376 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Ha; 21. 18E& 



The centre walk of the walled garden ia 12 feet wide, and the 

 cross walks 8 feet in width, and they are all made of great 

 depth, with a drain beneath the centre, and edged with Thrift. 

 On the south-aspect wall, 12 feet high, which is flued, but the 

 heating apparatus is never used, there was a splendid crop of 

 Peaches and Nectarines, and on the north aspect Morello 

 Cherries were bearing abundantly ; so, too, were the Apricots 

 on the east wall, and Pears, especially the Winter Nells, 

 on the west aspect. The whole of the wall trees bore evidence 

 of careful management, as did a number of pendulous quenou- 

 ille-trained trees on the Pear stock, planted round the quarters, 

 which were filled with excellent crops of vegetables. Between 

 these and the principal walks, however, was planted a breadth 

 of Dell's Beet, the deep-coloured foliage of which, shining with 

 a metallic lustre, proved very ornamental, and certainly, from 

 the quantity of it grown, there was no fear of falling short of 

 a. supply of the roots for salads, or, indeed, any culinary 

 purpose. 



The preceding account of the gardens at WoUaton is neces- 

 sarily very imperfect ; much has been omitted that ought to 

 have been noticed, but the time was too brief for a thorough 

 inspection of the place, and it only remains to pay a well- 

 merited tribute to the ability with which it is managed in every 

 department by Lord iliddleton's skilful gardener, Mr. Gadd. 



CARBOLIC ACID r. GREEN FLY AND MILDEW. 



In looking over the " Homci'opathio World" lent me to 

 read by a friend, I was much struck with the following article, 

 which I give you at full length, hoping that you will make 

 some remarks upon it. 



" Greenhouses. — Insects or fly, also oidium, or white blight 

 on Vines, may be prevented by placing a dish containing car- 

 bolic acid about the centre of the greenhouse." — Hautay. 



ON TLMSING SEEDLING PEACHES. 

 , Op the numerous and refined pleasures offered by horticul- 

 ture, few are more delightful than the production of new plants 

 from seed. The pursuit is limitless and full of pleasing though 

 often tantalising variety, and no small stock of patience is 

 requisite ; but, per contra, a certain reward is given with in- 

 discriminate liberality by nature to the chance eiJorts of the 

 careless, and to the careful and deeply-laid plana of the skilful 

 experimentalist. The numerous fine varieties of fruits obtained 

 by accident prove this thorough impartiality ; the theory of 

 progressive improvement held by Tan Mons has been negatived 

 by the result of his labours, very few of the thousands of seed- 

 ling fruits raised by him remaining to attest by their excellence 

 the truth of his theory. This is encouraging to the beginner, 

 and not disheartening to the experienced ; the prizes being 

 still open, and the more valuable from the difficulty in gaining 

 them. 



Following at a humble distance the experiments of my father, 

 I have for some years watched with great interest the variation 

 of Peaches and Nectarines from seed, such observations being 

 rendered possible after the introduction of orchard houses ; and 

 I now venture to make a few suggestions to your readers, in the 

 hope that the improvement already established may be carried 

 a step farther by others. The Noblesse and Grosse Mignonne 

 Peaches are so excellent that they can scarcely be improved, 

 except in size. These two varieties constitute, therefore, the 

 sources from which improvement may be expected. One of 

 the most desirable quaUties to obtain in a new race of Peaches 

 must be precocity in ripening ; and one of the earliest of 

 Peaches is the Early Nutmeg, worthless as a fruit, but valuable 

 as a parent. By fertilising this sort with Grosse Mignonne or 

 Noblesse, a large early variety may be hoped for. As a union 

 ■which may possibly lead to a curious result, I should recom- 

 mend fertilising the immense Pavie de Pompone and the 

 Fairchild's Early Nectarine with the first-named Peach. 



The Petite Mignonne, a pretty early Peach remarkable for 

 its fertility, by judicious crossing is capable also of being made 

 the progenitor of vastly improved descendants. Its union with 

 the Stanwick Nectarine may be productive of some interesting 

 varieties. The Early Anne and the Acton Scot, though now 

 superseded, are well "known and available ; both varieties may 

 he improved by crossing with large Peaches— such as the Eoyal 

 George, Noblesse, and Grosse Mignonne. The early Peaches 

 I have named are now superseded by vastly improved varieties 



— such as the Early Rivers, the Early Louise, and the Early 

 Beatrice ; but they are still valuable as parents, and they may 

 by skilful crossing originate some sorts possessing the requisite 

 faculty of precocity. A seedling Peach has already been raised, 

 which for two successive seasons has ripened from the 6th to 

 the 10th of July, three weeks before the Early Nutmeg, at one 

 time the earliest of known Peaches. This is a great step in 

 advance, and will be especially valuable in Scotland, as a Peach 

 ripening in the south of England in the beginning of July 

 would probably ripen in the early part of August in Scotland, 

 and would most likely ripen on walls in districts where the 

 Peach is hardly to be obtained. 



Good Peaches ripening in the Peach season are plentiful 

 enough, and the standard of excellence seems to have been 

 reached in the (trosse Mignonne, the Galande, and the No- 

 blesse ; but an improvement may be established in these in 

 point of size and hardiness. The Alexandra Noblesse, raised 

 from the Noblesse fertilised with the Stanwick Nectarine,. 

 differs from the Noblesse in having crenate leaves and globose 

 glands ; and it is not liable to mildew, a point of which the 

 importance will be at once acknowledged by all gardeners who 

 have grown the Noblesse, which has a strong tendency to be 

 affected with mildew. The mixture of the Stanwick has modi- 

 fied this tendency, and has even almost improved the flavour 

 of the fruit. I do not doubt but that the crossing of the Grosse 

 Mignonne with the Stanwick Nectarine will also produce some 

 remarkable results. To obtain an advance in size, the enormous 

 Pavies or Clingstone Peaches, which are amazing for their size, 

 should be used as parents, and crossed persistently with the 

 Stanwick Nectarine, the Grosse Mignonne, and Galande 

 Peaches, and also with the small early Peaches before re- 

 ferred to. 



I cannot lay too great a stress upon the invaluable qualities 

 of the Stanwick Nectarine as a fertilising agent ; it is robust, 

 hardy, free from a tendency to mildew, and gives fruit very 

 different from the ordinary Nectarines in size and flavour ; and 

 has the additional recommendation — no mean one in an 

 orchard house — of having large and brilliant flowers, a property 

 that should be always considered in starting an orchard house. 

 The experiment of crossing Peaches with Nectarines is very in- 

 teresting, the produce being given without any regard to 

 parentage, Peaches producing Nectarines, and rice rcrsA. The 

 French pomologists, or at least some of them, deny this fact ; 

 but as I have undoubted proof of this eccentricity, I must beg 

 to differ from " Messieurs les Pomologues," and to assert that 

 the best evidence can be given of the indiscriminate nature of 

 seedling Peaches and Nectarines. As interesting and distinct 

 races of Nectarines for crossing with Peaches, I may mention 

 the New White and the Pitmaston Orange. 



The late Peaches, of which the Boudin, Tt'ton de Venus, and 

 Desse Tardive, may be selected as the types, have a great ten- 

 dency to drop their fruit before coming to maturity, except in 

 very favourable seasons. This fault is probably due to the 

 fact that the tree has finished its growth before the fruit is 

 fully ripe, and with the cessation of the circulation of the sap, 

 the power of the fruit to derive nourishment from the tree ie 

 weakened. To obviate this defect, the experimentalist should 

 select varieties of Peaches or Nectarines which continue grow- 

 ing to a very late period ; successive generations will produce 

 improvement in size and flavour. An American Peach named 

 Poole's Late Yellow will hang on the tree until the middl© 

 of November ; Thomas's November, Pride of Autumn, Bald- 

 win's Late, and the Heath Clingstone are November Peaches, 

 and if crossed with the Stanwick Nectarine or the Noblesse 

 and Grosse Mignonne Peaches, some singular sorts will no 

 doubt be originated, if planted in a dry and cool house, with 

 sufficient heat at command to exclude frost. As Peaches may 

 be preserved a long period, the time may not be far distant 

 when the dessert on Christmas-day will not be considered com- 

 plete without the noble-looking fruit which has been the glory 

 of the summer and autumn. — T. F. Kiveks, Sawbridgeimrtli,, 

 Herts (in The Gardener). 



PELARGONIUIM RETICULATUJI. 

 This unique and singularly beautiful variety of the Nosegay 

 section has leaves elegantly netted or traversed, during the 

 winter and spring, with golden veins upon a green ground, and 

 throughout the warm dry summer months finely marked with 

 a tracery of green network upon a golden ground. Its large and 

 compact trusses of rich crimson bloom ara in the istjle ol 



