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JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Marsh 21, 1867. 



flower of groat beauty — fii-st-class cortificato ; Linnseas, a brilliant 

 deep single rose flower— second-class certificate, one of the brightest 

 varieties grown, the tiowers of the spike not quite in perfection ; 

 Vunxbaalt, a fiei7 rod flower, wliich was awarded a first-olass certi- 

 ficate last year ; also Bird of Paradise, wliicli was equally noticed ; 

 both continue to maintain their character. It is not our duty to 

 notice the several varieties, but we must add, never were such fine 

 .specimens exhibited before : and we hope to see them in their special 

 colours and merits duly noticed. Mr. Paul also exhibited a standard 

 plant of Nosegay Pelargonium Dr. Hogg, deeper in colour than that 

 great favourite Amy Hogg ; but at this early season it is impossible to 

 risk any decision on the merits of Zonals. .Justice cannot be done 

 to the plant nor to the judgment of the Committee. 



Fiirn CoMMiTTF.E. — Mr. Joljpson, gardener to the Marquis of 

 Ailcsbui-y, Sevenoaks, sent Lady Downe's Grape iu excellent con- 

 dition as a proof of its superiority over Ahbee, shown at the last 

 Meeting; and Mr. Holliday, gardener to H. B. Walmsley, Esq., 

 Acton, a very good fruit of the Eipley Queen Pine, apparently up- 

 wards of ," lbs. in weight. For this a special certificate was awarded. 

 Mr. Lydiard, Batheaston, sent .\sparagus, and from Mr. Budd came 

 a Cncnmbcr, the result of a cross between Telegraph and Muuro's 

 Prolific, lite the Sion House, but rather more prickly. .James's Long- 

 keeping and Brown Spanish f)uious from Mr. Whiting, The Deepdene, 

 and that called Nuneham Park, from Messrs. Cutbush, were also 

 placed on the table to show their keeping properties. Mr. R Holliday, 

 "iA, Portobello Terrace, Netting Hill, exhibited a contrivance called 

 "Paxton's Strawbei-ry Crinoline," consisting of a circular table of 



galvanised wii"e, as in the accompanying engraving, made in halves to 

 put round the plants, in order to prevent the ben-ies coming in contact 

 T^ith the ground. The cost was stated to be £5 ^s. per gi-oss. The 

 Committee, however, considered that though the contrivance might be 

 useful to amateurs, yet the cost would prevent its being employed 

 where Strawben-ies are grown on an extensive scale. 



Geneiui. Meetinii. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 

 The business of the meeting was ])urely of a formal character, and 

 after the election of fourteen new Fellows and the admission of the 

 Worksop Floral and Horticultural Society into union, the Chairman 

 announced that in consequence of the sniall attendance the lecture, 

 wliich was to have been given by Mr. W. Panl, would be deferred till 

 Tuesday, the *2fith inst., at 3 p.m. 



SIZE AND SEPARATION OF GEOMETRICAL 



FLOWER-BEDS. 

 I PURPOSE forming one or two groups of geometrically 

 arranged flower-beda — about nine beds in eacli group. I think 



1 have somewhere seen a remark, that the size of flower-beds 

 shoiald be determined by the distance one can reach over the 

 bed without placing the foot on the bed. I can reach about 



2 feet, so presume that no part of a bed should be more than 

 2 feet distant from a walk. 



I should also be glad to know how far apart the flower-beds 

 in the before-mentioned groups should be, so that without in- 

 terfering with the harmonious blending of the different colours 

 in the beds viewed as a whole, there would still be sufficient 

 space between the beds. I should, perhaps, mention that I 

 intend having them edged with Box, and gravel walks be- 

 tween. — C. 



[As you can reach 2 feet, beds of 4 feet in diameter would 

 suit you ; but we presume that the rule about reaching was 

 made with the understanding that one foot was placed on the 

 bed. By this means you could extend your hand 2 feet 

 more, and, therefore, your beds might be from 4 to 8 feet in 

 width. By having only one foot on the bed and one on the 

 walk, yon can clean the foot from the bed before placing 

 it on the walk it anything from the bed should adhere to 

 it ; and, removing the mark of the foot, the bed will retain no 

 trace of your visit. If on grass, in such geometrical groups. 



and the beds are 4 feet or more in width, the paths should 

 be from 3J to 4 feet wide. On gravel, if the beds are 4 feet, 

 wide the paths might be 3 feet or even less, but we believe 

 iu most cases 4 feet would be more satisfactory. ] 



GREEN TURF FOR CAMELLIAS. 



I HAVE great pleasure in adding my testimony to the value of 

 fresh turf for Camellias. I have used it fur the last five years, 

 and my plants never looked so well as they do now. I hope 

 more of your readers may, after reading Mr. Pearson's recom- 

 mendations, be induced to give it a trial. 



In one respect, perhaps not essential, my practice has dift'ered 

 a little from Mr. Pearson's. Before u.sing the turf I place it 

 grass side downwards on a flue, not long enough to dry the soil 

 to dust, but merely to char the blade sufficiently to kill any 

 insects' eggs. &c., that may have been deposited there. In two or 

 three days after potting I give the plants a thorough watering 

 with lime water. — H. F. B. 



PROTECTI\Ti: POWER OF AN ORCHARD 

 HOUSE. 

 My object in writing is to point out the protective power of 

 an orchard-house. When the open air temperature during the 

 severe frost of .January was abo',it zero, the thermometer in 

 the orchard-house never fell below 20°, bo this was better than 

 Cornwall, where it went down to 15'. Of course, the snow- 

 covered roof, and the short duration of the frost, assisted the 

 orchard-house. Many things in pots placed on the borders, 

 covered with bell-glasses, and these with straw and mats, passed 

 through the ordeal uninjured. The shoots of Figs iu pots, with 

 straw round their roots, but unprotected above, are quite green, 

 while against a building, though covered with two or thi'ee 

 mats, the extremities seem killed back. — G. S. 



WHAT SHRUBS AND TREES ARE NOT 

 INJURED BY GAME? 



" E. P. G." asks for some information on this point ; I have, 

 unfortunately, a sad experience in such matters, and have given 

 great attention to the subject. In a hard winter like the last, 

 I may say the present, for we have here now, March 12th, 

 heavy snow falling, and 8° of frost, all shrubs and young trees 

 have suffered dreadfully from hares and rabbits. My place is 

 in a valley, and the st.arved-ont mountain hares visited me 

 every night in droves. Large drifts of snow several yards high 

 enabled them to make their way into every place to which they 

 should not have had access, and they climbed up the espaliers, 

 and wall fruit trees like cats. This has also happened in many 

 town nursery grounds, and immense damage has been done. 



I hardly know what shrubs suffer least. " E. F. G." is per- 

 fectly correct in stating that hares and rabbits will attack a 

 newly-planted clump or isolated bush, no matter what it is, and 

 the smaller it is the more sure is it to be visited and destroyed. 

 I watched my shrubberies and made notes every morning, 

 and found that as in former severe winters. Hollies went 

 first, then Laburnums and Broom. They also ate odd Rhodo- 

 dendrons, and Berberis aquifolium, but not to any consider- 

 able extent when in a mass, or when the bushes were of a 

 good size, and dense. It is the bark they want, not the leaves. 

 It is rather odd that hares, in particular, are so fond of Yew 

 and Laburnum, two very poisonous trees. They must take it 

 as a medicine, as we use calomel, itc, to digest other things. 



With regard to the Fir tribe, I have invariably found that 

 the Pines go first, then Larch, then the Abies class. I have 

 lost every Scotch Fir and Austrian Pine which has beemplanted 

 for the last two or three seasons. The Norway Spruce, Silver 

 Spruce, and Balmof Gilead, are merely nibbled, and may come 

 round ; but many Scotch Fu's C feet high are peeled entirely, 

 and hopelessly destroyed. 



Allow me to recommend " E. F. G.," when forming a new 

 plantation, to gather his Laburnum seeds, and either sow them 

 broadcast in the woods, or, which is better, raise as many seed- 

 ling plants in his nursery garden as he can, and plant them for 

 underwood. This will afford food in hard weather, and hares, 

 &c., will touch nothing else as long as any are left ; when eaten 

 off the plants come up again next season. Ash is a favourite 

 food also, and I have seen a cartload of Ash tops thoroughly 



