2.:o 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE: GARDENER. 



[ March 11, 1S72. 



by insect pests as wall trees. The treatment of pjramid trees 

 in the early stages of their growth, up to, say six or seven 

 years from tlie butl, is veiy simple, merely training the tree 

 to a central leader and pinching the young growing shoots 

 twice in the season. A little management is, iaowever, neces- 

 sary here, as the trees are apt to become too much crowded 

 with wood, which excludes Ught and aii' from the centre of the 

 trees. When this is the case thinning the branches is neces- 

 sary. In practice I find it unnecessary to pinch the young 

 shoots after the tree is a certain age — about six years. After 

 it has reached this age, and has been properly trained, a veiy 

 little attention, such as thinning and regulating the shoots, is 

 all that is necessai-y. It will also be necessary to net the trees 

 when the fruit is ripe to protect it from marauding birds. 



Another method of gi'owing this fruit, and which I found 

 convenient here, is a sort of espalier system. I had a few 

 trees which were planted against a low wall ; and this wall 

 having to be removed to make way for some improvement, I 

 planted the Cherry trees against some iron hm-dles, and with 

 the aid of some sticks trained the shoots along them much in 

 the same way as they were before on the wall. Some fruit 

 ■was obtained the first year, and the trees have yearly borne 

 good crops since that time — seven or eight years ago. The 

 summer treatment consists in allowing the trees to grow much 

 their own way, and in autumn or winter removing some of the 

 old wood and tjdng the young bearing wood in to replace it. 

 There is no difficulty in x^rotecting such trees from the birds, 

 as nets of some description can easilj' be thrown over them. 

 I generally use the old herring nets, which keep the birds out 

 and let light and air in. — J. Douglas. 



CAMELLIAS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



A LITTLE more than a centmy ago one might have said in 

 half a dozen words all that was needed, in fact, all that could 

 be said respecting the Camellia ; but how wonderful and inter- 

 esting has its progress been up to the present time, when it 

 furnishes our conservatories during the dull winter months 

 with myriads of blooms of various colours. 



The first species ciUtivated iu European gardens was the 

 Japanese Camellia, C. japonica, said to have been introduced 

 by Robert James, Lord Petre, in 1739 ; this was the single red 

 or noi-mal form of the species. No double-flowered variety 

 appears to have been introduced tiU 1792, after which date 

 came others, which have now, through the exertions of skilled 

 cultivators, provided us with numerous and varied forms of 

 this lovely plant ; indeed, there are so many varieties, that the 

 amateur who can accommodate only a dozen plants is imable to 

 determine which to have without advice, and this is the reason 

 we so often see the question asked. My intention, therefore, is 

 to name a few varieties that I think worthy of cultivation, even 

 in the most limited space. 



No one, if possible, should be without the lovely Mathotiana 

 alba, gem of white Camellias ; the flowers when fuUy expanded 

 are of very large size, and beautifully imbricated to the centre. 

 I should be glad to hear thi'ough any of your correspondents 

 if there are two varieties of this. In the collection here there 

 are a few small plants bear single blooms, while a large plant 

 produces double ones. There is no distinguishable difference 

 in the foliage. Does this arise from the stronger constitution 

 of the plant ? I should fancy not. I am inclined to think 

 the cause is a difference of variety, otherwise why should not 

 the others produce the same kind of flowers, even if they were 

 smaller ? There is also the crimson Mathotiana, which is verj' 

 good. But to the first-named I would add Jenny Lind, Cuj) of 

 Beauty, Countess of Derby, Candidissima, Monsieur de Offay, 

 Storyi, Lady Hume's Blush, Fimbriata, Maria Teresa, Imbri- 

 cata, and Countess of Orkney. The buds of the last-named 

 when in a half-open state present a most beautiful appear- 

 ance. It is rather hard in opening, but when fuUy expanded 

 lasts for a considerable time in perfection. Where space per- 

 mits I would add the following six — namely. Jubilee, WUderi, 

 Empereiu- de Eussie, Marchioness of Exeter, Viiltevaredo, and 

 Reticulata. The last is the largest-flowering of the species, 

 the flowers often measure 6 inches and more in diameter, and 

 ai'e not unlike those of a Pseonia. Anyone having but limited 

 accommodation will find in the above nineteen varieties a very 

 choice selection. Of course where space permits, others of the 

 highest merit can be added with advantage. 



With regard to the culture of the Camellia, enough has been 

 said from tune to time, but the question is often asked early in 

 the winter, ^^Try do my Camellia buds drop off? Certainly this 



must result from bad condition in some way. In many cas^s, 

 though perhaps not in all, I think it arises from the following 

 cause — that they do not receive proper attention during the 

 hot diy months of summer. Being in general placed in som& 

 shaded spot they are often forgotten, and consequently be- 

 come dry at the root. This causes the wood to harden, and the 

 Camellia not being a plant that quickly shows signs of suffer- 

 ing, the di-yness is not perhaps noticed untU the plants are 

 removed to then- winter quarters. Then as soon as discovered 

 the water is supphed freely tiU the ball becomes soaked. 

 What follows ? The roots at once take up fresh nourishment, 

 and supply it to the plant, the result is a swelling of all the 

 joints, and the buds are thi-own off before they can become 

 developed. It is, therefore, always essential to give a regular 

 supply of water at the roots during summer, with an applica- 

 tion from the syringe in the afternoon, so as to keep the foliage 

 clean and fresh. Attention in this respect will prevent many 

 a disappointment at the blooming season. — C. J. W. 



WILD FLOWERS AT HAWKHURST, KENT. 

 We certainly never can have had so early a season for wild 

 flowers as the present. I have gathered, up to the 4th of 

 March, the following : — • 



Jan. 27th. Capsella Bursa-pastoriB 



Stellaiia media 



Veronica Buchanani 



Poa annua 



Lamiiim purpureom 



Ules em-op»a 



Mercuriahs perennis (male) 



Bellis perennis 



Leontodon Taraxacum 



Primula vulgaiis 



Veronica agi-estis 



Euphorbia Peplis 

 Feb. 12th. Corylus Avellana 



Veronica pohta 



Cardamine pl-secos 

 Feb. 23rd. Eanunculus Ficaiia 



Feb. 23rd. Potentilla fragariastrom 

 Arenaria trinervis 

 Petasites fragrans 

 Viola odorata 



Mi-ch2nd. ABemone nemorosa_ 



Mercurialis perennis (fe- 

 male) 



Viola canina 



Pseudo-Nar- 



Taxus baccata (male) 

 Ulmus campestris 

 Oxalis Acetosella 



I should be glad to hear what plants have been found ia 

 bloom in other counties. Ihave omitted to name the Willows, 

 as I do not laiow the genus sufficiently well to discern the 

 species. — FEArtEiN, Botatiist. 



DEATH OF JIR. THOMAS INGRAM. 



It is our painfiU duty again to record the loss of a horticul- 

 tural veteran iu Mr. Thomas Ingi-am, foi-merly gai'dener to 

 Her Majesty at Frogmore. He died on Saturday last at Upton 

 Lodge, Slough, full of yeai'S, and, we may add, fuU of honours ; 

 for throughout his long and useful life he was respected by aU 

 who knew him, not merely for his skiU as a gardener, but also, 

 and higher, for his worth as a man. Those gai'deus over 

 which he so long presided, those improvements in fruits and 

 flowers which he effected, are standing proofs of his ability j 

 and the esteem in which his personal character was held by 

 horticulturists of every grade has been so widely admitted, 

 that more than allusion to it seems superfluous. 



We beheve Mr. Ingram was bom iu England of Scotch 

 parents, and iu early life was sent to Scotland, under the care 

 of his paternal uncle, who was parochial schoolmaster at 

 Hutton, in Berwickshire. There he passed his school days in 

 the house of his relative, who for a long series of years enjoyed . 

 the weU-marked reputation of being an accomplished scholar, 

 and one of the most distinguished teachers in the south of 

 Scotland. Having finished his education at Hutton he came 

 to England, and after passmg through the prehmiuaiy train- 

 ing of a young gardener, he was appointed to the gardens at 

 Windsor in the year 181.5, so that he served four kings and 

 queens of England, a boast, perhaps, that no other gai-dener 

 could ever make, and one which Her present Majesty could well 

 appreciate. On the occasion of the first visit of the Princess 

 of Wales, then the Princess Alexandra, at Windsor, the Queeu 

 accompanied by the Princess visited the garden at Frogmore ; 

 Her Majesty, having sent for Mi-. Ingram, said to him in that 

 kindly manner which she always shows to her old servants, 

 " Mr. Ingram, I wish to introduce you to the Princess Alex- 

 andra." " This," said Her Majesty to the Prmcess, " is Mr. 

 Ingram, who was gardener to Queen Charlotte, and he has 

 been here ever since." Jlr. Ingram used to say that the 

 Princess looked at him with amazement that Queen Charlotte's 

 gardener should be still in the flesh. 



A few yeai-s ago (1805), when Jlr. Ingram completed his 



