03 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ January 23, ISfiS. 



or £10 in excess of 1000 square feet covered witb glass. Brick 

 walls to enclose gardens are necessaries, I have no wish to 

 enter into that part of the question ; it is the assertion of Mr. 

 Bobson that has caught my attention. It is, I thimi, worthy 

 ot some little consideration by cultivators of fruit. — Inquibeh. 



THE PtOYAL HORTICULTUR/VL SOCIETY'S 

 SCHEDULES OF PRIZES. 



I AM glad to see at last a plea put forward for more encourage- 

 ment to amateur exhibitors at the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 Shows. 



The Council, composed as it is of amateur h»rticwlturists, 

 with an admixture of noblemen and gentlemen, representatives 

 of the great body of the Fellows, cannot be suspected of a 

 bias in favour of nurserymen ; but it is very possible, not- 

 withstanding, that amateur horticulturists may not receive 

 their fair share of encouragement. The Council may, for in- 

 stance, be of opinion that a greater number of plants will nut 

 he exhibited with a schedule such as " F. R. H. S." wishes ; 

 and those best acquainted with the art of making shows, in- 

 cluding Mr. Eyles, believe that the richest exhibitions are pro- 

 cured by the system of large classes. Still, procuring effective 

 shows ought not to be the only object to be aimed at in the 

 exhibitions of a horticultural society ; and it is most desirable 

 to bring out the " greater amount and variety of talent and 

 skill" which " F. R. H. S." believes will be the results of 

 smaller classes. 



It would, however, be interesting to know what professional 

 horticulturists think of these schedules and of "P. R. H. S.'s " 

 views, and especially what they think of the schedule for the 

 Rose Show. In this amateur influence has, doubtless, had 

 more weight than in the other schedules. It is always ad- 

 visable to hear both sides of a question, and though I am not 

 one of those who desire to be constantly meddling with the 

 arrangements of those whom we have selected to manage our 

 affairs, I submit that the Council would do well to invite dis- 

 cussion on this question, and thus either assure themselves 

 that they have nothing more to learn in schedule-making, or 

 else ascertain and correct their errors. In every society matters 

 are apt to fall into a groove ; and the arrangement of the 

 schedules has, probably, fallen into the hands of one or two 

 men who may, perhaps, have crotchets of their own, or who 

 may not be advised for the best. I suggest, therefore, that 

 the Council name one of the Tuesday Meetings, after the Lon- 

 don season is over, for the free discussion of their schedules 

 for the present year. We shall most of us be perfectly satis- 

 fied with the decision they arrive at when we are sure that 

 they have all the requisite data for forming an opinion. — 



liTDiGATOIt. 



MISTLETOE. 

 In 18G6 and 18C7 I made a journey in the fowl districts 

 ot France, in order to study the varieties, &c., and was 

 particularly struck with the exuberant growth of Mistletoe 

 at Houdau (Seine-et-Oise), and at Lo Mans and La FlOche 

 (Sarthe). The trees at the roadside in these districts were 

 literally covered with Mistletoe, and I was surprised that 

 the parasitic growth in no way appeared to check the vitality 

 of the trees.— H. L. F. C. 



I nxvE seen it in its glory in the neighbourhood ot Weobley, 

 and other places in Herefordshire. Some of the finest speci- 

 mens I ever saw were on some Poplar trees in the above 

 locahty, and at 13 or 20 yards from the ground. These could 

 be seen miles from the place. In that neighbourhood I have 

 seen the Mistletoe on Apples, Crabs, Thorns, Poplars, Limes, 

 and I am not certain whether I did not see some on Willows, 

 along with Polypodium vulgare. 



With regard to finding it in the northern counties, it may 

 be met with in the neighbourhood of Nunappleton, a few miles 

 from York. Not long ago I saw it at a place called Ormesby, 

 among the far-famed Cleveland hills. Near the mouth of 

 the Tees, a few miles from Redcar, I saw it growing in an 

 orchard.— M. H., Acklam Hall. 



Col de Tenda. It is in all probability Salvia violacea, com- 

 monly catled Purple-topped Clary ; it glows here, and seeds 

 itself very freely, also rubra, the Red-topped — two very old 

 annuals rarely met with at the present time. — W. Gkiffiihs, 

 Guy's Cliffc, Wancick. 



Salvia on the Col de Texda. — In your last impression, 

 page 40, you ask if any of your readers recognise the Salvia 

 your correspondent "D. S." saw on the southern slope of the 



A SIMPLE WAY of GROWING EARLY RHUBARB, 

 AND A QUESTION ON POTATOES. 



I AM a poor man fond of gardening, and try to improve my 

 knowledge by practical experience on a few hundred yards of 

 garden ground. I was desirous of having a little early Rhubarb 

 this year of my own growing. I tried one of Shirley Hibberd's 

 plans two years ago, but failed ; so this year, or rather iu the 

 first week of December last year, I took the bottom half of a 

 broken earthenware bowl, 18 inches in diameter, and a cast- 

 away " set pan " about the same size, and planted in each a 

 large old Rhubarb root, shut them up closely in a recess near 

 the kitchen fire on the oven side, and watered as required. I 

 hare to-day fourteen stalks of nice pink Rhubarb, and I am 

 likely to have a great many more soon. Some of the stalks are 

 14 inches long, exclusive of leaf. As this is better than I ex- 

 pected, I thought many other poor readers of your Journal 

 ought to know how to grow cheaply this delicate vegetable at 

 this season. 



And now, will any one of your numerous readers be good 

 enough to give through your columns the names of one or two 

 varieties of White Round and the same of White Kidney Pota- 

 tatoes that are really handsome, fit for any show table, and 

 prolific as well ? In trade catalogues almost every Potato has 

 some remarkable quality ascribed to it, as a reason why it in 

 particular should be bought, and as I cannot afford to test and 

 try every kind, I am anxious to know which is best from those 

 who have sought and found the above desirable qualities. In 

 the beginning of last year I planted some Early Oxford (Soden's), 

 and the few that grew to a size suitable to show — some two or 

 three at a root, the rest, though very numerous, were only fit 

 for pigs — were beautiful, and were awarded the first prize at 

 a good show ; but as I do not keep pigs, but have a family of 

 children, I want to know of some more equably-tubered va- 

 riety. — YoEKSniRE. 



[We recommend you to grow the following Potatoes : — Cold- 

 stream Early, Daintree's Early, Lapstone Kidney, and Royal 

 Kidney.] 



WHAT IS A CORDON? 



When you made the statement " that M. Du Brenil introduced 

 the word corduii to express certain modes of training which we 

 have called ' the spur system,' in contradistinction to the 

 laying-in system of pruning," I wrote to you in the interest of 

 truth. I quoted the same author to show why he introduced 

 the forms that go by that name, and how the word came to be 

 so much used amongst French fruit-gruwers. I gave his own 

 language, and indicated precisely where to find the passage, so 

 as to guard against all possibility of mistake. You reply by 

 stating that I have " most unfairly " quoted him ; that I well 

 know M. Du Breuil does not say what anybody who refers to 

 his book can readily see that he does say ; and that I have 

 quoted just enough to "suit my own purpose." These are 

 hard words, and if I deserved them I should be unworthy o£ 

 an inch of space in your paper. I have the greatest contempt 

 for anybody who misquotes an author for any " purpose," and 

 if you do not acknowledge the injustice of your remarks on this 

 point I shall be more surprised than I was at your statement 

 of Jan. ind that, " cordon, therefore, does not mean any par- 

 ticular form of trained tree." (!) With this note the work from 

 which you say I have quoted so unfairly shall be left at your 

 office, with the passage marked in which M. Du Breuil says 

 distinctly what you deny. 



The clearest proof of what I assert is afforded at p. 323 of 

 the latest edition (1868), of the author for whose definitions 

 and labours you have such high and just respect. There he 

 deliberately divides the various forms into two groups — one the 

 large forms, such as the jx'linettes, erantails (fan-shaped), and 

 canililabres, the other the " httle forms or cordons. ' It is 

 needless excess to state and to repeat, as you have done, that 

 he " uses the word cordon generically and not specifically." 

 As there are vertical cordons, oblique cordons, spiral cordons, 

 horizontal cordons, and various other kinds of cordons, he 

 must of necessity use the term generically. If your definition 



