December 24, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUSE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



5G1 



There is one thing which as a lover of flowers I always envy 

 Paris for, and that is her flower markets. When I consider 

 what we can produce, what gorgeous plants onr nurserymen 

 rear, and then think of the miserably narrow place which is 

 appropriated to plants in pots in Covent Garden, I confess 

 that I am ashamed of our shortcomings ; and the worst of it 

 is that there seems no remedy. I do not know whether the 

 improvements made in the Market will affect flowers as well as 

 fruits and vegetables ; but whea one walks through the flower 

 market in the Place de la Madeleine or on the Quai, and sees 

 how deftly the Roses, and Pomegranates, and Mignonette, and 

 even the Ox-eye Daisy, are arranged in their white-paper enve- 

 lopes, and sees the good housewife tripping off with her che- 

 rished treasure, I always wish that we had some such way of 

 setting-off the fine plants we can produce. 



And passing from flowers to seeds is a natural transition, 

 and so let me say a few words on the very complete and ad- 

 mirably arranged seed-stores of Messrs. Vilmorin & Cie. at 

 Eeuilly which they have recently erected for their increasing 

 business. It lacks, indeed, many of those features which in the 

 Messrs. Suttons' establishment at Reading mark their philan- 

 thropic views as well as their business habits ; but in those 

 niceties of details in which the French are so strong these new 

 stores are remarkable. As an instance of this let me remark 

 that no two varieties of any one vegetable or flower are placed 

 near to one another. Thus, instead of having compartments 

 of various kinds of Carrots, as I have seen them one after 

 another, a compartment is filled with Turnips, the next with 

 Carrots, the next with Cabbage, and so on. These stores are 

 well worth a visit ; but let me caution intending visitors to go 

 to Reuilly, not Neuilli/, as they are at opposite extremes of 

 Paris. 



Seeing as I did the Paris fruit markets at a later period than 

 nsual, I was struck with two things— the wonderful abundance 

 of the fruits, and their general inferiority. The Grapes are 

 plentiful and sweet, but then they are not either Muscats or 

 Black Hamburghs. The greater number of the Pears were 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme, quite a second-rate variety, and the 

 Apples lacked the briskness of our own ; but the Figs were 

 dehcious, and the Strawberries, " fraises de quatre saisons," 

 highly flavoured and abundant ; and one wonders why it is we 

 never see Strawberries in October in Covent Garden. 



Such are my rambling notes. They may interest some ; and 

 at any rate, when the cry is made " They do these things 

 better in France," before it is applied to horticulture I hope 

 I have said enough to show that some doubt may reasonably 

 be expressed on the point. — D., Deal. 



OUE ANEMONES. 



Of aU the flowers natives of our own country as well as im- 

 ported, none, to my mind, are more interesting than the beau- 

 tiful Anemones that in many parts of our own land cover 

 acres with their handsome foliage and cheering white flowers, 

 I mean Anemone nemorosa ; then we have A. apennina, the 

 blue species, one that ought to be in all gardens. In the 

 spring no flower can be more beautiful ; it appears to thrive in 

 most places. There is also A. blanda, of more compact growth 

 but equally beautiful, and coming into bloom earlier than 

 apennina (imported). There is, too, that charming gem. 

 Anemone ranuueuloides, seldom seen except as a variety, which 

 I am afraid it will remain. A shady rookery with a south 

 aspect, moderately moist but thoroughly drained, and attended 

 to with water when required, in a compost of loam, leaf mould, 

 and sandy peat in equal proportion, will be likely to meet its 

 requirements. 



I believe the nearer we approach the natural circumstances 

 that plants are found under the greater will be our success in 

 their cultivation. The Double-white Wood Anemone is another 

 of those neglected border plants to which I would direct at- 

 tention. To see this plant as it may be seen in the early 

 spring at the rectory at Kirk Deighton, near Wetherby, York- 

 shire, on the limestone, brought there by Mr. Duncan, the 

 worthy gardener, from Scotland, fifty years ago, is a siglat to 

 be had in remembrance. 



There is, too, A. Pulsatilla, far too seldom met with in our 

 borders. It does not increase readily, requires time to get 

 established, and should not often be disturbed ; good loam and 

 well-decomposed vegetable matter, with a little coarse sand, 

 full exposure and a moderately moist situation, will suit it. I 

 have never been able to increase it by seed. 



I wish to direct attention to those glorious Wind-flowers 



that we cannot call our own that so delight us in winter and 

 early spring with their charming colours. They are of easy 

 culture ; a moderately dry border or bed will suit them, well 

 prepared by mixing with ordinary garden soil, some good 

 loam, leaf or decayed vegetable matter, a little peat, and coarse 

 sand, with good drainage. The soil should be broken up to 

 the depth of 18 inches some time before planting, so that it 

 may be thoroughly prepared. If they are thus cared for and 

 attended to with water when required they wiU be Ukely to 

 succeed. Some people leave them in the ground to take their 

 chance, but I prefer to have them lifted, cleaned, and replanted 

 in the latter months of summer and autumn. 



The double varieties of the tuberous kinds may be treated 

 in the same way. They are easily increased by division of the 

 tubers, and by seed. I have known them to be rather trouble- 

 some in Box edgings when the seed has been suffered to be 

 carried by the wind to places where it was not wanted. 



They are a numerous family widely distributed. The tuberous 

 kinds are well adapted for pot-culture, and may be potted in 

 the autumn, plunged either in a cold pit or sheltered comer, 

 and brought on gradually in early spring. Placed in a cool 

 greenhouse they cannot fail to repay the Uttle labour they have 

 required. — Veeitas. 



ELECTION OF FEUIT TEEES. 

 AccoBDiNG to your request I have much pleasure in handing 

 you the names of the Apple, Pear, and Plum trees that have 

 done best with me out of the many planted. 



A2>ph's, Dessert, 



Ribston Pippin Nonpareil 



Cox's Orange Pippin Tliorle Pippin 



Shepherd's Fame Irish Peach 



Pursemouth Shakspeare 



Lady Wemyss Cambusnethen Pippin 



Sii- Walter Blackett Summer Strawberry 



Apples, Kitchen. 

 Bock Pippin Cellini 



Oslin King 



Fail-me-never 



Lord SufflelJ 



Rymer 



Emperor Alexander 



Hawthomdea 



Jargonelle 

 Easter Benrre 

 Brown Beurre 

 White Beurre 

 Louise Bonne of Jersey 

 Broom Park 

 Muirfowl Egg 

 Ne Plus Meuria 

 Dunmow Brown Beorre 

 Farrow Cow 



Green Gage 



Jefferson 



Nectarine 



Victoria 



Washington 



TayBank 



Coe's Golden Drop 



Dumelow's Seedling 

 ^Vhite Leadington 

 Beauty of Kent 



Pears. 



Plums. 



Hazel 



Crawford's Early 



Hampden's Bergamot 



Williams' Bon Chretien 



Duck-egg Bergamot 



Benrrt liiel 



Benvie 



Autumn Bergamot 



Huyshe's Bergamot 



Musselburgh Golden Knap 



Purple Gage 



White Magnum Bonum 



Red Magnum Bonum 



Bivers' Early Prolific 



Keine Claude de Bavay 



Bleeker's Green Gage 



Damson 



Might I suggest that, should there be any difficulty in carry- 

 ing out the election of fruit trees by countries or districts of 

 countries, it might be carried out by counties? If a gardener 

 in any county would undertake the duty he could easily send 

 a circular to a good number (perhaps twenty or thirty) of his 

 brethren, asking for information with reference to what in 

 their experience they find to be, say, the fifteen best dessert 

 Apples, the fifteen best kitchen Apples, the fifteen best Pears, 

 and the fifteen best Plums. If anyone would kindly undertake 

 this duty and pubUsh the results in your columns, he would 

 confer a favour on many of your readers. — An Amaieue, 

 Fifeshire. 



[We shall be obliged by similar returns being sent to us 

 from other parts of all the British islands. — Eds.] 



MONT D'OE EUNNER BEAN. 

 YouB correspondent, Mr. Luekhurst, seems to be much 

 pleased with Mont d'Or Runner Bean, and I fear his praise is 

 likely to mislead, for after giving it a good trial in 1873, and 

 again in the present year — that is, 1871, I cannot find it at all 

 superior to ordinary French Beans, which when cooked well 

 can be sent to table of a pleasant colour, whereas Mont d'Or, 

 which is a continental variety, and was in the hands of the 



