October 21, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



325 



from " drawing." I find nothing better than a window ledge 

 or a table near it, and if a bay window so much the better. 

 My own glasses I ))Iace on the window ledge, and halfway np 

 the window, at the junction of the eashea where the fasteuing 

 is placed ; here they do admirably, only when the son becomes 

 warm they should be shaded from its action, or removed in 

 the middle of the day. Where there is not width of bar 

 enough to support the glasses at the junction of the sashes, as 

 in the case of my own windotv, then a brass rod can be used, 

 to pass along by the neck of the rUes, and drop into a rest on 

 either side. I append a rough sketch of my own contrivance, 

 in the hope of making it clear to your readers. 



This arrangement certainly prevents the bottom sash from 

 being raised, but it does not in the least interfere with the top 

 sash coming down. At this stage the great points in the culti- 

 vation of the Hyacinths are — a plentiful supply of water, pro- 

 tection from hot sunshine, and the continual raising of the 

 support as the spike of flowers increases in length. 



Beyond giving a list of varieties I have found to be specially 

 adapted for cultivation in glasses, I have done with the cul- 

 tivating process. Alas ! how poorly such a system of cultivating 

 the Hyacinth appears to be understood ! Let anyone take a 

 walk about the suburbs of London during the spring months, 

 and observe the poor, neglected, starving specimens of the 

 Hyacinth thaf-, meet the eye at almost every stage of the pro- 

 gress, and he will readily understand how much a better 

 knowledge is required. If these remarks can aid the dissemi- 

 nation of this knowledge, and can be made the means of in- 

 citing some to pursue this pleasant pastime, this paper will 

 not have been written in vain. The following varieties are 

 fine, varied, and moderate in price : — 



DOUBLE HYACINTHS. 



Lord Wellington, ^raxy blnsb, verj' 1 Bloksberg, pale lilac, striped with 

 fine. I blue. 



La Tour d'Auvergne, pure white. 



SINGLE HYACINTHS. 



Duchess of Richmond, bright pink. 

 Emmeline, delicate blush, striped 



with pink. 

 Gigantea, pale flesh. 

 La Daroe du Lac, blush, suffased 



with pink. 



Baron Van Tayll. deep plossy violet. 



Bleu Mourant, dark blue. 



Charles Dickens, dark porcelain 



blue. 

 Emicns, daik blue, light centre. 

 Grand Lilae, delicate azure blue. 



Madame Hodgson, light pink. 

 Norma, waxy flesh culour. 

 Robert Steiger.fine deep crimson. 

 SuJtan's Favourite, flesh, striped 

 with piuk. 



Leonidas, clear bric:ht blue. 

 Mimosa, dark blue purple. 

 Orondates, pale porcelain blue. 

 Prince Oscar, striped deep blue. 

 It^gulus, shaded lavender blue. 



WHITE. 



Alba Superbissima, pure white. 

 Anna Paulowna, blush while. 

 Cleopatra, creamy white. 

 Grandeur a Merveille, waxy French 



white. 

 Grand Vainqueur, pure white. 



lELLOW. 



Anna Carolina, clear yellow. | Heroine, pale yellow. 



King of Holland, pale yellow, shaded with reddish orange. 

 —Via. 



Madame Van der Hoop, pure white, 



extra fine. 

 Mont Blanc, pure white, very fine. 

 Seraphine, creamy blush. 

 Themistoolee. pure white. 

 Voltaire, blush white. 



POMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS. 



We have seen eome Bpeeimens of the DALBi'iirLE Damson 

 mentioned in the foUowiog extract o£ a letter. The Damsons 

 on the branch mentioned were like a cluster of Grapes. It is 

 mnch larger, but less flavoured than the common Damson, and 

 is evidently very hardy. 



"The fruit oii the branch is grown in the full sunshine. The 

 small branch is from a tree which loses the sun at 10.30 a.m., 

 and the other branch is from a tree planted on the edge of a 

 wood, and under a Eeech tree, and, therefore, never sees the 

 sun, excepting very early in the morning at midsummer. 

 Whatever this Damson may turn ont with you, it is a most 

 valuable variety here (SLBoswell's, N.B.). It is very dwarf in 

 habit, an enormous bearer, my trees giving from 1 to Ij bushel 

 each. It is late in ripening." 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN OAEDEN. 



Give air freely to Cauliflower andiettiicc plants under glass ; 

 indeed, the sashes should merely be used to throw ofi rain, 

 for the plants will do all the better if kept hardy. Take advan- 



tage of the first sunny day, when the gronnd is in a dry state, to 

 earth-up Cderij. The Mushroom beds made in September will 

 now he bearing ; it is a good plan to sprinkle or syringe the 

 surface of the bed a week or so before the Mushrooms make 

 their appearance, more especially in Mushroom houses whe»e 

 a fire may have been used occasionally. This is far better 

 than watering after the Mashrooms have come through. The 

 water, however, must not be alloved to penetrate the manure, 

 but merely to soften the soil. A sowing of Peas on a weH- 

 sheltered dry border may soon he made, and do not spare the 

 seed, for it will be some time exposed to the depredations of 

 mice. 



FRDIT GAT.DEN. 



The present time is the moat favourable for lifting and root 

 pruning such fruit trees as are growing too luxuriantly to pro- 

 duce fruit ; and as the autumn is the season generally fixed 

 upon for making new borders or renovating old ones, it is well 

 to remind those about to plant fruit trees of the danger every- 

 where apparent of making borders too deep as well as too rich. 

 When we see in practice ho-n small a space of border is requi- 

 site to support fruit trees in health and productiveness for a 

 number of years, we might be anxious to know how it happens 

 that such unnecessary expense is incurred to do a positive evil, 

 if we were not aware that in many instances it arises from a 

 desire to do the work overwell, and with a misconception of 

 what is necessary to maintain that moderate amount of growth 

 by which alone we may expect permanent results. The border 

 should not be deep— a depth of 1>-' inches is ample. The 

 soil should be maiden loam of a moderate consistency; no 

 dung whatever should be used, and the roots should be pre- 

 vented from passing below the border by a considerable depth 

 of rubble or rough paving stones placed so as to leave cavities 

 between them. This border should dip from the wall, so as 

 to throw off surface rains and be well exposed to the sun ; and 

 further, I would only make the border 4 feet in width at first, 

 and afterwards extend it as required. 



FLOWER GAFJ)EN. 



The weather is still favourable for executing alterations, and 

 when these are in hand they should be prosecuted with the 

 greatest possible dispatch. Planting, or the removal of large 

 evergreens, cannot be finished too soon, for it is of the ntmost 

 importance that the plants should be afiorded some chance of 

 making fresh roots before the trying winds of March set in. 

 See to even small plants being secured against wind, for these 

 are often much injured by being blown about after planting. 

 A small stake and a few minutes' work would prevent this. 

 As soon as the leaves have fallen secure a stock of Briars for 

 budding upon. Let the roots be well trimmed, cutting back 

 closely the strong ones, for these, if left, will be of little use 

 except to furnish an endless supply of suckers. Choice plants 

 in the parterre can no longer be depended on for display; it 

 is therefore desirable at this period to look over the masses 

 and beds, and see if there be any choice plant of a tender 

 character which it is desirable to secure for next year. Such 

 may be potted with a ball and wintered in a cold pit. As the 

 winter approaches, protection of some kind should be provided 

 for tender plants and shrubs ; almost any material is eligible 

 if it will in a considerable degree throw ofi wet. Canopies for 

 this purpose should be so contrived as to admit of one or two 

 sides being opened at pleasure. If only one, it should be placed 

 on the north or west side — certainly not on the south, as the 

 excitement occasioned by fits of sunshine is apt to prove very 

 prejudicial. The covering or canopy should by no means be 

 allowed to touch the plant, and the greater the space allowed 

 between it and the plant the better it will afford protection. 

 It is bad practice to bundle the shoots together like a broom in 

 order to make them occupy a more limited space. More injury 

 is occasioned by confined dung in a majority of cases than by 

 lowness of temperature. Hoodings of straw so formed as to 

 overlap the protecting material beneath are very good and 

 simple protectors, and if rightly contrived may be removed with 

 as much facility for ventilation as the top of an ordinary hand- 

 glass. Oilcloth will also make a good protection when formed 

 into a kind of cone, on the sides of which a small flap or two 

 may be made to open without admitting rain. Before the ap- 

 plication of any top covering I would advise that an inch or 

 two of the surface soil around the collar should be removed and 

 replaced with dry cinder siftings, the newer the better, or, 

 where it can be had, cocoa-nut refuse. The latter should be 

 piled as high op the stem as the plant will admit, taking care 

 not to choke too many of the lower leaves : and if the canopy 

 is so contrived as to overlap this mound the covering will be 



