February 13, 1808. J 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGK GAEDENER. 



135 



11. Amandine db Eocen. — Fruit mcdium-eized, SJ inches 

 lors, and "2! wide, pjriform, rounded towards the eje, and 

 tapering towards the stalk. Skin at first of a briglit green 

 colour, dotted with grey, but changing to lemon colour as 

 it ripens. Eye half open, with small, stout, often blunted, 

 segments, and placed on a level with the surface of the fruit- 



11. .\mandine tie Roueo. 

 Stalk about an inch long, slender, woody, and firm, obliquely 

 inserted on the apex of the fruit. Flesh fine-grained, very 

 juicy, and melting, with a rich sugary iJavour. 



An excellent and rather richly-flavoured Pear, ripe in the end 

 of September and beginning of October, but not superior to 

 many in season at the same period. 



It was raised by M. Boisbunel, a nurseryman at Rouen, from 

 seed sown in 1846, and the tree first fruited in 1857. 



MISTLETOE ON THE OAK AND POPLAE. 



Pebmit me to inform your correspondent, Mr. Eobson, and 

 your readers generally, that there is growing in the park here 

 a large Oak tree, on the thick branches of which there are 

 several pieces of the above-named parasite. 



The tree in question had several limbs blown off about four 

 months ago, on which were some pieces of Mistletoe. I also 

 noticed some young shoots, apparently of one season's growth. 



I may add that there are quantities of Mistletoe growing on 

 old Hawthorn trees close by the Oak referred to ; and although 

 there are other Oak trees whose branches nearly touch that on 

 which the Mistletoe is growing, I have failed to discover the 

 parasite on any but the first-mentioned tree. — H. J. Clayton, 

 HackiLOod Park, Basingstoke. 



[In the rectory house of Ashley, in Buckinghamshire, lives a 

 rector, genial and pomological, qualities when combined ren- 

 dering a man irresistible. The said rector tries many ex- 

 periments, and among them on the Mistletoe. His details of 

 some of the results are in the following extract from one of his 

 letters to one also genial and fond of asking questions of 

 Nature.] 



" My Mistletoe is certainly a most extraordinary specimen. 



There are fifty-three bunches, varying in size from 18 inches to 



7 or 8 inches in diameter, and thirty-seven others about an 

 inch, and half an inch long in their shoot, now starting in dif- 

 ferent points of the Poplar. The same answer you received 

 from Professor Lindley, or one very like it. Professor I'aubeny 

 gave to me, when I mentioned to him the circumstance of the 

 Mistletoe breaking out in so many places on the tree (they then 

 numbered forty-six). He said, ' Oh, yes, deposited by birds.' 

 I replied, ' No, Dr. Daubeny, had it been so I should not have 

 troubled you on the subject.' The fact is, the young plants 

 for the most part show themselves underneath the branches of 

 the tree. No birds could place a seed there. I have never 

 been in counties where the Mistletoe is very abundant. It 

 may break out more or less on Thorns and Apple or Crab 

 trees there. Some few years since, Mr. Adams, a clergyman 

 in Warwickshire, sent to the Times a description of a Mistletoe 

 growing on one of his Apple trees. He thought it wonderful 

 that he could count some fourteen distinct plants. ^Yhat would 

 he say to my specimen ? 



" Directly opposite my Poplar, about 15 yards distant, is 

 another plant growing on the same sort of Poplar. This is a 

 male. The seed was rubbed on at the same time with the other. 

 I mean the same day. The lower branches growing in the 

 neighbourhood of this plant I cut off, and there is no branch 

 within 4 or 5 feet of it. This bunch of Mistletoe, though of 

 twenty-years growth, is not larger, or so large, as the finest 

 plant on the other tree. The seed was rubbed on the north 

 side of the tree. I rather think I rubbed two on. I certainly 

 did this on my wonderful specimen tree, one seed east, the 

 other west. I allowed the lateral branches of this tree to re- 

 main, and it is on these that the Mistletoe is playing such 

 pranks. 



" You will be glad to hear the tree is healthy, while the other 

 one gives signs of decay. This may be owing to locality. It is 

 closely surrounded by evergreen trees and shrubs, such as Firs, 

 Arbor Vita;, Portugal Laurel, &c. I keep the latter cut back so 

 as net to conceal the Mistletoe growing upon the Poplar. On 

 my grand tree there are male plants mingled with female ; 

 at least, there are those which produce no berries, and as they 

 are of considerable dimensions, I conclude from their giving no 

 fruit that they are male plants. 



" It is somewhat curious that I have rubbed some hundreds 

 of berries from my finest bunches on Thorns and Apple trees, 

 but have failed in getting them to grow. I have succeeded 

 only on three Whitethorns. Thousands of seeds have I given 

 away, but still I only know of one instance in which a plant 

 has appeared. Last year I rubbed seed in each month from 

 •January to April, and even May. I shall repeat the experi- 

 ment again this year. Can there be any imperfection in the 

 fruit, think you ? I have a few fruit on a Thorn, I shall try 

 these, as well as the fruit from the Poplar. In point of siza 

 there is no difference. Both are fine. 



" You are wrong about the variety of Poplar on which my 

 Mistletoe is growing. It is not the Ontario Poplar, but, as I 

 think, though you did not when you saw it, Populus tremula, 

 or certainly a variety of it." 



PATERSONS VICTOPJA POTATO. 



Such reports as that in the Journal last week cannot fail to 

 be of great service and interest to every one who grows » Po- 

 tato ; and as " D." of Deal's account in one particular differs 

 so much from my trial, I should like to know the circumstances 

 under which the trial was made. Were the sorts grown in a 

 close-walled gardeu with shading fruit trees ? also what is the 

 nature of the soil ? I believe both these conditions have much 

 to do with the crop and quality of Potatoes, and to give them 

 a fair trial ought to be considered ; and, if we are to gather any 

 good from reports, these circumstances ought to be mentioned. 



"D.," of Deal, states that Paterson's Victoria "is the best 

 of all Mr. Paterson's much-vaunted seedlings." I agree with 

 him in this (excepting Economist, which I have not yet tried) ; 

 but when he says " it is no great thing," I entirely differ. 

 " D.," of Deal, says "it is large" — quite true; "rampant in 

 growth " — also true ; and if grown in a close warm garden with 

 shady trees, or on very heavy stiff soils, it is very rampant. 

 "Prolific enough" — also true, every tuber keeping close at 

 home (a considerable advantage), " but not mealy." I could 

 wish " D.," of Deal, were nearer the west of England ; I would 

 ask his acceptance of a dish, not caring whether they were 

 cooked by a professional or a kitchen maid. I am positive he 



