1844. 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



477 



tree. As to flued walls, I admit their utility ; but if we 

 Northmen can produce fruit and trees equal to the 

 genial climate of the Southern parts of the island, with- 

 out the aid of flues, it at least argues in favour of the 

 principles we adopt. I am sorry to see, at p. 389, 

 the propriety of chopped turf disputed by Mr. Lawrence. 

 He appeals to facts— so do I. However, I should expect 

 just such results as actually took place, the border being 

 three feet deep. It is, however, wrong to assume that 

 because three feet of turf is too much, one foot must be 

 the same. I beg to repeat that I plant on the mounds 

 of brick or stone, and consequently have not above ten 

 inches of soil in that part, increasing slightly in depth 

 outwards, and that no trees can look better or have a 

 •finer crop of fruit: they have endured all the hot and 

 dry weather without a single drop of water, and the walk 

 over their roots is as hard as a turnpike road. This has 



taught me a lesson as to the habits of the Peach that I .for their winter sustenance in case of a protracted re- 

 shall not easilv forcret. The. Hssurnn™» vporo o» rt fk.f ~. i 3 t u _i »!._•. _-r.ii ... 



shall not easily forget. The assurance years ago, that 

 what is called disease in the Peach is neither more nor 

 less than ill-ripened wood, in the great majority of cases, 

 led me to conclude that any soil which would insure an 

 early action of root, combined with an early check or 

 timely cessation of growth, would be most conducive to 

 this end, and this I find most perfectly accomplished by 

 my present plans. Trees situated as mine are, can never 

 be glutted with moisture ; they possess a steady and 

 uniform existence, through the slowly progressive decay 

 of the lumps of turf; manure being unknown, except as 

 top-dressing in cases of exhaustion.— Robert Errington. 

 : Vines.— Last season I renewed the Vines in one of my 

 vineries, and in doing this I adopted a plan which I have 

 not seen practised elsewhere. A hole was made in the 

 parapet-wall under each sash, and a rod of the previous 

 season's growth was passed out at one hole and in at 

 another. The border was prepared as follows .-—About 

 a foot of the surface of the old border was removed, a 

 small quantity of ashes was thrown in for drainage, and 

 the bottom was then flagged with stones to the width of 

 2 feet from the wall ; at the outside of this a barrier of 

 flags was put up, and the space between this and the wall 

 was divided into as many compartments as there were 

 plants (or layers) in the house ; these compartments were 

 then filled in to the depth of 18 inches with prepared soil, 

 the layers being covered about 8 inches ; the border was 

 then mulched over, and this finished the operation for 

 the first two years. The 2 feet of soil I consider sufficient 

 for the first two years ; on the third, (i. e. y next season,) 

 I shall remove the barrier, and with a fork take off part 

 of the soil, to enable me to prune, examine, and arrange 

 the roots, as may appear necessary ; having done this, I 

 shall place the barrier about a foot and a half further out, 

 and fill the space up with fresh soil, in the same way as 

 at first ; this operation I intend to repeat annually. The 

 advantages are— 1st. I will not lose the use of the old 

 Vines until the young ones are quite ready to take their 

 place ; 2d. I divide the labour of making the border, 

 which is usually done in one year, over a number of 

 years ; 3d. I have a perfect command of the roots of my 

 _vmes, and can manage them with as much regularity as 

 I can do the branches ; 4th. Should it become necessary 

 from any cause to remove an old Vine, or introduce a 

 new one, it can be done without in the slightest degree 

 interfering with its neighbour; and 5th. They have a fresh 

 supply of soil to produce every crop, and should I wish 

 to feed with liquid manure, I know exactly where to 

 apply it effectually. This system might also be applied 

 with advantage to wall-trees. It might be improved 

 upon, in the case of forming a new house for early forcing, 

 by leaving the compartments larger, and making a trench 

 for fermenting materials, with pigeon-holed brick-work 

 between the compartments, which would enable a tem- 

 perature to be kept at the roots in some degree corre- 

 sponding to that in the inside of the house. The con- 

 nection between the layers and the old Vines was cut off 

 a considerable time before the growing season was over, 

 and the former were so well rooted that they never hung 

 a leaf. They are now growing beautifully, and making 

 as good wood as I could wish. — IV. W. 



Pine-apples — For the information of "A. B. C." 

 (p. 445), whose Pines have not fruited, I would suggest 

 that if he was to turn his strongest plants in pots out 

 into new tan, it would possibly start them into fruit, and 

 also, in all probability, increase their size. The complaint 

 about Pines not fruiting at the usual season is not new; 

 but a complete remedy for this is at hand, not, however, 

 in the unnatural practice of hungering the plants, neither 

 is it in that of starving or disrooting them, but in encou- 

 raging rapid growth, thereby promoting complete deve- 

 lopment of the plant, and maturation of the fruit. At 

 p. 53 of my " Treatise on the Pine-apple," is stated the 

 result of my own practice. It consists in keeping the 

 plant growing rapidly until the fruit is ripened off, which 

 is usually in about eight or ten months after the Pines 

 ar * Panted out. I would also inform "A. B. C." that, 

 it his plants should fruit this autumn, he may again fruit 

 them in the following autumn. These facts I have a 

 second time this season fully tested, at Thornfield— 

 namely that the Pine is capable of producing one fruit 

 annually for any length of time. I shall soon be able to 

 ascertain the result of an experiment made with two 

 Z p ™dence Pines-one I turned out into good 

 compost and the other I planted in the tan ; the fruit 



tL JS* l!u 1S . cvlde ? U y 8we "ing better, according to 

 hi m \ ot *******> .**n th *t of the former; and it 



rl^t thC *™ ° f ««^M Hapten, 



inches' SA ^ A \° nhh maCulata measured 7 i 

 mo . fbnd. L *°""-»P*e f with the four top! 



most buds yet unexpanded ; and 2 feet 3* inches high 



from the ground. Is not that an unusual size ?- 



[Very.] 



Bees.— I would suggest to the " Cottager," of West 

 Dean, Sussex, that in future, when he has occasion to 

 double his stock hives, he should place the empty hive 

 over the other, instead of beneath ir. Bees have a dis- 

 position to carry their stores upward, and if the " Cot- 

 tager" had supered his stock, he would probably have 

 found, when he harvested his honey, that the hive would 

 have contained no brood. Under similar circumstances 

 I had three supers last year, which, one with another, 

 contained nearly 120 lbs. of honey-comb, uncontaminated 

 by a single brood cell. If the " Cottager" decides upon 

 removing his other super, as the family is populous, I 

 recommend him to replace it by an empty hive, as swarm- 

 ing at this season should be discouraged. In answer to 

 the question, Whether the bees will collect sufficient food 



A. II. I flowers 



moval ? I would observe that, if they have not already 

 stored enough, or nearly so, in the nadir hive, which 

 may be ascertained by weighing it, the probability is that 

 the winter's supply of the bees will be deficient, and that 

 they will require feeding. The inquiry, Whether an old 

 stock will not work up as well as down ? I have virtually 

 answered already. The bees will work better up than 

 down. I do not know what sized hives the pasturage of 

 West Dean may require, but those described by the 

 " Cottager" are very much too large for any district 

 that ever came under my cognizance. — Edward Sevan t 

 Egair Evan, Newtown, Montgomeryshire. 



Bees. — In answer to "A Cottager," I -have to say 

 that if the bees have destroyed the drones * he will not 

 have any swarm, although the space is decreased. If the 

 bees are deprived of part of their honey by the removal 

 of a hive in connexion with the main stock, room ought 

 at the same time to be given in some other place, if it is 

 thought desirable to prevent swarming. The best way 

 of managing bees is to have side hives, and when one 

 side hive is taken, to place an empty hive on the other 

 side. The side hives being only wanted for summer, 

 may be made of old packing cases ; the smaller they are 

 the sooner they are filled. There should be a window 

 with a shutter in the side hives, to know when they are 

 fit to be taken. I have not had a single swarm since I 

 have understood the conservative plan.— C. A. A. Lloyd. 

 Ants. — Who says there is no effectual remedy for 

 these troublesome little pests ? Arsenic and sugar !— 

 Why, they delight in it. Take a saucer, smear the inside 

 slightly with honey, place it inverted near their haunts ; 

 in an hour examine the saucer, and see if the honey be 

 all gone ; if not, let the saucer remain until it is. W T hen 

 it is all gone repeat it, and let them eat it off. Do this 

 a third time; but now, when many are under the saucer 

 feeding (and I have found hundreds), having with you a 

 basin of boiling water, gently raise the saucer without 

 turning it up, and hold ' t it within an inch or two of the 

 hot water ; the Ants feeling the steam will drop, and of 

 course die. Put the saucer, renewing the honey, in the 

 same place, and in a quarter of an hour steam again, 

 and so on, until you destroy all, which will be done in 

 a very short time. According to the numbers two or 

 three saucers may be used if wished ; but I have found 

 one always sufficient. By this means you kill all the 

 workers, and by killing them, 1 need not say you destroy 

 the colony.— IV. H.G. ' 



Societies. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The last Exhibition of the season in the gardens at 

 Chiswick took place on Saturday last. The day was very 

 inauspicious, the rain beginning to fall just as the com- 

 pany began to enter the garden, and the " pitiless pelt- 

 ing of the storm " continuing with little intermission for 

 hours after the company had left the grounds. This was 

 very unfortunate, as the Exhibition was one of the very 

 best we ever witnessed in July ; and in addition to the 

 usual attractions, the beautiful grounds of the noble 

 President of the Society, His Grace the Duke of Devon- 

 shire, were thrown open to the public, though but few 

 had courage to avail themselves of the privilege. The 

 leading features of the Exhibition were the noble col- 

 lections of Orchidace^e from the gardens of S. 

 Rucker, Esq., Messrs. Rollisson of Tooting, Mrs. Law- 

 rence, Mrs. Marryat, and Mr. Cox of Stockwell ; 

 the Roses in Pots, from Mr. Beck and Messrs. Lane ; 

 the fine Collections of Plants, from Mrs. Lawrence 

 Mr. Frazer, Mr. Epps of Maidstone, and others ; and the 

 magnificent Collection of Fruit from all parts of the 

 country. The Heaths, Pelargoniums, and Fuchsias, 

 contributed much to enliven the scene, and the Florists' 

 Flowers were not destitute of admirers. 



The large Collection of Orchidaceous Plants sent 

 by Mr. Myiam, gr. to S. Rucker, Esq., was very rich, 

 both in novelty and beauty, and contained many noble 

 specimens, evincing the very best management, and in 

 the highest health. Among them were fine plants in 

 perfect bloom of Stanhopea tigrina and cinnamonea, 

 producing their singular flowers beneath the bottom of a 

 wire-basket ; the curious plant producing a yellow Max- 

 lllaria-like flower spotted with brown, called Scuticaria 

 Steelii ; the .rare Anguloa Clowesii, producing a pale- 

 yellow, or rather lemon-coloured flower; and a noble 

 plant of Miltonia spectabilis, with 15 of its lovely blooms. 

 He had, moreover, a very fine plant of Oncidium Lance- 

 anum in beautiful bloom, with O. luridum guttatum, 

 leucochilum, and pictum. Another very pretty plant 

 was Zygopetalum crinitum coeruleum, which contained 

 more blue in the flowers than is usual in this class of 



* This is usually done in July. 



. 



a curioui plant, not quite in bloom, of Sarcau- 

 thus rostratus ; and very pretty specimens of Cycnoches 

 raaculatum, Brassia Lawrenceana, and Lanceana very 

 fine, with Angrsecum bilobum, Cycnoches ventricosum, 

 Lycaste Skinnen and macrophylla, Cycnoches chloro- 

 chilon, with pale-green flowers ; Odontoglossum pul- 

 chellum very pretty, the curious Catasetum citrinum 

 and luridum, Huntleya violacea, Maxillaria Warreana 

 and yitellina, Epidendrum fragrans, Galeandra Bauerii, 

 the singular Maxillaria stapelioides, and a species with 

 very rich flowers called M. tetragona.— Of the cu- 

 rious genus Cirrhsea, there were three species, called 

 picta, tristis, and Warreana, with very curious flowers 

 hanging over the side of the pots, and which would have 

 been better shown had they had a sheet of white paper 

 placed beneath them ; and, finally, there was a pretty 

 specimen of the beautiful Stanhopea saccata. — The 

 Collection from the nursery of Messrs. Rollisson, of 

 Tooting, was scarcely less interesting than the preceding, 

 and taken as a whole was very superior to the one pro- 

 duced by the same growers in June. Among them we 

 noticed a fine variety of Calanthe, with rich violet 

 flowers, called C. masuca ; a new species or rather 

 variety of Cymbidium, with large dark-brown flowers 

 resembling C. aloifolium ; Catasetum deltoideum, with 

 very pretty dark-brown flowers; Stanhopea tigrina, and 

 Wardii very fine; and a plant of Oncidium Lancea- 

 num in fine bloom. Another very beautiful plant was 

 Aerides quinquevulnerum, and there were also neat plants 

 of Miltonia spectabilis, and the lovely Cattleya crispa. 

 The same gentlemen also communicated Acropera Lod- 

 digesii, the singular Cycnoches Loddigesii, Epidendrum 

 alatum, Lycaste tetragona, very curious ; Isochilus linearis, 

 Aspasia lunata, Rodriguezia recurva, Brassia Lanceana, 

 and Oncidium luridum, all in fine health and bloom. — 

 From the garden of Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Robertson pro- 

 duced a magnificent plant, not quite sufficiently in 

 bloom, of Peristeria alata, the Panama Dove plant ; fine 

 plants of Stanhopea eburnea, oculata, quadricornis ; 

 with Xylobium squalens, very curious ; and a fine plant 

 of the singular Mormodes citrinum, with yellow flowers. 

 There was, moreover, a fiae plant, in good bloom, of 

 Acropera Loddigesii, Maxillaria Deppii, very good ; with 

 the curious M.stapeiioides,and the pretty M. tetragona. 

 Mormodes aromaticum was also produced, in fine 

 condition ; as were Galeandra Baueri, Epidendrum vitel- 

 linum, Brassia brachiata, very pretty ; Catasetum Rus- 

 sellianum, Phaius albidus, in fine bloom ; and Epiden- 

 drum odoratissimum. This collection of plants was in 

 excellent health, and evinced superior management. — 

 Mr. Redding, gr. to Mrs. Marryat, produced Stanhopea 

 oculata, with six spikes of bloom, somewhat injured by 

 the coldness of the day ; S. grandiflora and tigrina, in 

 good bloom ; and tolerable plants of Epidendrum varie- 

 gatum, Brassia Lanceana, Gongora nigrita, with very 

 dark flowers ; with Oncidium papilio, altissimum, and 

 pulvinatum.— From the garden of Mr. Cox, of Stock- 

 well, Mr. Don produced Rodriguezia secunda and re- 

 curva, Catasetum Russellianum, Calanthe masuca, Catt- 

 leya Harrisonii, in fine bloom ; the lovely Stanhopea 

 venusta, with Cycnoches chlorochilon, Phaius albus, 

 Miltonia spectabilis, Oncidium flexuosum, and Cym- 

 bidium lancifolium. 



Of single specimens of Orchidacece there was a 

 splendid plant of Cattleya Loddigesii, with nine spikes 

 of bloom, from Messrs. Veitch and Sons, of Exeter ; 

 Stanhopea oculata variety, with twenty flowers, from 

 Messrs. Henderson, of Pine-apple Place ; Vanda Rox- 

 burgh!, a small plant, from Mr. Plant, gr. to H. Schro- 

 der, Esq., of Brixton ; and a new species of Calanthe, 

 with pale-violet flowers, called C. plantaginea, from Mr. 

 Eyles, gr. to Sir George Larpent, at Putney Heath. 

 Only one large collection of Stove and Greenhouse 

 Plants was produced, and that came from the garden of 

 Mrs. Lawrence, at Ealing Park. It contained some 

 beautiful plants, which were the more to be admired be- 

 cause they were full-formed specimens, plants that were 

 fit to be seen on all sides, and had not been trained on 

 the now too fashionable method of making one-sided 

 plants, by training the branches to one side only, and 

 leaving the back naked and ugly. Now, however much 

 necessity there was for this method of training in years 

 gone by, when plant cultivation was not quite so well 

 understood as it is at the present time, it is quite certain 

 there is no necessity for such deformity now, and 

 we therefore hope another year to see such plants 

 excluded from competition. The perfection of cul- 

 tivation is to produce plants perfect on all sides ; 

 and although such plants may require more room 

 and more care for their proper management, we 

 think it cannot be denied that they would be 

 very preferable to one-sided plants. While, however, 

 we would insist upon plants being grown into 

 perfect specimens, we must enter our protest against 

 their being brought into proper form by the use of 

 a forest of sticks. All plants ought to be grown 

 so as to require, or at any rate exhibit, as few sticks for 

 their support as possible. Pelargoniums may be 

 grown without sticks, so may Heaths and mo& other 

 hard-wooded plants. Fuchsias do not require them, and 

 the more they are used the more is the elegant drooping 

 habit of that beautiful flower destroyed. We mention 

 these things here, because many otherwise handsome 

 plants were completely spoiled by an unnecessary and 

 unsightly use of sticks ; and this was not confined to 

 Fuchsias only, but to many of the stove and grew*** * 8 ? 

 plants, and even to some of the Heaths. T<£proe< 

 with the collections, Mrs. Lawrence's contained a fi 

 specimen of ^Eschynanthus maculatus, upwards of t 



feet in diameter, trained hemispfaerically, and liber 



\ 





