M»T VI, 1808. ] 



journatj of hobtiodltube and oottaqb gakdeneb. 



371 



the chances of mating them keep. The obvious remedy is to 

 keep the Vine border also dry. 



There are various modes of effecting this object. The sur- 

 face of the Vine border may be permanently concreted in a 

 manner that has before been suggested by some persons, or it 

 may be covered by a wooden roof as others have proposed. 

 The simplest and cheapest contrivance is that used at Dang- 

 Stoin, the scat of Mr. and Lady Dorothy Nevill. There Peach 

 trees are trained to a short south-west wall, to which is affixed 

 a framework for lights to protect the trees from late spring 

 frosts, and the fruit from heavy rains when it is approaching 

 maturity. To the corresponding wall on the opposite side of 

 the garden are trained Apricot trees, which are also provided 

 with a casing for the same purpose. Now, these lights are 

 doubly useful, because by the time, or very soon after, the 

 trees begin to require an increase of exposure to the sun and 

 atmosphere to ripen their wood, the Vine border requires shelter 

 from the autumnal rains. A framework for the lights is 

 roughly knocked together and placed over the Vine border, 

 then the lights which have been taken from the Peach and 

 Apricot trees, and which are as long as the Vine border is 

 wide, serve to cover the whole in, and thus the border is ef- 

 fectually guarded from rain and very cold weather. Those who 

 may feel inclined to adopt this plan can, according to their 

 own fancy, please themselves whether they remove the cover- 

 ing in fine weather. If, however, it be thought desirable to do 

 so, a little extra attention will be needed in preparing the cover- 

 ing 80 as to render it light and portable. Of course, these 

 covers are not intended merely for autumn service, they also 

 secure the borders from the bad effects of cold rain, melted 

 snow, or frost when the Vines are in growth in the spring, and 

 should be provided wherever fine Grapes are wanted. — Geokoe 

 Newlik. 



FRUITING THE ROSE APPLE. 

 £ BEE in your Number of May 7th, that Mr. Carr, gardener 

 to P. L. Hinds, Esq., exhibited some ripe fruit of Eugenia 

 jambos, the Rose Apple, and he is stated to be the first that 

 fruited it in this country. Instead of such being the case, I 

 must have been the first, for I fruited it two years ago in the 

 stove at Hoolcy, which was then filled with tropical fruits, and 

 I have now young plants 3 feet high raised from the seeds.— 

 J. C. MuSDELL, Gardener to J. C. Pickersgill-Cunliffe, Esq., 

 Hoolqi Hall, Coulsdon. 



DACTYLIS GLOMERATA VARIEGATA. 



As there seems to be much difference of opinion respecting 

 this plant, and as some writers have spoken of it as being 

 either new or not well known, I may state that we have had it 

 at Linton Park since 1857, and I believe before that time. In 

 that year I had edgings of it which withstood the winter ; but 

 so many of the plants died off in the following spring that I 

 did not plant it so extensively that season, and leaving it in 

 the ground another year, most of the plants perished, as well 

 as some that were kept in pots— indeed I may say I lost it 

 wholly, but obtained it again, and with a like result. This 

 induced me to believe that the plant was an annual, as only on 

 the other side of the fence the green form is one of our most 

 common Grasses ; yet I hardly think this the case, and having 

 since obtained the plant more than once from other sources, 

 and observed a similar unsatisfactory dying-off, not in the case 

 of a hard winter only, but with plants in the greenhouse, I am 

 anxious to know if others have experienced similar results. 



Two Grasses of a greyish hue, Stipa glauca and a Festuca 

 (I believe also glauca), thrive very well, and nothing can exceed 

 the luxuriance of the old Eibbon Grass ; but, on the other 

 hand, the variegated Poa spoken of indifferently by some seems 

 likely to follow in the same way as this Daetylis. It has not 

 manifested any signs of becoming green, but is hable to die off 

 like the Daetylis. Perhaps some one who has been successful 

 with the latter will report his practice ; for my own part, 

 I expected that a hardy plant, as it might be supposed 

 to be, would require no more attention than other perennials, 

 and consequently left much of it to its fate. Some plants, 

 however, were retained in pots and treated as greenhouse plants 

 with no better result. I believe that, like the Iresine and some 

 other plants, it does better in the north than near London, 

 and I hope that either Mr. Thomson or Mr. Wills will tell us 

 more about it. I believe that it originated in the county in 

 which the latter lately resided, as I recollect seeing it in a very 



luxuriant condition in a garden near Ormskirk in ISSG or 1857, 

 and I suppose its good and bad qualities must be well known 

 there by this time. — J. Bobsok. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.— M.vt 19m. 



Fecit Committee. — Mr. KdmondH in the chair. A prize wag 

 offered for the beet three dishes of Htrawherries, for which there wa» 

 only one exhibition, consisting of Oscar, Sir Harry, and Sir Charles 

 Napier. Sir Harry and Oscar wero largo and of tine flavour, while 

 Sir Charles Napier was rather deficient m the latter respect. Xho 

 first prize was awarded Mr. Barnwell, gardener to John Fleming, Eso.,^ 

 of Kilierran, Maybole, N.B. A first urize was awarded to Mr. Milla, 

 gardener to Lord Carrington, Wycombe Abbey, for a dish of very fine 

 Elton Cherries. He also exhibited an equally handsome dish of 

 Black Tartarian or Circassian. Mr. Tegg, gardener to the Dake of 

 Newcastle, at Clumber, obtainfd first prizes for excellent dishes of 

 Royal George Peaches and Brugnon Nectarines ; the fruit was very 

 tine, and the Nectarines especially were delicious in flavour. Mr. W. 

 Uoberts, gardener to Lord Cranworth, Holwood, Bromley, sent a 

 small, green, oval Melon, which, however, was very deficient in flavour. 

 Mr. B. S. Williams sent fruit of a new hybrid Melon, which wag 

 grown in a small pot on the back shelf of a vinery. It is said to be 

 twelve to fourteen days earlier than any other known kind, a vigoroaa 

 grower, and free setter. The flavonr was good, but the fruit was not 

 sufficiently ripened. Messrs. Harrison & Sons, Leicester, sent a seed- 

 ling Apple, named Annie Eli/abetb, raised from Bess Pool. It is a 

 large ovate yellow fruit, with a solid, firm flesh, remarkable at this late 

 season, but the flavonr was rather passed. Mr. Lomas, of the Willows, 

 Tooting, sent two handsome Cucumbers of Eollisson's Telegraph, which, 

 however, had been kept too long, and were rather pale in colour. 



Floral Commtttee. — Another very Buccessful meeting was held 

 this day. The removal of the shutters of the Council room and ex- 

 tending the tables for exhibiting the plants was a very great improve- 

 ment, especially on so hot a day. There were a great many exhibitors. 



Mr. Bracher, Wincanton, sent cut specimens of Zonal Pelargonium 

 Comte de Moltke ; also four seedling Pansies, one named Welbeck 

 Black was the darkest-coloured Pansy yet seen ; it was most intensely 

 black, without the least shade of purple. The three others— viz., 

 Purple Prince, Black Diamond, and Velvet Cushion, were all very 

 dark flowers. Mr. D. Scarfe, gardener to T. Ronaldson, Esq., exhi- 

 bited a seedling Pelargonium of the large-flowering section, with very 

 crumpled dark red flowers. Messrs. Rollisson & Sons sent a large 

 collection of plants, which was awarded a special certificate. Among 

 them were Gymnogramma chrysophylla cristata, Biguonia argyrea 

 violescens, Pandanus sp., and several other interesting specimens. 



Mr. Wimsett, Chelsea, exhibited plants of Coleus Marshall!, C. Tel- 

 fordii, and C. Murrayi ; the latter had lost its character from having 

 been too mnch forced, it will be sent again, and will then, doubtless, 

 receive a certificate. Mr. Wimsett also exhibited several Zonal Pelar- 

 goniums of the Gold and Broaze section — viz.. Empress Eugenie, 

 Admiration, The Snltan, Viceroy, Little Golden Christine, and Little 

 Golden Spread Eagle; the plants were small, and the Committee 

 deferred making awards to any Zonal Pelargonium till the special 

 show of these plants, which iz fixed for the 16th of June, when a better 

 opportunity for comparison will be offered. The special attraction in 

 this collection of plants was the hybrid Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, and 

 after sixteen years' perseverance Sir. Wills has thus succeeded in pro- 

 ducinp' a new race of flowers. The varieties not being named could 

 receive no award, but they will be sent again and ivill then be dealt 

 with. A special certificate was awarded the collection. Mr. North ' 

 sent a golden-leaved Pansy, which looked as if suffering from disease. 

 Mr. Salter, Hammersmith, exhibited a large collection of most beauti- 

 ful Pyrethrums, the flowers were hardly in perfection. A special 

 certificate was awarded them. Mr. Fry, Manor Nursery, sent a seed- 

 ling Verbena, Dr. Livingstone, a very good scarlet flower with a com- 

 pact truss, very like Firefly. 



Mr. Tillery sent a plant of a Variegated Zonal Pelargonium, a sport 

 from Imperial Crimson, of dwarfer habit ; it maybe nsefnl for edgings, 

 but the plant was not in condition. Mr. Turner, Slough, exhibited 

 several seedling Pelargoniums. Troubadour, of a soft salmon rosy 

 tint with a white centre, a remarkably fine flower, received a first- 

 class certificate. Fancy Pelargonium Fanny Gail*, East Lynne, a 

 very lively flower, Princess Teck, and Leotard, were each awarded 

 a first-class certificate. Mr. Turner also sent several seedling Varie- 

 gated Zonal Pelargoniums, some of them of great promise, particularly 

 Mademoiselle Nilssou and Mrs. Hugh Bemers, these will receive 

 their awards on the special show day. A special certificate was 

 awarded this interesting collection. Mr. Williams sent a see dling 

 white-flowering Pelargonium, usefnl for bouquets, also Arachnanthe 

 muscifera. a very curious white Orchid, which received a first-class 

 certificate, and many other plants, among them several Orchids._ A 

 special certificate was given for the collection. Messrs. Downie, Laird, 

 and Laing sent four fine specimens of their Golden Bronze Zonal Pe- 

 largoniums, and Mr. Tanton, Epsom, seedling Gloxinias, too rough 

 and coarse. Paul Jones, a pale lavender, was the best among them. 

 Messrs. F. & A. Smith, Dnlwich, contributed a krge collection of 

 plants ; among them were Tropajolnm Mrs. Tredwell, Variegated 

 Zonal Pelargoniums, and seedliiig Azaleas. Of the last, Bose of 



