October 8, 1868. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



250 



as a onriosity, and some of the varieties we have are of a 

 purple closely verging upon black. 



If " E. K." wishes to raise new dark varieties from seed, it 

 should be saved from the best dark sorts producing seed, which 

 not one really good bloom out of twenty ever does. Sow the 

 eeed in heat about the end of March, and when the seedlings 

 have two leaves place them singly in small pots, shifting into 

 larger as required, and plant out in May in a border not very 

 heavily manured, where they will (lower during August and 

 September. It is, however, only the grower of hundreds of 

 seedlings who has the shadow of a chance of obtaining im- 

 proved varieties, so that " ii. King " would do well not to expect 

 any very great success, unless he be prepared to make the 

 attempt upon a somewhat large scale. For information as to 

 the crossing, propagation, and general culture of the Dahlia 

 see Vol. 1. of .Johnson's " Gardener," and for lists of new sorts 

 the catalogues of the leading florists. — AYnsniiiE Gabdenek. 



Wales and Walburton Admirable ripened on the Slst'fof 

 August; both are excellent. The first two fruits of the last- 

 named weighed together 1'.) ozh. After an interval of four 

 weeks Salway ripens. Can no one recommend good I'eaches to 

 liU up the gap ?— J. Douglas. 



MR. 



YATES S NURSERIES, SALE ^lOOR, 

 MANCHi:STER. 



SOME ORCHARD-HOUSE TREES. 



In a short article on growing Peaches and Nectarines in pots, 

 I last year recommended the system of removing the trees out 

 of doors during the winter, and incurred the censures of both 

 Mr. Rivers and Mr. Pearson for so doing. The trees were 

 wintered out of doors last year, at least they remained out- 

 side until the last week in January, and I cannot observe any 

 difference either in their health or free-bearing qualities, and 

 the fruit has been finer than I ever had it before. 



My principal reason for removing the trees is that the 

 orchard house may be kept gay with flowering plants, chiefly 

 Chrysanthemums, during October, November, and December. 

 The trees are all repotted or top-dressed now, and will be turned 

 out of doors directly. The fruit ripened fully three weeks 

 earlier this year than it has ever yet done at this place, and it 

 has been larger. The different varieties of Orange Nectarines 

 were especially fine, and Murrey Nectarine, which is not gene- 

 rally of large size, was 8J inches in circumference. The earliest 

 Nectarine is still Hunt's Tawny, which ripened on the 5th of 

 August ; fruit of Balgowan was gathered on the same day. This 

 is an early variety, in every respect excellent, and worthy of 

 extensive cultivation. Bowden a large variety, but which 

 seldom colours well, and unless they do so Nectarines are not 

 attractive, ripened on the 10th. Pine Apple and Elruge were 

 ripe on the 11th ; Violette Hative and Ilardwicke Seedling came 

 in on the 13th. The last to ripen, about the end of August, were 

 Kivers's Victoria and Prince of Wales ; both have a tendency 

 to crack with me. I have a plant of the last-named variety in 

 a 13-inch pot which carried three dozen fruits, and fully two 

 thirds of them were cracked, some of them very badly. I do not 

 grow the Stauwick, but I am unwilling to discard Prince of 

 Wales, as it is of excellent flavour and very productive. I have 

 been advised to withhold syringing after the fruit is stoned as 

 a preventive. 



A few weeks ago I saw a system pursued to prevent the 

 Stanwick from cracking, which seemed to be very successful. 

 Being on a visit at Balbirnie Gardens, near Markinch, in Fife, 

 I observed a very fine crop just on the point of ripening. I 

 inquired of Mr. Temple, the gardener at that place, the means 

 which he employed to obtain such fine fruit, when he drew my 

 attention to a notch cut under each of the fruit about half 

 through the wood. By this method the flow of sap is arrested, 

 and the fruit ripens perfectly without cracking. Mr. Temple 

 also informed me that he prevents the cracking of the fruit in 

 Chasselas Musqufi Grape by the same simple method. 



As to Peaches, the earliest to ripen this year was Early 

 Beatrice, which ripened on the 2nd of July. The plant I re- 

 ceived from Mr. Bivers was very small, but ripened perfectly 

 two fruit, which were of good flavour. Early Rivers did not 

 hear any fruit, but I hope to prove both sorts fully next year. 

 Early York was the next to ripen, on the IGth ; this sort is always 

 to be depended upon, the fruit is excellent, and it always bears a 

 good crop. Early Grosse Mignonne has been very fine, one 

 would therefore suppose that it requires a considerable amount 

 of sun to ripen it well; this ripened on the '2.5th of July. Dr. 

 Hogg came in on the 2nd of August, and promises well ; Koyal 

 George came in on the .5th, Bellegarde on the 13th, Violette 

 Hative on the 17th. At the same time ripened Golden Rathripe, 

 beautiful in colour, but worthless as regards flavour. Exquisite 

 ripened on the 25tb, a large, yellow-fleshed variety of excellent 

 flavour. It was closely succeeded by Prince of Wales, of which 

 I have not yet formed a very favourable opinion. Princess of 



Amonost the sights I saw worth recording during my late 

 visit to Manchester were the magnificent Calanthes, the large 

 masses of Cojlogyne cristata, and the Eucharis amazonica. 

 No such plants in equal health and quantity can be found in 

 any other establishment in the country. Whilst looking at the 

 above plants in such luxuriant growth, one might almost 

 imagine that, after walking with considerable difliculty through 

 an East Indian jungle, he had suddenly stopped to admire 

 large masses of bright green foliage growing out of what he 

 might for the moment suppose to be heaps or clusters of large 

 goose eggs, so large and bright are the pseudo-bulbs. Leaving 

 this magnificent display of Calanthe vestita, we might fancy 

 ourselves transported to the banks of the Amazon, where large 

 masses of white flowers invite inspection, and on approaching 

 them we find they are those of the beautiful Eucharis ama- 

 zonica. A slight stretch of fancy takes us to Nepal, where we 

 see masses of clear white flowers, with yellow or orange centres, 

 resting gracefully on carpets of vernal green ; these are the 

 beautiful C<eIogyne cristata. The above and a thousand other 

 gems shine out conspicuously, surrounded as they are by natural 

 objects in their wildest state of luxuriance, for there is no pre- 

 tension to any elaborate system of horticulture. Here all the 

 plants are grown as naturally as possible, and for the sake of 

 the flowers they produce. 



On the evening of the 2Sth of August, after a busy morning's 

 work at the Manchester Exhibition, I found myself at Sale 

 Moor, in company with several eminent horticulturists, who 

 had been, like myself, invited by Mr. B. S. Yates to see his 

 establishment. The evening, however, was fast closing in when 

 we arrived, so that there was only time to note mentally a 

 few of the objects ; and I must say I was almost selfish enough 

 to wish my friends, though I respect them very highly, were 

 enjoying a treat somewhere else, so anxious was I to be alone, 

 note-book in hand, with the view of furnishing the readers of 

 The Jouknal of Horticultuhe with the mode of cultivating 

 many of the plants so skilfully grown by Mr. Yates and his 

 clever gardener, Mr. Plant. I was, however, enabled to gather 

 the following from Mr. Plant respecting his mode of treating 

 Calanthe vestita and Citlogyne cristata. This may be taken as 

 a safe and reliable way of cultivating these beautiful plants, 

 for on visiting Mr. Yates on one or two occasions while at 

 Oulton Park, I was furnished not only with the mode of treat- 

 ing them, but also with a line stock of plants. 



The Calanthe is usually grown in pots well drained, in a 

 mixture of peat, charcoal, and cow dung in lumps. This com- 

 post, Mr. Plant finds, does not suit them so well as a good, 

 strong, rich loam and well-dried cow dung mixed. We will 

 commence their treatment in April, after the plants have had 

 their season of rest and are ready for the next year's growth. 

 The first proceeding is to procure the soil for them. This 

 should be in a nice healthy state, not too wet nor too dry, and 

 should be frequently turned over in an open airy shed, so that 

 it may be well sweetened before using ; and none of the soil 

 should be rubbed through a sieve, but should be carefully 

 broken or pulled to pieces with the hand. The pots to be used 

 should also be perfectly clean and porous, and after placing 

 about 2 inches of drainage in the bottom they may be filled up 

 nearly to the level of the rim with the soil, which should be 

 pressed into them moderately firmly. The pseudo-bulbs may 

 then be placed on the soil, secured by means of small pieces of 

 stick pushed down into the soil by the side of each, and a small 

 piece of matting placed round the neck of the pseudo-bulb 

 and fastened to the stick. This wUl keep the bulbs from moving 

 till they have struck roots into the soil, which they will soon 

 do if placed in a temperature of 70°, and frequently moistened 

 with a slight dewing from a syringe having a very fine nozzle 

 or rose, but care must be taken not to wet the soil too much 

 before the roots have taken possession of it. The bulbs should 

 be kept as near the glass as possible. Three moderate-sized 

 bulbs should be placed in a 32-sized pot — these will make a 

 handsome mass. 



About the first week in May, if all has gone well with them. 



