420 



JOUENAIi OP HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ November 21, 1865. 



21. Marcella. — Very vigorous. Flowers large, full, cupped, 

 fine salmony rose, new colour. 



22. Purpurea. — Vigorous. Dark foliage. Flowers large, fuU, 

 reddish purple shaded. 



Monsieur Boncenne of last year has been well spoken of, but 

 I know nothing of it ; and neither Ailes Dufour nor Madame 

 de Canrobert of 1863 have made for themselves a name or 

 even a " local habitation ;" and hence one is not over-sanguine 

 as to these three Eoses. 



DAMAIZIN. 



23. Abel Grand. — Vei-y vigorous, really Terpetual. Flowers 

 large, full, beautiful silvei-y satiny rose. 



24. Frederic Biborel. — Very vigorous. Flowers large, full, 

 beautiful lively red, passing to cerise red bordered with hlac. 



25. Hippuhjle Flandrin. — Very vigorous. Flowers very large, 

 full, well formed, fine lively rose, superb. 



In looking through the lists of the last two years I do not 

 see that any of this grower's flowers have been favourites. 

 25 soimds well, but so do they all. 



DUCHEK. 



26. Abraham Lincoln. — Very vigorous, having some simili- 

 tude to Charles Boissiere. Flowers very large, full, blackish 

 purple. 



27. Gloirc do Ducher. — Very vigorous. Branches and foliage 

 reddish, like Geant des Batailles. Flowers very large and full, 

 having some analogy to Madame Masson, with the petals at the 

 centre pm-ple, those of the ckcumference slaty. Admirable. 



28. Louis Noisette. — Vigorous, having some analogy to Ba- 

 rorme Prcvost. Flowers fuU, globular, well formed, fine car- 

 mine rose, very beautiful. 



Marie Perrachou, Eosa Mundi, and Vase de I'Election were 

 the production of this raiser in 18C5, and Le Mont d'Or and 

 Benoit Cornet in 1864. They are now unknown to our lists, 

 and«notwithstanding the glowing descriptions of this year, one 

 must look with suspicion on them. 



OCEK. 



29. Aurore Boreale. — Very vigorous.^ Flowers large, full, 

 globular, lively shining red. 



30. La Tendresse. — Very vigorous. Flowers large, full, 

 cupped, fine rose Hortensia. 



31. Triptoleme. — Plant very vigorous. Flowers medium, 

 fuU, globular, very lively scarlet red. 



Who knows anything of Belle Noi-mando, General de Mian- 

 dol, Marie Boissie, this raiser's productions in last year, and 

 Charlemagne, George Simon, Madame Malherlie, Marquise de 

 Briges, or Michel Ange of the year before, and applying this 

 test, who is likely to see after the first year anything of those 

 now advertised ? 



GBAKGEE. 



32. Carl Cocrs. — Vigorous. Seedling of Triomphe de I'Ex- 

 position. Flowers large, full, shaded piu-ple. 



33. K.rposition dc Brie. — Plant vigorous. Flowers very large, 

 full, well formed, lively shining red. This variety obtained 

 the silver gOt medal at the Exhibition at Brie. 



33 Sounds well, but we have only, as far as my memory 

 serves me, some second-rate Eoses of this grower's. If the 

 Judges at Brie know good flowers then 33 ought to be a good 

 one ; but I have learned long since that their views and oui-s 

 differ, and hence shall not be disappointed if even it fail to 

 satisfy us. I may be, of course, wrong in applying the test 

 that I have done, and a raiser w'ho has never given us anything 

 good may change his mind and give us good Eoses ; but we 

 have had long experience and, I may add, many grievous dis- 

 appointments, and hence are cautious. I hojie to conclude 

 the lists in my next. — D., Deal. 



VINEYAKD UNDER GLASS. 



Tee opinion that you have expressed of my Grapes is very 

 encouraging. I have, probably, been too ambitious in attempt- 

 ing to cultivate such as the Muscat of Alexandi-ia and West's 

 St. Peter's. Next season, if favourable, will show whether the 

 Trentham Black, Eai-ly Saumur, Sarbelle, Chavoush, Chasselas 

 Musque, Chasselas Violet, Chasselas Eose, and Wlaite Fron- 

 tignau will ripen well without fire heat. The wood of these 

 young Vines is thoroughly hard, and I have already pruned 

 them. 



Your correspondent " F. J. S." will find in Eivers's " Orchard- 

 House " every information that he will require to build such 

 a span-roofed house as my own. At first I followed Mr. Eivers's 



directions implicitly ; and the only alterations that have been 

 subsequently made are, that the ventilating shutters have been 

 lowered, so that they rest ou the ground when open ; that the 

 space above them is now filled in with glass ; and that I have 

 strengthened the roof by binding the rafters together by two 

 long, flat, and light bars of iron, one on each side, running tho 

 whole length of the house, and attached to the centre of each 

 rafter. 



My glass is 20 inches by 20. I think 20 by 16 would be 

 preferable, as high winds will now and then snap the squares 

 in two. The estimate given in Mr. Eivers's little book for the 

 erection of a span-roofed house, 30 feet by 14, is £28. Mine 

 cost me under £35. It would have been more had not I and 

 my man Friday worked very zealously at it ; the painting was 

 entire!}' done by us. 



Two years before the erection of the house the piece of 

 ground on which it stands had been trenched 2^ feet, deep; 

 and when the Vines were planted some bone-dust and lime- 

 rubbish were added. The subsoil being of very porous gravel, 

 no drainage was necessary. The ventilators over the door and 

 at the end of the house have been kept open night and day 

 since the beginning of AprU last ; and before next season I 

 sbaU contrive to ventilate the middle of the house by framing 

 one or two of the panes of glass next the ridge-board. — M. B., 

 West Somerset. 



FLORAL DECORATIONS IN NEW YORK. 



In the rapid development of the material resources of this 

 country. Horticulture has not been neglected, but has rather 

 led the van in the common march of improvement, and, as a 

 i^atural consequence, refined the mind and elevated the tastes 

 of all within its sphere of action. Even a casual spectator can- 

 not pass through this city without being struck by the facilities 

 afforded for the indulgence in the luxury of flowers, even by 

 those of moderate means ; for from the City Hall to Thirty-fifth 

 Street, at every short distance along Broadway, may be found 

 young boys and ghis earning a good livelihood by selling to 

 passers-by bunches of Violets, or bouquets, at from ten to twenty- 

 five cents each. Sometimes an enterprising speculator may be 

 met with a pailful of beautiful white Water Lilies, in their 

 season, for which he finds a ready sale ; and should the means 

 admit of a more expensive investment, a ■\isit may be paid with 

 much gratification to some of the tastefully-fitted-up florists' 

 stores, where, at from sums varying from five dollars to 150, a 

 bouquet or basket of flowers Can be purchased, arranged with 

 all the art and taste of a talented manipulator ; and what with 

 constant practice, extensive competition, and, I may add, liberal 

 patronage, the florists of this city are in a fair way of adopting 

 as their motto " Second to none," at least so far as the orna- 

 mental department is concerned. 



Dining-room and parlour decorations have not been neglected, 

 and here the natiu'al taste of the ladies has directed the efforts 

 of the florists, and produced many pleasing and telling tableaux. 

 I well remember being present one morning at Kensington Gore, 

 when Her Majesty paid an early visit to see all the gardeners 

 busy at work arranging their various productions, one of the 

 finest sights to be seen there ; later in the day the late lamented 

 Prince Consort opened the gardens, and showed himself a skil- 

 ful horticultmist by planting a Wellingtonia, handling the 

 spade as readily as if it had been His Eoyal Highness's daily 

 occupation, and no dainty tool either, but a bona fide garden 

 spade, and of which the owner (Mr. William Miller, now of 

 Coombe Abbey) was so proud, that he declared it never should 

 be used again, but be kept as a memento of the honom' done his 

 profession. Well, that same day prizes were offered pubUcly, 

 for the first time, for dinner-table decorations, and I was much 

 struck with the simple elegance of the successful stand, as com- 

 pared with others arranged with more show but less taste ; and 

 here, sure enough, a lady showed her intuitive appreciation of 

 what was at once natural and efi'ective by carrying off the first 

 honours. I have since then both seen and read a good deal of 

 dinner-table "fixings," nor have the able staff of The Jouknal 

 OF HoKTicoLTURE been behind in encouraging, by well-ma- 

 tmed opinions, the taste for this refined luxury ; but it is a 

 very difficult matter to lay down rules, as is sometimes at- 

 tempted, for this, when so much depends on individual taste, 

 and the occasion for which that taste is exerted. The finest 

 display in this line that has ever taken place in New York oc- 

 curred last night, when that thorough specimen of an English 

 gentlemen. Sir S. Morton Peto, gave a farewell banquet to his 



