1844.J 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



635 



NEW PLANTS. 



-t tfqqRS VEITCH and SOX have now ready for 

 jM .ending out the two undermentioned beautiful New 



■■KJSJS: v7ol«cea. Strong plants at 63*. It is figured by 



i -ni ft in the " Botanical Register" for August last, who 



Dr ' says— ''The Hindsia viulacea is one of the finest things 



obtain 

 Veitch 



^^iVwill 'doubtless prove a very easily cultivated Green, 

 bouse Plant ; and is certainly unsurpassed in beauty by blue- 



flowering *hrubs 



Strong plan's at 42*. This plant was 





Gardenia Shcrbonmea 

 „ tetras crma 



La Gesneria polyantha 

 Gloxinia Cart>nii 

 H'ndsia longifl >ra 

 Inga pulcherrima 

 Luxembur^ia ciliosa 

 Passiflora actinca 

 Pentas carnea 

 Thunbergia chrysops, &c. &c. 





v! Kitprf at Chiswick, in May, under tlie name of Centrosema 

 -eiDioiteoa e . vcd the Knig-htian Medal. See Report in 



fSSSeP&niM* fOt May JS, It i* figured in -PtttOO'i 



M MMirs! V.'and Son have also to offer the following fine 



plants, vie. :— 

 Achimenes p.cta 



emanda grandiflora 



Barbtcena squamata\ eitch 



Clerodendron laevifolium 



spieudens 



Cyrtoceras reflexa 

 Echitcs atropurpurea 



hirsuta 



splendens 



Gardenia Rothmannia 



N B —Messrs. V. and Son's General Catalogue can be h id on 

 ap p-'icatiPn.-Exeter.Sept. lp, 1S44. 



Z\)t <gartt engrg» Cfj conklc, 



SATURDA Y, SEPTEMB ER 21, 1844. 



TuMi-Av, Oct. l Horti.-ultural .... 3 p.m. 

 Friday, Oct. 4 Botanical .... 8 p.m. 



COUNTRY SHOW-— Tump at, S«=pt. 24, Chic hester Horticultural 2 pm. 



Tw* Vine, say English Grape growers, likes a 

 moist rich soil; so give it plenty of manure, of 

 horseflesh and swineflesh, and other good things ; 

 make it grow rank, fill your houses with strong long 

 rods, and when you have got them— cut them off 

 again. The Vine inhabits one of the hottest coun- 

 tries beyond the tropics; so, say English Grape- 

 growers, plant it on the outside of a house, where the 

 soil is coldest, if you want to force it. It fruits in 

 perfection in the burning soil of Syria and Sicily. 

 When the spies came to Moses out of the land of 

 Canaan, "they came unto the brook (vallev) of 

 Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with 

 one cluster of Grapes, and they bare it between two 

 on a staff." But our climate gives our Vines deluges 

 of cold water, or we warm their roots by fermenting 

 stable litter, whose influence hardly extends beyond 

 the surface of the ground ; and, strange as it may 

 seem, by such means English gardeners get the 

 finest Grapes that are known beyond the limits of 

 » ine cultivation in the open air. 



it WOUld, irtcrcfoi-o, owm that xvo clx* *Igkfc, a».J 



that the peculiarities of our climate render necessary 

 this departure from the natural habits of the Vine. 

 But seeming may not be reality ; and it is quite 

 possible that if gardeners grow admirable G\ apes by 

 violating every principle that one would think should 

 guide them, they may grow them still better by 

 attending to those principles. We cannot seriously 

 believe that the Vine loves the coavse and watery 

 food we give •■ » • 



ill bear^ it. 



"Some years sinco," says Mr. Hoare, in his re- 

 cent work on the Vine,* <• I received a bundle of 

 1 ine-cuttings from one of the most celebrated Vine- 

 yards m Spain. They were the entire growth of 

 me year, as each had a portion of the preceding year's 

 Jjood attached to it. The longest shoot measured 84 

 wet, but the average length was about 8 feet. The 

 *ocu was perfectly cylindrical, of the closest texture, 



W ? ard as hearl °f 0ak - The buds v;ere 



fn,ti r?, min , Cnt > and hi ff W y symmetrical, and stood 



* »■ Mdrehrfon the shies of the canes." 



how Zl W Ver saw such wood in England? and 

 now can we exr*<* ,« k„„~ ^ c a-ZHx. excel . 



hence, 

 Jrnntvl ? ~ ""^ rcawns, wnicii are urgeu with full 



the sv r °/p is Subject ' Mr Hoare ™ aintains that 

 changed S ,ish Grape-growing requires to be 



w 



l le s ho.f] r f y 0t P re P ared to go so far as he does ; for 

 GrarJ h 1 shown t0 wnat size the bunches of 

 Spanish V" arn u Ved which were obtained from his 

 proof th , lnes ' 0efor e he accepted them as conclusive 

 able to I & ? C } ,lard short-jointed wood is indispens- 



aents & pes# But we think that his ar S u * 



to lead to ' e ^ ry serious attention, and cannot fail 

 of the y- most lm P ort ant changes in the cultivation 



"ard wood 1 1 we Ir,ost doubt {s > w »ether the 



We Km 1 sh P r t-jointed Spanish wood produces 



higT, flavo f T ^ icy berries as wdI as Grapes of 



practice win n lt does not » our ovvn unprincipled 



«oare seeii ?\ P r $ vail t0 * great extent. Mr. 



As we r ^^ opinion that it d d or would. 



**J to m^n? n0t chan S e °ur sun and air, we must 



come and ?? r wa * s ' Since fro *t and snow wiU 



in spite of all 'T ^ lodge in our Vine - borders ' 

 d isadvantao-n °i. lr dl!sllke t( > it, we must oppose those 



_Z"£s oy skill. *" 



it : all that we can imagine is that it 



may be presumed, that houses are sufficiently web 

 heated, and Vines as well pruned ami managed as 

 they can be, directs attention to the Vine border— to 

 the badness of which, in one respect or another, he 

 attributes all the disasters of Grape-forcing ; and his 

 little book is written principally to advocate this side 

 of the question. That he will have offended preju- 

 dices by his views is certain; that the clans 

 Do-httle, Do-nothing, and Stand-still, will ridicule 

 his book, we doubt not. But he need not be 

 alarmed ; although these once were formidable bodies, 

 and ruled the land of gardening, they are now hut 

 broken men, without a head to lead them. We 

 happen to know that Mr. Hoare's statements are 

 the result of actual experience, and that all which he 

 recommends has been repeatedly and cautiously 

 examined experimentally. For many years hi 

 observations have been conducted with the utmost 

 care. By depositing a great variety of substances in 

 excavations made for the purpose, mixing them in 

 different proportions, changing them in almost every 

 conceivable way, planting Vines in them, and then, 

 after a year or two, pulling^the plants up again, and 

 then examining their roots minutely, he has been 

 able to ascertain what the substances are which the 

 Vine roots select to feed upon. And by repeating 

 this process for many years, he has arrived at the 

 conclusions which have led to the recommendation 

 inedjn the work before us. Need we say more 

 to insure— to them the attentive consideration of 

 sensible men ? 



We shall not pretend to repeat the arguments 

 upon which Mr. Hoare grounds his opinions; we 

 shall only say that they are for the most part satis- 

 factory to us. Our previous observations would, 

 however, have no practical application if we did not 

 mention what the materials are which he proposes 

 to substitute for the ordinary Vine-borders. " These 

 are broken bricks, lumps of mortar, charcoal and 

 hones. The three first should be reduced to the size 

 of a hen's egg, or thereabouts. Larger or smaller 

 fragments will do, hut when they are about this size 

 they are better calculated to retain the requisite degree 

 of moisture in connection with the greatest possible 

 extent of surface. The bricks should not be too 

 hard burnt, because their porosity is thereby lessened. 

 Old mortar should be preferred to new, when it can 

 be procured. The bones may either be broken into 

 fragments or deposited whole, and the fresher they 

 are the better. Any description of bones will do, 

 provided they are those of animals arri ed at matu- 

 rity, and are therefore of a solid and lasting nature. 

 Suvh as nave marrow— in tliem snouhl be bioken 

 asunder, that the interior surface may be available 

 to the roots of the Vines; and the lighter and more 

 porous the charcoal is the better will it answer the, 

 intended purpose. The whole of these materials 

 should be used in equal proportion, measure for 

 measure, and should be well mixed together. But 

 before this is done, the bricks, mortar, and charcoal 

 should be well soaked in urine, and then used imme- 

 diately. And as these substances convey to the 

 roots of Vines an extraordinary supply of nutriment 

 in a highly concentrated form, a small quantity in 

 bulk, in proportion to that of common soil, will be 

 amply sufficient to support a single Vine for a long 

 series of years."' 



In addition to this, he protests most strongly and 

 sensibly against planting Vines that are to be forced 

 in borders exposed to the open air. Surely nothing 

 can be more obviously wrong than this. What .Mr. 

 Hoare says is very true. The roots of Vines in a 

 cold border do not move because the branches leaf. 

 On the contrary, for months the leaves are supported 

 by the sap contained in the buds and branches, 

 while the roots are still asleep ; that sap becomes 

 exhausted ; nothing replaces ir, for the benumbed 

 roots cannot stir ; and then, when the fruit should 

 swell off and repay the expense incurred in Vine- 

 borders and Vine houses, it shrivels and shrinks — 

 produces verjuice instead of sugar. 



But this subject is capable of more extended appli- 

 cation, in Mr. Hoare's opinion, and we must revert to 

 it next week. 



a French gentleman having great t ence in the 



purification of drains and sewers, to unite the very 

 soluble salt of iron with some material which will 

 prevent its rapid ^dispersion, and he has found that 

 the following mixture answers the purpose perfectly. 

 Take 



Sulphate of iron 

 Sulphate of zinc 

 Yi-getable charcoal 

 Plaster of Paris 



100 kilogrammes.* 



ti 



10 



265 



»» 



»» 

 it 



500 



Blend these substances thoroughly, and then add 

 iter to them till they form a solid mass. Of such 

 a mass 75 kilogrammes, or about 105 lbs., placed at 

 the mouth of a sewer, will keep 500 yards sweet for 

 a fortnight; u the fluids gradually dissolving them- 

 s Ives as they pass over it, and thus becoming pure. 

 At least such is the result of the experiments at 

 Meaux, in the Brassat sewer, which takes the drain- 

 age of the leather-dressing factories. The use of 

 plaster of Paris, which holds together the disinfecting 

 powders, does not decompose them ; on the contrary, 

 it excites rather than diminishes their sweetening 

 i'ects." 



We do not understand the necessity of adding a 

 salt of zinc to the '« Siret cake," and are not without 

 fear as to its effect upon manure, which it may 

 render less fit for vegetation than without it. The 

 experiment is, however, worth the making, and 

 also, considering the vast interests invo'ved in such 

 an inquiry, the varyi .g, according to circumstances. 

 A man must have very little ingenuity who cannot 

 perceive to how many places besides sewers and 

 drains the * 4 Siret cake" is applicable, not merely in 

 the country, but in London. Parish officers espe- 

 cially should, without loss of time, turn their atten- 

 tion to the application of some such processes as 

 those of .Messrs. Schattenmaun and Siret, to pur- 

 poses, the necessity for which need not be more par- 

 ticularly alluded to. 



Some 



Since our observations upon the value of sul- 

 phate of iron for purifying offensive collections of 

 decaying matter were printed (p. 555), some further 

 information upon this subject has reached us. 



Sulphate of iron seems to fulfil every condition 

 that can be required of such an agent, where the 

 material to be sweetened is inclosed in receptacles of 

 some kind, the contents of which do not escape. 

 But where the offensive matter is acted upon by 

 water, which is continually escaping through drains 

 or floating off by sewers, it is to be expected that a 



c:,.,. f- . __ , a ^ s _ '^n considerable waste of a material so soluble as this 

 ice irost and snow will . , ... . « | c . . i,.„- rtllo i„ ; mnnB 



iron salt will take place ; for it is obviously impos- 

 sible to calculate with any sort of accuracy how much 

 putrid fluid has to be operated upon in a given time, 

 or the strength of such fluid. 



For this reason it has been proposed by M. Siret, 



.. ^ s . Mr. Ho are, considering, it 



?P d M »nagine th „ A B CO ? nt ? ! uu ln U>roveU *v .,! Plant 



•2010. I.n„* 5 ine Roots of Gr 



Lon Smaiii, 1 ? u ° f Grai>e - Vlncs - B >' Clement Hoare, 



WASPS. 



of your correspondents, as well as other 

 parties, have not been so successful as they might 

 have been in applying spirits of turpentine to the de- 

 struction of wasps' nests. I observe that one perjon 

 says he found the wasps alive on the morning after he 

 had applied the turpentine. If he refers to the former 

 accounts, describing successes, he will see tint 24 hours 

 is the time specified before the wasps are killed. If he 

 had waited till the following morning he would probably 

 have insured success. The attack may be rendered more 

 powerful by stuffing tow or cotton- wool into the bottle, 

 well soaked with turpentine. Where the destruction of 

 the nest is the onij object, I should very much like to 

 have it as ertained whether anything further is necessary 

 than to inject the turpentine, and block up the hole. 

 From what I have observed of the nests I have examined 

 after 36 hours from the tin e I had applied the turpentine, 

 they were so much filled with dead waspa, aud there was 

 such an evident tendency to incipient mouMiness and 

 decay about them, that I should suppose the whole would 

 have become a mass of corruption in a day or two more; 

 and that all the maggots in the cells must then inevitably 

 have perished. When the nest is taken out before it be- 

 comes corrupt, those maggots which have assumel the 

 pupa state readily hatch ; of which I have at this mo- 

 ment ample experience in a nest I took up a fortnight 

 ago, and have kept in an outhouse for purposes of 

 observation. The wasps are flying in and out of the door 

 by hundreds. The best way of preserving these interest- 

 ing objects is to dig up a cubical mass ot the earth, and 

 carry it away with the nest in the middle : which can be 

 done where the soil is sufficiently tenacious. The soil 

 may be wetted with a weak solution of glue, which will 

 bind it firmly together when dry. The nest may then be 

 exposed on two opposite sides, leaving the other two to 

 support the roof. A portion of the outer case must be 

 ren oved, for the purpose of extracting the dead wasps, 

 and alio as many of the live maggots as c«n be got at 

 with a Ion % pair of forceps. This opening also serves to 

 expose the internal arrangement of the ceil?. It is inte- 

 resting to preserve the entrance-hole entire. I believe 

 there was not one person in this village who was at all 

 acquainted with the actual appearance which an e.-.tire 

 w 3' nest presents, until I exhibited some which I had 

 prepared. They had blown up many with gunpowder, 

 and had dug them out in a confused mass, and were not 

 even aware that they had an outer coat, as the Wi.^ps 

 hollow out the large cavity in the ground, from the re of 

 of which they suspen ! the nest, by carrying out the earth 

 in small particles, ard the stones continue subsiding to 

 the bottom, and may always be found forming a rude 

 pavement below. Some I-irge :-tones are sometimes so 

 radually exposed whilst the nest is increased, that f 

 have found them completely embedded in the miJst of 

 the comb. Indeed, there are many little interc* it- 



ticulars connected with the economy of wasps which I 

 have noticed since I came to reside iu the country ; and 

 if those of your correspondents and readers who take 

 delight in contemplating the works of Nature, will be at 

 a little pains in examining and preserving some of the 

 wasps' neats they wish to have destroyed, they will not 

 find their labour lost. I will mention, r th e sake of 



* A kilogrammi ler more than 2ib . for. The la- 



stance may of course be made on a sm»H scale, h 2011-5. 

 of sulphate of iron, 2$ lbs. of sulphate of zit.c, 1 lb. of charcoal, 

 264 lbs. of plaster of Paris. 



