February 13, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOUIjTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



119 



tliongh not equal to that of the Black Hamburgh, waq con- 

 Bidered hy my employer ^nd his friends to be good. This is 

 a useful late Grape when grown with Muscats, being, lilio Groa 

 Caiman, much improved in flavour by being grown in a warm 

 house. I have just cut the last bunch of Barbarocsa as fresh 

 as in the month of July. I had some last season until April 

 quite fresh and good. — S. Tayloe, Castlecroft. 



TEA- SCENTED KOSES AT LEEK. 



I BEG to thank " Wyld Savage" for his instructions as to 

 the cultivation of Tea Roses in this locality (see page 58). 



Doubtless a good deal might be done by selecting Tea Roses 

 for localities, and if growers would kindly furnish lists of 

 varieties which thrive best in their neighbourhood there ought 

 to be a hope of securing a good collection for most districts. 



Rosea are mostly chosen from those arranged on exhibition 

 tables. Lovers of these flowers go round, note book in hand, 

 making lists of the beauties before them, never taking into 

 account the constitution or hardiness of the variety. The 

 plants are ordered, and after their arrival are treated quite 

 differently to what they have been before, and many refuse to 

 live under their widely-changed condition. What is needed is 

 a more intimate knowledge of their constitution and previous 

 culture — with that, and ability and skill to humour the one 

 and imitate the other, there might be a greater chance of suc- 

 cessfully cultivating Tea Roses in our northern counties. My 

 advice is to secure plants budded on the seedling Briar, for this, 

 in my opinion, is the best stock for Tea Roses, as upon it they 

 thrive splendidly. I believe from experience that Tea Roses 

 budded on this stock, with protection in winter, may be suc- 

 cessfully cultivated out of doors, even in the coldest parts of 

 the kingdom. A little Fern (Bracken) amongst the branches — 

 and a mulch round the roots, with proper and thorough drain- 

 age — suflices. 



I submit a list of Tea Roses cultivated here. Souvenir 

 d'Eliee is a shy beauty, but, whether in pot or on walls, dwarfs 

 or standards, is worth all care to produce a single line flower. 

 Madame Falcot, half standard, has been grown three years 

 without any protection whatever in winter ; it is beautiful in 

 the bud. Marie Dacher, standard ; Marie Van Houtte, alwajs 

 good, and grows as vigorous as the Hybrid Perpetuals ; Devoni- 

 entis, half standard. Belle de Bordeaux I have grown three 

 years, and it has never shown a single bloom, so I discarded it 

 altogolhfr. Marechal Niel has refused to open out of doors ; 

 Ooubanlt, the freest and prettiest pink ; Homer, tipped and 

 wriukled like Dr. Andry amongst Pelargoniums. To these I 

 would add Madame Mirgottin, one of the best and hardiest 

 of yellows. In Madame Jules Margottin and Souvenir de 

 P'lul Neron we have two charming bouquet Roses of lemon 

 and rosy tints. Cheehunt Hjbrid was obtained last autumn. 

 This Tea Rose was highly recommfcuied to my worthy em- 

 ployer by the Rev. J. B. M. Camm when in this neighbourhood 

 last July, and I trust its constitution may prove sufficiently 

 strong to brave our severe winters and trying springs. 



In conclusion I say, Thoroughly drain your stations before 

 plauticg your Tea Roses, as I consider this of the greatest 

 importance to the plants, as it enables them to mature their 

 wood much better than they would otherwise. — Cns. Rodebxb, 

 Uiijhfidd Halt, Leek. 



NOTES FROM MY GAEDEN IN 1876.— No. 2. 



Next to Potatoes (indeed, I am not sure whether I ought not 

 to say before them) the vegetable which must and does most 

 bother a gardener is the Pea. Imagine the difflcultiea a beginner 

 must feel. He wants, say, some half-dozen kinds to secure him 

 a supply ; he consults A's catalogue. " Ah ! there's a nice lot 

 there, I should like to have some of them." Then he takes up 

 B's, and finds, it may be, a few of those in A's catalogue, but 

 along with them a number of fresh names; he turns to C'a 

 list and the same thing is repeated, and so he might go through 

 all the letters of the alphabet, and rises from the perusal a 

 sadder but certainly not a wiser man. Nor is he any way 

 bettered if he writes to ask what are the best sorts. One 

 cortEtpondeut praises one list, and a second another list, and 

 BO he is at sea again ; and no matter what may be the desider- 

 atum, modern Peas meet his requirements. Does he want 

 them early? Well, I am not sure but you might find some 

 which ought to be in early in May ! Productiveness ? He may 

 Bee photographs where the pods seem to jostle each other so 

 (hat they hardly have room to hang, and pods bo full that by- 



and-by we may expect to see treble rows. Is quality required ? 

 The flavour of some must be so exquisite that the difficulty 

 would be to know when to stop. And, after all, " are we any 

 better than our fathers ?" Yes, I unhesitatingly say. We 

 may laugh at the extravagant praises bestowed by the parents 

 on their children and chaff them when we meet, but it seems 

 to me that in all the three qualities I have named — earliness, 

 productiveness, and flavour — we have considerably gained, 

 owing to the perseverance and intelligence of hybridisers and 

 ■care of selectors (for very many of the new varieties are but 

 selections). There may be further improvement, but it almost 

 seems as if we had reached our limit. 



The varieties which I sowed in my small garden last year 

 were Emerald Gem (Sutton's), Early Champion (Sutton's), 

 Improved Princess Royal (Sutton's), McLean's Best of All 

 (Sutton's), Giant Emerald (Sutton's), Commander-in-Chief 

 (Carter's), Balmoral Castle (Carter's), Dr. McLean (Turner) 

 Duke of Edinburgh (Sutton's). The season was with na a 

 very trying one. I ne^er knew early Peas " so long on the 

 way," owing to the cold dry weather. Midseaeon varieties did 

 very well, but the later sorts were terribly cut up by mildew. 

 Of some of the above varieties I have already given notes, 

 and those really only new to me were Commander-in-Chief, 

 Balmoral Castle, and Dr. McLean ; the others were grown be- 

 cause upon trial they proved so good that I did not care to 

 seek any further for sorts to supersede them. Commander-in- 

 Chief is a grand Pea, a wrinkled Marrow, delicious in flavour, 

 pods slightly curved and containing from eight to ten peas ; the 

 haulm is vigorous and healthy, and the pods are produced 

 in great profusion. Of Balmoral Castle I received but a 

 small quantity for trial. It is a strong and vigorous-growing 

 Pea, evidently of the Supreme type and an improvement on 

 that variety. Dr. McLean is in my judgment one of the 

 greatest acquisitions we have had for some time ; it is of the 

 Advancer type — i.e., a blue wrinkled Marrow, about i feet 

 high, vigorous in habit, and astonishingly productive. After 

 you have had one or two pickings of it, it really seems to have 

 as many pods upon it as other Peas which have not been 

 picked at all. The pods are well filled, and the flavour (as it 

 becomes a Pea named after a raiser who made it (/(.■ one grand 

 point) most excellent. Mr. Turner has been again fortunate in 

 securing a prize of no ordinary value. The Pea which with- 

 stood with me the drought best was Sutton's Duchess of 

 Edinburgh. My idea that we have, perhaps, reached our 

 limit in Peas is borne out by the fact that there are very few 

 new sorts announced ; but many persons hold the theory 

 (which to me seems perfectly tenable) that varieties deteriorate, 

 and that hence we may look for new varieties to take the place 

 of those found to have deteriorated. I believe, for example, 

 Little Gem does not by any means rank as high as it did, bo 

 that we may expect to find some from time to time replacing 

 varieties now highly valued. 



I do not think that in other vegetables I had anything re- 

 markable for novelty, with, perhaps, the exception of Carter's 

 Heartwell Early Marrow Cabbage. It is a very close mild- 

 flavonred variety, and succeeds equally well for spring or 

 autumn use. My soil is a good friable garden loam, the situ- 

 ation warm and sheltered, and it may be perhaps of interest 

 to say what varieties of vegetables 1 have found to do well 

 with me. 



Ileaiix (Dwarl).— Canadian Wonder (a wonderful cropper), 

 PoUej's Prolific, and White Advancer. Runner.— Premier ; of 

 this I had a remarkable crop. 



i'TOcco/i. — Walcheren, Perfection (Sntlon), Leamington, 

 and Champion (Carter's). 



Carrot. — Long Red Surrey and Scailet lateimediate. 



Ca()fc(i(7e.— Heartwell Marrow (Caiter's), Tom Thumb Sjvoy, 

 and Little Pixie ditto. 



Cetenj. — Sulbam Prize and Sandringham. 



Cucumber. — Duke of Connaught. 



L.(Mc-<'.— Paris White, Superb White (Suttou'e), Tom 

 Thumb (Wheeler), All the Year Round, Commodore Nutt, 

 and Vilmorin's White. 



OHIO);.— Improved Reading (Sutton's), Nuneham Park (Cut- 

 bush), Long-keeping (James), and The Queen. 



Parsley.— Fein-le&taed (Carter's). Very pretty foliage, and 

 excellent for garnishing. 



Beet and Witloof were a complete failure ; not one seedling 

 of cither appeared above ground ; while Tomatoes I have been 

 obliged entirely to discard, the disease having for three or 

 four years destroyed my crop. I have, however, a notion of 

 planting eome against a low fence, and seeing whether this 



