THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



A 



' TO BEE KEEPER?.; . 



orTTIGREW, Wrotham Park, Barnet, wishes 



PEl 7rm IW keepers that he will privately, for 10s. 



LS5T« btat « Bee-management, worth 101. The 



V^nlS?im|Srtance to all, but A. P. will not bind him- 

 m te of pn»e »" i f th n 10l) apiarians. 



tfto ^rTrha ^e hint is too dear, or that it will not 

 *£ hi Tw make 5/. c*tra of his Bees this year, A. P. will 



<rf,c &artrenerg* eijromcle 



8 pm. 



1 P.M. 



SATUR DAY, MAY 18, 1844. 



MEETINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. 



■ Mar 28 • Society of Art* 



Mar S< • Linnean Anniversary 



rflOHTftY >HOff— V» I PAY ' M, y " • Tun brid g e W " ells Horticultural. 



Tiir statement by Mr. Baker's gardener respecting 

 the JUrdiness of the Mexican Coniferous 

 Plants cultivated at Bay ford bury, in Hertfordshire, 

 ^ p ,) will, we doubt not, have been read with 

 interest" more especially since it will be a guide to 

 those who wish to plant these beautiful trees in the 

 •pen air. In the Garden of the Horticultural 

 Society similar conclusions have been arrived at in 

 most cases ; but as all the specimens there have been 

 slightly protected during winter by hand-glasses, it 



mid not have been safe to form any decided opinion 

 from that evidence, while standing alone. We have 

 now, however, before us, along with this evidence, the 

 •experience of Mr. Frost, at Dropmore, and may 

 therefore venture to speak on the subject with 

 some confidence; more especially since the return of 

 JWr. J I art weg, by whose indefatigable exertions our 

 Mexican Pines were principally discovered, enables 

 us to ascertain more exactly the natural stations of 

 the species in their own country. 



We know that Pin us Llaveana is hardy, because 

 it endured the sad winter of 1837-8. Its locality 

 may therefore be taken as an indication of what may 

 be expected from others. Mr. Hartweg saw it on 

 the mountains near Zimapan, Cardonal, and San Jose 

 del Oro, (lat. 2l v ) at the height of 8000 feet above 

 the sea ; and also found it near Real del Monte 

 (lat. 20°) growing within two miles of Abies 

 Douglasii, and at the same elevation. The habits of 

 the two may therefore be taken to be similar. It has 

 died, indeed, at Dropmore, in consequence of having 

 been damaged in 1837-8 ; but that seems to be an ex- 

 ceptional case. 



In the Horticultural Garden it has been found 

 that P. oocarpa is very tender; and the same result 

 has been observed at Bayfordbury. Mr. Hartweg 



athered it on the western declivity of the high 

 Table Land, towards the Volcano of Jorullo, near 

 Jloreha (lat.l9«), a very warm situation, and in 

 places not more than 3000 feet above the sea. He 

 did not see it higher than 5000 feet, which is 3000 

 ieet lower than P. Llaveana. P. oocarpa may there- 

 lore be regarded as tender. 



P. leiophvlla is found below P. Llaveana, not 

 ascending higher than 7000 feet on the mountains of 

 Uechoacan (lat.l9 c 30"). This plant has perished at 

 JJropmore and Bayfordbury, but has only lost the 

 points of the shoots and some of its leaves in the Gar- 



Z a the u Hortici *ltural Society, although unpro- 

 tected. Hopes may therefore be entertained of it 

 w warmer situations in this country. 

 i J,\h pseudo ? tr obus was greatly injured at Bay- 

 io tbury, perished at Dropmore with the first frost, 



Hnrti u i S ^ Suffered in the Garden of the 

 ™rticultur a l Society. Its station is as low as 7000 



lOOf i 2L £ g f gUeo > in laU9C 30 ''. butas ifc was seen 

 i n ^l \ . h J8. her > ^ may possibly bear our climate 

 p j 1& tricts. 



the hrinrhr !^ l rom :° axa ca and Real del Monte, at 

 one S nnl 80 °° feet ' Macrophylla, of which 

 Ocotilln k / Was seen in a Pine wood, called the 



fceS of fc Pf Real ( ^ M ° nte and Re ^ at the 

 Place W l et; and d evomana from the same 



hardy at Bo* c^ SEnd feet hi S her > have P«>ved 



garden nf Vh J E rdbui 7. and have not suffered in the 



^er died .f ^ S ° ciet y- The tw0,ast have, how- 



K «ther hav ■S Pm ° re5 While the first has stoocL 

 ^ontezlvJ 6 ii tj Rlssel,an a, Apdlcensis, and 



* the pIp^T' ? eal del Monte species, occurring 



Wfi 10n ,° f 8 °?° feet ' that * s t0 **Y> at tbe 

 *ana Sin ? m the same latitude with P. Lla- 

 wWiwL ° Und tender - They stood at Chis- 



•Wed^d*' and Ba y fordbur y» a * d ™y all be 



Tati^p!!^ the P ro P mor e and Bayfordbury obser- 



*>. about" Rell 1 ^!^ also hard y I and its natural sta- 



** last wnnlT * Monte » 100 ° ft - bigber than any of 



Wev e ; i2r ? ee ™ t0 . re nder that certain. It has, 



^^n, whhn,,f T d ' m the Horticultural Society's 

 ^"uryin £T' he 8"wd of a hand-glass, to sustain 



T WremaIn th *p * partiall y in «■ *«*»• 

 5?»«. which^M 1 ?^ Har twegii and Ayaca- 

 T ** W ? o a I ebo h Mexican and Guatemala species. 



mala (lat. 14° 30'), as high as 12,000 ft. It has been 

 found hardy both at Bayfordbury, Dropmore, and in 

 the Hort. Soc. garden. This is perhaps onlv 

 what might have been inferred from its mountain 

 habits ; but it is not a little curious that P. Ayaca- 

 huite, which goes as far to the south as the town of 



?n eZ oInn a r g ° ( ! at * l5 *)' where its upper limit is 

 full 2000 feet lower than the last, and which 



died at Dropmore, should have suffered nothing 

 from the climate of Chiswick. In Mr. Baker's col- 

 lection it is not mentioned. Perhaps its apparent 

 hardiness may be explained by its being also found 

 near Real del Monte. 



315 



Tlalpuxahua (lat. 19° 35"), 



*"? V*' is2 8 ^x d Z^ Cam P a nario, near Angan- 



^ d on the Voll } ? t9 A ° 00 10 10 > 000ft - of Nation ; 



Can de A gua, near the city of Guate- 



Cupressls thurifera, „_ \-~£miPn and 



at the hei^orsdfji^ 

 9000 ft., and Juniperus flaccid a, from Regla.in the 

 district of Real del Monte, at from 6500-7000 feet 

 above the sea, appear to be everywhere indifferent to 

 cold. 



How strange, then, it is that Abies religiosa, a 

 most noble tree, found as high on the Real del 

 Monte mountains as 10,000 feet, that is, 2000 feet 

 higher than Llaveana, should be very tender. At 

 Bayfordbury, indeed, it is reported as being unin- 

 jured when protected by single mats ; but in the gar- 

 den of the Hort. Soc, and at Dropmore, all its young 

 wood was killed by the first slight frosts of autumn. 

 The species grows very fast and very late ; its young 

 wood is as brittle as ordinary Firs in May, and is 

 evidently incapable of enduring cold. Those, there- 

 fore, who happen to possess it should plant it in high 

 dry situations, where its growth will cease early in 

 the season,so as to ripen before winter. That being 

 effected, it should be the hardiest of the whole 

 Mexican race. 



On the 27th of April we solicited the opinions of 

 our readers as to the utility of publishing accounts of 

 Country Horticultural Exhibitions, and ex- 

 pressed our intention of shaping our future course 

 by the number and bearing of the letters on the 

 subject which we might receive during the succeed- 

 ing fortnight. On that day our circulation was 7741 ; 

 we have now received 55 letters, and therefore we 

 conclude that 7676 of our subscribers are indifferent 

 upon the subject. Among the writers of the 55 

 letters which are before us, 33 object to the insertion 

 of the Country Shows, which it would therefore 

 seem have but 22 advocates out of 7741. 



This would certainly justify our relieving our- 

 selves from the trouble and expense of introducing 

 the Provincial Shows, which, as our correspondents 

 truly allege, are always reported in Provincial 

 Papers. Nevertheless, we admit the force of the 

 arguments of some of their advocates, and most 

 especially of those who regard them as a criterion of 

 the real state of Horticulture in different localities. 

 It is certainly not a valid, though a common argu- 

 ment against their insertion, to say they are unread- 

 able. They are not intended to be read — their use 

 is for reference at a future period ; and for that 

 reason their record in country Papers, which are 

 never filed, is insufficient. One of our corres- 

 pondents rightly observes that, " although the report 

 to-day, of yesterday's Flower Show may not be very 

 interesting, yet some 20, 30, or 50 years hence, that 

 part of a Journal which consists of a record of facts 

 will, I suspect, be the most interesting part of it. 

 If a Gardeners' Chronicle, dated 50 years back, were 

 now placed in my hands, I should consider the 

 advertisements of the ' Youell and Co.' of that day, 

 and the records of the Flower Shows, exceedingly 

 entertaining at least, perhaps instructive, and 

 certainly valuable. Some nine or ten years ago, I 

 used to consider the long accounts of Flower Shows, 

 which were occasionally copied into the * Gardeners' 

 Magazine,' as a bore ; but 1 now find them becoming 

 more interesting and valuable in proportion as they 



become older." 



We admit the justice of these and similar obser- 

 vations, and therefore we have decided to continue 

 our reports. We shall not, however, burthen those 

 who dislike them with their appearance, to the 

 exclusion of other matter, but shall print them 

 from time to time in double Numbers, like that of 

 last week. 



There is, however, one rule which we propose to 

 adopt, to which no person should object ; and that is, 

 to omit all names of persons, rewards, &c, where the 

 names of the plants for which the rewards are given 

 are not distinctly specified. When, however, reports 

 of Shows are sent to us without any such information, 

 we shall not wholly omit them, but merely insert a 

 short paragraph explaining the general nature of the 

 Exhibition. 



FUCHSIAS. 



(Continued from page 243.) .-pi,* 



The second or intermediate stage of growth m Fuchsias 

 is from tbe period of the second and last potting in May 

 or June (whilst in the forcing-house) to their final position 



in a well- ventilated greenhouse. 



A pulverised sandy loam having been recommended 



for the first pottmg, it shouldThT their last shift Tb7 

 mature growth, be exchanged for a yellow, turfy loam, of 

 stronger texture, using nearly one half of well-decompo ed 



in, En i ° r f ?°^ ( l un ^ in a Partially dried state" with 

 one fourth portion of sand ; or if the loam is of a sandy 

 texture, one sixth will be sufficient 



Occasionally there exists a great difference in the ma- 

 terial used as leaf-mould. Pure leaf-mould is eenerallv 

 found in a coarse and partially decomposed state. An- 

 other kind has the texture of highly-decomposed black 

 manure, in a loose state, without any apparent remains 

 of leaves. Both should be used in a relative degree of 

 coarseness to maintain an increased circulation of water 

 for a given period after the last shift 



^Jollo^vmgprocess of obtaining leaf-mould (in corn- 

 texture, is~7epelu^rr3r a te a Lfo r potting) of a uniform 

 ability to soils in general. 



Supposing a portion of pure leaf-mould to be so much 

 decomposed as to resemble dust, so that when water is 

 applied it becomes close and retentive, place portions of 

 it in a sieve, one or two eighths of an inch wide in the 

 wire, and by slightly sifting the material, it will pass the 

 small portion through, and the remainder, by being en- 

 tirely rubbed through a sieve of four or six eighths of 

 an inch, will leave the whole material in a uniform state 

 for heavy potting in more delicate plants than Fuchsias. 

 For the last-named plants, any pulverised material will 

 be best prepared by the hand. In highly-decomposed 

 vegetable matter, like dung in a friable state, there is 

 always found a certain portion in a coarse, close, and un- 

 broken state ; such, on being examined and divested of 

 stones, earth, &c, will always be found to contain the 

 decomposed vegetable part in its coarse and unmixed 

 state, for application in heavy shifts. This material 

 should be broken throughout, and divested of worms, 

 &c, by the hands of the cultivator, and on no account 

 be passed through a sieve. It is best obtained when 

 laid in quantities upon the ground, previous to being 

 housed, or round the sides of a heap, and not unfrequently 

 amongst the refuse in ordinary siftings. 



Where the loam is of inferior quality, owing to the 

 absence of vegetable fibre, or is too sandy, obtain a por- 

 tion of the siftings of strong, turfy, yellow loam ; divest 

 it of stones and other refuse, and rub it entirely through 

 a 6ieve six eighths of an inch wide in the wire ; after 

 which, by being well mixed with the remainder, it will 

 render the whole more uniform and porous. 



Though a pulverised condition of the turf in soils i?, 

 to a certain extent, essential in ah cases, it is less so ia 

 proportion to the agencies of heat, &c. to which it is 

 exposed, and also in proportion as the roots of plants 

 are capable of assimilating food from nutritive material 

 in a gross form ; hence the application of these conditions 

 to the present genus of plants in their first and inter- 

 mediate stages of growth. The less pulverised or 

 decomposed is the fibre in loam or peat, the more essen- 

 tial it is that their component parts should be so sepa- 

 rated and broken as to permit the uniform action of those 

 agencies which cause decomposition. 



From the foregoing remarks, it may be inferred, that 

 in shifting plants for the attainment of mature growth, 

 the soils, &c., should be so arranged as to secure a 

 strictly uniform circulation of moisture consistent with 

 the greatest amount of material. This result does not 

 necessarily dopend upon suitable soils, nor yet upon the 

 situation in which plants are placed, but on the general 

 conditions upon which the successful growth of plants 

 depends. Of what avail are the best materials apart from 

 their appropriate " arrangement and proportions," by the 

 hand that applies them ? And of what avail is even a 

 correct application of potting materials, apart from the 

 knowledge and means of maintaining the agencies of 

 light, heat, moisture, &c., which are essential exactly in 

 proportion to the effects sought for? If a cultivator 

 were asked to define the means necessary for trans- 

 ferring a plant of Fuchsia from a 60 to a No. 1 sized 

 pot, with success, it might be as follows : — Give me suit- 

 able soils, with a perfect command of exposure to intense 

 atmospheric and solar agencies, and I will show the 

 highest possible effects under those conditions, and such 

 are the necessary conditions for the highest effects of 



cultivation generally. 



In the process of shifting Fuchsias from 32s and 24s 

 to Nos. 8, 6, and 4 pots, the bottom drainage should 

 be large in proportion to the pots, and uniformly placed, 

 not exceeding 2 inches in a No. 6, and so on in propor- 

 tion ; the sub-drainage of coarse partially-dried turfy 

 peat, with leaf-mould, or flakes of cow-dung, in a similar 

 state to the depth of 2 inches, each firmly pressed. 

 The mixture is then filled in till the ball of the plant 

 may reach within half an inch of the top level, and when 

 the ball is made firm by a portion of soil around it, 

 apply a few handfuls of coarse leaf-mould, or broken 

 cow-dung, with charcoal, or crocks intermixed, and 

 finish by filling up to the level of the ball. The ball of 

 each plant having been in a sufficiently moist state pre- 

 vious to the operation, the plants are removed back to 

 the platform of the forcing-house, without air for two 

 days, but well shaded from sun-light, and heavy syring- 

 ings substituted alternately for waterings, during the 

 following week (allowing for casual instances). 



The conditions of growth above stated, are those by 

 which a collection of Fuchsias was grown by the writery 

 in the summer of 1843, the unexpected success of which 

 has led to the present remarks. As previously j****^ 

 the growth of the plants commenced in March and 

 April. F. formosa elegans,',was, at the first mentioned 

 period, 6 inches in height, and by .the first wee^m 

 August, attained nearly 7 feet, forming » perfect pyramid 



