272 



JOURNAL OF HORTICDIiTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 23, 1875. 



January, flowering with the Mandragora. There are several 

 olosely-allied Grecian formB, as 0. lajvigatus, Touruefortii, and 

 Orphanidis, of which we can scarcely judge whether they are 

 species or varieties till they are watched side by aide xmder 

 cultivation. This one is characterised by its pure white nn- 

 striped flower with a yellow throat, and it is one of the few 

 Crocuses that have white anthers." — {Ibid., t. 6187.) 



Wahlenbeeoia KiTAiBELii. NdY. orii., CampanulacefB. Linn., 

 Pentandria Monogynia.— Flowers purple. " W. Kitaibelii is a 

 native of the Alps of Croatia, Transylvania, and the Banat, 

 whence it was introduced by Messrs. Backhouse, who sent 

 flowering Bpecimens from York in May of the present year." — 

 {Ihiil, t. 6188.) 



CuERBiEs. — " Two very fine and comparatively little known 

 varieties of Cherry, belonging to the group of the Geaus, from 

 Messrs. Rivers & Son of Sawbridgeworth ; ripe early in July. 



" The Earhj Lyons, Rose Hutive de Lyon, or Guigne Hatii'c 

 de Lyon, is a very large and handsome Cherry, which besides 

 being excellent in quality has a very grand appearance for 

 exhibition purposes. The fruit is roundish heart-shaped, with 

 a faint depression or suture on the flattened side, and having 

 the stalk, which is Ij inch long, set in a rather shallow cavity. 

 The skin is blackish crimson-purple, or glossy blackish maho- 

 gany colour. The flesh is of a very dark brownish-red, sweet, 

 tender, jiiioy, and well-flavoured. It is an early variety, ripen- 

 ing naturally about the end of June. 



" The Ohio Beauty is of a different character, belonging to 

 the group in which the flesh is pale and the juice uneoloured. 

 The fruit is large, roundish heart-shaped, with a faint suture. 

 The skin is yellow, spread over with bright rich red on the 

 sunny side. The flesh is pale yellow, tender, sweet, and juicy. 

 It ripens about the same time as the Early Lyons. 



" Both varieties are worth a place in every garden where 

 Cherries are prized." — (Florist and Pomologist, S a., viii., 193.) 



ROSES ON THEIR OWN ROOTS. 

 In answer to a query with regard to Roses on their own 

 roots, which I recommended, and which "Cornobia" thinks 

 not likely to be generally successful, I have not had very 

 mneh experience of my own lately, but some of my oldest- 

 estabUshed plants, as of Gloiie de Dijon, Gunural Jacqueminot, 

 &c., are on their own roots, and do not seem inclined to wear 

 out ; and I know the late Mr. Perry used to succeed admii'ably 

 with Roses on their own roots, encom-aged to grow freely and 

 pegged-down. I know it would not answer for many of the 

 weaker kinds, but any of the stronger Hybrid Perpetuals would 

 answer well with this treatment ; indeed, one cause of the 

 success of the Manetti as a stock is the fact that the Ftose is 

 buried below the union of the scion and stock, and the Rose 

 tree soon becomes estabUshed on its own roots as well as having 

 those of its foster parent to depend on. By parity of reasoning 

 the cause why a Rose budded on the Briar has so often an ephe- 

 meral existence is that it only has the roots of the Briar to 

 depend on, which too often is a broken reed — a mere hard 

 lump, only fit to make into a pipe-head. Some Roses on the 

 Manetti and some on Briars in a northern garden the other 

 day, GOO feet above the level of the sea, made me more than 

 ever an advocate for the Manetti, or perhaps made me more 

 decidedly condemn the Briar. Only a few days ago a lady 

 took me to see a Marechal Niel growing against a south wall, 

 to show it me and ask me why it did not go on doing as 

 well as it did the first two years. The reason was too appa- 

 rent ; it was budded on a standard Briar, and the stock was 

 hard and hidebound, and could not supply sap enough for the 

 head, which had been vigorous, but was now dwindling. On 

 the Manetti I have seen a Mar6chal Niel make a stem 5 J inches 

 in circumference in as many years. — C. P. P. 



HYBRID GRAPES. 



It was stated in the Journal a month or two ago that the 

 Marquis of Bute was planting a piece of gi-ound on hig Cardiff 

 estate with Vines selected by his gardener in France, with the 

 intention of putting the practicability of the open-air culture of 

 Grapes to fair proof, etc. Would not a similar trial in Wales 

 or the south of England of some or all of the varieties obtained 

 in this country by crossing the foreign Grape (Vinifera) with 

 the wild species of this country be worth the effort ? Hybrids 

 thus obtained are more healthy and hardy in vine, and ripen 

 their fruit earlier than the foreign parent ; and although the 

 fruit may not equal that of the Vinifera in superior lusoious- 



ness for the table, it yet has a briskness and relish very palatable 

 after dinner, and some are worth growing under glass. I 

 have been experimenting in this way many years, have raised 

 thousands of such seedlings from more than eighty different 

 crosses, and have kept a record of every cross and every indi- 

 vidual plant. To enable yon to judge of the effect of this 

 process on the quaUty of the fruit I will endeavour when it 

 ripens, about October 1st, to get a cluster of a few kinds to yon. 



The varieties of the Vinifera will not succeed in any part of 

 this country. They have been often and thoroughly tried, and 

 have uniformly failed. They will not bear our winters in the 

 northern section, and the mildew destroys them in every part 

 of the country, even where the summer is warm and long 

 enough to ripen the fruit. 



The American Vines used in these experiments were of two 

 species, as they are called, found growing wild in this vicinity. 

 I do not think we have more than two species in this country, 

 if indeed we have more than one. The Labrusea, Vulpina, 

 and Riparia are clearly all one and the same species. They 

 are found growing wild in swamps in freshwater meadows and 

 on the banks of sluggish streams — localities where their roots 

 are always in wet soil, and are submerged in many instances 

 during the whole winter without injury. They are very rarely 

 found on dry upland, and when placed there they do not thrive 

 so well as in their native habitat. The fruit is large, varies 

 much in colour from a light green to jet black; most varieties 

 have a bloom, some have a strong musky odour, and others 

 none of it. Some are comparatively tender and good, but 

 most of them have a hard sour pulp enclosing tho seed. They 

 all have a pleasant but pungent juice between the skin and 

 pulp. 



The other species or variety is found only upon high ground. 

 The fruit has no odour, is always black with more or less 

 bloom, below medium size, of early maturity, with tender flesh 

 and very acid and red juice. There is no constancy in the 

 form of the foliage of pither kind. The swamp variety genp- 

 rally has down on the under side of tho leaf, and the hill variety 

 is generally without it. There is, however, one characteristic 

 common to both kinds : half, or more, of each kind found 

 growing wild or raised from seed have infertile flowers with no 

 pistillate organs. Other Vines of each kind have pistillate 

 organs, but with stamens defective, short, and curved back- 

 wards, so that the anther is near the base of the pistil, and 

 other Vines of both kinds have perfect flowers. Hybrids 

 raififid from this stock bear our coldest winters safely, and are 

 affected but littlo, and pome of them not at all, by mildew ; 

 and it seems probable that the American parent would impart 

 the qualities necessary for a healthy gr jwth in England. — 

 Geoboe Haskell, Ipswich, Massachusetts, U.S. 



THE STATUE GARDEN AT BELVOIR CASTLE. 



The statue garden is connected with the flower and pleasure 

 gardens which are within the enclosed grounds that encompass 

 the Castle. It is situated on the lower slope of tho eminence 

 on which the Casile is built, and is encompassed by forest 

 trees, amongst which three noble examples of Silver Fir are 

 conspicuous. 



This garden has the effect of a framed picture looking through 

 the arched opening that commands it from the path that runs 

 along tho edge of the steep grassy slope that sweeps down and 

 surrounds the clustered flower beds that fill the lower part of 

 tho hUl side. 



A central bed and four subordinate vases mark the position 

 of a large circular and four concentric beds. The four principal 

 beds require one thousand large Geraniums to fill them. 



Disposed about this garden are life- size statues of the pre- 

 siding mythological gods and godde?sps. fcnlptnred by the 

 father of Colley Gibber, the dramatic author. He was Cains 

 Gabriel Cibber, a native of Holetein, living iu England during 

 the reign of Charles II. His most celebr.ited statues are the 

 figures at Bedlam of Melancholy and Raviug Madness. Most 

 of the statues of the kings at the old Koval Exchange, many 

 figures at Chataworth House, and that of William of Wickham 

 at Winchester College, are only a small number of his many 

 other works. Juno rises diguifiedly over all ; Diana with her 

 hound ; Flora wreathing flowers ; Cores scdttering the rich 

 gifts of corn ; Pomona distributing her fruit ; and Bacchus 

 pressing the purple juice from the clustered bunches he 

 holds. 



Surrounded by lofty trees it is'only in very dry seasons that 

 a good display of flowers cau be secured, shade and moisture 



