November 10, 1863. ] JOTJENAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAUDENEE. 



367 



Mr. Holder, winning so many prizes at the metropoKtan and 

 other shows in the past and previous seasons has testified. 

 The situations in which the Roses were planted were varied 

 considerably, the nature of the ground affording facilities 

 for this being carried out. 



The garden or dressed ground may be roughly described 

 a;s an irregular plot surrounding a piece of ornamental 

 water of some two acres or more in extent, the bank in 

 some places gently shelving to the water's edge, in others 

 rising abruptly in masses of natural rock (Kentish rag) ; and 

 it presented many natural features of interest, which had 

 been duly taken advantage of, as affording sites for climbers. 

 Ferns, shrubs, and trees of various kinds; and ever and 

 anon Roses were found in all available places. It is not, 

 however, my purpose here to describe the management of 

 these, as the fact of so many prizes finding their way into 

 the bands of the spirited owner shows that they are well 

 grown. No doubt, the good natural soil of the place is con- 

 ducive to success, and the proximity of water may, perhaps, 

 be advantageous also, for certainly the latter has much to 

 do with a good stand of Dahlias during a dry period in 

 summer, and these flowers are also grown here to great 

 perfection. The whole place presents many features of 

 interest, reflecting great credit on the spirited occupiers 

 and their intelligent gardener. 



I cannot close this notice of the Pampas Grass without 

 mentioning a singular fact connected with a plant we have 

 at Linton Park. This specimen was planted out, I believe, 

 in 1855, and flowered pretty well in 1857, and I am not 

 certain if it did not do so in 1856. It also flowered well in 

 1858 and 1859. I have forgotten whether there were any 

 blossoms on it in 1860 or not, but there were a few in 18G1, 

 which was a rather barren year in flowers of this kind, so 

 many plants being irrecoverably injured ; but the autumn 

 of 1861 being favourable and the plant healthy, I made sure 

 of an extraordinary bloom in the following season, when to 

 my surprise there was none, and none this year either. I 

 confess being at a loss how to account for this, for the plant 

 has every appearance of health and vigour and has grown to 

 a large size. The site is a rather moist one for this place, 

 and the plant remaining unmoved for so many years would 

 certainly favour the production of flowering-spikes rather 

 than otherwise, but such is not the case. From its not 

 having flowered last year I expected a greater profusion of 

 bloom this season, but this not being the case, I am at a 

 loss to account for the circumstance. 



We have other and younger plants flowering very well, 

 one not many yards from that here alluded to, but on 

 drier ground; but generally the best flowering plants I have 

 seen have been growing in rather damp places, or at all events 

 near to water. An open space is, I be'Ueve, better suited to 

 them than a place surrounded by shrubs, and certainly they 

 look best when seen on all sides, the graoeful drooping blades 

 contrast so well with all around them, and differ so mdely 

 from all other or ordinary forms of vegetable life. The 

 plant is much admired even when not in flower, but when it 

 is surmounted with its feathery plumes, presenting various 

 tints of white, drab, grey, and purple, the picture is com- 

 plete. Sometimes the character of the adjoining scenery adds 

 to the effect. A plant we have here with a tolerably good 

 head of bloom on it, has for its background a mass of foliage 

 of the Sumach, the handsome pinnated leaves of which, 

 flanked as they axe by ordinary evergreens, afford a very 

 interesting variety. 



Certainly the Pampas Grass as an ornament to lawns ought 

 to be more extensively grown than it often is, and, perhaps, 

 a stiU better site may be found for it in some of the open 

 spaces beyond the bounds of the close-shaved turf, where 

 the dressed ground gradually merges into the natural. In 

 such a place, and in a suitable situation, the Pampas Grass 

 is not one of those miffy tender things requiring to be looked 

 at every week ; but after it has had a fair start it is capable 

 of taking care of itself, and though it would not be fair to 

 allow it to suffer from shrub or tree, I do not think it would 

 fail to contend successfully against all ordinary herbage, 

 however wild and rank. J. Roeson. 



Andeosace lanuginosa op Wallich. — It is odd to see 

 such prominence given to this by a contemporary as a new 



and rare plant, when it is to be found in every botanic 

 garden and in the London nurseries. It is a very pretty 

 plant, and does very well planted out in summer. — Pbimtjla. 



liSrsuEAJsrcE of glass feom hailstorms. 



As it is not, perhaps, generally or sufficiently known that 

 glass can be insured from the damage done by hailstorms, I 

 am tempted to tell your readers how it may be effected, 

 premising that I have no shares in any insurance ofBce. 

 The only office that offers to insure glass houses is the 

 Royal Farmers' Insurance Company, Strand, London, and 

 they require the following rules to be adhered to : — 



Each house to be numbered, and the kind of glass used 

 in building it to be described in the proposal as follows : — 



On house No. 1—1000 sqiiare feet of British sheet glass at Sri. per foot. 



On house No. 2—1500 ditto ditto at id. per foot. 



On house No. 5—1200 ditto ditto at bd. per foot, and bo on. 



The glass should be valued according to its quality, but 

 allowing at least a halfpenny per foot over its value to cover 

 the charge of reglazing : thus glass costing Z^d. per foot 

 should be insured at 3d. per foot. Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridge- 

 worth insures the greater portion of his glass, 33,000 feet, at 

 3d. per foot, including 21 ozs., 16 ozs., and crown glass, for 

 which he pays an annual premium of Mi is. 9(J., not quite 

 3s. per 1000 feet. This seems not too high a price for a 

 little peace of mind during every summer, when a black 

 cloud and a clap of thunder makes the owner of glass houses 

 quake for fear of hailstones.— Constant Reader. 



HOW TO CULTIVATE VI^ES IX POTS. 



This branch of horticulture has been frequently written 

 upon, and these notes are not jotted down with the view of 

 imparting instruction to my older brethren, but to afford 

 encouragement to those who with limited means wish to be 

 successful in this most interesting mode of fruit-culture. 



It is now a little more than three years since my pre- 

 sent employer put up several vineries and an orchard- 

 house (the orchard-house and its tenants must form the 

 subject of future notes), and when the houses were finished, 

 and the hot-water apparatus completed, he very naturally 

 wished to obtain an early produce fr-om his outlay. He 

 therefore purchased a number of pot Vines, of varieties re- 

 commended by nurserymen as having special qualities for 

 pot-culture, to supply fruit until those planted in the borders 

 attained a ftTuting condition. 



What their treatment was the first year I do not know, 

 as I only took charge of the Vines two years ago. This I 

 know, that these bought Vines produced no fruit the first 

 year, and when I first saw them they were in a most de- 

 plorable condition, with the wood unripe, and the buds im- 

 perfectly formed. They had, during the month of Octobei', 

 received a surface-dressing of good turfy soil, mixed with a 

 tolerable amount of rotten dung and bone dust. I primed 

 them in due cotirse, and about the middle of January they 

 were started into growth. As soon as the buds began to 

 break they were supplied with weak liquid manure two or 

 three times per week, and as the shoots developed them- 

 selves the liquid manure was increased in strength, and 

 applied more frequently. Most of the bought Tines yielded 

 tolerable crops — more than could be well expected, consider- 

 ing the state of the wood, for they produced fr-om four to 

 seven bunches each. 



Now, in addition to these bought Vines, were a large 

 number which had been raised from eyes the previous spring, 

 the eyes taken, without being named, no doubt, from the 

 Vines permanently planted in the borders, and cut down 

 in the usual way. Most of these Vines had been grown in 

 rather small pots, and, as a matter of course, their growth 

 was small in proportion. These, with the exception of one 

 or two of the strongest, were cut down to two eyes, and 

 along with the others were started into growth. They 

 broke well, the best shoots only being encouraged, and during 

 their early growth were assisted by frequent applications of 

 manure water. Some of the strongest were shifted into 

 their fruiting-pots in the early pai-t of the summer, and the 

 others remained until autumn. They each soon reached 

 the top of the respective houses in which they were growing. 



