m 



JOUliNAL OF HORriGUIiTUBE AiStD CO! CAGE aAaDHNEK. 



[ June 15, 18^6. 



and desiccation of exposed parts ; and when the sap begins to 

 flow the following season, on its reaching the injured part in 

 quantity, gumming and death of the parts beyond is the 

 result. Under the circumstances described, the amount of 

 water Peach and Apricot trees require at the root is not easily 

 realised. No wonder they are obliged to strike their roots 

 deep down into a moist subsoil in search of moisture for 

 self-preservation. We believe that Peach and Apricot trees 

 against walls are not by any means as a rule sufficiently 

 supplied with water at the root in summer. We realise the 

 necessity of protecting our Peach and Apricot trees from the 

 wet and frosts of winter. There is probably an equal neces- 

 sity for shading and protecting them from extreme heat in 

 summer ; at any rate covering the exposed stems of the trees 

 by some light material, or encouraging the foliage to spread 

 over the old stems, are precautions to be recommended, A 

 fine show of blossom and a good set of fruit not unfrequently 

 Eucoeods a season which has been wet, upsetting our notions 

 of dryness in the autumn being necessary for the ripening of 

 the trees, forgetting that dryness may mean exhaustion of 

 hardy fruit trees. A dry summer succeeded by a wet autumn, 

 leaving late growth unripe, is quite another thing, and also a 

 great evil. Watering should be done copiously in summer 

 while the sua is strong and evaporation rapid, the two first 

 weelss in August being a vital period. — The Squire's Gar- 

 DENEE (mThe Gardener). 



THE BUSH, WALTON-ON-THAMBS, 



THE EESIDK.NTOE OF ME. HENEY OKMSON. 



Mr. Okmson's name is widely known for his long and high 

 standing as a horticultural builder, but it is not bo generally 

 known that he U a lover of gardening and carries it out on a 

 small scale successfully. The Bush i^ an appropriate name 

 for his residence, the house being completely embowered by 

 trees — in fact, being in a wood, which has been laid out by 

 walks, &a., affording quiet nooks and secluded spots of sylvan 

 beauty. 



The lawn contains examples of spring and summer bedding 

 at the different periods of the year. Adjoining the residence 

 is a small conservatory, and filled with Calceolarias, which, 

 both as regards their superior culture and the excellence of the 

 varieties, would have made a good second to the splendid 

 pUnts which have been exhibited by Mr. .James. At a short 

 distance from the house i3 a walled kitchen garden, the crops 

 being good and the fruit trees numerous and productive. In 

 this garden, for the purpose of testing their qualities, are two 

 vineries and other glass structures. One of the houses is 

 planted with Muscats ; the other, a large and fine house, with 

 Black Hamburghs, Madreafield Courts, and a rod or two of 

 Eoyal Muscadine. 



This house is worthy of a note both by its construction and 

 the highly promising state of the Vines. The building is 

 span-roofed, and is heated and ventilated on the first principles 

 of oonstrncUve art. Even in the coldest weather the entire 

 air of the house can be changed in a few minutes without the 

 slightest danger of the Tines receiving a check or the tem- 

 perature being materially lowered The external air is ad- 

 mitted at the front of the houEe by a series of pipes conduct- 

 ing it to cylinders round the hot-water pipes, from whence it 

 passes to the house in a w«med state. Its egress is by the 

 rafters, these, in fact, being ventilators, which can be opened 

 at will to any required extent, ensuring a circulation of air 

 quite regular all over the house. This system of ventilation, 

 which was so highly regarded by the late Mr. K. Fish, is be- 

 yond all doubt well suited to the cultivation of Vines, as the 

 stout and exuberant foliage and the regularity of the crop in 

 Mr. Ormson's house prove ccnclusively. 



It is beginning to be perceived that the close glazing of 

 modern structures is not the most favourable for Grape-pro- 

 duction unless the greatest care is employed in ventilating, 

 and it is not at all uncommon to find Grapes of the finest 

 quality and of the highest finish in what are termed " ricketty " 

 old houses where the air circulates through the roofs as through 

 a riddle. The drawback to such houses is that they admit 

 water when it is not wanted as well as air ; but in the rafter 

 mode of ventilation the water is excluded and the air admitted, 

 and thus a roof is provided meeting the requirements of the 

 Vines — that is, a roof affording them perfect thelter and a 

 regular current of air at all seasons when required. Much ex- 

 perience and unusual faeihties for observation have led me to 

 the conclusion that a prime source of failure in Grape-produc- 



tion is traceable to deficient or imperfect ventilation, hence I 

 notice this mode, which answers its purpose so well. A small 

 garden may, and often doe.s, afford hints as useful to the visitor 

 or reader as a large garden, and certainly Mr. Ormson's house 

 shows a system of perfect ventilation in hot or cold weather, 

 and Vines which speak approvingly of the treatment which they 

 receive. The plan noted, of admitting warmed air, is only 

 subsidiary to the regular system of top and bottom ventilation, 

 and in order to change the air in inclement weather, which is 

 of the greatest importance during the early and cold season, 

 when forcing must be carried on. 



The routine treatment which these Vines receive is of the 

 best. They are never syringed, but every portion of the house, 

 paths, stages, &a., are regularly moistened, and this keeps the 

 foliage perfectly clean and healthy. The border is well made 

 and drained. It is top-dressed with manure and watered with 

 manure water at intervals according to the state of the Vines 

 and the weather, and it is by this practice that the Vines, as 

 they must do, look eo well. — A Visiioe. 



ARRANGEMENTS FOR EFFECT AT FLOWER 

 SHOWS. 



That the attractive arrangement of plants at exhibitions 

 contributes greatly to the effect of such gatherings is gentrally 

 admitted, but it is just possible that the system — if system it 

 may be called — is being carried to an extreme, and that effect 

 is occasionally if not frequently produced at the sacrifice of 

 convenience if not of something more important. The modern 

 plan of arrangement often renders the work of judging exceed- 

 ingly onerous and difficult ; in fact it is at times almost im- 

 possible that the judging can be satisfactorily performed by 

 the most competent adjudicators. It la certain, too, that those 

 whose duty it is to provide the public accounts of the great 

 exhibitions have exceedingly difficult tasks to perform in 

 describing the collections ; and as to the public, they are quite 

 bewildered in attempts to compare the merits of the collections 

 in the different classes. 



This arises solely from their wide, and as many consider their 

 needlessly wide, distribution. So widely are the different col- 

 lections in the same class apart that it is almost impossible to 

 balance their merit; indeed, no small confusion is occasionally 

 caused by the wandering to and fro of visitors in seeking out 

 the different exhibits. It may be in some degree artistic that 

 the first-prize collection a group of Ferns be placed in one 

 corner of a tent or building, and the second-prize collection be 

 in the opposite corner 100 yards distant, and the third-prize 

 group as far as possible apart from these fortunate " twelves " 

 or " sixes ;" but after all that can be said in favour of the plan 

 it is violently artificial — a sprinkling and dotting, not to say 

 patching, system for which Nature affords no parallel. 



There is a vast difference between arranging the plants of a 

 given class in unbroken lines and then following with the re- 

 presentatives of another class until the schedule is exhausted, 

 and the unreasonably wide distribution of the competing 

 groups. Surely an agreeable effect can be produced by group- 

 ing the Ferns, Azaleas, Orchids, &c., artistically, and still 

 keeping the collections sufficiently near together that they 

 can be judged readily and justly, and especially that the public 

 may do what they so greatly desire— compare with each other 

 the prize collections. By the present mode of arrangement 

 this is impossible, and the result is endless inquiries by visi- 

 tors for collections of plants which can hardly be found. 



A flower show should certainly be artistically arranged, but 

 it ought aUo to be convenient and enjoyable, and unless these 

 desirable features are blended the show is not complete. — 

 A Judge. 



NARCISSUS POETICUS. 



I ENCLOSE single and double flowers of a hardy bulb, if you 

 will please to name it. I desired in the middle of April some 

 Eucharis blooms, and tried at a large grower of the same, but 

 could only get two flowers. I also tried all over London, but could 

 not obtain any in Easter week. Now, I think if this single- 

 flowering bulb could be brought into bloom about that time it 

 would take the place of the Eucharis for weddings, also for 

 church and grave decorations. 



The enclosed is the last single flower I can find in the 

 borders. It is very valuable on account of the long time it will 

 keep in water. I cut buds just bursting, and place them in 

 water with other flowers, and was surprised to find them open 



