September 2;!, 1869. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGH GAKDENEB. 



241 



Grape itself woTild lead one to expect. I planted it in April 

 last, iu a newly-prepared border, along with more than twenty 

 other Vines of different sort?, inclndinc; Mrs. Piuee'a Black 

 Muscat, Riyal Ascot, and Madresfield Court. Most of these 

 have carried iheir growth to the length of a 17-feet rafter, 

 but the Golden Champion not only failed to start into growth 

 at the same time as the others, but when it did start its 

 growth was very weak, and tho foliage very thin and bad iu 

 colour. 



All the Vines in this house were allowed to grow as the 

 season advanced, and owing to the weakness of the Golden 

 Champion Vine I gave it more than its share of attention, but 

 to my surprise it gradually became weaker until the point of 

 its leader died off, and there it remains a miserable object, 

 which to all appearance would be dear at a gift. 



Now, if from my own experience I may conclude that many 

 others in different parts of the country havo tailed to grow this 

 Vine suooessfuUy under the usual treatment accorded to other 

 Vines, I may fairly ask. What is the cause of this debility V also. 

 What treatment are we to pursue in •rder to roar it up to tho 

 fruiting state, so anxiously sought for by everyone ? In reply 

 to the first question I shall venture to say it is more owing_ to 

 the exhausting effects of a rapid propagation than anything 

 else, for when a person considers the noble and attractive ap- 

 pearance of the fruit, together with the suitable parentage and 

 likelihood of its becoming a desirable companion to the famous 

 Black Hamburgh, it is not surprising that the demand for plants 

 was enormous, and from the brisk propagation forced upon 

 the raisers in consequence, the juices of the Vine were never 

 thoroughly at rest before propagation commenced again, hence 

 its weakness. In answer to the second question, I should say 

 that no better plan could be advised than inarching on the 

 Black Hamburgh, but I think all those who have their Vines 

 already planted will do well to let them remain, but take care 

 to thoroughly ripen the wood. I think Golden Champion will 

 yet do well on its own roots, by making a good growth next 

 year. — Thomas Eeoord, Hawkhnrst. 



THE GLADIOLUS.— No. 2. 



FONTAINEBLEAU. 



I STILL linger about this classic spot — not, our readers may 

 be sure, on account of the gilded salons of Diana de Poitiers, 

 nor the charming glades of its wide forest, but on account of 

 the interest I feel in the lovely autumn flower which has made 

 this historic place dear to all who cultivate it ; and I could not 

 very well leave the mention of it without adding something a.^ 

 to tho new varieties ; and what more fitting time to write one's 

 experience of those of this season as well as to indicate those 

 yet to come ? Before doing so, let me correct one or two errors 

 which my unfortunate habit of scribbling has made me appear 

 to make (I do not blame the printer, for I sometimes wonder 

 how he does so well) — thus, I am made to say the Parisian 

 "fairs," instead of Parisian firms; "pretty rough," instead 

 of pretty enough ; " arrachc," instead of nn-ac/icc ;" while by 

 a lapsus plumai I wrote " Moliere instead of Ulysse. 



There can be, I think, little doubt that the collection sent 

 out by Monsieur Souchet last season comprised finer flowers 

 and more of them than in the previous season, and, indeed, I 

 make bold to say, than any former one ; and as I have grown 

 all the varieties named below under my own eye, have seen 

 them with other growers, and compared notes, I rather fancy 

 the judgment now given will prove tolerably correct. 



Michel Ange. — 1 place this foremost, for it is a most remark- 

 able flower. The description given of it in the catalogues led 

 many to suppose that the spike would not be regular, but, as 

 some one expressed it to me, all about the place. But this is 

 not so. The spike is regularly formed , and tho flowers are very 

 remarkable, having more the appearance of a Lily than a 

 Gladiolus, a peculiar dark crimson purple with white lines. 

 In the bed it has a most effective appearance. 



Homire, Thomas ilethven, a.nd Madame Dombrain. — I place 

 these three together, for there is a great similarity between 

 them. Of the three Thomas Methven is, I think, the best — 

 a large, fine, and well-formed spike ; the colour deep violet 

 rose, flamed with farmine violet. Homere has more purple in 

 it, the flaming, perhaps, not quite so brilliant ; while Madame 

 Dombrain has less rose colour. All these have the regular form 

 of spike, and all are desirable flowers. 



SchUler. — A ouriona shade of colour, having novelty to re- 

 commend it ; it is called a sulphur yellow, and has the very 



faintest tinge of primrose. It bears some analogy to Anai's, 

 but is Lirger and finer in every respect. 



Ularic Stuart. — A very fine (lower withjong spike ; the ground 

 colour a very pale blush, flameil and striped with carmine cerise. 

 Argus. — A brilliant-looking flower, admirable for eff'jct, but 

 wanting in shape. The same may be said still more of 



Romulus. — Dark crimson with large white spots, but the 

 petals are pointed and irregular ; still for its colour it may and 

 will be grown. 



Legouve. — A magnificent flower, long spike. Individual 

 flowers large and well shaped, fiery red colour ; upper petals 

 with a white !ine in them, large white spot on the lower ones. 

 One of the best flowers of the year. 



Madame Desportes. — A beautiful pure white, purer, I thint, 

 than La France or Norma of the year previous, with a very 

 light violet stripe ia the lower petals. Very fine. 



Fenelon. — A very long spike. Very light rose colour with 

 a violet tinge, but rather mnddly. 



Racine. — A long spike. Flowers, cerise tinted with violet. 

 A well-formed spike. 



Virgile. — A brilliant scarlet red flower. Long spike, well- 

 formed flowers. A striking plant. 



Circii. — A rose-coloured flower, largely tinted with lilac, and 

 flamed with crimson, somewhat after Madame Furtado. Very 

 pretty. 



CornciUc. — Well-formed spike. Clear cerise ; the edges of 

 the petals with deeper shade of the same colour. 



I have not seen Autonius, Buffon, Isis, Jenny Lind, Mon- 

 taigne, Picciola, or Van Djck, but I do not think that they 

 equal those I have named. Those who do not possess them 

 will do well to procure Michel Ange, Homere, Thomas Methven, 

 Madame Dombrain, Legouve, Marie Stuart, Eacine, Madame 

 Desportes, Virgile, and Schiller. 



With regard to the new varieties coming out this autumn, 

 my notes on them were rapidly made. Madame Souchet was 

 in despair ; the baptism had taken so long that the dinner was 

 behindhand, and yet here were two enthusiasts still poring 

 over them, and then, surrounded as they were by other flowers, 

 what wonder that one's head almost got off its balance. I 

 believe, however, that the following is a tolerably correct rtsmni. 

 There are twenty-four to be brought out, divided into four 

 separate classes, varying, of course, in price. 



In the first class are Phcenix, a fine cerise colour ; Eoseta, very 

 beautiful white with cerise blotches ; Petrarch ; La Candeur, 

 a fine white ; Eobert Fortune, with deep spot ; and Orphee. 



In the second class, Elizabeth, bright pink ; La Sylphide, 

 white with large blotch ; Perfection, white with deep flame ; 

 Mariana, very large pink ; Agathoe ; and De Humboldt. 



In the third class, Spectabilis, fine colour ; Adanson, some- 

 thing in the stylo of Anais ; Bossin ; Asmodue, excellent spike 

 of deep scarlet ; Delicatus ; and Rosea perfecta. 



In the fourth class, Welpers, Eieanora, Sultan, Gloria 

 Florum, large white ; and Dr. Livingstone, very bright, but 

 not very large. 



It is clear that we must be gradually thinning out our older 

 varieties when newer kinds of the same style are so far supe- 

 rior, and yet we do not like to give them up. It has been 

 feared by some that we were losing vigour in these new kinds 

 and gaining beauty at the expense of constitution, but I hardly 

 think so. Some of the older kinds — Napolfiou III., Achille, 

 and James Veitch, for example — are far more delicate than 

 Norma, La France, or Meyerbeer. Some of the new kinds are 

 undoubtedly so, Semiramis for example, but they are out- 

 numbered by the more vigorous sorts. M. Souchet has clearly 

 understood, that it is better to give short than long names 

 to things ; we have no " Souvenir de Madame la Comtesse 



de ," and such-like absurdities, as in tho Roses. 



I have not ventured upon giving any selection of the older 

 varieties, as I have done so before, but have merely referred 

 to the newer sorts, and iu my next shall havo something to say 

 of the difficulties that beset the cultivation of this fine autumnal 

 flower. — D., Deal. 



HuEEicAXE IN Jeeset. — From early in tho evening of Satur- 

 day, September 11th, to Sunday morning, Jersey was visited 

 by such a hurricane as has not been known there, so say the 

 inhabitants, for more than thirty years. Thriving, blooming 

 gardens are left like wildernesses, and plentiful crops of Pears, 

 without any exception that I have heard of, have positively 

 been cleared and scattered on the ground ; nor have the Apples 

 fared better. By Sunday morning the Tomatoes and plants 



