Pcccmlier 3, 1876. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



491 



Tew, Holly, Iiaurels, Arbor-Vita^ Evergreen Oak, Phillyrea, 

 &e., are all adapted for Bcreens, but the Yew is perhaps the 

 most tractable, the nasieet kppt iu order, and long-lastinf;. 

 The engraviDf,' aii'ords a striking example of what may be 

 effected with hedges as a means of affording shelter, and pre- 

 sents an idea that mny be carried out iu any mode that may 

 be required whoro Bimilar scroens are needed, and where 

 walls are not provided or would be inappropriate. 



THE NUTMEG. 



Of immense eommeroial importance is the Nutmeg tree, 

 Myristica moschata, syn. M. aromatica. It is also ornamental 

 by its clusters of berries or 

 fruit. The plant is not 

 commonly met with in this 

 country, and it is seldom 

 grown except in botanical 

 or officinal collections. Its 

 cultivation, however, is not 

 difficult. It thrives in a 

 Bandy loam and brisk heat, 

 and cuttings strike freely 

 inserted iu sand and placed 

 in heat under a bellglass. 



Of the Nutmeg tree Dr. 

 Hogg has written as follows 

 in his " Vegetable King- 

 dom:" — "It is a native of 

 the Moluccas and neigh- 

 bouring islands, but is now 

 cultivated in Java, Suma- 

 tra, Penang, the Isle of 

 Bourbon, Mauritius, and 

 other parts of the East, and 

 in Cayenne, Martinique, 

 and some of the West India 

 islands. It attains the 

 height of 30 feet, with a 

 straight stem and a branch- 

 ing head. The leaves are 

 oblong-oval, glossy on the 

 upper surface and whitish 

 beneath, and with an aro- 

 matic taste. The flowers 

 are male and female on dif- 

 ferent trees, insignificant, 

 and of a yellowish colour. 

 The fruit is round or oval, 

 about the size of a small 

 Peach, with a smooth sur- 

 face, green at first, but 

 becoming yellow when 

 ripe. The external cover- 

 ing, which may be called a 

 husk, is thick and fleshy 

 containing an austere as- 

 tringent juice; becoming dry by maturity, it opens in two 

 valves, and discovers the nut covered with its aril, or mace, 

 which is of a beautiful blood-red colour ; beneath the mace is 

 a brown shining shell containing the kernel or Nutmeg. 



" A plantation of Nutmeg trees is alwa.ys made from seed, 

 and it is not till the eighth or ninth year that the trees pro- 

 duce flowers. The sexes being on different trees, after the 

 plants are two years old they are all headed down and grafted 

 with scions taken from the female tree, reserving only one 

 male stock for fecundation. The natives of the Moluccas 

 gather the fruit by hand, strip off and reject the pulpy husk, 

 detach the mace carefully, and expose it to the sun, which 

 soon changes its beautiful blood-red colour to a light brown ; 

 it is then sprinkled with sea water to render it flexible and 

 preserve it. The nuts are first sun-dried and then smoked, 

 until the kernels rattle against the shell. This shell being 

 removed, the kernels are dipped twice or thrice in lime water, 

 laid in heaps for two or three days, wiped, and packed in bales 

 or barrels. The unripe fruit of the Nutmeg is frequently pre- 

 served in sugar in the East ; and before doing so it is necessary 

 to deprive it of its acrid properties by soaking it in spirits." 



black bunches hanging beneath a canopy of foliage striped 

 and mottled with the deepest crimson. In an ordinary way 

 the leaves change to a golden yellow colour. Can the nnusua 1 

 colour be iu consequence of the heavy rains, or through some 

 chemical action of the soil ? — A. W. 



Have any of your readers noticed the beautiful tints in the 

 foliage of the Alicante Vines :' It is a sight to behold the jet 



A VISIT TO GAESTON. 

 Having had for a long time a desire to see Garston, an oppor - 

 tunity offered itself in the month of August. Wo left the 

 Exchange, Liverpool, by omnibus for Garston, which we 

 reached after an hour's pleasant ride. The route was by Sefton 

 New Park ; having secured an outside seat we were enabled to 



note objects by the way. 

 Sefton New Park has been 

 recently formed by the 

 Corporation of Liverpool. 

 It is tastefully laid-out, 

 and trees and shrubs are 

 growing freely. It con- 

 tains a good sheet of 

 water, and by a judicious 

 formation of the grounds, 

 rockwork and waterfalls 

 are introduced at suitable 

 points. We next pass 

 through Aigburth Vale, a 

 richly wooded valley, the 

 eye occasionally catching 

 a glimpse of some gen- 

 tleman's mansion and 

 grounds lighted up with 

 bright flowers. The desti- 

 nation of the omnibus was 

 near four cross reads, and 

 we were somewhat puzzled , 

 not knowing which tuin to 

 take, there being no trust- 

 worthy butcher's boy at 

 hand. However, by turn- 

 ing to the right over the 

 railway bridge we saw the 

 Vineyard on the left. 



Garston is not new to 

 fame, but for some years 

 past has been a noted place 

 for Grape-growing, the 

 name of Meredith being 

 familiar to many readers; 

 but some months ago this 

 great Grape-growing esta- 

 blishment changed hands, 

 and has now become the 

 property of the Cowan- 

 Patent's Company. Their 

 system of heating is sim- 

 ply a miniature lime kiln 

 with hot-water apparatus combined, the hot-water apparatus 

 being built in the upper part of the lime kiln, so that the heat 

 from the burning of the lime also heats the hot-water apparatus. 

 It appears that the old saddle form of boiler seems well adapted 

 for the purpose. At the time of our visit to ( iarston this new 

 system of heating horticultural buildings was being rapidly 

 pushed on by connecting the whole of the extensive vineries 

 and other houf es ; preparations were also being made for the 

 manufacture of gas for the lighting of the establishment. 

 The working-out of the system at Garston is on an extensive 

 scale, and when complete promises to be a great centre of 

 attraction. The whole of the extensive glass structures are to 

 be heated on the lime-kiln principle. The old boilers which 

 have done duty for heating the different ranges are for the 

 present to remain where they are, but connected with the main 

 system, yet shut-oft' by valves, so that in case of any accident 

 to the kilns these boilers can be made to do duty independent 

 of each other. This new system of heating is said to be satis- 

 factory wherever it has been carried out, and the Company 

 have received many flattering testimonials in favour of the 

 system. We are told that these kilns only require attendance 

 in feeding once in ten or twelve hours, so that the labour of 

 stoking is reduced to a minimum, and night labour abolished. 

 This will be a great boon to under-gardeners and others who 

 have such duties to attend to. Those who have been in the 



■MVRISTICA AROMATICA. 



