Jannar; 24, 1867. J 



JOUSNAL OF HOKTICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



67 



17 feet in height; No. 5, 16 feet in height; No. t), 16 feet 

 7 inches in height ; and No. 7, a cutting from No. 1, 11 feet 

 4 inches high. 



We have also some very fine specimens of Picea nobihs, 

 Nordmanniana, and pinsapo, and of Pinus austriaca, strobus, 

 and excelsa. Some trees of Pinus insignis are between 30 and 

 40 feet high. Abies Albertiana and A. Douglasii are about 

 30 feet high ; and Brunoniaua, alba, morinda, and Menziesii 

 are about 40 feet in height. — H. HicKjiis, Gardener to R. E. 

 Thoimon, Esq., Kcnjield, Kent. 



SOIL FOR CAMELLIAS. 



Seeing your reply in last week's Journal to " Sexex " as to 

 the best soil for Camellias and Azaleas, in which you recom- 

 mend turf cut 8 inches thick and stacked with a layer of cow- 

 dtmg an inch thick between each layer of turf, to be turned in 

 sis months, again in three months, and another three months 

 to elapse before it is to be nsed, and all the rest of it so tho- 

 roughly disheartening to amateurs — allow me to say a word 

 or two by way of cheering up " Sen-ex," for I am sure he must 

 feel greatly depressed at the prospect of losing his CamelUas 

 by having to wait twelve months for soil to repot them in. 



Last March I purchased a lot of neglected plants from a 

 neglected greenhouse, and among the rest a very sickly-looking 

 CamelUa in a deplorable state of filth and wretchedness. Being 

 desirous of ascertaining the colour of the leaves, after a tho- 

 rongh washing with soap and water I found it to be a compro- 

 mise between green and yellow. This result caused grave 

 doubts as to the soundness of my bargain ; but feeling assured 

 that there was appropriate advice somewhere in " our Journal," 

 I went in for a read-up, and I saw that excellent article by 

 Mr. Pearson published in the number for the 27th of last Feb- 

 ruary, and in which he says, " After many years' experience I 

 have come to the conclusion that turf from a sandy loam is 

 the only soU fit for Camellias, and that the addition of leaf 

 mould, peat, manure, Sec, is always injurious." He goes on 

 to say, " Cut the turf as thin as if it were intended for a grass 

 plot ; chop it, or, what is better, pull it to pieces, and use it 

 the same day it is out. In using so fibrous a material con- 

 siderable pressure must be employed in potting, otherwise it 

 will be too loose." 



After giving three cheats for Mr. Pearson, and three groans 



for men who would recommend one-year-old . but never 



mind, I set to work, turned out my Camellia, shook out the 

 sour soU and dead roots, and repotted it — in what do you 

 think ? — why, in fresh-cut turf, pressed it firmly down, and I 

 should hke you to see the plant now, the picture of health ; 

 its flower-buds, of which I had to take off at least a dozen, 

 swelling beautifully, and promising a glorious show. But I 

 suppose you wUl not insert this. — T. L. C. 



[You see that we have not only inserted your communica- 

 tion, but one from Mr. Pearson on the use of fresh turf. It is 

 a step in the right direction, and though decomposed turf is 

 excellent for Camellias, the Editors hope to have it established 

 that fresh turf is as good for them. Editors have to recom- 

 mend what they know is successful.] 



there was, for my good parishioner declared my Potatoes un- 

 equalled in size, quality, and quantity. The secret was, I 

 planted whole sets of medium Potatoes, which I had started 

 early. The Potato was Myatt's Ashleaf. 



Last year the greater part of the Ashleaf Potatoes were waxy 

 and diseased, the Scotch Cruftles were nearly as bad, and the 

 Early Heroes were worse. 



Having tried many plans of Potato culture I thoroughly 

 agree with " D.," of Deal, and Mr. D. Thomson, as to the ad- 

 vantage of using whole sets. As an experiment I disbudded a 

 few sets, leaving only one eye, and was rewarded by an earlier 

 and larger yield. The ridge system I should condemn as 

 strongly as your last correspondent, provided the soil is light 

 and dry, but the case is quite altered if you have wet, heavy 

 grovmd. 



I wUl give you, some tim3, the remits of this year's colturei 



— EONSOC. 



THE ROMAN HYACINTH. 



I WAST to say a word in favour of a little bulb which I do not 

 think meets with the attention that it ought, I mean the pretty 

 little Roman Hyacinth, believing that in another season some 

 of your readers who are situated as I am will be very glad to 

 make further acquaintance with it. 



I have no means of forcing plants, my object being, as far as 

 greenhouse plants are concerned, to keep them safe from frost. 

 Those who can force will, therefore, probably think little of a 

 Hyacinth like this, which is so much inferior in size and 

 beauty to the Dutch varieties ; but to me it is a matter of no 

 little pleasure to be able to have at Christmas a pot of Hya- 

 cinths in full bloom, distributing their fragrance through the 

 room, and that without any extra trouble. By forcing they can 

 be had, I know, in November, but I think they are not nearly 

 so pretty when forced as when grown naturally. It is a mis- 

 take, toij, to plant them too thinly ; they should be placed with 

 the bulbs almost touching one another. I put six into a 

 32-sized pot, and have had them now for some weeks in bloom 

 in my sitting room, their little snowy bells standing well up 

 above the dwarf, stiff, glaucous foliage, and diffusing a plea- 

 sant but not overpowering odour throughout the room. Doubt- 

 less if they came in in March and April along with the other 

 bulbs, we would not think a great deal of them ; it is the fact 

 of their bloomiug when they do that really gives them their 

 value, and it is because of this I recommend them to those who, 

 Uke myself, are obliged to study what is economical as well as 

 pretty. — D., Deal. 



[We are well pleased that our correspondent has noticed this 

 fragrant little flower. It is a very old tenant of our gardens, 

 being introduced in 1596. Formerly it was called Hyacinthus 

 romanus, but La Peyrouse has founded on it a new genus, and 

 it is named Bellevalia operculata.] 



EARLY PEAS AND POTATOES. 



My garden is of light, porous soil, is well protected from the 

 north and east winds, and thoroughly drained. Its slope is to 

 the south and west. In this garden were sown on the same day 

 Carter's First Early, Sangster's No. 1, and Daniel O'Kourke Peas. 

 From what I had read of the first I expected to have a crop 

 almost before Sangster's or Daniel O'Eomke had formed pods ; 

 but the lesson taught me was that the old friends were tru e 

 friends, for Sangster's and the well-tried Daniel O'Eourke 

 yeilded many dishee before the first-named ; and when the lazy 

 first did come, it was not worth waiting for. The Peas were all 

 grown upon the same plot of ground ; the rows all ran from 

 north to south, and received precisely the same treatment. 

 Elevation above the sea 260 feet, and distance from the coast 

 nine miles. 



About six months after I entered upon my parish work a 

 worthy farmer came to visit my garden, and having examined 

 my flowers and my vegetables, exclaimed — " Well, your 

 Reverence, you can beat me in all but Potatoes." All but 

 Potatoes ! Well, do you know, I did not hke that " but," and 

 I rfiBolved next year there should be no "bat;" and none 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETYS MEETING. 



The first meeting of the rear was held on the 7th inst., Sir John 

 Lubbock, F.E.S., the President, being in the chair. Amongst the 

 donations received since the last meeting were the pnblications of the 

 Natural History Society of Geneva, contributions on American Lepi- 

 doptera, and on the Zjgicnidse of Cuba, by Messrs. Grote and Robin- 

 son ; on Danish Coleoptera by M. Sehiodte ; and Dr. Gerstaecker'a 

 annual reriew of entomological publications. A new part of the 

 " Society's Transactions," containing papers by Mr. F. Smith on Bra- 

 zilian Hymenoptera, Mr. Trimen on the Butterflies of Mauritius, and 

 Mr. McLachlan on new genera of Psocidse, was announced as ready 

 for distribution among the members. 



A memoir by Captain Hutton was read on the Japanese SUtworm, 

 allied to the common Chinese Bombyx mori, which had been much 

 overrated, and which he believed was only a hybrid between a sickly 

 degenerate race of the latter insect and the Uttle B. sinensis ; and ha 

 expressed bis opinion that the only way to renovate the European 

 stock of Silkworms now so much contaminated with muscadine, &c., 

 was to depute experienced entomologists to visit China with a view to 

 the rediscovery of the Silkworm in its natural state of freedom.* 



Professor Westwood exhibited a largo collection of Heliconiidae 

 and Pierida) from the interior of Brazil, collected by the late Dr. 

 Buichell, whose entire collections had been presented to the University 

 Museum of Oxford. They were extremely valuable, not only fropi 



• Captain Hutton cnnnot have been aware that at the last Interna- 

 tional Exhibition at Paris some Silkworms and silk of a beautiful tex- 

 ture were exhibited which had been recently imported from Japan, 

 and which had been found quite tree from all attacks of the moacadina 

 longua. 



