678 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 30, 187S. 



reason renders it necestary to be bo, it had better have the easy 

 and agreeable form which the gradient above gives it than 

 it would have if it werB more upright. I may here add that 

 embankments for roads or other purposes ought to be even 

 more than that. A base of 3 to 1 perpendicular is not unusual 

 where the material is of a very loose kind, but a cutting may 

 be steeper ; and our railways afford examples of all gradients 

 from 60^ or more down to 15°, and some of the embankments 

 also present a divert-ity of angles, all, doubtless, guided by the 

 character of the material of which it is composed and of other 

 matters bearing on the case. 



We now come to what are called levels, but which in reality 

 had better be inclines also; not, of course, to appear to be so, 

 but by appearing to conform to the surrounding objects they 

 look level. A panel we have here at the base of the flight of 

 steps alluded to has a length and width of about ICO feet, and 

 there being a farther fall in the ground beyond the distance 

 alluded to a decline in that distance was necessary. Partly to 

 give the effect alluded to, as well as to obviate the necessity of 

 a needless amount of wheelbarrow-work, the descent of the 

 160 feet was quite 6 feet, and less would certainly not have 

 looked so well. As viewed from the top it appears level, which 

 it would not have done if really so, as in that case it would 

 have looked as if it leaned inwards. This deception of the 

 eye ought to be studied by those having such works in view ; 

 and a very good example may be met with in winter when a 

 pond by the side of some hill is frozen over, and perhaps 

 covered with snow. Perfectly level as we all know such an 

 object must be, its appearance when looked at from above is 

 anything but pleasing, and certainly the reverse of level, look- 

 ing as if it pitched in towards the hill. It is to obviate this 

 that I recommend the incline above spoken of, or some near 

 approach to it. 



I may here add that the incline recommended for the steps 

 and landing enables the water to run off, which it would not 

 do if each portion were level and the rain backed perhaps by 

 a wind blowing in the direction to keep it there. This matter 

 is well worth consideration, and each step ought to " weather," 

 as masons have it, not less than the eighth of an inch, and 

 the landings accordingly. 



I may, in conclusion, say that I believe a croquet lawn may be 

 allowed the same descent as that alluded to above without any 

 serious detriment to the game. Perhaps, however, I may be 

 in error here, but having had something to do with more than 

 one which presented an inclination of something like 1 in 30, 

 and not having heard anything against its working well, I 

 take it for granted that its unevenness was not perceptible to 

 the players. But on this subject I confess speaking without 

 any authority, and must leave this to be dealt with by those 

 better acquainted in such matters. 



I have not said anything on the propriety of keeping the 

 best soil to the top, as I conclude this will be sufficiently well 

 understood if the works be in the hands of gardeners. On 

 another occasion I may, nevertheless, add a little more on this 

 head, on which not a little of the ultimate effect depends if 

 the ground operated upon has to form a series of flower beds 

 or to be otherwise planted. — J. Robson. 



NEW ZEALAND GABDENING. 

 The accompanying letter addressed to the Secretary and 

 officers of the Maidstone Gardeners' Mutual Instruction Society, 

 from one of its former members, will no doubt be interesting 

 to some of your readers, as it relates to matters both general 

 and horticultural. The writer, a steady, industrious, hard- 

 working man with a young family, had previously to leaving 

 England been acting as general outdoor servant to a clergyman 

 near here, whose garden he had taken much pride in. Wish- 

 ing to improve his position he emigrated to New Zealand, with 

 what result I leave his own letter to tell. I may, however, 

 add that he was a frequent attender of the meetings ; and 

 although too modest to take much share in the discussion he 

 was much respected by the members, and his letter proves 

 that he has not forgotten his old friends. His letter being 

 read to the meeting was duly appreciated, and a reply will be 

 made in due time. — J. Robson. 



" Gentlemen, — I am happy to inform you that I arrived here 

 on February 12th, 1875, aLd am sorry to say I lost a little girl 

 on the voyage, which is the only trouble noticeable I have had 

 since I left home. I was ten days before I could obtain a start, 

 and then I started jobbing gardener, and have not wanted a 

 day's work since. I earn Us. and 10s. a-day, according to the 



work and party I work for. I am just finishing laying out the 

 cemetery. It has been a good job. I have planted upwards of a 

 thousand trees — coniferous and forest trees and shruDs, besides 

 other work. The subsoil is very hard and has to be removed, 

 filling up with other soi), or the trees cannot grow on these high 

 and dry hills. 



" Gardening here is very different to that at home (England). 

 Very little bedding-out is done here, the gardeners' object being 

 to raise as good a collection cf Conifers and forest trees and 

 shrubs as possible ; and the one that can save most is the man 

 they look to, as a great many trees are planted only to die. We 

 have a good collection of Pinuses, Cupressuses, Arancarias, and 

 shrubs. Pines are planted by the million, especially P. insignia, 

 P. Pinaster (maritima), and P. austriaca. P. insignis is the 

 fastest prower, and the Pinaster grows better than any other on 

 dry hills ; but P. monticola, P. densiflora, sylvestris, Torreyana, 

 tnberculata, and many others soon make fine trees if planted 

 well. Cupressus macrocarpa, C. horizontalis, C. Govenianaj 

 G. Liambertiana, and C.Lawsoniana are very plentiful. 



" The great object is to provide a good shelter to a gentleman's 

 place as quickly as possible, and for that purpose the Blue Gum 

 (Eucalyptus globulus) has been employed, as thatia the quickest- 

 growing tree we have. Seed sown will make a good shelter in 

 about three years, but they have stopped using it now so much, 

 as it robs everything that is near it. 



" Geraniums grow on year after year as large as Black Currant 

 trees, and we have them covering an 8-feet wall and hanging 

 over the top like Ivy, and covered with flowers nine months out 

 of the year. Our spring is just commencing now (Sept. 26tb). 

 We are just pushing on the last tree-planting ; fruit trees are 

 past removing now. We have a pretty plant that was raised in 

 the colonies, IPhotinia serrulata variegata : the leaf is tricolor. 

 We keep obtaining the new Roses ; some of them do remarkably 

 well on their own roots, especially Cloth of Gold. 



"And now I will tell you a little about Comorn. It is a new 

 town close by the sea, and is in a very prosperous condition at 

 present, but things are very dear. We have to give 7s. Gd. for 

 a spade and 5s. 6d. for a three-shilling Ssynor's pruning knife; 

 2s. Gd. for a pair of gloves worth about Is. at home. Any gar- 

 dener coming out should bring plenty of tools. Furniture and 

 all kinds of hardware are dear ; coals, i.'3 10s. per ton ; butter, 

 2s. Gd. per lb. ; bacon. Is. 3fZ. ; bread. Is. 4d. ; flour, a 50-lb. bag 

 for Us. Gd., and a two-roomed house is rented at 10s. per week. 

 I mention these few things because they do not do it at homo; 

 it is only the cheap things that they put in the newspapers. 

 But Comorn is about the dearest town in the colonies, as the 

 goods are brought by water and have to be landed in surf boats ; 

 but we had a railway started yesterday, and another going on. 

 — Joseph Baker." 



KIVEES' PEACHES IN TEXAS. 



Herb at the Rosedale Nurseries we find all the following 

 kinds of Rivers' Peaches to be very heavy croppers, and feel 

 confident that with timely care and thinning they could be 

 brought to great perfection. With the exception of Early 

 Beatrice they are too soft for shipping. These notes, however, 

 merely apply to what they have done with oturselvea in Central 

 Texas, and cannot be taken as a criterion of what they may do 

 elsewhere, fruits being so variable even in neighbouring com- 

 munities, let alone States. I know Rivers senior and junior, 

 and Sawbridgeworth too, and a better recommendation to a 

 new fruit than "raised by Rivers" I would not wish for; but at 

 the same time, what may be very excellent in the north or in 

 Europe may be ill fitted for Texas, and vice versa. Asa rule, 

 however, nearly all kinds of Peaches do well here ; indeed, 

 Texas is one of the best Peach-growing States in the Union. 



Early Beatrice is a very beautiful little fruit, suffused all 

 over with red, and when fully ripe the flesh is very melting 

 and juicy. It is an enormous bearer ; indeed it crops much 

 too heavily for the good of the tree or the quality of the fruit, 

 but I believe if early thinning were resorted to (and that we 

 have no time here to do, where so much other work demands 

 our presence) it would be greatly improved in size and quality. 

 The fruit has the rare quality of hanging on the trees for ten 

 days iifter it is fully coloured and marketable, but that is no 

 advantage, as it then treads on Hale's, with us the largest 

 and most saleable Peach of the two. The fruits are firm- 

 fleshed and stand carriage well, and we have never known 

 them to rot on the trees or be attacked with worms. In 1873 

 it ripened here on May 15th, in 1874 on May 18th, and thifl 

 year, 1875, on May 25th. 



Early Louise is medium-sized, yellowish, with a red cheek ; 

 it is melting, very juicy, and as sweet as honey. It does not 

 crop nearly so heavily as Early Beatrice, and is too soft for 

 shipping, but as a family Peach it is delicious. It ripens 

 during the last week in May. 



