SiFay'8,re6«. 1 



JOUBNAlj OF HORTIODLTUKB AND COTTAGE G.VRDENEK. 



341 



fltrOctnres by the removal of the duty. After the latter epoch, 

 however, the number of I'ine-houses and Pine-pits was much 

 increased, and all the old and new modes of culture were in re- 

 quisition, and fresh attempts were made in order to discover a 

 more rapid and easy way of obtaining this fruit in perfection. 

 Mr. Hamilton, in Lauonshire, advocated the planting-out 

 system, with closely confined pits, and a greater amount of 

 heat than had hitherto been afforded. The planting-out sys- 

 tem was also adopted at Treutham with good results. The 

 number of places where Pines were grown increased rapidly, 

 and certain districts appearing to have a decided partiality 

 to particular varieties. In the neighbourhood of Manchester, 

 where excellent Pines, and Grapes too, are grown, the Black 

 Jamaica, or Montserrat, as it is there called, is the pre- 

 vailing fruit. Queens certainly predominate near London, 

 while our neighbours across the Tweed seem to give the pre- 

 ference to the Smooth-leaved Cayenne. The large Pines, as 

 Providence, Charlotte Kothschild," and Enville, seem to gather 

 in greater strength in the central and northern counties than 

 elsewhere ; but they arc yearly giving way to the kinds before 

 mentioned, and others of like quality at table, size having 

 ceased to be regarded as a point of merit, unless other good 

 properties accompany it. 



The above outline of the cultural history of the Pine .\pple, 

 which the reader may, perha]is, complain of as being long and 

 tedious, was intended as a preface to some notes which I purpose 

 tomake on a treatise on the cultivation of this fi'uit by Mr. David 

 Thomson, of Archerfield, whom the readers of this Journal will 

 remember as being one of the most able writers in its pages, i 

 and from whose pen occasional articles still appear. Of the j 

 merit of the work as a literary production I must leave abler 

 critics to give an opinion, but as a work conveying a clear 

 idea of the mode of culture adopted at Archerfield, and the re- 

 sults there attained, the testimony of an eye-witness may. per- 

 haps, not be regarded intrusive by the author, nor mistaken by 

 the public as being akin to puffing, for it avUI be perceived that 

 something has, in my opinion, been omitted. Do not, however, 

 let my saying this prevent the reader ordering the work at once, 

 for I can affirm that it fully and faithfully reflects the practice 

 of one of the best Pine-growers in the United Kingdom. More 

 than this need not be said, and had I not seen the garden at 

 Archerfield I would not have said this much. However, as 

 generalities are useless without details, I propose in my next 

 article to take the little work in hand, and commencing at the 

 beginning, follow the author through such portions of it as may 

 appear necessary. — J. Kobson. 



(To be continued.) 



ROYiVL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 May 1st. 



Floral CoMjnxTEE. — Mr. Cox, pordeuer to W. 'Wellg, Esq., Red- 

 leaf, bronglit cut Howers of a RL-edluig Camellia, a light rose colour ; 

 also, RliododeudxQU AiuklauJii, and two kinds of Maguolia. Messrs. 

 Veitch exliiLited a new Lycaste with strong foliage aud a laiiic dull 

 yellow and j^eeu llowec ; also, a collection of plants, cousistiug of 

 Rhododendrons, Azaleas, &c., for which a special cei-tificatp was 

 awarded. Mr. Turner, Slough, sent a very large and beautiful col- 

 lection of Auriculas, affording good examples of this old favourite in 

 its varioas forms of green, gii;y, and white-edged ilowcis ; also many 

 beautiful selfs or one-coloured" flowers, and a beautiful toUection of 

 Alpines in every shade of colour. Never was such a group of Auriculas 

 seen before ; they were most deservedly the admii-ation of all who saw 

 them, and well merited the Lindley medal which the Committee 

 awarded them. Two of the seedling Alpines, Defiance, a dark-shaded 

 violet flower ; and Victorious, a Ini^t- shaded chocolute with cou- 

 spicuous yellow centre, received first-class certificates. Mr. James 

 Hedges, Birmingham, sent cut flowers of Cattleya amethystiua and 

 Rhododendron lancifolium, a delicate rose-coloured flower. A very 

 nice collection of stove plants was sent up from Chiswick, and a special 

 certificate was awarded lor them ; also, a collection of Orchids from the 

 stoves at South Kensington. A first-class certificate was awarded to 

 Psychotria macrocephula, a beautiful plant exhibited by Mr. Bull at 

 the previous meeting, some doubts being then expresstd as, to its 

 liaving receivtd an award. 



FiiciT Committee. — Mi-. Tillery, gardener to the Duke of Port- 

 land, Weibeck, sent Lady Downe's Grapes, damaged on the jouraey, 

 Lut very good in flavour ; and from W. Burrell. Esq., Ockeuden House, 

 Cuckfield, came two Iduds of Apjiles, the names of which were not 

 determined. Riclimoud Lat« White Broccoli, a large-headed kind, 

 ,ma,3 shown b^- Mr. Turner, of Slough. 



T'oRT^^GHTLY MEnriNG. — W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., in 

 the choir. The iuvard.-i having been reported, and nineteen new 



Fellows elected, the Rev. M. J. Berkeley offered some remarks. Th© 

 first subject touched upon was Psychotria macrocophala exhibited at 

 the lust meeting by Mr. Bull, and respecting which some doubts had' 

 been eutt-rtained as to whether it was really a new species of Psychotria 

 or not ; but Mr. Berkeley stated that he had been to Kew herbarium, 

 and without venturing to say that he had comi>ared it closely with 

 some 17U Bpecica of Psychotria and twenty or thirty of Rudgca which 

 he there found, he had great reason to believe it to be quite distinct. 

 Rhododendron Princess Alice, from Messrs. Veitch it Sons, and 

 another Rhododendron, unnamed, from Mr. Cox, of Redleaf, were 

 then adverted to, the former as a hybrid lietween H. oiliatum and 

 Edgworthii. and the latter as probably a fonu of R. einnamomeum, 

 Mr. Cox had also sent two forms of Magnolia conspicua, one cut from a 

 tree covered with an extraordinai-y profusion of flowers, as well as an 

 intcrcatiug collection showing the fructification of various Conifers. 

 Rubus Ciircoudiana, which was exhibited among tlie plants from the 

 Society's garden, then came under notice, and it was stated to hiyre 

 been received from Berlin, but in the absence of flowers it was im- 

 possible to know whether it was a Rubus or not. It appeared, how- 

 ever, to be new. Two beautiful Gourds, both grown in the Botanic 

 Gai'den at Hyeres, next occupied attention. That named Lagenarift 

 splia>rica came from Natal, aad had been exhibited before ; but the 

 other, L. Monteiroi (Naudin), which was a native of the west coast of 

 Africa had, Mr. Berkeley believed, never before been seen in this 

 country. There was, in addition, a fungus sent by Mi*. W. G. Smith, 

 which was evidently a Morel, but api>arenlly different from the ordi- 

 naiy" one. Disease in Peach trees was the next subject to which at- 

 tention was dii-ected. This had btcn vei-i,- prevalent, and on examining 

 shoots which had been submitted to his iiisx^ection. he found that it 

 had commenced in the terminal bud. and that the wood below it ex- 

 hibited a number of little cavities. lu the case of some trees in the 

 Isle of Wight, the roots were found to be covered with little knots, 

 aud these were studded all over with facets from which adventitious 

 roots would have been emitted under conditious favourable to their 

 development. Those who had visited Chatsworth had no doubt admired 

 an enormous Peach tree gi-owing in a housu at that place, and which 

 was remarkable for the size and beauty of the fruit which it produced, 

 but it, too, had fallen into badhealtb. as well as some other trees at the 

 same place. The Duke of Devonshire applied to the Society to send 

 some one to examine these trees, and Mr. R. Thompson went down to 

 Chatsworth aud made a valuable report on the condition of the trees. 

 There was nothing apparently wrong in the management, but on ex- 

 amining the roots he thought that the bad condition of the trees most 

 have been caused by some fungus. Shoots and roots were, therefore, 

 submitted to Mr. Berkeley, and he found in every case, even when to 

 all outward appearance sound, indications of incipient decay, and 

 cells containing mycelium. The soil of which the border was made 

 contained a large proportion of fibre aud vegetable matter, such as was 

 likely to favour the development of the spa\vn of fungi, and it was in 

 a peculiarly solid and sodden condition. On mentiouing the subject 

 to Dr. Hogg he said that he recollected the trees beiug in the same 

 condition some years ago, but on the soil being removed and the trees 

 root-pruned, they again pushed vigorously. Some gardeners, Mr. 

 Berkeley remarked in continuation, ai-e in the habit of using forcing 

 manures, but it is a dangerous practice, which, though it may canse 

 increased production for one or two years, is often the cause of lasting 

 iujurv; and he further recomuiended especial caution in employing 

 those of which the comjjositiou is not known. 



Mr. Saunders said that, before calliug upon Mr. Bateman for hia 

 remarks on the Orchids, he ift-ished to direct attention to a little 

 Radish which by some extraordinary freak of nature had tied itself 

 into a knot. This he ascribed to the tap-root having come in contact 

 with some hard curved surface in the soil. 



Mr. Bateman said, that before proceeding with his observations he 

 had a grievance to complain of, which he hoped would be made public. 

 On several occasions plants had been dispatched from the country to 

 the Society's meetiugs, but had not an-ived in time. Taught by ex- 

 perience, ample time had been allowed for the journey — as much as 

 was consistent with the plants arriving in good condition, but whether 

 theii- delivery was left to the railway companies, or special messengers 

 were sent after them to the terminus, the result had been the same ; 

 and, as an instance, it was not necessary to go further back than tho 

 lajt meeting, when Dendrobium MacCarthia; did not arrive, though 

 dispatched in good time. He hoped, therefore, that something would 

 be done to redress this great grievance. Tlie first subject to which he 

 would allude was a remarkable Pear tree giowing in the vicarage 

 "ardens at Holme Lacy, the seat of Sir E. Scudamore Stanhope, 

 Bart., aud of which he had received a photograph. The tree formerly 

 covered nearly an aero of ground, but nnich of it had been cut down 

 from time to time, owing to its too closely surrounding the mansion. 

 From fourteen to sixteen hogsheads of perry, of ouo hundred gallons 

 each, had been made from its produce in some years. Mr. Bateman 

 expressed a hope that the example of sending photographs of remark- 

 able trees would be followed by others. With regard to the Orchids, 

 the show was rather meagre, owing to the weather being so cold as to 

 make those having valuable plants afraid to venture them from home. 

 There were some, however, well deserving of notice, and among such 

 was a fine specimen of Cattleya amctliystina, which was only a 

 variety, but a beautiful one, of "the old C. intermedia : also, Lycasto 

 Harrisoniise, one of oui- oldest Orchids, of which a magnificent spekjimen 



