353 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



«~ found in all kinds of places, from the quagmire to the 



dry land-nay, at times/in the heart of trees, and even 



solid rock. This would lead one to suppose that the two 



reptiles never were together in Ireland. Toads are often 



kept with advantage in hot-beds, for killing insects in 



this country, and they would, no doubt, be useful for the 



same purpose in Ireland. Wich regard to snakes, I may 



Observe that wet boggy land, like many parts of Ireland 



does not suit that reptile. Some writers doubt whether 



the snake gives chace to its prey ; but it certainly does 



A gentleman, on whom I can rely, informed me that he 



once saw a snake in pursuit of a frog, and that it swa^ 



across a river after it. There has been a story like that : of 



St. Patrick banishing the snakes and toads fro* .Ireland 



in the island of Malta, ever since theyiper fixed on the 



hand of tt. Paul.-,/. Wighton. [ Toads are perhaps 



among the most humble of a Gardener's friends; but 



certainly none are more really useful.] 



Guano a Presermtice of Floors. -Those who are 

 lovers of flowers, and delight in having them constantly 

 in their rooms, may continue to keep them fresh for a 

 Tery considerable time, by putting into the water a pinch 

 of Peruvian guano, which is rendered immediately 

 soluble and taken up by the cuttings. Guano is essen- 

 tially different from all other manures : it possesses most 

 of the constituents of plants, and contains a great portion 

 Of aalt and other antiseptic, and yet the most fertilising 

 ingredients — J. /I, Woolwich. 



The Po'ato.— The reading of some articles upon the 

 Potato, that have lately appeared in the Chronicle, has 

 ©ailed to my recollection a circumstance respecting the 

 culture of that important root. Between the years 

 1795 and 1799, whilst I was at Cluney, in Aberdeen- 

 shire, it was the practice there to pull up all shoots but 

 one from the sets, when they were from four to six 

 inches above the soil. As soon as the blossoms made 

 their appearance they were also invariably picked off, tor 

 the gardeners had long been aware that both those 

 practices added much to the increase of the crop ; and I 

 have since proved that it certainly does. From the 

 result of experiments in various ways with different 

 manures, I am perfectly satisfied that the too common 

 practice of applying recently made manures in imme- 

 diate contact with the sets is a bad one. In such a dry 

 season as this has been, where the sets have been placed 

 upon the top instead of beneath the manure, it will 

 prove destructive to a very large portion of the sets in 

 light lands ; but a simple remedy is at hind, for if those 

 CBtra shoots which are at most of the sets that have 

 freely vegetated, are carefully planted by the hand, in 

 a coiling form, leaving only the top of the shoot above 

 the soil, they will grow and produce tubers in abun- 

 dance. At the proper time to dive=t the set of the super- 

 abundant shoots, the plants will all have got so well 

 rooted, that they will stand no longer in need of t)j~ 

 assistance of the sets ; so that if the whole of the shoots 

 are taken up, and coiled singly in the place where the 

 gets were, a better crop will be produced than if a 

 iingle shoot was left after it was separated from its 

 neighbours. For an early crop, on a small scale, I 

 strongly recommend raising the plants first in frames, or 

 in a warm border. They should be thickly planted, so 

 as not to take up ground unnecessarily, and when the 

 shoots are from four to six inches high, shake the plants 

 carefully out with a fork, so as not to injure the young 

 roots, and then plant them according to the coiling system. 

 They are best planted in very shallow trenches, if the 

 subsoil is dry, and they should be earthed up by levelling 

 the ground. This is an old practice, that has long gone 

 out of use ; as well as that excellent one of using tole- 

 rably well decomposed dung, dug or ploughed in, and 

 ■Well diffused in the soil before planting. The coiling of 

 the shoots in a horizontal position causes roots to be 

 freely emitted at all the buried joints, and likewise fine 

 tubers ; but there are many varieties that do this much 

 more freely than others ; as may be observed even when 

 the shoots are above the soil, when the plants are 

 shaded and kept damp.— John Mearns, F.H.S. 



Rosa Sulphurea. — 1 beg to inclose a bloom of the old 

 double yellow Rose ( Rosa sulphurea), which is rarely seen to 

 tower well in English gardens. I imagine that my success 

 in this case is mainly owing to judicious finger-pruning and 

 the use of Humphreys's Inodorous Soluble Compound, 

 dissolved in soft water, and applied to the roots as occa- 

 sion required. This tree has not flowered befor?, although 

 Busbridge used to be famous for yellow Roses. I have 

 flowered Rosea sulphurea some years back in Northamp- 

 tonshire (see Gardeners' Chronicle for 184 1 ), in a different 

 soil and aspect from this ; therefore my experience leads 

 Me to infer that much depends on finger-pruning and the 

 free application of stimulants during the growing season, 

 particularly from the time the flower-buds appear until 

 they burst into beauty. The plant here is in a south-west 

 aspect ; the soil is a sandy loam ; the gardens are in a 

 sheltered valley, contiguous to large sheets of water. The 

 Rose sent is an average-sized specimen from among 

 many flowers that are now open on the same plant. I 

 have no doubt that by paying the same attention to the 

 constitution of the plant in future seasons, I may again 

 have a beautiful show of this delightful novelty. — Henry 

 Sotrers, Busbridge Hall, Godalming , Surrey. 



Chicory. — In a late Number you appear to consider 

 that the well-known excellence of French-made Coffee is 

 owing, in a great measure, to their mixing Chicory with 

 it. This, however, is a mistake ; great pains are, on the 



i*^ll sf* ^~1 tX* * *v^ 



[June ], 



^-^^n^whichlTis roasted, on its~lieh^lre~sh buTtoToften occurs, by persons, evio^ly^aTdeneS 



on the way in wnica it => t A . n,. .^ n9 i «„,!,. nurservmen, impeding the progress of the ni,hu« -~. 



roasted as well as fresh ground, and on the actual mode 

 of reparation ; and to secure the above properties and 

 to provide against adulteration, most private families buy 

 their Coffee raw, roast it very frequently, even every day, 

 and grind it immediately before it is made. Chicory is, 

 however, a great deal used in France, sometimes and 

 Ks generally for mixing with Coffee which is sold 

 r P eady r roa!ted and ground, and very frequently to make 

 up a beverage similar to Coffee, but with a different 

 flavour, which is preferred by some, especially by those 

 who fear the effect of Coffee upon their nerves, or who 

 adopt the Chicory from motives of economy. Chicory, 

 as a cheap substitute for Coffee, has also been long m 

 use in Sweden and other northern countries.— b . i»- 



Chicory. -On the question of adding Chicory to 

 Coffee, allow me to send you the following. An intel- 

 ligent Tea-dealer told me the other day that a few years 

 ago, he conscientiously gave up the addition of Chicory 

 to the ground Coffee which he sold m his shop. At this 

 time he had a large trade in retail Coffee, but it gradually 

 fell off from year to year, without W. being aole to .as- 

 sign any cause. In vain did he sell his Coffee below a 

 remunerating price, in the hope of getting up his trade. 

 He at last found out that the great difference between 

 his own and his neighbours' Coffee was that they added 

 Chicory, and he did not; and he resolved on adding 

 Chicorv once more. From this time, his sale of Goftee 

 improved; and he now considers it equivalent to the 

 other branches of his trade. How it is that 

 Chicory improves Coffee is a curious question in 

 dietetics, and there is probably something more in it than 

 mere flavour. But at any rate it is improved, as 1 

 think " Anti-Adulteration " will allow, if he orders a cup 

 of Coffee with, and another without, Chicory, and tastes 

 them. Can anv of your correspondents inform me it 

 Chicory has been analysed ? Does it possess an alka- 

 loid? These questions have become of interest since it 

 has been pointed out that the alkaloid of Coffee (caffeine) 

 and the alkaloid of Tea (theine) are identical in compo- 

 sition. It has also been recently stated that the alkaloid 

 of the Ilex Paraguensis which affords the Paraguay 

 Tea, is identical with caffeine and theine. In connection 

 with the theory of the use of this principle in the animal 

 economy, propounded by Liebig, and which I am not at all 

 disposed to reject as hypothetical, this branch of inquiry 

 is very interesting. The Ilex aquifolium contains an alka- 

 loid ; has this a composition similar to the above I Inqui- 

 ries of this kind may lead to important discoveries, and 

 plants possessing all the essentials for use, of those which we 

 obtain from a distance, may be growing at our own doors. 

 The leaves of the Elm, Sloe, &c. were extensively used a 

 short time since as British Herb Tea, and the sale of it 



nurserymen, impeding the progress of the public round, 

 the tents, while they are making their notes and tak 



the names of whole collections. This was done at the 

 last Show in several instances. I cannot blame these 

 persons for taking their notes — it is necessary for them 

 to do it ; but I do hope the Society will give them an 

 opportunity of doing so much more conveniently to them- 

 selves, and at the same time relieve the public from the 

 inconvenience alluded to. There is another point to 

 which I wish to call your attention, and which, in my 

 opinion, and in the opinion of many persons who attend 

 the Chiswick Shows, detracts much from their interest. 

 This arises from the award of the judges not being placed 

 upon the successful collections, specimens, seedlings, 

 &o. I really do not believe there is a person who takes 

 the trouble of going round the tents who would not have 

 an increased interest by having the attention called to the 

 successful productions. It is impossible to recollect 

 the names of all the successful parties by merely 

 reading the award over in a hurried way ; and to 

 stop to copy it is out of the question.— J. s. J. 

 [Our correspondent is perhaps not aware — 1, that 

 gardeners are admitted into the garden before half-past 

 8 in the morning, and remain there till 10, during which 

 time they have every opportunity of making notes; 

 2, that their passes are given them upon the express, 

 condition that they shall not loiter in the tents in the 

 afternoon ; 3, that it is apparently impracticable in such 

 crowds to manage the announcement of the awards in 

 any other than the present way. The award cannot 

 be completed before half-past 2 or 3 o'clock, and at 

 that time the tents are so thronged as to render it impos- 

 sible to get at the tables.] 



Covering Fruit-trees ivith oiled Calico. — In December, 

 1843, I bought a quart bottle of Whitney's Composition, 

 and applied it in the way directed by him, but could not 

 make it go so far as I was led to expect; it gave two good 

 coats to a frame five feet eight inches long and three feet 

 six inches broad. I prepared five other frames with the* 

 composition described by *' Devoniensis," at page 301 r 

 1843, at one-fourth of the expense. In the effect pro- 

 duced I could perceive no difference, nor could any one 

 else, although both kinds of material were over the same 

 tree. Both were sufficiently transparent. On the 7th. 

 March, I protected one Peach-tree, one Nectarine, audi 

 one Apricot, with these frames, none of the trees being 

 large. All three had blossoms in abundance, and tha 

 season was more favourable than usual here ; but all the 

 trees had less fruit set than last year, in an ungenial 

 season, and without any protection whatever. The 

 Peaches and Nectarines under the frames were covered 

 with blistered and curled leaves and aphides. As I could 

 ~ V *"-—V™ ~ """"..<. w. llsa it was supposed to I not have less fruit nor less healthy foliage, I removed 

 S3 SS Sf Th^ would be^ objee- ;he frames in May to try then^ain ne,t year, .hen! 

 tion to selling Elm-leaves and Sloe-leaves as such, and 

 why should they not contain principles contributing as 

 much to the health of the body as the Chinese Tea-plant ? 

 The action of the vegetable alkaloids on the animal 

 economy, is an obscure but interesting question. In 

 medicine they are used, and with decided success, and 

 the successful administration of medicines in most in- 

 stances depends on supplying the system with principles 

 which it has failed, from some cause or another, to ob- 

 tain from its food. — L. E. 



Woodlice.— I observed in the Chronicle that these 

 were destroyed by laying down cut Potatoes. Being 

 very much infested by them, and the method being 

 simple, I tried it ; but at the same time I imagined that 

 there might be some better way of getting r.id of them. 

 I accordingly laid down along with the Potatoes a few 

 Swedish Turnips, cut in two or three parts, according to 

 their size, in order to ascertain whether the Potatoes or 

 the Turnips would answer the purpose best. For the 

 tirst few days there was no difference between the two ; 

 but as soon as the Turnips had got soft, then the wood- 

 lice began to be most numerous on them; and now they 

 have almost left the Potato altogether. The longer the 

 Turnips lie the fonder they are of them. As it is at the 

 warmest end of a house that the woodlice are most nume- 

 rous, the Turnips should be laid down there. In the 



hope to have mere success. Will such of your reades» 

 as may have tried these frames for protection, give the 

 results of their experience thus far, whether for or against* 



-—Rambler. , '. ..-. 



iiaMite.-Instead of using such a dangerous substance 



as arsenic for the destruction of rabbits, in the manner 

 described by "J. G." at p. 245, or resorting U> the less 

 objectionable method pointed out by " J. R- L. at p. aw, 

 I would beg to suggest the adoption oj /nother eiped.en^ 

 which will be found quite as serviceable as either ot those 

 above referred to. It is nothing more than the fixing « 

 some small twigs around the plants that require pro tec- 

 tion, and afterwards coating them with coal-tar. ia» a 

 have practised for several years past, and have touna k 

 answer the purpose as effectually for a time , u . if U* 

 plants had been surrounded with a wire guard. Of cou tx, 

 when the tar dries, and the smell wears off, it ma 

 necessary to rub over the twigs a second time , du 

 is done with very little trouble or expense, and its ene 

 will probably last until the plants are hardened ana gr 

 beyond the reach of hares or rabbits.—iw. £.. r. 

 Oak Bark.-ls the bark of the Levant _Oak £ 



Cerris) valuable? and what P r °P°£™ °1^0ak*2 

 principle does it afford, compared with the ^S""^ aI1 



morning, I have taken out from underneath one Turnip 

 about 100 of these pests. Gold-fishes seem to be very 

 fond of woodlice. In a vinery here is a cistern, in which 

 there is a large fish ; sometimes I put in a few woodlice, 

 upon which the fish darts with devouring greediness, and 

 splashes in the water with all the joy imaginable. When 

 only one or two woodlice are put in, it seems greatly dis- 

 appointed. — A Gardener. 



Gardeners at the Chisivick Exhibitions. — I perfectly 

 agree with your remarks in your Leading Article in No. 

 21 of the Chronicle, which has reference to the late 

 Horticultural Show at Chiswick. There is no doubt that 

 the appearance of the gardeners at this Show reflected 

 much credit upon them, when compared with former 

 years ; and I do trust on all future occasions they will be 

 found equally attentive to their personal appearance. 

 The gardeners and nurserymen ought to have an oppor- 

 tunity given them, at each Show, an hour or half an hour 

 before the public are admitted, to examine the productions 

 offered for competition, and to make their notes on and 

 discuss amongst themselves the improvements which 

 every season brings forth. This would be a great boon 

 to those gardeners and nurserymen who really come to 

 these Shows for the purpose of increasing their stock of 



//. B. [Can any correspondent favour us 

 answer to this question ?] 

 Miscellaneous. 



311 1 t. * 



A ' Correspondent^ states that 



the 



iV. xijis, uu"«»oi, io o uiiawm, | V- ,l - l"""» ttic, un luc llicsc ouuvra i«i ««"t; jiiupuac ui 11111 casing Mlcir blUt 



contrary, taken by all amateurs of Coffee in France, and knowledge ; and it must be admitted that too much en- 

 in all private houses as well as Cafe* celebrated for the couragement cannot be given to those men, on whom we 



excellence of this beverage, that it should be quite pure, are so much dependent for the splendour of such ex- w . Koranic ^^ ' 



without the admixture of any foreign substance. The j hibitions. The public would feel the advantage of this, j been grown in the Koyai do ibited a specimen 

 good quality depends on the selection of the raw Coffee, j as it would do away with the inconvenience which now | Regent's Park.— Mr. Cameron 



finest specimen of a Lemon (?) China Rose d 7\ sle f 

 has ever seen, is in a conservatory near itj > feefc 

 Wight. He writes that the plant » ^out t ™ an d 

 high, and ten in width, and has at this ""J riy on* 

 buds ready to expand, to the number o at 



hundred. In reference to the f" tem *™ " which 



318, H. G. informs us that at his last r^ en ^ Sphe . 

 was in the West of England, he invariably s ^ ^ 

 nogyne speciosa in the open ground, tie remftI k* 



has done the same this season near JMgin, 

 that the plants are certain ly more than an i» 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ^ 



[We hare received the following ««<«£%£&' a, 

 Frazer, of Leyton :-In yoar fP°j"^jUsoc^f 

 hibited by «s at the Gardens of the Horticw^ ^ 

 on the 18th in*, we are stated to have , ett^ ^ „ l0 , 

 bertia grandiflora, so trained as not to c rf A 



soms to be seen. This plant we did not exn 

 and do not wish to have the discred.t of showi°b 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 1C „ iir 



Anniversary, May 24— The Biwor -of^ 

 the chair. Mr. Sowerby exhib.ted spec.mens « ^ 

 ing plant of Leuceria runcinata fromCt > Garde D. 

 bee/ grown in the Royal Botan.c Socety -i ^ d 



