68 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jnly 24, 1866. 



hold a part of the Government domain, and that no title could 

 be given the Society to the ground, but that it would be leased 

 to them at a peppercorn rental for three years, subject to re- 

 newal at the pleasure of Government. Some of the members 

 objected to these terms, thinking that the next Government 

 might be less willing to encourage the Society than the present. 

 I am afraid this scheme cannot be carried out for the present, 

 public attention being drawn so much towards the gold fields ; 

 in fact, nothing else is talked about here with the exception of 

 politics. 



Tjlinm lancifolium punctatum flowers and does well in this 

 country. Onions grow to a very large size here. One this 

 season weighed 1 lb. 9 ozs., and its dimensions were 15J inches 

 by 13. Roses bloom very freely a second time in the autumn, 

 particularly the Bourbon section. They make a second growth 

 after our hot summer months. This autumn, also, we have a 

 good show of Chrysanthemums, particularly with Fortune's 

 Pompon varieties, some of them form quite a bush, and pro- 

 duce thousands of flowers. The different kinds of Thorns 

 have begun to fruit with us as well as the Mountain Ash. 

 Pinus Pinaster, now from 15 to 20 feet high, very full of cones 

 and some of them shedding their seeds on the ground, may be 

 seen here and there about Christ Church. This was the first 

 Pinus planted in Canterbury. Grafted Rose Acacia on Cob- 

 bett's Acacia (Robinia pseud-Acacia), as standards, are doing 

 well and flower beautifully the first season. We have now 

 growing here for the first time this season seedlings of Catalpa, 

 thousands of Tews, Judas Tree, Celtis orientalis, different 

 vareities of the Plane Tree, from imported plants, all flourish- 

 ing and doing well. 



The other day, April 10th, I read an advertisement in one of 

 our newspapers under this head — " Notice to Landscape Gar- 

 deners. Tenders are invited for laying out a garden according 

 to plan and specification to be 6een at a certain seed shop in 

 the town. Sealed tenders to be addressed to the owner before 

 such a date." This is a novel way in doing business in garden- 

 ing matters. 



On April 7th, heavy clouds during the day indicated rain, 

 and in the afternoon flashes of lightning were observed. In 

 the evening several showers of hail fell, accompanied with rain. 

 Towards morning the temperature lowered considerably, and a 

 sharp frost was experienced, which left evidence of its severity 

 upon Dahlias and tender annuals in exposed gardens — a timely 

 warning for us to protect without delay. On April 17th, we 

 were visited by a very violent gale from the south-west. It bad 

 been gradually rising for some time, and increased in intensity j 

 about li.30 r.M. By five it had reached a terrific height. The 

 stem of a fine specimen of Pinaster Fir. about 20 feet high, 

 and very full of young cones, was split in two, and one-half of 

 the tree now lies prostrate on the ground, and much other j 

 damage has been done to forest trees in particular. It denuded 

 the trees of all their leaves, with their usual autumnal tints. 

 I always notice when we read of bad weather in England, we 

 come in for our share here sooner or later afterwards. The 

 wind blew the squares of glass out of my frames, and sent them 

 flying all over the place to a very great distance. 



Welliugtonia gigantea, Cedrus deodara, and Cupressus ma- 

 crocarpa are becoming great favourites here, for they grow very 

 fast and soon fonn handsome plants. We now have seedlings 

 of Cedar of Lebanon doing well for the first time this season. 

 We arc only 21 feet above the level of the sea on the plains. 



Our provincial geologist with his staff returned to Christ 

 Church on the night of April 19th, from the head waters of 

 the Rakaia, after an absence of six weeks. He has brought a 

 very extensive herbarium of the alpine flora, containing many 

 interesting undescribed species ; also, a box of beautiful alpine 

 plants'in a living state for the purpose of acclimatisation, along 

 with many alpine birds hitherto unknown. He mentions the 

 scenery to be as magnificent and stupendous as any in the 

 world. 



Letters have been received here from Dr. Mueller, of Mel- 

 bourne, stating that our Pittosporas are such lovely, hardy, 

 and quick-growing plants, that thousands of them are wanted 

 for the cemeteries, town churches, and schools of Victoria. He 

 states that seeds of them will be accepted with the utmost grati- 

 tude, also that they have not a single plant of our Aralia Shal- 

 fiiira (?) Our Dicksonia squarrosa he states is very common in 

 Victoria, but they have no Cyathea dealbata. 



Our botanical news from the west coast gold fields is of a 

 very cheering nature. One part of the country on the road 

 from Christ Church woidd well repay the botanist for the 

 trouble of a visit, the specimens of vegetable life being many 



of them quite new, and also remarkable for beauty of foliage 

 and blossom. Amongst them were seen Ranunculus nivalis 

 (sometimes called R. Lyalli), distinguished for its circular con- 

 cave leaves, at least 9 inches in diameter, supported in the 

 centre by a strong stalk resembling in form that of the English 

 meadow Buttercup, and for its large handsome blossoms of 

 snowy whiteness. Veronicas are in great profusion. There is 

 also a Gentian with pure white flowers, and many other shrubs 

 and herbaceous plants of a very ornamental and interesting 

 appearance. Amongst other plants are Fagus Cunninghamii, 

 purpuracea, and antarctica ; Capodetes serrata (?) ; Astelia ner- 

 vosa ; C'elmisia eoriacea, spectabilis, petiolata, and longifolia ; 

 Dracophyllum Traversii ; Olearia Greyii ; three species of 

 Orchids ; Clematis hexasepala, and the yellow-flowering Senecio 

 Lyalli. The most beautiful of all and in great profusion, 

 clothing the sides of the hills with bright scarlet blossoms, 

 are Metrosidaros lucida and other varieties of the " Rata," or 

 native Myrtle. Ferns are in great variety, and beauty on the 

 west side of the range, especially Leptopteris snperba, one of 

 the rarest and handsomest of the New Zealand Ferns. The 

 maximum temperature in the shade at Hokitika, on March 28th, 

 was 67.0° ; the min. 39.0° ; range, 28.0°. Tamarix gallica we 

 have doing very well with ns now. Our winter is coming in 

 very dry with cold, clear, frosty nights, and at the present time 

 a few of those " golden showers," which Loudon describes as 

 so favourable to agriculture and horticulture would be accept- 

 able. 



What I have been writing will show the attention which 

 Canterbury is paying to gardening, that we have a good many 

 gardeners at any rate, and I firmly believe that New Zealand 

 is more calculated to make a happy home for gardeners than 

 any other colony. — William Swale, May lith, 1866. 



[We wish that others of our readers in others of our colonies 

 would send similar useful and interesting " gossip." — Eds.] 



WORK FOE THE WEEK. 



HITCHES GARDEN. 



Ply the fork incessantly amongst the growing crops of 

 Cauliflowers, Broccoli, and' Winter Greens, and continue to 

 manure and trench-up every piece of ground as it becomes 

 vacant, in order to plant it with late crops of a similar charac- 

 ter. Broccoli, by dint of good management and a knowledge 

 of the kinds, it is possible in these days to supply a family 

 with Broccoli or Cauliflowers all the year round. The most 

 difficult period, perhaps, is the month of January. Many new 

 kinds have come into notice of late, and many old kinds have 

 been revived with new names. The following, if they can be 

 obtained true, we would particularly recommend : — The Cauli- 

 flower, the Cape Broccoli, Grange's Impregnated (now sold 

 under new names), the Branching or Sprouting, Knight's Pro- 

 tecting, Melville's Superior Late White, Somers's Particularly 

 Late White, Snow's Winter White, and Walcheren. Somers's 

 Particularly Late White is so very late, that it continues the 

 spring Broccoli until early Cauliflowers come in. Brussels 

 Sprouts are the hardiest and most prolific of Greens, and de- 

 serve attention even in an agricultural point of view. Too 

 many can scarcely be put out at this season, and they may be 

 planted very closely together. Cabbage, reserve and prepare a 

 patch of ground for the sowings to stand the winter. _ The soil 

 should be of a light sandy nature, and not too rich, as it 

 encourages a luxuriant growth, which is apt to make them 

 tender. Celery, prepare trenches for the late crops, water the 

 growing crops, and stir the soil about them. Endive, plant 

 out finally the strongest from the early sowings, and sow more 

 for late crops. Lettuce, sow more, and keep up a good suc- 

 cession of Radishes and salads. Onions, pull up the crops of 

 winter Onions, lay them in rows turned to the sun, and fre- 

 quently turn them until the stalks are withered, when they will 

 be fit for storing. As they are liable to decay if bruised, they 

 shoidd he carefully handled, and not thrown about like so many 

 stones. Let them be very dry when stored, and be spread out 

 thir.lv, not laid in heaps. Shallots and Garlic should also be 

 taken up and dried for storing. Peas, the late-sown should 

 have attention paid to watering and staking. Spinach, a good 

 breadth sown now in rich ground will afford many successive 

 pickings in the autumn, and tend materially to save the winter 

 beds from being picked before they become strong. 



FKUIT GARDEN. 



Attend to previous directions in regard to thinning and 



