166 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ February 27, 1868. 



3 to 6 feet. Seeds sown in spring in sandy soil in a sheltered situ- 

 ation, and layers. 



Bep.beris F.^scicFL-iRis.— Leaves prickly and glaucous; flowers 

 yellow, in dense racemes, succeeded by purple berries. Flowers in 

 spring. 6 feet. It requires a wall in cold situations. Seeds and layers. 



Bebberis dulcis. — Leaves small, entire, deep green ; flowers yellow, 

 in spring. C feet. Grows well in shade, forming a handsome bush. 

 Seeds and layers. 



Berbeeis tkifoliata and japonica have bluish green leaves, con- 

 sisting of three leaflets. Flowers yellow, in spring. Very fine, re- 

 quiring a warm situation, good rich soil, and partial shade. Layers. 



4 feet. 



BuPLErRUM fruticosum. — Leaves glaucous, oblong ; flowers small, 

 yellow, in umbels, in July and August. 5 feet. Cuttings of haK- 

 ripened wood in sandy soil in a frame, layers in autumn, or seeds 

 sown in spring in a gentle heat or on a wami border. 



Bcxus BALE.ARicA (Minorca Box).— Leaves larger than the common 

 Bos, very ornamental, succeeding in partial shade. 15 feet. 



Buxus SEjiPERViBENS.— Many varieties differing only in the leaves 

 being broad or narrow, plain or Variegated The taller sorts, growing 

 from 8 to 15 feet high, thrive well in plantations not too much shaded. 

 All bear cutting well, and make handsome globes or pyramids. There 

 is a very dwarf variety much used for edgings, and there is, likewise, 

 a narrow-leaved sort that makes a verj- good cdgiug for walks in 

 plantations, where it thrives better than the broad -leaved. Plants for 

 plantations or shrubberies are best raised from seed, as they grow the 

 straightest, tallest, and quickest. The seed should he sown in light 

 soU when gathered. Cuttings succeed if put in during the autumn or 

 spring, and all the kinds maybe propagated by layers. 



Ceeasus L.1UE0CERASUS 'iLaurell.— Height 15 feet. Well k-nown 

 as being the commonest and probably the most useful of evergreen 

 shrubs. It succeeds in most soils, and under the shade of large trees, 

 but not where the shade is very dense. It is well adapted for a screen, 

 and may be used for the covering of banks, the shoots being pegged 

 down, and cut-in in summer ; in such situations the effect is good. 

 There is a variety with nan-ow leaves, and also one with variegated 

 leaves. The variety colchica has paler and more shining leaves, and 

 is very handsome trained as a pyramid. Laurels will bear cutting to 

 any extent. Cuttings of the shoots of the current year taken off at 

 the end of September or early in October, with an inch or two of the 

 preceding years gi-owth, succeed in an open situation if inserted two- 

 thirds their length ia the soil, and :i inches asunder in rows (i inches 

 apart. The cuttings should have the base made smooth below a joint ; 

 it is immaterial whether the leaves are removed or not if the soil is 

 made firm about them. The following autumn they will need to be 

 planted out in rows 1 foot apart, and 6 inches from plant to plant. 

 Seeds may be sown when the berries are ripe, and propagation may 

 also be readily effected by layers. 



Ceeasus LnsiT.^NicA '(Portugal Lanrel). — Bushy, spreading, and 

 tall ; dark green foliage ; a most valuable evergre'en succeeding in 

 partial shade. Bears cutting well, and is verv desirable as standards 

 and pyramids for terrace aud architectural gardens. Cuttings, seeds, 

 and layers. Height 15 to 20 feet. 



Chajlebatu foliosa.— Leaves fem-)ike, much divided ; flowers 

 white, produced in great abundance. A very beautiful shrub. 

 (To be continued). 



ANNUAL PRODUCE OF POTATOES. 



Just two centuries ago the cultivation of the Potato was in- 

 troduced into Lancashire, aud just one century ago it was un- 

 known to the rustics of Herefordshire, whilst the number of 

 acres devoted to its growth in those counties were as follow 

 during the last two years : — 



18G6. 1867. I 18'6. 1867. 



Lancashire .... 33,090 . . 37,509 | Herefordshire .... 2809 . . 2508 



The number of acres on which Potatoes were grown in 

 various countries of Europe during those years were as follow : — 

 '""~ """■ 1867. 



. 67,500 



. 3,418,610 



1866. 



England 311,151 



Wales 44.266 



Scotland . 

 Ireland . . . 



Jersey 



Guernsey . 

 Isle of Man 

 Sweden . . . 



143,426 . 



1,050,853 . 



1,368 . 



677 . 



4,302 . 



186'.- 



289,611 



45.077 



157,529 



1,001,545 



2,062 



789 



4,011 



350,000 



84,809 



1866. 



Norway — 



Denmark 

 proper 



Prussia ■ — 



Wurtemburg 169,045 



Holland 273,380 



Austria 1,308,148 



United Sts. — 



964,614 



GALVANISED WIRE AN INJURER OF PEACH 

 TREES. 

 I WAS visiting a neighbour a few daj-s ago, and was admiring 

 a fine range of wall covered with galvanised wire, and planted 

 with, as I thought from a distance, fine young healthy trees ; 

 but on close examination I found that the wood, where per it 

 was tied to the wire and came in contact with it, was dead for 

 a few inches above and below the tie, and the other parts be- ' 



tween the divisions of the wire were quite fresh-Ieoking. I at 

 once came to the conclusion that it was the wire that caused 

 the evil, and I then thought that painting the wire might have 

 some eft'ect if tried. 



It seems that at first the shoots have the appearance of 

 being scorched, but that cannot be, as the destruction com- 

 mences on the side next the wire and wall. To what do you 

 attribute the mischief ? The trees were well and properly 

 planted, and the border is well drained and under practical 

 hands. — Rustic. 



[ We believe that the cause of galvanised iron wire injuring 

 the branches of wall trees trained to it is the friction caused 

 by the wind against its hard and sharp surface. It was once 

 suggested that the two metals united to form galvanised iron 

 might be a weak galvanic battery, the constant action of which 

 upon the branch might cause the wound, but we have seen the 

 same injury where common iron wire was used as a trellis. — 

 Eds.] 



I nivE for many years used galvanised wire trellises for Peach 

 and Nectarine trees. By twisting the matting round the wires 

 where the shoots are tied, they do not come in contact with 

 the wires, and this prevents any injury to the shoots. — J. C. 



OLD-FASHIONED PLANTS. 



Ix reference to Mr. Williams's letter in your impression of 

 the 6th inst., allow me to state that the only way of keeping 

 the Purple and other so-called Rockets is by frequent trans- 

 planting and by constantly raising new plants. 



I have preserved the Double Dark Purple and Double Light 

 Purple Rockets now for many years on the worst of all soils 

 for that purpose — an extremely cold, damp, wet clay — by these 

 methods ; as also the Double Red and Double Pink Ragged 

 Robin, the Yellow Rocket, and what are more rare still, the Tall 

 Double Scarlet and Double White Lychnis. The last-named I 

 have never seen in England except in my own garden. 



With regard to the propagation of the Dark and Light Purple 

 and of the White Rockets, besides occasionally dividing the 

 plants at the time of transplanting, I also raise a great many 

 every year by simply cutting up the flowering stems into lengths 

 having four or five eyes each, when the blossoms have gone off, 

 and planting them by themselves as cuttings in a small bed of 

 light made soil. Many of these throw out nice young shoots, 

 and to this plan I mainly attribute my having so long been 

 able to grow, and to help others in growing, these valuable 

 perennials. If half the trouble were taken with these really 

 interesting plants which is bestowed upon the ephemeral bed- 

 ding-out class, the difficulties in keeping them would soon 

 vanish. 



Of all this family of plants the Double White Ragged Robin 

 is, perhaps, the most delicate, and in its case I fear there is no 

 safety but in potting a few young rooted offshoots from time 

 to time in case of accidents. It is a gem amongst perennials. 

 — W. J. Mbllish, Orston Vicarage, Notts, 



Will yon admit a few words of remonstrance from a very 

 cruelly treated, ungratefully used, and persecuted race ? 



I am a poor old-fashioned plant, though as " every dog has 

 its day," I 've had mine ; for I remember years ago hew. I used 

 to be watched and watered, divided and subdivided ; but now 

 I suppose it is all up with me, unless you will allow some 

 powerful voice to be raised in my behalf, for I have lived to 

 see all my old friends and neighbours, who used to rejoice the 

 heart in "many a day gone by, ungratefully and even cruelly 

 uprooted from the soil, to make room for those horrid " par- 

 venus " and gay upstarts, and I fear my own time has also 

 come. 



This is the conversation I heard to-day : — 



Master. — " John, I must have all these old-fashioned flowers 

 removed ; they don't suit the present system of gardening." 



Jolm. — " Where shall I plant them, sir ? " 



Master. — " Oh ! plant them — let me see. Oh, John, after 

 all you can throw them on the rubbish heap. I want nothing 

 here but bedding plants, and I have no room for anything 

 else." 



John. — " Lor, sir, it seems a pity ; we sha'n't have a single 

 flower soon, that poor old master used to love so ! I don't like 

 these new-fangled ways." 



And so you see, kind Editors, my doom is fixed, for these 

 are the very words I heard this morning; and I thought directly 



