October 28, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



381 



superior flavour ; Sir Joseph Paxton, Frogmore Pine, Dr. Hogg 

 or Mr. Radclyffe, or both; Rivera' Eliza, Cockscomb, and 

 Wonderful. For white produce, a most beautiful Strawberry, 

 Bioton White Pine, of apricot flavour when well ripened and 

 yellow. It is also called Barnes's Large White ; but it, the 

 Hantbois race, the Alpines (Galande Red is best), Frogmore 

 Late Pine, and Underbill's The Lady require to be highly 

 ripened in order to be good. Leaving out the Hantbois race, 

 of which Eiverb' Royal Hautbois is the best to have, but not 

 richer than the Black Hautbois, the Frogmore Late Pine when 

 highly ripened, which is rarely the case, is the finest flavour 

 of all. — W. F. Rabcltpte. 



CHESTER: A VISIT to the NEWTON NURSERIES. 



The old-established nurseries of Messrs. James Dickson and 

 Sons are situated near to the Chester Railway general passenger 

 station, and are readily reached by a new route which the 

 Messrs. Dicksons have made for the convenience of visitors. 

 The nurseries may also be reached in a few minutes from the 

 Northgate Street station. 



The main entrance to the nurseries is by a broad walk or 

 drive, and on both sides are planted choice specimens of the 

 plain and variegated kinds of Hollies and other ornamental 

 shrubs. Hollies in particular were noticeable for their sym- 

 metrical shape and robust health. Intermixed with the shrnbs 

 were a choice collection of Gladiolus, for which this nursery is 

 famous, just coming into bloom, the spikes being from 4 to 

 5 feet high. 



Attention is next directed to the plant houses, which contain 

 a large and choice collection of stove and greenhouse plants, 

 very clean and healthy and of a portable size, including Orchids 

 and an assortment of Palms. This is a very suitable class of 

 plants for dinner-table and house decoration, for the hardier 

 kinds are found to succeed better in close confinement than 

 many other kinds of plants. 



Special attention is paid to Vines in pots, the present stock 

 consisting of about two thousand fruiting and planting canee ; 

 and it is worthy of remark that thrips, red spider, and mildew 

 are unknown throughout the entire stock. The pot Vines here 

 are not drawn up in bottom heat and are not grown too thickly 

 together, which is very important to the future well-being of 

 the Vines. 



We next come to a grand lot of tree Ferns. Dicksonia an- 

 tarctica is of large eize, with stems varying in height from 3 feet 

 to 8 feet ; these have been recently imported, but are thoroughly 

 established. These are fine olijects for conservatory decora- 

 tion. One house contained a choice collection of succulents 

 in various sizes. In a cool house is a fine collection of Lilium 

 auratum in great variety. How is it these grand flowers are 

 not more generally grown ? In cold pits were a good collection 

 of soft and hard-wooded Heaths and Epacrises, for which, 

 judging from the quantities grown, there is a great demand. 

 Hardy Ferns are also grown. In order to meet the demand 

 for hardy herbaceous plants these plants are extensively grown 

 here. Of border Phloxes there is a good assortment : these 

 are always in a moveable state, being grown in pots and 

 plunged in quarters. There is also a fine collection of Chinese 

 Fffionies, which ought to be grown by everybody who possesses 

 a garden. 



Owing to these nurseries being on such a large scale it is 

 impossible to go into details, and it must suffice to point out 

 a few leading features. 



The stock of Roses consists of about fifty thousand stan- 

 dards and half-standards, and about the same quantity are 

 grown on the Manetti stock and on the cultivated Briar, also 

 a great number are on their own roots. In the fruit-tree 

 department there is a large stock of well grown and well- 

 trained trees, and there is no trace of American or any other 

 blight. The trees are grown in forms to suit the different 

 requirements, from the highly trained wall standard to the 

 diagonal cordons for walls, &c., to the single and double hori- 

 zontal cordons for edgings of borders and low walls. The 

 stock of fruit trees in a saleable condition extends over ten 

 acres of ground, and they are all worked on stocks grown in 

 the nurseries. Upwards of a hundred thousand fruit trees are 

 either budded or grafted annually. 



Forest trees are extensively grown. Of Larches there are 

 upwards of twenty-five millions ! Others are in like propor- 

 tion. All are frequently transplanted. When planted singly 

 in exposed situations the Sycamore is well adapted for growing 

 in the bleak districts of Wales. It will grow in almost any 



kind of poor gravelly soil. The Lime is extensively grown 

 chiefly the red-twigged variety ; these are raised from layers 

 so that the stock may be relied upon as being true. This is 

 very important in avenue planting, so that one tree does not 

 outgrow that of its neighbour. My experience of this variety 

 is that it will succeed in poor gravelly soil, and will carry its 

 foliage well on in the autumn, which is not the case with the 

 common variety (Tilia europea). Many thousands are raised 

 annually — a proof of its popularity. 



Cedrus deod ara and others of the genus are extensively grown 

 from the seedling to the well-grown specimen. The present 

 stock is about 10,000. Of Aucnba japonica there are something 

 like 15,000. They are raised annually. They succeed well in 

 Emoky districts of the manufacturing towns. The soil of the 

 Rhododendron quarter is a light sandy loam, and seems well 

 adapted to their growth. Of R. ponticum there is a fine lot, for 

 which there is a great demand for game-cover planting ; and 

 from the fact that they are not grown in peat they are enabled 

 to thrive well when planted out in any ordinary light loamy 

 soil or shale. There is also a good collection of hybrid kinds, 

 something like six thousand plants being propagated annually. 

 Hollies are a special feature, and consist of the best kinds in 

 cultivation. Noticeable was a variety named minorca, of 

 robust appearance, which is valuable for planting near the sea- 

 side, as it stands the sea breeze so well on the WeUh coast. 

 The stock of Hollies consists of many thousands, the Gold and 

 Silver kinds being especially good ; some were good standards 

 S to 12 feet high, with from 4 to 5 feet clear stems, suitable for 

 specimens in open quarters. 



Of hardy Conifers, Abies Douglasii is of rapid growth and 

 makes a tine ornamental tree. It is thoroughly hardy, and 

 will grow freely in almost any kind of soil, and is worthy of 

 more extended cultivation ; it is one of the noblest and most 

 beautiful of the Fir tribe. Abies nigra is also good. There is 

 also a fine stock of Piceas (Silver Fir) Nordmanniana, grandis, 

 and nobilis ; these grow into fine trees. Cnpressus LawEoniaiia 

 erecta viridis also demands notice, for it is one of the finest 

 hardy evergreens in cultivation ; for sjmmetery and beauty 

 it has no rival. This variety possesses the peculiarity of being 

 ■ green to the very stem. Cupressns stricta is also very hand- 

 some and distinct, and forms beautiful pyramidal trees re- 

 sembling the Irish Yew, which makes it valuable when grown 

 as a single specimen on lawns. Cupressus lutea is a bsantiful 

 golden variety. Thujopsis borealis is certainly the best of its 

 class, and is well adapted for growing as single specimens ; 

 it is thoroughly hardy. Thuja gigantea makes a noble tree; 

 it is also perfectly hardy. Wellingtonia gigantea is extensively 

 grown. Although hardy, it is always better to plant it where 

 it can be sheltered from cold winds. There is also a fine 

 stock of the Austrian Pine, which is one of the hardiest of the 

 whole trilie, it is well adapted for planting in exposed situations, 

 and grows freely in the poorest of soils. Spireea salicifolia is 

 extensively raised for game-cover planting and for hedges on 

 the Welsh mountains where the Quick will not succeed. There 

 is also a good collection of Ghent Azaleas suitable for either 

 forcing or for early bloom in the greenhouse, or to be grown 

 out of doors to bloom in their natural season ; many of them 

 are deliciouely scented. Of Ivies there are sixty varieties. 

 Hedera conglomerata and H. dentata are two beautiful new 

 varieties worthy of notice. The Gold and Silver variegated 

 kinds grown in pots and trained to trelliswork are very effective 

 for conservatory decoration in winter. There is a good col- 

 lection of Willows of the scarlet, purple, black, and yellow- 

 barked kinds. These have a very pretty effect when planted 

 in masses on the margins of lakes or rivers. There are also 

 some fine specimens of the Kilmarnock and American Weeping 

 kinds. These are grown as standards, and are well adapted 

 for growing as single specimens on lawns. 



These nurseries are upwards of 200 acres in extent, are in 

 admirable order, and reflect much credit on the able foreman 

 Mr. James Boyd. An immense export trade of fruit and orna- 

 mental trees is carried on by this firm.— G. R. Allis. 



Ripe Strawbebeies in October. — My gardener pulled to-day 

 (October 18th) a small dish of Black Prince Strawberries grown 

 in the open air under a wall facing south. They were well 

 coloured and of very fair flavour, but not equal to the summer- 

 grown berries. The same bed bore a good crop this year, 

 gathered early in July. Had it not been for the heavy rainfall 

 we had last week I should have had a considerable quantity. 

 This is a very unusual occurrence in such a cold climate as 



