Febrnory 27, 1866. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



161 



should be inclined to think that it has more of the character- 

 istics of E. Gibsoui than of Princess Alice, altliough the 

 fohage favours the latter variet.y more than the former. The 

 flower is of about the same size as that of E. Gibsoui, and the 

 colour is a rich rosy peach ; the fohage is about double the size 

 of Azalea amceua, rather more elongated, and is covered thickly 

 with short copper-coloured hairs on the upper surface of tlie 

 leaf. The plant is aU that could be wished in point of habit, 

 and it appears to possess the free-flowering character of 

 A. ama?na combined with the large flower of R. Gibsoni. — 

 J. Wills. 



[The bloom was much damaged, but not to the extent to 

 prevent our being able to say that the flower is very large, of 

 good substance, and of a deep rose colour. Mr. WiUs's 

 opinion upon the plant needs no confirmation. — Eds.] 



TROriCAIv I'LANTS IN OPEN BORDERS. 



Curiosity and admiration have been largely evinced at the 

 recent experiments, so happily conceived and so successfully 

 carried out, in the summer embellishment of a few of om- 

 London parks, by the employment of varied selections of plants 

 which, until lately, were regarded by most English gardeners 

 as only adapted in this climate to perpetual imprisonment 

 under glass. Now, why should there not be a judicious selec- 

 tion and association of what are called " sub-tropicals " with 

 our present florists' flowers ? With this object in view a piece 

 of ground favourable to their growth might be set apart in 

 some of the extensive pai'ks belonging to the nobUity, or at 

 least in our public gardens. The plants in question deserve 

 the serious attention of all desirous of decorative improvement, 

 particularly when their employment, in relation to our present 

 system of filling up, would entail very little additional trouble 

 or expense. The only serious objection to theu- general adop- 

 tion in the more temperate and dryer parts of the country 

 seems to be want of house-room for their winter preservation ; 

 but this is more seeming than reah 



To many persons who visited Eattersea Park during the 

 last few seasons it would seem incredible that what garnished 

 a vast portion of that extensive area with tlie varied and 

 luxuriant vegetation of a sub-tropical garden, could be housed 

 and preserved during the winter months in the little space 

 provided for the ijurpose. That such a multitude of plants 

 should be turned out in summer with means so limited as 

 compared with their number, wiU not, however, seem so won- 

 derfid when we consider the extraordinarily rapid annual 

 growth of most of them — such as Caladiums, Ganuas, some of 

 the Malvas, Solanums, and Leguminosie, the different varie- 

 ties of the Castor-oil plant, some of the Composites, Aralias, 

 DracoBUas, the diiierent Indian-rubbers, &c. ; and when we con- 

 sider that the facility with which most of them are raised from 

 seeds and otherwise propagated, renders it unnecessary, nay, 

 nnadvisable, to occupy much house-room in keeping through 

 the winter many overgrown and deformed individuals, except a 

 lew which may be cut back and kept to furnish cuttings in 

 the following spring. 



The Canuas may be cut back on the appearance of frost, and 

 the rhizomes stored away hke the tubers of the Dahlia, or a 

 great many of those with short-jointed rhizomes may be left 

 out permanently, covering the beds with old hay, &o. ; in fact, 

 one of the finest beds of C. Umbata at Battersea Park last 

 season was treated in this way. The Caladiums will take their 

 sleep, either impotted or in pots, in any place where they can 

 be kept dry and protected from frost ; and a great many other 

 plants are here passing the winter in cold pits. Among such 

 are the Rice-paper plant of China ; Solanums anriculatum, ro- 

 hustum, and marginatum ; Nicotiana wigandioides ; Senecio 

 Ghiesbreghtu in full flower ; Verbesina gigantea ; Polymnia 

 grandis ; Ferdinanda eminens ; Cineraria platanif olia ; Acanthus 

 mollis, spinosus, and lusitanicus ; Draciena indivisa ; GreviUea 

 robusta ; Lomatia BidwiUi, &c. ; Chainajrops Fortunei ; Ber- 

 beris nepalensis ; Melianthus major ; Bambusa metake and 

 E.aurea, &c; Cassia floribunda; Phytolacca dioica; Ei-ythrinaru- 

 berrima, E. crista-gaUi, and Marie Belanger ; Guunera scabra ; 

 Alsophila anstraUs, and Dicksonia antarctica, &c. The cold 

 pits in which these are sheltered are only protected during the 

 nights with mats, ifcc. It might not he safe to imitate this 

 generally, but there is every reason to conclude that in pits 

 well drained, and heated with a single small hot-water pipe, 

 they would be perfectly safe, and would do well. The more 

 dehcate subjects serve to embelhsh and enliven the houses. 



These experiments, I think, afford incentives to all — to 

 those having some of these plants already in their houses, to 

 put them out during the fine season — to those ha^dng the con- 

 struction of houses in contemplation, to set a section apart for 

 raising and cultivating some of the best. — Wm. Kelly, Batter- 

 sea Park. 



IJIPROVEJIEXT OF WILD FRUITS. 



The cultivated Apple having sprung from the mid Crab, the 

 Pear, Plum, &c., from their wild progenitors, great encourage- 

 ment i>; thus offered to horticultmists to devote attention to 

 our wild fruits. 



The Pear scion takes freely upon the White Thorn stock, 

 and no doubt this Thorn will take as freely when grafted upon 

 the Pear. There are great varieties in the size and quality of 

 the haws in the present uncultivated state ; but these circum- 

 stances evidence a predisposition to vary and improve, and if 

 due cultivation and selection were given, it is impossible to 

 say what results would follow. Last year I grafted the double 

 and single scarlet varieties, and the American Thorn, on 

 Quince and Pear stocks, but the season was unfavourable to 

 the success of the careless mode which I adopted, and the 

 dry winds destroyed most of the grafts ; afterwards dogs and 

 fowls completed their destruction, except one American Thorn, 

 which took well and grew about 2 feet, the stock being the 

 Quince. I propose to repeat the operation this season, and I 

 now write in the hope of inducing some of your experimental 

 readers to devote attention to the same or more extended 

 objects. 



I intend to graft the common White Thorn on the Pear 

 stock, also upon the Quince already grafted with the Pear, as 

 well as on the Quince stock, in the hope that an early state of 

 fruitfulness may be induced, so that I may take scions from the 

 seedUngs from these grafted Thorus. At any rate, CratfEgus 

 coccinea and lutea, with C. pyracautha, if grown upon the Quince, 

 and then cultivated upon Mr. Eivers's system of nipping-in and 

 repeated removals, would, no doubt, be very ornamental as dwarf 

 pyramids and buslies. I am informed by a very talented old 

 gardener that the Cydonia (Pyrus) japonica takes readily upon 

 the White Thorn, and, therefore, probably upon the Pear and 

 Quince (Cydonia vulgaris), and thus it offers results both in 

 ornamental and fruit improvements. 



The Pyrus sorbus, or True Service Tree, may be propagated 

 by grafting upon the Apple and Mountain Ash, and is said to 

 take upon the Medlar and Hawthorn stock ; but I am working 

 it upon the Paradise, with a view of seeing the effects after 

 years of cultivation upon the nipping-in and repeated-remova 

 system. As far as I have gone I find the Apple when budded 

 upon Pyrus sorbus does not grow freely, but grafting has done 

 better. I really think that the Pyrus sorbus gives much pro- 

 mise of alforcUng a very useful addition to our garden fruits, 

 and the same with the haw, at least for preserving. Till care- 

 ful trials have been made and attentive cultivation bestowed, 

 we cannot say what may be done, and should the effect be only 

 to induce any of these to cross with greater facihty than they 

 do, a new race might arise affording much interest. — W. A. 

 Woolek, Sudbury Hall. 



MANURE FOR POTATOES. 



I MADE an experiment on a smaU scale last season, which 

 seems to me to prove Turnip manure to be likewise a good 

 Potato manure. I staked off exactly one rod of my garden, 

 which is a very light sandy soU, and so\ved at plantiug-time 

 3 lbs. of Turnip manure (value 2id.) At taking-up time I 

 weighed the produce, and found it to be 29 lbs. more of large 

 and good Potatoes than the snone quantity of land on either 

 side of the manured rod produced ; and if I had measui-ed the 

 small and diseased tubers the difierence would have been much 

 greater, as, although there were less small ones on the manured 

 rod, the diseased (and they were the largest), were much more 

 plentiful. The price of the 20 lbs. of Potatoes in this part is 

 about ltd., leaving 3J<Z. balance in favour of the manured rod, 

 or £2 8s. i)d. per acre. — J. EoErasoN, Blyton. 



Amhebstia nobilis. — Those who have the interest of plant 

 culture at heart, will be glad to learn that a splendid specimen 

 of this rare Indian tree is now in flower at Chatsworth, where 

 it is grown in a house especially designed for it. 



