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JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 19, 1B68. 



nicely-shaped and brilliant-coloured large flowers of the Orange 



Nectarines and Grosse Mignonne Peaches, they are so very 

 gay. It was pleasant to sit under the shade of the blossoms of 

 a large standard spreading Peach tree, for there are no leaves, 

 and the lively hum of the bees was so exhilirating that an hour 

 or two passed quickly, the temperature 72' — perfection ; and 

 then, while looking at a host of seedling trees, one's eye caught 

 a fine tree with large flowers marked, " From Cooledge's Fa- 

 vourite, crossed with the Stanwick Nectarine." The flowers of 

 the Peach being small, and those of the seedling being large 

 and beautiful, show that the cross has taken effect ; in fact, 

 the tree bore some fruit last year, which were noted as "large, 

 delicious, with the true Stanwick flavour." Many other cross- 

 bred seedlings show by their blossoms that the crossing has 

 been effective. 



March IGtIi. — The day cloudy, not a bee to be seen or heard, 

 The early Cherries, such as Belle d'Orleans and Bigarreau 

 Jaboulay, the earliest of the race, in full bloom. — T. 11. 



triously cultivated as the home counties of England." When 

 —when— will that be ? In the depths of the remotest futurity 

 lies the fulfilment of that anticipation. Judging, at least from 

 the present state of agriculture, the hindrances to its advance- 

 ment, the slow progress made, the friends of the dear old 

 Mistletoe may take courage. If its extinction depend on a high 

 state of cultivation, as it most probably does, many, many 

 years must elapse before in Brittany, at least, it " will be lost 

 to sight, and to memory, alone, dear." — A True Briton, St. 

 Malo, Briltawj. 



NEPETA NEPETOS (NEPETELLA?) AS A 

 BEDDING PLANT. 



This, like Viola cornuta, is an old border plant, but while 

 one has been lauded the other is now never mentioned, yet of 

 the two I think the Nepeta the more useful. No other plant of 

 its colour can be used with such advantage in the flower gar- 

 den. As an herbaceous plant it is pretty and graceful, and as 

 a bedding plant it is equal to any. It will flower from the time 

 of planting-out up to that of its being taken up in the autumn, 

 no matter whether the days be rainy or bright, and when seen 

 from a distance in conjunction with yellow Calceolarias, Pelar- 

 goniums, etc., it has a very pleasing effect, its habit being so 

 different. 



It is easy of propagation, and as easy to keep over winter, 

 and if more of it were used we should not need to call out so 

 much for a blue flower to come in for a third or a fourth line in 

 our ribbon borders. 



It requires a little clipping at the sides in summer to keep it 

 from encroaching on its neighbours ; but that is not more than 

 the pinching and other attention required by a great many of 

 onr bedding plants. 



Its treatment here is to strike cuttings in autumn in pans, 

 keeping it over winter in any place from which frost is just 

 excluded. It is potted early in the spring, placed in heat for a 

 few days to root it quickly ; is then hardened-off a little, placed 

 out of doors, and finally planted about the middle of May. 



So treated it is a most effective bedding plant, and of a colour 

 greatly needed.- J. W. K. 



THE MISTLETOE IN FRANCE. 



I MUCH regret that owing to some unaccountable delay in the 

 transmission abroad of some of the numbers of The Journal 

 OF Horticulture, I have only just been made aware of the 

 inquiry which Mr. Eobson had addressed to me on the 30th of 

 January last. I lose no time in replying to it. 



The Mistletoe is not found on the Oak in this part of France 

 — in fact, it would be difficult for it to find a twig to grow upon, 

 owing to the practice of cutting off all the branches of the 

 trees for firewood. 



The Poplars mentioned by M. Edouard Andre, which grow 

 abundantly on the sides of the canals and rivers, and the cider 

 Apple trees, are those it affects in the locahties I have pre- 

 viously mentioned. It flourishes on nearly all the latter, young 

 and old, healthy and unhealthy, on ground which has not been 

 moved for years, as well as on that which was ploughed up or 

 dug with the curious Breton spade, as it were but yesterday. 

 The Apples are good of their kind and yield excellent cider, at 

 least the Bretons seem to think so. 



I cannot agree with M. Edouard Andre, that " everywhere in 

 France this parasite is sought for and destroyed." Its only 

 natural enemies seem to be the Enghsh sailors, who, when 

 " Christmas is coming," may be seen with their wonted activity 

 and daring, climbing the tall trees and robbing French orchards 

 of their winter verdure, as, perhaps, in their boyish days they 

 robbed Enghsh orchards of their autumn produce, more agree- 

 able to schoolboy appetites. Except for purposes of expor- 

 tation, I believe the Mistletoe would remain untouched for 

 years. 



" When western France shall be so carefully and indus- 



KOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCXETY. 



FIRST SPRING SBOVf.— March Uth. 

 Shows there have been, openin" the exLibition season, both earlier 

 and later iu the spring than that held in the Conservatory arcades at 

 South Kensington on Saturday last ; but though some may have 

 equalled it, mfiuy been favoured with finer weather, certainly there 

 has been none to surpass it in the general excellence of the dUsplay. 

 Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocuses, and Cyclamens were the principal sub- 

 jects for which prizes were offered ; but Roses, as beautiful and per- 

 fect as in the height of summer, along with Camellias, Azaleas, Rho- 

 dodendrons, and forced shrubs of different kinds, increased the variety 

 and enhanced the interest of the Show. The competition even, where 

 the competitors were not numerous, was severe, and it was most 

 pleasing to remark the greater number of exhibitors, and the improve- 

 ment in the amateurs' classes. This alone would lead to the concln- 

 sion that the cultivation of sprinf^-flowering bulbs is advancing, did 

 not every window, every villa garden near London, be ar evidence of 

 the fact by the Hyacinths, the Tulips, and the Crocuses which are 

 there displayed by the owner, and which afford quite as much gratifi- 

 cation to the general pubhc as to himself. On the road to London 

 one gradually comes to take an interest in the window plants and 

 gardens by the way, to note the success here, the failure there ; the 

 attention to the wants of the plant in the one case, the absence of it in 

 the other ; and to distinguish the real lover of gardening from those 

 who keep plants merely from a feeling of ostentation. 



Class 1 was for eighteen Hyacinths, and in this the competition 

 for the first place lay as usual between Messrs. Cutbush, of Highgate, 

 and Mr. "William Paul, of Waltham Cross ; both collections, it is 

 scarcely necessary to remark, being of the highest excellence. Last 

 year Mr. W. Paul took a long stride to the front, exhibiting spikes 

 such as have never, we believe, been equalled, and which were aa 

 nearly perfection as could be conceived ; but this year the ojiponentg 

 with whom he has had so many severe struggles proved victorious in a 

 well-fought field, though iu neither collection did we think the spikes 

 so remarkable as last 3'ear. Messrs. Cutbush, whose spikes were most 

 excellent, had of Blues, Marie, Baron Von Tuyll, Argus, and Grand 

 Lilas ; General Havelock, blackish purple with a metallic lustre ; 

 Haydn, a very fine mauve ; of Reds, Von Schiller, Macaulay, Mrs, 

 Beecher Stowe, Le Prophtte, Florence Nightingale, Emmeline ; 

 Blush, Duke of Wellinf^on, double, Gigantea, and Grandeur a Mer- 

 veille ; White, Snowball, Mont Blanc, and MirandoUne. Mr. W. 

 Paul's eighteen was as follows : — Blues. Garrick, double ; Charles 

 Dickens, King of the Blues, Argus, and Lord Palmerston, purpUsh 

 lilac with a white eye, and very effective ; of the nearly black kinds* 

 Feruck Khan and General Havelock ; Reds, Garibaldi, brilhant 

 dark crimson, Solfaterre, Von Schiller, Koh-i-Noor, Princess Helena, 

 soft rose, Florence Nightingale ; Blush, Gigantea, Seraphine, and 

 Grandeur ;t Merveille ; Snowball, white ; and Ida, yellow. Mr. Cat- 

 bush, of Barnet, who was third, had very good examples of Charles 

 Dickens, Feruck Khan, Due de Malakoff, buff, Leonidas, Grand Lilas, 

 Argus, and Marie. 



In Class 2, for twelve Hyacinths of six kinds, the same three ex- 

 hibitors competed as iu Class 1. and took the same relative positions 

 in the prize list. Messrs. Cutbush had very equally grown pairs of 

 Baron Von Tuyll, Grand Lilas, General Havelock, Von Schiller, 

 Macaulay. and Mont Blanc ; and Mr. "W. Paul had Garibaldi, Princess 

 Maiy of Cambridpe, very pale blue. Snowball, Florence Nightingale, 

 Koh-i-Noor, and Mont Blanc. These were also very fine examples of 

 cultivation, and were arranged with great care to show a variety of 

 colour. In the collection from Mr. Cutbush, of Barnet, the most 

 noticeable were Haydn, Grand LUas, and Mont Blanc. Mr. Macin- 

 tosh, of Hammersmith, sent among others Victoria Alexandrina, 

 bri.sht red, very fine in colour, though the bells were small. 



Class 3 was for six kinds, and for amateurs only. Here the first 

 prize went to Mr. Steel, of Hammersmith, who had well-grown ex- 

 amples of Grandeur a Merveille. Charles Dickens, Robert Steiger, 

 Grand Lilas. Gigantea, and Mont Blanc. Mr. Bartlett. also of Ham- 

 mersmith, was second with a good six, consisting of Elfrida, Charles 

 Dickens, Sultan's Favourite, Grand Lilas, Gigantea, and Queen of 

 the Netherlands, white. Mr. Wilding, 2, Chesterfield Street, Euston 

 Road, was third. Mr. Wiggins, gardener to W. Beck, Esq., of Isle- 

 worth, and Mr. Janes, North Road, Highgate, also sent good collec- 

 tions ; and others came from Mr. Beech, gardener to C. J. Herriea, 

 Esq., Sevenoaks ; Mr. Young; Mr. Hooker, Brompton ; Mr. Burden, 

 Mile End Road, Bow ; and Mr. Higgs, gardener to Mrs. Barchard, 

 Putney Heath. 

 Class 4 was for six kinds grown in pots in windows. Mr. Janea 



