February 10, 1S70. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



101 



ing a display both early and late, as well as at the intermediate 

 periods, must always be greatly in their favour. 



The best Euonymus for fl jwer garden purposes is E. radi- 

 cans variegatus, for it is equally well adapted as au edging to 

 beds and borders, for Hues in ribbon borders, and ior filling beds 

 or panels in borders, and, indeed, it is suitable wherever a 

 bright silver-variegated plant from G inches to 1 foot or more 

 in height, is required. It i3 very pretty and eff.ctive, par- 

 ticularly during April and May, from the young growths havirjg 

 a golden hue, and on this account is very suitable for spring 

 garden decoration. It is of rather slow growth, but this cir- 

 cumstance is favourable rather than otherwise, where a per- 

 manent edgiug is wanted. To form such quickly, plants if 

 less than a year old should bo placed G indies apart, and if 

 planted-out iu May, they will have grown sufficiently to meet 

 each ether by July. They need no caro beyond pinching any 

 shoots thit grow too tall or draggling, and slightly pegging the 

 shoots, so as to fill up spaces where shoots are deficient. A 

 mulching of leaf soil in autumn will do good, and ii put on neatly 

 will not bo very conspicuous. In the following year the edging 

 will be in fine condition, and will continue 80 tor many years, 

 needing nothing beyond trimming off in .summer any irregu- 

 larity of growth. If the edging become too large, cut it back 

 in spring before growth commences. In soils not very wet 

 and very heavy, the plant is quits hardy. 



This Euonyinus is propagated by cu 1 tings of the young 

 shoots, when the wood becomes firm, as it will be at the end of 

 July, or beginning of August. Those 3 or 4 inches long, takea 

 off wi'.h the growing point, are best. Trim off the leaves half 

 way up the cutting, and insert it that depth in sandy soil, 

 except that the pots are to be surfaced with half im inch of 

 silver sand. The cuttings may be put iu closely, and after 

 doing so, give a gentle wateriug, set the pots on ashes iu a 

 cold frame, and daub the lights over inside with a thin coat of 

 whiting mixed with milk. Place the frame facing the norlh ; 

 if not, shade from a.m. to 3 p jr., or afford a position shaded 

 from.tbe sun during these hours. By the end of September the 

 cuttings will be well rootod, and may be potted-off singly in 

 3-inch pots, in a compost of two parts fibrous loara, and c^f pact 

 leaf soil, or very rotten manure, adding sand freely. Set the 

 pots on a?hes in a cold frame in a sheltered situation, I.e.:; iug 

 them rather close for a time, then admit air freely, protecting, 

 however, from frost and heavy rains. The soil should be kept 

 moist, but not very wet; indeed, little water will be required 

 during the dull winter months. In severe weather protect the 

 frame with mats thrown over the lights. After the cuttings are 

 placed in the frame to shike, and after potting off, sprinkle 

 with water as required, so as to keep the soil moist and the 

 foliage fresh. In March, water freely, sprinklo the plants over- 

 head in the morning, and pinch out the points of every shoot 

 at the third joint. Expose them fully dunug the early part of 

 the day, but shut up early in the afternoon, having first 

 sprinkled the plants overhead. Harden them off well before 

 planting-out in May, protecting them from frost, as, though 

 hardy, from being grown under glass they are tender, and the 

 young growths especially so. Tne mode of propagation above 

 describes! answers for all the evergreen sorts. 



There are two other kinds with silver variegated leaves. One 

 of these, E. trico'or, has leaves about fonr times the size of 

 E. radicaus vari"g itus, each I if narrowly margined with white, 

 and edged with bright rose. The silver margin is too small to 

 render this sort useful for flower gardens, bat as a margin to 

 beds, or groups and borders of shrubs, it is very effective. Ii. 

 is of low growth, and forms a dense, compact line about a foot, 

 wide and high. The plants require to be 1 foot apart for a 

 close edging or line. The other silver-leaved kind is E. japonic as 

 argentous variegatus. The growth of this is erect, but by closely 

 stopping or eutting-back the shoots before making new growths, 

 it may be d.vaifea', aud is then useful in the flower garden as a 

 line or edging, and for filling beds. The leaves are large for a 

 Euonymus, shining height green in the centre, with abroad 

 margin of white, but where this joins the green it has a bright 

 golden hue. It is ono of the finest cf all the varieties. E. gracilis 

 roseus variegatus has bright silvery variegation, for the most 

 part disposed over the upper part of the leaves, the base mostly 

 green, with a narrow margin of white. The variegated portion 

 of the leaves iu a mature state is tinged with pink. The plaut 

 is of similar habit to E. radicaus variegatus, with which it is 

 often confounded, but the leaves are larger and broader, and 

 the plant grows taller. It makes a first-rato edging. 



E. latifolius albo-variegatus is very similar to B. japonicus 

 argenteus variegatus, but the silvery variegation of the upper 



part of the leaves is more decided. It is very fine. E. aureo- 

 variegatus has a long, bright, shining leaf ; the golden varie- 

 gation from the base extends along both sides of the midrib, 

 and irregularly spreads upwards, widening with the breadth of 

 the leaf, and covering about half its surface. It is a free, erect- 

 growing sort, and if left unstopped becomes loose aud straggling. 

 To keep it compact it should be stopped, at least until it be- 

 comes well furnished at the base. E. latifolius aureus, with 

 an ovate leaf, bright, shining green at the base, and the upper 

 part bright yellow, is the best of all the gold-leaved sorts, and 

 forms a fine line or edging wherever a permanent golden-foliaged 

 plant is required. By pinching back the shoots it may be 

 formed into an edging G inches high. It is tho E. ovatus aureo- 

 variegatus of some. E. nmrginatus aureus has a rather long 

 leaf, bright green at the base, the upper part of a bright golden 

 hue, and Ibis variegation extends by the edges nearly to the 

 base. It is distinct and good, forming a good bordering to 

 shrubs. Though of erect habit it mey be kept close by pinching 

 back the shoots. The green vaiiety or species, E. japonicus, 

 has no other merit ihf.n that of being an evergreen with shining 

 green foliage. 



Tho adaptability of several of the above plants for many of 

 the purposes to which silver and golden v<aiegated tender 

 plants are now devoted, will be evident to many who have seen 

 them, and those who have not should lose no time in procuring 

 a stock. All are hareiy enough to stand uninjured our ordinary 

 winters, and where not permanently wanted they may be taken 

 up in autumn, potted, and wintered in a cold frame, or plunged 

 in a shelieied situation, affording a protection of mats in severe 

 weather. Any good loamy Btil enriched with leaf soil will 

 grow them. It is scarcely necessary to point out, that for the 

 fronts cf bordei'3 of shrubs, whether in lines of one sort or dis- 

 posed at intervals amongst low-growing evergreens, they have 

 a fine effect. — G. Abbey. 



ESSAYS ON FLORAJj CRITICIS:,!. 



I see by your last week's Journal that a very sevei9 critic of 

 the decisions of floral judges, and of the constitution and action 

 of flora! committees, wishea to know whether it is too much to 

 ask me to say what I mean by the " very vague title, 'Floral 

 Criticism,' and, moreover, who are to be the judges of the 

 essays." The answer to the latter question I thought was given 

 by the Council, in the announcement of the prize offered. The 

 judges are to ba appointed by the Council of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society, and I have no doubt that they will take all 

 due precautious, such as " D., Deal," recommends, against a 

 possibility of bias iu the minds of the judges. 



As respects "D., Deal's," first question, I am obliged to con- 

 fess that I am open to his reproach, if by "vague" he 

 means " general." I purposely made the title as wide as possible, 

 to allow the writers of essays to treat not only of the principles 

 which should guide judges at flower shows in their decisions on 

 the merits of competing plants, dressed out strictly in accord- 

 ance with the fashion of the day, but also on those unchangeable 

 prineiples of natural beauty, which some floral critics assert to 

 bo lost sight of in the artificially-trained fpeeim^ns at present 

 so much in voguo. Whilst, however, some of my horticultural 

 friends lament this departure from the simplicity of Nature's 

 loveliness in our endeavours after floral magnificence, others 

 assert such departure to bo necessitated by the unavoidable 

 collections of competition at flower Ehows, and others again 

 appear to entertain a firm conviction, that if they had had a 

 hand in creation flowers would have been far more beautiful 

 than we find them to be as Nature gives them to us. I wonder 

 if " D., Deal," who must have thought much on the subject, 

 will teh your readers, without any unnecessary insinuations, 

 which of the three opinions he entertains ? 



I was aware of the penalties of having " written a book," but 

 I was not aware that the same penalties attached to encourag- 

 ing others to write one. — Husky Y. D. Scott. 



EASTER BEITERE PEAR. 

 I EEADiLY comply with the request of your correspondent 

 " G. S." for information respecting the Easter Bourrej Pear ; I 

 have been long acquainted with it, and cau testify to its ex- 

 cellence when grown against a wall. It is most uncertain in 

 its time of ripening, in some seasons coming into use early in 

 January, and in other seasons not until the middio or end of 

 March. I have sent it in good condition to table in the Easter 

 week ; but with few exceptions it ripens perfectly, and is then 



