252 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ September 26, 1865. 



the top-dreasing and take off the stalks level with the crown of 

 the roots, which will bring away all the small offsets, as these 

 are found adhering to the base of the fiower-stem beneath 

 the soil. This done, cover with .3 inches of prepared com- 

 post, the same as that used in making the bed. All the small 

 offsets being removed, only flowering roots will be left, and the 

 bed will be finer in the second year than in the first. 



The most suitable times to plant Lilies is in October and 

 November, and February and March, or whilst they are in a 

 dormant state. A fine bed is formed by placing L. Brownii in 

 the centre, L. eximium next it, and edging with L. longiflorum. 

 L. Catesba'i makes a bed of lovely orange scarlet. It succeeds 

 well in peat, but there is not a Lily that will not thrive luxu- 

 riantly in the compost named for L. speciosum. 



L. giganteum, jajionicum, Wallichianum, and auratum have 

 not as yet proved strictly hardy, but there is reason to believe 

 that they will succeed out of doors with slight protection in 

 winter. L. japonicum does well with 3 inches of dry leaves 

 or litter placed over it in November and removed in March. 

 Were the large store roots of L. giganteum and others of that 

 section planted out in May. there is every probabihty that 

 they would bloom finely, and might be taken up and potted 

 in autumn and wintered in a cold pit, replanting them in 

 spr.ng. I am not in a position to pronounce them hardy, but 

 am persuaded that they might be successfully grown in many 

 parts of the country with very slight protection. Any infor- 

 mation on this point would be useful to many, and to none 

 more so than mj'self. — G. Abbey. 



POTATOES. 



I VF.NTfRE to send you a few particulars respecting Potatoes, 

 I shall feel obliged if yon can return me some practical advice 

 thereon. 



I planted Ash-leaved and Alma Kidneys at the same time, in 

 tlie same field, the seed of both coming from a distance. The 

 Almas were ripe first, and yielded best ; they were scarcely 

 touched with disease. The Ash-leaved were diseased perhaps 

 to the amount of 10 per cent. 



I planted a Yorkshire Potato called " Cash-in-Hand " at the 

 same time with Flukes. The Gash-in-Hand were diseased to 

 the extent of )n'obably 50 per cent., the Flukes scarcely at all. 

 The Cash-in-Hand I introduced to this land three years ago. 

 The first year it bore well, with very little disease. The seed 

 put in this year was descended from that of isr>3, but came 

 last year from other land. The Flukes I had this year from 

 Lancashire. Where the land was numured with stable manure 

 for this year's crop almost aU the Potatoes ^Yere diseased. — 

 H. W. B. 



[We do not discern on what points you need advice, except 

 not to apply decomposing manures to the soil at the time of 

 planting Potatoes. When the Potato murrain was a subject of 

 much research it was showii that such manuring promoted the 

 disease. The early-ripening varieties only should be culti- 

 vated. We reject any variety that is not lit for storing by the 

 end of July or early in August ; and we take up the tubers as 

 soon as the leaves begin to turn brown. Storing before the 

 tubers have been subjected to the autumnal rains jjromotes 

 their keeping. They do not improve by being left in the 

 ground so soon as the leaves begin to decay.] 



TEMPERATURE OF THE SEASON. 

 We have had some extremely hot weather for September. On 

 the IGth I put out two of our ordinary thermometers at 12. .5 p.m. 

 to ascertain the heat. The men were complaining that it was 

 hotter than it had been all the summer. I send mj' notes and 

 times of taking my observations. I do not know that I ever 

 found so great a change in young nursery stock in three weeks 

 in my practice of twenty-five years. 



1.4.'> P.M., tlieraiometer 12 inches from ground, buck to sun, S9- ; north 

 wall 4 feet from ground, 79\ 

 3 P.M., 4 feet from gi-otmd, same position, S5- ; north waU, 82^. 

 6.30 P.M., ditto, 18-=; north wall, 76-. 



— Willow Cottage Nursery, Leicester. 



Kew. He is not only worthy of the appointment, but had an 

 additional claim to it from latterlj* having so much assisted his 

 father. 



DiHECTOK OF Kew Gap.dens. — We have very great satisfaction 

 in announcing that Dr. .T. D. Hooker is apjjointed to succeed 

 his father in the Directorship of the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, at 



FUNGUSES ON PASTURE GRASSES. 



Can you inform me what is the matter with the enclosed 

 grass ? Several fields in this neighbourhood have within the 

 last two weeks put on this appearance. The whole surface 

 looks of a yellow colour, and the feet are covered with a fine 

 yellow dust while walking over it. Do you consider it in- 

 jurious to animals ? The disease seems principally to attack 

 Eye Grass. — Hayes, Kent. 



[The yellow patches so conspicuous on the grass, leaves, and 

 stems, are a fungus, Uredo rubigo, or rust. Being in such vast 

 quantities we fear it will be injurious to cattle pastured upon 

 the grass. We would have it all mown and burnt, and the 

 fields then sown with salt, twenty bushels to the acre. The 

 rain which has now arrived will soon bring forward a healthier 

 herbage.] 



CHANNEL ISLANDS ORCHAED-HOUSES. 



The season, on the whole, has been favourable to the pro- 

 duction of the year's crop and the ripening of the wood for the 

 ensuing one. Aphides have been incessant in their attacks ; 

 and the spider, rubra, cura, has remained master of the situ- 

 ation in many instances. Grapes have coloured badly. The 

 Peach crop, which was large, was scarcely an average in size, 

 colour, or flavour. Most houses here are lean-to's, and the 

 fruit on the back walls was decidedly finer than on bush trees 

 in pots, as might be expected. Our powers of veutilation and 

 irrigation were often severely tried, especially the former. 



I now send a report on the average jieriods of ripening of 

 fruits in our houses. Of course it is only approximate on the 

 whole, but this is sufficient for our purpose. It is collected 

 from a certain nrunber of houses within this small radius, and 

 is based on data from one to five years old. Nevertheless, if 

 others would do the same as regards the orchard-houses- near 

 them, it is easy to see what valuable information would result. 

 These things have as yet been left undone, while they are of 

 such real value that many mistakes annually occur from tliis 

 cause alone, and much loss of time and money. Let any one 

 try to give hints to another without having previously lumself 

 accurately recorded these periods in his note-book, and he wiU 

 soon discover that he has done his friend an injury. I speak 

 here of the dates of the various fruits ripening, but there are 

 many other matters equally worthy of being written down and 

 not trusted to memory. 



The periods of ripening have been reduced to the compass 

 of a week, which is about the average range. 



July. — The first Peach that has ripened here dming five 

 seasons has, as yet, been Early York. It was ripe in certain 

 quantities by the middle of July. It was closely followed by 

 Early Cheweuse, Desse Hative, Early Victoria, Early Silver, 

 Honey, Canary, and Early (xrosse Mignonne. These were 

 generally fairly ready during the third week of this month, 

 and gave us an excellent succession. The end of July brought 

 to maturity Done, Acton Scot, and Golden Purple. These 

 Peaches vary in quality, but are generally good. As mine go 

 to Covent Garden, realising good profits to the dealers, but 

 veiT little to myself, I am sceptical as to the prices some 

 amateurs say they themselves have netted. However, I can 

 easily say wliich of the July Peaches are the most to be depended 

 on, and I am building an early-house expressly for this class, 

 which is the most valuable in the Loudon and Paris markets. 

 In the latter case the July Peaches come from Algiers. The 

 Montreuil Peaches come in later. 



August. — We now tread closely on the open waU, and 

 Peaches become comparatively less valuable unless very fine. 

 The first week, however, is still a good test of earhuess for 

 orchard-houses anywhere. Early Crawford Peach, Violette 

 Hative Nectarine (in abundance). Elvers' Orange, Downton, 

 and Abee Peach, were generally ripe then. During the second 

 week we had Imperial, Du TeUiers, Stanwick, Eoyal Victoria, 

 Bowden, Eoman, and Oldenburg Nectarines, and Stump-the- 

 World Peach. Eoyal George, Eed Magdalen, and Grosse Mig- 

 nonne Peaches from the open wall, making their appearance 

 on table about this period, were formidable rivals. AVe do 

 not, therefore, place the house in opposition to the wall just 

 now, except for Nectarines, in the Channel Islands. In these 

 it is always unrivalled, no matter the season. 



