U)6 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 7, 1866. 



fine and handsome kind, and Beurre Superfin. Governor 

 Wood Bigarreau Cherry is a very fine sort, and as free as the 

 May Duke. 



The flower gardening, although on a small scale here, is very 

 pretty and effective. Two of the plants used were particularly 

 good — viz., Calceolaria Bijou, a capital dark kind, and Scrophu- 

 laria nodosa variegata, a bed of which is enough to convince any 

 one that it is a most valuable hardy bedding plant. Against 

 the Vicarage the beautiful Clematises Jaekmanni, lanuginosa, 

 rubro-violacea, and Helene, were blooming freely, and what 

 grand climbers they are ! — William Dean, Shipley. 



GRASSES FOR LAWNS. 



The rich and continuous verdure of our] lawns is the ad- 

 miration of foreigners who visit this eountry, and is chiefly 

 attributable to our climate. The beauty of a lawn consists in 

 the evenness of its surface and its deep green colour at all 

 seasons ; and it is the object of this communication to Bhow 

 how these results may be secured both in gardens and pleasure 

 grounds, where the grass is regularly mown, and in parks grazed 

 by deer, sheep, or cattle. Though Grasses are a numerous 

 family, very few indeed are of any utility to the horticulturist, 

 and of such I shall notice only the best and those desirable for 

 particular purposes. 



Festuca dcricsccla (Hard Fescue Grass). — This valuable 

 perennial Grass is thus described in a former volume: — "Roots 

 fibrous, and sometimes throwing c.'.t short lateral shoots. Stem 

 about 2 feet high, erect, leafy, round, streaked, smooth. Lower 

 leaves long, very slender, stiff, pointed, bristle-shaped from 

 their sides being pressed together, and streaked ; upper leaves 

 broader and flat ; edges and keels of all roughish, and all milky 

 green. Leaf-sheaths close, smooth. Stipules very short, cloven. 

 Flower-head an oblong unilateral paniole, much spreading when 

 in flower, its branches being at an acute angle, pointing up- 

 wards from the stem, rough. Spikelets more or less red, at 

 first cylindrical, but becoming flattened as the glumes expand. 

 Calyx sharp-pointed. Florets from four to seven in number, 

 keeled, flattened, generally smooth, the uppermost often im- 

 perfect ; the outer valve tipped with a straight rough awn 



shorter than the valve ; inner valve roughish at the marginal 

 ribs, slightly cloven at the point. StigmaB cylindrical. An- 

 thers purple, cleft at the ends." 



This Fescue Grass will thrive almost anywhere, except on 

 bleak hills, and is not particular as to soil, though it succeeds 

 best on sandy rich loam. It grows remarkably well in the 

 shade, retaining its verdure throughout the most severe winter, 

 and few Grasses, if any, endure drought so well. For sheltered 

 hills and valleys, except where very wet, it is well adapted, and 

 it is valuable for lawns which are shaded, especially those on a 

 dry subsoil which are so liable to become brown in summer ; 

 for after its flowering season (June), it grows quickly notwith- 

 standing the heat and drought which then usually prevail. — 

 G. Abbey. 



(To be continued.) 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Weekly Show, August ith. — In Class 1. Messrs. Cutbush & Son,, 

 of Highgate, took the first prize for six handsome plants of Hydran- 

 gea, and in the class for six miscellaneous plants they were equally 

 successful. In the class for the best collection of fruit thero were two 

 meritorious exhibitions. That of Messrs. Lane & Son, of Berkhamp- 

 stead, which received the first prize, consisted of well-grown bunches 

 of the following Grape9 : — Trebbiano, Black Prince, Foster's Seedling, 

 Alicante, Chavoush, White Frontignan, Frankenthal, Bueklaud Sweet- 

 water, and some excellent dishes of Cherries. Mr. R. Marcham, gar- 

 dener to E. Oates, Esq., Bydorp House, Hanwell,was second. In the 

 Miscellaneous Class Messrs. Cutbush received an extra prize for six. 

 handsome Fuchsias. From the garden of the Society at Chiswick 

 there were collections of Hollyhocks, Stocks, and Salpiglossis, the 

 latter consisting of many beautiful varieties. There was also a large 

 number of Zonale Polargoninms in pots, exhibiting the finest va- 

 rieties of these beautiful flowers in state of great perfection. There 

 were also fruit of the Cucumber Huntingdonia, a handsome variety. 



"THE LADY" STRAWBERRY. 



We have received from Mr. Richard Underbill, of Birming- 

 ham, fruit of the seedling Strawberry he has recently intro- 

 duced under the name of " The Lady." It is what may be 

 called a good-sized Strawberry, not so large a8 the very large 

 specimens sometimes seen, but as large as we find in an ordi- 

 nary crop of fruit. The skin is pale, with a salmon or rosy 

 tint, much like the colour of a Hautbois, none of the fruit 

 being entirely red. The flesh is solid, of a rich cream colour, 

 with a very rich flavour and powerful aroma. 



NOTES ON THE WAY TO THE HOLY 

 SEPULCHRE —No. 4. 



THE PROMISED LAND. 



" And the Lord said unto Abram. after that Lot was separated 

 from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place 

 where thou art [Bethel], northward, and southward, and east- 

 ward, and westward : for all the land which thou seest, to thee 

 will I give it, and to thy seed for ever." 



This was Abraham's title to the Promised Land, the land 

 flowing with milk and honey ; and in these words was con- 

 tained the second or earthly part of that blessing which the 

 Creator of the whole world bestowed on him who, amidst the 

 idolatry of the surrounding nations, acknowledged and wor- 

 shipped the one true God. 



Within the strict limits of the Promised Laud is the ancient 

 port of Joppa, or Jaffa, as it is now called, to which, we read' 

 in Chronicles, that Hurarn King of Tyre sent " Cedar trees, 

 Fir trees, and Algum trees out of Lebanon in floats by sea" 

 for the building of the first temple at Jerusalem ; and towards 

 the building of the second temple, we find in Ezra that " they 

 gave meat, and drink, and oil unto them of Zidon, and to them 

 of Tyre, to bring Cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of 

 Joppa." It was from this port that Jonah took ship when ha 

 fled from the presence of the Lord ; and it is by this reef- 

 guarded entrance that I am about to enter the Holy Land, and 

 linger in spirit for a time amidst its sacred scenes, examining 

 by the way its natural features and productions. 



Directly the traveller lands he at once feels that he is in the 

 East. Swarthy half-naked Arabs surround him. There is an 

 immediate oall for backshish ; and if his visit be in the spring 

 he will probably see on all sides crowds of pilgrims on theii' 

 way either to or fro the holy sepulchre. 



