52 



1851. J 



THE 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



to be 

 and the instinctive knowledge of this fact 



It is said — 



To 



n7oce the saying, •cunning as a fox.' We see 

 a reason n here, but very much animal sagacity. 

 The Hark is an animal born, f fated * if yon will, 



kaunts the poor creature day and night, it is 

 and truly, we believe — to sleep with its eyes open, 

 compensate for this, it is endowed with large, projecting 

 eves the conformation of which enables it to see equally 

 trell behind, before, and on either side of it ; so that it 

 has often timely notice to escape the very many threat- 

 ened dangers by which it is encompassed. Still it ever 

 lives in bodily fear. We often wonder at the brutality 

 of man — lord of the Creation ! — who revels so luxuri- 

 ously in the tortures he inflicts upon this poor, helpless, 

 harmless animal. In this instance, if we see little 

 « reason ,T in the pursued, we see even less in the pur- 



total 



amount less than No. 1. No. 3 has 

 an amount equal to No. 2 ; nearlv all 



produced cates the »toi k 



have been ness " 



ot 



I have 



whose rt 



be dwelt 



to be p 



matured for some days evidently exceeding all the othere I deT oSiJ^^S ' sublet TYe ostrich, 

 m this respect. No. 4 has exhibited the greatest number ' * ' 



| of very large Melons, but has not equalled No. 1 in pro- 

 ductiveness. No. 5 : The produce lias been intermediate 

 between 1 and 4 as to size ; between 2 and 3 as to pro- 

 ductiveness. It would seem, therefore, that the produce 



from the superphosphate of lime and sulphate of I extreme lv large and hew, .he would bimk her" era' 

 potash excelled in s,ze, quantify, and lateness; that if she wWto sit upon U em lite olbeMttrfi & 

 from muck neutralised by potash, in the early * 



t vceeaive food* 

 Ited Aiexan- 



* IIUU) 



arches and inquiri* are too iwrfl known to 



upon. He aajra,— • the etinch is mmde the 



symbol of cruelty and forgetfulnett. We are fetid 



of it, that it lays its eggs upon the prouad, hides 



them under the sand, and tiu $u* hatch* tkm~ Bei ng 



suer. There certainly is more than ' a dash ' of the 

 savage in our composition ! 



The Cat is a domestic animal with whose habits we 

 are all familiar. Anecdotes of the race — some of them 

 true, more of them false — abound. They are sagacious 

 and cunning, but assuredly not reasonable creatures. If 

 you take away their kittens, they will suckle a rat, a 

 rabbit, a puppy, or indeed any other animal that may be 

 put to them. They are strongly attached to the house 

 of their birth, and have been known by a remarkable 

 instinct to travel to almost incredible distances. Beyond 

 this, we need inquire no further. 



Of the Dog we can all be eloquent ; and I could relate 

 "true anecdotes" of some of my canine favourites that 

 would hardly be credited. Still, with all my success in 

 teaching dogs to do marvellous things, / never could 

 teach them that when they jumped up with dirty feet 

 there was an injury done to my clothes. When they 

 obeyed the command of u Down, sir ! n sometimes en- 

 forced by a gentle coup de main, they never could 

 reason about the * why and because.' Nor have I ever 

 yet met with any dog, or ever heard of any dog, that 

 could be "argued with" on these moral proprieties 

 and observances. Talking of the memory of dogs—one 

 of mine, < Dash ' by name, was once stolen from me. 

 After being absent 13 months, he one day entered my 

 office in town, with a long string tied round his neck. He 

 liad broken away from the fellow who held him prisoner. 

 Our meeting may be imagined. I discovered the thief ; 

 had him apprehended, and took him before a magistrate. 

 He swore the dog was his, and called witnesses to bear 

 him out. " Mr. Kidd," said Mr. Twyford— I see him 



addressing me, "Can you give us any satisfactory 

 proof of this dog being your property \ 91 Placing my 

 mouth to the dog's ear, first giving him a knowing look, 

 and whispering a little masonic communication, known 

 to us two only, J Dash ' immediately reared up on his 

 hind legs, and went through a series of gymnastic 

 uaanoeuvres with a stick, guided meanwhile by my eye, 

 which set the whole Court in a roar. My evidence 

 needed no further corroboration ; the thief stood com- 

 mitted ; 'Dash ' was liberated ; and amidst the cheers 

 of the multitude we bounded merrily homewards. The 

 reunion among my c household gods ' may be imagined. 

 It would be farcical to relate it ; nor must I dwell upon 

 certain other rare excellences of this same dog ; with 

 whom, and his equally sagacious better half, c Fanny,' I 

 passed many years of happy intimacy. — I did intend to 

 speak of the Geometric Spider, and of the truly mar- 

 vellous sagacity of the White Ants, or termites, which 

 abound in, the tropics ; but these matters will bear 

 keeping. 



Before closing this our final Chapter ou "Instinct 

 and Reason," let us here assist in immortalising the 

 remark of Coleridge on the bounties of the Creator : 

 " In wonder," exclaims he, u all philosophy began ; in 

 wonder it ends ; and admiration fills up the interspace. 

 But the first wonder is the offspring of ignorance ; the 

 last is the parent of adoration." I must to this just add, 

 with a view of reverentially closing the "good Old 

 year " — * 1881"— Gloria Deo in excelsis / William Kidd. 



in 



maturing of the entire crop -/that from ashes and 

 the unmanured bed, in the size of select specimens, 

 their productiveness being inferior to No. 1. Dr. 

 Hull, himself, preferred the flavour of those grown 

 in Nos. 1 and 3, where superphosphate of lime, and sul- 

 phate of potash, and the humate or gyate of potash 

 exercised their specific influence. Mr. Downiug on this 

 point states, that the flavour was very distinct in the 

 different beds, the produce of the burnt turf being to 

 his taste the most sugary and rich, that of the super- 

 phosphate the most juicy and melting. 18.50.— Holes 

 were dug in 2 feet trenched ground, and hills formed 

 by the addition of sand, old manure, &c. The beds 

 were manured with the following substances : 

 Potash in muck : 



therefore hides them in the sand, watches them, and 

 hatches tjiem,— as it were, vuth her eye. The uje and 

 female stay with thera alternately, and whilst on* of 

 them goes to * { its provision, the other doea net leave 



sight of them. However, if either of them bould le 



drir 



If. Kidd, N* &**,//■ 



lime mixture 

 stated thus 



now 



-No.], 



2, Ashes in muck ; 3, Burned turf ; 

 4, Superphosphate of lime ; 6, the same with sulphate 

 of potash ; 6, Sulphate of soda in muck ; 7, Salt and 



; 8, Poudrette. The results are briefly 

 the Melons fed by humate of potash ex- 

 ceeded in number, size, and flavour; those by poudrette 

 equalled these in number nnd s ze ; th«se by super- 

 phosphate of lime, and lime and sulphate of potash 

 equalled the first in flavour, and approached the two 

 foregoing in size. 1851. — The experiments were again 

 repeated, but owing to illness, the results were nut so 

 accurately stated. Dr. Hull's gardener, however, ga^« 

 a decided preference to the produce of the beds modified 

 by preparations of potash and superphosphate of lime. 

 Mr. Downing mentions Dr. Hull's success as surpassing 

 all precedent in America. From a plot, 40 teet by 180 

 feet, the enormous number of sixteen hundred Melons 

 was produced. T. Moore, Chelsea. 



Nymphcea. — In the first days of September, Nymph 

 ceerulea threw up a flower- bud in my pond; but it 

 never succeeded in expanding its petals. It has another 

 bud now under the water, which of course can come 

 to nothing, unless indeed it could live through the 



winter. A. H. We beg to inform you that I\\ mphiea 



caerulea is in full flower in our open heated pond. 

 /. Weeks and Co., Kinys-road Nursery, Chelsea, Dec. 19. 



Gardens in Cornwall. — Though we often hear of the 

 wonderful climate in Cornwall, we hear but little of the 

 gardens of that part of England, 

 be interesting to many of y<>nr 



western gentlemen would gift accounts of the beet 

 among the gardens in the county ; we hear often of the 

 fine evergreen Oaks scattered apparently throughout 

 the west, of great age and large size, but we should like 

 to hear something definite, as they may possibly lie 

 inferior to those in Goodwood Park, and also with 

 regard to the shrubs and plants said to prove hardy 



far west, which are supposed to be tendrr 

 other parts of England ; for if Khododen- 



Acacia affinis, Melianthus 



other plants 



which' have failed in~the more eastern part of the 

 kingdom really arrived at anything like perfection, 

 the western gardens must be worth a journey to see ; 

 but we are at present in ignorance which gardens to 

 choose, in order that we may see the best thing- : 1 

 have no doubt but that the travellers of Messrs. Lucombe 



in the 



in the other parts 



dron arboreum (true), 



major, Benthamia fragifera, and many 



away, or go too far from their nest, they oonli 



not find their eggs agai And it is probal \%%f he 

 adds, 'that has given occasion > what is said of t! r 

 cruelty and forge tfulness. 

 mersmith, Dec. 19. 



Ths Lucombe (hk. — This is classed among the varieties 

 ofQuerau Carrie, or mossv-cupped Oak, h> Loudon's 



u Arboretum Britannicum, where it is Mated to bear 

 so close a resemblance to the Fulham Oak as scarcely 

 to be worth keeping distinct. Be t * as »t may, it s 

 unquestionably a very handnome, fret growing, sub- 

 evergreen tree, attaining a lam sift in rftoatioea 

 favourable toils growth, and prod g a wr\ at ri king 

 effect during the inter months, when meat r trees 



are deprived <>f their foliaga, Tl>< ? n»e fine 



sp« imensofil al thin place, growing on a sloping part 



of the park eastward of the house, whrre tb* >1 i* 

 friable loam resting on a dry, hard, clayey subsoil, and 

 where the tree* are to Some extent protected b\ large 

 ycamore and r.lms from tin »tting north weal winds, 

 which prove so destructive to vegetation this pert i f 

 the kingdom. The group consists of 10 fr» < the 



largest of which mensurci 9 feet 3 inches in rtrth at 



4 feet from the proundL and has an I Mem irom 45 



to />0 feet high, fur: died with mime US Wprw ig 

 branches. Its In hi altogether in about '0 fc« t, and the 

 diameter «-f the <■ < w red by Its branches i« 20 



yards. The other trees are all i ; he nam* hi if hi 

 "but vary in girth from 8 feel S in chat to 7 fort 4 in< ) <*, 



which is the smallest in the rroup. To persons resid- 

 ing in the midland counties where large trees are 

 more common than in Cornwall, the above dimensions 

 will probably not be considered anything vety remark- 

 able; but in so far a* they have r« U renc< te the 

 Lncombe Oek, I think; they are worth dlf t wars 

 it only for the sake of bringing this noble pub <\n green 

 tree under the notice of the plan r, and thereby leading 

 to its more ft pi* t ititi luetlon near a resl nee, 



I think that it would % * where it i^ certain to piwn higjhty orna mental, H fol- 

 ders if some of the | ficicnt room \n allowed for it to spread. From a tree 



which was rut down some year* ago. I a^ecrtain \ the 

 wood to be vi rv clean grained, and beautifully marked 



when sawn np Into plank. It was one o{ the first 

 planted h< . and considered to be about 7 fi years old. 



Wm. / Boot I' • ' >r. 



ClarV$ P pnra >n for killing Mealy Btt<f.~ It is 



generallv admitted that this is the greatest ]*at which a 

 gardener has to deal with. 1 have tried various things 

 recommended for its destruction, but 1 always found 





that when they killed the insect they alt© injured the plant 

 This, however, does not apply to Mr. Clark's exeallent 

 preparation, which I have found to l>e an efl u&l 

 remedy, without harming in the least the plant. J. Kutt, 



Home Correspondence. 



Special Inorganic Manures for Melons.— -The following 

 hints, taken from the experience of Dr. Hull, of New- 

 burgh, New York, may be acceptable to English culti- 

 vators. They are abstracted from Mr. Downing's 

 " Horticulturist/' For three consecutive years, namely 

 in 1849, 1850, and 1851, Dr. Hull has been making 

 experiments with specific inorganic manures, in regard 

 to their influence on the size, productiveness, and flavour 



]849 —It appears that the soil about New- 

 burgh is naturally clay loam, lying upon "hard pan." 

 The site selected for the experiments was trenched 

 3 feet deep, the strata incorporated, and well rotted 

 horse manure freely distributed through the whole 

 mass, 

 soil was 



Mr. Lindley, in his *Gmdeto the ( 'rchard," 



iftnn< . lag I that it 



and Pince and Messrs Veitch would giffc the clearest 

 information ; and as the West is proverbial for hos- 

 pitality, I have no doubt that a stranger would be allowed 

 to feast his eyes. C. B. 9 ChidtfMtr. 



The Ostrich.— I am not surprised at my comment on 

 the Ostrich, at p. 740, having attracted attention ; for 1 

 find, on inquiry, that the habits of the bird are by no 

 means well known ; and that hardly any two persons 

 are agreed upon the subject ! 1 would not for an instant 

 venture, nor presume to doubt, the correctness of your 

 correspondent "Observator f but his, I believe, differs j the blossom 

 so very widely from all literary authorities, that one | part, and however 



almost feels inclined to question whether the bird 



1 have received 



EnfirUi. 

 Ch errkt.- 



in describing Hunt's Uite Tawny N 

 originate! from anotli. r Nectarine (Hunt's small 1 awny), 

 but not through a seminal proOMa. He saya that Mr. 

 Knight dos-cril*J a Mayduke Cherry wl h on ■ of 

 its branches had oblong 'fruit, which ripened later, and 

 were of gtmter weigh t than tho«e of any other part of 

 the tree. 1 'am induced to quote this, because I hav# 



which exhibit the M«ne pf-cu- 



and in one 



two Ma\ hike Cherries 

 liaritv :*tho trees grow nuainst a pouth wall, 

 ihc sport is confined to a smal),hori7 ;tat branch, but 

 in the other the leading shoot, which now forms one- 

 half f the tree, oxhi! % the «ame peculiarity; 



is a fortnight later than the other 



favourabl the weather may 



cf Melons. 



disputed about be one and the same. 



a private letter from a very clever man, who tells me 



that theinstinctof the ostrich isremarkable. Immediately 



on the parent dropping her eggs, and covering them 



in the sand, she lavs yet another egg at some little 



distance,— after first breaking the extreme end, so as to 



admit the air. By this ingenious manoeuvre, the heat 



Hills 6 inche's high were raised," in which the of the sun soon causes the egg to P«trefy,i «J » Jostot 



lightened by fine sand, and these were distin- maggots are produced in readiness for the joung to feed 



s ' - " 'on when hatched. Another thing is disputed bj natu- 



bl< -> >m, there is n«*«r 



Burned turf 



No. 3, Muck neutralised by potash ; 

 No. 5, No mineral addition. The 



The kind of 



No. 4, Ashes ; No. 5, 



beds were mulched with long litter. 



Melon grown was the Nutmeg ; on the 14th September 



No. 1 exhibited the greatest number of large Melons ; 



Nos. 2 and 3 were the earliest to offer ripe fruit, No. 5 



the latest, No. 2 produced Melons grouped in beautiful 



clusters, more numerous for the space covered than the 



Others ; Nos. 3 and 4 gave larger samples than the 



ethers. Note, 28th of September : No. 1 has afforded 



the largest amount of Melons of full size, and contains 



most at present matured and maturing. No. 2 : The I _ . 



dusters have been closer than either of the others, the J young ones ; for the Hebrew 



perform the duties of incubation. To me it appears 

 incredible. I am well aware that it is polygamous, like 

 our domestic fowls, and that it lays many eggs in the 

 same nest -merely a hole in the sand whose heat pre- 

 serves the vital warmth necewary for hashing ; but 

 '< Observator " must not think me rude if I say that l 

 cannot at present understand how they contrive to sit 

 without breaking their eggs. I will diligently inquire, 

 till I get further corroborative proof that we both are 

 talking about the same bird. If the rfef* be the bird I 

 can well understand the prevalent affection (Iropyi}), 



be when this plant is in , 



more than a tithe of a crop. This baa now continued 

 ,r so many years, that 1 feel strongly tempted to cut 

 it this offending branch ; but I have gone on hoping 

 that aomc year, when the frost destroy* the other 

 blowoms, I mav get a crop from this part of th< tree 

 (which i« 30 feet high), but so far 1 have been always 

 disappointed. The few Cherries which are produced on 

 his part of the tree are fully a fortnight lau* than the 

 other*, and they are very fine and od flavoured ; but 

 I must acknowledge that I don't admire those rery fine 

 sorts of fruit from which I nefW gather a crsp. l was 

 foolish enough to try to grow Peacl.es for ^J 

 in that time 1 certainly never gathered! good I e*che« 

 whereas, if the same extent of good wall had been .covered 

 W ith Capiaumont and Beurr* Ranee P-«, I should 

 have gathered thousands of fruits of much better quah ty. 

 Would you recommend me to cut this part of the tree 

 away 1 I don't admire cutting on" lai-p- branch* from 

 either Plum or Cherry trees, on account of the gum 

 I t I don't like to cover a large extent of wall w . h a 

 tree which gives me no fruit. T. 0. ; Chthtrce. There 

 s no probability of the objectionable branch behavmg 

 betJ Its peculiarities are e0-.Utut.onal, fi*ed, and 



ES^^^KT^^^'S \±^VSS?3^JSi^ — -i 























