2U 



JOUENAL OF HORTIOULTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 16, 1878. 



portraits are Mar^ohalj; Niel (frontispiece), confessedly the 

 finest yellow Rose and the choicest. Star of Waltham, the 

 best novelty I have seen for some time. It is globular and of 

 most glowing colour. I have bloomed it. The Crested Moss, 

 called also Cristata; the Austrian Briar Rose; Firebrand; Louis 

 Van Houtte, a splendid Rose as portraited, and also as grown 

 here last year on Mr. Prince's seedling Briars ; Madame La 

 Baronue do Rothschild ; Peach Blossom ; St. George, beautiful 

 as portraited, and also as grown here last year. I shall be 

 greatly mistaken if Star of Waltham and St. George do not 

 prove to be great acquisitions and two of the very best of 

 the latest Roses introi'.aoed. Souvenir de la Malmaison, the 

 most valuable of all the light Roses ; Belle Lyonnaise, most 

 beautiful ; Catherine Mermet, very beautiful ; Madame Levet, 

 choice; Marie Van Houtte, most beautiful; Queen of Wal- 

 tham, very beautiful. It is here, but I have not yet bloomed 

 it. Such, then, are the portraits. As regards the subject 

 matter, it is that of a most experienced and first-rate rosarian. 

 It is to be wished that persons seeking to direct the public 

 would read this work and also wait for more matured experi- 

 ence. — W. F. Eadclytfe, Okeford Fitzpaine. 



APPLE Y0EK3HIRE ROBIN. 

 The Apple " M. H." mentions on pp. 189 and 190 as Tork- 

 shire Robin is very probably the same as is known in this 

 neighbourhood as Robin Knaggs. The tree is a free grower 

 and a profuse bearer; the fruit being of medium, or rather 

 above medium, size, and coming into use in January or 

 February. I have some in use now which have every appear- 

 ance of being fit to keep for a couple of months longer. The 

 flesh is very firm and juicy, with slight acidity and pleasant 

 flavour, and is good either for dessert or cooking purposes. 

 The variety is in my opinion a very valuable one, and well 

 worth general cultivation. It appears to be well suited to 

 strong soils generally. — W. W., Stainton-in-Ctevelaiul. 



I AM glad " M. H." has been more successful with his 

 Hawthornden Apple than is unfortunately the case in many 

 localities. Undoubtedly, from the free growth made and the 

 necessity for the apphcation of the knife, his trees are upon 

 Crab stocks ; for upon the Doucin stock, though it grows very 

 freely for a time, soon arriving at a bearing state, it grows 

 very little — next to nothing after a few years, canker ensuing. 

 The trees I have on Crab stock-?, though much cankered, grow 

 strongly. I shall, from the hint had from " M. H.," prune 

 hard, and have no doubt that with an amplitude of foliage the 

 tendency to canker will be overcome. 



" Robin," about which " M. H." inquires, is still a hale 

 fellow, not hkely to die out for many generations. Many of 

 our local Apples are fast losing their local names, being ab- 

 sorbed in the proper names found for them by the author of 

 the " Fruit Manual." " M. H." will find " Robin" accurately 

 described at page 158 of the last edition of the " Fruit 

 Manual," under the unpretentious title of " Winter Greening," 

 of which the author remarks—" A culinary Apple of first-rate 

 quality, which comes into use in November, and has been 

 known to last under favourable circumstances for two years. 

 The tree is very hardy, a free and good grower, and an 

 abundant beaver" — what I have found it to be in every 

 orchard in which I have seen it. 



Other of our local Apples are fast losing their identity. 

 Copmanthorpe Crab, for instance, is absorbed in its proper 

 name of Dutch Mignodne ; but what could have been the 

 reason of the original name of " Coate's " being changed to its 

 present one, thongh it has had both for over half a century, is 

 past the comprehension of — Yobkshibe Geeenino. 



SEEDLING BRIARS AS ROSE STOCKS. 



I EEMEMBER whsu Souveuir de la Malmaison began to find its 

 way among admirers of Roses that it was looked upon as a gem 

 of the first water. At a flower show where it was exhibited en 

 acquaintance of mine, after the show, begged the bloom in the 

 stand, and to nis surprise ho discovered a bud on the stem. 

 A stock being found the bud was carefully inserted, and in due 

 time was found all right ; introduced into heat it grew rapidly, 

 and seedliog Briars being prepared, when all was in readiness 

 budding and grafting commenced, every eye being made avail- 

 able for both purposes, and he was soon rewarded by a good 

 number of one of the noblest Roses of the day. 



I have found by experience that seedling Briars make good 



stocks for all purposes, and their roots are of the very best for 

 root-grafting. It is of little consequence what mode of graft- 

 ing is resorted to for root-grafting, many of the strong-growing 

 Rosea will afford us good stocks for this purpose, but we all 

 have our fancies. 



I find midwinter is a good time for the operation. One of 

 the points to aim at is perfect union and exclusion of air, a 

 gentle bottom heat with careful attention as to air and water, 

 and then there is every chance of success. By this means a 

 stock of Roses may soon be worked-up. There are no flowers 

 that afford us more pleasure than a choice selection of Roses, 

 and they are to be hid the year round. — A Lovek of Roses. 



CULTURE OF PERPETUAL-FLOWERING 

 CARNATIONS. 



Having been successful in growing these very useful plants 

 I thought a few notes on their cultivation would be useful to 

 your readers, as it is now a good time to commence with the 

 propagation of the plants. I think the Perpetual-flowering 

 Carnations are amongst the most beautiful class of plants we 

 have for the conservatory, blooming as they do from October 

 to May, and being bo bright in colour and many of the varie- 

 ties having such a delicate perfume that they are always 

 admired. 



I procure all the cuttings I can in the middle of March (and 

 on to the end of April for succession), placing them round the 

 edge of a GO-size pot in some light soil, covering the surface 

 with silver sand, then place them in bottom heat (a hotbed 

 and frame being the best place), where they will be well rooted 

 in ten days or a fortnight. I then pot them off, five plants in 

 a 5-inch pot, in three parts of sandy loam and one of well- 

 decomposed cow dung. The plants are kept close till rooted, 

 and are then placed in a cold frame. When the roots touch 

 the edge of the pots I give them their final shift into 6 or 7-inch 

 pots, placing some half-inch bones over the drainage with a 

 little soot to keep out the worms, and place the plants in a 

 light airy situation till the end of September, when it will be 

 time to house them. I find green fly very troublesome, but a 

 pinch of Scotch snuff dusted amongst them soon makes them 

 disappear. 



The sorts I grow are unnamed, being from seedlings; bnl I 

 find Empress of Germany (white) and Miss Joliffe (pink) very 

 good sorts. — E. Wilsom. 



RINGWOOD HALL, 



THE BESIDENCE OF JOHN JAMES BABEOW, ESQ. 



This beautiful modern mansion is situated on a gentle emi- 

 nence, and commands many pleasant views of the surrounding 

 country. It was built by the late G. Barrow, Esq., about fifty 

 years ago. The gardens were laid out and the glass houses 

 erected by Richard Barrow, Esq , chiefly under the superin- 

 tendence of Mr. Fetch. Ringwood is in the parish of Staveley, 

 and is three miles from Chesterfield and ten from Sheflield. 

 The district of Staveley is more celebrated for its coal mines 

 and iron works than horticulture. There are thirteen distinct 

 beds of coal, the lowest being 1125 feet below the surface, with 

 ironstone lying between each bed. 



Richard Barrow, Esq., was succeeded by his brother James, 

 who took but little interest in the garden department ; but the 

 present owner, J. J. Barrow, Esq., has done much, not only 

 to improve and beautify the estate, but also to maintain the 

 gardens in all their original splendour. The carriage entrance 

 is from the Chesterfield road, between sloping banks of ever- 

 greens of diversified outline. The shrubs on these banks are 

 not so luxuriant as could be wished, for the soil in which they 

 are growing is composed in a great measure of the refuse from 

 the pit banks. 



The carriage front has a north aspect only three-quarters of 

 a mile from the Staveley Works, but the volumes of flame 

 continually vomited up by the blasting furnaces are judiciously 

 concealed by dense belts of trees. The grounds fall by a gentle 

 slope from the mansion, and are separated from the park by a 

 sunken fence which conceals the point of junction where the 

 pleasure grounds end and the park begins. The grounds in 

 the immediate vicinity of the house are not cut up into flower 

 beds, as is too frequently the Ci\se, but here and there are 

 dotted fine specimens of evergreens. From the east side of 

 the Hall we obtain views of the long range of hills reaching 

 from Eckingtou to Bolsover. The ancient castle at the latter 

 place is seen standing on the brow of a steep and lofty hill, 



