March 11, IB69. ] 



JOUilNAL OF HOaXlCULTUKE AND OOXXAQE QAKDENER. 



123 



and in the morning. Tlio selling of the Grapes was made no 

 pretext for discontinuing the syringing, and they set well, and 

 coloured well. Tae Vines were put in tUcir winter quarters in 

 November, the lights being placed in the inner groove, and the 

 house became an Orange Iwuse for the winter. The Vines were 

 pruned between Christmas and Now Yeai's-day, and in severe 

 weather wore covered with mats. 



In Juue the Orange trees had a slight top-dressing of sheep 

 droppings, and another at the end of August. No manure 

 water was given. These top-dressings were not ButU„-ient to 

 cover the surface, but nearly bo, and each was followed by a 

 good watering. I ought to have stated, that before applying 

 the top dressing in spring, the bed was lightly pointed over 

 with a fork, aod any moss ou the turfaco scraped off and 

 taken away. Tlie temperature in winter from Ojtober to March, 

 was from 45' to 50°, the Utter being the miximum from tire 

 heat, air being plentifully admitted whenever the weather was 

 mild, but the temperature was not reduced below 50° in the 

 day by air-giving. By the end of March the heat was increased 

 to 55°, the day temperature not exceeding 65°, without air, 

 which was at all times plentifully furnished. After April the 

 temperature was gradually increased, but no fire heat given 

 after the middle of May, and only to keep the night tem- 

 perature from falling below 55° in April and May ; tlnjrefore, 

 the increased temperature was from solar heat. Tbe tem- 

 perature fell in autumn with tha doclino of solar heat, fires 

 being put ou in October or November, to maintain the tem- 

 perature necessary for the ripening of the Oranges — from 45° 

 to 50°, the atmosphere being ksjjt dry from October to March, 

 during which time, or for a period ot six months, Oranges may be 

 said to be in season when cultivated in this country, if aufScieut 

 heat be afforded to ripen the fruit. Tney were plentiful at 

 Christmas. 



I do not describe the above mode ot cnUivation as worthy of 

 imitation, hut as affording some proof of the feasibility of profit- 

 able Orange culture, and the reason why I am a convert to Mr. 

 Pearson's prophecy, " Oranges will be grown largely in this 

 country for their fruit," and whiuh accords with the language 

 employed on many occasions by Mr. Rivers. I do not, how- 

 ever, see the necessity of associating Vines with Oranges in the 

 same house. They can bolh, no doubt, be grown tolerably 

 well together, but much belter separately ; and as to Orange 

 trees requiring bottom heat in a house beyond which their 

 roots do not extend, I am doubtful, but think such heat 

 altogether unnecessary. — G. Abbey. 



THE ROSES OF 1868. 



" An Ahatecb " wishes for some notes on the Roses of last 

 autumn, and says that the usual lists have not appeared to 

 enable him to judge. As I have generally supplied those lists, 

 I must now merely say that I at last gave up doing so as a 

 hopeless task. I have ever said that descriptions as given by 

 the raisers were utterly valueless. Tho raisers saw with eyes 

 that others did not, and praised their babies a I'oulrance, while 

 we thonght them less attractive than many in other nurseries ; 

 and as I had but little opportunity of seeing the Roses "at 

 home " last year, I have been unwilling to say much. 



I fancy among Tea-scented Roses there may be some good 

 varieties. Guillot fils, who has given us Madame Margottin 

 and Bouton d'Or, has others, so has Dueher, and I should be 

 inclined to try them all — i.e., Adrienne Christophle, La Tulipe, 

 Marie Sisley, and Monplaisir, the latter a seedling from Gloire 

 de Dijon, and bearing, I fancy, a very close alBuity to it. There 

 is also Margarita, a Noisette, which is said to be of first-rate 

 merit. 



Of Hybril Perpetuals there is, as usual, a goodly array. 

 Some I have seen, others I have only heard of. I should 

 try Adolphe Brongniart, Clovis, Henri Ledechaux, Leopold II., 

 Madame Creyton, Mudamo Jacquier, Monsieur Journeaux, 

 Perfection de Lyon, *Souvenir de M. Poiteau, Reine Blanche, 

 and 'ThyraHammerick. The only two I have seen are marked 

 thus*. Thyra Hammerick was generally praised by all I met 

 with in Paris last June, but I was not there until it was too 

 late to see anything of it. Our o-.vn Duke of Edinburgh (Paul 

 and Son), is without doubt a good and vigorous-growing Rose, 

 ■ but some of the Roses we have already will be very difficult to 

 beat. If a Rose in crimsons is better than Charles Lefebvre. 

 Madame Victor Verdier, Duchesse de Cajlus, or Alfred Colomb 

 it must be a " topper ;" if in pinks it beats Comtesse de Cha- 

 brillant I will do homage to it. In yellows it will be difficult 



to wrest the bfiton from Marfichal Kiel's hand. We want, it 

 is true, whites and bright pinks— such colours as Prudence 

 Boeson or Miss Ingram (alas ! that she is only a summer 

 queen), and all Rose- lovers would hail such additions with 

 pleasure ; but of the vast number of new Roses we must use 

 .Mrs. Brown's favourite expression, "Rubbish! says I." — 

 D., Deal. 



HORIZONTAL CORDONS. 



Is answer to " P.," of Kant, I should recommend for hiE 

 " high-bourded fence facing S.E., with galvanised wire strained 

 against it," diagonal Pear cordons as being very profitable and 

 quick in bearing. As the fence is high tho cordons may be 

 single, and such are easiest to form ; hut if tho fence had been 

 ut only moderate height, double diagonal cordons would have 

 been preferable. Ijot the lower third of these cordons, in 

 either case, be move freely developed than tho upper portions; 

 they are handsomer thus treated, and the unsightly after- 

 lauguiAing of the ehoots at the base is prevented. 



As to tho adviea'.jility of "low (horizontal) cordons of Pear 

 treeo," they would only be desirable in certain cases, for where 

 the didgounl form can be used freely it is far more profitsble 

 than the horizontal. Much has been of late written about 

 horizontal cordons to small purpose. They can never super- 

 sede other larger styles of training, but they are useful as sup- 

 plementary to them, and can never be employed otherwise 

 with reasonable hopes of success. Used, however, for their 

 proper purpose — that for which they were destined originally 

 — viz., as edgings for borders, and even in these only When 

 they do not interfere with the pruning of the more important 

 wall trees, they are excellent. Again, in small gardens they 

 are pleasant to see, and furnish a certain succession of fruit 

 not oiherwise easily attainable. In larger gardens there should 

 be space for every style of any pretension, and as edgings for 

 wide fruit borders they would be well pilaced. In this way 

 might be secured some good table varieties of fruit, which it 

 would not, perhaps, bo worth while to grow on a larger scale. 

 As a means also ot testing side by side new varieties, there can 

 be no better way. In the present instance it is presumed that 

 horizontal cordons are intended for some of the above-men- 

 tioned purposes, tor they are wholly inadequate for entirely 

 supplying large families, and for market produce are compara- 

 tively valueless. 



Standard diagonal cordons, for obvious reasons, are better 

 adapted for larger establishments, and are becoming more em- 

 ployed. I know of some of these cordons on wires which 

 reach to between 30 and 40 feet, and are pictures of beauty. 

 When they become better known we shall hear less of hori- 

 zontals. 



Of the Calville Blanche Apple, selected by " P.," of Kent, as 

 one of a few good sorts, I must here say that in my judgment 

 it is an Apple con';iderahly overiated, even by the French 

 themselves, who, in Apple culture, are far behind the English, 

 as we all know. I have lived long abroad and seen much of 

 this fruit, and have had it for years growing on the French 

 Paradise stock ; but though a fair, and agood keeping Apple, 

 it is not, in my opinion, suitable for our climate, nor a profit- 

 able market Apple. It is, as Mr. Rivers soys, inferior to many 

 good English sorts, or at least it does not merit all the praise 

 bestowed on it. 



In selecting a few choice varieties of table Apples for hori- 

 zontal cordons, I should advise such as from their natural habit 

 of growth succeed well with the artificial training proposed. 

 Such varieties as Early Harvest, Cox's Orange Pippin, Brad- 

 dick's Nonpareil, Maunington's Pearmain, Court-Pendu-Plal, 

 and Sturmer Pippio, will all do well. 



The choice of stocks might be left to the decision of local 

 judgment ; there would, however, be hardly any place where 

 the English Paradise would not fulfil every condition of success. 



On the whole, I think, double horizontal cordons are more 

 valuable than the single horizontal cordons. They are, at 

 least, more handsome, and allow greater scope. — T. C. Bbehaut. 



East Lothian Stocks. — The wonderful account published of 

 these Stocks as autumnal bloomers induced me last year to 

 send to Edinburgh for some genuine seed. It was sown in a 

 slightly-warmed orchard house on the 10th of March, and the 

 plants were in due time trnnsfsrred to the open quarters. 

 Nothing could have grown belter or looked healthier, but not a 

 i single bloom made its appearance. Mild as the winter has 



