130 



JOTJENAIi OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August IB, IMS. 



moment which of the two evils just alluded to is or has done 

 most mischief. 



No plant that I am acquainted with varies so much in 

 its general growth, and certainly none is so little under 

 the control of the cultivator, his best-directed efforts some- 

 times resulting in a complete failure, while at other times a 

 good crop rewards very indifferent management. So exceed- 

 ingly capricious are some of the results of Hop-growing, 

 that the diversity of opinion on the matter is not to be 

 wondered at. It is very fortunate for mankind that the more 

 important cereal crops are more steady and to be depended 

 upon, or serious consequences would follow ; and although 

 when we arrive at the full extent of chemical knowledge 

 bearing on cultivation, so as to be able to supply the plant 

 with the material most wanted to insure its doing well, the 

 atmosphere still remains an all-important agent which we 

 have no prospect of ever having any control over. It is, 

 therefore, our duty to protect and encourage aU Nature's 

 cures or preventives bearing on the maladies of plants cul- 

 tivated for our use : consequently, the &j gelding, being one, 

 is protected by all those benefited by its presence. 



While on this subject I may as well state for the informa- 

 tion of those who may be disposed to urge the claims of 

 tobacco as a destroyer of the aphis on the Hop plant, that it 

 has been applied for many years with more or less success, 

 and an extensive grower near here (Linton), annually uses 

 several hundred pounds of it for this jrarpose. A decoction 

 or infusion nii^ed with soft soap has been found very 

 beneficial in destroying the aphis ; but the fact of its de- 

 stroying the fly gokling also has made some parties timid in 

 tising it. One benefit, however, aiising from its use, instead 

 of allowing the plant to become quite blighted for the 

 season, is the much healthier condition the plant is in the 

 following year. There is, however, a greater mystery hang- 

 ing over the well-being of this plant^ — an attack by the 

 aphis in the following year is an exceedingly rare occurrence. 

 In fact, the oldest Hop-growers declare such has never 

 occurred, while a succession of three or four seasons of 

 mildew is not at all unlikely. Can any of our physiologists 

 account for this ? 



It is, therefore, very satisfactory that a conviction of the 

 ntUity of sulphur as a preventive of the mildew has been 

 brought about ; and as it is a cheap and easily-applied 

 remedy, hopes are entertained that one of the worst evils 

 Hop-growers have had to contend against will be much 

 mitigated, and to a certain extent placed under control. 

 The subject, however, is one calling for further comment, 

 and I will at a later period of the season again revert to 

 it. In the meantime, for the information of those who read 

 newspaper paragraphs recording the ravages of the ily, or 

 the destruction by mildew, and who may, perhaps, thhik 

 they are conferring a boon on the Hop-growing community 

 by advising the old-fashioned remedies used in garden 

 structures. I may state that Hop-growers are in no way 

 behind their neighbours in enterprise, either in that way or 

 in the application of manure of various kinds. J. Eobson. 



NECESSITY OF NAMING PLANTS IN 



PUBLIC GARDENS. 



Tour correspondent, Mr. Keane, shows that even in those 

 splendidly-kept gardens at Kew, the authorities give the 

 public more credit for knowledge of the names of plants and 

 horticultural matters than they deserve. The truth of this I 

 have myself confirmed in my strolls into Battersea, Ken- 

 sington, and other public gardens this season. In Battersea 

 Park I saw a gentleman taking much interest in the colours 

 of the bedding plants, and the effects they produced. Being 

 desirous of obtaining the name of a plant, in order, as he 

 explained to me, to be able to plant his own garden, he went 

 over the stout iron hurdles to read the name which was 

 written upon a small garden label, such as we generally find 

 in our pots of greenhouse jjlants, but before he could read it 

 up came a man with a Crimean medal, hat-band, Ac, calling 

 out, " Come out there ! " The gentleman told him he wanted 

 to ascertain the name of the flower in the bed, and asked, 

 " What is it ? " The answer was, " 1 don't know, and if you 

 don't come out immediately I shall take you into custody. 

 These are my orders, and I shall assuredly can-y thtm out." 



Next, in Kensington Gtardens, the same kind of park or 

 garden keeper was asked the name of a tree that happened 

 to be an English Yew, likewise the age of the tree. The in- 

 formation I heard him give was, that the oldest Yew tree 

 in this country was not over 150 years old, and that the Yew 

 was first brought to England 150 years ago. The next 

 question was. If Kensington Gardens in the long walk did 

 not contain a good collection of hardy plants ? " Yes, the 

 best collection in the world," was the answer. " But why 

 do you not put the names to them, then, so that all persons 

 can see what they are ? " " Don't know." 



At Kew, on the 8th, I heard several persons ask, " Wha* 

 is the name of that plant? it is very beautiful;" also in 

 the arboretum, " What is that plant ? " I thought all ths 

 plants at Kew were correctly named. This confirms Mr. 

 Keane's remarks, that the public do not know so much 

 about botany and horticulture as they require to know.— 

 Joseph Newton, 30, Eastbovme Ta'race. 



GAEDENEES' BENEFIT SOCIETY. 



I was greatly pleased to see a communication in yonr 

 Journal from " St. A., Notts," respecting a proposed Gar- 

 deners' Society. I merely wish to indorse his opinion of the 

 Gardeners' Benevolent Institution, as I was lately solicit-ed 

 to become a subscriber to it; but on taking the rules into 

 consideration and consulting two or three brethren of the 

 craft, I came to the same conclusion as yoiu- correspondent 

 — namely, that it is a most uncertain mode of obtaining a 

 very uncertain benefit (that is, relief in sickness and old 

 ago). I shall, therefore, be pleased to hear of the speedy 

 formation of a Society on the plan proposed in a former 

 Number of your paper, and I shall have great pleasure in 

 becoming a permanent subscriber. I will also give my 

 mite towards the necessary expense of formation on being 

 communicated with, and I will use my utmost endeavours 

 to induce my friends to do Mkewise. — H. B. 



THE CULTIVATION OF HEATHS. 



BY THE LATE MK. JOSEPH FAIKBAIKN, NUESEKIES, CLAPHAK. 



I SHALL content myself, in this communication, with treat- 

 ing on what may be termed the elementary parts of cultiva- 

 tion, included imder the heads of Selection of Soil, Choic« 

 of Plants, and Shifting or Potting the same, as it is my wish, 

 in the general instructions I venture to offer, and which are 

 the result of careful observations, arising from a rather ex- 

 tensive experience, to be as definite as possible, confining 

 myself to a plain, and I hope clear and explicit, demonstration 

 of facts. 



First, as to selection of proper soU, — without which every 

 effort, however well directed, and perseveringly followed up, 

 will prove an abortion. The best criterion with which I am 

 acquainted is to obtain the soil from a locality where th« 

 wild Heath grows luxuriantly, taking care that it is not dug 

 too deep ; the tm-f certainly not to exceed 4 inches, less 

 rather than more, as, if deeper than that, it is more than 

 probable that the good and nutritious upper soil wiU become 

 deteriorated by an admixture of inert and mischievous sub- 

 soil. The summer months ai'e the right season to procure 

 and store up a heap, which may safely be used after having 

 had a summer and winter's seasoning. 



The next matter of importance is the selection of healthy, 

 dwarf-growing, robust plants, taking care to avoid anything 

 like meagre, leggy, stunted plants, which may live for years 

 (if life it may be called), but would only make a specimen 

 calculated to disgust rather than delight the cultivator. 



As regards the operation of preparing the soil for potting 

 or shifting, the soil should be cut down fi-om the heap, so as 

 to disarrange it as little as jiossible, breaking the liunps well 

 with the back of the spade, and afterwards rubbing the soil 

 through the hands, which is far better than sifting, leaving 

 much more of the fibrous decomposing vegetable matter in 

 it ; add to this one-fifth of good pure white sand, and well 

 incorporate the two materials together. 



Lastly, the operation of potting or shifting. Although 

 not an advocate for what is called the " one-shift system," 

 stUl, to convert a plant into handsome, well-grown specimen, 

 in a moderately short space of time, recourse must be had 



