March 6, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



179 



say a word or two. I want to know, if his physiology be cor- 

 rect, why it is that the Lapstones were as mealy as any one 

 could desire if the ground was in fault aud the power of control 

 in one's hand. I cannot quite understand why they alone of 

 all the kinds I tried should have fulfilled conditions which are 

 only, accordina to "W., iio.w," to be obtained by the appli- 

 cation of special manmes, such as sulphate of soda, nitrate of 

 potash, tte. ; and I am sorry to say that cost is some con- 

 sideration to " D." of Deal, but that on a small scale he would 

 like to try these manures. How would " W." advise me to 

 apply, say, the nitrate of potash? and as the Lapstones are 

 mealy, would he recommend me to let well alone in their case ? 

 Many thanks, too, to " Upw.s.rds and Onw.ujds " for his notice 

 of my short notes, and for his promise. I have written to 

 Mr. Daintreo for a sample of his new Kidney, aud this will 

 complete about a dozen sorts that I have for trial ; and I can 

 only say that if it beat the Lapstone it must be a really good 

 one. 'Whoever recommended that variety I look upon as a 

 good friend, and am at any rate glad that so experienced a 

 grower as j'our correspondent agrees with me in my estimate 

 of it. 



I did not wish my growth of Potatoes to he dignified by the 

 name of an experiment. I intended it far otherwise, and 

 hoped that I had obtained iu those I grew a sufficient number 

 to keep me in a succession of good varieties. Had they all 

 proved to be so, as I expected, I should not now be thinking 

 of experiments or trying other sorts. I do not see the >ise of 

 burdening oneself with a great number of varieties, and think 

 that if we can have three or, four good ones that is all we 

 require. It is doubtless true, as "ioRWAr.os" suggests, that 

 the last season was a peculiarly trying one to Potatoes, and 

 therefore one must not condemn hastily before another trial ; 

 but Racehorse and Royal Ashleaf were found wanting before 

 the change of season, which so completely dashed one's hopes 

 of a good crop. As to Paterson's Seedlings, this is now the 

 second season that I have observed them, and I have seen 

 nothing about them to lead me to suppoF^e that they will be 

 different in any other circumstances. There are, as I have 

 observed, numbers of Potato-eaters to whom flavour is a very 

 secondary matter, but I am not one of them ; and it is in the 

 hope of clearing away some of the rubbish and obtaining a 

 really good supply that I have ventured to obtrude my httle 

 experience. 



I see " Forwards " unhesitatingly condemns Mona's Pride, 

 while Mr. Myatt, who ought to know something about Potatoes, 

 praises it highly ; so does Jlr. Wheeler, whose Milky Wliite I 

 have already spoken of as apparently a valuable sort, and cer- 

 tainly very excellent as I tasted it. I quite agree with your 

 correspondent that it is ridiculous to give prizes for uncooked 

 Potatoes. Why not make each exhibitor do as the vendors of 

 Potatoes do in London — boil one or two, and leave them on 

 the top of the dish ? A Fluke is a handsome Potato, but in- 

 sipid to a degree. To give prizes as now, is ouly to be equalled 

 by giving prizes (as I have known to be done during the last 

 season), to Melons without tasting them. 



In addition to those I named in my last communicntion I 

 have some Kidneys from Mr. Webb's, Calcot Gardens, Reading, 

 supphed to me through Jlessrs. BaiT & Sugden, and Early 

 Don, a round sort, highly spoken of by Mr. Turner, of Slough, 

 besides one or two other round sorts ; and I feel convinced 

 that if some of your correspondents would kindly make notes 

 of the sorts they grow, the character of the soil in which these 

 are planted, and the manures used, it would be very useful to 

 many who, like myself, are looking out for a good table sunply 

 for home consumption, and not for market purposes. — D., Deal. 



the exception of the serrated one alluded to ; of this I cannot 

 be certain without seeing the bloom. The loaf is much like 

 that of the europmum I have collected iu one district. 



" One means of determining this, as well as distinguishing 

 some of the others, would be to ascertain whether the leaves 

 rise with, before, or after blooming, and, also, the presence or 

 not of a coronet, or teeth-like protuberances, at the base of 

 the petals — and are any fragrant ? — some of the Greek ones 

 are delightfully so. 



•' I hope before long to see the species satisfactorily reduced to 

 some eight or ten at the utmost. Of upwards of fifty so-called 

 species which I have received since I have been a collector, I 

 am satisfied they will not exceed, if they even amount to that 

 number. — .Tajies Atkins." 



CYCLAMENS. 



We received some Cyclamen leaves and blooms, and some 

 relative queries from a correspondent " S.," whicli we for- 

 warded to Mr. .^.tkins, aud he has obliged us by replying as 

 follows : — 



" Thanks' for the sight of the leaves and bloom from your cor- 

 respondent ' S.' With the exception of repandum, fwhich is 

 that of Sibthorp, true), and possibly the one marked on the 

 hack, and mucli more serrated than the other, they are all 

 of the heder:Hfolium type, though some of them belong to the 

 Greek group. Of the latter I am not at present quite satisfied 

 whether there are distinct species or only varieties ; but from 

 researches now making I trust this will before long be satisfac- 

 torily determined. I believe I have all of them, with, perhaps, 



PE.VR SCIONS EMITTING ROOTS — PARADISE 



STOCKS. 

 I AM much obliged by your having inserted my defence anent 

 the Paradise stock, and I was not surprised that you bad no 

 proofs to offer against its hardiness. And I cannot but think 

 that you prejudged the case, and thereby did me an uninten- 

 tional injury. I think that the editorial " We think you are 

 right " was uncalled for, it would have been best merely to 

 have given space to Mr. Pearson's little spurt, and left the 

 public to decide between him and me, as it is you have made 

 yourselves parties in the matter at issue, and I think partial 

 parties. 



You have not been able to show any proofs against the hardi- 

 ness of the Paradise stock, and I am inclined to think that 

 you have not much root to sustain you in the other case — i. e., 

 the protrusion of roots by the Pear from above its junction 

 with the Quince. 



I was engaged yesterday taking up a large number of Pears 

 worked upon the Quince, and I examined many of them 

 minutely, but found no appearance of the little phenomenon 

 you and Mr. Pearson speak of as sure to take place. It struck 

 me that it v,-ould be well for me to send you some of my trees, 

 that had been planted an inch or two over the junction of 

 Pear aud Quince, that you might see upon what good reason 

 I advise Pears worked upon Quince stocks to be planted an 

 inch or two over the junction. Tou, I think, will do me t'ne 

 justice to see that iu neither of the three trees sent are there 

 any indications of Pear-roots being pushed out. The trees 

 sent have been planted four years, and I think you will allov? 

 that they are not destitute of Quince-roots, if they have none 

 from the Pear above. Any one who knows anything about 

 Quince and Pear-roots cannot be deceived. I could have sent 

 you trees that have been planted ten years, iu the same way, 

 but deemed them rather bulkj-. 



I now challenge you and Jlr. Pearson, and the other fellow, 

 behind the scenes, who draws the strings for Mr. Pearson, to 

 send mc a Pear tree that ha.^ rooted from abaee the junetion of 

 scion and stock. If you, or any of you, will do this, I will pay 

 £1 to the fimd of the " Gardener's Benevolent Institution."' 

 But should you fail to do this, you will each of you pay £1 to 

 the same fund. I claim, as a matter of fairness, to have this 

 letter printed rerhatim, as I consider it a little out of the way 

 for parties to take up a trade catalogue and try to make them- 

 selves appear sapient by their hypercritical remarks on sub- 

 jects they are evidmthj not acquainted with. We all know 

 that trade lists are not, as a class, very correct ; I know mine 

 are not, so much so, as I could v;ish them to be, although I 

 think that they will bear comparison with most of my conttm 

 poraries. — John Scott. 



[We insert the above without any omission or mitigation — 

 though it would liave been more merciful to Mr. Scott to have 

 left out much, and to have softened more. Controversy does 

 not reciuire improper motives to be assigned to those who differ 

 from us, and Jlr. Scott, if he reflects for a moment, will fee! 

 that he was no more justified in charging us with partiality, 

 than we should be in charging him with being prompted by 

 self-interest. Tho'e />■ such a motive as the desire to establish 

 truth, and we claim that as our motive in all which we insert in 

 these columns — and certainly the present discussion is no ex- 

 ception — loe have no interest to serve whichever opinion 

 prevails. 



ilr. Scott had acted more discreetly if he had allowed the 



Pommier dc Paradis stock question to remain without further 



I agitation, but since he intimates that we refrained from the 



