August 4, I86S. ] 



JGXJENAX OF HOETICTJXTTrRE AND COTTAGE GAUDENEE. 



many people, is of rapid gi-owth, and not pai-ticular as to 

 soil. It is, however, liable to have large limbs blown otf in 

 stunmer — even young trees are sometimes almost split in 

 two by ir-actures in this way. 



The Lojibardt Poplae forms an important featm'e in 

 the landscape of many places ; but it is certainly not of 

 quicker growth than the Black Italian, which seems to out- 

 strip anything it comes in contact with. For planting 

 occasionally in formal belts they help to break the outline, 

 and as such ai-e very useful ; but they are hardly wanted in 

 dressed ground, nor even as sing-le trees in a park, although 

 some in Lord Tonington's park at IVIereworth, in Kent, 

 look well, having attained an extraordinary height. The 

 White Poplaa- has little to recommend it. 



There are many other deciduous trees of more or less 

 merit. The Maples at times attain a good size ; Hornbeam 

 seldom gi-ows so large as the Beech. An old Thorn is as noble 

 a park ornament as anything that grows, and now and then 

 a Willow attains to the gooclly proportions of a timber tree. 

 Its downy white leaves, tiu'uing with the breeze, contrast 

 strongly with the hues of the other trees by which it is 

 surrounded. It is not fau' to enter the dressed ground for 

 specimens fitted for outside work, or we might find large 

 Tulip trees, Ailanthus, Liquidambars, and siTch like ; but 

 these are not English trees, and must await a notice else- 

 where. We must not, howevex-, omit to notice the Bu-ch, 

 not for its size but for its singular' beauty and its adapta- 

 bility for those wild elevated j)Ositions where mauy other 

 tilings would hardly live. Widely differing from this is the 

 Acacia, a tree not by any means unsuited for park scenery, 

 and requii-ing dry ground. The timber of tliis is, perhaps, 

 as hard as any home-gi-own wood we have, but I am not 

 prepared to say that it is so dm-able as it was expected to 

 he when it was fii-st inti'oduced. It is, however, questionable 

 whether it will ever become a long-lived tree ; and, like the 

 Horse Chestnut, high winds are liable to blow off large 

 branches. Some other trees might also be mentioned here ; 

 but the above are the most important and useful ones. 



In concluding the above hasty glance at our most im- 

 portant hardy deciduous trees, I hope some of oui' readers 

 who reside in districts where specimens of remarkable size 

 exist wOl be kind enough to forward to the Editors the 

 dimensions of those trees, for lai'ge trees are certainly 

 deserving of as much attention as large animals or large 

 fruits ; and the latter having had their due share of atten- 

 tion of late, let us tiy and do justice to the most ancient, 

 most noble, and certainly the grandest productions of the 

 vegetable world. J. Eoeson. 



PEOPEE STOCKS FOE GEAPE TINES. 



This is a subject which, as it presents itself to my mind, 

 has not received fi-om cultivators the amount of attention 

 which it deserves ; and the object of this communication is 

 not so much to relate my own experience in the matter, as 

 to call the attention of others to it, and invite theu' co- 

 operation with a view to discover by experiments the stocks 

 on which the different vai-ieties succeed best. Eeasoning 

 from analogy, there can be little doubt but that the Vine 

 can be influenced both as to the quantity and quality of 

 its produce by the stock it may be grafted on, as well as 

 other fruit trees, and practically I have found tliis theory 

 correct as far as I have been able to test it, as the following 

 instances wiU show. When Snow's Muscat Hambiu-gh Vine 

 made its appearance I procured a plant of it, which I 

 planted in a house along with Black Hambirrgh Vines. The 

 latter have succeeded perfectly well, but I never had any- 

 thing like a fine bunch on the Muscat Hamburgh ; the 

 berries were unequal in size, the bunches loose, and not in 

 any case much over a pound weight. Unwilling to give up 

 growing a Grrape wliich is, perhajas, the highest flavoui'ed of 

 all Black Grapes, I inarched it on Black Hambm-gh stocks 

 during the summer of last year, and at the present moment 

 I Tiave six bunches on each of these inarches, the lightest of 

 ■which wiU weigh 2 lbs., the heaviest 4 lbs., with firU-sized 

 equally-swelled ben-ies. The next instance is of an un- 

 ■favourable cha,racter. It is that of a Bowood Muscat 

 inarched on a Black Barbarossa ; this retarded the ripening 

 of the Grapes a month as compared -n-ith the same Vine 



on its own roots. I might mention several others, but 

 those two are enough to show that the stock has an influ- 

 ence on the produce of the Vine, and may induce all who 

 have an opportmiity to make one or more experiments and 

 relate their results, and in this way much valuable informa- 

 tion on an important subject may be obtained. As far as 

 my own experience cai-ries me I am disposed to think that 

 the Black Hambm-gh is an excellent stock. I am also dis- 

 posed to think that the Eaisin de Calabre wiU prove a good 

 one, and probably the Syi-ian. On such stocks I would expect 

 the Prontignans and other tender Grapes to gi-ow as freely 

 as Hamburghs, but actual experiment alone can determine 

 this. If some of om- nurserymen would import such hardy 

 varieties as the American Catawba and Isabella Vines, I 

 think it very probable that they would prove valuable stocks 

 for parts of the country where the soil is cold and the 

 climate wet. — Wm. Thomson, Dalkeith Park.— {Scottish Gar- 

 dener.) 



THE CASTLE KENNEDY FIG. 



I HAVB read with some interest the notice of this Fig in 

 the report of the Eoyal Horticultm-al Society's Fruit Com- 

 mittee in yoiu- Journal of the 7th ult. I feel interested in 

 this subject because I have had an opportunity of eating this 

 Fig. I own, however, to some sm-jmse at seeing its flavour 

 reported as not first-rate. Of course I have no judgment 

 that can be opposed to professional opinions, but I have 

 often eaten good Figs,, and do not remember tasting any of 

 better fiavour. Perhaps the large fruit sent up for exhibition 

 might not have been so highly fiavom-ed as those of an 

 average size. It may, perhaps, be true that the original of 

 this sort was a "Large White Genoa" some centm-y and a 

 half ago ; but if so, the altered shape, size, and colour — and 

 I venture to think flavour too — which it has acquired by 

 so long a domicile in the " land of the mountain and the 

 flood," shordd entitle it to a distinctive name ; and if I were 

 a Scot my feelings of nationality would, perhaps, lead me to 

 insist upon the right of this fi-uit, by the ordinary laws of 

 domicile, to the specific name of " Castle Keimedy." Not 

 being a Scot, I content myself with the hope that the know- 

 ledge of this Fig win not any longer be confined north of the 

 Tweed: and if its cultivator, Mr. Fowler, should read this 

 letter I trust it wiU induce him to send a larger assortment 

 to some future Exhibition, and thus show om- southern cul- 

 tivators that if they want a really fii-st-class Fig they have 

 but to cross the border for one, and induce them to give 

 southern Fig-admirers an opportunity of forming then- own 

 judgment. — A Constant Eeadek. 



GEOWDfG TOMATOES IJNDEE GLASS. 



In the absence of more full and definite information as to 

 the exact conditions under which a coiTespondent, Mr. 

 Fisher, has failed in getting a crop of Tomatoes in his Peach- 

 house, I would suggest that the want of success may arise 

 from either of two causes, or from both combined. 



In the flrst instance, if they are growing in a shaded part 

 of the house the absence of the necessary amount of light 

 may cause an imperfect development of the ' fruoti^nng 

 organs. 



In the next place, it is possible from then- being so 

 robust in growth the very same effect, to which reference 

 has been made, may be produced by an imdesirable de- 

 velopment of leaves and young shoots, which crowds the 

 clusters of bloom, and prevents the necessary action of Ught 

 and air. 



Either of these causes, or the two combined, are what 

 may be suspected from the statement that the plants are 

 much more vigorous and in better condition than plants 

 which are fi'uitful in the open au\ 



Try what a closer imitation of the cu-crtmstances of the 

 out-door plants will do to produce fruit in the strong plants. 

 If they ai-e fuU of large sappy leaves and young shoots, let 

 such a ijroportion of both be removed as will fully expose 

 the bloom to the sun and air, and cause the energies of the 

 plant to be more concentrated to the blooms. At the same 

 time let the plants be kept rather diier at the rocrt. 



