196 



JOUfiNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ September 12, 1867. 



it was fnlly a fortnight too late for them, especially after snch a forcing 

 month as we hud iu the month of Auf^iiKt. However, it ■would have 

 heen difficult to have surpassed the tiue stand exhibited by Messrs. 

 Kelway & Sons. Of these the finest were Leonardo da Vinci, Madame 

 Rahourdin, Marie Dumortier, Le Dante, Lord Byron, Rose Snperbe. 

 Gem of the Ocean. Mirabilis, Felici;m David, and Prince of "Walos. 

 Messrs. Bunyard, of Ashford, exhibited a nice collection, taldng the 

 second prize, in which were some new llowers, although the spikes 

 were hardly so large as Messrs. Jvelway's and weie too much crowded 

 in the bos. Amongst them were Bernard Palissy, Newton, Le Daute, 

 Madame Furtado, Lady Franldiu, Moliure, Belle Gabrielle, Rev. M. 

 Berkeley. Meteor, Emperor Napoleon, Othello, Hebe. Amongst 

 amateurs. Mr. Sladden, of Ash, w.as a long way ahead with a box con- 

 taining sixteen of hi.s new seedlings, Acidalie, Madame de Sevigne. 

 John Bull. Leonardo da Vinci, Fulton, Le Dante, and other fine 

 flowers. Messrs. Kelway exhibited a large collection, as did also 

 Messrs. Bunyard, and the former gentlemen had some good seedlings, 

 to which certificates were awarded, one being the very ditto of New- 

 ton, the other of Madame de Sevigne. 



Of Dahlias Mr. Keynes was first in the class for Nurserymen. His 

 flowers were Vice President, Grand Sultan, Ruby Queen, Harry, 

 Annie Keynes, JTrs. Boshell, Arthur, Thomas Backhouse, Mrs. 

 Thomas Hill, Lord Palmerston, Lady Jane Ellis. Lilac Queen, Peri, 

 Lord Derby, Snowball, Hugh Miller, Miss Sarah Turner, Miss Her- 

 bert, George AN'heeler, Golden Drop, Juno, Matilda Keynes, George 

 "White. Charmer. Lord Lyons, Delicata. Jenny Austin. Croton. Pi*ince 

 of Wales. Mrs. Wyndham, Miss Horton. Sir George Douglas, Char- 

 lotte Dorling, James Backhouse, Bob Ridley, Mrs. Boston. Princess 

 Mary, Golden Gem, Donald Beaton. Leah, Lady Derby, Flossy GUI, 

 Harriett Tetterell, Caroline Tetterell, Lightning, Seedling, Barou 

 Tannton, Lotty Atkins. I have not time to particularise the other 

 stands, and must refer to the prize lists, which will appear next week, 

 but never has a tiner collection of Dahlias been exhibited. There were 

 also fine seedlings both in Dahlias and Verbenas. 



One of the most attractive features of the Autumn Show is the col- 

 lection of cut stovo and gi'eenhousG llowers. Some fine boxes of these 

 were exhibited and attracted gi'cat attention. Nor must I omit the 

 glorious stands of Marechal Neil, furnished by Messrs. Paul & Son and 

 Mr. Keynes, nor the fine stages of ornamental plants from Messrs. 

 Carter & Co., and Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laijg. Altogether I 

 have to congratulate the Company and their efficient Secretary, Mr. 

 Wilkinson, who (as usual), did everything in his power to contribute to 

 the comfort of all concerned in the gi'eat success which has attended 

 this Show, and hope it may prove remunerative. — D., Deal. 



HOW TO KILL THE PEAK SCALE. 



Bless me! What could induce you to publish tbat tre- 

 mendous receipt for killinfr not the scale only, but gardeners 

 also, in your last number, page 182? Picture to yourself the 

 gardener's face growing longer and longer as he reads that " he 

 is to unnail the scale-infested tree, scrub it all over two or 

 three times, next wash it with a solution of soft soap, then 

 dress it all over with a nasty composition, working it into 

 every hole, angle, or crevice." None but a man iu command 

 of an army of painters as well as sub-gardeners could attempt 

 to execute such a formi^'able receipt. 



Try the following pi - , Paint the tree all over with pure 

 boiled linseed oil in J.....i..iy or February; avoid oiling the 

 bloom-buds if you can — it is, however, of no great moment. 

 This is a thoroughly efficient measure, and comparatively easy 

 of execution. No erratic scale will crawl upon the polished 

 branches. My gardener had seen this method employed years 

 ago with great success, and he persuaded me to allow him to 

 make a trial of it. I said the oil would smother the tree. He 

 said the tree would rather like it than otherwise. Two upright- 

 trained Pear trees on the Quince stock were operated on in 

 February last. One tree had only the lower portion of the 

 cordons oiled, the upper part being coated with the usual horrid 

 composition ; the other tree was oiled all over. When I saw 

 it shining like polished mahogany I thought it was indeed all 

 over with it. At this moment both the trees thus operated 

 upon are in better health than they have shown for years. 

 One is bearing an excellent crop of fruit, the otlier is more 

 luxuriant than is consistent with fruitfulness ; but it is "all 

 over " with the scale. — C. I. M. 



TEA AND NOISETTE ROSES. 

 A COREESPONDEKT Rsks, in reference (o my statement that I 

 include Maifichal Nic-1, Gloire de Dijon, and Celine Forestier 

 amongst Noisettes, whether Gloire de Dijon has not a Tea scent, 

 and if, therefore, it is not a Tea Kose. what is? To answer 

 this we must begin at the beginning. The Noisette Rose is so 

 called from the original Eose having been raised by a ilons. ' 



Noisette in America, and sent to his brother in Paris in 1817. 

 It was raised from the old Musk Rose and the common China 

 Eose. Since then this Eose has been largely hybridised with 

 the Tea-scented Eoses, and the produce may be called Tea- 

 scented Noisettes, as, indeed, our first authority on the Eose, 

 Mr. Rivers, long ago called them. The habit of these Eoses is 

 more rambling than the Ten. jjtir t't siuiplr. and the foliage is 

 more robust ; but still the Tea scent is there. Any one can 

 see, I think, that there is a great difference between the growth 

 of such a Rose as Gloire de Dijon and Niphetos, Maurin, 

 Adam, or any of the genuine Teas. The Tea-scented Eose is 

 a China Eose, and was, in its original condition as a blush 

 Eose, simply a variety of the old well-known flower. It was 

 then crossed with the yellow China, and the result has been 

 the many and beautiful varieties of Tea Eoses we now possess. 

 I hope the above may satisfy your correspondent ; but if 

 not, I would refer him to Mr. Eivers's " Eose Amateur's Guide," 

 where he will get plenty of good, solid, practical information, 

 without anj' quasi-philosophical twaddle or affected cliissicalism, 

 but the experience of a long hfe spent iu cultivating this fa- 

 vourite flower. — D., Deal. 



APRICOT CULTURE. 



{Concluded from page HI.) 

 Is the case of trees trained to a hot wall, in addition to the 

 blossoms of the trees being protected by nets or canvas, as 

 already described, a moderate fire may be kindled and kept 

 going when the nights are severe, but under no circumstance.'? 

 should a strong fire be made, as the heating of the wall beyond 

 making it warm is more injurious than beneficial. A gentle 

 fire during a night of severe frost may be the means of saving 

 the crop from injury, but the violent heating of the wall may 

 prove equally disastrous to the crop. With due care in not over- 

 heating, I have known hot walls answer admirably for Apricots, 

 not only by preserving the blossoms and young fruit from frost, 

 but by causing the earlier and better ripening of the fruit. A 

 gentle lire kept going night and day, but more particularly 

 during the day, will cause the fruit to ripen as well upon the 

 side next the wall as on the side exposed to the sun, where it 

 very often is quite soft and ripe, whilst hard and green on 

 the side next the wall. A partial shade of thin netting 

 when the fruit is ripening and the sun's rays powerful, will 

 prevent the fruit on the exposed jiart from ripening so rapidly, 

 and the side next the wall will have time to ripen equally 

 with the exposed side. The netting will serve to keep off wasps, 

 in addition to securing the better ripening of the fruit. 



Earwigs and ants are very fond of the fruit. The first are 

 best caught iu traps for that purpose, and which may be ob- 

 tained from nurserymen and seedsmen, or great numbers may 

 be caught in the hollow of bean-stalks, these being cut into six- 

 inch lengths and placed among the branches close to the wall. 

 The hollow stems of the Sunflower, Jerusalem Artichoke, and 

 Heracleumgiganteum, cut into six-inch lengths, make excellent 

 traps, which should be frequently examined, and the insects 

 blown out into scalding water. 'With regard to ants, they are 

 far more diflicult to exterminate, but they may be kept from 

 ascending the trees and walls by drawing a band of gas tar 

 horizontally along the wall between the soil and the lowest 

 branches, and around the stems of the trees. A band an inch 

 broad will be sufficient. Across this the ants will not pasB 

 until the gas tar ceases to be offensive. It is necessary to 

 renew the band in case of its becoming passable to the ants. 



The borders in which Apricot trees are planted should have 

 the surface neatly forked over in autumn (not going so deep as 

 to injnrc the roots, or even disturb them), and the whole border 

 should be covered with atop-dressing of rich compost or short 

 littery manure an inch or two thick ; but if of manure a 

 depth of three inches will not be too much. In March the 

 top-dressing may be neatly pointed in, and in case the roots 

 are very near the surface, another top-dressing may be given, 

 but not more than to half the thickness of the autumn 

 top-dressing. In addition to the top-dressings, a good soak- 

 ing of the soil with weak manure water will prove of great 

 benefit to the trees during dry periods ; but frequent waterings, 

 inasmuch as they seldom are given iu quantity to reach the 

 Juwest roots, are worse than useless and should be avoided. 

 Two or three good waterings supplied duiing dry periods in 

 May, June, July, or the early part of August will be of great 

 benefit, contributing to the health of the trees and size of the 

 fruit. 



