Jnnuary 9, 18e8. ] 



JOUBNAIi OF HOBTIODLTUBE AND COTTAGE QAKDENEB. 



25 



par with Flower of the Day and Golden Chain. I have no 

 doubt there would be many a tine plant of IJuauty of Oulton, 

 Luna, and other kinds left at home, and, very probably, some- 

 thing more commonplace substituted, in consequence of the 

 decision of the Floral Committee of the Koyal Horticultural 

 Society on the 2nd of July last causing no little disappoint- 

 ment in various parts of the country. 



I am unable to see aay benefit to be derived from separating 

 the section to which Beauty of Oulton belongs from the othera 

 at general exhibitions, but think there is much harm, espe- 

 cially at the smaller shows, where there will not be more than 

 one class for variegated Pelargoniums. At these exhibitions 

 the so-called Golden Zonals will be practically excluded ; and 

 where they may have a separate class assigned to them, I think 

 they present too great a family likeness to be properly appreci- 

 ated by the outside public. In fact, your remarks on the 

 Pelargonium Kxliibition held on the 17th of September pointed 

 this defect out. 



I do not wish to depreciate these special exhibitions : far from 

 it. I think they are excellent as a means to determine the best 

 varieties in each section ; but when this is done we want to see 

 the best of each section meet on one common grotind, or under 

 one general term. This, I believe, will be best accomplished 

 by the designation I have suggested. It will admit all that 

 are out, and all that have to come yet, as varieties that are 

 grown for their foliage in contradistinction to those that are 

 grown for their flowers, be that foliage black, brown, yellow, or 

 white, or all combined. 



To put the question in a more popular point of view : sup- 

 posing that I have ten specimens of the Golden Zonals, and 

 ton of what are called the true variegated Pelargoniums, would 

 not the general effect be greatly improved by judiciously ar- 

 ranging the twenty plants together in one lot rather than by 

 separating them into two, drawing the line at some supposed 

 difference between coloration and variegation? — JohxCotjpland 



GRAFTING THE VINE. 



There have been a few letters in the Journal on grafting 

 the Vine, and in all that has been written on the subject I 

 have been much interested ; yet it seems to me that a little 

 more information ought to be forthcoming from those who 

 have had experience in the practice. 



Suitable stocks have been found for the Apple, Pear, and 

 other fruit trees ; those stocks are propagated by thousands, 

 and the different effects of the stock on the tree grafted thereon 

 are most surprising. 



I have two Louise Bonne Pear trees growing in the same 

 row, one on the Quince stock, the other on the Pear ; and the 

 resnlt is that the Pears from the Quince stock are much larger 

 than they are from the Pear stock. 



Again, the Marie Louise does not succeed on the Quince, 

 but does well on the Pear stock. 



I hope some day to hear of a stock for the Vine which will 

 influence the plant as much as the Quince has the Pear, the 

 Paradise stock the Apple, and the Mahaleb stock the Cherry. 



My experience of Vine-grafting is not very extensive. I have 

 never, however, been able to effect a union by performing the 

 operation when both the stock and scion were in a dormant 

 state. In the spring of 1867 I had a number of Black Ham- 

 burgh Vines in pots. These I grafted with Muscats and Gros 

 Gaillanme. At the same time and under the same circum- 

 stances I grafted Pears, Oranges, and Camellias. They were 

 then plunged in bottom heat, but the Vines failed and the 

 others succeeded. The Vines soon began to bleed, and some 

 of the scions made roots in the grafting clay, but in no case 

 was a union effected. However, not to be foiled, I grew some 

 stocks and plants of the variety I wanted to graft, inarched 

 them in the summer, and I found no difficulty in effecting a 

 union in that way. I placed both pots together, cut a shce 

 off the stock and another from the scion, and tied the cut parts 

 together in the months of June and July. 



I beheve the Black Hamburgh to be a good stock for gome 

 varieties. The Canon Hall Muscat succeeds on it, and, as is 

 well known, so does the Black Muscat of Alexandria. I have, 

 however, seen the Red Frontignan and Chasselas Masque 

 grafted on it without perceiving any improvement. The for- 

 mer was as liable to shank and the latter to crack as they were 

 on their own roots. 



(irafting Vines seems to have been well understood a century 

 aga. Speechly, the Duke of Portland's gardener at Welbeck in 



1759, speaks of a Syrian Vine in the hothouse there, which 

 had on it sixteen different varieties of Grapes ; and he further 

 says that by grafting a weak and delicate-growing Vine, euch 

 as the Blue Frontignan, upon a robust and vigorous stock, as 

 the Syrian, it will produce well-sized handsome bunches as 

 large as the Hamburgh ; and that " the Syrian Vine raised 

 from seeds is greatly preferable to all others for stocks." He 

 must have had a good variety of Syrian, as it is recorded that 

 he grew a bunch of it weighing 20 lbs. — J. DonoLAS. 



PEOPAGATING PELARGONIUMS. 



In your issue of December 2Bth I noticed Mr. Stewart's reply 

 to Mr. Perkins. In course of his (.Mr. Stewart's), remarks, he 

 has made a reference to what appeared from me on page 277. 

 I wish to correct a mistake that Mr. Stewart has fallen 

 into — it was Golden Chain and it alone I spoke of, not the 

 strong-growing varieties of bedding Pelargoniums. I have no 

 wish to be implicated in the controversy, because I think it is 

 a mere matter of fancy and convenience, known only to oneself, 

 how, when, and where to put in cuttings of Tom Thumb, &0. 

 It is a well-known fact that there is nothing more easy and 

 simple than propagating the common bedding Pelargoniums. 



I was truly pleased to learn from Mr. Stewart, on page 419, 

 that he found so little trouble in getting-up Golden Chain. I 

 wish I could say the same. What a boon it would be to me ! 

 I fancy I can hear my wish passing from the lips of many a 

 gardener, but I am afraid the wish will be all that will fall to 

 our share. 



Not having had an opportunity of seeing Mr. Stewart's 

 method as carried on by him at Nuneham, I must, of course, 

 take his word ; but can it be that he can put-in cuttings of 

 Golden Chain in the last week in August, and secure sufficienj 

 for his trouble, and have well-furnished plants for planting-out 

 in the following May ? It may be unjust of me to doubt the 

 authority of Mr. Stewart, for there are examples of men who 

 can solve a problem in an hour, wiiile it takes others years to 

 do so. 



I wOl some future day put Mr. Stewart on a way of obtaining 

 cuttings of Golden Chain to keep up his stock, without at all 

 interfering with the plants in the flower beds, as that seems to 

 be the sole point that he is working on.— R. E., ]yomcrsley 

 Park, Yorkshire, 



A FEW NOTES ON DRACHMAS. 



Of all the plants which have from time to time been intro- 

 duced into this country from the tropical and sub-tropical 

 zones, those of the genus Dracaena are, perhaps, among the 

 most lovely ; for what plant surpasses in richness of foliage 

 the Drac:Tna terminalis (Ti plant), and its handsome variety 

 latifoha pendula ? The former expands a long tapering pendu- 

 lous leaf with a very dark ground colour, and marked with dis- 

 tinct lines of vivid crimson ; while the latter has leaves of a 

 pendulous and reflexed character, broader and more obtuse 

 than those of the former, with distinct lines running the entire 

 length of the leaf. Dracxna Cooperi is very similar to the 

 last-described. 



The East Indies, as well as tropical Africa, appear to be 

 eminently rich in Dracaenas, many of which are valuable for 

 medicinal purposes, and as being farinaceous and edible. 

 Around the huts of the natives an extremely ornamental 

 fence is made by planting the Dracena terminalis, which is not 

 allowed to reach more than 5 feet in height. The tuberous 

 roots abound in starch and sugar, and a spirituous liquor is 

 likewise obtained from them by fermentation. The stems 

 when cut down and stuck in the ground soon send out new 

 roots. 



In the gardens of the Marquis de Souzal, at the little town 

 of Oratava, is the celebrated gigantic Dragon tree, which ten 

 men by jeining hands can scarcely surround at the base. In 

 the year 1400, when the island was first visited by Europeans, 

 this great tree was, as it is now, a wonder. Precise accounts 

 of the dimensions of this great Dragon tree have been handed 

 down to us, and it appears that since the island of Teneriffe 

 was first discovered this tree has added but little to its bulk. 

 Indeed, the slow growth of young Dragon trees is a proof suffi- 

 ciently convincing that the age of this particular tree must bo 

 extraordinarily great. In the Palm house at Dangstein, near 

 Petersfield, is a plant 12 feet high, raised from a cutting taken 

 about twelve years ago Irom this venerable tree ; and ia tua 



