February 2a„ 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



153 



again. Among hardy plants not met with at exhibitions were climbers, 

 of which many irs voiy beautiful. Ho admitted there was great difti- 

 culty in brinRing theiu to shows ; still, lie believed that might be over- 

 come. There were no plants, however, wliieh he wished more to see 

 brought to tlio meetiuf^s than those stove plants whi<rh mi^ht be 

 used for bcJdin^-out in the summer mouths, as at Buttersea Part. 

 Already a lurgo number of stove plants were so employed, but many 

 more mifjht I)o added, that required little more trouble in their culti- 

 vation than A Scarlet Pelargonium. They would not stand the winter. 

 but why mi'^ht we not enjoy thorn in summer? They would be a 

 good addition to our coloured plsints — a direction in which wo had 

 gone a liitUi too far in flower f^ardcn^. Pie did not want to run down 

 the beautiful beddiii;^ plants now employed, but the eye becomes 

 satiated with colour ; and what we want is variation, and that we 

 miglit obtain by elet^ance of form. The number of plants capable of 

 being broui^ht to bear on thia object was wonderful. 



There was one other subject to which he would allude — namely, the 

 better education of young ;^ardeuers — a Kubject of gi-eat importance at 

 a time when so many new plants are beiuR introduced every year. The 

 higher branches of horticultural knowledge wero particularly necessary 

 for those who had to grow them. Without a kuowledfije of plants, 

 without a Icnowledtte of temperature and the hygrometrical state of 

 the atmosphere, it was impossible to cultivate these plants properly, 

 and many of them were conseipioutly lost. The Council would do all 

 in their power to promote the better education of young gardeners, but 

 he would urge masters to allow young meu time, and especially those 

 of them who exhibited a taste for hinh-class horticulture, to gain a 

 knowledge of the important subjects connected with it as far as prac- 

 ticable. » 



The Rev. ]\I. J. Berkeley congratulated the members present and 

 the Society at large on the exhibition of that day. He was present at 

 the meeting of the 19th of last Februai-y, but the present display far 

 excelled it in point of variety, beauty, and interest. Among the plants 

 at the present meeting Orchids took the lead, and foremost among 

 them was the noble specimen of Ctelogjne cristata from Chatsworth, 

 which for size and beauty was the finest ever exhibited before the 

 Society. As compared with another specimen of the same species in 

 the room it was in a high stateof vegetation, the pseudo-bulbs showing 

 great luxuriance of gi"o\vth, while in the otlier plant they were dwindled 

 and angular. Next came the collection of Messrs. Yeitch, in which 

 it would be dilKcult to point out one plant better grown than another. 

 He would, however, especially notice the magnificent specimens of 

 Angnecum eburiieum and Lycaste Sldnneri, the latter with thirty or 

 more tlowers. Of Oucidium abortivum a fine specimen was shown at 

 the other end of the room. There liad been on several occasions 

 small specimens of this sent, and they attracted vei-y little attention ; 

 bat any one seeing the plant as shown that day would agree that it is 

 most elegant. The peculiarity of this Oncidium was that a few of 

 the Howers were normal, but the rest were without a trace of the 

 column or parts of fructification. The beautiful Deudrobiums from 

 Baron Rothschild, at Gunnersbni-y, were then spoken of in liij^'h 

 terms, after which Mr. Berkeley referred to a specimen of Cypripedium 

 villosum almost entirely destitute of lip, and said that he had met 

 with several instances in which this species had produced flowers exhi- 

 biting this peculiarity — that of the lip being reduced to a little curl 

 beneath the column. From Mr. Williams came another plant of 

 extreme interest, and to him (Mr. Berkeley), of extreme beauty, a 

 species of Gongora in which the flowers were like carved ivory. There 

 was also from the same exhibitor a little plant of Saccolabium Hut- 

 toni. which is the same as Aciides Huttoni, figured in the " Botanical 

 Magazine." Attention was then directed to the Violet, called Victor^-, 

 from Mr. F, J. Graham, and Mr. Berkeley remarked that though The 

 Czar, which has coarse foliage, long stalks, and large Howers. was 

 extremely sweet, VictoiT was even sweeter, and most persons who 

 were conversant with Violets considered it an improvement on the 

 Czar. Leucocarpus alatus, a plant \vith wliite berries, shown by Mr, 

 Wilson Saunders's gardener, was n«xt noticed, and it was stated to be a 

 native of Vera Cruz and the West Indies. It was not a new plant, having 

 been figured manyyearsago in Sweet's " Flower Garden." If one of the 

 berries were cut across it would be found to be similar in structure to 

 those of Digitalis. The plant, from the long time it continues covered 

 with its berries, would be valuable for spring decoration Two other valu- 

 able plants for the same purpose were Lopezia racemosa and coronata, 

 ■which had been introduced more than forty-five or fifty years ago, and 

 of one of which he held up a plant to show how ornamental it is when 

 covered with its numerous red flowers. The plant did not flower in 

 the open ail', but cuttings taken of it in autumn and struck, made 

 extremely pretty plants for spring decoration. The splendid collections 

 of Primulas and Cinerarias from Mr. Weatberill were then adverted 

 to, as well as the Thuja referred to in the Floral Committee report, 

 and which proved to be Thuja Zuccariniana, an extremely hardy and 

 very beautiful species. 



Mr. Berkeley then read an extract from a letter from Lord Dun- 

 raven, stating that he was in great trouble, owing to a grey lichen 

 which oveiTan the Oaks in his woods to such an exU'ut as to'do them 

 great injury, and not only Oaks, but Kims and Thorns as well, in every 

 part of his domains. The lichen, Mr. Berkeley said, was probably 

 Evernia prnnastri, and in all probability if tlie gi-ouud were well 

 drained it would disajjpear. Another matter to which he wished to 

 refer was of interest to those who are fond of Anajctochils, and who 



know how difficult it is to grow them, except under shaded bell-glasses 

 or glass cases. When at Kow lately ho found there practised a mode 

 of cultivating these beautiful plants which is different from the com- 

 mon one. They were grown under bell-j^lasscs, one half of which was 

 green, the other lialf white ; the preen-coloured portion uf the glass 

 affording the necessary shade, while thronyh tlie transparent portion 

 of the bell-glass the beauties of the jjlauts could be seen. This mode 

 of treatment, he added, had proved extremely satisfactory. 



The Chairmen of the Floral and Fruit Committees having reported 

 the awards, 



Mr. Wilson Saunders said that in connection with lichen covering 

 trees, ho would mention that ten years ago be took an orchard in 

 clayey ground, and finding the trees covered with lichen like the wool on 

 .a sheep s buck, he saw there were but two courses open to him— cutting 

 down the trees or experimenting. He employed some ordinary labourers 

 to take all tlie moss and lichen off the stems and branches, and had 

 the whole of the trees painted with a mixture of lime and soot ; he had 

 the sod taken off round the trees, and the soil manured well ; he then 

 di-ained the prchard, and last year and the year before it had pro- 

 duced excellent crops. 



Mr. Berkeley said that a short time ago he had received from Italy 

 a specimen of a lichen which was destroying the Pines there, and which 

 proved to be Usnea barbata articulata. It hung down from the trees 

 in pieces lA foot long. Referring then to the mode of destroying the 

 lichen adopted by Mr. Wilson Saunders, he said that though applicable 

 to an orchard it was not so to a largo forest like Lord Dunraveu's, 

 He recollected the case of an orchard in which were some scarce sorts 

 which it was desirable to save, and the lichens being scraped off the 

 trees, even from every little twig, the result was the entire rejuvena- 

 tion of the trees. 



Even although the afternoon was anything but favourable, there was 

 a better attendance at the Meeting than usual at this early season, and 

 the only refijiet expressed by those present was that so many of the 

 Fellows had missed so excellent and instructive a display. 



IS A DRY OR i\rOIST ATMOSPHERE THE MORE 



CONGENIAL FOR SETTING MUSCAT GRAPES? 



One of your correspondents advocates the keeping of a 

 Muscat house very moist — in fact, to withhold no more mois- 

 ture at the blooming period of the Vines than at the growing 

 season. I think that ia different from the usual practice of 

 our great Grape-growers ; I know it is contrary to my practice 

 and experience. Another will guarantee a well-formed bunch, 

 and of course finely set with berries, with a house kept dry, 



! except in respect to a slight sprinkling morning and evening. 



I Which is the road to succesa, a dry temperature or a humid 

 one ? At what time does the adherent to the steaming process 

 have his Grapes ripe? Perhaps he will give some further 

 light on his system of Muscat-growing. — Nemo. 



CORDONS. 



The introduction of this word into our fruit-tree vocabulary 

 will puzzle many gardeners who are unable to see any difference 

 between it and our old espalier system of training. No amount 

 of quotations from Da Breuil, or any other French horticul- 

 tural writer, will make them believe that a branch of a spurred- 

 in fruit tree, whether trained horizontally or vertically on walls 

 or espaliers, is anything else but a cordon. I have no wish to 

 disparage our ingenious neighbours across the Channel for the 

 many fanciful modes of training fruit trees which they indulge 

 in, but some twenty-hve years ago there was a great furore 

 about a new system of fruit-tree training, introduced from 

 them, and called " c/i queiiouUle.'' Fruit trees trained on 

 this system looked very graceful, and bore good crops in favour- 

 able years ; but young trees are seldom now trained so, either 

 in nurseries or gardens. Whether the name was too difficult 

 of pronunciation, or the training took up too much time, 

 matters not ; the fact is as I have stated it. The only use of 

 the so-called small cordons, whether single or double, would 

 be to plant at the bottom of our fruit-tree walls, and I have no 

 doubt that the very best of Pears and Apples could be grown 

 on them. These small trees could be planted between the 

 existing wall trees, and would not interfere with them when 

 trained so low down. I had specimens of Beurre Clairgeail 

 1 lb. in weight each, grown last autumn on a small double 

 cordon, and from being so near the ground they were beauti- 

 fully coloured. As to growing cordons as edgings to fruit 

 borders, as they do in France, I am afraid our climate is not 

 suitable, from our late spring frosts. 



A mode of training Pear and Apple trees was practised by 

 the late Mr. Mearns when gardener at Welbtck, which 1 believe 



