Ootobor 8, ieS7. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTIOULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



251 



mild, the little plants did not look ovcr-comfortablo until they 

 began to grow in the ensuing Biimraor, und that not very early 

 either, but scarcely one died, and by the end of autumn they 

 were neat little plants. Not having occasion for them then, 

 they remained another year, and by the autumn ot lS(J.j they 

 fully averaged a height of 4 feet, and many of them wore taller 

 and proportionately bulky. It was not, however, until about 

 Christmas that a site for a part ot the Wellingtonias was pre- 

 pared, but all were taken up, Cupressus as well, and early in 

 January a pajt of the Wellingtonias were planted out where 

 they were finally to remain. The rest were put nito nursery- 

 rows again. Now, although the utmost care was taken in 

 saving every particle of root on the Wellingtonias (und they 

 were well furuishod with roots), and equal care was taken in 

 planting and staking, and tho weather that succeeded was in 

 no respect severe compared to most winters, only about one- 

 third of tho plants did well ; about another third died, in a 

 great measure, back to near the lowest tier of branches, and 

 about one-third died outright. Some of tho latter I replaced 

 at various times during the months of .Time, .July, and August, 

 with small plants that Imd never been in pots, but were 

 only a few inches higli, and these all succeeded tolerably 

 well. In September I planted three or four larger plants to lill 

 np the remaining vacancies ; but, strange to say, those that 

 were planted in September all died, or nearly so, during the 

 winter, and I replaced them again in April ot the present 

 year, and they have since done well. Now, the lesson which 

 this would seem to teach is, that September is a bad month to 

 plant Wellingtonias, yet I am unwilling to como to that con- 

 clusion, and must leave it to be further confirmed, either in 

 my own practice or by others. Generally speaking, September 

 ia thought to be a good time to remove evergreens and 

 Pinuses, but in this case it was otherwise. I may add, that 

 amongst the remainder ot the Wellingtonias planted out again 

 into the nursery-rows there were great losses, so that I am led 

 to conclude, that with its many advantages this plant is cer- 

 tainly not <ine of the easiest to transplant, or, at all events, the 

 autumn seems a less favourable time than spring for the 

 operation. 



Contrasting strongly with the above was the success attend- 

 ing the removal of Cupro?sus Lawsoniana, for although grow- 

 ing side by side with the Wellingttmias, and making quite as 

 mnch progress, not one that I remember to have planted has 

 ever shown the least symptom of injury. Certainly the growth 

 for a short time was checked, but I do not think a single twig or 

 leaf was browned, and they seem to grow well whether planted 

 in autumn, winter, or spring, and possibly might do so in sum- 

 mer too, but I have not had occasion to plant at that time. 

 Some planted in rather hard stony ground in March have done 

 very well, nnd why should not the Wellingtonia be equally 

 accommodating, or rather when is the best time to plant the 

 latter? It is true, the trees referred to are of different genera, 

 but a near relation of Cupressus La%vsoniana, C. macrocarpa, 

 is worse to transplant than the Wellingtonia, so that no rule 

 can bo applied generally. Practice, however, presents us with 

 tho most reliable information ; and if people would, like Mr. 

 Stewart, of Nuneham, detail their losses as well as their successes, 

 we should then be able to judge more accurately as to what is 

 the proper time to transplant. — J. Robson. 



ROSE CULTURE ON A COLD SOIL AND 

 E.\POSED SITUATION. 



WoDLn Mr. Radclyfle name twenty or thirty Hybrid Per- 

 petual Roses, of distinct colours, likely to succeed under the 

 following conditions? Situation, fiOU feet above the sea level, 

 and exposed for nearly six months to high winds from S.E. 

 and S.W. ; soil, rather retentive of moisture, and sure to clog 

 if worked when wet ; subsoil, a cold whitish marl. 



I have defended my garden fnmi winds by a wall and em- 

 bankments, which allord it considerable protection ; but it is 

 still more exposed than I would wish. I have access to sand 

 and peat with which to improve the quality of the soil, and am 

 quite willing to spend the necessary labour iu trenching and 

 draining the beds. 



I planted some Roses — Hj-brid Perpetnala and Teas — in the 

 spring of the present year. With three or four exceptions 

 they have done miserably. Tlie only decent-bloomiqg Rose I 

 had was a half-standard Gloire de Dijun. All the others pro- 

 duced n. fair number of blossoms and tolerable foliage ; but 

 just as I expected tbem to open, buds and leaves were destroyed 



by mildew. I used the wash recommended by Mr. Radclyffe, 

 but with little success. — -A SuiisciuiiKi!, South tif Ireland. 



[You must deeply subsoil, and mix your heath land with 

 your cold soil. The altitude above the level of tho sea, with the 

 cold, undrained subsoil, checked and spoiled your Roses. The 

 altitude alone would not do it it the sun has access to the land. 

 Hoses on their own roots, or on any stock, dislike their roots 

 lying in continual wet. Even Willow-beds are tho better for 

 drainage. You should drain into a cemented tank. I expect, . 

 too, that the Roses wanted a little more water poured over 

 them. The best thirty distinct varieties, free-bloomers and 

 hardy, suited to such a situation, thev being on the Manetti 

 stock, are Charles Lefebvre, Senateur Vaisse, .lules Margottin, 

 Due do Oazos, .John Hopper, W. Grifliths, Madame C. Crape- 

 let, Prince ('amiUe de Rohan, Maurice Bernardin. Dr. Andry, 

 Madame Emain, Dr. .Tamain. Vicomto Vigier, Souvenir de 

 Comte Cavour, Daronne Maynard, Marguerite de St. Amand, 

 Duchesse de Morny, Victor \'erdier. Lord Macaulay, Ijady 

 Suffield, .Tohu Keynes, Achille Gonod, Triomphe de Paris, 

 Baronne Provost, Anna Alcxieff, Madame Charles Wood, 

 Madame Freeman, Charles Rouillard, new and fine ; Marechal 

 Vaillant, and Baron GoneUa (Bourbon), hardy, distinct, and 

 extra lino. 



I have drained two of my gardens .3 feet (1 inches deep since 

 I came here, and I am about to drain another. It is wonderful 

 how much healthier the Roses are where the ground has been 

 drained. Roses like water over them, but not under them. — 



W. F. lUnCLYFFE.] 



VIOLA CORNUTA, AND VIOLA JIONTANA. 



Allow me to say a few words respecting the late-blooming 

 qualities ot this much-vaunted plant ; and I nm principally 

 induced to do so after reading the remarks of Mr. Wills in his 

 reply to vour correspondent " Dorset " at page 21.3, wherein 

 he (Mr. WiU.s), writes in glowing terms as to the condition and 

 beauty in which he found the different varieties of Viola at 

 the Liverpool Botanic Gardens at the time of his visit there 

 some six or seven weeks ago. I myself paid a visit to the 

 above-named gardens on the 1st of Augnst, and was charmed 

 with the beauty of the ribbon-border referred to by Mr. Wills, 

 and which was planted as follows : — Front row, Viola latea, 

 then V. cornuta, next that beautiful and useful flower-garden 

 plant the variegated Dactylis, and next it V. montana. I 

 thought it at tho time one of the most chaste and beautiful 

 borders out of the many beautiful ones in the whole garden ; 

 and certainly V. cornuta was at that date everything that 

 could be wished for as a bedding )>lant of its colour, and 

 I quite made up my mind, that should its blooming con- 

 tinue throughout the se ison (of which I must admit I had 

 then my doubtf i, I would use it more extensively than, fortu- 

 nately, I have done this season. So mnch for its qualities on 

 the above date. 



On the 'iOth of August I again went through the Botanic 

 Gardens with a friend ; and on coming to the border in ques- 

 tion, instead of the Viola cornuta I found its place occupied 

 with a band of Perilla, thus proving that its season of beauty 

 was over, and that even in the favoured position assigned to 

 it by Mr. Tyermnn its blooming period was not prolonged 

 beyond tho end of August at the latest ; and if I remember 

 aright the beds of it in the other parts of the garden had more 

 or less ceased blooming. I think I noticed that one of the 

 beds ot V. cornuta, in the group of beds of Violas mentioned 

 by Mr. Wills, had a little better appearance than the others of 

 tiie same kind, and possibly this may have been Mr. Wills's 

 variety, but I did not at the time examine it closely enough to 

 say if it was so or not. 



With me this season Viola cornuta ha> proved qnite a 

 failure ; for since the middle of August it has scarcely had any 

 flowers at all upon it, and certainly in my case it has not been 

 caused through the plants being sickly, as, since they ceased 

 blooming they have continued to grow, and have increased 

 in size considerably. Not one plant has died off. My plants 

 were all from seed sown in the spring, and from three different 

 packets of seed, each packet from a different source ; but I 

 kept the plants from each packet distinct, so that I might see if 

 there should be any difference in them. The plants from two 

 of the packets came very true and flowered evenly, and I believe 

 are Mr. Bennetfs variety; the plants from the other packet 

 were more uneven in their growth and habit, and did not 

 bloom so freelv. I have seen V. cornuta in one or two other 



