September 1, 1863. ] JOUENAL OF HORTICTJLTTJEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



17& 



plant the Vine out, and give it a good chance of showing its 

 true characteristics. It may prove a good tMug. 



Mr. Wm. Melville sent two fine bunches of his new Grape 

 Muscat Champion, which has been before the Committee 

 two or three times before ; but on this occasion the bunches 

 exhibited far outdid those previously shown. The berries 

 were as large as those of MiU Hill Hambiu'gh, and the 

 bunches were short, wide-shouldered, and like a bunch of 

 grape shot. The flavom- was delicious, and had just enough 

 of the Muscat flavour to be satisiying. The colour, how- 

 ever, stUl remains brownish-red, but we are of opinion that 

 by management it may become as black as a Black Ham- 

 burgh. 



Mr. Gayland Hadwen, of Fairfield, Manchester, sent a 

 bunch of Grapes under the name of Muscat Lunel, which 

 was not that variety, but evidently what is called the 

 White Tokay or White Nice. 



Mr. Andi-ew Dick, of Sudbury Hall Gardens, near Derby, 

 sent two sorts to be named, one of which was the old Black 

 Prince, and the other a variety that could not be identified. 

 Mr. Edward Pierce, nvu-seryman, Yeovil, sent a dish of a 

 seedling called the Cricket Peach. The friut has the dai'k 

 appearance of Violette HAtive, and is of large size ; but it 

 is very difl'erent fi'om that variety, and has large flowers 

 instead of small ones as the Violette Hative has. The 

 flavour was very rich and excellent ; but the great recom- 

 mendation of the variety is its hardiness, Mr. Pierce having 

 stated that for the last two years, while all the other Peach- 

 buds in his uursei-y have been kdled by frost, these remained 

 uninjvrred. 



A Peach was sent by Mr. C. Griifith, gardener to A. F. 

 Paxton, Esq., Cholderton House, near Salisbuiy, which 

 proved to be Yellow Admirable. 



Mr. Edward Cooling, niu'seryman, of Mile Ash, near 

 Derby, sent a Scarlet-fleshed seedling Melon, which was of 

 oval shape, ribbed, and netted. The flesh was tender and 

 melting for a Scarlet-fleshed Melon, and of tolerably good 

 flavour', but not sufiiciently i-ich to recommend it as a new 

 and desu-able variety. 



A seedling Apple sent by John Gidley, Esq., Bedford 

 Circus, Exeter, was raised from Cornish Gilliflower. It was 

 a nice-looking Apple not unlike the Early Harvest in ap- 

 pearance, but far inferior to it in flavour. It was not con- 

 sidered to possess sufiicient merit. 



Mr. Chater, of Saffron Walden, sent specimens of a seed- 

 ling Apple called Elizabeth Pine that were gathered in 

 October, 1863 : they, of course, were much shrivelled, and 

 the flavour was gone. It is a pity Mr. Chater did not ex- 

 hibit them two months ago. 



WOEK FOE THE WEEE. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



A GKEAT change has taken place in the weather since 

 last week. Frequent showers have greatly refi'eshed vege- 

 tation. Now is the time to be busy with the hoe in earthing- 

 up the various crops that require it, and also for planting- 

 out those that, from the dry state of the weather, could not 

 be put out before. Broccoli, where there has not been suf- 

 ficient planted, large plants may yet be put out with 

 success. They should be laid-in with a spade in a slanting 

 direction. Earth-up the advancing crops. Cardoons, earth- 

 up for blanching in favourable weather. Celeiij, proceed 

 with the earthing-up in proportion to the demand. Some of 

 the very latest crop may also be planted in rows to stand 

 through the winter. The haulm of Peas laid by now in a 

 dry place is a good material for covering Celery during 

 severe frost. Cabbage, the seedUng plants intended to stand 

 through the winter to be pricked out in nm-sery-beds of 

 light soil at 5 inches apart. This will be found of great 

 advantage by inducing a stocky hardy growth. Endive, 

 continue to make successional plantations. Some of the 

 fli-st-planted-out will now be in good condition for tying-up 

 for blanching. A few only at a time to be done, and these 

 tied loosely to aUow the heads to swell out large. Lettuce, 

 a small patch of Bath Cos sown now wiU, if "the autumn 

 prove mild, be more valuable than those sown earlier. Mush- 

 rooms, beds may now be made either in sheds or in the open 

 air. Onions, no time should be lost in getting the crops 



stored when fiiUy dry, as the ground from which they are 

 taken is generally used for Cabbage. It should be imme- 

 diately trenched-up. If manure is necessary, let it be laid 

 on the top of the trenched soil and fork it in. If, however, 

 the ground was well manured for the Onions, it ought to 

 carry the Cabbage through, and that will always come the 

 better, because, if too much manure comes in contact with 

 the roots in the autumn, it induces a succulent luxuriant 

 growth, which renders them very liable to injury from 

 alternations of frost and thaw in the winter. Parsley, thin 

 the summer sowing while in a young state, the plants wUl 

 then gain strength to stand the winter. A portion of the 

 spring sowing to be out down. Tomatoes, gather the fruit 

 as it ripens, x-emove all the shoots that shade it, also some 

 of the leaves. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Unless some precautions are taken to keep the taller 

 plants in the beds of geometric flower gardens within proper 

 limits, they will be likely in a short time to grow too high, 

 and wDl disturb the uniform appearance essential to this 

 style of gardening. A constant watch should, therefore, be 

 kept on plants likely to exceed the standard height, and by 

 fi'equently pinching back or pegging down endeavour to 

 keep the same-pattern beds at an equal height. At this 

 season, with beds of flowering plants, freqtient cutting- 

 back and trimming will be required to prevent straggling 

 in free-growing plants, and this the late rains will encourage. 

 At the same time, allow no dead flowers or seed-pods to 

 remain on the plants. By careftrl attention to these little 

 matters the season of blooming may be prolonged tUl the 

 plants are destroyed by ft-ost. Although the present month 

 is a favotu'able time for transplanting evergreen trees and 

 shrubs, it generally happens that a large amount of this 

 kind of work is put off until so late that the jjlants have no 

 time for pushing a few fi-esh roots to enable them to resist 

 the cold cli-ying winds of March. It will also be found that 

 plants lifted during this month will require but little 

 attention in the way of watering next sioring and summer 

 compared with others transplanted in winter and spi-ing. 

 The removal of deciduous trees and shrubs to be postponed 

 uutU they have shed their leaves. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



The gathering and preservation of fruit is the principal 

 work here. Peaches and Nectarines should not be allowed 

 to remain on the tree until what is technically called dead 

 ripe. A little degree of ijractice wUl enable a person to 

 determine the degi-ee of ripeness at which it should be 

 gathered without resorting to the common and barbarous 

 way of pinching. Plums should be allowed to remain until 

 perfectly ripe ; and although something may be lost in bulk 

 by being aUowed to remain on the ti-ee, the flavour will not 

 be deteriorated. Such as the Impcratrice and Golden Drop, 

 if protected from wasps, may be kept until a very late jjeriod 

 in the season. Apples and Pears generally fall as soon as 

 they an-ive at an early degree of ripeness. That period 

 must be anticipated, and their removal effected as soon as 

 it is ascertained. After gathering, the fi-uit intended for 

 keeping should be laid out in the fruit-room for a week or 

 ten days, and exposed to a fr-ee cu-culation of aii-. The fruit 

 will be found clammy from perspu-ation. It should then be 

 careftilly wiped and laid out thinly in the store-room, which 

 should be kept, as soon as the fi-uit is introduced, secm-ely 

 closed and protected from any very material alternations of 

 temperature. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Climbers wdl always requii-e attention to keep the shoots 

 in their proper places. Take care in training that the pai-t 

 of the treUis or stakes near the bottom is not bare of flower- 

 ing shoots, as the beauty of the plants depends upon theu' 

 being clothed with foliage and flowers fi'om the rim of the pot 

 uijwards. The potting of Hyacinths, Narcissi, Tulips, &c., 

 for forcing must soon occupy attention. About equal por- 

 tions of loam and leaf mould, with a sprinkling of sand, 

 will be suitable soil for them. After isotting, place them on 

 a di'y bottom, and cover the pots 2 or 3 inches deep with 

 ashes, preserving them at the same time, as much as pos- 

 sible, from hea"\'y rains. Under this treatment they will 

 fill then' pots with roots, and will be in readiness for forcing 

 when wanted. Most of the class of bulbs known as Cape 

 bulbs, if obtained now, might, by the aid of a little extra 



