254 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULT0EE AND COTTAGE OABDENEB. 



[ September 17, 1874. 



surprise a shrub of the white Madame Miolan Carvalho is now 

 in bloom in my churchyard (Dorset coast). This Ehodo- 

 dendron bloomed most freely in May, and as the blooms 

 withered I carefully picked them off, leaving the green shoots 

 which had come up alongside to go on and prosper. This 

 they have done to such an extent that some are in bloom 

 in September. As I never heard or read of this happening 

 before, I thought I would communicate it to " our Jour- 

 nal," and ack whether it is not a most unusual event? — 

 John B. M. Camm. 



ASHMEAD'S KERNEL APPLE. 



Fkuit, as in the annexed figure, below medium size, round 

 and flattened, but sometimes considerably elongated. Skin, 

 light greenish yellow, covered with yellowish brown russet, 

 and a tinge of brown next the sun. Eye, small and partially 

 open, placed in a moderately deep basin. Stalk, short, inserted 

 in a round and deep cavity. Flesh, yellowish, firm, crisp, 

 juicy, sugary, rich, and highly aromatic. 



A dessert Apple of the very first quality, possessing all the 

 richness of the Nonpareil, but with a more sugary juice. It 

 comes into use in November, but is in greatest perfection from 

 Christmas till May. 



Fig. 77.— Ashmead's Kernel. 



The tree is very hardy, an excellent bearer, and will succeed 

 in situations unfavourable to the Nonpareil, to which its leaves 

 and f-hoots bear such a similarity as to justify Mr. Lindley in 

 believing it to be a seedling from that variety. 



This delightful Apple was raised at Gloucester, about the 

 beginning of last century, by Dr. Asbmead, an eminent 

 physician of that city. The original tree existed within the 

 last few years in what had originally been Dr. Ashmead's 

 garden, but was destroyed in consequence of the ground being 

 required for building. It stood on the spot now occupied by 

 Clarence Street. 



It is difficult to ascertain the exact period when it was 

 raised; but the late Mr. Hignell, an eminent orchardist at 

 Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, informed me that the first time 

 he ever saw the fruit of Ashmead's Kernel was from a tree in 

 the nursery of Mr. Wheeler, of Gloucester, in the year 1790, and 

 that the tree in question had been worked from the original, 

 and was at that time upwards of thirty years old. From this 

 it may be inferred that the original tree had attained some 

 celebrity by the middle of last century. The Ashmead's 

 Kernel has long been a favourite Apple in all the gardens of 

 West Gloucestershire, but it does not seem to have been known 

 in other parts of the country. Like the Eibston Pippin it 

 seems to have remained long in obscurity before its value was 

 generally appreciated ; it is not even mentioned in the catalogue 

 of the extensive collection which was cultivated by Miller and 

 Sweet, of Bristol, in 17B0. I find it was cultivated in the 

 Bromptou Park Nursery in 1780, at which time it was received 

 from Mr. Wheeler, nurseryman, of Gloucester, who was author 

 of "The Botanist's and Gardener's Dictionary," published in 

 1763, and great-grandfather o£ the present proprietor of the 

 nursery. 



HYACINTHS IN GLASSES. 



Pkobablt there is nothing original in my way of growing 



Hyacinths, yet as I do not know of anyone using it, except on 



my recommendation, it maybe worth sending to you. It is 



this : The ordinary glasses which are used for growing Hyacinths 



in water are filled with rotten dung and leaf mould, and about 

 an inch of soil on the top, in which is planted the bulb. There 

 is no drainage. The advantages I think are, equal vigour with 

 those in pots, but better than in pots, for less evaporation from 

 surface soil, and thus more healthful for dwelling-house, and 

 requiring less attention in watering; the wire supports are 

 available if required, neater in appearance. I have tried the 

 plan for five or six years with good results. Last season the 

 best spikes of flower were got this way as it happened, though 

 those in pots were about equal. — H. T. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 It is reported that his Grace the Duke of Northumberland 

 has offered to keconstruct and plant the space in Trafalgar 

 Square, now occupied by the fountains and asphalt pavement. 

 If this is so, we hope it may be planted with lines of Planes, 

 and not converted into a garden, which, however well it might 

 look when first planted, will soon lose its garden beauty. Lines 

 of Planes in such a position would not only beautify and vary 

 the appearance of the place, but would furnish agreeable shade 

 during the hot days of summer — when we have any. 



The Central Horticultural Society of Paris has lost one 



of its most active and intelligent members in M. Maktin- 

 Cadot, who was prematurely carried off after a few days' ill- 

 ness. His loss, says a French correspondent, will be keenly 

 felt by numbers of gardeners and other horticulturists, to 

 whom he was an adviser and friend. He was long gardener to 

 the Princess Stourdza, Faubourg St. Honore, but afterwards 

 turned his attention to landscape gardening, and in this capa- 

 city carried out a number of important works. 



We have received Dr. Schomburgk's Report of the 



progress and condition of the Adelaide Botanic Garden 

 during 1873. It is highly satisfactory, but we must confine 

 ourselves to two extracts interesting to our readers : — " It is a 

 historical fact, whenever man settles into a new country he 

 exercises a potent influence over the indigenous vegetation, 

 especially if the intruders are of agricultural and pastoral pur- 

 suits. The plough, the axe, the herds, are enemies to vegetation ; 

 and as cultivation advances one representative after the other 

 succumbs to the foreign influence. But the plough, the axe, 

 the herds, are not the sole destroyers of the native herbage. 

 With cultivation are introduced noxious weeds of other countries, 

 which, if they have taken to the soil, spread with alarming 

 rapidity, and become possessors of the ground, growing often 

 more luxuriantly in their new abode. As an example I will 

 only mention seven of such noxious intruders in South Aus- 

 tralia — viz., the so-called Dandelion (Cryptostemma calendu- 

 lacea, R. Br.), the Cockspur (Centaurea melitensis, Lin.), the 

 French Catchfly (Silenegallica.Lin.), the Stinkaster (Authemia 

 Cotula, Lin.), the Bathurst Burr (Xanthium spinosum, Lin.), 

 and Scotch Thistles (Garduus Marianus, Lin., and Onopordon 

 acanthium, Lin.), natives of the Cape and Europe, which 

 already cover large tracks of pasture land, and will extend with 

 rapidity further and further, to the destruction of the native 

 herbage. The Government have legislated for compulsory de- 

 struction, and already spent thousands of pounds to check 

 the Scotch Thistles and Bathurst Burr, but as yet only in the 

 populated districts with success. We miss already several 

 kinds of herbage, especially annuals or summer grasses, and 

 the representatives are becoming less every year ; but it is also 

 the case with perennial herbage. I will only mention the use- 

 ful Kangaroo Grass, which in the earlier days of the colony we 

 found everywhere, and which formed a great part of the pasture 

 grass. It has now disappeared even from localities which it 

 formerly almost monopohsed, and many others will follow. 



" The labelling of the plants has been hitherto a constant 

 source of trouble and expense to this establishment — the paint 

 in the course of one or two years generally wearing off by the 

 weather, and thus requiring a frequent renewal of these labels ; 

 but I am now in hopes of having found out a remedy by which 

 the colour will stand. Several labels, which were painted and 

 written in 1871, have withstood the influence of the climate. 

 The labels are of sheet iron, and before painting them I employ 

 firi-t a mordant of the following composition :— One part of 

 chloride of copper, one of nitrate of copper, and one of sal 

 ammoniac are to be dissolved in sixty-four parts of water, to 

 which solution is to be added one part of commercial hydro- 

 chloric acid. The iron or zinc labels are to be brushed over 

 with this liquid, which gives them a darkish colour. In the 

 course of twelve to twenty-four hours they become dry, and to 



