July 8, 18C9. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HOKTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



27 



ord; Vaccinacea;. Linn. , Beoandria Monogynia. — " A beautiful 

 little Andean rock plant, conspicuous for its pendulous habit, 

 the deep glossy green hue of the leaves, which are reflexed 

 on the stem and branches, the bright pale red hue of the 

 young foliage, and deep red flowers. It was introduced by 

 Messrs, Veitch, through their late energetic collector, Mr. 

 Pearce, from Bolivia, and flowered in their establishment in 

 the King's Boad, Chelsea, in January of the present year." — 

 {Ibid.,t. 5781.) 



Geonoma tiniESERECHTiANA (Ghiesbrecht's Geonoma). Nat, 

 ord-, Palmacea;. I. inn., Moncecia Hexandria. — A very orna- 

 mental Mexican Palm. No stem ; leaves from 2 to 5 feet long. 

 ~(nid., t. 5783.) 



DiPLADENiA BoLiviEssis (Bolivian Dipladenia). Nat. ord., 

 Apocynaoea. Linn., Pentandria Digynia. — Native of Bolivia; 

 the other species have hitherto been found on the east 

 coast of South America only. It is very beautiful, flowers 

 white with yellow tubes. Introduced by Messrs. Veitch. — 

 {Ibid., t. 578.3). 



PiEEODiscu? LUBiDus (Lurid-flowered Pterodiscus). Nat. 

 ord., PedalinaceiE. Linn., Didynamia Angiospermia. — " One 

 of the most remarkable botanical features of the drier districts 

 of South Africa, is the presence of plants of various natural 

 families possessing short stout tuberous stems or caudices, 

 rising a few inches above the ground, and sending forth from 

 their crowns, on the approach of the wet season, a few stout 

 herbaceous, succulent, leafy, flowering branches. They flourish 

 best in a moderately warm house, planted in a poor soil, 

 amongst stones, &a., and exposed to the full light of the sun. 

 The present example of this form of vegetation is a native of 

 the Albany district of Cape Colony, and was sent to the Eoyal 

 Gardens from those of Graham's "Town, along with many other 

 interesting plants." — (Iljid., t. 5734.) 



MoR-EA BULEiFEni (Bulbous Moriea). Nat. ord., Iridace.T. 

 Litm., Triandria Monogynia. — "The present species is one of 

 the most beautiful of the genus, and produces a great multitude 

 of its golden flowers in succession, which expand fully in the 

 sunshine, and ornament a house for a period of several weeks. 

 It is a native of various districts of South Africa, and was lately 

 imported by our friend Mr. Wilson Saunders, F.B.S.. through 

 his indefatigable collector, Mr. Cooper. It was originally in- 

 troduced into the Vienna Gardens so long ago as last century." 

 —{Ibid., t. 5785.) 



Fig Col di Signoea Blamca PASACHftE. — " To all lovers of 

 beautiful fruits this, the most beautiful of aU Figs, will be 

 especially welcome. Nothing can exceed the charming appear- 

 ance of a handsomely grown pot-tree of this variety, laden 

 with its strikingly handsome Figs. The fruits are streaked 

 (panach^e), some more irregular in the markings, some almost 

 yellow, and some reverting to the natural green ; all, however, 

 are very beautiful, and show their markings plainly, from the 

 first appearances of the little embryo Figs, until their matu- 

 ration. This is not a new Fig, but a sport from the better 

 known Col di Siguora Bhmca, one of the finest Italian varieties, 

 which it closely resembles in form and quality, and, like it, 

 requires to be grown in considerable heat, so as to bring out 

 fully the superior richness of flavour. It succeeds best grown 

 in pots, under which conditions it fruits freely, and proves in 

 every respect satisfactory. Fruit medium-sized, roundish-tur- 

 binate, evenly and regularly formed. Neck shorter than in the 

 original. Skin thick, green, beautifully striped with longi- 

 tudinal bands of bright yellow. Eye small, closed. Stalk 

 short. Flesh deep rose, thick and syrupy, rich, and most 

 delicious. The length and form of the neck of the first fruits 

 are suggestive of the name. Lady's T^eck."— [Florist and Pomo- 

 logUt, 3rd s., ii., 145.) 



NEW BOOK. 



A Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of the Grape Vine. 

 By WiLUAM Thomson, Gardener to the Duke of Bucclench, 

 Dalkeith Park. Sixth Edition, enlarged. W. Blackwood 

 and Sons. 



Six editions in seven years is evidence that the gardening 

 community assent to our estimate expressed on the appearance 

 of the first edition, that a book on Vine culture from Mr. Thom- 

 gon'B pen "must be expected to be excellent, and that the 

 volume before ns will not disappoint that expectation." There 

 is much added to the present edition, and among the ad- 

 ditions is this on " Vine Boots." 



" The roots of Vines, like those of most other trees, have a 



tendency to descend into the earth, and when they reach cer- 

 tain subsoils they become unhealthy, besides which they ara 

 then far from the genial influences of sun and air. To prevent 

 this, remove a few inches of the surface of the border every 

 summer during dry weather, which will most probably expose 

 some of the roots, at any rate descend till they are reached, 

 then on, under, and amongst these young roots lay a few inches 

 of nice fresh loam, horse droppings, and old lime rubbish iu 

 equal parts, with a few handfiils of ground bones. Into this 

 mixture the Vines will send a mass of fine feeding fibry roots, 

 that with similar annual attention may be kept there, where 

 they should be mulched as already directed, and during very 

 hot dry weather fed with liquid manure, either from the farm- 

 yard or cesspool. When neither of these is available, mix guano 

 at the rate of 1 oz. to the gallon of water. If this process is 

 persevered in, it reduces the importance of concreting the 

 bottoms of Vine borders, as the Vines seldom suffer from any 

 roots formed at too great a depth. An amateur close to this 

 place has for many years grown splendid crops of Grapes, 

 chiefly Muscats. The Vines are planted in an outside border, 

 only 6 feet of which was made soil, and the roots are all right 

 through it into the general soil of his garden, which is poor, 

 shallow, and gravelly ; but he annually covers more than 30 feet 

 in width of the soil on each side of his span-roofed house with 

 inches of nearly solid cow manure, which during the year 

 washes into the soil, and is, when examined, a complete mass 

 of fine Vine roots, and is not disturbed except by the hoe, to 

 kill weeds, the sharp hungry soil preventing all danger from 

 over-feeding by such means. To this mulching, and occasional 

 waterings during the late scorching summer of 1868, when 

 every tree and bush, as well as weed, in his garden was covered 

 with red spider, he attributes the immunity from that pest 

 which Vines enjoyed. From this vinery I conceive a sound 

 lesson in Grape-growing may be learned, hence my reason for 

 referring to it." 



On the last two pages of the work Mr. Thomson gives an 

 extract from a volume published in 1031, in which the first 

 description of a vinery to be erected in England occurs. We 

 restrict our sentence to England, because there is reason to 

 believe from Martial's Epigrams, that the Eomans had vineries 

 as well as peacheries, and it is certain that they forced Cucum- 

 bers. 



In 1014, Barnaby Googe published a translation of Heres- 

 bach's " Whole Art of Husbandry." In that, although direc- 

 tions are given for Vine culture, there is no allusion to a 

 vinery. In 1631, another edition of the work appeared, edited by 

 Gervase Markham, in which he does describe a vinery, adding 

 — " This experiment hath beene approved in England and 

 found most excellent." That edition we have not seen, but 

 Markham in another volume he published in 1635, entitled 

 " The English Husbandman," again describes the vinery as 

 follows : — 



" If you desire to have Grapes in their true and best kinde, 

 most early and longest lasting, you shall iu the most convenient 

 part of your garden, which is ever the center or middle point 

 thereof, build a round house, in the fashion of a round dove- 

 coate, but many degrees lower, the ground worke whereof shalbe 

 above the ground two or three biiekes thicknesse, upon this 

 ground-plot you shall place a groundsell, and thereon, fine, yet 

 strong studs, which may reach to the roofe : these studs shalbe 

 placed better then foure foote one from another, with little 

 square bars of wood, such as you use in glasse windowes, two 

 betwixt every two studs, the roofe you may make in what pro- 

 portion you will, for this house may serve for a delicate ban- 

 quettiug house, and you may either cover it with leade, slata 

 or tile, which you please. Now, from the ground to the top, 

 betweene the studs, you shall glase it, with very strong glasse, 

 made in an exceeding large square pane, well leaded and ci- 

 mented. This house thus made, you shall observe, that through 

 the bricke worke there be made, betweene every two studs, 

 square holes, cleane through into the house ; then on the out- 

 side, opposite against those holes, you shall plant the roote of 

 your Vine, having beene very caretuU in the election and 

 choice thereof : which done, as your Vine groweth, you shall 

 draw it through those holes, and as you use to plash a Vino 

 against a wall, so you shall plash this against the glasse win- 

 dow, on the inside, and so soone as it shall begiune to beare 

 Grapes, you shall be sure to turue every bunch, so that it may 

 lye close to the glasse, that the reflection of the sunne heating 

 the glasse, that heat may hasten on the ripening, and increase 

 the groath of your Grapes : as also the house defending off all 



