JOUKNAl OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 11, 1873. 



languages hare, I liad almost said, disgui'ril its nomoncla- ' to conduct a botanical correspondeuco without the use ol 



ture, and have in consequence retked from the pursuit dis- 

 appointed and disgusted, a pursuit to which liad they been led 

 by judicious steps in the mother tongue — than wliich none is 

 more rich and expressive — they might have been the brightest 

 oi'nameiiti 



generic and specific names, but these are exceptional. As 

 workers in the same vineyard let us endeavour to malve science 

 bend, not stubbornly, but gi-acefuUy and agreeably, to eommou 

 understandings ; and if we must use specific terms, let us com- 

 pensate for the infliction by adding also those in more general 



I am well aware there are certain cases where it is impossible I use. — Mary Gold, The Ashtcell {Mild) Flower Girl. 



ADIANTUM FAELEYENSE. 



Tnis, the queen of the Maiden-hail' tribe, is most deservedly 

 admired by everyone who has any pretensions to Fem-fancy- . 

 ing, and by many of those individuals who profess not to care 

 for them. Whether regarded as an exhibition or simply as a 

 decorative plant, it rivals in beauty and elegance any other 

 Icnown Fern ; in fact, 

 there are few amongst 

 our cultivated ones that 

 are equal to it. The only 

 disadvantage to the gene- 

 ral cultivation of this ex- 

 ceedingly beautiful plant 

 is, that to grow it suc- 

 cessfully a stove heat is 

 necessary, and unless 

 this can be obtained it is 

 useless to attempt to grow 

 it. This, as all other 

 stove Ferns, flourishes 

 iest in a moist warm 

 stove where the atmo- 

 sphere ranges from 70' to 

 80° — indeed, the more 

 heat and moisture j"on 

 give it the better does it 

 seem to flourish, and the 

 more fuUy do the ele- 

 gant fronds develope 

 themselves. It is weU 

 to expose the plant to 

 the light, but not much 

 to the direct rays of the 

 sun, except in the early 

 morning or late in the 

 evening. 



I have never seen Adi- 

 antum faideyense* pro- 

 duce spores, although 



there are some who assert that the now-well-known A. scutum 

 was produced from it. This, however, I very much question, 



and think that A. scutum is one and the same variety as Adi- I for the general growth of this Fern, but for its propagation I 

 antum Ghiesbreghtii, which was known some time before I have found it absolutely necessarj-. Where one or two speci- 

 Adiantum farleyense was heard of. I think if we could get mens only are required it is better to grow them in the stove,, 

 spores from A. farleyense that the produce would come per- from 65° to 75', with plenty of moisture, and potted in th& 

 fectly true. I have often sown Fern spores very carefully, compost I have recommended. When treated thus there is 

 and have been disajjpointed in seeing a totally different kind not the least fear of its thriving, as it is a free-growing Fen> 

 produced from the one I had sown. This I think was the I under favourable circumstances. — T. B. 



Adiantum fai-leyense. 



case with Adiantum scutum, or, as it was called, seedling far- 

 leyense. Fern spores are so minute that they are scattered 

 no one knows where, and when they alight on a surface 

 favourable they very quickly develope. ^0^88 



But to return to Adiantum farleyense, the treatment of 

 which I will describe. 

 The compost I have al- 

 ways grown it in is good 

 iibry peat and turfy yel- 

 low loam in equal pro- 

 portions, with a free ad- 

 mixture of silver sand. 

 This compost is not ab- 

 solutelj' necessaiy, for I 

 have seen specimens- 

 grown in turfy loam 

 only, with a Uttle silver 

 sand added. I use plenty 

 of crocks in the bottom 

 of the pot, place a layer 

 of sphagnum moss over 

 the crocks to secure per- 

 fect drainage, and then 

 pot rather firmly. The 

 house I grow them in (I 

 say them, as I have pro- 

 pagated and gi-own them 

 to a satisfactory extent) 

 is a lean-to propagatuig- 

 hciuse facing due souths 

 and provided with aroller 

 and Lliud. A hot-water 

 tank runs all round it- 

 and throws off plenty of 

 the heat and moisture 

 which are so beneficial to 

 the growth of the plants. 

 The heat generally rangee- 

 from G5° to 80 , rising perhaps a little higher in the day at 

 times. I should not advise this unusually close atmosphere- 



MKS. PINCE'S BLACK MUSCAT GRAPE. 



In The Jouenal of Horticulture of December 28th there 

 are a few remarks from me respecting Mrs. Pince's Black 

 Muscat Grape. I then stated that I considered it the finest 

 late Black Grape in cultivation. I have no reason to alter my 

 opinion now, as I am backed-up by such splendid Grape- 

 growers as Mr. Pearson, of Chilwell, and Mr. Hill, of Keele 

 Hall. I have regularly attended the horticultural shows at the 

 Eegent's Park for the last fifteen years, and I never saw better 

 Grapes tlian were exhibited there hy Mr. HiU ; therefore I 

 think the article by Mr. Pearson at page 273 ought to carry 

 great weight with it. 



If I am not mistaken, some one asked Mr. Meredith to give 

 his opinion on Mrs. Pince's Grape. I am sorry he did not do 

 so, although he mentions having cut the last bunch of Madres- 

 field Court about the beginning of Januai-y, and that a Liver- 

 pool gentleman, a very good judge of Grapes, had pronounced 

 it to be first-rate. I hope the readers of The Journal of Hor- 

 ticulture wUl pardon me for giving the names of some of the 



"We ai-e indebted to Mr. Williams, ol HoUoway, lor the acoomponving 

 Illustration of this beautiful Fern.— Eds. 



nobility and gentry who have tasted Mrs. Piuce here. Oa 

 the 17th of January the Marchioness of Westminster and Mr. 

 Disraeli complimented me personally on gi'owing such a splen- 

 did Grape as Mrs. Pince ; on the 25th of the same month and' 

 the 1st of February Lady Strafford and Lady Dacre thought 

 it the finest late Grape they had ever tasted. On the 4th of 

 February the Earl of Leicester told me it was by far the best 

 late Grape he had ever seen ; a fortnight later the Eiirl of Cork 

 and the Earl of Morley spoke very highly of it. On the Slst 

 of March (Easter Sunday), I sent a dish of Mrs. Pmce and a 

 dish of Alicante to table, and my employer has just been to 

 say that the Prime Minister and Mrs. Gladstone had pro- 

 nounced Mrs. Pince to be the finest Grape they ever tasted 

 at this time of the year. At each of Lord Chesham's parties 

 since the 1st of January a dish of Alicante was placed at 

 one end of the table and a dish of Mrs. Piuce at the other, 

 so that all could see them before being cut up for use. After 

 tasting they always decided in favour of Mrs. Pince, and none 

 found fault with the colour. 

 In mentioning the names of some who have tasted Mrs. 



