102 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t February 10, 1S7U. 



melting and sugary, this year particularly so, and it began to 

 ripen about the 10th of .January. The trees here are on two 

 aspects between southeast and south-west ; they are great 

 bearers, and the fruit large and clean. 



I have had no experience with the Easter Benrr5 on the 

 Quince stock, but as a standard on the Pear stock it was worth- 

 less, and I have long since discarded it. The Winter Beune 

 was of the same character, and Bhared the same fate. 



I am inclined to think there are two varieties of the Easter 

 Beurre. There is a tree here whicli was some years ago 

 grafted on a Ducbesse d'Angoulume ; its fruit ripens earlier, 

 and is yellow when ripe, and, as Mr. Wallis has remarked, it is 

 liable to decay in places before it is quite ripe ; but the true 

 variety, as I believe, is not liable to that defect ; its fruit is 

 greenish yellow when ripe, brown on the sunny side, and dotted 

 with russet. — John Green-shields, The Gardens, Sarsden. 



PRUNING NEWLY-PLANTED TREES. 

 " J. W.," in page 87, recommends that trees be planted in 

 autumn, and not pruned till spring. He frankly owns that 

 this advice is founded on experience, and not on principle. 

 Now, if exneiience be really in favour of any course of action 

 no theoretical argument can be admitted against it, but then 

 the experience must be constant and extensive. Hitherto wo 

 hav9 had two systems. The first proceeds upon the supposition 

 that the amount of root and top ought to be reciprocal, and 

 the/ofere when we move a tree in autumn, we ought at the 

 same time to cut off from the top as much as is supposed 

 equivalent to the root-injury. The second plan is to leave the 

 top untouched, and allow it to grow at will for the first year. 

 This is done under the idea that a free-growing top will pro- 

 duce free-growing roots. Of these two plans the first is con- 

 sidered the better in a dry country like France, while the second 

 is nuited to moist localities. " J. W." now offers to us a third 

 plan. Not having tried it, I feel incompetent to give a positive 

 opinion; but it certainly does seem that the vigour of the 

 newly planted tree must be impaired by allowing its topmost 

 buds to draw up the sap during the winter, and when they have 

 appropriated to themselves the very life blond of the plant, 

 ruthlessly cutting them off. And if "J. W.'s" plan really 

 does Bucceed, the only possible explanation that occurs to me 

 is, that when the upper buds are removed the lower will break 

 later — that is, in warmer weather, and that, such warm weather 

 is favourable to the free growth both of the leaves and roots. 

 — G. S. 



ACALYPHA WILKESIANA— THE ACALYFHA 

 TRICOLOR OF GARDENS. 



Oi.E of the most popular of the ornamental-foliaged stove 

 plants of the present day in all probability is the subject of 

 the present notice, the plant universally known in gardens as 

 Acalypha tricolor. Its merits or demerits as a decorative plant 

 will not, however, be here descanted on, nor will any at- 

 tempt be made at speaking of the most successful treatment 

 which it is possible to subject it to. Nevertheless, it is to be 

 hopod that the remarks here offered may not be wiih >ut inter- 

 est, especially to those amateurs who desire to know what 

 names are the most correct to apply to their favourites. In 

 this particular instance, be it known, we have a plant bearing 

 one name — A. tricolor, among cultivators and in all the gar- 

 dening journals ; and known by another name altogether, that 

 of A. Wilkesiana, among botanists and in the higher class 

 of plant literature ; nor has the fact of the identity of the two 

 plants ever been made known to the gardening world until 

 recently, so far a3 I am aware; certainly no record has fallen 

 under my observation. In consequence, I desire to suggest the 

 general adoption of the name Acalypha Wilkesiana as being 

 the more legitimate or correct of the two, since the desirability 

 of uniformity in nomenclature must be apparent to all. 



In all probability the plant was first discovered in the Fiji 

 Islands many years ago by the Uni'el S ates' Exploring Expe- 

 dition, which visited most of the Polynesian groups, aud be- 

 sides making observations on the general features of the islands, 

 collected examples of their vegetation, our Acalypha among 

 other Fijian plants. The name Wilkesiana was given in honour 

 of the commander of that expedition, Cipt. Wilkes, bv Dr. 

 Muller, of Geneva; hence it hns priority in its favour. When 

 Dr. Seemaun, in I860, visited these islands he also met with it, 

 and, besides publishing in his excellent work, the "Flora 

 Yjtiensn," a beautiful coloured plate of it, he tells also some 



interesting particulars respecting it. He states that, together 

 with other fine-foliaged plants, it is frequently cultivated by 

 the natives in proximity to their dwellings, and known by them 

 under the name "Kalabuci-damu." He further says that the 

 plant there attains to a height of 10 feet, and with its leaves 

 varying intensely in the colours they display. We can readily 

 imagine how highly ornamental it must appear. 



Lsstly, in its history, its introduction to our gardens by the 

 Messrs. Veitch & Sons must be noticed — a fact which must be 

 within remembrance of all, and though only some five or six 

 years since, its propagation is so espy that it is now everywhere 

 to be met with in hothouses throughout the country. Hence 

 dates the application of the name Acalypha tricolor, a name 

 which has, I believe, never been more than provisionally 

 applied, and never recorded in any botanical work whatever, 

 so far as I know. It is in our nurserymen's catalogues uni- 

 formly quoted as introduced from New Caledonia, and, though 

 never having been fortunate to obtain any other evidence cor- 

 roborating the fact that it occurs there, it is known for certain 

 that the Fijian group is an undoubted habitat. For the future 

 it is to be hoped tint the plant will become everywhere known 

 as Acalvpha Wilkesiana, rather than as A. tricolor. — R. C. 

 Kingston, The Royal Herbarium, Kew. 



LAXTON'S CROSS-BRED PEAS. 



In answer to Mr. Laxton's communication in your last 

 number, it is but fair to reply, that I am informed that neither 

 Messrs. Carter nor Messrs. Hurst have ever catalogued, or 

 spoken of. Hundredfold as "Laxton's." It would have been 

 against their interests to do so, for Messrs. Caiter are carrying 

 on numerous experiments on cross-breeding Peas in their 

 extensive experimental grounds, and when they succeed in 

 raising a superior variety, it would be very much against their 

 own interests to assign the merit to some other experimenter 

 by bestowing on it his name. 



Mr. Laxton unreasonably slates that between 1865, when 

 Messrs. Carter became possessed of his Prolific Lougpod, and 

 the present year, theie has not elapsed time sufficient to raise 

 a stock of a variety of which it was one of the parents. I use 

 the term " unreasonably," because at the close of his remarks 

 he acknowledges that it can be done, and such, I am infoimed, 

 was the fact. 



I am also inb.inml, or, rather, I have seen Mr. Laxton's 

 letter, in which be offered less than forty quarts of new Peas, 

 six varieties, for £550 ! (Five hundred and fifty pounds !) 



Two of the partners in Messrs. Carter's fiim and Mr. Hurst 

 saw the Peas last summer at Mr. Laxton's, and formed the 

 opinion that they weie not of sufficient merit to justify offering 

 them to the public. Of the new varieties Messrs. Carter 

 bought of Mr. Lixton in 18G8 (ninety-four quarts for £250), 

 they intend discarding the variety called " Manifold," both in 

 its dwarf aud tall form, consideiing it not of sufficient merit. 

 It is only justice to Messrs. Carter to state that the other 

 varieties they purchased will not be sent out until tested. I 

 am glad of thus being able to state authentically tho high 

 price paid by wholesale seedsmen for new superior varieties, 

 because it will slmw purchasers why they have to pay so dearly 

 for retailed quantities. — G. 



AiMMOBIUM ALATUM CULTURE. 



How pleasing at times to hear and see inquiries about those 

 fine border plauts which of late years have fallen into disuse 

 on account of the favour accorded to the occupants of the 

 finely-dressed paiterre, yet tlvraare a few admirers left, and 

 what is hopeful, their numbers are increasing ; so, perhaps, the 

 neglected ones will by-and-by take up their proper position. 



A neglected plant that I think is deserving of a place in all 

 gardens and shrubbery borders is Ammobium alatum. It 

 appears to be at home iu almost all situations, will bear a good 

 share of hard usnge, and will repay the cultivator. In a poor 

 sandy soil we can have it from 1 to 2 feet in height ; iu moist, 

 rich, sandy soil from 2 to i feet high. It is impatient of stag- 

 nant water. It begins to bloom early in summer, and its 

 flowers continue appearing quite to the autumn. They are 

 invaluable for cutting for bouquets, and if cut before fully ex- 

 panded and carefully dried will be found an acquisition to the 

 number of diied flowers so much in demand for winter deco- 

 ration ; the white and yellow, of which its blooms are com- 

 posed, forming a pleasing contrast. Being kept in a cool dry 



