July 2i, 1667. 1 



JOURNAL OP HOBIICULTURB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



67 



this laet variety, and is not ripe yet (July 16th), so I cannot 

 speak as to Ua flavour. 



I have heard some were disappointed that Lord Clyde 

 Strawberry, raised Viy Mr. Dean, of Bradford, did not prove to 

 be 80 good 08 he expedited. I only wish his customers could 

 see the plants he gave mo. They are loaded with line fruit. 

 It is a very hardy, free-beariug variety, and the liavour of the 

 fruit is most delicious. It is superior to many of the new 

 sorts which Imvo been highly praised. 



I still recommend the followiuf; sorts for general planting : — 

 1, Keens' SeodliuR ; 2, Prince of Wales (luKrara's), the best 

 for preserviuR ; ;i, British Queen ; 4, La Constante. Where 

 the British Queen does not flourish I should advise John 

 Powell being tried. 



Dr. Hot,'^; will, I hope, prove to be the best late Strawberry ; 

 and if any other variety is desireil, I commend Lord Clyde 

 before nil others. I have not tried Cockscomb, which Mr. 

 EadclyHe so strongly recommends. 



My Potatoes are looking well. Itivers's Eoyal Ashleaf justi- 

 fies this year again all I have said in its praise. I have one or 

 two new sorts planted this ye:ir, Bradford Seedling being one. 

 I have not loolced to see what sort of crop I am likely to have 

 of it ; I can only say the tops look healthy and strong. I am 

 growing the Ashtop i'luke this year, and like the appearance 

 of the plant much. — C. Mabsden, Garnravt. Vicarage, Li-eiU. 



' YUCCAS, AND THEIR CULTURE. 

 I H.U'E great pleasure in seconding all that Mr. McDonald 

 has said at page 20 in favour of the Yuccas, with some slight 

 exception ; at the same time I advocate the claims of these 

 plants quite as much as he can desire, and possibly for pur- 

 poses different from those which he has set forth. As the 

 fashion of the day is favourable to the cultivation of plants 

 presenting great dissimilarity in character and outline, the 

 Yuccas now receive a share of that attention to which they 

 are entitled, but which has not in all cases been accorded to 

 them, perhaps in some instances owing to their being less 

 rapidly increased than most plants, as well as from an idea 

 that their hardiness is questionable. Although they cannot 

 bo propagated so rapidly as many of the soft-wooded summer 

 oocnpants of our flower gardens, still the process is more easy 

 than many suppose. The small amount of care required in 

 their cultivation also gives them an additional claim to be more 

 generally grown than they now are. 



Of the Yuccas in most general estimation, those with which 

 I am best acquainted are Y. gloriosa, aloilolia. and recurva, 

 which, either in themselves or in some of their intermediate 

 varieties, seem to run into each other in a way that makes it 

 difficult to determine to which of these species certain plants 

 are to be referred — at least, such is the case with those here, 

 and their number is very considerable. Yucca filamentosa 

 . is, however, widely different, while in its variegated form it has 

 not yet become sufticiently plentiful to be planted out of doors 

 in snch numbers as to make that show which no doubt it will 

 do in course of time. I am not sure that it can be increased 

 to such an extent as some of the larger-growing kinds first 

 mentioned, and we must at present regard it more as a house 

 than an out-door plant. 



I am disposed to differ from my friend Mr. McDonald, who 

 recommends for Yuccas a good rich soil, for although I have 

 no doubt that the plants will flourish in such for a time, I am 

 far from sanguine that it is the most proper : and as we have 

 been pretty successful with them here, having sometimes had 

 a dozen or more plants in flower at a time, and some of them 

 10 feet high, the soil and situation may be regarded as not 

 being far wrong, and these may be described in a fe-.v words. 



At the base of a terrace wall, about 10 feet high and facing 

 the soutli, a border, 10 feet wide and some 200 feet long, was 

 planted many years ago with the varieties of Yucca mentioned 

 in the beginning of this article, intermixed with a few Irises, 

 more especially towards the front of the border. The wall 

 itself, I may state, is covered witli such plants as Ceanothus, 

 Engenias, Myrtles, New Zealand Veronicas, Escallonia macran- 

 tha, and several kinds of climbers not unusually met with on 

 conservatory walls, although no protection is given. The 

 border is planted irregularly with Yuccas, some of the plants 

 being upwards of twenty years old, but the greater portion 

 much less, as by various mishaps, as well as by occasionally 

 heading-down, the number and size of the old plants has been 

 limited. The border, however, is tolerably well covered, and 

 where a cluster is formed by plants growing near each other, the 



intruder will find that the sharp points of the leaves penetrate 

 ordinary clothing more than is agreeable. 



The position is one facing the south, and this circnmstance 

 has done no harm beyond inducing a larger number of plants 

 to push forth their flower-spikes later in the autumn than 

 there is mild open weather to complete their opening. This, 

 however, was no doubt also in a measure due to the character 

 of the soil they grow in, which, instead of being a rich loam, 

 is one that would be considered of very inferior quality for 

 kitclien-garden purposes. It may be roughly described as con- 

 sisting of three-fourths stones, the remainder being a yellow 

 sandy loam, not of itself so porous as an ordinary sandy or 

 gravelly soil ; but in conjunction with the stones it is open 

 enough for any plant requiring a porous scil. Most of the 

 material composing this border was the subsoil obtained 

 from an excavation, and some alterations rendering it necessary 

 to raise the border about a foot ten years ago, this soil was 

 used for the purpose, and has answered well. The plants 

 which seem to thrive in it are most of the Cypresses, Arbor 

 Vitfp, and common Laurels. Ilhododendrons and kindred 

 plants will barely live, and Lily of the Valley drags out a 

 miserable existence. Not having had experience with Yuccas 

 in soil of a contrary description, I cannot be positive they will 

 not succeed in such, but I can confinn Mr. McDonald's re- 

 marks as to the necessity of deep soil ; for in that where the 

 plantation referred to is growing, the roots of some Pinnses 

 have been found several feet below the surface, although the 

 ground had never been disturbed beyond the usual spade'a 

 depth. The presence of so many stones allows a more reody 

 passage of the roots downwards than the hard obstinate clay- 

 bottom of many soils; and plants whose roots penetrate to so 

 great a depth rarely suffer for want of moisture. 



Amongst the positions suitable for Yuccas, I can hardly coin- 

 cide with Mr. McDonald in advising their being planted on rock- 

 work, unless the latter is on rather an extensive scale, as they 

 attain too large a size for those tiny imitations so often met 

 with ; but where natural rock, or artificial rockwork on a suffi- 

 ciently extensive scale exists, there the Yuccas may have a place. 

 There are, however, so many positions in which Yuccas may 

 be planted, that it is not diflicult to find a suitable one. As 

 comer plants in a geometrical garden, they are always accept- 

 able, their outline and symmetry giving them a decided advan- 

 tage over most other plants. Dotted about on the turf they 

 look well, more especially if the plants are large. One which 

 is thus planted here, has a stem 1 feet high to the first tier of 

 leaves, but the head has latterly become much injured. Other 

 positions might be cited as suitable to Y'nccas, but do not plant 

 too close to walks, on account of the sharp-pointed leaves. 

 Perhaps the best mode of planting is in a border by them- 

 selves, or along with kindred plants, for their tropical aspect 

 commands more attention when they are in number ; and when 

 such a border is well chosen, and its occupants appear to be 

 at home in it, few will be disposed to find fault with them, or 

 recommend a change. 



The Yuccas increase but slowly, but where an old plant 

 exists, it may be multiplied to a gieater extent than may be 

 supposed. Where a number of plants of vario..i sizes exist, it 

 sometimes happens that a leggy one is broken by a heavy load 

 of snow in winter, or in some other way; in this case it is 

 best to leave the stump in the ground, remove the head, and 

 if the latter is put in as a cutting, it will very probably grow, 

 while a numerous tuft of young shoots will be formed on tbe 

 short stem that is left in the ground. In general, these sbonld 

 remain till the following spring, when a considerable nnmber 

 of them msiy be cut off along with a little heel of the old 

 stem, and put in as cuttings in some place not too much 

 shaded, as they will have to stand a year or more, perhaps, 

 without being removed. Of course, plenty of sand is necessary, 

 and if extremely hot weather follow, afford shade accordingly ; 

 but I have put such cuttings in about August without any 

 attention, and they have made good plants. The aid of glass 

 will expedite the rooting process, but I question mach if heat 

 is wanted in any way. The Yuccas are at all times slow-growing, 

 and their propagation cannot be so quick as that of many other 

 plants ; but as they require very little attention, and a cut-down 

 old plant affords a goodly number of cuttings, somewhat like 

 Pine Apple crowns, or small suckers, they may be had in 

 greater numbers than hitherto if the demand should increase. 

 With regard to tbe hardiness of the plants. I have never 

 I seen our most severe winter have the least effect on them ; but 

 heavy falls of snow sometimes load the tops so much that these 

 1 break off, or where a plant has two or three heads, one of them 



