JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t February 24, 1876. 



terete, oylindrioal leaves, which droop from the long, Blender 

 branches, and for the lax, slender, very few-flowered cymes. 

 It is one of Mr. Cooper's South African discoveries ; he found 

 it at Busghersdorf, in the Albert province, in 1S61. It flowered 

 at Kew in Julv, 1874. The specimen was presented by Mr. 

 Kennedy."— (IliU, (. C21G.) 



Pear— Pi(mas(on Duchess. — " Originally this P<;ar was called 

 Pitmaaton Duchesso d'AngoulOiae, and it is figured under this 

 name iu the Garrlenen' Chronicle (18G1, 1108), where it is 

 deecribed by Mr. Robert Thompson. We, however, follow Dr. 

 Hogg ia abbreviating the name to Pitmieton Duchess, which 

 is more distinctive, as, though a seedling from Dachease 

 d'Angoul(Jme, it bears no resemblance to that variety. The 

 tree, as we learn from Mr. Cramb, ' is of a vigorous habit, 

 particularly when grafted on the Pear stock, and so fruitful as 

 scarcely ever to miss a crop even during unfavourable seasons, 

 whether grown as a bush, or pyramid, or standard. The fruit 

 is generally in use from the beginning to the end of October, 

 varying a little aoeording to the season. The average weight 

 is from 10 0Z3. to 12 oz»., and for exhibition purposes it has 

 few, if any, equals. The flavour is excellent, not quite so 

 engiry as many of our autumn sorts, but still first-class; the 

 flesh is in a high degree melting, very juicy, and perfumed. 

 No collection should be without this desirable Pear, did it 

 possess no other good quality than that of having a fine ap- 

 pearance.' The Pear was raised by the late John AViliiame, 

 Esq., of Pitmnston, iu 1811, and is a cross between the 

 Duchesse d'AugouIOme and Glou Moroeau ; he further refers 

 to it as a very handsome and most excellent variety, and adds, 

 ' few of tha new Pears can compare with it as regards size, ap- 

 pearance, and quality ; it partakes more of the nature of Marie 

 Louise than of the Glou Morceau.' The fruit is described aa 

 ' very large, oblong obovate ; the stalk short, obliquely at- 

 tached, projecting more on ono side than the other; the eye 

 in a moderate-sized depression, the segments of the calyx 

 erect and projecting to the level of the fruit ; skin soft, smooth, 

 yellow, with slight thin russet near the stalk. Flesh yellowish- 

 white, exceedingly melting, buttery, very juicy, and rich.' Its 

 remarkably tender, melting flesh, and its rich sprightly flavour 

 and dehcate perfume, are qualities in which it is excelled by 

 few of onr large-fruited varieties of Pear. Mr. Scott, who 

 calls it William-.' Dachesee d'Angouleme, remavks that it is a 

 noble fruit, the largest meltiog Pear known to him, and 

 certainly one of the finest. He adds that it grows freely on 

 the Qaince, on which it fruited with him in 18G9, on a tree 

 two years old, and the next year, 1870, was in full flower again 

 on trees 3 feet high."— (F/ocis( and Pomologist, S's., ix. .37.) 



AKTIFICIAL ROCKWOEK. 



Mn. PuLHAM has called me to task for my remarks about 

 artificial rockerieB. To tell the truth, I rather expected to have 

 had my remarks criticised before this, but I do not think Mr. 

 Pulham has at all shaken me from my position. No artificial 

 rockery that I have ever seen has the least resemblance to 

 Nature, least of all concrete and stucco with sham stratifica- 

 tion. Use boulders and stones as large as ever you can procure 

 them, and pile them up to resemble cliffs as much as possible, 

 BO as to obtain variety and massiveness, but it ia utterly bad 

 taste and cockneyfied in my opinion to try and pretend that it 

 ia a natural rock by joiniug the boulders together with stucco 

 and cement, aud marking out lines of stratification. No one is 

 ever deceived by it. I know I may differ from the authorities 

 Mr._ Pulham mention^, but still I venture to do so, as I still 

 maintain that where Ferns and alpine plants do best is among 

 the disintegrated rocks and alpine boulders, and that it is a 

 great cbanno if any one of these stones are found on their 

 natural bed. 



One of the best instances of rockeries I know is at Mr. Back- 

 house's at York, and though there are boulders and rocks and 

 artificial water, yet there is no attempt to put every stone on 

 its right bed, or to make believe that it is a natural stratified 

 rock pushed through contrary to Nature. Of course I quite 

 agree with Mr. Pulham, if it is wise to imitate a natural cliff 

 it is right to put all the stones on their proper beds. I think 

 Mr. Ingram's spring garden and rockeries quite perfect in 

 their way, but think he is unnecessarily cramping his energies 

 when he is using large flat stones, and arranging them arti- 

 ficially and unnaturally, to think it necessary to lay each flat 

 on its bed in the original position in which it lay in the strata, 

 for in the natural dells formed by the disintegration of rock, 

 and which ia the nearest approach in Nature to such a garden 



as that at Belvoir, the stones would not be found in their 

 natural beds. 



No doubt on the ledges and crevices of sandstone cliffs many 

 Ferns aud wild plants will grow, but it is generally in the 

 disintegrated soil, and not on or in the stratified rock; and 

 certainly if we want to see Ferns growing to perfection it ia 

 amongst the huge boulders and smaller detritus and stones at 

 the feet of lofty cliffs, aud by the sides of streams and water- 

 courses, such as one sees in so many parts ol Switzerland and 

 the Italian Alps, aud in a smaller way in Scotland and the 

 rocky hills of Yoikshire. 



My remarks, however, against artificial rockwork were 

 chiefly directed against the concrete and plaster and stucco 

 imitations, which are neither imposing in themselves nor do 

 they impose on the public, and are certainly not adapted for 

 the growth either of Ferns or Alpines. Nothing is worse 

 taste in my mind than broken cliuker.a, distorted and mis- 

 tliapeu bricks, spar, oyster shells, et id genus omnc. The only 

 legitimate materials to use in rockwork are stones, whether 

 large or small : the larger aud more diversified they are in form, 

 Fo long as there are plenty of smaller pieces used and a suffi- 

 ciency of soil, the better. Rockwork does not want to be an 

 attempt to deceive, but a picturesque place to grow Ferns and 

 Alpines. — C. P. Peach. 



EHODODENDEON ARQENTEUM var. 



We do not know to which of the Indian Rhododendrons 

 introduced and flowered in these countries the title of king 

 has been accorded, but we certainly venture to regard the 

 noble R. argenteum as their queen. It unquestionably must 

 he regarded as at lea't being among the cream of Dr. Hooker's 

 Khododendrou discoveries in the Sikhim Hjmalaya. Quite a 

 tree, attainingin its native country a height of 30 feet or more, 

 with its large, and in part, silvery foliage, it must present a 

 noble aspect, especially so in the spring, when the new leaf 

 buds are forming, the latter having the appearance of rosy- 

 coloured cones. But what must be its aspect when its branches 

 are crowned with its glorious flower heads? 



We ara induced to allude to it thus prominently on the 

 present occasion by reason of seeing recently in flower at Glas- 

 nevin what we cannot help regarding as a very fine variety of 

 this magnificent species. Among the other choice plants just 

 then in flower in the cool conservatory there were two large 

 specimens of R. argenteum, both being pretty much about the 

 same age and size. In respect of the flower and flower heads 

 the disparity was very striking, as on one plant they were far 

 larger and finer than the other. The smaller we should be 

 inclined to regard as the normal form, for it seems to agree 

 better with the figure in Dr. Hooker's magnificent book em- 

 bodying his discoveries. The gorgeous flower heads are very 

 large, as are also the individual flowers. The bead is formed 

 of several tiers of flowers, each resting horizontally on tne one 

 below. The flowers are pink in the bud, but as they expand 

 becomo white. Each flower shows at the bottom of the great 

 open tuba a rich dark purple spot encircling the base of the 

 stamens; this is very conspicuous by reason of the way the 

 flowers present themselves to a front view. The cluster of 

 antbers with their purple stamens add much also to the effect ; 

 but of all the floral organs the stigma is the most striking, on 

 account of its great size aud bright rosy carmine colour. This, 

 we may remark, is not shown in Dr. Hooker's or any other 

 figure of it we have seen, as in no case is the large stigma 

 shown as it is in nature— brilliantly and strikingly coloured. 

 Mere word-painting altogether fails fitly to describe the soft 

 voluptuous beauty of these glorious flower heads, more especi- 

 ally as displayed in the larger and very fine variety which has 

 been for the last week or two the glory of the house in which 

 it stands. Both forms, we gathered from Dr. Moore, were 

 raised from seed. There were, moreover, several other choice 

 Indian Rhododendrons in flower in the same house, and among 

 them one which, as regards symmetrical compact heads and 

 fiery brilliancy of colour, has no equal — namely, R. barbatnm. 

 — (Iris!i Fariners' Gazette.) 



NEW BOOK. 



Picturesque Etiroj)e—The British Islcf:. Cassell, Petter, and 



Galpin, Laudou. Part I 



We make this an exception to our rule not to criticise a 



serial publication until completed, because we wish to aid in 



promoting the sale of a work which we strongly commend to 



