JOUENAL OP HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ October 10, 1867. 



mained on the tree forty-eight hours too long. Let ns all 

 ponder on these thinfi--, and not form a now opinion without 

 close observation and reflection. 



Writing the word " observation " reminded me that I ought 

 at once to look at my trees, to observe the exact state of their 

 6t;rface roots. I find my old Apricot trees in pots, that have 

 not been top-dressed in autumn for two years, have, as it 

 seems, eaten up the two or three surface-dressings given to 

 them in summer ; have made short shoots, full of blossom- 

 buds ; but have not made masses of fibrous roots above the 

 surface. My old Peach trees in 18-inch pots, that have bad 

 their regular autumn top-dressings of rich loam and manure 

 for many years, are in the most vigorous health, and have re- 

 qitired frequent summer-pinchiug of their shoots to keep them 

 within bounds. Their roots have come up so freely to feed on 

 the summer surface-dressings given to them in June and July, 

 as to form circular ridges round and inside the edges of the 

 pots, 2 or 3 inches above their rims. Now, in the usual course 

 of cvdturo foUo-.ved here, these masses of fibres, now nearly 

 inert, would be removed in October, with the mould beneath 

 them to 3 or 4 inches in depth, aud the pot filled up with 

 fresh food in the shape of loam aud manure, in which they will 

 at once commence to put forth fresh roots. This Mr. Pearson 

 thinks a " mistake." Following the course of my Apricot cul- 

 ture, these surface roots would remain till spring, and then, 

 after the fruit is set, they would be removed with the surface 

 soil, and the rich surface-dressing used here — horse-droppings 

 and kiln dust, saturated with liquid manure — applied. The 

 question is. How hmgPeacli trees, which devour so much food, 

 can bo kept in vigorous health with such light nutriment? 

 whicli seems to me at present like feeding a labourer with rich 

 soup and no beei. 



Unfortunately, like all horticultural experiments, it must be 

 some years before we can know to a certainty if spring and 

 summer dressings only, without the renewal of the soil in 

 autumn, will keep such vigorous feeding trees as Peaches in 

 health for as many years as the observance of the top-dressing 

 practice has done here. If a field on being ploughed 6 inches 

 deep for ten years gave a. produce of five quarters per acre, aud 

 would do the same for a like period if ploughed only o inches 

 deep, it would be a saving of labour. If we adopt the surface- 

 dressing practice wo shall, therefore, save labour. 



In trying the experiment it would be prudent to remove the 

 surface roots (if they are abundant), and mould in the autumn 

 rather than in the spring. J.Iy trees have such mounds of 

 them above the surface, that their removal in spring might be 

 too severe a shock to the tree, although I have not found it to 

 be the case wilh Apricots. As soon as the surface roots are 

 scraped off some surface-dressing should be apphed. 



In all that I have written I have called the autumn renewal 

 of compost " top-dressing," to distinguish it from the spring 

 and summer dressing, which, as it is always placed on the sur- 

 face, I have called " surface-dressing. The two words — top- 

 dressing, are not elegant, but their meaning seems plain enough. 

 It is renewing the soil at the top instead of at the bottom of 

 the pot, as usual in repotting. Mr. Pearson thinks the term 

 " very incorrect." I fear I am too old to adopt any other. 

 There is nothing paradoxical in ray recommending hard borders 

 for Peach trees, and in the same book the annual renewal of 

 the surfofe soil in pots. Only one-fourth of ihe soil is re- 

 newed, which is made, by ramming, nearly as solid as the mass 

 of earth the principal roots of the tree are in, in the undisturbed 

 eaitli in three-fourths of the depth of the pot. The truth is, 

 my mind was led to the hard-border system by observing the 

 healthy effect of the compressed earth in pots on Peach trees, 

 aud at the same time observing Peach trees growing in a loose 

 rich soil in a poor state of health, full of curl, aud aphis, aud 

 spider. 



I commenced the experiment six years since by planting six 

 standard Peach trees in one of my large orchard-houses (21 fe-.;t 

 ■wide), three on each side of the central path. The borders, of 

 a dense calcareous clayey earth, were so hard that it was a diffi- 

 cult task to open the holes. The trees were planted, a small 

 quantity of loam and manure beiug put to their roots " to give 

 them a start," as my man said, and then the holes were filled 

 in, the surface rammed, and left nearly as firm as it is at this 

 moment. I have just paid a visit to these trees. They have 

 been so vigorous all the summer as to require much summer- 

 pinching — two, three, or four times. Without this care every 

 shoot would have been from C to 7 feet in length, as is the case 

 with a tree with its shoots not pinched in. Tljo border can 

 "only be compared to the old-fashioned clay threshing floor, so 



hard is its surface. I confess that my idea when I planted 

 these trees was merely empirical. I could see the rationale of 

 compressing earth in pots, to give as much food as possible 

 in a confined space ; but I candidly acknowledge that I can- 

 not even now account for my Peach trees being so vigorous 

 under circumstances so incongruous and against our received 

 notions. I hope one day to have a jury of friends to examine 

 the roots of these trees carefully, and give the world the reason 

 why. I have endeavoured to do it by taking up a tree or two 

 last winter, but I could not come to any satisfactory conclusion. 

 — Thomas Biveks. 



VIOLA COlcNUTA PURPLE AND MAUVE QUEEN. 



" When doctors differ, who shall decide?" The above two 

 Violas have each their admirers ; many speak highly of the 

 former, and many equally so of the latter. Of the latter Mr. 

 Wills sings the praises so highly, and speaks so lightly of the 

 former, that one «ould imagine it to be next to worthless ; but 

 as one story holds good until another is told, allow me to 

 tell my tale of Purple Queen, and sing its praises in tho same 

 strain as Mr. WiUs ; but I certainly will not be guilty of speak- 

 ing so lightly of tho Mauve. I may state, and I think without 

 fear of contradiction, that iO.OOO plants of Purple Queen may 

 be found in the gardens of Welbeck, Worksoii Manor, Thoresby, 

 and Osbertou. This will speak at once for itself of ihe estima- 

 tion it is held in here. 



Kow, at all of the above places both varieties are gi-own, and 

 Purple Queen is considered the better of the two ; indeed, at 

 Thoresby, where Purple Queen has been truly magnificent, 

 Mauve Queen is looked upon as scarcely worth growing beside 

 it. At Wentv.orth the same variety is charming ; while at 

 Liverpool, Kew, and other places I am tokl it has been very fine 

 indeed. I v.as told by a lady well-known to be a most excellent 

 judge of flower gardening, that on her visit to Kew it was the 

 most charming thing there at the time. At all the p)laces 

 above enumerated Purple Queen has been fine ; and those who 

 have visited Osberton, aud seen it in its mixtures, can speak 

 for themselves of its merits. It is a most singular fact that 

 not one dozen plants have died during the whole of the season, 

 and it is considered by many to be much the better grower of 

 the two. For my own part I must say thej' grow so much 

 alike that it is diJiicult to tell them apart. Of the two. Purple 

 Queen is the more free-flowering with me, but both have done 

 well. 



In summing up the controversy, it appears to amount to this 

 — thatPurple Queen does better in and aroimd " The Dukeries," 

 while Mauve Queen does better in and around Cheshire and 

 Lancashire ; and if all who condemn one and praise the other 

 were summed up, it would be found there would be six for one 

 and half a dozen for the other. — Edwaed Bennett, Osberton 

 Hall, IVorksoji. 



[We quite agree in thinking the two varieties are very similar ; 

 so closely so that it was with great difficulty we coidd discern 

 tho diiference between two excellent specimens sent to us for 

 the sake of comparison. Purple Queen has slightly narrower 

 petals and the shadow of a shade more purple than Mauve 

 Queen. The controversy need not be continued, for both the 

 varieties are good. — Ens.] 



CHASSELAS NAPOLEON GRAPE. 



In your report of the Paris Pomological Congress you notice 

 a Grape exhibited by me in my collection of fruit — namely, 

 Ghasselas Napoleon, as being handsome and beautifid, and 

 little known in England. This character certainly is no more 

 than the variety deserves, and I ad vise all Grape-growers to add it 

 to their collection of useful Grapes. I send j'ou by this post a 

 few berries, taken from pot Vines, ripened so far back as April, 

 in order that you may prove its flavour. You will observe that 

 it is invariably one-seeded, which makes it agreeable to eat. 

 As a profitable hardy midsummer Grape, so far as I have 

 proved, it has no equals in the golden section except the 

 Muscats. Intimately acquainted as I am with most of the 

 French varieties of Grapes, I consider that this above all others 

 is most worthy of notice in the section just named. M. Andro 

 Leroy once sent me fifty varieties of Grapes, which were 

 planted, fruited, aud tasted, and I give you my selection from 

 the number — namely. Ghasselas Napoleon, Olivette Noire, Ma- 

 laga Piosc, Ghasselas Duhamel, Gromier du Cantal, aud UUiade. 



