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THE GARDENERS 



CHRONICLE. 



untrustworthy. wever unj t such an inference 



manifestly is in numerous cases, we must confess 

 that the conduct of the Woods and Forests renders the 

 conclusion inevitable in that department of the public 



service. 



Now what was the 



COMMON THINGS. 



Shallots.— The usual method of cultivating these is to 

 platit the roots in drills, and to earth them up as the | 

 plants advance in height ; but the late Mr. Knight sug- 

 gested a mode of surface-planting by which he states he 

 succeeded in growing very fine bulbs. It is thus described: 

 — He placed a rich soil beneath the buibs, and raised 

 the mould on each side, to support them till they became 

 firmly rooted. This mould is then removed by the hoe, 

 and watered from the rose of a watering-pot ; and the 

 bulbs in consequence were placed wholly out of the I 

 ground. " I he growth of these plants/' he added, 

 u now so closely resembled that of the common Onion 

 as not t be readily distinguished from it till the irregu- 

 larity of form resulting from the numerous germs within 

 each bulb became conspicuous. The forms of the bulbs, 

 however, remained \ i nnanently different from any over 

 seen of the same species, In mg much more broad and 

 lees long, and the crop was so much better in quality, 



well as much more abundant, that the mode of cul- 

 ture adopted is confidently recommended to every 

 cultivator. 



Tomatoes. — The seeds of these should now be sown 



! 



t'poeed to the severity of the weather until the folio* - 

 ing March, 1864, They broke but indifferently last 

 summer, owing doubtless to their being so much 

 exposed; thb season every Vine has died to wi hin 

 3 feet of the ground. On examination it was found that 

 the roots had entered the stiff clay. 

 cause of this failure ? Their being exposed in an un- 

 ripened state, or was the disaster occasioned through 

 the roots entering the cold clay I All the Vines were 

 planted outside the houses. Most of them in the other 

 house have been planted two years, but I believe three 

 were planted this spring ; they have all been turned out 

 of the house during the winter, with a few haybands 

 twisted round them ; they have nearly all shared the 

 same fate as those alluded to above— in short, they are 

 all dead to within 2 or 3 feet from the ground. E. B. 

 [Of course. If you manure Vines extravagantly they 



jwhere peat can be easily obtained, 

 years ago some Portugal Laurels 



U 





upon a hot- bed, and as soon as the plants are 2 inches 

 high they should be planted in small sized pots, placing 

 two plants in each pot They should have plenty of air 

 Allowed them so that they may not draw up weakly, 

 and about the end of the month they may be removed 

 to a cool frame, and hardened off by degrees till they 

 will bear the open air. In May, or the beginning of 

 Jane, tl y may be planted against a south wall. They 

 nust be traimd close to the wall as they grow, and 

 when they have acquired sufficient length and shown 

 blossom enough for a crop they should then be topped 

 and all useless laterals removed as well as those leaves 

 which shade the fruit The common large red kind is 

 the most useful for ordinary purposes. 



Home Correspondence. 



Restoration to Health of a d* :'d IloUnj. — Some years 



ago a beautiful, old, spreading Holly tree showed signs 



< decay. It grew in a cultivated field ; the roots of 



the Couch-grass, which were in the field, were collected, 



and instead of carting them to an out-of-the way corner, 



they were spread in large quantities under the Holly 



tree ; the fresh soil attached to the roots of the grass, 



and the decomposition of the roots themselves, have 



greatly benefited the Holly, which is now in a healthy 



condition. It will thus be seen that the years of many 



a favourite tree may often he prolonged by very simple 



means. P. M. 



May's Magnum Bonum, alms Bedale Hall Cos Lettuce. 

 —Mr. FitsSQQoon is wrong in stating that this variety 

 was raised by Mr. M'Donald ; that it was called 

 M'Donald's Cos is true, but this name, as well as that of 

 Bedale Hall Cos, were given it merely because its proper 

 name had not been ascertained. In the first place Mr. 

 tonald gave a few plants or seeds of this Lettuce to 

 my father, declaring that he could not "shank" it, and 

 that he would give htm a sovereign for every seed ; my 

 father, however, succeeded in seeding it, and gave a few 

 seeds to one or two neighbouring gardeners, along with 

 his method of producing them, and in this way the 

 variety has been preserved. Mr. M'Donald also 

 declared that it was only possessed by himself and a 

 friend ; that it was not in the trade, but refused to give 

 its name (if it had one) or its origin. I have endea- 

 voured to discover its right name, both from London 

 and country travellers, but without success. If it can be 

 proved what it really is in the garden of the Horticultural 

 Society it will be a pleasure to myself and a benefit to 

 the public, as it is deserving of general cultivation. Mr. 

 M'Donald, I have been informed, went to America a 

 few years ago. C. Hewson, Bedale Hall, Yorkshire. 



Pruning Knives, — An inquirer after a good pruning 

 knife may buy the best I ever had of Beach, of Salis- 

 bury. They are mounted in wood and particularly well 

 shaped I direct to him, Mr. Beach, King of the 

 Cutlers, Salisbury, and have had dozens of him. Wogloff. 



I could readily explain why these are not 



good at the present day. Suffice it to say that our 

 manufacturers generally have acquisitiveness rather 

 too fully developed ; but there are yet remaining a few 

 men devoted to their callings, and who feel the greatest 

 amount of gratification when they have served their 

 customers well. One of these is Mr. Williams, Butchers' 

 Cutler, 14, West Smithfield, and if your correspondents 

 will be satisfied with a plain knife (not a clasp), they 

 may there procure as good a one as ever was put into a 

 bush ; and if they would more certainly assure t them- 

 selves, of this fact, let them inquire at any butcher's 

 shop m London. Francis Parkes. Steel Digging-fork 

 maker, Sutton Qddfidi. 



Dead JW-Last week I called on a neighbour who 

 has two vineries ; one he uses as a greenhou^, the other 

 donngfte winter mouths » a plant-stove. In the 



^S'iE^A *** T™** ** insufficient 

 first years the Vines grew luxuriantly ; Sit in the 



Iff S3 W^T**' ^ ?* ^turned «* of 

 the house before the wood was thoroughly ripened and 



cannot ripen their wood, and frost must kill them.] 



The Weather in Stirlingshire— " Borrowing days."- 

 There are some did popular rhymes about the 

 * borrowing days," such as — 



" March borrowit fra Aperill, 

 Three days and they were ill." 



Also the following— 



* March said to Aperill, 



' I see three hogs upon a hill ; 



But lend your three first days to me 



And I'll be bound to gar them die. 



The first it shall be wind and weer, 



The next it shall he snaw and sleet, 



The third it shall be sic a freeze, 



Sail gar the birds stick to the trees ; ' 



But when the borrowed days were gane, 



The three silly hogs came hirplin hame." 



This season winter has borrowed a month or two from 

 spring which will be long remembered by the cultivators 

 of the soil* In the last week of March the frost and snow 

 in some places in the neighbourhood of Stirling pre- 

 vented the spade and the plough from working freely, 

 and the effect of 30° of frost is still visible in many 

 places upon garden vegetables and shrubs ; some are 

 dead and their remains bleached white, others will 

 require a good cutting in to remove the withered 

 appearance, and yet some shrubs of the same species 

 appear to be little injured by the severe frost, which 

 almost killed their near relations. Our common spring 

 bulbous flowers are long in coming, but 



*v I - _ ■ 



they 



are 



welcome, although they are u hirplin hame" at a slow 

 rate. The severe frost has also tested the hardiness of 

 some of our newly introduced plants ; for instance the 

 Dielytraspectabilis, which will bloom in our stoves and 



greenhouses, will also live at zero of Fahrenheit's scale. 

 P. Mackenzie, West Plean 9 Stirling. 



Origin of the name Hypericum. — Few plants have 

 had such a run of popular names as this genus. 

 Gerard is loud in its praises, and says H a most pretious 

 ointment" is made from it, hence probably its name in 

 our time of " Tutsan " (toute saine, ail heal). "Aaron's 

 beard" and "terrestrial sun" relate no doubt to its 

 starry flowers, for not only are its petals of a bright 

 golden yellow, but it has a host of yellow stamens 

 slightly tinged with red occupying the whole disc of 

 the flower, and forming half a globe ; but, besides the 

 golden hues of its petals and stamens, it has a multitude 

 of pores in its leaves — hence the French writers call it 

 the flower of a thousand holes (mille pertuis). These 

 names are therefore all easily accounted for ; but I was 

 not a little surprised to 'find in Loudon's " Hortus 

 Britannicus" that the botanical name of this genus 

 (Hypericum) was stated to be of « origin unknown." 

 On referring, however, to Loudon's great work, the 

 « Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum," I find various 

 conjectures offered as to the origin of this very ancient 

 name, not one of which appears even to be in the least 

 plausible ; and it were vain to look among modern 

 words for a name compounded, for aught we know, 

 hundreds of years before the Christian era, since the 

 name Hypericum is given in the works of Dioscorides. 

 Hypericums are all of the easiest culture, and by nature 

 widely spread both as beautiful plants and as weeds ; 

 we might therefore, with good reason, look for the name 

 occurring as a household word along with such as the 

 Lily and the Rose, and following like them in the wake 

 of civilisation and Christianity. Bearing as it does in our 

 own language, as well as in that of Germany, the 

 name of one of the Holy Family, the beloved St. 

 John, it is easy to see that its virtues were accounted 

 by the early Christians as of the highest order- 

 and added to this its ancient name « Androsteroma" 

 literally signifying human blood, from aner (andros), a 

 man, and haima, blood, in allusion to the dash of red on 

 its stems, [We rather believe this name refers to the 

 property undoubtedly possessed by the Androwwnum 

 of staunching blood ; it is, in fact, an ancient vulnerarv 1 

 as well as on the golden rays of its long slender 

 stamens, we can readily comprehend that bright 

 ideas were associated with this terrestrial sun 

 early days. Now in all 







modern 



figure 



fo 



i :.,.*""; ~ u « vwu r» out likewise the 



heads of the blessed Virgin and St John, and as 



he precursor of the Messiah was the foremost ray of 



he wor d's light (terrestrial sun), we can easily seethe 



link that connected the St. John's Wort with the glory 



on the figure for this is literally the Greek compound 



1. r n T Dt ■** *"««» »«* from huper, upoHnd 

 icon, the figure. Hence we have the classic orig n of 



Berurfieial Revults of Planting Beermtena m Peat — 

 yet plant evergreens, for ■belter,.** ornament, 



yeaia «gv ovm^ xvnugai .uaureis were nla »Ij * 



mixture of peat earth and common earth n* " 4| 

 common soil, only a few feet apart from J* * 

 with the same aspect to each. Some of th •***> 

 peat measure 25 feet in diameter and 18 feet^ kL 

 and are still in a healthy vigorous state with 8^2^ 

 leaf injured by the frost of last winter ; the h*ffi l 

 others measure 14 feet in diameter and 10 feet kii* 

 and they have many brown leaves on^n them.P j?^ 



octette 



Horticultural, April 3.— Sir Philip deMaWi* 

 Egerton, Bart, M.P., in the chair. »" a, P* G 



Lieut-Col* rJu? 

 K.H. ; T. B. Simpson, Esq. ; J. H. Hedge, ^ T*J 



C. Fletcher, Esq., were elected Fellows. This jlS 

 spring meeting, notwithstanding the peculiar bach2 

 ness of the season, was the occasion of briS* 

 together a very interesting exhibition of flowerifcj 

 and vegetables, and a very crowded attendme!rf 

 Fellows and their friends. 



* 



Of New Plants there were several. From Mm. 

 Rollisson came the Java Rhododendron ret*n 

 the Brassia cinnamomea, and the Odontori2 

 Pescatorei mentioned wi another column. MeM 

 Veitch contributed the handsome light-coloured Ca»j. 

 lia, Countess of Orkney, an Achimenes in the wa?tf 

 picta called gigantea, a Dendi obium allied to trunireft 

 and though by no means new, the Yellow Side*ni& 

 flower (Sarracenia flava). Concerning this and otfe 

 Sarracenias it was mentioned, that although they bran 

 the rigour of a Canadian winter with impunity, tb 

 have not been found to succeed out of doors in EDgi3 

 and the reason ascribed for this is, that our mmm 

 are not hot enough for them. They like a be<, man 

 atmosphere while growing, which is what theyhwji 

 their native swamps ; but when at rest they may bf 

 kept cool and comparatively dry. 



Of Indian Azaleas there were two nice coUectiea; 

 one from Mr. Wood, gr. to G. W. Norman, £*),t; 

 Bromley ; the other from Mr. Todman, gr. to Ma, 

 Buckmaster, of Clapham Park. There was also a fpei 

 men of Smith's Azalea, from Mr. M'Ewen, gr. I 

 the Duke of Norfolk, at Arundel Castle. In the p^ 

 from Bromley was an example of Gledstanesi, Tariegrt, 

 and lateritia, all grafted together in one plant, ie 

 different coloured flowers thus intermixed prodneiigi 

 very beautiful effect. 



Of Hyacinths a dozen charming plants was Sf- 

 wished by Mr. Cutbush, of Highgate. As regards eoav 

 the most remarkable among them were Prince Albert, 

 a nearly black kind, and Cavaignac, a bright sala* 

 coloured sort with faint white streaks running down fc 

 centres of the petals. These are two varieties wMek» 

 collection should be without. 



Ro*es in Pots, not less remarkable for their eJeau 

 bright green foliage than for the beauty and fragrwee 

 of their flowers, were furnished by Mr. Fraaeia, rf 

 Hertford. The varieties consisted of Souvenir d¥ 

 Ami, Anguste Mie,G£ant des Batailles, Madame BttfJ, 

 Comte de Paris, and other well known kinds, aDl 

 which were "worked" on the Manetti stock) tlw 

 is a favourite with Mr. Francis. The same eihW 

 likewise showed a collection of cut Roses, as ^did » 

 Mr. M«Ewen, of Arundel, and a beautiful boxft" 

 these flowers came from the Messrs. Paul, of CM** 

 In the last-named exhibition we remarked ex **|l*y 

 the new Rose Gloire de Dijon, which may be de*j£ 

 as possessing the rich colour of SafranoV J* g 

 perhaps that of Vicomtesse Decazes, with the M* 

 form of our English Rose Devoniensis. It fi JT|| 

 a glorious addition to Tea-scented varieties, aftfl J fc 

 stands forcing well was evident from the bea»v 



blooms exhibited. Jn«ili 



Of Orchids two fine collections were jawWj 

 from Messrs. Rollisson, the other from }^r^0 

 Messrs, Rollisron's plants are fully descnbedin^ 

 column. Messrs. Veitch sent Phalaenopsis FJ^ 

 capital specimens of Cypripedium Yiltosin* ^ 

 drobium nobile, Vanda insignia and tn ^ [0T ^ h * 

 tiful Dendrobium Farmeri, and Anselha am ^ 

 only Orchid known to come from Fern * n + ?^ 9e » 

 that from % Palm tree, on which few of tn«£ ^ 

 grow. Mr. Wicks sent Miltonia Candida w- 



peruviana. __ ..^ «ffcf 



Of Cinerarias,: one of the best coDect^ow rjj, 



ever shown was furnished by Mr. 1 J^yidaJ 

 Royal Nursery, Slough. It consisted of J" j* 

 varieties, which were pronounced by all w ^ 

 to be « perfect gems," viz., Lablacbe, W^ j* 

 white, broadly tipped with purp»« I ^L* J** 

 bouchere, white, tipped with blue : ^ v€ ^> 

 with a small ring of white round a r^g^ig 

 Lord Stamford, white, tipped with blue , *" ^ 

 with a dark centre, and broadly tippea w^ ^j 



crimson ; and Kate Kearney, a *^* t ffr*rfJ[ 

 «ri*ii tk AaA w *«» «i«^ +mm. nr three otnefs "".^b,^ 



with these were also two or three 



w€ 



may 





came from Mr. Coe, of Ham. The *?* ^ 

 bury, Album multiflormn, I> uke ° , viD & s twr- 

 Johnstone, Silene, and Gauntly »u * rt jw. 

 force well. Mr. Ingram, gr. to her « J ^ 

 more, contributed cut specimens i of"? — #. t* 

 Begonias, chiefly hybrids raised t>y 

 whose brilliancy and beauty all ve f 

 they may be said to have varied wow B ^ , 

 the rich crimson or rather scs rW |" ^fih 

 The best were perhaps suaveolens rw*-» 



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