Oct. 13, 1855.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



679 



and Mr. West- 



ffOin the SUKeil urxiuic uvwugia ** V m ^aiuiuic* o^uji u; 



the process invented by Herr Pretsch, of Vienna. Mr. 

 Dou^as mentioned the capture of the rare Liciuus 

 depressus and Tarus axillaris, near Croydon. A letter 

 from Mr. Bowring was read, giving an account of his 

 entomological captures during his visit to Siam in com- 

 pany with his father, Sir J. Bowring ; 

 wood communicated a paper on the Australian species 

 of Pselaphidee, in the collection of the late A. Melly, Esq 



British Pomological, October 1st. — Mr. Robert 

 Ho^g hi the chair. Amongst other fruits exhibited 

 were samples of the Oldenburgh Nectarine, from Messrs. 

 Veitch aud Son, of Exeter ; this is a good melting 

 and richly flavoured white-fleshed freestone variety, 

 quite equal to any in cultivation, and from its condition 

 so late in the season (from Devonshire) leads us to 

 suppose it may be an acquisition. Some specimens of 

 the Stanwick were exhibited from the same nursery, 

 exceedingly fine and well grown, but devoid of flavour. 

 The Red Nectarine Peach, of which samples were 

 sent, is a bitter kernel Syrian variety ; they were past 

 their best, but gave evidence of the value of the variety. 

 From an Occasional Correspondent. 



f 



o( $oohs 



Books for the Country — The Kitchen Garden, By E. S. 

 Delamer. itoutledge & Co. Small 8vo, pp. 1H4. 

 This little work contains information that may prove 

 useful to the class of readers for whom it is intended. 

 It has good remarks on the situation, plan, and mode of 

 cropping a kitchen garden, but when the author comes to 

 treat of gardening tools, it does not appear to us that he 

 has had much practical experience in their use. " The 

 English spade is a good implement, but it is too broad 

 in the iron, and too short in the shaft for many soils 

 and many workers. Women and boys can dig with 

 greater ease, and even grown men can get over their 

 work more quickly, digging at the same time to an 

 equal or a greater depth, with the French spade, which 

 somewhat resembles the implement used by the Lincoln- 

 shire marsh men to excavate their drains and ditches. 

 The iron is 1 or 1 1 inches long, and 5 or 6 broad at the 

 most, being narrower at the bottom than at the top. 

 The shaft is five or six and thirty inches long, including 

 the handle at the top, which is simply a cross piece of 

 3 inches. The long leverage of handle and the narrow- 

 ness of the blade allow it to be used with less resistance 

 from the soil, which at the same time is more finely 

 divided than it would with a broader iron." Now, we 

 differ from the author in nearly all these statements. 

 In the first place, 10 or 11 inches of blade is too short 

 for kitchen garden.digging ; and 5 or 6 inches too narrow 

 except perhaps for such adhesive subsoils as the Lin- 

 colnshire marshmen have to excavate ; tender soil 

 would mostly fall off bafore it could be turned over, and 

 no soil but what is friable is fit for a kitchen garden. 

 For ordinary work a shaft of 36 inches is too long. 

 Let any one practice, by himself, with such a long 

 handled spade till he considers himself quite expert in 

 its use ; then let him try alongside one who can use 

 a good English spade, such as one of Lyndon's patent, 

 and the superiority of the latter implement will soon be 

 apparent. To dig with ease the handle of a spade must 

 be grasped with one hand, whilst in lifting the other 

 should grasp the shaft at a distance of little more than 

 the breadth of the man's shoulders from the other hand; 

 farther apart, the power becomes diminished, both as 

 regards lifting up and pressing down. A long handle 

 may, however, be grasped at the proper distance between 

 the hands ; but then the weight of the soil on the spade 

 would have double the leverage that it would on the 

 common short-handled implement In short, the English 

 spade has properties which no other form can possess, 

 as far as regards adaptation for digging kitchen garden 

 ground. 



The instructions for the sowing, planting, and general 

 cultivation of crops are in accordance with those usually 

 given by good authors. Some botanical names require 

 correction, such as Leontodon tarexicum (taraxacum), 

 Saturcia (Satureja); and among the names in a list of 

 Pears, we find Beurre Capriomont, Muirford Egg, 

 Beurre Rose, instead of Beurre de Capiaumont, Moor- 

 fowl Egg, and Beurre Bosc. The sorts recommended 

 are, however, of more importance than these apparently 

 typographical errors. The Bon Chretien d'jjte, and 

 several others should not have been included in a list of 

 those for ordinary cultivation. 



The above, however, are exceptions to the general 

 merit of the work, which " merely professes to act as a 

 truthful and serviceable guide to aid beginners on their 

 horticultural journey." A useful calendar is appended. 



Garden Memoranda. 



Mr. Salter's Versailles Nursery, Hammersmith. 



Several things now in flower in this nursery deserve 

 attention. In the first place, Mr. Salter has a good 

 collection of the different kinds of Scarlet Geraniums, 

 many of them novelties just imported from the Conti- 

 nent. Among the more striking of these and other little 

 known kinds grown here were Hamelins, a rosy salmon 

 sort with a broad white border and horseshoe-marked 

 leaves ; Louis Chaix, a pinkish salmon with a small 

 *hite eye ; Criterion, also pinkish salmon, with broadly 

 marked horseshoe leaves ; and Christianum, a small 

 dwarf-growing kind of the same colour. Among white- 

 flowered varieties of the scarlet class, Blushing Bride, a 



kind with horseshoe-marked leaves, is certainl V one of the 



best. It is a considerable improvement on Boule de 

 Neige, its flowers being larger and better shaped than 

 those of that variety, and quite as good a white. Of 

 clear pink kinds with a white eye we need scarcely sty 

 that Lady Holmesdale is still a favourite. Triomphe de 

 Mont Rouge, a white, delicately suffused with pink, is also 

 extremely pretty, and well deserving a place in every 

 collection. Of kinds with scarlet flowers, Charles 

 Sternaux is one of the most brilliant, without horseshoe 

 on the foliage; Warnford Pet is also a large bold 

 scarlet ; Bishopstow, scarlet, is less robust, and, being 

 brilliant in colour as well as compact in growth, looks 

 as if it would be a good kind for bedding purposes. 

 Beaute* Meldoise, apparently a strong grower, has 

 flowers of more than ordinary i?ize and brilliancy. 

 Variegated Geraniums are also plentiful here, and 

 among them were some finely scented sorts. 



Among other things we noticed some of the new 

 Fuchsias with white corollas, both single and double ; 

 the plants, however, were so young, aud had so few 

 flowers on them that no opinion could be formed of their 

 merits further than that they appeared to be free 

 growers, and looked as il something good might be made 

 of them. Of Sedum Sieboldi w r e observed some fine 

 plants under glass, aud when well grown as these were, 

 nothing in a common way could possibly look hand- 

 somer. For placing in vases in halls, or for covering 

 and rounding off as it were sharp corners of shelves, 

 few plants are better adapted than this Sedum, and it is 

 so hardy that it will live out of doors ; but when placed I 

 there, except it is protected in some way, slugs are apt 

 to eat and disfigure it. Of plants in suspended baskets 

 a variegated variety of Vinca major had a fine appear- 

 ance, its branches drooping several feet below the 

 bottom of the basket. Several other common plants, 

 including even the little trailing Linaria cymbalaria, 

 are also grown here as " hangers," and skilfully 

 used many other plants of this kind might be 

 employed with great advantage in the decoration of our 

 greenhouses, and would cost nothing beyond the trouble 

 of collecting them. A variegated variety of Arundo 

 Donax was growing under glass here, and a very hand- 

 some plant it is, its leaves being beautifully striped with 

 white ; along with it were also variegated Veronicas, 

 Polemoniums, Neriums, Fuchsias, Coltsfoot, and other 

 plants with fine foliage. We also noticed here an 

 orange- flowered seedling Tropoeolum, in the way of Caro- 

 line, named Brilliant, which may prove useful on account 



of the brightness of its colour. 



We likewise remarked 



plants of the Pampas Grass growing under glass in 

 pots. Mr. Salter has found that when planted deep 

 and kept in doors, they make plenty of roots, and may 

 be divided into separate plants with every certainty of 

 succeeding ; but that dividing plants grown out of doors 

 does not always answer, on account of their roots being 

 coarser and more destitute of fibres. 



Of novelties among Dahlias, of which a good collec- 

 tion is grown, may be named Inimitable, a salmon and 

 buff kind striped with red ; Alfred Salter, a large bold 

 scarlet kind; Le Phantasque, a crimson tipped with 

 white, the latter very clear and distinct ; Kaiser in v. 

 Oesterreich, a purplish lilac tipped with white ; Richard 

 Wagner, a dark claret tipped with white ; Imperatrice 

 Eugenie, a purplish violet broadly tipped with white 

 and very showy ; Madame Alfred Perignon, of a 

 bronzy lilac shade tipped with white ; Cornellius, a 

 blush tipped with rose ; Gold border, a German flower 

 of a warm orange brown colour edged with yellow, and 

 were it not for its " hard eye," very pretty ; Gurner- 

 braut, white tipped with cherry, a small and attractive 

 flower for bouquets, for which we believe it is much 

 employed on the Continent ; and Duchesse de Brabant, 

 a rich golden orange kind which can scarcely fail to 

 become a favourite. These comprise some of the best 

 of the new Continental kinds, of which there is aunuaily 



an abundance. 



Chrysanthemums promise to bloom well here tins 

 year, and, as we understand they are to be planted out 

 under glass in beds so as to form a kind of winter garden, 

 they will doubtless have a fine appearance. In the 

 open ground the yellow and white varieties of Chrysan- 

 themum frutescens were in bloom, and showy beds they 

 make, more especially the white sort, which flowers 

 most profusely and is very compact in growth. These 

 if lifted and potted before the frost injures them, bloom 

 well all winter in the greenhouse, and at a time when 

 flowers are most wanted. Of the yellow kind, Mr 

 Salter has a handsome double variety, very bright and 

 clear in colour. In the open border here, we noticed a 

 fine mass of Funkia grandiflora in bloom. The pure 

 white flowers of this plant being sweet-scented are said 

 to be much used on the Continent for wedding bouquets 

 when Orange flowers or Tuberose cannot be had. 



Fruit has here, as elsewhere, been most abundant this 

 year, and some of the Apples more especially have been 

 unusually large. One of a sort called the Giant, a large 

 green cooking Apple, weighed 1 lb. 1 oz. Peaches and 

 Nectarines on open walls have succeeded well, with the 

 exception of the Stanwick, which did not ripen perfectly; 

 a few gathered hard and green, however, very much im- 

 proved in this respect after they had been indoors for a 

 time, but still their flavour was not near equal to what 



it should have been. 



Dioscorea Batatas, turned out on a border here, would 

 seem to confirm what has been sad about it, viz , that 

 our climate is too cold for it. Out of a hundred planted, 

 scarcely a dozen are now alive, and these are less m 

 size than when they were put out. Of Holcus sacchara- 

 tus we noticed several large plants in the open border 

 luxuriant and healthy. 



FLORICULTURE. 



Duilia and Holly i : K Competiti* — At the frreatexhil a 

 of the^e flowers, open to t lie Cm ted Kinfiofli, which was lately 

 held in Edinburgh, in con with the Caledonian Horticul- 



tural Socit-t show, thf following premiums were awarded:— 

 Dahlias.— F« r the best iit blooms, produced by nurserymen. The 

 1st prize was gained by Messrs. !>• wuie and Laird, for the 

 following sort s, viz.:— Pre-eminent. Rachel, John Keynes, Ira- 

 mortal, M Itldon, Duke of Welling n, Fan Keyn Plan- 

 tagenet, Beauty of Slough, Bob, MUs Caroline, Sir t\ Bathurst, 

 Edmund Foster, Mrs. Ferguson, Ru>»y, Qanen, Malvina, Admiral 

 Dundas, Lady Folkestone, Annie, Empress, Frederick Jerome, 

 Port Royal, and Sir C.Napier. The 2d prize was awarded to 

 Messrs. J. & R. Thyne, of Glasgow, I r K .b.-rt Bruce, Kint:. Lady- 

 Folkestone, Edmund Foster, Triumphant r 1 . Ilathnrat, Lady 

 Bathurst, Shy lock. Rose of England, Yellow Standard, Planta- 

 genet. Primrose Perfection, Glory, Lilac King, Sir C Napier, 

 Amazon, Edward Harrison, General Canrob. Negro, Duke* 

 Wellington, Queen of Whites, «eral Fauchcr, Et reet, an . 

 John K - The 3d prise was awarded to Mr. llandas »f 



Musselburgh, whose blooms were Robert Bruce, George Glenny, 

 Aglnooart, Fannv Keynes. Mr. S Ion, John Keynes, Lad- 

 Folkestone, Rob, Beauty of Slough. :r R. Whittlngton, Rachel 

 RawlingH, Edward Harrison, Lady Bathurst. I ne des Matins, 

 Lord Bath, Primrose Perfection, Caractacus, V Royal, 

 Rosea c ins, Gem of the Grove, Rose nique, Sir C. 

 Napier, Empress, and Beeswing. For the b 12 blooms 

 produced by practical gardeners and amateurs. The 1st 

 prize was gained bv Mr. Headman, gr. to C. K. Siev- 

 wri-ht, Esq., Cargilneld, who produced the following sorts: — 

 George Gleimv, Robert Bruce, Beuutv of Slough, I Sir F. 



Bathurst, Lilac King, Plantagenet, Rachel Rawliags, Annie, 

 Amazon, Mrs Ferguson, and Sir R. Whin ion. J'ue second 

 prize was awaided to Mr. Oswald, Murtbj Cast: for Fanny 

 Keynes, Kin^. George Glenny, John Kevneu, Sir 1 Bathui , 

 Miss Susan Sainshurv Ir. Seidon, Duke of Wellington, 

 Miss Caroline, Lady Bathurst. Abbe- Von, and King of 

 Yellows: the stand which stood third in order of merit 

 was disqualified from want of the proper declaration. The 

 third prize was therefore awarded to Mr. Walker, gr. to J. Mood, 

 Esq., Rosehall, for Robert Bruce, King of Yellows, IMantagenet, 

 Lilac Kinu', Bob, Annie Salter, Nil Desperandum, Rachel Raw- 

 lings, Mr. S« n, Amazon, John Keynes, and < orge Glenny. 

 For the best six blooms produced by practical gardeners and 

 amateurs, not growing more than 40 plants. The rirst prize was 

 gained by Mr. Henderson, with Kachel K iwlings, George Glenny, 

 Plantag* t, Beauty of Slough, Lilac King, and Sir F. Bathui . 

 The second premium was awarded to Mr. Berry, gr. to 

 R. Newton, Esq., Newington, for Beauty of Slmigl John 

 Kernes, Queen of Lilacs, Edmund Foster, Sir F. Bathurst, and 

 Duke of Wellington. For the beat 12 blooms oJ Fancy Dahlias, 

 produced by nurserymen, the prize was awarded to Messrs. 

 Do wnie & Laird, for Triomphe de Roubaix, Jonas. Mias Ward, 

 Princess Charlotte, T-psy, Comet, Lmperor de Ma^oc, Baron 

 Alder n, Kossuth, Pigeon, Unanimity, and Phaeton. For the 

 best six Fancy Dahlias produced by practical gardeners or 

 amateurs, the prize was awarded to Mr. Walker, for Topsy, 

 Duchess of Kent, Glorie de Kain, Wonderful, Emperor deMan c, 

 and Kossuth. Hollyhocks.— For the best and most distinct 11 

 spikes produced by nurserymen, the prize was awarded to Mr. 

 Chater, Saffron Walden, lor the following sorts, most of them 

 seedlings, and those marked with an asterisk being particularly 

 fi ne :— President, Cream, *Lilac Queen, *Golden Sceptre (orange), 

 •Queen of Buffs, Prince Albert, Mont Blanc, Hon. Mrs. Ashley, 

 Fairy, *Queen Victoria (light fawn), and Pourpre de Tyre. The 

 2d prize was awarded to Messrs. Ballantyne & Sons, Dalkeith, 

 for Emperor, Agricola, Glory of Cheshunt, Beauty of Cheshunt, 

 Rosy Circle. Felicia, Uniqne, Pourpre de Tyre, Souvenir, Hon. 

 Mrs. Ashley, and Lizzy— the three last being particularly fine. 

 The 3d prize was assigned to Messrs. Downie and Laird, whose 

 best spikes were Beauty of Cheshunt, Duchess of Sutherland, and 

 Mrs. Ashley. For the best and most distinct nine spikes 

 produced by practical gardeners or amateurs, the 1st prize 

 was gained by Mr. Pow, gr. to A. Berwick, Esq., of 

 Norton, with Watford Surprise, Beauty of Cheshunt. Pourpre 

 de Tyre, Hon. Mrs. Ashley, Lizzy, Solfaterre, Beauty of 

 Beechwood, Unique, and Yellow Model. Tfcs M premium was 

 awarded to Mr. Cossar, Kin^smeadows, for Prince of Orange, 

 Walden Gem, Sulphur Queen, Beauty of Tweeddale, Agricola, 

 Eva, Beauty of Cheshunt, Pourpre de Tyre, and Shaded Model. 

 The 3d prize was assigned to Mr. Laing, gr. to the Earl of 

 Rosslyn, whose kinds were Mrs. Ashley, Agric da, Yellow Model, 

 Emperor, Lizzy, Joan of Arc, Beauty of Cheshunt, Emily, and 

 Miss Ashley. For the best and most distinct 5 spikes pro- 

 duced by practical gardeners and amateurs, not growing more 

 than 30 plants, the 1st prize was gained by Mr. Henderson 

 with Unique, Emily, Beauty of Cheshunt, Mrs. Ashley, and 

 Joan of Arc. The _d prize was awarded to Mr. Melville, gr. to 

 A. Blair, Esq., Beechwood, for Souvenir, Pourpre de Tyre, Mrs. 

 Ashley, Mrs. Forster, and Emperor. The prize for the best 

 spike in the exhibition was gained by Mr. Chater with Queen of 

 Buffs. The award of One Guinea and a Half offered by Mr. 

 Bircham for the best 7 spikes of sorts and seedlings sent out 

 by him, was awarded to Mr. Pender, Moredun, far the following 

 sorts, viz.,— Golden Nugget, Pourpre de Tyre, Hedenham Rival, 

 Yellow del, Jenny Liud, Solfaterre, and Meteor. The prize of 

 One Guinea and a Half offered by Mr. Charter, forthe best 7 

 spikes of sorts let cut by him, was awarded to Mr. Blackwood, 

 Peebles, for Rosea grandiflora, Safranot T Souvenir, Sulphur ljueen, 

 Rosy Circle, Lilac Model, and Eva. 



Miscellaneous. 



On the supposed Influence of the Papaw on Meat<~- 

 It is commonly believed, both in the East and V\ est 

 Indies, that this tree has the property of rendering 

 tender meat of any kind that is brought near it In 

 Ceylon the opinion is that the effect is secured merely 

 by suspending the meat beneath the foliage of the tree 

 daring the night. In Barbadoes greater reliance is 

 placed in wrapping the meat in its leaves for a few hours 

 with a portion of the young fruit The trials I had 

 made afforded negative results, tending t o prove that 

 the effect on the meat was owing to other and incidental 

 circumstances, rather than to any special power pos- 

 sessed by the plant. I shall mention one in illustration. 

 Of two fowls killed at the same time one was wrapped 

 in the leaves of the Papaw by my cook in the most 

 approved manner, not neglecting the introduction of a 

 piece of the young fruit ; the other was similarly treated, 

 substituting the leaves and fruit of the Squasse (Cucur- 

 1 bita Pepo, Linn.). Both roasted were found equally 

 tender. Other trials, using the leaves of other plants, 

 gave like results. The juice of the leaf, to which by 

 some the supposed effect on the meat is attributed, 

 appeared, as well as I could judge, to possess very little 

 activity. It is milky, almost insipid, or only in the 

 slightest degree acrid, and only after many hours pro- 

 motes fermentation, and that in a very slight degree 

 when added to a solution of sugar in water. The inci- 

 dental circumstauces alluded to, whether the suspending 



