122 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 14, 1867. 



happily accomplished, and it is hoped that oat o£ the numerons seed* 

 lings some striking novelties may be produced. 



*' Attempts have also been made towards the cnltivation of Truffles 

 and tliffereiit Iduds of Mushrooms. The Trultie-bed has not yet been 

 disturbed, but a better result than bus attended otbir attempts is 

 scarcely to be hoped for. It was, however, thought right that it should 

 be tried on the best principles ; and should it not succeed, they will 

 not be deteiTed from further attempts. So little at present is known 

 of the growth of Truflles iu the infant state, that we must be content 

 to work a good deal iu the dark. As regards the Mushrooms, it can- 

 not be kuowu till next autumn whether any success has been obtained. 

 " A valuable series of observations on Radiation, and other cognate 

 matters, has been made at the suggestion of Mr. Hadwen, which will 

 shortly he published in the Journal. 



"■ Great pains have been taken in veri^dug some of the doubtful 

 plants in the tolleetion. 



"The Directors feel great pleasure in repoi-ting the great success 

 •which has becu achieved, as regards making the Gardens a school of 

 Horticulture, by the employment of students in the work of the Garden. 

 The results of the late examination are also very encouraging, and 

 they th ink it may be advantageous, both to the Society and to young 

 men entering on the profession of gardening, if the number were ex- 

 tended as opportunities permit. 



"PoMOLOGicAL SECTION. — Fniit Dfjiortmcnt. — With the view of 

 continuing the experiments iu the comparison of the numerous varie- 

 ties of fruit now in the collection at the Garden, and especially in the 

 vast number of Vines, the glazed wall was converted a few years ago 

 into an experimental vinery, where all the varieties are trained against 

 the wall on the ■■ single rod ' system, by which means no less than 

 128 varieties have been planted. The last was the first season in 

 which any great number of these Vines produced fruit, and many im- 

 portant obseiTatious were made which, however, it would be premature 

 at present to announce, until they have been contirmed by the experi- 

 ence of another season. It is believed, from what the Board have 

 se.eu, that many of these so-called new varieties will prove to be old 

 kinds under new names, some will be found to be entirely worthless, 

 while not a few must become useful and permanent additions to those 

 already in cultivation. 



'' Great confusion exists among the large section of Grapes included 

 nnder the name of Chasselas ; and for the purpose of throwing as 

 much light as possible on the subject, plants of all the varieties kiio^Mi 

 to belong to that section have been propagated and grown iu pots ; and 

 in the ensuing year the whole collection will be fruited, and many 

 points on which much doubt has hitherto prevailed will be cleared up, 

 and this inix"^i't*^t section of the Grapes will be reduced into proper 

 order. 



*' Another vciy important subject which has engaged the attention 

 of the Board is the collection of Figs, of which there are now seventy- 

 four varieties in the Garden. Since the last Report was made, the 

 house in which the Figs were usually gio\vn has been entirely re- 

 glazed; every alternate sash-bar has been removed from the lights, 

 and the small squares of dirty glass, with their numerous overlaps, have 

 been supplanted by squares of large dimensions, thereby introdiTcing a 

 flood of light, which is essential to the successful perfecting of the 

 fruit of the Fig. Considerable progress has also been made in the 

 identification of old varieties under new names, and in the fruiting of 

 others that have not hitherto been introduced to this country ; but, as i 

 in the case of all new fruits, great caution is required in comiilg to | 

 any conclusions on the subject, and, therefore, before any report is i 

 made, the Board consider it judicious to repeat their observations 

 another season, when, judging from the promising appearance of the 

 trees, they expect to derive greater facilities for coming to a satisfac- 

 toiy conclusion than have hitherto been afforded. 



" For the last few seasons repeated attempts have been made to in- 

 vestigate the collection of Strawberries, but without effect ; the planta- 

 tion which existed in the Garden having, in common with others 

 dronghout the country, suffered from the successive effects of late 

 spring frosts and summer droughts, it became necessary to form an 

 entirely new collection, including in it all the varieties that were 

 Inown to exist either in this country or the Continent. Through 

 the liberality which always characterises the nursery trade in its rela- 

 tions to the Society, the Directors have the pleasure to report that the 

 new plantation, which has been formed on a newly-prepared piece of 

 gronnd, now includes no less than *2S(i vaneties, and it is hoped that 

 in the year l8tJ.S, should no untoward event arise, a rare opportunity 

 ■will be afforded to the Fellows of the Society and those interested in 

 the subject to study this extensive collection. 



" It has been found that the old collection of Apples on Paradise 

 stocks, which occupies the borders of the orchard and kitchen garden, 

 and which is coeval with the existence of the Garden, is rapidly falling 

 into decay, and although by cert:iiu treatment the trees might be reno- 

 vated and rendered healthy and fruitful, the expense and labour that 

 ■would be incurred in arriving at this result are so great that steps are 

 being taken to gradually remove these old trees and to form a new col- 

 lection with others of a younger and more healthy growth. Another 

 and perhaps the greatest objection to the continuance of these trees is 

 the fact that most of them are grafted with several distinct varieties, 

 which in many instances have been double-worked, and the evil results 

 that arise from this circumstance, where so many applications for 

 grafts are fiurnished to the Fellows from these trees, are iu them&elves 



safficient to justify the course which the Board propose to carry out; 

 Every care has been taken to preserve the full collection, and, in anti- 

 cipation of the destruction of the old trees, scions have been taken 

 from them, and these being worked upon stocks, have now grown into 

 handsome young trees ready to take the place of their predecessors. 



*' During the past season the Plum and Cherry crops have been an 

 entire failure, and for all practical purposes have beeu productive of 

 no useful result. The great uncertainty there is in securing a crop of 

 Cherries, whether fi'om the damage done to the bloom by late spiing 

 frosts, or by birds when a crop has been -obtained, has induced the 

 Board to iustitute a course of experimental examinations by growing 

 the trees iu jiots and cultivating them under protection. This appears 

 to be the only alternative where a large collection has to be dealt 

 with, and where it is impossible tu protect every individual tree when 

 out of doors. The Board, therefore, propose in future to giow all 

 new varieties that may be received, iu pots, and to add to them when 

 young trees can be obtained all the old varieties in the garden, so that 

 future experiments may be carried out with some reasonable prospect 

 of success. 



" Every opportunity is taken of secui-Ing the novelties which arc an- 

 nounced, and it is the object of the Directors to render the collection of 

 fruits in the Chiswiek Garden as complete as it is possible to be, so 

 that it may become a centre of reference upon all subjects relating to 

 fruits and to fruit-tree culture. It is with much pleasure that they 

 have to record the great liberality of the Kev. John Huyshe, of Clys- 

 thydon, near Exeter, who has been the successful originator of several 

 valuable varieties of Pear bearing his name. Among these varieties 

 was one of unusual size and excellence, which has been named 

 Huyshe's Prince Consort, and the entire stock of that variety Mr. 

 Huyshe has placed at the disposal of the Society. Upwards of a hun- 

 dred young trees have been propagated of it in the Garden, and these^ 

 along with two or three hundred scions sent by Mr. Huyshe, havd 

 been distributed in the first ballot of this year. 



"It is gi-atifyiug to see the unabated interest which the nursery trade, 

 and others connected with the pursuit of horticulture iu the country, 

 manifest in the maintenance and success of the operations at the 

 Garden, as exemplihed in the liberal donations of any novelties they 

 may possess, and the desire that the Society should have an oppor- 

 tunity of comparing, examining, and proving the various subjects o£ 

 hoi-ticultural interest. It is also an encouraging sign, and an evi- 

 dence of the important services the Society can render to horticulture, 

 to tind so many applications from so many of the professional as well 

 as amateur Fellows of the Society for scions and seeds of fruit and or- 

 namental trees, either for the augmentation of their collections or for 

 the careful presei*vation of the nomenclature of the subjects of which 

 these collections are composed. 



" Vefjetiddc Department. — In the Vegetable Depariment the experi- 

 ments in proving the varieties of new vegetables and comparing them, 

 with the old have beeu continued. In the past season the Board re- 

 solved to investigate the vatieties of garden Peas, and with this view 

 obtained, through the liberality of the nursery and seed trade, the 

 seed of considerably upwards of one hundred sorts, all of which were 

 sown on gi-ound skilfully and carefully prepared. Unfortunately, 

 however, the ravages of slugs and of other predatoiy insects, which re- 

 sisted every means adopted to exterminate them, were such as to en- 

 tirely destroy the whole crop, aud this ha\iug occurred a second time 

 with a crop sown after the destruction of the first, the desired resolt 

 was not obtained. The attempt will be made again this season, when 

 it is hoped that better fortune will attend their labours. 



" The crops of which successful examinations have been made are 

 Onions, Beet, and Celei-y. and of these the reports will be published in 

 the Journal of the Society in due course. 



"Floral Section. — As regards the Floral Department, while the 

 supply of bedding plants for South Kensington, as v/ell us of fiower- 

 ing and other ornamental plants for the decoration of the conservatory, 

 has been maintained, other plants of interest have from time to time, 

 so far as the glass accommodation has permitted, been sent from Chis- 

 wiek to the Tuesday meetings and Saturday promenades. A new 

 lean-to house has now been erected, and a second house is in course of 

 removal from Kensington, for the purpose of more fully cariying out 

 this latter object. These additions aud some modifications with re- 

 spect to the older erections, will not only much facilitate the keeping 

 up of these several supplies, but will also give to some extent the in- 

 creased facilities that were necessary for ex])crimental cultivation, and 

 for supplying plants for the ballot (Ustributions. 



*' The "cultivation of New Flowers for examination by the Floral 

 Committee has been carried on as usual. In the course of the season, 

 the trial beds have not only proved attractive to those who visited the 

 Garden, but have afforded valuable infonnation to many persons who 

 sought it as to the habits, qualities aud colours of the different plants. 

 To the trial beds of former years was added, during the past year, a 

 series of beds for the gi-owth of examples of the now fa.shionable group 

 of Sub-tropical Plants, so much used for summer garden decoration, 

 and a very interesting collection of these was brought together. The 

 thanks of the Fellows are due to those gentlemen who were good enough 

 to contribute these various subjects, intended either for experimental 

 culture or for purposes of public reference. 



" A considerable space of ground, which had beeu previously prepared 

 for the purpose, was during the past season planted with a choice col- 

 ' lection of Conifers presented to the Society by Messrs. Veitch & SonS} 



