38G 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ May 20, 1873. 



Dentzia gracilis — beantifnl aa it is when you see nothing 

 better — looks a dirty white. — 'SVillum Taylor. 



LATE FIELD POTATOES. 

 I APPEND my experience both in growing and cooking twelve 

 varieties of late Potatoes ; the estimate of the different sorts 

 being derived by actnal practice and attentive observation may 

 be nsefnl to some readers. I have had them cooked at various 

 times — from the period of taking up the crop to the present 

 time. I note also their keeping properties, and the degrees 

 that each was afflicted by the disease. 



1. Paterson's Victoria. — Boils white and floury, a delicious 

 flavour, and a great cropper. It was a little diaeased at taking- 

 np time ; went no worse as the season advanced. It is a good 

 old variety. 



2. Patcrson's Improred Victoria. — Cooks very white and 

 floury, and is of excellent flavour. It keeps its colour well 

 after being cooked. This is certainly an improvement on the 

 old variety. 



3. Bresee's Prolific. — Boils white and floury, and of delicate 

 flavour ; is a heavy cropper, large and handsome, with tubers 

 oi a uniform size. It is one of the beet old American 

 varieties, and will retain its character for many years to come 

 as a second early ; it was almost free from the disease. 



4. Ashtop Fluke Kidney. — Cooks white and floury, and is 

 of rich flavour. It is not much of a cropper, being more 

 adapted for a garden, as the haulm is very compact and dwarf. 



5. Pcd'Perjent. — Cooks yellow; pretty good in flavour, and 

 mealy; not much diseased. A good hardy field variety. 



G. Wliite Flul<e. — BoUs as white as snow, and floury; it 

 keeps its colour well after being cooked ; it is very productive, 

 and but little diseased. 



7. lied Fluke. — Cooks white, and very floury ; a delicious 

 flavour, an abundant cropper, but a good many diseased; it 

 keeps well until late in the season. 



8. Falara. — Boils white and floury, excellent in flavour, 

 keeps its colour well after being cooked, and is a heavy cropper. 

 It is an excellent field variety, hardy, and very little affected 

 by the disease. My employer is now using it (middle of April) 

 in the house, and it comes to table in fine condition. 



9. Patcrson's Albert. — Cooks as white as snow, is very mealy, 

 and keeps its colour well ; it is an immense cropper, almost 

 free from disease; it keeps its colour well after being cooked. 

 It is a good keeper, and cooks as well now as it did the begin- 

 ning of the year. It will be more extensively grown when 

 better known. 



10. Sutton's Red-skinned Flourball.—'Boile very white and 

 floury, is excellent in flavour, and improves by keeping until 

 now (8th of May) ; we are using them every day. It is an 

 enormous cropper, proof against the disease, tubers nearly of 

 a uniform size — large, and good for baking. 



11. Late Eose. — Cooks as white as snow, and very mealy ; 

 is of a rich flavour, coming to table in fine condition, and very 

 little diseased. It cooks much better now (middle of April) 

 than at taking-up time. It is one of the finest American late 

 varieties yet sent out. 



12. Sutton's Hundredfold Fluke. — Boils white and floury, 

 and is of fine fiavour. It is one of the very best late varieties 

 at this season of the year. At taking-up time it boiled very 

 close and waxy, but was still good in flavour. It is an enor- 

 mous cropper, and free from disease. — W. McPhekson, The 

 Qardens, Snelston Hall. 



PROPAGATING COPROSMA BAUERIANA 

 VARIEGATA. 



The above plant being considered by some rather difficult 

 to strike, perhaps the following remarks as to how we have 

 struck a large batch this spring may be nsefnl to those who 

 desire to increase their stock and have not succeeded. We 

 lifted our old plants from the flower garden late last October, 

 potted them, and put them in a close frame until established, 

 then wintered them ,in a cool fruit house, and placed them in 

 ft temperature of about 00' in February for a fortnight before 

 taking off the cuttings. 



We use shallow saucers for these and all softwooded bedding 

 plants, except Geraniums, in spring propagation ; our present 

 stock was what are commonly used for Strawberry forcing, with 

 a hole in the centre for drainage. The compost used is the 

 ordinary one of loam, leaf soil, and sand. We dibble about 



thirty cuttings in a pan, and out of a large batch put in thus 

 and plunged to the rim in a bottom heat of about 80' in an 

 ordinary lean-to pit, not 10 per cent, missed, being fit to pot 

 off in a month. We find autumn propagation does not 

 succeed. 



The Coprosma is in its best dress in the dull wet days of 

 autumn, and may be left out until November. A few large 

 plants lifted and wintered as above will furnish many cuttings 

 in spring after having been turned to account for room and 

 general decorative purposes in the winter. — H. J. C, Grimsloii. 



HOLLY BERRIES FOR CHRISTMAS. 



Perhai'S at this season of the year the Holly is seldom 

 thought of, but as the festive season of Christmas draws near 

 its berries are in great request, and but few homes are then 

 considered furnished without the Holly and Mistletoe. These 

 berries are prized from the palace down to the cottage, but of 

 late years there has been a great scarcity of Holly berries. I 

 think this is a subject worth inquiring into at the present 

 time, for this is the month when the Holly is usually in bloom. 



My opinion is that if we could pay more attention to the 

 Holly at the time of its blooming and fruit-swelling period we 

 should find more Holly berries in the right places, and at the 

 time they are especially coveted. 



It is often a disappointment to have fine Holly bushes but 

 no fruit, for everyone will admit they are of great beauty when 

 well laden with brOliant berries. It is well known that the 

 Holly is a very thirsty shrub and a gross feeder, and when in 

 active growth will absorb large supplies of water. I think I 

 shall be able to show that the scarcity of Holly berries, in 

 many instances, has been caused by dryness at the roots 

 during the summer months. My remarks apply chiefly to 

 Hollies grown on hot sandy soils with a gravelly subsoil. On 

 such soils, where Holly berries are in request, they will well 

 repay a little extra attention. This is not mere theory, but is 

 proved from actual practice. 



Last year I tried the experiment on eight pyramidal Hollies 

 of the gold and silver Queen varieties. The watering was com- 

 menced when they were in bloom and continued through the 

 summer months, the plants being watered about twice a-week, 

 not in mere dribblets, but they were given thorough soakings. 

 These Hollies were planted on grass, but not grassed quite up 

 to the stems, but instead were dressed with well-rotted manure, 

 and a sprinkling of soil put on the top to prevent drying and 

 to produce a neat appearance. The frequent waterings on the 

 surface washed down the manure to the roots. It is astonish- 

 ing what a little manure will do applied as I have stated ; bst 

 where it is not practicable to apply manure in a solid state, 

 liquid manure may be used with advantage, but not given in 

 too strong doses. 



If there are any favourite HolUes growing on grassy mounds 

 or on slopes, then there will be a little difficulty in applying 

 water, but this can be overcome. I wUl give as an example a 

 plant on a grassy mound. In this case have three or four 

 flower pots of convenient size, and sink these around the tree 

 at convenient distances, but not nearer than a foot to the 

 stem, and not too deep, say 3 to 4 inches, the pots to be 

 placed perfectly level, then all will be ready for the watering. 

 As a matter of course the hole in the bottom of the pot must 

 be open. Fill them up to the rim, and the water will then 

 gradually filter through and find its way to the roots. 



In the case of sloping banks the same plan will do with a 

 little variation — that is, by placing the pots on the upper or 

 higher side of the trees. If these pots are filled with water two 

 or three times a-week during the (lowering and fruiting season 

 I think there will be no cause to complain of a little extra labour. 

 I may mention that scores of trees that were not treated in 

 the way described were quite barren. I have said that when 

 solid manure cannot be applied liquid manure wUl be bene- 

 ficial. I know some people will object to strong liquids owing 

 to disagreeable smells, but there are many kinds of manure 

 which are readily dissolved and leave no unpleasant odour 

 afterwards. I know of no manure so easily applied and so 

 effectual as guano when it can be had really good. I would 

 add an ordinary handful to every four gallons of water; it 

 might be applied stronger, but it is best to err on the safe 

 side. In mixing it will be necessary to stir it well before 

 ueing. Those who have the convenience to mix up larger 

 quantities will find it less trouble. Many shrubs and plants 

 would be benefited by such applications, such as Skimmia 

 japonic* and Pyracantha, even wall fruits and trees on dry 



