172 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ September 3, 1868. 



variety. It was raised from tbat beautiful sort Belle de Sep- 

 tembre, but is bardier tban its parent. Its season wben grown 

 out of doors is tbe beginning of September, but tbe fruit 

 now before us, being grown in an orchard house, is conse- 

 quently earlier. 



A YEAR or two ago we noticed a remarkably fine speci- 

 men of a Peach received from Mr. Brc'haut, under the name of 

 Exquisite. It measured somewhat about or over inches in 

 circumference. This season we have had half a dozen such, 

 and though they were somewhat decayed in consequence of 

 delay, the flavour was rich and really delicious. From this and 

 other evidences we have seen of this Peach, it is one we un- 

 hesitatingly recommend as one which ought to be in every col- 

 lection — soy one of six. Its large size, fine apricot colour, and 

 high flavour render it truly an exquisite Peach. 



The Eev. W. Kin'gsley, of South Kilvington, informs us 



that he has " two very big Susquehanna Peaches colouring, 

 fully 12 inches in girth ; and I want to know whether this is 

 big for Chiswick and other big places." We would call it big 

 for any place ; but knowing as we do, and having seen Mr. 

 Kingsley's mode of cultivation, and the result of the intelli- 

 gence he brings to bear upon it, we were quite prepared for 

 this announcement. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



The total number of people who visited the Eotal Hof.ti- 

 CULTUEAL Society's Gardens, at South Kensington, on the 

 26th of August, the Anniversary of the late Prince Consort's 

 birthday, was 115,303. 



- — The Council of the Eoyal Horticultural Society have 

 decided to erect an orchard house in the garden at Chiswick, 

 which will illustrate in an effective manner this system of fruit 

 culture. The house will be 100 feet long and 30 feet wide ; 

 and as it is to be proceeded with forthwith we may hope to see 

 during the next season a worthy example of orchard-liouse 

 cultivation carried out efficiently where horticulturists would 

 most expect to see it. 



It is again our painful duty to add another name to the 



long roll of botanists who have laid down their lives in hunting 

 out the treasures of other climes wherewith to enrich our 

 gardens. Vahiable indeed they ought to be when it is seen at 

 what a sacrifice they are obtained. Not a month has elapsed 

 since we had to chronicle the death of Mr. Eichard Pearce ; 

 now it is that of Mr. David Bowman, a young and very enter- 

 prising botanical collector. The melancholy intelligence has 

 just been received in this country of his death at Bogota, New 

 Grenada, on the 2.jth of June last, of dysentery, after a long 

 illness. BIr. Bowman left this country nearly three years ago 

 to collect plants and seeds for the Eoyal Horticultural Society, 

 Mr. Wilton Saunders, and others. He first visited the neigh- 

 bourhood of Eio de Janeiro, Brazil. Finding but few plants 

 there, he subsequently went to the richer districts of New 

 Grenada and from thence he sent considerable numbers of 

 plants to this country. He had been for some time in the 

 neighbourhood of Bogota, and had collected a fine lot of plants, 

 with which he intended to have returned home shortly himself, 

 when he unfortunately sustained some severe losses through 

 robbery, which compelled him to prolong his stay in one of his 

 excursions. After this occurrence he contracted a violent 

 dysentery, which he at first neglected, but which ultimately 

 carried him to his early grave. He lies buried in the British 

 cemetery of Bogota, and leaves a wife and one child totally 

 unprovided for to mourn his loss. He had been but a short 

 time married previous to leaving this country. Mr. Bowman 

 ■was a native of Scotland, and was born at Arniston, near Edin- 

 burgh, September 3rd, 1838, his father being gardener there. He 

 served his apprenticeship at Arniston, and subsequently went to 

 Dalhousie Castle and Archerfield. After having been foreman 

 in the gardens at Dunmore Park, near Stirling, he came to 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society's gardens, Chiswick, where, as 

 plant foreman, he was employed up to within a short period 

 of his departure from this country. Among plants introduced 

 by Mr. Bowman which bear his name may be mentioned 

 Odontoglossum Alexandra;' Bowmani and Cyanophyllum Bow- 

 mani, two first-class plants. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



EITCHES GARDEN. 



_ Wheelixg-in rotten dung for vacant pieces of ground, dig- 

 ging or trenching them, tying-up Lettuces and Endive occasion- 



ally, with the general routine of weeding and keeping the 

 ground clean, constitute the principal work now in this depart- 

 ment. Cahhaiies, it there are any plants left in the seed beds, 

 there is plenty of vacant ground now for them, and they will 

 come in useful. Celery may have a good earthing-up now when 

 the soil is dry, and so may the Cardoom, as they have now 

 finished the greater part of their growth. Cauli/lowers should 

 also be planted out in time where they may be protected, or 

 prepared for planting under hand-glasses and frames. Du-arf 

 Kldnei/ Beans, measures should be taken for protecting the last 

 sown out of doors in case of necessity ; one night's frost 

 warded off may insure a supply for a month later. Where 

 hoops and mats are not applicable, a shaggy straw rope fixed 

 upon stakes, so as to be moved obliquely or horizontally, as 

 occasion requires, will answer the purpose. Lettuces, while 

 the weather is fino make the last sowing for the late-spring 

 supply before the week is out. Mushroviiis, those who grow 

 Mushrooms only at certain seasons cannot do better than pro- 

 cure spawn from their nurserymen, who generally obtain it from 

 those who make it extensively for sale. Where Mushrooms 

 are constantly wanted, the gardener can use the spawn more 

 liberally when he makes a quantity himself. The materials 

 are horse droppings and cow dung in about equal proportions, 

 with a little road drift well mixed together. It may be made 

 into bricks with a mould and put into a shed to dry, or merely 

 spread out on any hard place under cover, about 2 inches thick, 

 and divided into the size of bricks by cutting with a sharp 

 edging iron. Make two holes in each brick for spawning, and 

 gettiog them dry enough for that operation is all that will now 

 be required. Tomatoes, pinch off all their lateral shoots and 

 stop the leaders, just as you would Vines, but they like more 

 sun than Grapes, and some of their leaves rLay be cut off to 

 let the sun reach them. 



FRUIT GAEDEN. 



Peaches and Nectarines should now be looked over every 

 day, and the fruit gathered before it is dead ripe. Place bean- 

 stalks among tbe Peach trees if there are any earwigs, and 

 blow these troublesome insects into a pot of water in the 

 morning; this will soon reduce their numbers. See that you 

 know the names of all your Peaches before the fruit season is 

 over ; if you paid attention to the size of the flowers, the 

 leaves and fruit will now generally enable one to determine the 

 right names. It is important that everything should be cor- 

 r.'clly named. If Peaches and Nectarines are placed on shelves 

 in the fruit room, with soft tissue or silk paper underneath 

 them, the flavour will be better than if they are allowed to 

 hang too long on the trees. After gathering what fruit is ripe 

 the trees may be sprinkled with clean water in the after- 

 noon after fine days ; but, unless in extreme cases, it would 

 not now be advisable to water any more at the roots, as the 

 sooner growth can be stopped, and the maturing process com- 

 pleted, the better. If the heavy autumn rains, which may be 

 expected before long, could be thrown off the borders by tiles 

 puddled with clay, or by boarding, &c., we would suffer less 

 from a severe winter. Unless the borders are particularly well 

 drained, a second growth will take place, the vessels of the 

 wood will be charged with a superabundance of watery fluid, 

 and if a severe winter ensues, black and brown spotted, can- 

 kered, gummy, and dead wood in the spring will be the con- 

 sequence. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



That the autumn is the best time to bud Eoses no one who 

 has tried it will dispute ; autumn in many cases is a better 

 time to graft and bud many kinds of trees and shrubs than the 

 spring or early part of summer, especially those trees that are 

 difficult to propagate by these modes. The conclusion to be 

 arrived at is this, the office of every leaf having a bud at its 

 axil is to prepare proper nourishment for the full development 

 or organisation of that bud, that the leaves of some trees pos- 

 sess the property of furnishing the buds in a few days, that 

 others take some weeks to eii'ect this, while a third will require 

 a month or two to furnish the buds as independent members 

 of the system. Certain it is that autumn is the safest time to 

 bud those trees and shrubs that are considered difficult to in- 

 crease in this way ; and that such trees may be grafted in the 

 autumn and unite in less time and with greater safety than at 

 any other season, is a very important point to attend to. 

 greenhouse and conservatory. 



From this time to the end of October there will be a consider- 

 able amount of potting for furnishing plants for the decoration 

 of the conservatory. Tropa;olum tricolorum and others should 

 now be potted, to come in during April. Lilium longiflorum 



