January 7, 1875. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



those who are occupied with hybridisation, for who knows 

 what may arise from this gpccics '. (No ol'fence to certain 

 botanists.) By judicions crossing a new section in the numer- 

 ous family of Geraniaceie may be created. 



All amateurs know that with the old peltatums and lateripes 

 the charming edgings round shrubberies, the hanging baskets 

 of rooms, and the pillars of conservatories are decorated. I 

 therefore advise all amateurs to make early application to 

 M. Charles Iluber, as the number he has propagated cannot be 

 large. — Je.\n Sisley, Lyons. 



SELECTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



" What shall I do to be for ever known, 

 And make the at^es yet to come my own ? " 



I WILL write an article on the selection of fruits and vege- 

 tables. 



FETJITS. 



Peaches.— I will begin with old sorts : Early York, Grosse 

 Miguonne, Eoyal George, Violette Hative, Noblesse, Belle- 

 garde, Frogmore Golden, Barrington. Non sorts : Early 

 Louise, Early Victoria, Early Alfred, Dr. Hogg, Early Ascot, 

 Nectarine Peach, Princess of Wales, Lord Palmerston and Lady 

 Palmerston. The next are under glass, late and very good — 

 Albatross and Golden Eagle. The Early Ascot was raised by 

 Mr. Standish, and all the other new ones were raised by Mr. 

 Rivers. 



Nectarines. — Old sorts ; Downton, Elrnge, Violette Hative. 

 New sorts : Lord Napier, Rivers's Orange, Pine Apple, Rivers's 

 White, Eromerton's White, commonly called the New White. 

 I cannot leave these two classes of fruit without saying how 

 much we owe to Mr. Rivers for prolonging the season. 



Pears. — Beurre BacheUer, Beurrc Clairgeau, BeurrC d'Aman- 

 lis, Beurre Superfin (the best), Beurre Hardy, Beurru Diel, 

 Williams's Bon Chretien, Conseiller de la Cour, Doyenne 

 du Comiee, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Louise Bonne, Gratioli, 

 Josephine de Malines (one of the best), Marie Louise (ditto), 

 Marie Louise d'Uccle, Thompson's. On trial, not yet proven 

 — Souvenir du Congres, Olivier de Serres, Pitmaston Duchess, 

 General Todtleben, Madame Bonnefoud, and Beurrf de I'As- 

 somption. Except Marie Louise they are all on the Quince 

 stock. 



Affles.— Dessert : Cos's Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin (the 

 two best), Kerry Pippin, Court of Wick, Blenheim Orange, 

 King of the Pippins, Golden Pippin, Lord Burghley, Caraway 

 Pippin (delicious), Boston Russet. Culinary : White Lion, 

 Hawthornden, Blenheim Orange. 



Cherries.— They are all on the Mahaleb stock. Early 

 Lyons, Napoleon Bigarreau, Governor Wood, Empress Eugenie, 

 Bedford ProUfic, May Duke, Large Late Black Bigarreau. I 

 have the Early Purple Guigne, but it requires glass. 



Plums. — Dessert : De Montfort, Violette de Galopin, Green 

 Gage, Transparent Gage. Culinary : Mitchelson's, Dove Bank, 

 Belle de Septembre, Diamond. 



Apricots. — Royal, Peach Apricot, St. Ambroise. 



Fios. — White Marseilles, Brown Turkey, Early Violet. The 

 first is the best. I have been obliged to give up Apricots and 

 Figs, my gardens being too cold and exposed for them. 



Grapes. — For a cold vinery. — Black Hamburgh, and the 

 following delicious Frontignans — Early Smyrna, Primavis, 

 Chasselas Musque de Sillery, Early Golden, Early Auvergne, 

 Early Silver. 



Strawberries. — Black Prince, Duke of Edinburgh (Dr. 

 Roden), handsome, well coloured, and fine flavour; Sir Joseph 

 Paxton, Rivers's Eliza, Dr. Hogg, Mr. Radclyffe, Napoleon Itl. 

 (Gloede), not sufficiently known; Cockscomb, Wonderful, 

 Galande, Red Alpine, Royal Hautbois. 



Currants. — Black : Black Naples, Ogden's Black. Eed and 

 White : The old Red and White Dutch. 



Raspberries. — Fillbasket, Red Antwerp, Fastolf. 



Gooseberries. — Walnut Green, the best flavoured of all; 

 Whitesmith, admirable; Red Warrington, a good finisher. For 

 culinary purposes. Ironmonger. 



I have many culinary Pears here, but I know only the names 

 of two, and they are good — Catillac and Uvedale's St. Ger- 

 main. Of this latter sort Mr. Brehaut exhibited in London 

 six Pears weighing 19 lbs. 14 ozs. One of them weighed 

 4 lbs. 4 ozs. 



I do but little in vegetables. 



Potatoes. — Royal Ashleaf, Veitch's Ashleaf , Yorkshire Hero, 

 Lapstone, Taylor's Yorkshire Hybrid, and Bountiful (Fenn), a 

 red kidney, rich and excellent. It is a good cropper, and it is 



the best-flavoured novelty that 1 have tasted for some years. 

 Potatoes for poor people. — Early Rose, Gryffe Castle, and Rad- 

 skinned Flourball. 



Cabbages. — Green's Early, Enfield Market. 



Peas.— Ringleader, Veitch's Perfection, King of the Marrows. 



Beetroot. — Henderson's Pine Apple. 



Lettuces. — .\11 the Year Round, or Sutton's Tom Thumb. 



Celery. — Ivery's Pink Nonsuch, Veitch's Silver, and San- 

 dringham. 



Onions. — White Spanish. 



Carrots. — The Long Horn. 



Parsnips. — The Hollow-crowned. 



Turnips. — Early Stone, not yet beaten. 



The reader will not be disappointed if he selects out of the 

 above Usts. — W. F. Radclyffe, Okeford Fitzpalne, Dorset. 



OUR BORDER FLOWERS-ACANTHUS. 



Among our beautiful border flowers there is a family that 

 appears to be quite neglected (or shall I say unknown ?) to many 

 of the cultivators of the present day. The family I aUude to 

 is the Acanthus. We have not many species ; we have only five 

 enumerated as hardy herbaceous, and I am not aware that w& 

 have a native of this family. Spain and Portugal are the 

 places chiefly they inhabit. 



They are plants of easy cultivation, and, when once esta- 

 bUshed, last for a long time. They should have plenty of 

 room. When crowded together they have no chance of develop- 

 ing themselves. I find them succeed best as single plants. 



They require liberal treatment ; a compost of good sound 

 loam and leaf mould mixed with siftings of old lime rubble ; a 

 border broken up to the depth of 2 or 3 feet well incorporated 

 with the above compost, and efficient drainage. They must 

 be snppUed with water when required, and they may have 

 liquid manure water now and again when they are making 

 their growth, for they are gross feeders. A sunny situation is 

 desirable for their well doing. 



When fully developed their beautiful holly-green spinous 

 foliage renders them very attractive. 



They may be increased by division, but that sometimes in- 

 jures the plants, for, wounded by the operation, they sometimes 

 rot off. I find the easiest way to increase them is by seed. 

 The seed may be sown during the summer, the plants pricked 

 out when large enough, and in the autumn or foUovring spring 

 they may be planted where they are to remain. When planted 

 they should be made firm in their new situation. I prefer 

 potting the young plants and plunging them in a cold pit or 

 reserve ground, and planting as above. They are late-summer 

 and autumn-blooming plants, from 2 to 3 feet high. They 

 require staking to prevent the wind from twisting them 

 about. 



Acanthus mollis is, I believe, the commonest of the genus. 

 A. spinosus is very desirable too, and the whole family are in- 

 teresting. They are effective for centres of large beds, but 

 more especially for shrubbery borders, and are all worthy of 

 the cultivator's attention. 



I have not seen them suffer from insects as some of our 

 border plants do. The seeds may be obtained from most of 

 our large seedsmen. We are told by some authors that the 

 leaf of Acanthus mollis suggested the idea of Corinthian 

 architecture ; if so, it gave birth to the most beautiful. — 

 Veritas. 



MONT D'OR RUNNER BEAN. 

 The Bean referred to by Mr. Bester is, I presume, the Mont 

 d'Or Butter Bean, which I have grown for the last twenty years. 

 It is quite true what Mr. Bester says — when cooked it ie only 

 " a dirty yellowish green, neither yellow enough to look like 

 marmalade, nor green enough to please the eye," but I have 

 yet to learn that all our vegetables must necessarily be green, 

 and that pleasure to the eye is preferable to pleasure to the 

 palate. I can testify to the excellent flavour of the Butter- 

 Bean after many years' experience ; and what is of much impor- 

 tance is, that unlike Dwarf French Beans and Scarlet Runners, 

 it matters not how old the Butter Bean may be, it can be eaten 

 pods and all, without stringiness and without parchment 

 lining, the latter of which it does not possess. — P. B. 



Mr. Willlam Paul's Show of Eoses in Pots, Pictorial Trees, 

 Geraniums, &a., will this year be held in the Royal Botanic 



