402 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ NoTember 11, 1866. 



Grape, ripening in a cool honse in August, and it will hang as long 

 as the BarbaroBsa -without exhibiting any symptoms of decay. This 

 was awarded a first-class certiticate. The other was Lateroade Noir, 

 a large oval Grape, with dark black purple skin, and covered with a 

 thin grey bloom. The flesh is tender, but has not a very rich flavour. 

 On comparing it with Lady Downe's it was found to be mnch inferior. 

 There was also a good dish of Belle Agathe Cherry, but in conse- 

 quence of the late rains the flavour was gone. 



Mr. H. Downing, gardener to Thomas Grissell, Esq., of Norbury 

 Park, Dorking, sent a dish of magnificent Pomegranates, grown against 

 a wall in an orchard-house. They were equal to the finest imported, 

 perfectly ripe, and, in consequence of the highly meritorious pro- 

 duction, they received a special certificate. 



Mr. Challis. gardener to Lady Herbert of Lea, sent a fine specimen 

 of Charlotte Eothschild Pine, and Lady Dorothy Nevill sent froit of 

 Monstera dcliciosa, perfectly ripened, and excellent in flavour. 



Messrs. Stuart & Mein, of Kelso, sent specimens of a small Savoy, 

 ■which is not so good as the Karly Ulm, and has the disadvantage of 

 being too open. The Yellow Blumenthal Savoy was not considered so 

 great a desideratum in this country as it is in Germany, where its 

 yellow colour recommends it as the best of the Cabbage tribe for saur- 

 traut. The Miniature Drumhead Cabbage, exhibited by the same 

 gentlemen, was a coarse form of the Chon Joannet, or St. John's 

 Cabbage. 



Mr. C. J. Perry, of Birmingham, exhibited a dish of dessert Apples, 

 the name of which was unknown. A large collection was received from 

 the Society's garden all correctly named. 



Mr. HeniT Dewar, of Xewcastle-on-Tyne, sent stalks of very excel- 

 lent white solid C'eleiy, and roots of his new seedling Beet. The latter 

 is a very handsome root, with a small neck. The flesh is a brilliant 

 dark red, and the leaves are bronzy or greenish. "When baked (not 

 boiled— never boil Beet), it was delicious. This received a first-class 

 certificate. 



SciKHTiric MEKTrao. — W. Wilson Saunders, Ksq., F.E.S., in the 

 chair. The awards having been read over by the Rev. Joshua Dii, 

 and G. Wilson, Esq., the Chairmen of the Floral and Fruit Com- 

 mittees, Mr. Saunders said that he was glad to observe a collection of 

 interesting economic plants from Mr. Bull, and stated that it was the 

 intention of the Society to gather together such plants, so that its 

 Fellows should have a knowledge and appreciation of their nature and 

 nsee. He then calb d upon the Rev. Mr. Berkeley to make his remarks 

 on the subjects exhibitsd. 



Mr. Berkeley said, that before doing so he would take the oppor- 

 tnnity of stating, that a scarlet Quamoclit, exhibited by Mr. Earley 

 at the last meeting, and which, contrary to the usual habit of the 

 species of Quamoclit in this countr}-, was a perennial, proved to be a 

 form of Quamoclit phcenicea. Dr. Thomson told him that several of 

 the species of Quamoclit were perennial in India, though annuals in 

 this country. Referring, then, to the subjects before the present meet- 

 ing, he stated that of two plants sent by Major Clarke, one was sup- 

 posed to be a species of Jatropha, or Manihot, with peltate, digitate 

 leaves, which had peculiar stipules at the base of the petioles ; and 

 the other, Mr. Gibson had suggested, might be one of the Piperacea, 

 and, probably, an Artanthe. A Cuscuta, from Mr. Bull, exhibited last 

 year as Cuscuta cbinensis, if not identical with Cuscuta reflexa, was 

 very like it. Mr. Berkeley then directed attention to a collection of 

 Gourds which he had brought from his own garden. They had been 

 raised from seeds sent him from Paris by M. Naudin, who had re- 

 duced all the varieties experimented with there to four species — namely 

 Cncnrbita Pepo, maxima, moschata, and melanosperma. and to these 

 every variety which was before the meeting could be referred. The 

 first was distinguishable by the grooves on the stalks. Maxima, which 

 WW represented by a fine specimen of the Large Yellow Gourd, was 

 distinguished by the roundness of the foliage and the stalk being never 

 grooved. The rind, too, was generally soft, while in Pepo it was hard, 

 fitiU there was a variety, durissima, which had an excessively hard 

 rind. People, generally, were not aware of the great utility of Gonrds. 

 In France they were made into soup, as a jmire nothing could be 

 better, and they remained in use till the end of March. Of Cncnr- 

 bita moschata there was also a specimen, but this species seldom 

 ripened in England, though in Egypt and other hot countries it was 

 grown almost exclusively. The fourth species, C. melanospenna, had 

 black seeds ; and of this the collection contained two varieties, that 

 known as the Malabar Gourd, and another which he had first seen 

 noticed in Lowe's " Flora of Madeira." Among the Gourds were 

 two Lagenarias. It was important to distinguish the difference, for 

 they were not wholesome. The Lagenarias, or Bottle Gourds, were 

 known by the flowers being white, and like goffered calico. Mr. 

 Berkeley concluded by reading a letter, stating that a branch from an 

 old Black Frontignan Grape had been sent, bearing from one eve a 

 bnnch of l)lack and another of white Grapes, but the branch had 

 not arrived. 



Major R. Trevor Clarke having been requested to make some 

 remarks on the plants exhibited by Mr. Bull, said it was one of the 

 finest collections of economic plants that he had ever seen brought 

 together. The .Allspice, Araotto, Arrowroot, Cinchona, Peppers, Teas, 

 Cinnamon, Cofl'ee, ludiarubber, Nardoo, Patchouli, Sarsaparilla, 

 Vanilla, ttc, were each noticed, and some of their leading peculiarities 

 pointed out. The Chairman then adverted in terms of deep regret to 

 the death of Dr. Lindley, stated that the Conncil had that day passed 



a vote of condolence to his family, and asked the meeting to join to 

 it an expression of their feelings of regret for his loss. This having 

 been unanimously voted the meeting closed. 



TAKING IMPRESSIONS OF FERNS. 



The materials used are nitrate of eilver, hyposulphite of Boda, 

 a flat camel's-hair brush, printing frame, one or two porcelain 

 dishes, and paper, all of which may be obtained of any photo- 

 grapher. 



First, as regards exciting. Dissolve I drachm of nitrate of 

 eilver in two ounces of rain water. 'U'hen dissolved, pour the 

 solution into a saucer. Pin a piece of paper on a board held 

 horizontally ; then with the camel's-hair brush, carefully brush 

 this solution on till the paper wUl imbibe no more ; then hang 

 up to dry in a dark room. This process had better be performed 

 by candle-light, as if the paper is exposed to the sunhght or to 

 daylight, it wiU turn black. It will be as well also when th« 

 paper is being prepared, to mark it in the corner on the pre- 

 pared side, that it may be better distinguished in the after- 

 process. 



Printing. Supposing there is good diffused sunlight, and the 

 glass of the printing frame is cleaned well on both sides, place 

 the object to be copied on the glass, face upwards, the excited 

 paper on this, face downwards ; then the back-board, which must 

 be screwed down tight. The frame may now carried into the 

 light, and placed facing the sunlight ; care must be taken that 

 no shadow faUs on the frame, otherwise rt will present streaks- 

 The time of exposure will be about five minutes. 



As to fixing, when the printing has gone deep enough, take 

 the paper out of the frame and immerse it in the fixing solution, 

 made by dissolxing three ounces of hyposulphite of soda in on& 

 pint of rain water ; let it be immersed for about five minutes, 

 then place it in a pail of water for about six hours, changing 

 the water two or three times, so as to completely wash awaj 

 every trace of the soda, which, if allowed to remain, would 

 cause the impression to fade completely away, after which, hang 

 up to dry as before. When drj-, if the natural tint is required, 

 colour picture Uke the original. — (American Gardeners' M<mthly], 



CLOTH OF GOLD GERANIUM. 



In reply to yotir correspondent Mr. Flitton, I beg to offer my 

 experience with the Cloth of Gold Geranium. I have now 

 used it for three seasons for bedding-purposes. In the south, 

 of Derbj'shire, where I grew it the first season, it proved a com- 

 plete failure, the plants being no larger at the end of Septem- 

 ber than they were on the day on which they were planted out, 

 although they were planted in good soil, and were favoured with 

 the best situated bed on the lawn. As nearly as I can remem- 

 ber they were planted out about the 16th or 17tli of May, and 

 this I am confident was the sole cause of failure, for in a few 

 days came a most bitter cold east wind, which continued for three 

 or four successive days ; and though I took the precaution to fix 

 mats up with strong flower-stakes at the exposed sides of the 

 bed, yet, with all my care, my much-prized Cloth of Gold was 

 deprived of most of its beautiful leaves, and they continued to 

 have a very poor appearance throughout the season. I have 

 also seen beds of Cloth of Gold this season having just the 

 same appearance that mine had in 1863, and on inquiiy I found 

 that they had been turned out about the 20th of May, which is 

 far too soon for Cloth of Gold in the south of Durham, where 

 I am now hving. 



Since 1863 I have never ventured to turn out Cloth of Gold 

 until the first week in June at the soonest, and then it has 

 been planted on a south border, and the result has been that 

 the success for the last two seasons has been as complete as the 

 failure was in the first case. I also planted some this year 

 about the end of June, or the beginning of July, on a piece of 

 gi-ound that was walled on the east and south sides, and having 

 many trees very near on the north and west sides, consequently 

 they received very httle sun, and to my great stu-prise these 

 grew far more vigorously than the former, the leaves being nearly 

 twice the size, but the colour was not nearly so good, and the 

 flowers were very poor. I suppose this was owing to the situ- 

 ation being moist, and not receiving much sun. The only pre- 

 paration that the ground received previous to planting was a, 

 good dressing of well- decayed stable manure and fresh loam, 

 in equal parts. If treated as above I firmly bel eve that Cloth 

 of Gold wiU answer in any situation that is not exposed to high 

 ■winds. 



I always find Cloth of Gold one of the very best Geraniums 



