174 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



[M 



had been 



me roanv iinilar instances if it were necessary 

 Amoi>" first 1) the earliest (as regards ag 



7 ,__ Jb Russia their original form is retained, 



that they may the more nearly resemble fresh green 



attribute this to their height 



11 



thereby to the force of cold wind! and* W^ n 



) 



noit abundant blootMn are those oMvhien caucasieimi, soiu man wv piuviaiuu n»p «« 



or a near hybrid of it, is one of the parents ; next in seems remarkable that this well-kno 



arder emnc seedlings between ponticum and arboreum, serving green Peas and French Bea 



and following these crosses between cstawbiense and been extended to other vegetables. B. 

 arboreum. The defects of these we have just pointed 

 out Now, if a cross between a hybrid arboreum and 





a iiyorrtl mm one of the above crosses be again crosseu 

 with either of them, the plants resulting will be per- 

 fectly bar , and produce Ho were at a very early age, 

 and the nearer they are to caucasicum the more pre- 

 eoei"tts *ill they prove. From such crosses a great 

 part of the hardy hybrids in cultivation have sprung. 

 But the most aUmd&nt bloomers, and such as flower 

 in the youngest statr, are plants raised from a third 

 cross by a third cross. 



The shyest- blooming hybrids are those in which 

 maximum is a parent Hybrids between a hybrid 

 cauoasieum and a hyb 1 arboreum will bloom when 

 about six or seven years old ; and seedlings from a 

 hybrid ueaiicum, say Smitbii, by catawbieuse, will 

 flower at about the same age. 



By a careful selection of breeders and a due admix- 

 ture of the qualities of each, the present race of beautiful 

 hardy hybrids have, after years of labour, been obtained. 

 WouM " -J. R." have us then throw these out of cultiva- 

 tion, and grow nothing but his favourites, which require 

 2" years of cultivation before they condescend to show 



olour { Surely not ; yi from his letters we can only 

 infer as much. 



In the of many years' practice in hybridising 



the Rhododendron we have observed very curious 



flpartl and STfSH^ Some of which confirm, others 

 cnt y overthrow, [ ■ received opinions as regards the 

 results el hybridisation among plants. These we shall, 

 if leeirable, be very glad to record iu another article 



Temperature of February in Berwickshire. — The 

 following table represents the extreme cold and heat 

 which we had here during the 28 days and nights of 

 February last. It has been prepared from data 

 furnished by a registering thermometer, which I have 

 used for these last six years, a I which has always been 

 found to be correct. It stands 2 feet to the north of a 

 large Portugal Laurel, clear of all other objects, and is 



more humble neighbours ; and the lower n 

 bushes are in a more comfortable conditi mi4,i * 

 easily escape. One can understand a friS?/ 1 * 

 made to grow on a tall stem in orch " ^ 



tall vegetables ; but if there be 



no t 



prevent due circulation of air, I can see** 8 * 





t 



fc 



whatever in having the head 'so faTwft 1 *** 

 except bad ones. Tall trees certainly do not ^^ 

 fruit so well as those that are low ; and if tt* *!* 

 blows off and destroys their fruit 'in the k 

 England, how much more here in Scotland * 

 exposed to its ravages ? It is difficult to see t*\? 



fixed to a board 16 inches by 13 inches, sided with a these long-legged trees are to be so nicely nru' H 



2-inch deep frame to throw off wet, and screwed to a j de Jonghe describes, for they are so difficult t 



— * a *—*. -i *i ,i t* r-™. ai *u mu~ anc j to p rune them without damaging their buda^^ 



require either a cat or a monkey for a gardener^ 

 objections then to these trees are that" they are 

 ugly, bad to get at, don't set their fruit well an/i 

 not show what they do set ; and I would say m ore a? 

 in a soil like mine it is hardly possible to keep them 

 their legs, as in heavy rains with strong wind, which* 

 have usually in October from the north-east' they m 

 apt to get tilted over. I am now ■ 



post 4 feet above the ground. It faces the north. The 

 ground was completely covered with snow a foot deep 

 all around it from the 14 th to the 24th of February. 1 

 may mention that the Portugal Laurel behind the 

 thermometer— a beautiful bush, 14 feet through and 

 10 feet high — has been killed down to within a few 

 inches of the ground ; the old stems, 18 inches in 

 circumference, not e-caping, although thickly covered 



Days of the month. 



February 1 



a 



it 



COMMON THINGS. 



Propagal 



propagate 



at the en< a ar are fit to take 



and by la, rs. The I • ; t 1 is the bes as nUnta 



up from the stools, 

 and to plant out where &ey are int I to remain. 



Cuttings taketl from plants from whi ii layers cannot be 

 flnf-ilnt'd maybe planted singly in pots, and placed under 

 a fram a gentle beat now, ami tl y will make good 



plants by the end of tl ur. The best of all methods, 

 however, for obtaining fruiting plants quickly is the 

 followiti Take a LV> cut it in h f, and scoop out 



of each half enough of the Potato to permit it to be 

 fastened round the stem of the intended cutting. Then 

 select a good fruitful branch w h two or three shoots 

 on it, fasten the Potato round the stem where you are 

 desirous roots should form, and cover it with moss. 

 The mo ure afforded by the moss and Potato will soon 

 cause it to emit roots, when it may be removed from the 

 parent tree and pot I. In this way you may make 

 tolerably sure of having a fruitful tree. 



SeaJcfdt rom Seed.— its seeds should be sown in March 

 or April, thinly upon a bed in an open part of the 



it 



tl 



11 

 ft 

 11 

 r> 

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19 



it 



» 

 it 

 it 

 ii 



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 ft 



ir 



11 



n 

 it 



n 

 ii 



3 

 4 

 5 

 6 



7 



8 

 9 



10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 15 

 16 

 17 



18 

 19 



20 



It 



24 



25 

 26 



27 



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til 



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26° above zero 



11 



31 



30 

 31 

 30 

 11 

 26 

 23 



25 

 23 

 13 

 20 



11 below zero 



20 



15 above zero 

 4 below zero 



15 above zero 



10 



12 



ft 



5 

 27 

 23 

 18 

 29 



n 



ii 

 ti 



it 

 u 

 M 



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 tt 



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with leaves and branches down to the bottom. In the 



abov** table it will be seen* that the day temperatures 



are all above zero. The degrees are numbered from 



zero each way as shown on the thermometer, and as 



they ought to be, not from 32°, the freezing point : for 



instance, on the 1 7th February the lowest temperature 



marked was 20° below zero, making 52 Q of frost ; and 



the highest that clay was 20° above zero, showing 12° 



of frost in the warmest part of the day. The above 



will serve to confirm my remarks iu the Gardeners' 



Chronicle of March 3*1. The young wood of Apricots 



and Peach trees on walls is all killed, as are also parts of 



garden, keeping the plants cle in from weeds' through the tne old W00(J « French Pears, standard trees, and many 



Summer. In the following snring they should be taken otner tmn g s are likewise killed down to a foot above the 



up carefully, and, shortening the roots to 8 or 9 inches, 8 ro " n ^> or to where they were protected with snow. 





they should be planted out on good well- trenched 

 «rouni|, in rows feet apart, and the plants at 18 inches 

 distance from each other, placing the crowns of the roots 

 2 inches below the surface. This may be considered as 

 a regular distance for the crop, but a'smaller sized root 

 may be planted between each of the others as an inter- 

 mediate plant, which will increase the crop for the first two 

 or three years without injuring the rest; afterwards they 

 maybe removed, leaving the original number at 18 inches 

 apart. At the end oi he first year after planting out 

 the heads may be forced by means of large pots being 

 placed over the crow , and covered with hot dung. It 

 should be observed that immediately on cutting the 

 forced heads they should be brought to a level with the 

 surface of the gr md, or else in the course of a few 

 years the plants will form their crowns so high that it 

 will be necessary to earth them up to preserve them 

 from the effects of severe frost. Should young plants 

 not be at hand when t new plantation is required to be 

 made, cuttings from the roots of the old plants of 2 or 

 3 inches in length will answer the purpose equally 

 well as plants, for ery inch of root will grow if planted 

 near the surface, and tiie stronger these pieces are the 

 stronger will be the plants at the end of the vear. 



C. Kay, Bladkadder Gardens, Chirnside, N. B., March 10. 

 The Fluke Potato.— \t is not, I am aware, usual to 

 find fault with advertisements unless it isevident that they 

 contain a misrepresentation tending to mislead, but 

 finding that one in your last publication states that 

 " they (Fluke Kidney Potatoes) do not bear cutting " 

 I beg in opposition to such a statement to give you the 

 result of my experience in the matter. Having 

 received a quantity of the above variety last year from 

 Yorkshire, one-half, at least, of which weighed between 

 3 and 8 ounces each, it seemed to me that it would be 

 wasteful to plant them whole ; I therefore had them 

 lightly covered with earth, and as soon as the eyes were 

 started I had the tubers cut into sets, having one and 

 two eyes each, and neither from the produce nor the 

 appearance of the plants could any difference be per- 

 ceived. Knowing that a large quantity of similar seed 

 has been sent out this season, I have related the above 

 in order that the purchasers of it may not be induced 

 to commit such a piece of useless extravagance as to 

 plant whole Potatoes. E. Wilkinson, Ealing. 



going to say 

 thing about the pyramids : I planted, I think abZ 

 20 varieties of these on Quince stocks. The sorts whii 

 bear freely with me and ripen their fruit are Citron d% 

 Carmes, Williams' Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne tf 

 Jersey, Soldat Laboureur, and Beurre Ranee ; I bin 

 always some Pears of these sorts, and frequently good 

 crops. In the autumn of 1853 I had 12 dozen fine fi2 

 on two small pyramids of Louise Bonne of Jerae? B 

 dozen on one tree of Beurre Ranee, large and very ht 

 20 dozen on two trees of Soldat Laboureur (this ism 

 BeuiTe* d'Aremberg in its fruit, but does not grow (A 

 so vigorously, and bears more freely). I do not km 

 what size your Pears get to in the south, but supp* 

 they must be much larger than we can raise here; how. 

 ever, Williams' Bon Chre'tien, from pyramids on the 

 Quince, measure about 9 inches round, and when rip 

 is wonderfully juicy, indeed it is impossible to cut it 

 without losing a great deal. The Glou Morceau ii 

 not ripen as a standard ; on the wall, on a Quince stcd^ 

 it yields good fruit and bears well. As a standard Marit 

 Louise is not hardy, and will not ripen its fruit with* 

 Now I have to say something further in favour rf 

 low standards. I would prefer bushes to pyramids, mi 

 several of my trees I have in that form, for thej 

 escape winds and frosts best of all, and 1 alwji 

 see that the finest fruit is lowest down if not 

 shaded or choked, which I do not allow. Mj 

 rule is to keep the tree as close to the surface as 

 possible, to let nothing trench upon its position, but to 

 let it have room* and plenty of light and air. I grow 

 all my Apple trees on this plan ; they are low bushes: 

 branches in autumn are often resting on the ground, 

 and the fruit on these branches is of the best quality. 

 It is warmest near the surface — it is warmest there 4 

 night from the radiation of the heat from the growd 

 and warmest there during the day from reflection of 4e 

 sun's heat. Being near the ground gives the tree 

 something of the advantage of being near a brick wall; 

 for it is close to an earth wall. When the tree is it 

 the top of a pole, as in those high standards, it loi» 

 every advantage, and is subject to great disadvantage* 



R. O. B., the Manse, by Coldstream, N. B. 



Swede Turnips as Food. — At this season of scarcity « 

 vegetables, in consequence of the late severe weather, r 

 m«v ho netful *rt h-nnxiT *Viaf *Vio itAmmnn Swede iurwa, 



for the table. 



table, an* 



it» 



Pear Culture in Scotland. 



I use it regularly at my own 

 it is greatly approved of. The only treatment diBW 

 from that of the common garden Turnip is W 

 requires to be boiled a much longer time, to mas 

 perfectly soft— from seven to eight hours. It w J"* 

 strained, and mashed in the usual way, with theaaai ^ 

 of pepper and salt and a little cream or good milk. 



10 years 9 Subscriber, York. . imhroc 



American Axes.— In your paper of March W 

 doubt whether these can be obtained m b°° ' 

 Permit me to state for your information that IJW 

 large stock of the genuine Samuel W. Collins 

 - - - " after in all our c*«* 



bus BI^ 



IN* 



TRADE MEMORANDA. 

 Beware of foreign hawkers offering wonderful plants 



which ai-e so much sought 



Joseph Fenn, 105, Newgate Street, London. 



Spade and Fork Husbandry.— Mr. Dixon 

 some remarks, at p. 38, on the use and dura dj 

 Parkes's steel digging forks. I beg to obserw ^ 

 "Experience is a great teacher," both to ' »** rf 

 make forks and to those who use them. A'| e . J^ fl 

 close application and months of severe dr ^ in | efef 



workmen, we now rarely, if ever, turn _ oU *„ a ^fc * 



Home Correspondence. 



Jf«so»t'» Paten* Mode of Preserving Vegetables is a 

 ■tekins usance of the use iness of even trivial articles 



^ i T - a Fk eWN ; in >" H,r P a ^. fo <- his method is little 



atn U ITZ m *•***'••* Okwmefc some years 

 ago. It was therem related that green Peas and l-~ 

 Frenrt Beans were habitually prelerved for winter 

 by first jading them sBghUyf then dry n' them the 

 French Bean* having been previous^ slice/ as if "rod 

 m prepanng them for the table. Mr. Won"^ " ipSS 

 Of vegetal ■ to steam is more " ' • "exposure 



them for a moment into boilin 

 Russia ; but both modes are 

 eOFect. Mr. 



use 



I read with interest M. de 

 Jonghe s papers, and I wish that his views could be 

 realised ; it would be very pleasant indeed if one were 

 able by judicious culture to beat unfavourable seasons 

 and always secure a good crop of good fruit ; but it 

 remains to be shown how this is to be done, and, till 

 that be, we must look upon it as a happy delusion. It 



is absurd to reason from Belgium to Fnolinrf +h«; • . ', ", ■" "" ^ ' ..,. /mr «F"/ 



climate, differ so much. As he Lists on havfng th7 £ Z "^^ ^ When SUCh * ***« ^ - ~ — ^ * 



wrought standard high, I beg to give what lirtb» ov!I 



-•--" - • ° ' S ' 8 lve w nat Jittleexpe- purchaser in all such instances. 



k m aeven years ago I got a 



number of Pear trees, pyramids, on the Quince stock 

 and being in a nursery in my neighbourhood where 

 there were some P,ars on Pear stocks for Se whh 

 stems 6 and 7 feet high, I bought some of themtr'tHaf 

 The trees are all ,n the same kind of soil, are well taken 

 care of, and properly pruned hut I knwl . u 



a solitary fruit from the tall' trees riZJT*! yefc u had : 8te P backw *rds to the trench, at the sam< 

 had abundance of blowoma every vear 8 V/ y ^T 8 I ha ^s above his head he will bring down 



Maasoa presses the vegetables 



>wine 



\ed in 

 same 



rience I have of the matter, S^T.ZZ ZTS^ ******* all such instances. « ^^^^ 



lessly used, a tine will break," says your c0 ^^*e 

 Now, after a little experience, the workman * ^ ^ 

 so enamoured of his light and handy tool, m ^ en 1fi 

 not break it carelessly. In many in? 4 * 1 ^ 8 de \{reM 

 workman has hard stony subsoil to dig, atte ^^1 

 the load of a previous spit from H« f ^J^ n && 

 step backwards in the trench, at the same tinre ^^ 



from the pyramids, and somen me~a \£? J?Y lmt 8hou,(1 one of the P ron £ s come in ^"^l/oY * 8 *l! 

 The tall trees are growing in The Tame 7il **** ?T the ***»i<* * *> great that there is riek^ * 

 « M .™ - *~ 5. ..§. _ tn ?. 8am e 8o«l, are of the broken. Now *hi* i« *Wether unnece^v^ # 



_ v . blossoms eveiy' Yea r* R^^ 



seasons here have been, I have alwavs W . M f th . e the Passive force which he is capable o. ex 

 from the pyramids, and mZ^Ill^ !°T frmt 8h ™ Id one of the prongs come in contact wi tn 



same age as the pyramids, and 'inVii« h^Sfal ^S 



vigorous condition, yet they will not give me ^ fruit I 



, t ^,,y^ Villi* «3 .»««T,gw 



points of the prongs of our Bteel forks 



are 



suffi 



pressure 



