330 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



I Mar 7, 1874. 



and New Zealand, in the latter most abundant. The variety 

 firmum is, I believe, peculiar to St. Helena. It is a pinnate 

 species, having pinnate fronds from 1 to 2 feet in length ; 

 pinnae large, coriaceous in texture, and deep green. In the va- 

 riety under notice, however, the plant is more erect, the peculiar 

 erose pinnas are broader and much thicker — indeed the whole 

 is more erect and robust in habit ; sori very short, and almost 

 invariably placed near the costa. Any form of this species is 

 deserving a place in the amateur's collection, and when young 

 those having only a Wardian-case garden may enjoy its beauty. 

 This particular variety, however, is by no means common in 

 cultivation. 



L'iPLiziuM ABEOEESCENS. — As a large specimen in a cool 

 fernery this plant is very effective ; indeed, with age it forms 

 a short, stout, erect stem, eo that it may with propriety be 

 termed sub-arborescent when in that state. The fronds upon 

 large plants are about 4 feet long, and upwards of 2 feet wide ; 

 they are bipinnatifid, the segments being finely divided and 

 dark green, whilst the crown and base of the stipes are clothed 

 with large, black, chaffy scales. D. arboresceus is found in 

 the Isle of Bourbon, Mauritius, and the Fiji Islands, but the 

 plants from St. Helena have always struck me as being much 

 larger and stouter in aU their parts, so much so as to cause 

 me to consider it a thoroughly distinct plant, which in a cul- 

 tural point of view it uudoubtedly is. 



Gtjikogeamma NA5IAQUENSIS. — This plant grows some 5 or 

 G inches high ; bipinnate or bipinnatifid ; the black stipes and 

 rachis are very conspicuous, and are clothed when young with 

 dull brown chaffy scales. It is a pretty little species, not at 

 present in cultivation as far as I am aware, but it would prove 

 a great acquisition to 'Wardian-oaee gardeners especially. 

 Abundant in various parts of South Africa, varying consider- 

 ably in form. The St. Helena plant is usually more bipinnate 

 than the others. 



Htmenophtllum CAPILLACE0M. — St. Helena can also boast of 

 its Filmy Fern, and a very beautiful species it is. I have seen 

 it come to England upon the stems of Dicksonia arboresoens, 

 l)ut am not awaie if it is established in our collections. The 

 fronds are 3 or 4 inches long, sometimes a little more, pinnate, 

 the pinniE being somewhat distant and cuneately pinnatifld. 

 It has a slender, wiry, creeping rhizome, and when hanging 

 over a piece of rockwork would prove a charming object. It 

 is peculiar to the island. 



CHEiLASTnES MULTLFiDA. — This pretty plant is usually con- 

 sidered to be a native of the Cape of Good Hope, but although 

 found widely distributed in that colony, it is also a native of 

 St. Helena. The fronds are triangular, some or more inches 

 high, and deep green ; stipes stout, fronds four times divided. 

 I have found this species thrive well in the cool fernery, but it 

 dislikes water resting upon its fronds, and the soil should have 

 some pieces of sandstone mixed with it. 



Gkammitis marginella. — A pretty little species specially 

 adapted by its size for cultivation in the 'Wardian case. When 

 treated as a basket plant, or grown upon a block of wood and 

 suspended from the roof, it form; an elegant and distinct plant. 

 Fronds simple, entire, from 3 to 6 inches long, and about half 

 an inch wide, dark green in colour, and leathery in texture. 

 When it is fertile the sori are very conspicuous, and add 

 materially to the beauty of this pretty but rare plant. It is 

 also found in the West Indies and in various other parts of 

 America. — Expeeto Ceede. 



ciouB the old Cabbage Eose is from its fragrance ! Unless it 

 alter its character very much, which I do not think it likely 

 to do, wo have another good English Kose. The plate sent 

 with it by no means does justice to its beautifully imbricated 

 form. — D., Deal. 



EOSE GENEBAL VON MOLTKE. 

 Some two years ago I had submitted to me some blooms of a 

 Eose raised by Messrs. Bell & Sons, of Norwich, which seemed 

 to be well worthy of cultivation. The opinion thus formed on 

 the cut blooms has been confirmed by further acquaintance 

 with it as a plant. I have it now in my greenhouse, a small 

 plant with five blooms, and this is the fair and honest descrip- 

 ticm of it. It seems, as a plant, to be vigorous and the foliage 

 ample, and as each shoot carries a blossom I conclude that it 

 is free-flowering. Size, I should say medium ; shape, excel- 

 lent — one of those shelly flowers one likes to see ; colour, very 

 brilliant, the raisers say the most scarlet of any Eose raised. 

 This I cannot say, I think it is ; but then Koses in houses 

 partially forced never seem to me to be quite certain in cha- 

 racter, and looking thrisugh several collections tins year has 

 confirmed mo in this opinion ; but at any rate the colour is 

 brilliant, and I may add it has one charm wanting in many of 

 our new Eoses — it is deliciously fragrant. How much Baroness 

 Ejthscbild loses by its utter want of perfume ! and how deli- 



GRAPE VINE CULTURE FOR SMALL GARDENS. 



No. 4. 



Ventilation ought always to be regarded as a purifying 

 health-giving process rather than as a means for simply raising 

 or lowering the temperature, a free circulation of pure fresh 

 air being as necessary for the health of plants as it is for that 

 of human beings. We therefore hasten with all due caution 

 to open the back ventilators of a vinery as early as possible in 

 the morning, to allow the vitiated air to escape and to promote 

 as brisk a circulation as may be safe, by which means we in- 

 duce a sturdy robust growth. Great watchfulness and care 

 must, however, be exercised to exclude cold draughts, it being 

 self-evident that the tender Vine shoots growing in a tempera- 

 ture of 70" must suffer severely by exposure to the external air 

 when it is 20' or 30' lower ; and when the circulation of air 

 in a vinery is termed brisk, a lively, pure, drying atmosphere 

 is contemplated, and nothing more. The closing of the venti- 

 lators is regulated by the ever-changing condition of the exter- 

 nal temperature ; and it is a very safe general rule to close the 

 house on all bright sunny days with the thermometer at SO' 

 tUl the fruit is fully ripe. A little night air is advantageously 

 admitted during the colouring of the fruit, and after it is ripe 

 an abundant supply of fresh air should be constantly admitted 

 from the front as well as the back ventilators. 



Overcropping is a very prevalent evil. It certainly requires 

 some philosophy to remove so many fine promising bunches 

 as is often necessary ; but if this is not closely attended to it 

 leads to shanking in the present season and to steriUty and 

 weakness in the future. When the side shoots or fruit-bearing 

 branches of a Vine are 18 inches apart, each with its bunch of 

 fruit, there is no danger of overcropping, and the foliage has 

 ample breathing space, light and air playing upon and around 

 it freely, causing it to grow so large in size and stout in texture 

 as to afford the clearest evidence of the beneficial effects of 

 such treatment, more especially as fine foliage implies fruit of 

 a corresponding size. It is altogether a mistake to suppose 

 that a quantity of small bunches will be more profitable than a 

 moderate number of large ones. Weight for weight, the large 

 bunches will beat, to say nothing of the finer and more luscious 

 flavour of the fruit, in addition to the great gain in vigour, 

 health, and cleanliness, for the deep green foliage is seldom 

 attacked by red spider, which more frequently revels and 

 spreads among the densely packed leaves of a more crowded 

 growth. Even if this pest is found upon the better cultivated 

 Vines, the large leaves stand out so clearly that a tub of pure 

 filtered water and a powerful syringe at once dispose of them. 

 I know not how far Mr. Taylor may be correct in stating that 

 the water does them no harm, but I take good care that it 

 shall wash them, webs and all, off the foliage immediately the 

 slightest trace of their obnoxious presence is perceptible. Only 

 let us secure cleanliness, pure air, with ample space for the 

 growth and foliage, and we can dispense with sulphur or any 

 other nostrum as a curative. Shanking, or the premature 

 decay of the fruitstalks, is not the only evil that is immediately 

 attendant upon overcropping, for the fruit which escapes its 

 ravages is usually deficient both in colour and flavour, as well 

 as being very small in size. 



Another most important matter is the thinning of the 

 berries. Old practitioners are usually able to complete the 

 entire thinning at once, but a knowledge of this fact need not 

 deter the tyro from repeating the operation again and again, 

 even after the berries are of a considerable size. One season's 

 experience, and the remembrance of the size of a fully- 

 developed berry, is generally sufficient to enable one to decide 

 with tolerable accuracy upon the number of berries which it is 

 desirable to retain. 



The management of the growth is a very simple matter, but 

 upon the principle that the reason for every cultural detail 

 should be thoroughly understood, it will be well to explain the 

 process. The tip of each side shoot is pinched off at the first 

 or second joint beyond the bunch, which causes a number of 

 other shoots, termed sub-laterals, to appear ; these again are 

 all kept pinched off at the first joint throughout the season, 

 the object being to concentrate the entire vigour of the Vine 

 uf jn what may be termed the permanent growth of the season. 



