January 8, 1667. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



29 



At present any one. even a Rose-grower, might easily pass 

 by Mr. Radclyffe's witliout noticing it, for it is one of those 

 small, old-fashioned, cottage houses which we see in most vil- 

 lages, close to the road, with a strip of garden about G or 8 feet 

 wide between the house and the road. I say at present, because 

 yellow Roses are planted in fi'ont, and I doubt not wiU ere 

 long cover it, as they did the house at llushton, and so be sure 

 to attract the passers-by. If the house is old the gardens are 

 old too ; but a master's hand has been at work on them, and 

 I have no doubt that ere long they will be a garland of beauty 

 and fragrance. 



It is well known that Mr. Eadclvffe is about the strongest 

 client that Manetti has, that he has written it up on all occa- 

 sions, and with justice too, for nothing could do better than 

 his did at Rushton ; hence all his Koses are dwarfs, budded 

 low down on the Manetti, and the greater portion of them most 

 vigorous. Here, for instance, as you look out of the window is 

 a border of Bourbon Acidalie, consisting of six plants of that 

 fine white, perhaps when caught well the finest white we have ; 

 there on that bank on the other side is a bed of Souvenir de 

 la Malmaison. Then, as you mount the somewhat steep bank 

 you find Roses on all sides — Roses in beds and borders, in 

 sixes and dozens — here a dozen of Charles Lefebvre, there a 

 dozen of Jules Margottin, another of Senateur Vaisse, and so 

 on. Oh, what a crown of beauty these will be in July next ! 

 At the farther end of the garden you come to a long border of 

 yellow Roses — Gloire de Bijon, Triomphe de Renues, Celine 

 Forestier, and such-like flowers, which will give a continuous 

 bloom during the greater part of the year. Tou can see at 

 once the liberal treatment they all receive — plenty of manure 

 of good quality, dug in round the stems, and applied in every 

 way. Then Mr. Eadclyflie has an eye to the future. He has 

 sunk a weU and put up two pumps (no man could value water 

 more than he does), so that he will be able to give them plenty 

 of moisture if we have a dry season. There is only one point 

 on which I have any doubt — viz., as to whether his Roses will 

 do as well on the Manetti in this rich loamy soil as they did 

 on the dry, strong, chalky soil of Eushton. There the stock 

 throws vigour into plants which on the briar would have lan- 

 guished and died, but I am not so sure that he will find it the 

 same on his present rich soil. I shall be curious to know 

 whether the Manetti will not be too much for the Rose, and 

 whether some of the not-over-vigorous-growing varieties will 

 not succumb to its influence. I fancy I have found it so. 



We of course had a long talk about varieties. Mr. Eadclyffe 

 has been so bitten by supposed novelties, that he has gone to 

 the extreme, I think, of discrediting aU new ones ; but as soon 

 as he finds that a variety is really good he sets to work at it, 

 multipUes it, and obtains a good stock. Thus, in his 120D Eoses 

 there might not be found, perhaps, so much variety as in some 

 gardens, especially in those of persons who grow much for 

 exhibition, but they are all well-proved sorts, which will not 

 fail a grower when he wants a few dozens of good Roses. As 

 his Eoses had all been moved this year, theu' removal having 

 commenced in August, there was not much autumnal bloom ; 

 but treated as they are, I am sure there will be abundance of 

 it when they have the opportunity of returning the labour and 

 care bestowed on them. 



The Strawberries were looking in splendid condition, the 

 collection comprising the best varieties in cultivation. Mr. 

 Radclyffe has written so much on this delicious fruit, that I 

 can only say that the appearance of his beds fully bore out the 

 statements he has made concerning them. Rivers's Eliza, Dr. 

 Hogg, Cockscomb, Mr. Radclyffe, Sir Joseph Paxton, and 

 Frogmore Late Pine seemed to be his special favourites for 

 growth and excellence. They were certainly most promising, 

 and will by-and-by yield, I feel certain, if the season be at all 

 favourable, a most abundant crop. 



AU who were interested in Eushton will remember the three 

 wonderful Peach trees which were one of the sights of that 

 garden, producing year after year large crops of fine fruit, and 

 invariably succeeding in doing so when others had failed. 

 Now these trees he could not remove, but he was determined 

 not to be without Peaches ; so one of the first things that he 

 did was to run up a wall (which I think he will have to make 

 higher), 217 feet in length ; on this wall he has planted 

 twenty-two Peach and Nectarine trees, which he is treating 

 on the pinching and repinching system. He says the days 

 of long pruning are or ought to be over. He is not, however, 

 satisfied with these. He is trying the system known as the 

 cordon or Du Breuil system, originated in France, and much 

 practised there both for Peaches and Pears, especially in the 



neighboui'hood of Montreuil, which supplies so much fruit to 

 the Paris markets. He has obtained 107 trees of Peaches and 

 Nectarines, comprising Noblesse, Royal George, Early Albert, 

 Walburton Admirable, Prince of Wales, Barrington, Salway, 

 Early Victoria, Early York, and Bellegarde Peaches ; Pitmaston 

 Orange, Victoria, Prmoe of Wales, Elruge, and Violette Hative 

 Nectarines, all on the Plum stock. Of these he has planted 

 fifty-five against the walls and fifty-two a little in advance. 

 If these latter, he says, form fruit and do not ripen, he will 

 another year put Ughts behind them ; and he adds, " If I 

 should succeed in raising fruit from the main stems of maiden 

 trees that have never been cut down and trained, it will be 

 probably the first time that it has ever been done." 



It will be thus seen that for the lover of Eoses or of fruits — 

 for one who pursues his hobby with all a lover's ardom- — there 

 is abundance of interest at Okeford Fitzpaine. It is one of 

 the glories of gardening that you have at all seasons something 

 to interest. Your diied bulbs of Tulip or Gladiolus have each 

 their history and are interesting ; your bare bushes of Eoses 

 or well-covered plants of Strawberries are not dull to you ; and 

 what shall we then say of the glories of the garden in the 

 summer, when the Queen of Flowers holds her court ? Then 

 will Okeford Fitzpaine be worth a pilgrimage, and I should 

 gladly lay it out amongst my anticipations of the future, that 

 I may be there to see, and rejoice with our genial and hearty 

 friend in the success of his work. — D., Deal. 



WORK FOR THE "V\TEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Little out-door work can now be performed where snow has 

 fallen, and we beUeve this is the case pretty generally ; men 

 should therefore be employed about such work as can be done 

 within-doors, and which we have already pointed out. Carrots, 

 where young ones are wanted early prepare a slight hotbed for 

 the purpose, cover it with leaf mould to the depth of 6 or 

 8 inches, in which sow the seed. A httle Eadish seed may be 

 scattered on the bed at the same time, but the Radishes must 

 be drawn young. Cucumber-:, the plants in houses must be 

 strictly attended to, to keep them in health ; refrain from re- 

 moving or injuring any of the leaves, if possible ; guard against 

 over- watering, which is particularly injurious in dull weather; 

 prepare dung for the main early bed ; make a smaU seed-bed 

 for raising the plants ; after the heat is up, stir the dung inside 

 the frame every other morning until the heat is sweet and 

 regular. As soon as the young plants have perfected their seed- 

 leaves they should be potted, two in a pot 4 inches in diameter, 

 using some of the soil already in the frame. Plant them deep 

 in the pot, so that a little fresh soil can be added as they grow. 

 Caullttowers, should the weather prove severe, the frames con- 

 taining young plants should be covered with mats, or some 

 material to protect them in some measure. Plants in the open 

 ground should have some pliable rods bent over them, and 

 then be covered with mats. Du-arf Kidneij Beans, the plants 

 in bearing should be placed in saucers or shallow troughs, 

 having some soil in them, which should always be kept moist. 

 This will encourage the growth of roots, and will also prevent 

 the heat of the flue drying the soil at the bottom of the pots. 

 Lettute, when the frost is severe protect the frames which con- 

 tain young plants for spring use. Those also which contain 

 Cabbage Lettuce for present use must likewise be covered up. 

 Musliroomn, beds should now be made in sheds or houses pur- 

 posely fitted up for a spring supply. The horse-droppings 

 should be well beaten down, and the bed should not be less 

 than a foot in depth. Tempera tiure sticks should then be 

 thrust to the bottom in several places and examined daily; 

 when the heat has become somewhat regular, and not exceeding 

 80°, the spawn may be inserted just below the surface, and the 

 bed afterwards earthed up. Sea l:ale, as that which was 

 covered first is cut, remove the pots or boxes to that portion 

 which has hitherto had no covering, so as to keep up a suc- 

 cession ; the dung and leaves which have been previously used 

 will serve the pm-pose again if a little fresh be added. 



FLOWEE GARDEN. 



A change has taken place in the weather, which renders it 

 necessary to protect all choice trees and shrubs in the open 

 garden which are not hardy enough to withstand frost. The 

 roots and the collar of the stem should be securely protected, 

 as, if the rest of the plant is injured, there is some chance of its 

 shooting again. Trees and shrubs that have recently been 

 planted should have their roots secured from frost, and in some 



