Jue 25, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



453 



flower bnt in the growing state, and shall then be able to say 

 what I think of his method of growth, and to report how they 

 look this season. — D., Deal. 



FRUITING OF THE ROSE APPLE. 

 In the year 1853, when I had the care of the large oonsor- 

 Tatory at Chatsworth, under the late Sir Joseph Pnxton, I 

 fruited the Jambosa vulgaris (Eugenia jambos). The trees 

 then stood on the north-west quarter, and must have been 

 planted from fifteen to twenty years. They were between 

 12 and 15 feet high, and about 12 feet through. Being in very 

 robust health they did not produce much fruit. I believe the 

 Rose Apple has now been in this country nearly one hundred 

 years, and I have no doubt it had been fruited even before the 

 above date. — T. Jones, the Ganli n.-<, Ribston Hall, Wclhcrhij. 



In regard to several communications in late numbers of 

 The Jocknal of Horticultdre concerning the fruiting of the 

 Rose Apple, it has occurred to me that it will be interesting if 

 all who may have fruited it would send an approximate state- 

 ment of the time and place of its fruiting, and so the date when 

 it first fruited may be set at rest. 



I can myself state when and where it was fruited anterior 

 to the dates already noted in these pages ; but before I do so 

 it may bo well to rectify a slight error which has crept into the 

 discussion concerning the award lately given to fine examples 

 of this fruit by the Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society. The certificate was awarded to the fruit as 

 being exhibited for the first time at the Committee's meetings 

 in a properly ripened state ; and so well developed was the 

 fruit that it met with the Committee's approbation in the 

 points stated in the report, and upon which that body is bound 

 to adjudicate. The fact that the Rose Apple has been fruited 

 before does not confirm anything concerning its flavour. 



The Rose Apple was fruited in the plant stove at Dynevor 

 Castle, South Wales, in 1850. The plant was grown in a large 

 pot set upon a tan pit, had a fine clean bole, was about 5 feet 

 in height, had a round head about 3 feet in diameter, and bore 

 from six to eight fruit. The fruit was of a somewhat peculiar 

 flavour, otherwise it does not occur to me now to have been 

 very remarkable for excellence. I would not venture to say 

 whether the examples were good of their sort or not ; certainly 

 they were not so good as those lately exhibited. The gardener 

 at Dynevor at that time was my late lamented friend Mr. Henry 

 Bundy. — William Eakley. 



THE COMMON AND COLCHIAN LAURELS. 



In reference to the hardiness of the Colchian Laurel, I beg 

 to Bay, for the information of your correspondent, Mr. Eobson, 

 that its capabilities of withstanding the severities of a hard 

 winter have been well and suflieiently tested in this establish- 

 ment many years ago, having passed through that ever- 

 memorable winter, to horticulturists, of 1800-01. 



As many thousands of this invaluable Laurel are grown in 

 this nursery, I have had many opportunities, especially during 

 the spring of 1807, of pointing out to visitors its merits as 

 contrasted with the old common Laurel, large numbers of 

 which were occupying an adjoining piece of land. Seen at a 

 little distance, the latter had more the appearance of a "quarter" 

 of young Beech, they were so brown, than Laurels, while our 

 Colchian friend was as " green as a Leek. — J. Mayor, Walton 

 Nurseries, Liverpool. 



In this neighbourhood nearly all the common Laurels were 

 killed down to the ground by the severe frost of January, 

 1867, but as far as I had an opportunity of observing, the Col- 

 ehian Laurel was quite uninjured. — F. L. S., Blackheath. 



BUDDING MARSHAL NIEL ROSE ON GLOIRE 

 DE DIJON. 

 Those of your readers who possess a strong plant of Gloire 

 de Dijon, will be well repaid if they devote a part of it to 

 Marshal Kiel. Two years since I budded a shoot about half- 

 standard high ; last year by closely pinching all the shoots 1 

 formed a bushy head, which this year is a glorious cluster of 

 blooms. The stock appears to have sufficient influence to 

 colour the outer petals of a rosy buff, closely resembling the 



Gloire de Dijon ; the inner petals are the deepest yellow, and 

 the flowers are wonderfully solid and well formed. — T. F. B., 



Sawbridiiewurth, 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS. 



It may not be generally known, that some of the Narcissus 

 family grow wild in certain districts ; for instance, near here, 

 both on cultivated land, and in many places in the woodB, 

 where, in all probability, the soil has never been under cul- 

 tivation. Narcissus uniflorus grows by the thousand. A 

 neighbouring farmer last spring ploughed up a field which had 

 been two years in grass, and after the harrows had been over 

 the land one could very soon have picked up half a dozen 

 bushels of the bulbs. 



This Narcissus comes very early into flower, and its flowers 

 are very sweet-scented ; but some people consider them un- 

 pleasant when a handful is kept for a short time in a close 

 room. Still, being such an early-flowering plant (it flowers in 

 March), it will always be welcome. Many of the thimble- 

 like cupped flowers are very delicately fiinged round the 

 mouth. The flower stems being strong, and the flower itself 

 capable of being carried to a distance and afterwards remain- 

 ing in good condition for days, many an unwelcome hand 

 from the nearest towns ruthlessly pulls thousands of the 

 flowers, no doubt for sale. — G. Dawson, Chilworth, Romsey. 



MY ORCHARD-HOUSE JOURNAL. 



Slay 25. — The first Cherries ripe, the Guigne Tn'-s Prccoce, 

 a round black Cherry with a short stalk, the earliest of all, 

 and very sweet. 



May 30. — The Early Purple Guigne Cherry quite ripe. 

 Stalks very long and slender; fruit large, of a deep purplish 

 black, very beautiful, and most delicious. This sort is too de- 

 licate for open-air growth unless against a wall, and is very 

 liable to gum. The Guigne Marbrue Prccoce Cherry ripe. This 

 is the sort sent from France to London early in the month ; its 

 colour marbled red, and its flesh hard and flavourless. When 

 fully ripe its colour is dark purple, and its flesh melting and 

 juicy. 



June 3. — Cherries, a sort much like Early Purple Guigne, 

 Noir Precooe de Strasse, Bigarreau Jaboulay, and BeUe d'Or- 

 leans, ripe. The second is a rather small black Cherry, now 

 dead ripe, and very sweet. 



June 10. — Early Lyons Cherry (Hative de Lyons), ripe. 

 A very large dark red fruit, of firm flesh and excellent flavour. 

 Werder's Early Black, ripe. 



June 14. — Cherries Bradford Prolific, Black Tartarian (with 

 larger fruit than the Prolific), Napoleon Noir, with very small 

 stones. Brant, Large Black Bigarreau, Black Hawk, Bohemian 

 Black Bigarreau, and a host of other large black Cherries ripe ; 

 all remarkably rich and good, owing to the sunny weather. 



June 18. — Montgamet Pr^eoce Apricot ripe ; rather smaU, 

 juicy, and agreeable, the earliest of all. I saw this sort in the 

 beginning of the month at Messrs. Webber's in Covent Garden. 

 The fruit had just arrived from Bordeaux. 



June 20. — Sardinian Apricot (Abricot de Sardaigne), ripe. 

 Under glass this is a delicious fruit ; its flesh is white, juicy, 

 and like a sweetmeat. Prococe d'OuUns Apricot commencing 

 to ripen. This is a few days earlier than the Oulins Early 

 Peach, but is not so rich. 



Jane 22. — The Early Beatrice Peach commencing to colonr. 

 This is as yet the earliest Peach known. ~S^ 



The following are the registers of temperature for the week 

 just past, in dense shade in the open air, and the same in the 

 orchard house at 2 p.m. each day : — 



Open air. Orchard house* 



June 14 81 93° 



„ 15 75° 87" 



„ IB 75^ 86° 



„ 17 84° 96' 



„ 18 76° ; 88° 



„ 20 83° 90° 



„ 21 82° 89* 



— T. R. 



VARIETIES OF THE GENUS VIOLA. 

 I OBSERVED in page 428, some remarks by Mr. J. Wills on a 

 new white Viola, Viola cornuta alba, which he anticipates will 

 become an especial favourite for edgings, its foliage being neat, 

 and its habit compact and procumbent. He also considers 

 that it will form a fine associate to Viola cornot4i and lutea. 



