December 29, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTtJRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



507 



made intelligible was, whether that could be called a truss 

 from which some blooms had been taken, but that at any 

 rate some rule ought to be trained with regard to the dis- 

 budding as there is one with regard to additions ; and I did 

 express my opinion that a truss should be shown as it grew, 

 because I believed the practice of disbudding tended to 

 give us coarse Koses, and I say so still notwithstanding 

 " P.'s " disclaimer. I cannot agree with the sentimental 

 notion that a Eose cannot be coarse. I have seen a stand 

 (" pan " I cannot apply to the Eose), of Anna de Diesbaeh, 

 natm-ally a large flower, so thoroughly out of character by 

 excessive cultivation that it might very well have been 

 mistaken for one of Peonies. I have seen, too, even General 

 Jacqueminot so large that all the colour was washed out 

 of it, and the character of the flower entirely gone. I have, 

 too, in my mind's eye other stands, where all the beautiful 

 variety of tint had vanished because of the very high cul- 

 tivation. 



And then as to "P.'s" desire of getting medium-sized 

 Eoses up to the size of the larger ones for the sake of 

 pi-oduciug uniformity in a stand, I would say that I hate 

 uniformity. I think a stand where the size of the bloom 

 is graduated infinitely preferable to one where the Vjlooms 

 ai'e all alike in size. We know that the same holds good 

 in Dalilias. and many a flower is described as a " noble 

 back -tier flower," and others as " good for a front row." 

 So again vifitt Tulips. I do not, therefore, think there is 

 anything in "P.'s" statements here to make me alter my 

 opinion. Then, again, there is the same confusion, I fear, 

 in "P.'s" mind with regard to my observation about the 

 "natural production of the shoot." I did not use that to 

 show that Eoses should be shown as trusses, but why a 

 shoot disbudded to one bloom could not be called a truss. 

 He triumphantly asks. What is the natural production of a 

 shoot in a Carnation, or Pink, or Hollyhock, or bunch of 

 Grapes ? I will only reply these are not called trusses. 

 Would — for this is the point — " P." call that a spike of 

 Hollyhocks from which every flower but two or three had 

 been taken ? Would he designate a dozen monstrous-sized 

 berries as a bunch of Grapes ? The Pink or the Carnation 

 have nothing to do with the question, as they are invariably 

 shown as single blooms ; and into the respective merits of 

 single blooms and trusses I beg again to remind " P." I 

 did not enter. I must own to preferring trusses to single 

 blooms ; but I think that the various tastes on that subject 

 might be met by giving some prizes for the one and some 

 for the other, which might easily be done if some of these 

 Fancy classes were discarded, which only tend to confirm 

 and give wrong notions to those who are merely lookers-on. 



I find again that "P." diifers from me as to the separation 

 of the classes ; but as he does not adduce anything ur oppo- 

 sition to what I have stated, it will not be necessary for me 

 to say much on this point. There is an old saying, " The 

 proof of the pudding is the eating." We have never yet, 

 I am glad to say, seen stands of Hybrid Pei-petuals only. 

 We have seen them of Moss Eoses and Teas, and I am per- 

 fectly satisfied that they have never met with approval from 

 those who have seen them. A Moss Eose is very beautiful 

 as a bud, but in no other way ; and a stand of buds does 

 not sound very lively at any rate, while half or fully- 

 opened blooms look unusually poor alongside the brflliant 

 and beautifully-shaped Hybrid Perpetuals and Bourbons ; 

 and Teas are miserably washy by themselves, although 

 most lovely as a contrast or as a single bloom for a vase. 



I hope there is nothing in these observations which " P." 

 will consider discourteous, and that he and others will 

 frankly state their views. These are matters which always 

 are the better for being ventilated ; and if we could only 

 induce Eose-growers to give their opinions on them before 

 another season, some of the shows niight perhaps be regu- 

 lated as the wishes and views of exhibitors may tend. 



Another paper on Eoses in the same Number has set 

 me thinking on another point that I should like to have 

 information upon — viz., as to the sorts which best suit the 

 various localities, for there can be no doubt that there is 

 a great dtfi'orence on this point ; for whUe there are sorts 

 which are good everywhere, and will grow everywhere, there 

 are some also which are better in one place than another. 

 As a rule, I should think the fuller Roses would do better 

 in the south, and those less so in the no-'th ; but a certain 



amount of fulness is indispensable. When Eoses show the 

 eye their beauty is to a great extent gone. 



Since I wrote on the Gladiolus I have lifted my bulbs, 

 and have been surprised at the wonderful growth of some 

 of them. I may mention that a small-sized bulb of 

 Helen, one of Mr. Standish's seedlings, produoeJ, besides 

 a number of offsets, two bulbs, each of which measured 

 11. i inches in cii'cumferenee ; and I have seen nothing in 

 the bidbs in general to induce me to imagine that I shall 

 have any disease amongst them. I am now carefully dijing 

 them. — D., Deal. 



A PLEA FOR ORCHAED-HOUSES, 



WITH REMARKS ON THEIR MANAGEMENT. 



Theke is no system in gardening which has been intro- 

 duced during the last quarter of a century, that has had to 

 contend with so much opposition as orchard-houses. They 

 have had to battle against ignorance and prejudice to a 

 serious extent. Some of our most eminent men in horticul- 

 ture, as we thought them, have come forth marshalled against 

 it, with a determination to crush the system if possible and 

 send it into oblivion. But, notwithstanding this, orchard- 

 houses stQl exist, and are on the increase ; and during the 

 last ten or a dozen years, they have sprung up to a great 

 extent all over the country. 



There can be no doubt but a well-managed orchard-house 

 is one of the very best modern improvements in horticulture 

 for the growth of our choice and tender fruits in this our 

 precarious climate. I am aware that many people have failed 

 in the production of large crops of fruits from trees in pots. 

 I remember about five years ago when a resident in Kent, 

 visiting a gentleman's place of large extent, a few miles from 

 Maidstone ; and in going through the forcing-houses, the 

 gardener pointed out to me and a friend who was with me, 

 a number of Apricot trees in pots, destitute of fruit, a cir- 

 cumstance not to be wondered at. Now he, not being able to 

 succeed with the gi-owing of -Ipricot trees in a forcing-house, 

 condemned the system in toto of growing fruit trees in pots. 

 When we remember that the Apricot is a native of the snow- 

 clad moimtains of Armenia, the slopes of Caucasus and 

 Ararat, it is no matter of surprise that it shoidd refuse to 

 flourish and produce its luscious fruit in the confined ah- of 

 a hothouse. This is not the only instance in which I have 

 seen the Apricot fail, and judging fi-om my own experience, 

 I consider the Apricot the most precarious of any of our 

 orchard-house fruit. I have known others who stand high 

 on the pinnacle of fame, who have attempted to grow pot 

 fruit trees, but through some cause or other that I am not 

 acquainted with, have failed in their endeavours, and there- 

 fore given up the system in disgust. Now it does not foUow 

 that because a few have failed all should do the same. I 

 presume that orchard-houses are at present only in their 

 infixncy ; we have much to learn with regard to their man- 

 agement, and past successes only indicate how much more 

 may be accomplished by diligence and attention. 



Having the charge of a small orchard-house, I can testify 

 to their adaptability to places of limited extent. The house 

 is a lean-to on the principle patented by Sir Joseph Paxton, 

 is about 40 feet long, 10 feet or 101 feet high at the back, 

 4 feet high in front, and about 10 feet wide. There are 

 two Peach and two Nectarine trees planted on the back waU. 

 There is a border 18 inches wide in front of them, and then 

 a trellis 18 inches wide to walk on ; this leaves about 7 feet 

 between the trellis and the front waU, which space is devoted 

 principally to Peach and Nectarine trees in pots. When I 

 took charge of this house and others two years since, there 

 was a greater variety of trees occupying this space — includ- 

 ing Peaches, Nectarines, Cherries, Plums, Apricots, and 

 Pears. Dm-ing 1863 the trees made such rapid progress, 

 that in the past summer we could only accommodate about 

 six Peaches and six Nectarines, with two or three Pears. Now 

 let us look at the produce of these twelve potted trees. The 

 trees on the back wall have been planted three years, and 

 my greatest diificulty v itli them is to check overluxuriance, 

 notwithstanding the severe root-pruning they underwent 

 last winter. But to return to trees in pots. When the blos- 

 som-buds began to expand, about the beginning of March, 

 we gave them the advantage of a little artificial heat, as 



