190 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



C September 5, 1865. 



MI, globular, well fornietl, and very fragrant ; beautiful blush 

 rose,, very delicate, and very fresh. 



Prince dc Porcia, very \-igorous, with dull-green branches ; 

 thorns sharp, numerous, yellowish ; leaves composed of five 

 deep-green leaflets ; flowers large, about 10 centimetres in dia- 

 meter (4 inches), full, well formed; deep vivid vermilion. 



Pro/t'sstHrZlKf/inrtrc, very vigorous with bright-green branches; 

 thorns short, slightly recurved, yellowish ; leaves composed of 

 five pale-green leaflets ; flowers large, from 9 to 10 centimetres 

 in diameter (3A to 4 inches), in clusters of four- and six, fuU, 

 globular, well formed, very fragrant ; bright red, reverse of 

 petals silvery. 



Houvenir d'Almliam Lincoln, seedling from Cardinal Patrizzi, 

 vigorous, with reddish branches ; thorns sharp and brown ; 

 leaves composed of five to seven reddish-green leaflets ; flowers 

 medium size, from 7 to 8 centimetres in lUameter (2J to 

 31 inches), full, well formed; crimson, tinged with fieiy red, 

 purple, and rose. 



If'iUiam Eollissnn, veiy vigorous, with bright-green branches ; 

 thorns sharp and slightly curved, yellowish-brown ; leaves 

 composed of five bright-green leaflets ; flowers large, about 



9 centimetres in diameter (3J inches), full, globular ; magnifi- 

 cent vivid cherry-red. 



The following new Roses were obtained by Messrs. Gautreau 

 and Granger, aud rewarded \vith medals at the exhibition of 

 Brie-Comte-Eobert. 



Camille Bernardin (Gautreau), seedling from G'neral Jac- 

 quemmot, very vigorous, with dark-green branches; leaves 

 composed of five bright-green leaflets ; flowers large, about 



10 or 11 centimetres in diameter (4 and 4^ inches), full, well- 

 formed ; vivid red, edged with white ; free blooming and very 

 fragrant. 



Carl Cocrs (Granger), very vigorous ; wood .and foliage dark 

 green ; thorns rather numerous ; flowers ver.v large, from 10 to 

 12 centimetres in diameter (4 to 4J inches), full ; deep purple. 



Exposition dc Brie, very \-igorous, with reddish-green branches ; 

 thorns short and reddish ; leaves composed of five deeply-notched 

 leaflets, apple green ; flowers large, about 12 centimetres in dia- 

 meter (4J inches), fuU, well-formed ; beautiful dazzling vivid 

 red. 



From the foregoing copious, aud in some respects superfluous 

 descriptions it is easy to point out one variety likely to jirove au 

 acquisition — viz., JldUe Marguerite Dombrain. That it is 

 the best of M. Verdier's seedlings is evident from the descrip- 

 tion, and from the fact that he intends to publish an engraving 

 of it. The last three are probably good, and should they tuni 

 out so, Carl Coijrs will also be an acquisition for the sake of 

 its colour, which is still a desideratum. Nearly all the others 

 are too small for the prevailing taste, although under the high 

 cultivation of the Rose in this country, the actual size of the 

 flowers obtained is greater than in France. — Adolphus H. Kent, 

 Blcchinjiley, Surrey. 



KEW FKUITS AT THE S.UVBRIDGEWORTH 



ORCHARD-HOUSES. 



Pekhaps one of the greatest treats the lover of fruit culture 

 can find is to visit the orchard-houses of Messrs. Rivers & Son, 

 at Sawbridgeworth, which are now in their most attractive 

 condition. We have already made frequent visits to this 

 establishment, aud have never come away without being not 

 only wiser than we went, but deeply impressed with the won- 

 derful field which has yet to be exjjlored in fnrit culture. For 

 some years past Mr. Rivers, sen., has addressed himself to the 

 work of originating new varieties of fruits which should supply 

 the deficiences of those with which our gardeners have been so 

 long familiar. His first attempt was to obtain varieties either 

 very much earlier or very much later than those already in 

 cultivation ; and, reasoning from a commercial point of view, 

 in securing a crop of fruit a week or ten days earlier than 

 it is customary for the ordinary varieties to appear in the 

 markets, the fortimate possessor of such gains must necessarily 

 obtain an advantage over all other cultivators. This has been 

 strikingly illustrated by the Early Prolific Plum, which Mr. 

 Rivers raised now many years ago. This is well known to be, 

 if not the earliest, at least one of the earliest. Plums in culti- 

 vation. ^\^len Mr. Rivers saw what the futiu-e must be, he 

 attemi)ted, but very unsuccessfully, to iuduce large market 

 gardeners and orchardists to plant this Plum on an extensive 

 scale, and thereby secure the siipply of the home markets 

 before the foreign importations commenced, and before the old 



varieties of home fruit were nearly ready. Mr. Rivers pressed 

 his views in vain, and the large stock of yoimg Early Prohfic 

 Plum trees which he expected would have been bought up with 

 avidity was left on his hands, much to his disajipointment. 

 Great, however, was his faith in the correctness of the views 

 he had adopted ; and seeing the public would not accept the 

 advantage he offered he secitred it for himself, and the trees 

 that he coiJd not sell he planted in rows in his own groixuds. 

 How many thousands of bushels of fruit these trees have since 

 yielded, and how many hundreds of pounds sterling that fruit 

 has since produced, we are almost afraid to say ; but true it is 

 that for some years past the first Plums to be foitnd in the 

 streets of London are Rivers' Early Prolific, aud we believe 

 the supply comes mainly from these trees to which we have 

 referred. 



This is one Ultistration of the advantage of procuring varieties 

 of fruit which can be brought to market when the great mass 

 is not in season ; and it is to attain this end that Mr. Rivers 

 has devoted so many ye,ars to the acquisition of such desiderata, 

 and he has been beyond measure successful in arriving at the 

 desired result. This season has witnessed the realisation of 

 the most sanguine expectations in new varieties of the Peach. 

 For many long years the Red Nutmeg and Early Anne were 

 the earhest and best of which we could boast. Then came 

 the two small but nice varieties, Acton Scot and Springrove, 

 but neither of them was such as ardent fruit-growers ooiild be 

 satisfied with. Then we had from across the Atlantic a new 

 race in the form of the Early York, which Mr. Rivers intro- 

 duced a few years ago ; and from this, manipulated in the 

 most extraordinary way with Nectarines, Clingstone Peaches, 

 and the most heterogeneous and anomalous alliances, Mr. 

 Rivers has succeeded in raising a number of varieties, some 

 of which in earliness and others in excellence of flavour far 

 surpass anything already in cultivation. AVe have had the 

 opportimity for the last two or three ye.ars of watching the 

 development of these ; and now, after repeated trials and com- 

 parisons, the following have been selected from a large number, 

 all of which are good. 



The first is E.vrly .^.lfked, raised from the seed of Hunt's 

 Tawny Nectarine ! SingiJar fact ! It is a Peach of the ordi- 

 nary size, rather larger th.an otherwise, and marked with a 

 deep suture that is rather higher on one side than the otiier. 

 The skin is remarkably tender, pale straw-coloured on the 

 shaded side, and somewhat mottled with bright carmine on 

 the side next the sun. The flesh is white, with the jelly-like 

 transparency of that of a Pine Apple, perfectly melting, richly 

 flavoured and vinous, having an exquisite briskness that excites 

 the salivary glands, and cleans instead of clogging the palate. 



This delicious Peach ripens early in August. 



The D.IGMAE is another of those exquisitely flavoured 

 Peaches, not quite so large as the Early Alfred. It is the 

 second generation from the Early Albert, another excellent 

 variety raised by Mr. Rivers. The fruit is round, and marked 

 with a shallow suture, which is deei^est at the apex. The skin 

 is very tender, more than usually downy, of a pale straw colour, 

 almost entirely covered with minute crimson dots, so dense 

 that they almost form a solid mass of colour ; but here and 

 there sniaU patches of the yellow groimd colour show through 

 and give the appearance as if the fruit were mottled with yel- 

 low. Flesh white, with that gelatinous appear.ance that the 

 whole of these new sorts possess ; it is so tender as to melt 

 entirely away in the mouth, and the flavotir is very rich and 

 vinous. This ripens about the 10th of August. 



Alexan-dra Noblesse is a noble Peach, and a great gain — a 

 great gain in many ways, for it is of the largest size, and has 

 all the peculiar richness of flavour of the old Noblesse ; but, 

 unlike that variety, it has glands on the leaves, and is never 

 subject to mUdew'. It is a remarkable fact, which we should 

 like to have explained on physiological principles, that almost 

 all the Peaches and Nectarines that have glancUess leaves are 

 subject to mildew. 



This excellent variety was raised from the old Noblesse, and, 

 as we have already said, is of the largest size, round, and 

 marked with a deep suture. The skin is covered with a rough 

 down, and is quite pale without any trace of colour upon it. 

 The flesh is white, even to the stone, and is very melting, 

 juicy, richly flavoured, and vinous. 



a" very handsome and excellent Peach, which must take the 

 place of' the old Noblesse. It ripens eariy in August. 



Dr.. Hogg. — This is also a grand early Peach, both for its 

 size and the excellence of its flavour. It difi'ers, however, 

 from all of the preceding in not ha^-ing that very melting flesh 



