General Notices. 461 



* 

 French and Chinese varieties, some of which are always in flower during 

 the summer and autumn months. The laburnum is a higlily ornamental 

 plant from the latter end of May to the middle of June; if the flowering 

 shoots be cut back, and the tree divested of its racemes of pods, it will 

 again bloom nicely later in the summer ; indeed the whole of the Cytisuses 

 may be made to flower twice in the summer, by careful cutting back after 

 the first flowers fade. The rose, acacia, and several others of its conge- 

 ners, will flower a second time ; and so will the Althea frutex, presenting 

 its second flowers as late as October, when flowers of any kind are much 

 wanted. Checking the growth of herbaceous border-flowers, by trans- 

 planting, or by divesting them of a few of their stems, to delay the flower- 

 ing, or only allow it to be developed gradually, is an old expedient ; and 

 with attention paid to this management of perennials and biennials, and to 

 the different times at which annual flowers maybe sown, a continued display 

 of flowers may be kept through the growing season. — {Id., 1849, p. 387.) 



Josling's St. Alban^s Grape. — I find myself mentioned in your paper as 

 being a fortunate man in realizing a sum far beyond what is correct for this 

 grape. I have no objection to be considered fortunate, but I would be 

 sorry should it be understood that I obtained money by unjust means. I 

 will briefly state that the St. Alban's grape is really and truly a seedling 

 raised by myself, and that I used every means of showing it to persons best 

 able to judge of its merits. Fruit was sent for opinion to the editor of the 

 Gardeners^ Chronicle, two seasons to the Horticultural Society's Rooms in 

 Regent Street, to the editor of the Gardeners' Journal, and to Messrs. 

 Henderson, Pine Apple Place, by all of whom it was pronounced to be 

 " excellent and distinct." The fruit in every case is free from cracked 

 berries, as was also that submitted for opinion to Mr. Thompson. — R. 

 Josling, St. Alhan''s. I regret that I cannot at present give a satisfactory 

 answer to the numerous inquiries which have been made respecting this 

 variety ; and I should, therefore, have preferred remaining silent on the 

 subject till the facts of the case be fairly made out. The remarks, how- 

 ever, of your correspondent " Vitis," render it necessary that I should 

 now inform him, and others, that I have been for some time employing 

 means for eliciting the truth, and that in the midst of conflicting opinions, 

 I must be excused for being slow to condemn that which I did not rashly 

 praise. Under the circumstances, I certainly did not over-praise the va- 

 riety in question. A giape was sent to the Horticultural Society by Mr. 

 Josling, and positively affirmed by him to be a seedling. I described it 

 solely in regard to the intrinsic merit which I found the fruit possessed ; 

 and, considered in this view, I flatter myself that all good judges will 

 readily agree that I did it no more than justice ; for I question much 

 w^hether, in point of flavor, the variety is exceeded, or even equalled, by 

 any grape in existence. In this respect, at least, I have not to regret, 

 with " Vitis," that too good an opinion was given of it ; for, until a better 

 flavored grape can be pointed out, too much cannot be said of the one that 

 stands preeminent. If it should, however, turn out to be not distinguisha- 

 ble from the Chasselas Musqu"^, and if with all the goodness of the latter 



