60 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 24, 1866. 



lings it is superior to every kind now flowering here, and I have 

 such a number of varieties that they are quite bewildering. In 

 breeding for tricoloured foliage, I find that some seedlings 

 come up quite white and die, some are variegated from the 

 first, and some which are quite green for six months become 

 variegated afterwards, whilst a large proportion are perma- 

 nently green.— J. R. Peaeson, Chihuell. 



WELLLNGTONIA GIGANTEA PLANTING. 



The Wellingtonia is a tree that will mark an era in the 

 history of our planting and woodlands. Mr. Robson, with his 

 usual practical attention and discernment, has drawn attention 

 (see page 467), to the planting of this tree, and other matters 

 which deserve the'attention of the planter. Mr. Robson has 

 left little for me to say, further than to confirm what he has 

 so well stated regarding the risk of transplanting large Welling- 

 tonias. 



Seeing that a few years will bring the smallest healthy plant 

 of this mammoth tree to a size to gratify the eye, and give new 

 effect to the landscape, it is little to be regretted that large 

 plants do not remove successfully. About four years ago I assisted 

 a gentleman in laying out a piece of pleasure ground, in which 

 Welliugtonias were to be a feature. Contrary to my advice 

 large plants were purchased ; at least one-third of the plants 

 died, and last autumn the best of the survivors had not made 

 more than 2 feet of new growth. 



In June, 18C3, four seedling Welliugtonias were planted at 

 Woodstock Park (Ireland) ; their height at the time of planting 

 ranged from 10 to 16 inches, and they had an abundance of 

 roots, having been transferred from the seed-pot to turf sods on 

 an open border, and twice transplanted. On the 0th of July, 

 1866, the respective heights of the four trees were as follows : 

 —No. 1, 10 feet 2 inches ; No. 2, 9 feet 3 inches ; No. 3, 10 feet 

 11 inches ; No. 4, 8 feet 3 inches. The average spread of the 

 branches was 7 feet, and the circumference of the stem of the 

 best tree at 6 inches from the ground, was 1 foot 7 inches. 



The trees referred to are growing on a stiff clay slate, which 

 ■was dug out of a cut from 6 to 10 feet below the surface level, 

 and carted to where the trees grow, in order to widen the 

 ground to correspond with an avenue line. This I state with 

 the object of showing that the Wellingtonia will thrive on the 

 worst of tree soil if allowed depth. 



The Wellingtonia, like its rival in style of growth, the Cryp- 

 tomeria japonica, will only be a scrub on dry ground. The 

 tissues of the Wellingtonia, as may readily be inferred from its 

 nature, are immensely large, and it rapidly forms gigantic 

 roots. Some of the best roots of the best tree here, which 

 was killed by fungus two years ago, were upwards of 6 inches 

 in diameter. Such tissues and roots are important considera- 

 tions in transplanting young trees, much more those of large 

 size. 



I have frequently observed that, when the Wellingtonia was 

 in the height of its growth, a few cold days would cause the 

 young shoots to shrink, and in a short time afterwards they 

 appeared as if blighted. — Chas. McDonald. 



SYNONYMES OF FRUITS. 



Youe correspondent " Feuit Geowee" should buy that ex- 

 cellent work " Hogg's Fruit Manual." The author could not 

 well recommend it. Its usefulness, however, should be made 

 known. The descriptions of various fruits are truthful, so far 

 as I know anything about them. One great use of the book is 

 the statement of the various synonymes under which the same 

 fruit tree has been sold. 



Grosse Mignonne Peach : the synonymes of this are Avant, 

 Early Purple Avant, Early Vineyard, Forster's Early, French 

 Mignonne, Grimwood's Royal George, Johnson's Early Purple 

 Avant, Neil's Early Purple, Pauley's Early Purple, Ronald's 

 Galande, Royal Kensington, Royal Sovereign, Smooth-leaved 

 Royal George, Superb Royal, Grosse Mignonne Veloutee, Grosse 

 Mignonne Ordinaire, Hative de Ferrieres, Mignonne Veloutee. 



Royal George Peach : this has seven synonymes. Bellegarde, 

 which is the same as the French Galande (the Violette Hative 

 being the same as the English Galande), has five synonymes. 

 I beg to make a remark here. We began with " Grosse," and 

 this excellent and most laborious book will show you the 

 "gross" frauds to which you will be subject without such a 

 guide. 



Neotariues : the Early Newington has five synonymes, 

 Elruge has five synonymes, Violette Hative has nine syno- 

 nymes. The last two are two of the best Nectarines. There 

 are many other Peaches and Nectarines which have synonymes. 

 It is not necessary to go through an elaborate work of -114 

 pages, written on kinds of fruit by such an acknowledged au- 

 thority, but I can conscientiously recommend it, and advise all 

 who wish good fruit-information, and who do not wish to be 

 imposed upon, at once to procure it.— W. F. Radclyjte, Oke- 

 ford Fitzpaine. 



ROSE CULTUPvE. 



Although strictly an amateur, and having my time much 

 occupied, I venture to express my surprise that Mr. Abbey 

 should speak of " the Dog Rose or Briar " in a way that will 

 lead a novice to think all Briars are alike, and that one experi- 

 ment with one sort, or with any one variety of Rose worked 

 upon it in a given soil, is conclusive. 



Of course there are good and bad — that is, weak and strong, 

 or clean and scrubby Briars, but there are more than this : 

 there are varieties of Briars, some much more thorny than 

 others, and I think some discrimination can be used in select- 

 ing suitable stocks for Roses of peculiar habit or character. 

 An amateur can choose his stocks for grafting or budding one 

 by one, and if the nurseryman cannot do this he could sort 

 them into distinct parcels and plant them in distinct " pieces," 

 and then use them with discrimination. The colour of the 

 bark will show a red stock from a white stock ; and, again, the 

 thorns more or less thickly crowding the stem will enable the 

 grafter to judge which to take for very thorny Roses, such as 

 Madame Domage. 



I grow all varieties, except Tea-scented China, with success 

 on the Dog Rose in light soil not very favourable to Roses — at 

 least I have good plants ranging in age from ten to fourteen 

 years. Suckers will destroy them speedily if not removed ; and 

 for this reason, and for another potent reason in light soil, 

 keeping them at home, with the ground necessarily much en- 

 riched — the plants must be lifted, and wisely root-pruned as 

 well as head-pruned annually or biennially with a bold hand ; 

 and if any amateur on light soil lose heart at enjoying only 

 partial success by adopting this treatment, I confidently say, 

 Persevere. This custom of lifting will generally retard the date 

 of blooming, as pruning the heads cannot be done until the 

 head shows healthy signs of life. To this there may be one 

 exception, and that is Noisettes; they may be "fixtures" if 

 root-pruned and refreshed with turfy loam and well-rotted dung 

 every.year. If the plan above recommended is faithfully followed 

 on open soil in open situations, there can be no possible question 

 of success, but in proportion to the neglect of it so will be the 

 proportion of failure. 



As to the Manetti stock it is my firm belief that its value is 

 for the nurseryman, and not for the amateur ; not only ama- 

 teurs themselves, but their gardeners — seventy-five per cent of 

 them — will allow the Manetti thief to rob the Rose, the suckers 

 so artfully intertwine themselves with the foliage and shoots of 

 the graft. 



On their own roots many valuable sorts both Hybrid Per- 

 petuals, Bourbons, and Teas, will thrive, and will not thrive in 

 any other way ; and these are what are called " weak," "dwarf," 

 and " robust." For Hybrid Perpetuals I will instance Cardinal 

 Patrizzi ; for Bourbon (an old and good Rose), Julie de Fon- 

 tenelle ; and for Tea, Louise de Savoie — but, with me, while 

 these will do well, General Washington (H.P.) is inferior on 

 its own roots, and my belief is that many sorts of strong-grow- 

 ing Hybrid Perpetuals and Bourbons, when established on their 

 own roots, rapidly degenerate in quality and character — that is 

 to say, in size and perfection of form. It is the former treat- 

 ment on the Briar which affords the best opportunity of pre- 

 serving the merits of every esteemed Rose. Without the curb, 

 combined with good living, the best of us are sure to run to 

 waste. — Chakles Ellis. 



FIFTY CUT ROSES. 

 I daeesay the framers of the Jersey schedule meant trusses 

 with buds and numbers of expanded Roses ; still, they did not 

 so word it. Perhaps the following would put an end to mis- 

 apprehension in future : — " Fifty trusses, with buds or any 

 number of expanded Roses. A single bloom to count for a 



