r 



) 



1 



THE' (.ARDENI aS' 



C 11R0NTCLE 



F.bruary dlt %y fill UM pot 



H 



,-dl of ^ thee Imr -nly vigorous trees, on the ^ *"£***>* 



«*TJ . rs of ^^« •«" 3 J^.. of fc« th. JM-t ,_»*. of. proved ^eedliBg. 



UK** 

 tot 



. • 



ThM 



fcj«, in the cutti»K* all rouwi, tree 



A lintod number of fruit should only be left on the 

 », from which Mailings are intended to be raised, in 



or where leaf-mould or other rich vegetable soil* are* 

 abundance. When gardener to the late P. C. LatJ? 

 chere, Esq., of Hy lands, Essex, I grew them with 



success in strong adhesive yellow clay with a spadefid » 



- - — . t_ a i— TH Z£r th-i .h*rW i^vlcauire its natural size and per- two of peat to start with, and I believe that ther« » 



* Hi. n« ***** *hout halt an inch of j ^_^£^^^ ^ sele > ted hardly a county in England in which Rhododend^ 



When gathered, the finest should be selected 



bihtioom 0* **» »•■*» omub; of thtm will throw 

 «ptfao*»"»c tader the sand. TW pot should thai 

 m w%mm9d to a shady tilaation out of doors. Wbon 



^OCATi <U> ihjC 'haturh the *.n-l, but *ater 



y. In October Wt them bo plated in the n i MB 

 whom all that have roado 



It^ . F "feltCy— 25 S25« - ** '— vigorous part of ihj tre. The 



££ ir^L?SfX W3» aro SiyTSl fruit should bo kept in a suitable place till it becomes 



In cutting the fruit care should be taken not to injure 

 £* seeds, of which three, four, or five may be found, 

 perfectly matured, in the cells. Whether the seed is 

 roundish, riat > ova1 ' or oblon *> or wbether *" colour is 

 U tubers wdl grow, black or nut-brown, provided it has a well-fed pulp, it 

 ihee* rianta that the beat cuUbia are obtained may be considered fertile and ought to produce a plant, 

 h *e sfri^lTmo following May turn the whole ball if pr> nred with care and sown at the proper season. 

 m*Z the £i m a «a» *Z»» m the open grouad. V\ hen taken out of the cells, the seeds should be put 

 Afwr Ihoy have nut*hed growth take them up and sift ma 

 the boil *re«iil a »•• •*•*•, carefully picking out the 



They art* then treated la all respects as the 

 oUer tabors, and wilt make flao flowering plants tlio 

 Mowing spring If seoda aro need they should bo 



ia water U boars before sowing, and the out< 



caraMN NBStoJ ; under thin treatment thej will 



ameh seoaor and with greater certainty. They 

 ihoald remain in the seed pat »otil after they have 



formal a tub*r. A mall Sliah can be placed Sg aW Ot 



ahmt, to which it will climb, and it se es to hsAi 



si 



*r* 





small jar, half filled with dry sand, with which the 

 seeds should be mixed. The jar should be placed in 

 the dark, where the seeds can neither dry nor rot. 

 After remaining in this situation for a month or two, 

 the seeds should be taken out and put in papers, each 

 sort separately, marking the name or number of the 

 variety of fruit from which the seeds were taken, 

 •gether with the date of the ripening of the fruits. 

 These directions, it will be understood, are necessary, 

 i order that amongst the seedlings raised the pre- 

 ference may be given in planting to those likely to 

 lo the place of the tuber when the stem is dead. I prove the best. The seed is collected from the middle 

 Many seeds w remain 12 months before vegetating. of "autumn till the end of spring ; and by keeping it 

 Wood-tfci—By the following Miopia method, frames in the way above-mentioned the skin of the seed will 

 and pi* aright he kept comparatively free Arm these acquire a consistence, and the kernel a firmness 

 ktruders %t all event*, they aright be m far subdued | that will enable it to vegetate with greater vigour when 



not to he injur us to plants. l*ut a sold boiled or 

 rotated Pbtato into i small lower pot ; cover the Potato 

 with Mies, leaving a little hs ng oat of the pot by 

 way of • If the insects to enter ; then by the pot 

 on its side In a e or ae r of the frame* 

 darkness, and at the approach of day they retire to their 



Itting plaeW hi MMBfl mi sr ovk ee^ Wt MMtgSl the 





V Mice feed in 



loose soil or bark ; the Moss Is therefore 



Induce thesa to re in all ht the pot, to which they will 

 lock in hundreds after having oaee tasted the k'otato. 



^err rnora^ m pots *he*ld bo taken out of the pits 

 and the w od-Uce dest ; the same bait will serve 



for a week or loaf if properly attended to, half*, 



dosen pots so prepared will soon clear a frame of these 

 tro< ome pests. A toad or two is also of great 

 service in thinning their numbers. 



committed to the soil, in the open air. I have seen 

 Pear seeds sown in garden pots, in wooden boxes, and on 

 aentle hotbed ; but from many years' experience I have 

 bund that it is preferable to sow the seeds in the open 

 ground. They grow in the latter during the first year 

 with the proper decree of vigour, and make a sub- 

 stantial growth. In September, a part of the garden is 

 hoaan which is not infested by any kind of insect. 

 Tlie groan d is dug deeply but not manured. It is care- 

 fully cleaned from all weeds, and at the same time the 

 soil is ma*!* as fine as possible. About the end of the 

 month drills are made 2 feet apart and about 2 inches 

 deep. After the bottoms of the drills have been 

 levelled a thin layer of wood ashes is sown in them. 

 The seeds, preserved since the winter or spring, are 

 Steeped in a solution of sulphate of lime, and placed 

 about 2 inches apart in the drills. A strong Oak stake 

 is driven into the ground to mark where each sort is 

 •° wn a piece of lead is nailed on the stake and stamped 

 Tut essential properties of a new variety of Pear ^ f!l ^ letter S, and the number of the variety sown. 

 exist in a mdimintary state in the seed. Time and ; " e / or ° cover,m f the seeds, Uiey should be pressed on the 



* 'flat side or on the edge with the finger, in order that the 



radicle may strike directly downward, and the plumule 



spring upwards without proceeding first in a horizontal 



rection and then forming a curve at the base of the 



stem, which would be the case if the seeds were not 



CHOICE OF PEAR S DS, T1IFIR PRESER- 

 VATION, AND TIMK OF SOWING. 



favearable circumstances will develope the embryo 



plant, but cannot change its tpeciti nature. Its 

 existence dates from the time that the pistil s fer- 

 tilised by the pollen cfore or after the opening of the 

 corolla. In disaeHinga flower before the corolla in cfX'u 

 tha anthers are found clooe to the stigma, snd at the ) P ro P er,v placed. 



base of the style the rudiments of the ovaries may be ob- 

 served. Does fertilisation take place \ re the opening 

 of tha corolla, or more probably not till after the solar 

 rays have produced certain effects on the organs of 

 fruc- n 1 



All the drills are successively covered 



in the same way. During the winter and spring some 

 parings of turf should be scattered over the surface of 

 the ground, in order to afford nourishment to the worms 



„ „ „ ..,_ _ Jjd^ ■S'lO; Oftstote [The French expressly state tW 



Are the antlura of the same flower I le * ve8of whlch will appear above ground towards the 1 ■• - - - - * J 



end of the following March. /. de J one/he, Brussels. 

 Jam* 14. 



are not to be found growing and increasing naturally fe 

 loam ; nevertheless this does not confirm Mr. Watery 

 assertion. If Mr. W. will call on me I will show him 

 not 100 miles from Buckingham, a rather costly expe^ 

 ment carried out about three years ago on the principles 

 he promulgates, the result of which is that the p^* 

 struggling on in what came with them, are dying a ^ 

 but sure death, furnishing a miserable substitute for a 

 very fine orchard of fruit trees, which would have done 

 a Knight's or a Rivers's heart good to have seen. The* 

 were cleared away by the advice of a celebrated land- 

 scape gardener, who, if deserving of the name, ought to 

 have known better. I believe that Rhododendrons have 

 been tried here long before my predecessor's that, 

 Capability Brown, in leaf-mould, bog earth, &c, witho* 

 success ; for when I came in 1839 there was not a plait 

 in a healthy growing state in the grounds. As the Dukf 

 of Buckingham was very anxious to get them to grow,! 

 tried several samples of soils in the neighbourhood for 

 them, and amongst them I found at least 500 acres of 

 land within 2 miles of Stowe, in which they will grow 

 as well, if not better than in the justly celebrated 

 nurseries at Bagshot, in Surrey. I would, therefore, 

 strongly advise admirers of this truly magnificent clan 

 of plants before they attempt to plant them extensively 

 to collect a small portion of the various soils in then 

 immediate neighbourhoods, to add a portion of leaf* 

 mould and other vegetable soil to each, and what is also 

 good cow's manure, as it is difficult to ascertain what 

 they will or will not grow in without a trial. I trust, 

 therefore, that this hint may induce many to grow them 

 who have never before attempted their cultivation, and 

 that the assertions I have just made are facts I hate 

 ocular proof to show. David Ferguson, Stowe, Buckwfr 

 ham shire* 



Holcus saccharatus. — In No. 52,1854, attention hit 

 been drawn to a novelty of the year, in the shape of a 

 tali reedy Grass, called Holcus saccharatus, of whoa 

 economical virtue I find that great expectations are 

 raised. Such being the case, permit me to observe that 

 much valuable information respecting this plant may be 

 obtained from some of your readers in Western India, 

 particularly from the Deccan sportsmen and office^ 

 who use it largely, under the name of Jowaree, in jW* 

 ference to the coarse Grass or hay obtainable there,i 

 feeding their hunters and chargers, which thrive « 

 upon it — so much so, indeed, that when sent to the cold 

 for racing purposes a supply of it invariably accou> 

 panies them, I have great doubts, however, whefchtf 

 this Holcus contains a sufficient quantity of saechariitf 

 matter to be converted economically into sugar, even 

 on the spot where the plants attain their full perfection, 

 for surely in such case Dr. White in his valuable 

 " Materia Medica of Hindostan" would have noticed it» 

 or we should have heard of it otherwise. The seed if 

 used for food by natives too poor, I believe, to purcbafle 

 Kice, and can be procured in India in any quantity 



Snfikient for the fertilisation of the pistillum without 

 the assistance £ other flowers, or perhaps the flowers 

 of other trees, the pollen of which may be deposited by 

 been or Mies I 



The minute examination of these estions is of im- 

 portance, and will lead to a knowledg of the mode in 

 which artificial fecundation may be effected in certain 

 circumstances, and of the precautions necessary to be 



Perhapa in this way more certain results may 

 be obtained in regard to obtaining long-keeping varieties, 

 an endeavour which ought to receive the particular 

 attention of those who engage in raising varieties of 

 fruit from seed* 



Seedling varieties of Pears vary infinitely in 

 si vo generations. This truth is beinjc continually proved 

 by ocular demonstration. There is another princinle 



. with the above, which is, the more a type L I C^l^Ur^^Ua 

 entered into a state of variation, the greater is tin 

 tendency to continue doing so, and the more it haa 

 varied from the original type, the more it is disposed to 

 vary still farther. *-*"■■« w 



Certain latitudes and influences of climate are doubt- 

 more favourable than others for obtaining good 

 rest | as regards the Pear and other fruit trees ; but 

 the investigation of these would lead us too far from the 



principal subject 



It is rare to see two identical varieties produced from 

 m lbs same variety, tl is even I ireO-established bet 



Home Correspondence, 



Nurserymen*' Catalogues 



. , _ —It is a great pity that no 



plan can be hit upon for securing correctness and 

 uniformity in the catalogues of the leading flower seeds- 

 men ; as to the smaller fry, it is perhaps toojnuch to expect 

 from them any attention to such matters. I subjoin a 

 few specimens of the confusion that prevails, selected 

 almost at random from the lists of the present year 

 Perhaps you would take the trouble to determine which 

 is the correct description* 



there are doubts about the Chinese Holcus being At 

 same as the Indian one.J 





Campanula Vidsli 



Cuphea platycentra 



Caphea sUendides ... 

 [All wrong. Sli 



•rimtm a*d lilac 

 Lupinus Hartwegi ... 



• •• 





i 



Colour. 

 Ditto 



*«. 



be 



Do. & duration. 



James Carter. 



Blue. 

 Purple. 



Red & yellow Biennial 

 Ditto & ditto. f„„J l ?fo- l 



I Half-hardy annual. J 



White Blackberry.— On January the 3d, 1852, * 

 flourish of trumpets announced Mr. Needham's white 

 Blackberries as a valuable addition to our rubaceous 

 fruits. Having no white blackbirds hereabouts to eat 

 them, I was in hopes they would fare better than mj 

 Raspberries. By January, 1855, this ought no longer 

 to be a very rare plant : but I hear nothing moi* of % 

 and nowhere see it offered for sale. Pray report 

 progress. A. H. [We have nothing to report, except 

 that the plants sent to the Horticultural Society died* 

 If any of our readers possess information respecting $ e 

 plant we should be obliged by receiving it.] 



Flanagan & Son. I Rendle & Ca 



J. Veitch, Jun. 



Colour. 



Blue and Pink. 



A . t\ Chelmsford. [ We have printed in italicilhTdeT 

 scriptions nearest the truth.] 



Sweet-scented Camellia.* 



Pink and White. 

 Scarlet. 



Hf. -hardy perennial. 

 Crimson and yellow. 

 II f. -hardy perennial. 



White spotted 



•••*•• 



Blue and white. 



r Brown & yellow. ) 

 \ Hf. -hardy annual. ) 



Scarlet and «W* 



Yellow and !•* 





• 



1 should be glad to hear if 

 any of your correspondents have in their possession 

 b*?e wen a sweet-ecented Camellia. " 



that the wed. taken from the same fruit prod to. Varieties ' ZLTJ SSTSS 2?TT * have 0ne < a 



to their common origin can be traced. This fact proves 

 to a certain extent that the bees and flies play an im- 

 portant part in the fertilisation of tiie pistil. It is there- 



nS '^^i.- 1 ""-' 11 * #^ en where «perin»n» in 



exist « 



sorts are carried on, no varieties should 



♦k.. .». P » ** that are of ""'-rate quality ; and 

 £jt Ae collection should be as far distan! as possible 

 J^jwybad 4r.et.es. It may be supposed thaV when 



Se.rZs LtH* d,8 ^ nce ' th k e P°. 1Un '■ detached from 



•Kbttf S 8C , t,0n ,° f the air ; th «"fore we must 



2S to 1^L^ V ^ A •** li8ation of th * «owers of a 

 Tjfm£r' en » f adjoining trees that m 



— . . Bw * Th e coftsMeratM.n of thee 

 ••*** no* t» be omitted. 



*"' H| 



e visited by 



• cir cun»etane**> 

 Moreover i% « 



to 





n«- .t.:^. *P«nded I discovered their sweet- 



SfcJ??^ • r £?! nb,68 V ery delicate Hyacinth ; but 

 for fear I might be mistaken, I had several friends who 



equally «nelt the sweetness of the flower. A gardener 



m tins ne.ghbourhood, who heard of it, asked me for 



some cuttmgs ; but as the plant was smalLI refund Z 



S*k2S«*. ^ d ». he fr"^"** ' itison^ak 

 of Natore ; ,t wdl nsver be sweet again." However it 



.» now to bloom in my conservatory and is qu te fts 

 sweet as ,t was last year. I have no flowers in bloo m b 

 my conservatory but Camellias, a „d therefore therTca^ 

 be no confusion of scents to deceive me. Vioht. 



jl J°l **"***"*»*«•- 1 am astonished at Mr 

 John Waterer's statement (see p, 804 1854N »!,«♦ m. 



dodendrons, & c„ m grow I an> J^ ^ *% 



I 



Mr. Carton and his Family.— It will be gratifying * 

 the benevolent individuals who contributed the montf 

 to enable Mr. Carton and his family to emigrate # 

 Australia two years ago, to know that he has not only 

 safely arrived there but that he has found profiiab l€ 

 employment in gardening. A gentleman has come * 

 tins country lately who had actually employed Mr. 

 Carton as his gardener at the rate of 11 a week. I ^ 

 also that his daughter is married. We may therefo* 

 hope that all things will now go well with b&* 

 A. Forsyth, St. Mary's Church. 



Da ra ceratocaulon — For the information of yof 

 correspondent who says he has great difficulty ? 

 wising this plant from seeds, allow me to state that, £ 

 the latter are sound and good, they will vegefr* 

 readily, if sown in a pot and plunged in a moist botttf* 

 heat, or if sown on a hotbed and treated in the &P* 

 way as other tender annuals. It must be borne in tax 

 that this plant is a native of Cuba, and will thereJWJ 

 only hve in the open air with us during the hottest p^ 

 of our summer and autumn months. Although. ** 





