474 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE ANl; COTTAGE GAUDENEB. 



( Decern iMr 16, 1869. 



before the crop is ^ranted, bat it is better to sow twice. There 

 are, no donbt, man; other good Peas, bat those named will give 

 general eatiEfaction. 



It does not seem to be generally known by cottagers in this 

 northern part how prolitio and what a fine dish Dwarf Kidney 

 and Itunner Beans are, otherwise they woald be more generally 

 grown. 



Bed Cabbage. — I think I may safely state we have in this 

 ueigbbonrhood the finest variety to be fonnd in any part of the 

 kingdom. It was raised by Mr. George Stockly, of Soath 

 Uill, Cbester-IeStreet. It is well worthy of the attention of 

 grower?, as there can be no doubt about its quality, and it 

 grows close to the ground. It may seem incredible, but heads 

 have been grown to 12 lbs. weight. He intends to sell the 

 small quantity of seed be has in stock in packets at Is. each. 

 Give the plants plenty of manure and sewage. If you have a 

 good sort they are easily grown ; if not, save yourself the trouble 

 of trying. Should the grub attack the roots, apply the sulphur 

 mixture as advised for Onions, and the plants wUl root afresh 

 Borprisingly. 



Celery needs few words from me, as readers of your Journal 

 are receiving plenty of information on the subject. Plants 

 raised early in beat ought to be well protected from cold winds, 

 or they are apt to become stunted, and are almost sure to bolt. 

 You can scarcely give too much water. Use plenty of salt, 

 and yon will greatly improve both crispness and flavour. 



Leeks, raised in beat, must be protected like Celery ; give 

 them plenty of sewage manure, for the ground can hardly be 

 too rich. Plants from seed sown in the bed will occasionally 

 prove better than those raised in heat, are not so apt to bolt, 

 and for late ase I prefer them. 



Potatoes. — The favourites in this district are Lapstone 

 Kidney, Gipsy Qoeen, round white, and the Gosforth Seedling, 

 red. 



Carbots and Beet. — Trench in the manure a good depth in 

 the autumn. There is little fear but the roots will find it, and 

 doing so to a great extent prevents their forking. 



If not occupying too much of your space, I would like to urge 

 the claim of email birds. A strong sympathy prompts me to 

 . advocate their cause, and in doing so I will not bring to the 

 fiont those tribes that are the acknowledged friends of the 

 gardener, but rather try to prove that the linnets and black- 

 birds are not our enemies but friends. It is annoying, I 

 admit, to have our seed beds plundered by the white and green 

 linnets ; but, observe, ihose hard-billed plunderers subsist all 

 the year round on small seeds, and but far these it would be 

 simply impossible for our farmers to suppress the weeds or 

 secure a crop. We all know the crow loves to abstract a Potato 

 now and then, or treat his palate to a few grains of Wheat 

 •early in spring ; still, he lives five months of the year entirely 

 upon grubs, and I think handsomely repays his occasional 

 depredations. The sparrow assists in disbudding our bushes. 

 and is not so intent on the destruction of grubs as we should 

 like to see him, but if equally divided his depredations are not 

 so great after all ; but where gardens and farm buildings are 

 contiguous, I am afraid I must fall back on his diligence in 

 acting the part of scavenger, which saves us from swarms of 

 flies. I had that best of friends, a mother ; she used to say she 

 loved the sparrow, for he always sung " cheer up." The black- 

 bird seems never so happy as when perched upon a tree of ripe 

 Cherries ; he feeds all the rest of the year upon grubs, excepting 

 during the deep snowzj of winter, when a kind Providence 

 supplies an abundance of haws and other wild fruit. Though in 

 hard weather it may occasionally disbud his Plum trees, does it 

 not delight the gardener to see the little bluecap sit so intently 

 examining every branch, peering into every hole, with a seeming 

 determination that nothing shall be left undone on his part to 

 protect them from the ravages of the grubs which would emerge 

 in spring? — Joseph Witbebspoon, Chester-le-Street. 



OPEN-Ain GRAPES. 



We had again to thank the Eev. George Kemp for being the 

 moans of causing a very interesting display of Grapes grown 

 iu the open air to be made at a recent meeting of the Frait 

 Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, at South Ken- 

 sington, Mr. Kemp having on that occasion offered " prizes of 

 ;t:i and £2 for the best six bunches of Grapes, grown in the 

 open air without any protection whatever." We have to thank 

 Mr. Kemp for his disinterested generosity in this matter, for 

 hia laudable endeavours to improve oar ont-door Grape culture. 



His is an example worthy of all commendation. We can only 

 wish that by his kindly encouragement a little more attention 

 may be paid to this much-neglected branch of gardening. 



The exhibition of October I'.ith was in all respects a credit- 

 able one, if in point of numbers it did not equal that of last 

 year. The fruit was in many instances superior, and this, too 

 in a season not by any means favourable for Grape culture ; last 

 year, on the contrary, being one of the most favourable ever 

 known. In 18C8 the first prize was awarded to Royal Mubc*- 

 dine, the second to Black Hamburgh ; in IKW both the first and 

 second prizes went to the Royal Mascadine Grape, thus again 

 stamping it as the variety best suited to onr climate, and most 

 worthy of caltivation. The Grapes which obtained the first 

 prize, exhibited by Mr. Miller, gardener to J. F. Friend, Esq., 

 Northdown, Margate, were especially fine, the berries as large 

 as well-grown hothouse frnit, and of most excellent flavoar, 

 ! with a little of that beautiful rosy tint so valued by the French. 

 For comparison with our English fruits, Mr. Spinks (lately one 

 of the students at Chiswick), jardinier-en-chef at the Chfiteaa 

 de Chantilly, near Paris, sent some examples of his own growth 

 of the Chasselas de Fontainebleau (our Royal Muscadine), the 

 Grape which Frenchmen prize above all others. These, al- 

 though stated to be somewhat superior to the frnit ordinarily 

 to be met with in Paris, suffered by comparison with the 

 English productions of Mr. Miller. They bore somewhat 

 more of the russety hue, and were, perhaps, a trifle riper. 

 Mr. Miller's examples were, however, far larger in both bunch 

 and berry, and nearly equal in flavour, as were also those frcm 

 several other exhibitors. This contribution of Mr. Spinks 

 proved extremely interesting, showing by direct comparison the 

 difference between the fruits of the two countries. It was 

 there shown that by a little extra care and attention in favour- 

 able localities, in ordinary seasons, we can in the open air of 

 our own country produce Grapes nearly equal to the best of 

 those at Paris. We are so prone to vilify onr climate, and 

 praise up the sunny skies of France, that onless facts to the 

 contrary are laid before us we refuse doggedly to believe it, 

 and thus fail to make the most of our own material. 



It is worthy of remark that in the warm season of 18G8 a 

 great many varieties of Grapes were exhibited besides the 

 Koyal Muscadine — viz.. Black Hamburgh, Black Prince, Es- 

 piran, Burgundy, Frontignans, &c. ; whilst in the colder season 

 of 18Gfl all of the exhibitions, excepting one Black Prince, 

 which was very unripe, consisted of Royal Muscadine. The 

 Black Hamburgh, Black Prince, &c., have not ripened well 

 in the open air this season, yet the Royal Muscadines exhibited 

 were fully better this year than they were last, thus affording 

 another proof that it is the main variety to be depended on. 

 It is also an excellent wine-making sort, as evidenced by the 

 first-class certificate awarded to Mr. Fenn for his Royal Mus- 

 cadine wine, in preference to that made from the Espiran and 

 the Muscat of Alexandria. 



I may here announce that Mr. Kemp intends still farther to 

 encourage the open-air cultivation of the Vine by again offer- 

 ing similar prizes, to be contested for next year at the last 

 October meeting of the Fruit Committee ; Mr. Kemp's desire 

 in offering these prizes being to encourage amongst the humbler 

 classes of the community a love for the cultivation of their 

 own Grape Vines, so that the labourer in his cottage, with his 

 family, may be able to enjoy their dish of Grapes grown aroond 

 their own doors as well as my lord from his extensive vineries. 

 Such good deeds, so quietly done, merit their own reward. 

 They tempt us to hazard a wish for many more Rev. George 

 Kemps. — Aecbambacd. 



THE NEW ROSES. 

 I nxYE for some time given up the notion of attempting to 

 convey any idea of the Roses which are being brought out year 

 after year" across the Channel. I have been so often disap- 

 pointed, seen flowers of which I had hoped so much turn out 

 worthless— seen, also, flowers of which no one had ever heard 

 anything take a foremost place, that one gives up in despair 

 forming any estimate. Of late years I took as a safer guide 

 the names of the raisers, and from their doings in past years 

 argued as to the present. But even this was deceptive ; and 

 now the lists come over to us without the names of the raisers, 

 so that even this opportunity is denied us. Even if one goes 

 over to France the attempt is almost hopeless ; the Roses at 

 Lyons, where a considerable number of the new varieties are 

 raised, are folly ten days or a fortnight earlier than those aboat 



