August .05, 1S55.1 



the 



protect the subjacent tissue from the effect of 

 leather in the absence of cuticle may be entirely inde- 

 pendent of the phenomenon in question. It is possible 

 jgdeed that some such transformation may take place 

 jrith a view to cut off the transmission of any morbid 

 natter from the dead leaf to the living tissues. 



THE GARD ENERS' CHRONICLE 



565 



trees near the surface, and thus 

 ~ : -g warmth so necessary to 

 „,. fi , „ * *aw this further exem- 



plified so recently that it is perhaps worth mentioning. 

 A friend having read in some recent publication that 



tree. 



mat i orchard-house trees in pots should always be nluncrml 

 ^ ooes «« p» <~™»y «om sucn trans- ^f^ their rims 2 eSy, S^ 



05i»on l nave irawu cicm 1/ j« u«j case 01 canker, and 

 tfcere is no reason why this should not be the case, 

 «tly as pus absorbed into the animal frame from 

 gjeera is frequently as fatal as if direct inoculation from 

 mother subject had taken place. And if these views 

 be true, the formation of the cork cells may be a conse- 

 quence of the effete state of the leaves, which might 

 equally have fallen had no such cells been formed. The 

 whole matter is, however, at present quite conjectural. 

 Certain it is that such separation does take place some- 

 times where there is no appearance of a suture. The 

 fall of fruit, flowers, anthers, &c, from its point of 

 attachment belongs to precisely the same set of pheno- 

 mena as the fall of the leaf, though there is merely a 

 cessation of active growth and not of the functions of 

 the cells which are as active as ever in some respects, 

 er the fruit would in many instances never arrive at 

 perfection, but there is the weight of the fruit in one 

 case in addition to assist the operation. The separation 

 of teeds from their placenta is not exactly parallel with 

 either, though more analogous to the last. 



have become quite unhealthy and the fruit is dropping 

 off without ripening. The roots of .Peaches and 

 Nectarines benefit largely by the pots being surrounded 

 by the warm air of the house. T. Rivers. 



RHEUM NOBILE. 



"The present is certain] v the most striking of the 

 many fine Alpine plants of Sikkim ; and though in 

 every botanical character, as also in the acid juice of 

 the stem, a genuine Rhubarb, it differs so remarkably 

 in habit and general appearance from any of its con- 

 geners, that at first sight it could not be recognised as 

 one of them. I first saw it from a distance of fully a 



^ ^^ ttmg , the . black cliffs of the I*c"en Valley at 

 14,000 feet elevation, in inaccessible situations, and was 



quite at a loss to conceive what it could be ; nor was it 



till I had turned back the curious bracteal leaves and 



examined the flowers, that I was persuaded of its bein- 



The compo- I a tru< f Rhubarb. 

 parts have all arrived at perfection, and therefore " The individual plants of Rheum nobile are upwards 



of a yard high, and form conical towers of the most 

 delicate straw-coloured, shining, semi-transparent, con- 



neither require any more nutriment from the mother 

 plant, nor are in a condition to make any further inter- 

 change, and, as in the two former cases, separation takes 

 place. We must then, on the whole, regard this sepa- 

 ration as a vital process ; and if we consider that leaves 

 and fruit do not in general fall from a branch killed by 

 abrupt separation, we shall be the more inclined to adopt 

 tome such view. M. J. E. 



cave, imbricating bracts, the upper of which have pink 

 edges ; the large, bright, glossy, shining, green, radical 

 leaves, with red petioles and nerves, forming a broad 

 base to the whole. On turning up the bracts the beau- 

 tiful membranous, fragile, piuk stipules are seen like 

 red silver-paper, and within these again the short- 



THE CROP OF PEARS IN THE SOUTH OF 



ENGLAND. 



At last the spring frosts have spared us, and our 

 Pear trees without being subjected to any new system 

 ef pruning are Jaden with fruit—a great contrast to last 

 season, when scarcely a Pear could be seen on standard 

 or dwarf trees not trained to walls ; and yet the blossoms 

 last spring were not so finely developed as in 1854, the 

 weather previous to the 24th of April having been so 

 dry and warm that I scarcely ever remember the 

 blossoms of fruit trees to have been so perfect and 

 beautiful as then. 



I have a plantation of 2000 trees of the Louise Bonne 

 of Jersey Pear. On the 24th of April, 1854, the fruit 

 had all set vigorously and beautifully, and were about 

 the size of small Acorns ; on the morning of the 25th 

 the thermometer stood at 25°, and scarcely one 

 escaped, for all were frozen through to the core 

 and dropped off. The spring of 1855 was, as must 

 «j? u recollected, very cold ; severe frosts all 

 through April, and May commencing with the same 

 winterly weather, for on May 3d we had 12° of frost 



M ^Jf** 111 ** 11 frosts a re rarelv more severe) ; on 

 Way 5th, 8 Q of frost, and on the morning of the 9 th 11°. 

 Ine weather all this time was dry, and the blossoms of 

 ine rear trees unexpanded. On May 20th my Louise 

 tfonne Pear trees were in full bloom, and 1 then found 



* lew blossoms on the outside of each cluster injured, 

 ™th9 greater portion were perfect : the weather con- 

 tinued dry, and they set their fruit well. I have now a 

 ^op such as is rarely seen, the fruit of a clear red, 



B*Z!; !!??* ° r crack ; two rows ( 15 ° trees ) of the 

 "?«» d Amanlis are equally beautiful, all studded 



in ci f ar waxy-looking fruit, seeming as if they had 

 £*? P'aced on the trees by the hand of an experienced 

 «™ er > so regular and beautiful are they. These 

 the^n • P- Vramid s and bushes on the Quince stock ; 

 15 inch S ? Sandy loam in «Kniiig to clay for about 

 ta>w«Uk I* depth > under which is a stratum of 



and tl Whl , le c,a * with numerous chalk 



* , then calcareous 



stones, 



that the soil is 



To the calcareous 



of **a . 8an< *> 80 



•atare f T 1 **' yet Wel1 drained - 

 tint tn tk r ,. 8ml (which wi «nout manure gives a yellow 

 W ell ag ^ I . im P"ted the brilliant colour of the 

 •f the mi* i* *?* in flavourand appearance any Pears 

 la <Jm!r.. nd ,m P°rted from France or Jersey. 

 conne ctl(m with the Quince stock I may mention 



flowers. 



amongst 



branched panicles of insignificant green 

 The root is very long, often many feet, and winds 



the rocks ; it is as thick as the arm, 

 and bright yellow inside. After flowering, the 

 stem lengthens, the bracts separate one from 

 another, become coarse red-brown, withered and 



cjn f - <««»«« mra A ui» 7 mcuuoii torn 5 finally, as the fruit ripens they fall away, leaving 



Pear st \ ^ ne Louis Bonne Pear, grafted on the a ra gg ed looking stem covered with panicles of deep 



y eara ^ after growing vigorously some four or five brown pendulous fruits. In the winter these naked 

 *° d rarel • *°^ *** described above, begins to canker black stems, projecting from the beetling cliffs or tower- 

 tin^ . * v & lves a fruit free from spots? A few days m S above the snow, are in dismal keeping with the 



** fruit 8 ! 1 ^ ^ 0116 ° r two trees in m y P Iantation witn - surroundin f? desolation of that season." 

 that ow*' Wa8 mduced t0 examined them, and I found Such is Dr. Hooker's account of this curious Rhubarb, 

 ■^ck rr*>f f° t * leip Dem & planted too deeply, they had of which the accompanying sketch is taken from his 

 ^^se roo^ • m the Pear at ifcs jonctioo with the stock ; recent work on Himalayan plants (see p. 515). The 

 ****** **> instead of being fibrous, and keeping near i natives call its stems "chuka," and eat them, their 



WaeeJilr- *_ _, ., - „ \ . v » . -•*. v~ : _ _^_ ^ of the , otl]s vh ich were 



2££5 



Umnce 



• those of the Quince, are large, and have 

 "*to the subsoil ; the consequence is 



acidity being pleasant. 



sent to Kew grew, and the seedlings lived two years ; 



been 



**<> ton* f *u° fc a s P ot of canker on them. In 

 ***** mi !k £ BeUrr6 d, Aremberg of 150 trees, 

 ***** one t Qu,nce 8tock and Iwten with fruit, I 

 i** 1 * ^e he K 8howin S mo9t vigorous growth, being 

 1 fo| tod not ?- i° f the otnera 5 on taking a close view 

 fm * stock mU A- fruit D P on U ' this tree is on the 





more success. 



4*td* • K ' a 



ZX* ,oto *« 



^* Winston* 



of 



Home Correspondence. 



Why should not Part of an Extensive Pleasure 

 Ground be Appropriated as a Winter Garden? — Not 

 merely a few evergreens planted aruor^-t deciduous 

 trees and shrubs, but such a winter garden as existed in 

 Kensington Gardens nearly seventy years ago. There 



was then a pavilion open to the south ; in fror t a broad Idisease commenced in this neighbourhood with the 

 gravel walk, which also surrounded a smooth shorn pale rains, and increased with a rapidity I never before 

 preen, and thus the sun'a rami were not obstructed in witnessed. The stench emitted from the allotment field 



tnejr passage to the pavilion. Excepting the part it 

 occupied was a shrubbery of evergreens beyond the 

 gravel walk ; cold win s were kept off rmes and 

 rirs ; the sombre hue of these trees was relieved in 

 front of them by the bright green of the Laurel, and by 

 theadnnxture of variegated evergreen?, t< „eth« with 

 the gay Holly and its bright berries. Towards the walk 

 were Heaths, and near die Box edging Christmas Rosea, 

 Snowdrops, and Crocusses. In 1 829 I sought the winter 

 garden, but not a vestige of it remained save a few 

 rirs and Pines; deciduous shrubs had grown up 

 amongst these trees, thus banishing the charm of the 

 lormer winter garden where nought but i -dure pre- 

 sented itself. The vast variety of evergreens now 

 cultivated would enable a gardener of the present day 

 to vary greatly the appearance of such a spot. It may, 

 indeed, be said against a winter garden that it would at 

 times be covered with snow, but snow is not on the 

 ground during the four, five, or more months of our 

 ordinary winter. A winter garden used Dot preveut 

 those who like a long walk from taking it. ut such a 

 sheltered, cozv, green garden would be a cheerful 

 retnat for persons advanced in years, and for those who 

 most enjoy a book when read in the open air. II 



Sir Ha rrg 8 berry. — Never before have such pains 

 been taken to introduce a new Strawberry to the ?ar» 

 taring world as have been taken with this! It wil now, 

 therefore, be very interesting to learn from your corre- 

 spondents whether or no its qualities are at all equal to 

 its high- ending descriptions. Is it larger, hardier, 

 and of higher flavour than the British Queen ? Has it 

 been exhibited in London at an\ «>! the great exhibi- 

 tions ? It was shown at Carlisle in July last, and not 

 thought highly of. It was also shown at Watford, July 

 the IGth, and obtained the third prize, its flavour being 

 poor and flat. Fragaria. 



Tr • planting Large firm at Gunner *l ury Pari.— In 

 the report of Uunnerabury Park last week, I see I stand 

 ponsor for the Douglas Fir, «45 feet in height ; since 

 it has been transplanted it has pushed a litth . but its 

 top appears to be dead." So much for Mr. Barron and 

 his niodeof transplanting large trees. It is not for mo 

 to say whether this report be carelessly or unfairly 

 written, but in either case allow me to put the matter 

 right The majority of the large trees transplanted at 

 Gunnerslury in October last were remo\ I by my 

 machines, under the superintendence of one of my men, 

 all of which are doing well, with one exception, viz., the 

 large Douglas Fir. This tree was removed under my 

 own superintendence ; but before I was applied to to 

 remove it, a trench had been cut quite round it, sever- 

 ing every root very much too near, upon Sir Henry 

 Stewart's principle, and totally at variance with my 



plan of transplanting. I stated distinctly to 

 Baron de Rothschild and Mr. Forsyth at the 

 time, that with the roots in such a state it could 

 not survive unless protected by an awning, and 

 careful top watering. This was carried out, 

 and notwithstanding such a severe winter and 

 spring the tree lives. The dead top is the 

 result of having its toes too closely pared. This 

 system I protest against. Much lias appeared 

 in your Paper within the last three years on 

 the subject of transplanting large trees. Little 

 more than two years ago it was stated that a 

 new system then in vogue would " supersede 

 every other," and the writer of those articles 

 racked his brain to find subjects of comparison 

 to set off this favourite system. Planters 

 ancient and modern were placed in juxtaposi- 

 tion, but luckily the writer forgot that either 

 Elvaston Castle or Mr. Barron were in exist* 

 ence, notwithstanding all that had appeared in 

 the Chronicle but a short time before. I re- 

 mained quiet. Nevertheless some made honour- 

 able mention of what had been done ; amongst 

 others Sir Joseph|Paxton told Dr. Lindley that 

 " Mr. Barron's system was still the best for 

 removing large trees." Since then I have 

 transplanted in Kent, Sussex, Berkshire, Hampshire, 

 and Staffordshire most successfully several hundreds 

 from 25 to upwards of 50 feet high ; and on 4 th of July 

 last, on Jmy last built machine, at Elvaston Castle, in 

 the presence of thousands of people, I removed an Oak 

 46 feet 7 inches high, and not a leaf flagged. It is now 

 doing well. /• Barron, Elvaston. [ We do not know what 

 our correspondent complains of. Not a word was said 

 or implied in disparagement of Mr. Barron's skill in 

 transplanting large trees.] 



Potato Disease.— When I wrote to you last week, I 

 said " no Potato disease.* , On the Friday, however, of 

 last week, it made its appearance in force ; and in ac- 

 cordance with the plan always successfully pursued by 

 me, I mowed off the tops at once, and 1 do not fear 

 having a crop of healthy Potatoes ; more especially as 

 the disease appeared this year fully a month later than 

 usual, which is about the time all vegetation has been 

 protracted in its growth this year by the cold winter 

 and spring. Does not this show most unmistakably 

 that this singular disease is connected with a peculiar 

 period in the growth of the Potato plant ! If the cause 

 is electrical or atmospherical, still it only produces 

 mischief at this particular point. It would be inter- 

 esting if a number of your readers would record 

 each year the date of the first day upon which 

 they observed the invasion of the disease. C. R. 

 Bree, Strickland. Slotcmarket . Auaust 22. ■ The 



