380 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTUEB AND COTTAGK QAKDENEB. 



[ November ID, 1869. 



requires. A most handy and excellent guide to that knowledge 

 is Keith .Johnston's hsU-crown Gecgraphy, and as this is to be 

 followed by a similar vclame of Physical Geogiaphy, the gar- 

 dener will then be fuUy furnished with gmdes to a "knowledge 

 of a plput's native climate. 



THE COMMON BERBERRY. 



It is readily admitted by those who have the best opportt:- 

 mty of giving a jnst opinion, that new or rare plants or shrubs 

 are not in all cases improvements on older ones ; in fact, it is 

 too well known that many of the oldest shrubs and frees our 

 gardens contain will hold {heir own against all comers. 

 The Cedar of Lebanon, for instance, has not as yet been super- 

 seded by any Conifer in gi-acefulness of outline combined with 

 adaptabihty of habit to any situation. Hollies, too a-e pre- 

 eminent for beauty of form, and when loaded with berries 

 Jlthing can well be richer in api carr.nce. Many oiher shrubs 

 or plants met with every day are equally beautiful or inter- 

 _esti:ig : and cotild we but be led to think so, the wild Broom of 

 our commons and wastes is as beautiful as its namesake from 

 the Canary Islands. There are, likewise, other plants whose 

 merits we are slow in admitting, and some even which we ere 

 often guilty of absolutely despising, and it is to one of these 

 that I now wish to direct attention. It is, in fact, one of the 

 most despised shrubs which I know, and one that probably is 

 not often met with in nurseries, owing to Iho smell demand 

 '"^ '? ' -T^' it liss its merits, and these, too, of a very high order 

 — It is the common Berbeny. 



This plant is by no means popular ; on the eontrarv, I have i 

 SEOwn many persons take great trouble to eradicate "it where 

 growing in hedges cr copses bordering their field?, on account I 

 « its suspected tendency to infect the Wheat with blight. I 

 vvitliout giving any opinion on this point, it is certain that i 

 tne numbers cf tie plant have been diminishing for some i 

 years. I do not advocate its being planted in hedgerows, mixed 

 coppices, or dense shrubbeiies ; but as a specimen shrub on ' 

 the highly dressed lawn it has not often had that fair trial it 

 ongnt to have, and its worth in that respect is far from being ' 

 generally known. 



happening some years ago io be at the magnificent gardens 

 0} iJrumlanrig Castle, I was mr.eh struck with the very hand- 

 some appeuruiice a number of single specimens of the common 

 Berberry presented on the much-varied and extensive lawn. A 

 series of terraces snrroucded the noble building, each adapted 

 ior a distinct style of gardening, but each on a very large scale, 

 while beyond them the ground shelved moro or less irregularly 

 to the brink of a river of seme size. On tho opposite side of 

 this stream the gently sloping gvouni was occupied by shiub- 

 beries, with glades and openings between, ond in places the 

 closely-shaven lawn was dotted with healthy and promising 

 apecimenu of Conifers, mostly, I believe, Sj^ruce Firs, each 

 feathered to the ground, and presenting a more healthy ap- 

 pearance than those generally met with in England, except in 

 the moist or mountainous parts. Mixed with the^e Spruce Firs, 

 but in no way crowding npon them, were fine plants of the 

 Common Berberry, which at the time I saw them, early in Sep- 

 tember, were loaded with their crimson fruit, and each plant 

 in point of shape and appearance was a perfect model, yet 

 they had received scarcely any pruning; indeed, I believe they 

 only presented the natural form and appearance cf the plant 

 when left untouched. At the distance of 200 or 300 yards they 

 looked like immense bushes of Fuchsias, and the beauty of their 

 appearance was enhanced by contrsst with tho Spruce Firs ad- 

 joining. They completely threw into the shade all oiher 

 deciduous kinds of Berberis that I Em acquainted with, and 

 showed what an ornamental object one of our common shrubs 

 's capable oi forming when allowed fair play. 



It may be asked, was there anything peculiar in the soil and 

 situation that assisted this shrub to assume so tine an ap- 

 pearance? So far a3 I was able to jadge, there was not. The 

 rainfall might be gi-eater than in many other situations, and 

 possibly nearly double that of the eastern counties of England, 

 but the soil was not saturated with moisture. I have met with 

 fine plants of the common Berberry elsewhere, loaded with 

 fruit, and as handsome in shape as those in Scotland, but it is 

 seldom the plant is allowed such a position as enablta it to 

 develope itself. More frequently we meet with miseiable spe- 

 cimens of what are called the choice kinds, as Berberis Bealii, 

 Fortuni, japonica, and others, while the British Berberry is 

 driven out of most places at all dry, and leH to struggle 



amongst other dense bushes in a coppice, with a likelihood of 

 its being found out, and large pieces cut from it to alleviate the 

 suffering of some one afflicted with a disease it is said, to 

 assist in curing. Whether useful or not in the latter capacity 

 (which I believe it really it), it has no chance of taking that 

 position as an ornamental shrub which it is capable of attain- 

 ing. Perhaps when the Antipodes are ransacked of their ve- 

 getable treasures, we shall find out how many ornamental plants 

 we possess at home, and cultivate them accordingly.— J. Eobson. 



THE GOLDEN QUEEN -MELON. 

 In answer to " W. H. C," I procured a packet of seed from 

 Mr. Turner, of Slough. My seed grew, and proved to be very 

 true. The fruit is quite equal to the description given of it 

 in various advertisements. The plant is a moderately strong 

 grower and ft free setter. Fiuit medium-sized, of a beautifvU 

 rich lemon colour, and irregularly netted ; flesh pale green, 

 very tender, and melting ; skin remarkably thin. The flavonr 

 is most exquisite ; indeed, I think this the queen of Melons. — 

 G. LocKiE, Gardemr to F. W. Berber, Esq , Court Gardens, 

 Great Marlow. 



I AM rather astonished at the remarks of ■' W. H. C," in the 

 Journal of Isovcmber 5ih, in respect to the above valuable 

 Melon. I am inclined to believe that he is in fault and not 

 tho Melon, and to prove this I may mention that I purchased 

 a packet of seed, for which, like your correspondent, I also 

 paid 2s. 6(^ As I had only a small two-light frame, measuring 

 (j feet by G feet, to spare, I put two plants of Golden Queen 

 under one light, and two of Beechwood under the other. From 

 the former I gathered twelve of the finest Melons I ever could 

 wish to see, averaging fully 3 lbs. each, which I consider large 

 enough for any gentleman's table. They were of an almost 

 globular shape, beautifully netted, and the flavour, as far as my 

 estimation goes, perfection. 



I have saved all the seed I can, as I candidly think it the 

 finest Melon I ever grew. I would advise " W. H. C." to give 

 Golden Queen another trial previous to discarding it, and for 

 which, if he favour me with his address, I shall be very glad to 

 send him a few seeds. The Malvern Hall I have not yet grown, 

 but believe it to be first-rate, consequently I intend trying it 

 another year. — 0. Tatlob, Sunlaws, Heitou, rMxhurgkshire. 



I iiAV mention for the encouragement of your correspondent, 

 who seems to have been singularly unfortunate, that in the 

 competition for the best Melon at the Kelso Horticultural 

 Society'.s Exhibition, in September last, Golden Queen Melon 

 obtained tbe first prize ; and judging from the interest shown 

 both by the censors and visitors, it appears, doubtless, that 

 this beautiful Melon is to become a general iavoarite. — Geobge 

 Wemyss, Springwood Park. 



DuniNG the past season I have grown eight plants of the 

 Golden Queen, some of thtm in pits and some on hotbeds, 

 and in both ways thoy set and matured an abundant crop of 

 fine fruit. I also grew five other sorts of Melons ; all of them 

 had the same treatment as the Golden Queen, and all produced 

 fair crops, but both in flavour and appearance Golden Queen 

 was superior to any of the others ; it is, in fact, the best and 

 prettiest Melon I have ever seen. The soil in which I grew it 

 and all the other varieties was good, strong, turfy loam, put 

 along the back part of the pits and frames to the depth of about 

 a foot, and 2 feet in width. The plants were within a foot of 

 the back, and were trained towards the fi'ont on wire netting, 

 placed as far from the glass as to allow the lights being pulled 

 up and down without injuring the leaves. As a further proof 

 of its good quality, I may state that at the Alnwick Horticul- 

 tural Society's Show in September last, the first and second 

 prizes were awarded to it from different growers against a 

 splendid-loolting lot of Melons.— B. Bowie, The Gardens, CMl- 

 lingham CastU. 



[Wo have other communications signed " D. I.," " E. S.," 

 &a., all testifying to the superior excellence of the Golden 

 Queen Melon, but we think that the above are sufficient to 

 place before our readers, and to convert " W. H. C."] 



SCALE ON ORANGE TREES. 

 After trying numerous plans, such as scraping off the insect, 

 and waghjng thejarts with yarious ipse?t-iiiling preparations, 



