October 23, 1S53. ] 



JOCtlXAL OF HORTICULTURE A.ND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



330 



cession, the largo yellow; Princa Albeit, Lilaoens euperbus, 

 and Ne Plus Ultra, blue flowir> ; PriJe of Alhion, and Sir 

 Walter Suotf, bolU striped flowers llio f.irmer I'eavily so, but 

 both fine and handsome; and Mjut Blauc, and Mrs. Beecher 

 Stowe, white varieties. Crocuses are very handsome indeed iu 

 the open gvonnd, but llnnr beauty is much enhanced when sub- 

 jeoted to a little cultivation. 



There are yet a fflw other bulbs well worthy of cultivation in 

 pots. Peihips the esirliest of a'.! tj bloom would be the preity 

 and delicate Early Rjman Hyacinths, in whose praise too much 

 can scarcely be written, as tbcy blossom profusely, and con- 

 tinue in flower for a long time. A pot or two of the little early- 

 blooming Bulbocodium vernum, shonUl not be omitted ; ami 

 Soilla bifolia and sibirica, both little blue-floKering goms, 

 shonld be included at all hf.zird', though the former is some- 

 what diffieuU to obtain. I also put in a claim for Narcissus 

 pnmila, and N. Bulbocodium, the last named the Hoop Pettic'>:>,t 

 Narcissus, and both most valuable as pot plants in the conser- 

 vatory; and then to bloom later, the" chaste, free-blooiniag 

 Triteleia uniflora. 



Just a word in praise of Crocus speciosng as an autumnal- 

 blooming plant for pot culture. It is the s^em ol my small 

 garden at the present Eioment. I imigine thit what I have for 

 C. speeiosus is but a garden variety, but showing an improve- 

 ment on the original species in point of form. About its de- 

 licate blue flowers there is a sweet chasteness, while the type 

 I possess is floriferous to a degreo almost approaching singu- 

 larity. This beautiful Crocus does much in the way of linking 

 autumn to spring ; it is in the van of a floral procession that 

 ■with almost unbroken ranks bridges over the parenthesis of 

 winter, and connects the past ni;h the future, and so 



" Vv inter, slumbering in the open air," 

 can be made to 



" Wear on Lis smiling f?,ce a dream of spring, ' 

 even when he holds the earth in the lirmest grip of his icy 

 hand. — Yii. 



WELLINGTONIA GIGANTEA. 



Observing iu an appeal from llr. Bobsou for reports upon 

 Wellingtonias, I send you an account of those I saw at Bicton 

 a few weeks ago. About an acre of ground is planted wilh 

 them. The soil, to the depth of about 1 foot, has been thrown 

 up into nine largo mounds about i feet high, and upon thee 

 mounds nine trees have been planted. I could not help thisik- 

 ing the situation a very unfavourable one, placed as the trees were 

 beyond the reach of any source from which they could drr.w 

 nourishment beyond what the mounds contained. One of the 

 plants was only a few feet high, and appeared to have been 

 recently planted, but I did not ascertain what had become of 

 its predecessor. Another showed symptoms of declining heal'.h, 

 and the remaining seven were tolerably healthy, but did not 

 present a very vigorous appearance. I did not ascertain their 

 age. Their average height is 23 feet, and the diameter of the 

 spread of branches 18 feet. Tliey suffered from the drousht of 

 both this year and last. It is no.v intended to add liberally to 

 the mounds until the surrounding ground shall be restored to 

 its original level. 



The largest and healthiest specimen of Wellingtonia at Bicton 

 i3 planted on the level ground iu the pinetum. It is SO feet 

 high, its spread of branches 18 feet, its circumference of stem 

 at 6 inches above the gronnii 6 feet 8 inches. 



The Wullingtonias are beating a good crop of cones this 

 season, and the seed is growing well. I believe they are likely 

 to be the first 8eedliDg^ raided from home-grown seeds in 

 Britain. — A. B., Cttdsden, Amersham. 



Is reply to Mr. Eobson'a inquiry, I write to state how my 

 WelUngt.;nias are placed, and what is the soil in which they 

 thrive. The soil is a very rich yellow loam, and the situation 

 of the largest tree a wile piece of lawn, surrounded by nume- 

 rous other Couifers. The tree was planted iu September, 1851, 

 soon after the introduction of the species into Eogland, and 

 its height was then G inches. The Welliugtonia being an 

 expensive tree at that time, the greitest care was taken of it. 

 It, like all the other 'Willingtonius grown here, is sheltered 

 from all wind-i, man' of the common Firs being planted round 

 onr Conifers to sb- Iter them from keen winds, but though we 

 are on a hillside, wo nave not such keen winds as one would 

 imagine. 



We have three trees of Cnpressas Lambertians, one being 



34 feet in diameter of spread, though the height is only 28 feet, 

 owing to the tree having lost its top a few years ago ; the next 

 is 32 feet high, and 23 feet iu diameter ; and the third is 30 by 

 2C feet. Mr. Eobson's remark concerning the similarity of 

 Cryptomeria Lobbii to C. japonica is quite true ; they diSer but 

 little in their foliage, but the C. Lobbii as grown here is mneh 

 more bushy and compact than C. japonica. We have fcnr 

 trees of Cryptomeria japonica, but they have not attained the 

 height of that which was broken at Linton Park in 18C7. We 

 have them 35 feet high, but the spread of branches is but small. 

 There is a Picea Nordmanniatia 26 feet high, and covering a 

 space 20 feet in diameter. I do not think this species is enough 

 culiivated ; it deserves a chief place among Conifers. 



Llaving several plants of Arancaria imbric;;ta, would yoit 

 inform me the cause of their throwing out jo much gum at the 

 base? Is it a consequtnce of rapid growth? The finest 

 specimen here is 20 fei?t high, but there are several 15 feet 

 high. Some seem to grow very bushy iti this soil. 



I niU give a list of mosS of our Conifers and their heights at 

 some future time. 



In conclusion I must say a few words about ihat noble tree, 

 Pinus macroearpa (P. Coulterij. We have one 20 feet high 

 and covering a space 12 feet iu uitimeter. Its leaves are from 

 9 to 10 inches long, and its cones iu its native country are 

 very largo, bting from 12 to 11 inches long, 6 inches broad, 

 and weighing from 3 to 4 lbs. each. " It is," says Gordon, in 

 his " Pinetum," " alarge tree with spreading branches, growing 

 from 80 to 100 feet h'lgh, and 3 or 4 feet in diameter, found on 

 mountains of Santa Luois, near the Mission of San Antonia, 

 in C-jlifornia, within sight of the sea, at an elevation of from 

 3000 to 4000 feet. It is also plentiful in other parts of Cali- 

 fornia, particularly on the ' Crusta,' an ascent from San Luis 

 Obispo on the brow of the mountain." 



The Cryptomeria Lobbii which I mentioned in my former 

 lettsr has only two leaders, each from 12 to 14 feet high, not 

 four, as I stated by mistake. The tree is 20 feet high.— The 

 Master's Gakdenee. 



MARECHAL NIEL P>0.?E ON^ A CELINE STOCK. 



I HiVE read with much interest the interesting articles on 

 Pioses and their stocks from pens of no mean authority. All 

 .«eem to bs of one accord that Murcchal Niel is s very beautiful 

 Rose, and so say I ; bat there seems to be some difficulty in 

 blooming it, and in many instances inducing it to grow. As 

 there are differences of opinion as to the proper stock for it, I 

 beg to offer my experieiioe. I cannot too Btrongly recommend 

 as a stock for it the Celine Rose, which ie a Hybrid Bonrbon of 

 very strong growth, hardy, end the cuttings will root as freely 

 as those of the Manetti. It will grow well in all soils, but is most 

 at heme in a sandy loam. Climate seems to make no difference 

 to it, as it has thriven wherever I have had to grow Roses. I 

 have never found the Maigchal nor auy of tha Tea or Noisette 

 Roses die on it, although I never could grow them more than a 

 year or two on the Manetfi. 



I find that in light soils for most of the Tea Rose?, and 

 especially when it is desired to have a dwarf plant of Devoniensig, 

 the Crimson Boursault is the best stock; but if the soil is at all 

 of a clayey nature there is nothing to surpass the Briar. Of 

 course I am referring to Tea and Noisette Koses. Let me 

 impress upon all lovers of Maicuhal Niel and Roses of the same 

 class never to buy or work it on ihe Manetti stock, for that ia 

 time and money thrown asvay, and will only end iu disappoint- 

 ment. — J. T., Maespwtjnne, South Wales. 



THE CLOCHE SUPERSEDED. 

 Yes, I venture to write these words ; and 'itila did I thiulr, 

 when recording my observations on the vegetable-growing cf 

 Paris, that there was ho nearly at hand for us an iaven'ion that 

 would put it into our power to produce winter ealsding in 

 quite as great perfection as our neighbours ; but such I believe 

 to be the case, and that the plant-protectors of Mr. Rendle will, 

 amongst their various uses, be found admirably suited for thie 

 purpose, far more easily managed than frames, cheap, and 

 durable. Every owner of a garden will now l.ave at hand 

 materials for raising and kteping his salads. The plant-pro- 

 tectors v.ii! be morfi cleanly than the cioabe, for there will not 

 be so great a need of heaping up manure about tt:cm in severe 

 frost — a covering cf mats being, I should imaijinc, sufficient. 

 At any rate, I mean to give them a fair trial this winter, and 



