JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ Jannary 4, 1877. 



ds Email RB threeqaatteiB of sn inch. They vary in quality. 

 Some are delicious, others always dry and taEtoItes or astriu- 

 gent. The feaEon of ripenicg by sik-dion of varietioa conld 

 nndcubtedly be nja(3e to cover two montha or more. It seems 

 to be a finit of gieat cnpabilities ; fend hut for the fact that we 

 had EC maby Apples, Penrp, &c., provided ready to onr hand 

 by the mother countiy, thid, 83 well as other native fruits, 

 would now be well on iu the ooutee of amelioration. 



This was a favourite fruit of thH aborigines, who dried it 

 for winter UEe, and it is mentioned by all the early travellers — 

 John Smith, Marquette, Charlevoii, Ac, under various hard- 

 spelled names, tnch as Placquen.ine, Patchumtu, &a. It is 

 still Eaid to be a great favourite with the Indians of the south- 

 west. 



I am inclined to think that the aetiiugency eemplained of 

 in the D. Kaki by your correfpocdent, and which is a, marked 

 characteristic of the uniipe I), virpiniana, will be found to be 

 the result of ineufEcient light and heat in jourEDglieh climate. 

 Judging from analogy a high and long-continued temperature 

 under bright ekies will give the bett fruit. 



I have omitted to add that there are several cases on record 

 of seedless varieties of the Persimmon. In one case an 

 attempt made to perpetuate this peculiarity by grafting failed 

 from the curious fact that the seedless varialy when grafted 

 on a non-bearer began to produce fruit with seeds. (See 

 Gardeners' Monthly for 1876).— W. C. Flagq, Mora, III, U.S.A. 



BOSES IN SMALL GARDENS. 



I AM glad to see that " E. M., Cro_i/rfo«," has modified his 

 sweeping condemnation of poor Bose-gro'ver?,and I think if he 

 would take the trouble to go to a village tiuwer show the Koses 

 he would see there would make him more lenient still. But as 

 he seems a Rose enthusiast I would Eutgest that he publish 

 a pamphlet at a cost of Id. or 2d., with lules for general Eose- 

 growing, which I feel sure would be gladly welcomed by vicirs 

 of rural parishes anxious to encourage the cultivation of 

 flowers among their parishioners. 



I think " E. M.'s" condemnation too sweeping when he says 

 every other garden throughout Eose-growing Ejjgland can only 

 produce " miserable starvelings." I have been enrprised in my 

 country wandtrings at the beauty of the Roses generally grown, 

 especially by cottagers. Granted "the names of the varieties" 

 would prove them to be old-fashioned, but these are still 

 admired by some people, as I was glud to read in the pages of 

 this Journal a few weeks ago. liefore iinally quittiDg this 

 suliject I must just add, that I write entirely on behalf of 

 cottagers and ethers with small plots of ground who are Eose- 

 lovers, for I do not cultivate one. — E. S. 



ALLAMANDAS. 



Amongst the many stove plants cultivated for exhibition 

 purposes or otherwise none are more frequently met with than 

 Allamandap, and, apart from exhibition purpoees, none are 

 made less use of. The flowers are considered by most 

 gardeners as worthless for decorative purposes because they 

 will not last long. It is true thiy will not last if cut wiih a 

 long portion of wood attached to them and arrangid loosely in 

 trumpet-Ehoped vase.s, fur in this way tbo leaves soon become 

 like Eo much wet rap. A system that I have praotiEcd for 

 Eome time past is to till a glass vase, similar to a dessert dish 

 (with or without a pedestal), with Swiss moss, and elevate the 

 centre above the Eides of the dish and fill it with water ; then 

 gather a quantity of single blooms, and arrange them so that 

 the broad seg:.aents of the flowers will rest on the moss. 

 Certainly they have a flat appearance, but the introduction of 

 foliage or a few Fern fronds wonderfully relieve the arrange- 

 ment, and a vase tilled in this way is not to be despised, par- 

 ticularly at this dull season of the year, when good flowers are 

 6C<ircp. 



Allamandas are not at all diflrcult to please with soil. I 

 have ft number of plants growing most luxuriantly iu road 

 Ecrnpings and horse droppings. They have rambled over all 

 the root of the aquatic hnuse, and frequently require thinning 

 to admit ligbt to the Nympbieaa in the tank below. The 

 plants commenced flowering in March, and have continued 

 produritiR tbocsauds of flowers until the last fortnight. When 

 the wet W( alher Ect in the plants began to relax. I feed liber- 

 ally with liquid manure, and allow the long shoots to rambU 

 about and hang loosely from tbo roof. In this way they 

 preetnt a natural and wild appearance, and look much better 



than if tied closely to rods anJ rafters, as nothing mars the 

 effect of a plant more thau by tj ing and twitting it the reverse 

 of nature. The variety I grov piincipa'ly is A. Hendersonii 

 or Wardleana graudiflora. It is of a beautiful straw-yellow 

 colour, and well deserves more extensive cultivation. — James 

 Olleehead. 



A PRACTICAL GAEDENEB'S IDEA OF A 

 NATIONAL HOBTIGULTUBAL SOCIEIY. 



A cBisis appears to have overtaken the Royal HottioTlI. 

 tural Society. It is proposed by an influx of Iresh blood to 

 resuscitate the Society. Guinea fellowships are proposed as 

 (1 suppose) the nucleus around which horticulturists will rally. 

 Whatever may be the npthot with the Royal Commissioners, 

 It may be that the Society will make a retreat to Cbiswiok, 

 coming to arrangement with the Commissioners for the fort- 

 nightly meetings at South Kensington and periodical exhibi- 

 tions. This would undoubtedly help the Society in its present 

 dilemma, but the privileges likely to acoiue to the guinea 

 fellowship — viz., admittance to all the Society's shows in 

 London and the provinces, and to all minor exhibitions of 

 fruit and flowtrs held at the fortnightly committee meetings, 

 and daily admission to the Chiswick Gardens, are privileges of 

 no very great importance to provincial Fellows, who would be 

 very little benefited by its shows and gardens, though of great 

 value to those within easy distance. Distance alone would 

 influence many to withhold their support from a central 

 society having no advantages to offer except shows they can 

 at moat but oooasionally visit, the garden for the same reason 

 being practically sealed. " Old asBcciatious " would not avail 

 to retain any great number of patron Fellows, who principally 

 are most interested in the gardens at South Kensington. 

 Their luxury gone, what could they be expected to do but to 

 become guinea FtOlows or turn their backs upon the Society ? 

 Some would no doubt take so great an interest in horticulture 

 as to continue their subscriptions as patron Fellows, and would 

 not experience any disappointment in having few or no privi- 

 leges. It is, however, proposed that patnn Fellows subscrib- 

 ing four guineas receivd a ticket admitting self and friend, and 

 the right to a second ticket admitting their head gardener to all 

 the Society's shows. 



Now, it appears that privileges are after all to be meaEured- 

 by the amount of guineas eubscribed. Four-guinea subscrioers 

 are to have practically three tickets, and guinea subfcribers a 

 ticket to all the Society's shows, exposing the broad basis upon 

 which a socif ty of this kind ought, if it is to prosper, to be 

 founded. There ought not in any national horticultural society 

 to be any fancy privileges, but an equality of subscription con- 

 ferring equal advantages. It ought to he instituted upon 

 piirciplea of reciprocity, subsciibers encouraging by their sub- 

 scription the advancement of horticulture, and receiving in 

 return the gratiSoation that the Society is doing useful work — 

 ttul.? horticultural work — by investigation and propagation. 



The class most directly interested are those contributing with- 

 a view to benefit direct or indirect, and those will include its^ 

 workers, who will by investigation and information do the 

 society much valuable service, far exceeding any money Bub- 

 Bcription. I need not do more than mention the advantages 

 accruing to possessors of gardens, gardeners, and nurserymen. 

 Employers would have the advautage of the society's work, be 

 served by a higher stamp of gardeners, and those would, from 

 their increased proficiency, attain to a better social poeitioD. 

 Commercial memhers prospering from demand for the plEmts 

 required for embellishment and for useful purpoEes. 



I have an idea of a Eoyal horticultural society. The present 

 one rid of the South Kensington Gardens would, with its 

 chaiter aud the Chiswick Gardens, bo the soundest foundation 

 upon which to build a Bchool or college of l.orlieultnre os free 

 in principle and constitution as are most of similar institutions 

 upheld by subscription. Before proceeding with an outline of 

 a national society, it may be as well to begin with the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society's disaster— namely, its league with the 

 Royal CommisBiouers. The only way to satisfy tbo debenture- 

 holders would probably be for the Commissioncr.s to take upon 

 themselves the responsibility of the whole or pait of the de- 

 benture-holders' claim, and convert the gardens into a recrea- 

 tion ground or fasbional'le garden, maintained by the licuse- 

 holders in the neiijhbourhood, orconveiting it into a company. 

 The Commissioners to compensate the Society for its outlay 

 upon the gardens by a grant of so much of the building 

 and gardens as would be required for the Society's require- 



