710 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Oct. 



whether to take them up or leave them through the 

 winter where they are, giving them the protect on of a 

 frame. Will you kindly inform him how to proceed ? 

 A Novice. [Take them up and keep them in dry river 

 sand.] 



Transplant i Machines. — Your paper of the 8th ult. 

 contained an article on this subject from * T. C, Tad- 

 caster." From a perusal of this article as well as of 

 that from Mr. Barron (see p. 646), I am induced to 

 offer a few remarks, omitting at the same time the state- 

 ments of both which do not bear directly upon the 

 question at issue. Mr. Barron says u Mr. Cowlishaw, 

 who built the Kingston machine, adopted some trifi ng 

 alteration in trussing the beams," &e. Here there is 

 evidently some tittle mystery which a discerning public 

 will infer to be the improvements alluded to by "T. C." 

 Some other machines have since been built by Mr. 

 Barron ; two of these are quite different from any of 

 the former ones.; but the last, No. 6, is the best. 

 Hence it appe rs that in the early experiments 

 Mr. Barron, though he fully established the ex- 

 cellence of his invention, by no means hit upon the 

 best mode of applying it. This fact alone serves to 

 prove that there were defects in the original machine ; 

 and, in my view of the matter, on these defects the 

 alleged improvements must have been founded. It is, 

 however, evident that Mr. B.'s machine, with its recent 

 improvements, is of equal merit with any other now in 

 use ; but, at the same time, permit me to remark that 

 (his) Mr. Barron's manner of bearing since this subject 

 came under notice is that of one who would seem to 

 say — "I am here alone, and besides me there is none 

 other." The effect of this manner of expression will be 

 to shake people's confidence in his better judgment. 

 ./. It, Berkshire. 



Australian Passiflora. — Pray inform me whether the 

 fruit of this plant is eatable. In Portugal they preserve 

 the fruit of a species of Passion flower, which is much 

 liked ; in the language of the country they call it mara- 

 cuja. A Novice. [We do not think it is eatable, although 

 it does smell like Melons. It is however very handsome.] 



The Papaw (see p. 679). — I am glad to see in your 

 Paper an account of experiments respecting the sup- 

 posed influence of the Papaw on meat. I used often to 

 hear it asserted in the West Indies that meat hung up 

 in the tree became tender in a shorter time than it 

 otherwise would have done, but do not remember having 

 met any one who had tried it sufficiently carefully. I 

 think that there is evidence to induce one to suppose 

 that the mere process of decomposition of animal or 

 vegetable matter has a tendency to promote the growth 

 of adjoining plants independently of the influence of 

 their component parts as manures. May not the growth 

 of a vigorous vegetable, on the other hand, have a 

 tendency to promote decomposition in the dead animal 

 or vegetable matter near it ? I wish also to ask for 

 some information respecting a very ornamental plant, 

 which I have not lately seen, aud should be glad to 

 procure. I used to know it by the name of Fumaria 

 scandens, but I do not know where the name came from. 

 It was a biennial climber, in habit not much unlike the 

 British Corydalis claviculata, but the leaves and whole 

 plant larger, and the flowers very much larger and of a 

 very pale fawn colour. C. W. Strickland, Hildenley. 

 [This plant is now called Adiumia cirrhosa ; and is a 

 native of the United States.] 



Large Gourds. — Has any correspondent seen a Gourd 



I have sent you 



■ 



of the following dimensions 



viz., 5 feet 10 inches 



round, weight 124 lbs., as grown at the gardens of 

 H. S. Thompson, Esq., Kirby Hall, near York ? /. M. 

 [This is not at all remarkable. On the 6th Nov., 1827, 

 specimen was exhibited by Mr. Cresswell weighing 

 136 lbs. ; on the 6th Dec, 1831, another was produced 

 by the Rev. H. Wise, of Leamington, weighing 153 lbs. ; 

 and on the 2lst Oct., 1834, the then gardener of Lord 

 Rodney showed one weighing 212 lbs., and measuring 

 8 feet in circumference.] 



Shdl Rain in the Isle of Wight— Will you kindly 

 favour me with some information respecting the history 

 of the inclosed, which fell in countless numbers during a 

 thunderstorm which passed over Osborne a few days 

 ago. C. Winchester, Osborne. [It is a little landshell, 

 called Zua lubrica, common under stones and among Moss 

 nil over the north of Europe. The shower which fell at 

 Osborne must have been carried by some violent storm. 

 Can any correspondent suggest where the Zua can have 

 been found by the storm insufficient quantity?] 



The Mis-called Cholera Flies. — It may be remem- 

 bered that this time last year I took occasion to combat 

 the prevalent opinion that swarms of Aphides, which 

 had been observed in various places in the early part of 

 the autumn were the precursors and even the origina- 

 tors of the cholera. I find that during the present 

 autumn — although it has pleased the Almighty to avert 

 from us this dreadful scourge — yet the Aphides have 

 been pursuing their ordinary habits, immense swarms of 

 them having been recorded in the local journals as 

 having appeared in various parts of Gloucestershire. 

 This I trust will be considered as completely justifying 

 and confirming my previous remarks, so that we shall 

 hear no more of cholera flies. /. 0. Wes'wood. 



Trenching and Grubbing up an O'd Shrubbery.— An 

 old shrub ry here having been much neglected from 

 want of timely thinning, weeding, &c, it is proposed to 

 root out all except a ee or shrub here and there, and 

 to trench the ground in order to prepare it for planting 

 again with a selection of the recently introduced tree* 

 and shrubs. It will therefore oblige me if any of your 

 correspondents would kindly instruct me as to the 

 depth the ground should be trenched, and at how much 



per square yard the work should be done, including of 

 course the stubbing up of the old shrubs, chiefly Lilacs 



and common Laurels. Colo. 



Seedlings from the Fluke Potatoes.- 

 leaves and flowers of seedling Fluke Potatoes, more as 

 a novelty at this season, than that any good inferences 

 may be drawn from them, but as you may not have seen 

 anything like them so late from the open air for these 

 last 10 years, it may serve to encourage the hops that 

 the period is not far distant when the Potato will grow 

 and ripen as it was wont to do. Seed having been saved 

 from the above-named sort last autumn, the haulm of 

 which remained green upwards of three months after the 

 disease was first seen in the gardens here, the seed 

 was sown in heat early in spring, and the young plants 

 were turned out early in May on a wall border. They 

 are still growing, having withstood the disease with the 

 exception of a few spots, which made their appearance 

 on the 9th of August ; but for the last six weeks the 

 plants have been growing clean and healthy, and have 

 every appearance of yielding a large crop, as some of 

 the stems exceed 5 feet in length. I have some hope 

 that the seedlings may prove even hardier than their 

 parent, and better adapted for resisting the evil. Besides 

 the other good qualities the Fluke possesses, I think it 

 the best to raise seedlings from. /. Webster, Gordon 

 Castle, Fochabers. [The leaves and flowers in question, 

 though a little bruised from travelling, exhibited every 

 appearance of freshness and vigorous health.] 



Cucumber growing. — At p. 693 of last week's Paper, 

 " T. P." says that he has cut from one plant of Sutton's 

 Berkshire Champion Cucumber, 112 feet of fine fruit. 

 Allow me to state that from four plants of Massey's 

 Hybrid Cucumber there have been cut this season 300 

 fine fruit, measuring on an average 14 inches in length 

 each. The above is the earliest and most prolific 

 Cucumber I have seen in cultivation. J. M., Kirby Ball, 

 near York. 



Vine Mildew. — Having a late Vinery (with a flower 

 garden in front of it) which is used for storing plants in 

 during winter and late in spring, I was much troubled 

 for five years with mildew, but this I kept under by 

 means of constant applications of sulphur. I then gave 

 air by the front sashes, as well as by the top ones. For 

 the last three seasons I have never given any air by the 

 front sashes till the Grapes were colouring, and I have 

 not seen a spot of mildew. I have a good crop of well 

 coloured fruit at the present time. It occurred to me 

 that by giving front air, the wind passing over the 

 flowers, such as Verbenas, &c, and then entering the 

 house by the front sashes, spread destruction on every 

 side, for since I have not given front air from the time 

 the Vines are in leaf till the Grapes are colouring, I 

 have not, as I have stated, seen a spot of mildew. James 



Shrimpton, Gardener to A. J. Doxat, Esq., Putney Heath, 

 Surrey. 



Peoph's Park, Sunderland. — Permit me to furnish 

 you with a plan of this so-called park, which has been 

 stated to be unsurpassed by any in England. It lies 

 about half a mile from Sunderland ; and the road to 

 Stockton-on-Tees, which passes through it, divides it 

 into nearly equal parts. On the west side, which com- 

 prises about 6 acres, no trees or shrubs have been 

 planted, nor yet walks formed, but it has been partly 

 levelled and grassed over preparatory to Mr. Smith's 

 operations in laying it out. The east side contains 

 6^ acres (the back and front of quarry), of which 

 4^ acres only are laid out ; and in front of the quarry 

 they were planted with Poplars of sorts, Elm, Ash, 

 Alder, a few Scarlet Thorns, Ribes, and Lilacs, &c. 

 Now, where are the 15 acres laid out ? and let me ask, 

 What is there about this park to make it rank with any 

 public grounds in England ? The errors committed in 

 laving it out, and the bad judgment exhibited in plant- 

 ing it are so glaring, that I leave it to you to say 

 whether " J. S." or " Medicus " are nearest akin to the 

 long-eared gentleman which was tethered in the park. 

 When it is known that this park has cost upwards of 

 2000Z. in its formation, it will at once be evident to a 

 discerning public that more money than judgment has 

 been displayed in the grounds. With respect to Mr. 

 Smith, I know him not ; and in justice to Mr. Lawson, 

 a gardener in Sunderland, who has been set down as 

 the writer of my former statement, allow me to 

 assert ihat he is perfectly innocent of the charge. /. S. 

 [We have received the plan alluded to in this commu- 

 nication. The ground seems to be extremely irregular 

 and uneven, which renders it impossible "to form a 

 correct opinion of the taste or want of taste displayed 

 by the landscape gardener of the corporation, especially 

 as the plan itself is not accompanied by any scale nor 

 drawn so as to give sections of the surface. Judging 

 from the slight evidence before us, we should suppose 

 that the walks are very well traced, that the clumps 

 are ugly, and that the plants selected might have been 



better chosen] " Fortunatus " says this is not 



a park, nor yet a garden, because in June it only 

 contained one bed of Dahlias. An economical old 

 lady might equally object that it was not a garden 

 because it did not contain Cabbages. We are told the 

 walks are carried along the lowest levels. Some of 

 them are, but I wonder what sort of a level that is fro 

 Whieh the town, harbour, and miles of sea and country 

 can be seen. Already there is more than one such 

 walk, and when the south side of the hill is laid out a 

 finer and more extended sea and land view cannot be 

 had in the north. With regard to the laying out of the 

 walks, the formation of the mounds, &e., it is sufficient 

 in reply to state that the Government inspector, 

 Ranger, Esq., on officially surveying the grounds 



hig 



m 



hly approved of all that had bee^^T^ 

 complimented the parties concerned upon 'their' " *? 

 ment and taste. If " Fortunatus," or " J. S " j JU< *" 

 of a hasty evening visit would spend ' ' n8te * rt 



instead 

 some hoo 



in it daily as I did, they would find that the « PodImS 

 include Arbutus, Evergreen Oaks, Laurustinus UmL 



common Laurel, Portugal Laurel, Yews, Rhododendron* 

 Aznleas, &c, &c. In conclusion I would rom* * 

 « J. S." and "Fortunatus" that shrubberies and Tk 

 are not like market gardens, which may be laid out ^d 

 perfected in a season ; years are sometimes required t 

 perfect and bring out their beauties. How improper 

 then from a mere flying visit to a place only b i, r0 cZ 

 of formation to speak of it in the manner they h a 

 done. I know not who your correspondents are but I 

 strongly suspect that their legitimate sphere 'is th 

 kitchen garden ; here they might be much more at home 

 and much better able to criticise than on a piece of 

 landscape gardening. Medicus. 





J^oucts of 23oofc& 



Eight Tears 9 Wanderings in Ceylon. By S. W. Baker 

 Esq. Longman. 8vo, pp. 423, with lithotints and 

 woodcuts. 



It appears that Mr. Baker is resident in Ceylon and 

 that his remarks express the opinions of one capable of 

 forming a correct judgment both of what that fine island 

 is able to produce, and of the wisdom of the measures 

 of the British Government in developing its resources. 

 On neither does he pronounce a favourable judgment* 

 The acts of the government are represented to be feeble 

 and injudicious, and the land is said to be anything 

 rather than the mine of riches which some have reported 

 it to be. 



" The appearance of the latter,'' says the author 

 " has deceived everyone, especially the black soil of the 

 patina, which my bailiff on his first arrival declared to 

 be excellent. Lord Torrington, who is well known as 

 an agriculturist, was equally deceived. He was very 

 confident in the opinion that ' it only required draining 

 to enable it to produce anything. 5 The real fact is 

 that it is far inferior to the forest land, and will not pay 

 for the working. Nevertheless, it is my decided 

 opinion that the generality of the forest land at Newera 

 Ellia and the vicinity is superior to that in other parte 

 of Ceylon. There are necessarily rich lots every now 

 and then in such a large extent as the surface of the 

 low country ; but these lots usually lie on the banks of 

 rivers which have been subjected to inundations, and 

 they are not fair samples of Ceylon soil. A river's 

 bank or a valley's bottom must be tolerably good even 

 in the poorest country. The great proof of the general 

 poverty of Ceylon is shown in the failure of every 

 agricultural experiment in which a rich soil is required. 

 Cinnamon thrives ; but why \ It delights in a soil of 

 quartz sand, in which nothing else will grow. Cocoa- 

 nut trees flourish for the same reason ; sea air, a sandy 

 soil, and a dry subsoil are all that the Cocoa-nut 

 requires. On the other hand, those tropical productions 

 which require a strong soil invariably prove failures, 

 and Sugar, Cotton, Indigo, Hemp, and Tobacco, cannot 

 possibly be cultivated with success. Even on the allu- 

 vial soil upon the banks of rivers, sugar does not pay 

 the proprietor. The only sugar estate in the islam* 

 that can keep its head above water, is the Peredema 

 estate, within four miles of Kandy. This, again, lies 

 upon the bank of the Mahawelli river, and it has also 

 the advantage of a home market for its produce, as it 

 supplies the interior of Ceylon at the rate of 2&. per 

 cwt. upon the spot. Any person who thoroughly 

 understands the practical cultivation of the Sugar-cane 

 can tell the quality of sugar that will be produced by an 

 examination of the soil. I am thoroughly convinced 

 that no soil in Ceylon will produce a sample ot tine 

 straw-coloured, dry, bright, large crystallised sugar. 

 The finest sample ever produced of Ceylon sugar -is * 

 dull grey, and always moist ; requiring a very arg 

 proportion of lime in the manufacture, without W ^ IC 

 could neither be cleansed nor crystallised. ^.^^J 

 cane, to produce fine sugar, requires a rich, stilt, a 

 very dry soil. In Ceylon there is no such *ing f s 

 stiff soil existing. The alluvial soil upon the banks m 

 rivers is adapted for the growth of Cotton and 1 oDacc . 

 but not for the Sugar-cane. In such light and nw 

 alluvial soil the latter will grow to a great size, ana ^ 

 yield a large quantity of juice in which the saccfl ^ 

 meter may stand well ; but the degree of strength ^ 

 dicated will proceed from an immense P r0 P°f U ° J 

 mucilage, which will give much trouble in the c j e *™£ 

 during boiling ; and the sugar produced must he ^ 

 ing in dryness and fine colour. There are 

 rivers in Ceylon whose banks would produce g ^ f 

 Cotton and Tobacco, especially those in the ^^ p 

 Hambantotte and Batticaloa ; such as the ' wa. ^ 

 the 'YaUd river/ the < Koombookanaar, * c -> ifl|gr 

 even here the good soil is very limited, tying on ^ 

 bank for only a quarter of a mile in width. t 



tion to this, the unhealthiness of the climate is so k 

 that I am convinced that no European const d 

 could withstand it. Even the natives are deci ^ 

 at certain seasons by the most virulent lev 



dysentery." , . Cey \on 



" In fact, nothing will permanently succeed ! ^ < ioD 

 soil without abundance of manure, with the e j^g 

 of Cinnamon and Cocoa nuts. Even the na J** e J^nioii 

 will not produce a tolerable sample of the c ^ ^ 

 -weet Potato without manure, a positive proo A 

 general poverty of the soil." * 



