August 26, 1875. ] 



JOUBNAIi OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



177 



to hooks in rough wooden sills laid upon the ground alongside 

 the trees. This simple plan is worthy of attention, as it pre- 

 serves the netting. No loophole is left for the birds, and 

 access is easily gained to the interior. 



The present ungenial season has rendered the duration of 

 the fruit of early kinds extremely brief. I have between twenty 

 and thirty sorts, and will name a few which fruited well this 

 season, and may be strongly recommended for general culture. 



Man Duke. — This forms line symmetrical pyramids on the 

 Mahaleb stock, and is very prolific. The fruit is large, very 

 Bweet and juicy, and earlier tban most others. 



Imperatricc Eugtnie is very similar to May Duke, but cer- 

 tainly not earlier. This season it was quite a week later. 

 Erroneous opinions as to the earlinees of any kind of fruit are 

 easily formed, and it would probably prove a mistake if I were 

 to insist that May Duke is the earliest kind of the two, and yet 

 I might do so in perfect good faith, judging simply from the 

 results of the present season ; but upon inquiry what it was 

 that brought about those results, it was found that the crop 

 of Imperatrice Eugenie was more than twice as great as the 

 other kind, its fruit clustering so thickly that sunlight and air 

 could not act freely upon it, hence the result. It is an excel- 

 lent variety of compact growth, very prolific, and is therefore 

 admirably adapted for small gardens. 



Arclulukc is another excellent kind of this section, coming in 

 soon after May Duke, and affording an abundant supply of fine 

 and very dark-coloured fruit, very sweet and rich in flavour. 



Transparent. — This is quite the most delicious of the Duke 

 Cherries. Its pale red fruit is tender and very sweet, with a 

 remarkably thin skin. To the connoisseur this may be recom- 

 mended as one of the choicest of dessert fruits in its season, a 

 veritable honne boiiche. 



Reine Hortense. — A remarkable and striking variety with very 

 large bright red fruit, oblong, tniwith flattened sides. It has 

 yellow fle--h, which is very tender, sweet, and juicy when fully 

 matured. Its magnificent fruit has been of the greatest ser- 

 yice this season, and has been much appreciated. Of a com- 

 pact yet free habit of growth and form ; a fine pyramid. 



Kentish. — One of our most useful Cherries for culinary pur- 

 poses; quite indispensable for jam, for bottling, and other 

 methods of preserving, and is in constant request for stewing 

 and tarts when in season. It forms fine pyramids on the 

 Mahaleb, aiid is most prolific. 



Belle Mar/ninqtu'.— This, I think, may be fairly termed a 

 late Kentish but with much larger fiuit. I have only one plant 

 of it, but that is ctrtainly a "Belle," surpassing all the other 

 pyramidal Cherries ia its fine growth and elegant form, which 

 I frequently point-out to visitors as my ideal of what trees so 

 trained should be. One ia tempted to extend the list still 

 further, and it is difficult to refrain from dwelling upon the 

 merits of such fine kinds as Early Rivers, Early Purple Gean, 

 Dnchesse de Palluau, Governor Wood, Late Duke, and several 

 others, but I must not give undue prominence to Cherries in 

 a paper of this kind. 



Plums. — Of these Eivers's Early Prolific stands out pre- 

 eminently among a collection of nearly forty kinds for its 

 early and abundant crops, and its free, vigorous, and sym- 

 metrical growth. The dark purple, medium-sized, and very 

 juicy fruit is of the highest excellence for tarts. It ripens in 

 July before all other sorts. 



liivers's Early Damson is another excellent culinary fruit, 

 ripening early in August, and forming a valuable connecting 

 link between Early Prolific and older sorts of Plums. The 

 fruit is of medium size, and is very sweet and juicy. As Mr. 

 Bivers states in his catalogue, it is a charming addition to 

 Damsons. Most other Plums are more justly ranked with late 

 fruits ; but I may add that Bryanston Gage, Jodoigne Gage, 

 Lafayette, Giaborne's, Mitchelson's, Victoria, and Coe's Late 

 Bed are bearing heavy crops. Almost all the Gages are form- 

 ing fine pyramids. 



Peaches and Nectakines.— Among these the honoured 

 name of Eivera stands pre-eminent. I have almost a com- 

 plete set of the Sawbridgeworth seedlings in cultivation, but 

 several of the trees are too young for fruiting this season. 

 Early Beatrice had an abundant crop, and the fruit was 

 certainly finer than heretofore, highly coloured, and tolerably 

 well flavoured. 



Early Rivers Peacli fully answers my expectations, or rather 

 proves precisely as Mr. Bivers defcribes it. " Large, colours 

 pale straw, with a delicate pink cheek ; flesh melting, or rather 

 dissolving, with a rich racy flavour, most remarkable." Its 

 Bnper-exceUence in flavour this season affords additional proof 



of the truthfulness of Mr. Rivera's descriptions. The vigour 

 of the tree is remarkable, and I am fully inoliaed to allow it 

 ample space for its full development, and however long its 

 leading shoots may grow they will not be much shortened 

 when pruned for next season. If we want large fruit we must 

 have a free robust growth. 



Early Louise ia planted in asnug warm corner to see it it will 

 ripen its fruit as soon as Early Beatrice, which is desirable, as 

 it is said to be superior in flavour. Early Alfred also his a 

 favourable position. 



Rivers's Early York ia a magnificent Peach. Maoh of its 

 fruit thia season is very large and highly coloured, and is 

 excellent in flavour. 



Dr. Hoyy is another fine Peach, large and of rich flavour, 

 carrying on the succession well till the ripening of my old 

 favourite Grosae Mignonne. 



Of Nectarines the only kind which may fairly takj rank 

 among early fruita is Lord Napier. It is a splendid variety 

 fully answering to the description given of it on page 110. It 

 is very prolific, and of robust vigorous growth. — Edwakd 



LnCKHURST. 



NOVELTIES IN THE EOYAL GARDENS, KEW. 



In the Orchid-house porch are collected several plants of 

 much interest, and we can there conveniently commence our 

 inspection. Agapanthus umbellatus major is a larger and 

 finer form of that well-known and invaluable decorative plant. 

 It is from the late collection of W. W. Saunders, Esq., where 

 we have known it for several years, but from the slowness of 

 its increase has been but little diatributed. With one or two 

 exceptions the stock is in the hands of Mr. Green of Eeigate. 

 It may seem auperfluous to say anything in favour of a plant 

 with such an established reputation, but having recently seen 

 a fine display of the species grown in a window we may mention 

 it as suited to that kind of culture. Kaiphofla MaoOwanii, a 

 dwarf type, we have before described ; it is again in flower, 

 and a short time ago was figured from specimena sent by Mr. 

 C. Green, who holds the stock of this as well as of the above. 



To Oxalis Smithii we would call special attention. It is a 

 free-flowering Cape species, producing a profusion of rose- 

 coloured flowers. The leaves are very pretty ; each segment 

 is deeply divided into two narrow lobes. Thia ia a perennial, 

 and in favoured situations is perhaps hardy. 0. rosea, an 

 annual, was very effective a short time ago in small pots, such 

 as would nicely finish off the front of a conservatory bench. 



Though the present is a dull season of the year for Orchids, 

 several beautiful kinds are in flower with othera of botanical 

 interest. The new Cypripedium Sedeni has two epikes with 

 four flowera each of a fine pink colour. It has the pink flowers 

 of Schlimii with the free habit of C. longifolium, and is cer- 

 tainly one of best autumn and winter-flowering Cypripedes 

 we have. It ia interesting to obaerve that the parents just 

 mentioned produced precisely the same plant when in reversed 

 relationship as to sex. C. Veitchii has three fine flowers. 

 C. caricinum and C. Dominiannm may also be mentioned. 

 Dendrobium sanguinolentum, blooming at intervals aU the 

 year round, is in good condition. D. eburneum ia very attrac- 

 tive. Among Epidendrums are E. erectum, E. radiatnm, and 

 E. cinuabarinum, with E. cochleatum and its several varieties, 

 which are never out of bloom. Oncidium Wentworthianum 

 has a good spike. There is also a fine plant of Oncidium 

 Lanceanum with two fine spikes. Here is the interesting Dove 

 Plant, or El Spirito Santo, so called, as is well known, from 

 the fancied reaemblance of the column to a dove. Pholsenopeis 

 grandiflora is scarcely ever out of flower, and is now repre- 

 sented by a fine form. Also we note P. cornn-cervi, Lajlia 

 xanthina, the sweet-scented Ccclogyne corrugata, Masdevallia 

 amabilis, and the beautiful Disa grandiflora. 



The Victoria regia ia now in vigoroua flowering condition, 

 and almoat every evening from about five to six o'clock may 

 be seen in perfection. Bound the tank are several extremely 

 fine specimena of the only genuine aquatic Fern, Ceratopteris 

 thalictroides. It is one of the prettiest of Ferns, though quite 

 a rarity in cultivation, perhaps from its being an annual. The 

 light apple-green tint of the fronda is refreshing to look at. 

 Spores are produced in great abundance, and should be sown 

 about March or April, when they germinate in a few days 

 and make rapid growth. The whole plant is viviparous, and 

 plantlets are often freely produced. 



Passing through the Economic house we remark in fruit a 

 hybrid that to cultivators of the useful parents must he of 



