

58-3">l-] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



597 



/*»<* 



They 



Its height 



I 



r- uu aTnong~aTl considerate proprietors and 

 h0 P c Systematic * pruning" is now prohibited. 



J**** Early in February I chose a part of the j 



" oil is very light, l ' r '"'" 



'"TLi of farm-yard manure 

 IT *nS)« 2 feet apart and 6 i 

 0U rf*v strongly, and I drew the sod up to their 

 U rotect them from frost. The first week in 

 /observed that disease was making its ap- 

 *"5°*L " ine points of the leaves. As the tubers 

 Pf*!!ed their fall size, and were all but ripe, I had 

 ifwpulled up, leaving the Potatoes in the ground, 

 Lj I have as fine a crop of clean sizeable Potatoes 

 \e could wish for, without the least symptoms of 

 **° w jjj| e many in this neighbourhood have lost 



fir crop. J. Bust, Enfield, Sept. 10 



mean Aloe. — A fine specimen of the striped 

 %S :nerican Aloe is now in flower here. 

 I^iet, an d it has upwards of 1200 flowers on it. 

 £f e that the plant is between 80 and 90 years old. 

 iTibeen in the possession of Sir T. G. Cuilum, Bart., 

 1L}4 years. Thomas Smy, Hardwiclc Gardens, Bury 



Edmunds. 



i Vitality of Seeds is a subject that ought to engage 

 Attention of the geologist as well as the botanist, for 

 if , v were to turn their mind that way, I think they 

 f( J find almost every soil of recent formation con- 

 Hi some seeds peculiar to it. I have come to this 

 niusion by observing the vegetation of plants in soil 

 light from a considerable depth, and exposed to the 

 Kjnon influence of our world, under which vegetables 

 fc I imagine that if I were to send you a quantity 

 I soil from the neighbourhood of Stirling, 



aiou^h it was dug several feet under the old Roman 

 pd, you would obtain a crop of Charlock (Sinapis 

 jensis). In another locality I have met with the 

 Jjidium arvense, in soil that was newly turned up ; 

 frrew for a year or two, and has never made its ap- 

 tranee since, nor was it seen at least for several years 

 >re the soil was turned up. There are also some kinds 

 peat, when brought to the surface, which are sure to 

 roduce a crop of Knot-grass and Sorrel. Other plants 

 ay be found occasionally, but there are others we are 

 hnost sure of at all times. The stomach of man will 

 lot kill the life of the seed of the Raspberry in every 

 i9e. Some years ago a lime-work was opened in a 

 •oorland district of the country, where plants of the 

 jirden were never cultivated in the memory of man, 

 ret in a small wood adjoining there was seen a nursery 

 i Raspberry, Currant, and Gooseberry bushes, in all 

 probability planted by man after the seeds had been in 

 Ids stomach. It is the duty and privilege often of 

 pfcilosopbers to dispel the mists of ignorance from the 

 world in which they live, but they sometimes overshoot 

 Ibe mark, and meet with signal defeats while they 

 «deavour to clear up u popular delusions." You know 

 Iteming over to America was set down as a popular 

 ddosion by some mathematicians, and the science of calcu- 

 lation was brought in to show the impossibility of it, and 

 jet one of them lived long enough to see it done experimen- 

 tally. The i; Penny Cyclopaedia " tells us that the history 

 of aerolites affords a most useful lesson how cautious we 



■ 



ought to be not to reject too hastily the narratives either 

 of early authors or of living witnesses, however extraor- 

 dinary they may be, solely on the ground that they are 

 inconsistent with our experience of the laws of Nature, 

 ^hen the official notice from the local authorities of the 

 ibower of stones at L'Aigle, in Normandy, in 1 803, was 

 received at Paris, it afforded a subject of merriment to 

 «e wits of that day, and the newspapers expressed their 

 compassion for the good people of L'Aigle, who were 



governed by a mayor so silly as to give credit to such 

 Bonsense * - - - ... 



more especially in the North Riding. I have seen both , 

 in this neighbourhood this year, and in very hot suinme 

 they may be found in great numbers. 1 have met with 

 two hornets' nests this season, and 1 am sorry that 1 

 cannot corroborate * T. S.'s" remark with regard to 

 wasps; for with us they are very plentiful, and are doing 

 great injury to wall fruit. M. W. Whitley, fijtf"., York. 



Eats, — How effectually to destroy. — At page 552, occur 

 some remarks having reference to this subject, that have 

 caused us to receive an influx of letters and communi- 

 cations perfectly alarming. We had hoped, after the 

 lengthened discussions which have appeared in this 

 Paper, that the grand panacea for the destruction of 

 the enemy was well known, — its efficacy undisputed. It 

 would however appear that this is not the case. At all 

 events, the subject having for some time slumbered, the 

 remedy seems to have been forgotten. The name of the 

 agent employed for killing these vermin is carbonate of 

 barytes. The best place to purchase it, is at Dymond's, 

 in Holborn. All chemists do not sell it. It must be 

 the powdered barytes ; and the commoner the better, 

 for the purified article is ineffective as well as costly. 

 A little of this must be inserted in the stomach of a 

 fresh herring, or a soft bloater, and the whole manipu- 

 lation must be performed with apiece of thin wood. The 

 human hand must be dispensed with alt ;ether, or 

 sinister dealings will be suspected. Your train being 

 laid, a few minutes will decide the matter : 



ever since, and 1 have never had a 



a 



Mome 



Quid enim ? concurritur : hora 



If the latter, and the enemy triumph by their cunning 

 (which, if you act with judgment, can hardly be the cai ), 

 all future measures of this kind will be futile. It would 

 be quite impracticable, and indeed unnecessary, to reca- 

 pitulate here all that has before been so fully discussed. 

 By reference to the Gardeners' Chronicle of January 12, 

 February 9, and March 1 6, 1 850, the desired information 

 will be readily obtained ; and if the principle of action 

 therein recommended be fully carried out, the destruc- 

 tion of the enemv is certain. All I would add is — the 



ity that exists for caution in the manner of dis- 

 tributing and preparing the weapons of war. The 

 astuteness of the animal to be destroyed ; his instinct, 

 removed hardly one degree from reason ; and his 

 extreme wariness, — must be kept prominently in 

 view. If he has cause, however slight, to suspect 

 treachery, farewell to all success with the schemes 

 that may have been concocted for his ruin ! Your 

 measures must be well taken, and acted upon promptly. 

 Under no circumstances whatever must you be making 

 any ostensible preparations. Anything out of the usual 

 way would cause the intended victims to " smell a rat," 

 and you would be at once foiled in all your stratagems. 

 Do all in this way, that has to be done, with closed 

 doors ; and distribute your little offerings of friendship 

 over the garden with an apparent absence of all design. 

 Thus alone can you hope to triumph. As I have myself, 

 in times gone by, been so truly awful a sufferer by the 

 depredations of these vermin, my sincerity will hardly 

 be doubted when I bid God-speed to the exertions 

 of the intending crusaders in this righteous war. Let it 

 be u war to the knife 1" say I,— " and may Heaven defend 

 the right ! !" IF. Kidd, Hammersmith, Sept. 5. 



Gardeners' Troubles.— The following is a verbatim 

 copy of a letter we have just received, and which we 

 submit to the consideration of our readers :— " Fearing 

 within a few days I may be in a dilemma, and knowing 

 you to be a friend to our profession, and more par- 

 ticularly when deserving your support, I apply to you. 

 I have just acted as a judge at Maidstone Flower Show, 

 and it may happen my judgment may be called in 

 question, or at any rate may open persons' eyes, and 

 raise curiosity to gain a sight of my garden. I must, 

 therefore, deal candid with you, and thereby get 



CuthiWi plan of y iving Potatoes. — About three or 

 four years ago you had a notice of this plan of managing 

 Potatoes in your Paper, which induced me to try the 

 -vstem. I set about measuring the land intended to be 

 planted, in the autumn, and to select the sets required for 

 planting. Having plenty of loft room, well supplied 

 with light, I placed my sets regularly above the floors, 

 with the eye end upwards. They remained there until 

 the beginning of the following March, by which time 

 they had made bold stout eyes, some of them as large 

 as the top of my finger. The tubers were then planted 

 according to Mr. Cuthill'a plan, and a more^ healthy 

 and better crop I never saw. I have continued to 

 prepare as many sets as I have had room for 



diseased cuber 



. those prepared in the manner alluded to. Mr. 



Whiting is quite mistaken in regard to rubbing off 

 the sprouts before they get long enough to abstract 

 nutriment from the tubers. They are suffered to 

 sprout as little as possible, in order that they may 



thereby shoot forth more vigorously when planted, and 

 produce an early and healthy crop prior to the usual 

 time in which the disease makes its appearance. I 

 purchased Mr. C.'s pamphlet after the first year's trial, 

 and 1 found it to contain many useful hints which every 

 gardener ought to put himself in possession of. />. I hler 9 

 gardener, Arltbury, Alre&ford. 



Hedera Ji<t?/neviana. — Permit me to refer to (he 

 notice of Messrs. Veitch's new plants, at page 579, and 

 do justice to lledcra Roegneriana, by ranking it as'a 

 species and not as a home-raised variety. The Imperial 

 Botanic Garden of St Petershurgh and Mikita dis- 

 tributed it with other plants indigenous to the Caucasus. 

 /. N. //., Edinburgh. [We cannot find this Hfflcra 

 mentioned in any work on systematic botany ; and we 

 should be very much obliged to you for further infor- 

 mation. Where is it described ?] 



J/unfs Handbook to the Official Catalogues of the Great 

 Exhibition. 2 vols, small 8vo. London : Spicer and 



Clowes. , , 



It would have been a great advantage to the visitors 



to the Crystal Palace, if this excellent guide had b< i 

 ready when the Exhibition first opened. The difficulties 

 attendant upon the operation having rendered that 

 impossible, we may, at least, congratulate the public 

 upon the completion of the work before the close of 

 the stupendous undertaking. There arc still three 

 weeks in which Mr. Hunt's remarks may be profitably 

 studied ; and when the Exhibition has finally closed, his 

 terse and instructive pages will form one of the best 

 records of what it contained. 



We learn from the preface to the second volume that, 

 in the multifarious subjects treated of in these volumes, 

 Mr. Hunt has received important assistance, Professor 

 Forbes having taken in hand the vegetable and animal 

 kingdoms, Professor Wilson the agricultural implement^ 

 Mr! Joshua Trimmer agricultural produce, Professor 

 Gordon machinery, Capt. James military engineering 

 and arms, and many other subjects having been spe- 

 cially written by very competent persons. This gives 

 great value to the work, and renders it an indispensable 

 companion to the Illustrated Catalogue and the jurors' 

 reports. A few examples will show how the editor and 

 contributors have fulfilled their tasks. 



"Pumps.— There are several centrifugal pumps which, 

 from the splash they make, attract the attention of every 

 one. They are termed centrifugal pumps, but centri- 

 petal pumps would be more appropriate, for the water 

 goes from the outside to the inside, or centre, of the 

 h^ttniwiless bucketed wheels which form the forcing m- 



jet, by a series of observations and experiments, not your candid answer, for my knowledge in the pro- 

 only was the truth of the recent occurrences established, fession is very limited, as will be soon seen in my 



„ w m m >■ m mm r- - - j 



„ 'as the truth of the recent occurrences established, 

 otjt instances recorded by the writers of past times, 

 *hich had been rejected as the delusion of a credulous 

 «^Jignorant age, received so high a degree of proba- 

 touty as to entitle them to be classed among the authen- 

 tic documents of past events in the physical history of 

 be earth. I am of opinion that the unbelievers in the 

 doctrines of aerolites would have had the infidelity 

 locked out of their heads had they got a shower of the 

 meteoric stones about their ears which I saw the other 



uV m the - British Museum. They would have felt to 

 ten? experience that seeing is believing, and feeling is 

 me naked truth. Peter Mackenzie, West Plean. 



wV l! ■ ° a6 Gras * °f lndia »— Mi g ht not this Grass, 

 fticn is one of the commonest and most beautiful in the 



^fst Indies, be imported into this country with great 



vantage, as a sole component in the laying down of 



nati? 3 i an( * k e P* grounds ? In its native country, a 

 natural velvety carpet, of the most beautiful texture, i 

 JJY speedily formed, by merely chopping it in pieces, 

 ^strewing it over the ground prepared for the pur- 



j**^ which, in an incredibly short space of time, is 

 covered wif' " — 



I**haps be 

 dimate ? 1 



,i . A ■•**■ «ui aware max il uua utrun uicu , uui x 



uld certainly regard it as worthy of consideration as 

 ^ a ? riCul tural Grass, as there is little doubt about its 

 PfcV nf 9 ua hties, considered as the food of animals. 

 Hi^Ti.7 !f/ Sept. 8. [If our correspondent will consult 



These ' centrifugal pumps' are, in 



• - They 



is 



The question would 

 would it be sufficiently hardy for our 



^mi r > s "Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis," p. 292, 

 *dl find that this plant, Cynodon Dactylon, has been 

 ^y Wed, and found unsuited to Great Britain.] 

 '" and Hornets in Yorkshire (see p. 566.) — Your 



CAY, «~'»w it'ji ntw in jLVTKsmrc ^acc p. jui 



g^Ppndent, "T. S.," is perfectly correct in stating 

 swifts and hornets are to be met with in Yorkshire 



warden, as the Red Spider, as they tell me, destroying 

 all my crops, but I have fortunately got a neigh- 

 bour who has spared me a few Melons ; and my green- 

 house plants wither and die off as 1 think from improper 

 soil, and indeed I have not now it is summer, a single 

 plant in it, or Combs, or Balsams, or Achimineas. Now 

 do you hold with giving water to bedding plants ! 

 for mine are dead before the late showers ; and my 

 Roses, Dwarf and Standards, look queer (all) say 250 

 sorts, only because I cut them with shears. And last 

 winter I cut down a Laurel hedge with a saw and hatchet, 

 1 and now it is horrid ugly, as the saw cuts are all turned 

 black, and the wounds of the hatchet gape open and 

 crack, and many stools dead. In fact, 1 must say the 

 warden is not like the same place since I first came, and 

 my late mistress, being no more, who did not mind 

 spending \bl. or 201!., I fear my master will marry again, 

 and I may have then a mistress who knows more about 

 gardening, and lose my place, or some of the curious 

 may now come and call here. Will you please 

 say how, and give instruction, that I may keep 

 it, and avoid exposure, either for myself or the 

 nurseryman who got it for me? I confess I do 

 not know fruits, say Pears, as they seem all alike to 

 me ; and what is meant by succulent plants ; and please 

 describe colours of flowers, and how to propagate them. 

 I amfiiendly with many gardeners, and hope to gain 

 knowledge, but I hear behind my back they laugh, and 

 wonder how I have kept my place so long. And our old 

 cook is always grumbling, that she cannot have what 

 vegetables she wants, and yet I get lots of Cabbages 

 given me bv cottagers. I could ask and say much more, 

 but I will write again when vou have answered this to 

 correspondents. A" 



strument or pump, 

 fact, inverted turbines — inn 



produce a very low useful effect, and are only conve- 

 nient for special application. The Archimedean screw, 

 properly constructed, is the best * pump ' for raising a 

 large quantity of water through a small height, as for 

 engineering purposes, in clearing foundations, &c. ; and 

 the solid plunger-pump is the best for raising water to 

 great height, as in mining and in numerous other cases. 



« Corks.— The Hollow Corks and Combination Stop- 

 pert of the same exhibitor are constructed for bottles 

 having a peculiar neck; a ring of cork fits into 

 this, in which is placed a glass or stone-ware stopper. 

 The principle of stopping or closing the orifices of 

 bottles or other vessels with the substance so well known 

 and so universally approved as cork is well understood. 

 Nevertheless, the present method of its application is 

 open to many objections, the enumeration ot which will 

 ! serve to illustrate the superior advantages that the 

 new invention and application of hollow corks present ; 

 and as a superior effect is produced, and no new 

 material used, their introduction is not calculated to 

 excite any antipathy on the part of those persons 

 who are in favour of the present or solid corks. 

 The application of hollow corks in reality improves 

 upon the principle of applying solid corks, and it is 

 hoped ; that their superiority will remove the disadvan- 

 tages which have hitherto existed ; among which, it 

 will be remembered, that the solid corks are often diffi- 

 cult to extract, and, when pierced with a corkscrew, if 

 only a portion of the contents is required, are with diiii- 

 culty reinserted, made liable to leak, and no longer 

 effectually exclude the air ; in the act of drawing with a 

 corkscrew, they often break in many pieces, and as the 

 fissures in all cork contain dust, its presence and flavour 

 are a disagreeable addition to the contents of the bottle. 

 « Canadian Agricultural Produce. — But though 



