Angnst m, 1866. ] 



JOUllNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



14d 



in pots, and Peach trees against the wall of a lean-to orchard- 

 liousc, when the leaves were very tender in the spring. The 

 hot sewage is with me a reintdj- for all evils ; hnt for dip- 

 ping tender shoots in 125' is us hot as it should he. To 

 dip or to syrin^'i! makes all the dilTcniiee. I en<'lose you 

 three spcciniens of Hose foliano wliiih have undergone the 

 operation that yi>u may be enaliled to judge with a powerful 

 glass, how thorouglily the mildew has done its work on the 

 cuticle of the leaves, and also how thoroughly the former has 

 met with its death. 



No. 1. Leaves of Empereur de Maroc, syringed sixteen days 

 ago. 



No. 2. Caroline de Saiisal, syringed eight days ago. The 

 most determined subject I have met with. 



No. 3. Francois Laeharme, shoot diiijied three days ago in 

 sewage at a temperature of 1*25°. I syringed this bush also 

 at a heat of 110°, and I cannot i>erceive that it lias in the 

 least injured some very fine blooms which it has upon it, and 

 which J piu'posely allowed the liijuid to come in contact with. 



[On No. 1 the mildew was quite destroyed, but on Nos. 2 

 and 3 there were still traces of the mycelium.] 



125° would be quite hot enough for syringing young tender 

 shoots in spring in a gi-eenhouse or vinery, and for that pur- 

 purpose care must bo taken that the sewage is diluted with 

 half its bulk of plain water. For in:itance, ns I could not wash 

 the walls or clean the glass of my small vinery last autumn so 

 us to protect myself from the evils that Vines are heir to, I 

 resolved to syringe the house and Vines with sewage, just as 

 tlie infant clusters were showing this spring. I employed the 

 above dilution at a temperature of 130°, in the evening, and shut 

 up close. Early next morning I perceived from the drooping 

 appearance of the foliage that it did not Like it, so before the 

 sun could shine upon the house, I shaded the glass over com- 

 pletely with a sort of cheese-straining cloth which I have nailed 

 to thin der.l parallelogi-aras, the size of Cucumber-frame lights. 

 These were kept on till the sun ceased to strike on the house, 

 and then I syringed the Vines well with clean lukewarm water. 

 The foliage was all right next day, and I have never syringed 

 the Vines but once since, and tliat was just as tlie (irapes had 

 linished setting. Last year I kept on syringing the Vines till 

 the Grapes began to colour, but they tUd not show the nice 

 evenness of bloom that thcv do now from not syringing. Both 

 mildew and red spider have left the place in disgust. 



Hot sewage is certain death to the mildew and insect trilie, 

 when used in time ; in fact, I have purposely allowed a Hacon's 

 Incomparable Pear tree to become as badly attacked with red 

 spider as it could possibly be, and two syringings at 140° have 

 nearly destroyed the whole of the insects, and l>y constantly 

 syringing the trees right and left of it on the wall, these have 

 been imtouched. I am certain that if we are content to suffer 

 alittle from the disagreeable smell, sya-inging with sewage is one 

 of the most beneficial and eoonomiciil operations that can he 

 performed for the health of our trees. 



Mentioning the hot syringing to Mr. Murray, of the royal 

 forcing department at Frogmore, as we were walking through 

 the houses there last September, in connection with tlie subject 

 he pointed out to me a pair of sulphur bellows invented by Mr. 

 J. Lipscomb, Thames Street, Windsor, and capital they are tor 

 the purpose, casting the boitf a liotipi' (juite into the shade. I 

 procured a pair, costing 8.1. fid., this spring, but I am happy to 

 find that I do not require to use the apparatus. It is excellent 

 for distributing soot as well as sulphur, either of which is all 

 the better for use it previously passed through a hair or finely- 

 perforated zinc sieve. 



I am in great anxiety just now about my Potatoes. The 

 leaves became spotted three weeks ago, and the electrical state 

 of the atmosphere since that time, along with prevailing rnins, 

 have kept me haymaking at the haulm at every opportunity — 

 yes, hajinaking, for I could not stand still and allow my Po- 

 tato patches to become like a blackened, fcptid dung-heap, 

 which they presently would have done ; and as to cutting away 

 the haulm entirely that does more harm to the tubers than 

 letting it alone, on account of the exuding sap from the close- 

 severed stems running down and perpetually moistening the 

 ground, and thus inevitably causing disease. Well, I cut away 

 with the garden shears all ccunmunication between the foliage 

 of the separate ridges, and cleared away the severed leaves ; 

 then with a Parkes' fork I turned and bore all tlie growing 

 tops to the right-hand sides of the ridges, and with the fork 

 shghtly scratched the bare or left-hand sides, as well as the 

 bottoms of the trendies. When the sun had dried the surface 

 of the ground, and the uppermost side of the haulm, I imme- 



diately turned the haulm over to the left-hand side of the ridB«!> 

 and again scratched tlie surface of the soil laid liare. After- 

 wards I took the opportunity whenever the mm had again ilricJ 

 the surface of the soil and the foliage to turn the haulm cveiv 

 I believe that 1 shall save my crop from becoming diseased by 

 the above method, and it makes me more in favour of the ridgt?- 

 and-trench plan than ever. I could never have thouglit thaj' 

 Potato tops would have borne so much knocking about v.ith im- 

 ])unity ; and the sun soon converts the mildew-affected leave*-,, 

 when these are turned over to meet its scorcliing rays, into 

 tinder before the disease can be communicated to the stem-. 

 This rough mode of procedure, as regards the top, will, liow- 

 ever, upset some nice calculations I was in hopes of being aiJa 

 to make this season to satisfy Mr. Abbey. 



I have this instant come in from probing some roots on iha 

 ridges containing Fortyfolds, Lapstone Kidneys, Hogg's Cold- 

 stream, la ntrec's Seedling, and Daintree's Newest SeedlzBK^ 

 Tlie last I can speak of with umpialiiicd praise this year, 

 having grown it more largely. It is an iiujiroved early dwaii 

 Lapstone Kidney, and it is entirely owing to the trcalmt-ni' 

 that the original Potato suffered in the post-otlice three years 

 ago, that I have been unable to fully learn its qualities till now; 

 I cannot find a diseased Potato on those roots which I tried. 

 They are all quite ready to ho taken up. In fact, Hogg's am) 

 Dainlree's Newest were ready to dig for store more than it 

 fortnight ago had the weather peimitted, and as soon as it 

 pro\es propitious up they all come. The scali or rupture o? 

 the tissue of the skins of Potatoes which was the subject of in- 

 quiry lately from two or three correspondents, is, I conceive, 

 brought on simply by the wetness of the soil, caused by tb<j 

 rain or otherwise. — Upwakus and Onwauds. 



GARDENING AND GARDENS IN DORSETSHIRE.. 



THE REV. VV. F. RADCLYFFE's, TARRANT RUSHTON, 

 NEAR W.ANlJIOliU. 



The quiet and retired garden of the rectory of Tarrani; 

 Ilushtun, has become a classic sjjot in the annals <.'f horti-' 

 culture, and will long be retained in the recollections of the 

 lovers of gardening — by those who have not had the opportunity 

 of visiting it, from the large amount of solid information thai; 

 has been imparted thence through the medium of various 

 periodicals and direct corresjiondenee with its kind-hearte'l 

 owner ; and still more strongly by those, who, Uke myself, 

 have had the pleasure of seeing its " wonders," and have the; 

 happiness of sharing the generous sympathy and friendship o2 

 the good pastor. 



A visit to Kushton has never failed to leave a vivid and en- 

 during impression. Such would naturally be the case with any 

 one who linds the subjects tUeie treated identical with thos'j 

 to which he has directed his own attention. These subjects 

 are both familiar and useful ; and forming as they do item.* 

 in all gardens, more or less, and, moreover, easy of compre- 

 hension, and within the reach of all, and hence the more gene- 

 rally diffused, the success achieved at Kushton stands oiiS 

 more prominently than if the plants under eidtivation wero 

 rarities or less frequently met with than Koscs and Strawberries. 



The successful cultivation of the Ilcse and Strawberry, in 

 connection with which Mr. Kadclyffe's name has gained snch » 

 world-wide reputation, has not arisen from any accidental cir- 

 cumstances, such as favourable situation and suitable soil. On 

 the contrary, at Bushton both are vei-y unfavourable. Al- 

 though a very inadequate idea of a garden can be gleaned fron* 

 a written description, yet a brief account of Mr. Eadclyffe's 

 garden is necessary to enable your readers to form anythin;* 

 like a just estimate of the difficulties to be contended against in 

 a spot of ground not altogether fitted for horticidtural pm-posesi. 



The garden is rectangular in form, situated on the west side 

 of the dwelling-house, the four sides nearly corresponding !<> 

 the four cardinal points, and the longest sides are the north 

 and south, which are walled. It slopes somewhat abruptly 

 from east to west ; the east side is bounded by the house and 

 offices, and is partly overhung by some fine specimens of th-i 

 Horse-Cheetnut ; hence that portion of the garden is deprived 

 of the morning sun. These Horse-Chestnuts, I may remark, 

 having been planted on the most elevated and driest part i>i 

 the premises, have a remarkable growth and vigour, the foliago 

 being particularly fine, and larger than I have ever befoiu 

 noticed. The west side of the garden, many feet lower tbii» 

 the opposite end, is guarded by a Thorn hedge about 3 £ssi 



