112 



JOUENAIi OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



C Aagast 13, 1868. 



otherp, thoee who have large gardens might just as well supply 

 some of onr large charitable institutions, sucia as hospitals, &c., 

 at a "very cheap rate. As it now is, everyone must be aware 

 that a vast deal is wasted, which many poor creatures would be 

 most thankful to have ; and really if there is no better way of 

 getting rid of one's fruit than that which I have uufortunately 

 hit upon, it takes off the edge of one's delight in growing it 

 not a little. — Henky Nicholls, M.A., F.E.H.S. 



[We must leave the salesmen in Covent Garden Market to 

 defend themselves ; but we can give our testimony that at least 

 50 per cent, ought to be deducted from the retail prices on 

 account of loss by decay, non-sale, &c. Messis. Webber, fruit- 

 erers, Central Avenue, Covent Garden Market, could give in- 

 formation on the subject. — Ens.] 



VINE MILDEW. 



Possibly the best means to resist the ever-present, invisible, 

 and multitudinous sporules gaining entrance to the plants 

 either by the spongioles of the roots or by the stomates of the 

 leaves, is to preserve a just equilibrium of moisture and tem- 

 perature between the roots and leaves — that is to say, to keep 

 the Vines in the best possible degree of health. Their suscep- 

 tibility to injury from an attack of mildew may thus be sup- 

 posed to be reduced to a minimum. But this state, even, is not 

 always a perfect security against the inroads of mildew. Some 

 localities appear to be peculiarly favourable to mildew. A 

 gardener writes me : — "I have lived in England, Ireland, and 

 Scotland, but here alone am I called on to wage war against 

 the ineidiouB enemy. My opinion, then, is that it is atmo- 

 spheric, and that some localities ere more congenial to its 

 spreading than others." My own experience is the same. 



For twenty years I have lived under Vines, but here alone 

 has the mildew made its unwelcome appearance. The Vines 

 which are, or were, attacked are in sound health, bearing fine 

 crops of Grapes, and carrying an expanse of fine leathery foliage 

 which, though never syringed, seems proof against the attacks 

 of insects of any kind. The border is sheltered from winter 

 rains by shutters. The Vines are subjected to no forcing, but 

 are allowed to start naturally. Giving air and maintaining 

 the proper temperature in the house, are carefully attended to. 

 The ventilators are open all niRht, securing a constant circu- 

 lation of air, which is increased with an increasing and reduced 

 by a declining sun, closing at 80° or 85° early in the afternoon. 

 This applies to the period after the Grapes had set, and when 

 filrnck by the mildew. A genial moisture is kept up by sprink- 

 ling the paths, &c. ; but anything like stagnation is avoided by 

 letting the house become quite diy at least once during the 

 day. The minimum night temperature is 60". The young 

 growth is kept duly pinched-in, not taken out by a barrowload 

 at a time. 



Such is briefly the treatment which the Vines received up to 

 the time they were attacked. I purposely give it, in order that 

 anything which may be favourable to the spread of mildew may 

 be pointed out for the benefit of myself and others who are 

 interested in this subject. Not only every bunch, but I may 

 say almost every berry became, as it were, mysteriously infested 

 with the parasite. 



Of the several remedies applied, the old application of sul- 

 phur was the most effectual. Morning by morning, and week 

 after week, were the berries carefully scanned and each fresh 

 outburst duly dusted. This, with a high, dry, and equable 

 temperature, gave a check to the spread of the mildew. But 

 this arid atmosphere was prejudicial to the well-being of the 

 Vines; ihe Grapes refused to swell, or the leaves to expand, 

 except in a very stubborn manner. An increase of moisture 

 or a reduction of temperature accelerated the growth of the 

 mildew. Excessive transpiration was undoubtedly telling in- 

 joriously on the Vines, and as I could not use atmospheric 

 moisture as acompensation, I resolved to give moisture in extra 

 quantity to the roots. The border was forthwith thoroughly 

 watered with guano water, 2 ozs. to the gallon, at a tempera- 

 ture of 100°. The effect was striking and beneficial. The 

 watering was repeated, this time v.ith the addition of 1 or 2 ozs. 

 of salt to the gallon. The beneficial effects of this application 

 were j^tiil more apparent. The (crapes commenced swelling, 

 and the mildew appeared to gradually die away. 



Whether there was anything in the fertilisers which de- 

 stroyed the vitality of the mildew, or that the more rapid 

 growth of the Vines (and the consequent increased thickness 

 of the cuticle of the berries affording a greater resisting 



medium to the penetration of the fungus), produced these 

 results, is to me an open question. Possibly both theories are 

 applicable. Salt is a direct enemy to fungi, while Grapes which 

 are far advanced in swelling when attacked by the mildew, are 

 not susceptible of such great injury as when overtaken in a 

 younger state. Vines under the same roof and growing in the 

 same border, but on which the Grapes were near the colouring 

 point when attacked, have given little trouble in comparison 

 with the later ones, but notwithstanding the ordeal the latter 

 have undergone, they are making a good show, and the berries 

 are colouring and ripening well. Neither is the crop disfigured 

 to the extent of a single bunch being unfit for table, but the 

 berries are not so large as they otherwise would have been had 

 they received no check. — J. W. 



PLANTS IN FLOWER DURING JULY. 



10. 



grand i- 



July 3. Sednm tlentatnm 



Rndbeckia laciniata 

 Dianthus caucasicns 

 Linaria dalmatica 

 Coronilla elegans 

 Apocynum venetom 

 Astilbe rivalaris 

 Dracocephaluni 



florum 

 Cytisus capitatns 

 Typha latifolia 

 Epilobium angnstifolinm 



album 

 Linaria monspeEsnIana 



alba 

 Spirjea ealicifolia 



pubescens 

 PoteDtilla fraticosa 

 pubescens 

 Russell iana 

 Clematis vitalba 

 Salvia Forskohlii 

 Symphytum tauricnm bnl- 



lattim 

 Lycinm barbarom 

 Linum Lenisii 

 Sedum popnlifoliam 

 kamtschaticum 

 pallens 

 sexiingulare 

 Aconitum barbatuin 

 cammaruiii, 

 speciosum 

 paniculatum 

 septentriunale 

 Centanrea caloccpbnla 

 Campanula bonouiensis 

 carpntica alba 

 — M. H., Acklam Hall, Mlddlesborough-on-Tfes 



13. 



July 13. Campanula pereicafolia 

 „ 16. Betonica hirsuta 



Ecbinops sph:erocephalus 



ritro 



rutbenicus 

 Heleninm autumnale 

 Lychnis cbalcedonica 

 Lytbrum salicaria 

 Kudbeckia laciniata 

 Inula oculus-Cbristi 

 Pbyteuma orbiculare 

 Polygonum amplexicaule 

 ,, 20. Spirffia lobata rosea 



ulmaria variegata 

 Centrocarpha gracilis 

 Sednm Ewersii 



dasypbyllum 



redesnm 



glaucnm 

 „ 25. Iris variegata 



Fran CO a appendiculata 

 Eryngium ametby&tinmu 

 Loins coniiculatus plennE 

 Erigeron caucaeicum 

 Circffia alpina 

 Epimedium macrautbum 

 Aster alpinus albus 

 Phlox suaveolens 

 ., 28. Sedum hybridum 



anacampseroB 

 Eryngium alpinum 

 Bupbthalmum cordifolium 



salicifolium 

 Sanguinaria canadensis 

 Larkspur 

 Cousinia hystris 

 Gentian a asclepiadea 



30. 



ORN^UIENTAL AND FLOWERING SHRUBS. 



{Continued fTom page 9G.) 



Rhododendrons being the finest of flowering shrubs deserve more 

 than a passing notice, more especially as there are gardens in which 

 they are not so generally planted as they ought to he. Some persons 

 do not plant thtm owing to their soil being unsuitable, and this is a 

 wise course to adopt, for of all plants there is none which looks worse 

 than a Rhododendron in bad condition, and unless they are well 

 grown it is far better not to employ them but plant other shrubs. There 

 are, however, very few soils and situations that will not grow Rhodo- 

 dendrons well, and on these exceptions I shall remark hereafter. 



Rhododendrons are generally divided into sections, and to this 

 arrangement I propose to adhere. 



Section /. — This consists of the hardy, late-flowering, hybrid scarlet, 

 crimson, pink, rose, white, and other coloured Rhododendrons of 

 English or continental origin. The varieties are very numerous ; I 

 will, therefore, notice only a few of the best of those flowering from 

 the middle of May to the end of Jane, and which are hardy, good in 

 fohaf^e, and free in growth. 



Alarm, centre white, edged with pale scarlet, very line habit and 

 foliage; Angiola, ruby; Archimedes, bright crimson rose, very fine; 

 Atrosangnineum, blood red, splendid; Barolayannm, reddish rose, 

 large truss, good ; Baron Cuvier, lilac, chocolate blotch, showy sort ; 

 Blanche superbe, wa:xy white, green eye, perhaps the best white, a 

 ladies' Rhododendron for colour and lovehness ; Blandyanum, deep 

 reodish crimson, truss fine ; Blandyanum superbnm, light crimson, 

 very bright, very frte blooming, and of dwarf compact habit ; Blattenm, 

 rosy lilac, finely spotted ; Brayanum, rosy scarlet, centre paler, fine ; 

 foliage splendid ; Brilliant, crimson scarlet, free bloomer, and of 

 dwarf habit; Bylsianum, white, margin crimson; Califomicam, rose 

 (this is the hardiest Rhododendron I have met with, standing wind 

 well, which is more than can be said of many sorts) ; Candidissimnm, 

 whitish and pale pink, spotted with yellow, showy and large; Chan- 

 cellor, purplish lilac, finely spotted, large, perhaps the largest of this 

 section ; Chloe, crimson lake, and Comet, scarlet, both remarkably fine : 



