but cleansed the fruit, and next 

 morning the foUage looked as green and liealthy as possible. 

 I used it as hot as I could bear my finger in it, and at tlie rate 

 of 2 ozs. to the gallon ; but for a winter dressing I now use 

 3 ozs. to the gallon. I syringe all the woodwork as well. I 

 now use it as a winter dressing to my Vines in the same way. 

 — T. C. Claeke. 



VALE ROYAL, 



The Seat op Loed Delameee. 

 This mansion is in the deep valley along which passes the 

 river Weever, near Northwich in Cheshire — a valley in part so 

 well clothed with trees as, in the olden time, to be designated 

 " The Monks' Wood," and partly so fertile as to be then called 

 " The Holy Vale of Corn." This is recorded in the register of 

 the abbey subsequently founded there ; and the same register 

 states that King Edwiuxl I. willed that its old titles should be 

 aboUshed, and that it be named Vallem Rerialem, "which in 

 English is King's Dale." He so named it when, in 1277, he 

 laid the foundation stone of an abbey in fulfilment of a vow 

 he made if the Virgin preserved him from shipwreck, imminent 

 as he returned from the Holv Land. That abbey, be it told in 



