TEE GARDENERS' CERONIGLE. 



217 



only a very small space ; it is best to sow on a south 

 border, as "the plants left in the seed bed will often 

 survive the winter, and be found very useful for 

 tilling up vacancies. 



Early Potatos. — The Potato disPase is spreading 

 among these, and any Ashleafs that are now undug 

 should be taken up on a dry day, and after 

 being dried should be stored in small lots in a 

 cool place, covering them so as to exclude the light. 

 Tubers kept for planting should be spread out thinly 

 in a dry and well ventilated frost-proof shed. W. H. 

 Divers, Kctton Hall, Stamford. 



Home Correspondence. 



GRAPES IN BAD CONDITION. — I send for your 

 inspection a bunch of Muscat of Alexandria and 

 one of Madresfield Court Grapes. Since I took 

 charge three years ago the Vines have been very 

 much subject to both shanking and scalding. Two 

 years ago I determined to see what the border was 

 like, so I took away the old soil down to about 

 9} feet, when I came to a few roots in a very un- 

 satisfactory condition, having entered into a sour 

 ongenial soil. Before beginning at the border I had 

 ready a suitable compost of good turfy loam, well- 

 decayed manure, and lime rubbish, and having got 

 down below most of the roots, I bedded in this 

 material, and gave the Vines a good mulching of 

 well-decayed manure. The inside border being 

 served in the same way, they were started very gently 

 on March 1, came away very slowly, and made sickly 

 growth, showed few bunches at the colouring stage, 

 and shanked very badly. Seeing the old canes were 

 to be a failure, I encouraged young ones from the 

 bottom of each Vine, which made excellent growth 

 to the top of the house. At pruning time they 

 were cut down to within 3.} feet from the bottom. 

 Previous to starting last spring I made an examina- 

 tion of the border outside, and found it full of 

 healthy young roots, and giving it a good mulching 

 I proceeded to the inside border, and found it in the 

 same condition ; having given it a good top-dressing I 

 left both, thinking they were all right. They were 

 started at the same time as they had been the 

 previous season. The old Vines made sickly growth 

 as usual, but the young ones made luxuriant 

 growth as they had done the previous season. 

 The old canes never showed a bunch, but the 

 young Vines produced excellent bunches, but set 

 badly, the temperature at the time being kept 

 from 70° — 72°, with a little air on night and 

 <lay ; since then the glass has never been much 

 below 70°, with plenty of air on all favourable occa- 

 sions. Now, seeing that the young Vines are making 

 such fine growth, and yet shank fully as badly as 

 did the old Vines, I fail to understand the reason. 

 The old Vines will be cut away next spring, to be 

 replaced by the young canes. They were at first 

 planted at 3£ feet apart, but by the introduction of the 

 young Vines are only the half of that distance now. 

 As regards Madresfield Court, for two years back the 

 leaves have assumed the same colour as represented, 

 and always about the same time (colouring stage), and 

 the bunches never ripen any further ; this year the 

 young canes show the same tendency. As to 

 watering, the outside border has been watered three 

 times during the season, each time every Vine got 

 144 gallons of water, the inside border rather more 

 than that, and liquid manure was also given. Now 

 I think I have explained matters as well as I can. I 

 shall be much obliged if any reader can give any light 

 on the subject. Of course it is too late to do anything 

 for this season to prevent the malady. Shall I clear 

 out the border right to the bottom, or shall I wait 

 for another season and give them an extra supply 

 of water? I know the outside border gets dry very 

 quickly, as it stands on rather high ground. J. C. 



THE CATALPA. — Commenting on the above (p. 

 198) your correspondent John Colebrook says:— 

 " I have not seen more than half-a-dozen of these 

 trees in England during the last twentv years." If 

 he will take a walk from Blackfriars Bridge west- 

 ward he will be able to feast his eye on many of his 

 favourites, some of which are doing remarkable well. 

 In a corner of the Temple Gardens will be found one 

 of the finest in London, at present covered with 

 bloom-buds just bursting into flower. Further on, 

 the Embankment Gardens (opposite the National 

 Liberal Club) can boast of several, and on reaching 

 the Palace Yard a row of half-a-dozen will gladden 

 his eyes, looking beautifully green and cool with no 



other tree for contrast ; then onwards, to Battersea 

 Park, where, planted in the border that has the river 

 for its front, many will be found, giving one the 

 impression that in the race for life the Catalpa will 

 have to give way to its stronger brethren. G.B. [The 

 Catalpa is an excellent, town tree, difficult to 

 kill. Ed.] 



MINA LOBATA AS A CONSERVATORY PLANT.— 



This pretty trailing half-hardy annual, which flowers 

 very freely in quite a small state, may be grown in 

 pots for conservatory decoration during the summer 

 months, and is a welcome addition in variety at this 

 time of year. From seeds sown early in March we 

 now have plants, in pots varying from o inches to 

 10 inch sizes, flowering freely. Good turfy loam and 

 one-third leaf-mould suits them well, and grown in 

 pots of the above sizes, with one centre stake, or 

 three round [the sides of the pots, the plants care- 

 lessly tied, they make a variety among flowering 

 plants. The flowers are produced on double racemes, 

 standing erect and well out of the dark green foliage. 

 The buds are of a reddish-orange colour, and vellow- 

 ish-white when expanded. The flowers open in suc- 

 cession from the base of the raceme, and have a 

 pretty appearance, also lasting well in water when 



cut. The plant is also adapted for covering bai-e 

 walls, &c, growing quickly and flowering freely in a 

 warm position. C. Herrin. 



ASTERS AT CHISWICK.— Admirers of the annual 

 Aster generally, and the Royal Horticultural Society 

 in particular, are indebted to various seedsmen for 

 a large and most interesting trial of this very beau- 

 tiful autumn flower, which is just now about at its 

 best at Chiswick. The trial is specially rich in 

 dwarf kinds, and still further is evidenced the won- 

 drous wealth of variety in Asters — so much so, in 

 fact, as to be like to so many other favourite flowers, 

 almost bewildering. Happily 'the trial opens an 

 effective way out of the perplexity, because it shows 

 quite as literally what sorts to avoid as what to 

 select; and assuming that those interested can always 

 obtain true to character the kinds selected, they 

 will have great cause to rpjoice that such a 

 favourable chance to assist in the survival 

 of the fittest was presented. Whilst we see 

 in the collection of Asters some sorts so beau- 

 tiful as well as true that they command our 

 warmest admiration ; we may also well wonder why 



the Continental growers should trouble to select and 

 put into commerce many others, pretty enough 

 perhaps alone, but which look poor indeed when com- 

 pared with the finer or more beautiful forms close by. 

 The exceeding variety ot dwarf Asters.which may here 

 be seen, should attract the grower of these flowers 

 for market purpose, as many of the newer forms are 

 so even in character, and so beautiful a to merits 

 wide cultivation. It is very pleasant indeed to 

 find that, while Chiswick seems to be so in- 

 differently regarded by the authorities, yet it 

 is doing such useful and instructive work. All 

 who may journey to the gardens to see the Asters 

 as well as the Tomatos, will be amply repaid for 

 their trouble. A. 



THE HEDGEHOG'S CRY (p. 18'J). — "It has been 

 remarked that when the feet of the animal are 

 pinched it usually utters a shrills cream. But the 

 barbarity of anatomists has proved that hedgehog's 

 may even be dissected alive without their emitting 

 any sounds of distress whatever " (Bingley's British 

 Quadrupeds, 1809, p. 23S). H. Ellacombe. 



Two years last December while trimming 



hedges we found in a nest of leaves and rubbish a 

 female hedgehog with five little ones. It being very 

 frosty I had them put in the kitchen, and the chil- 

 dren made great pets of them. They were fed on milk 

 and were wonderfully lively and tame. They all, but 

 chiefly the little ones, whistled a great deal at all 

 times but mostly at night, a long-drawn whistle 

 something like a guinea-pig's but much more 

 intense. One day the old mother disappeared 

 and the little ones died one after the other in 

 spite of all the care bestowed on them. Some 

 weeks after some boys in my employment while 

 lighting a fire in a bunching-room, which is not 

 very far from the kitchen, were startled by some 

 unearthly cry — like a child's cry, as they all 

 expressed themselves — from down the chimney, and 

 presently down came the lost old hedgehog all 

 ablaze. They put her in a pail of cold water to 

 extinguish the burning bristles, and I had her put 

 in the barn afterwards, as she did not seem to be 

 any the worse for the accident but very anxious to 

 escape from further petting and confinement. So it 

 seems our friend the hedgehog is not only efficient 

 in whistling, but can give vent to its feelings in a 

 peculiar manner when in extreme pain. G. Wermig. 



Whatever White, of Selbourne, or Bell, or 



other naturalists have or have not done, Shakespeare 

 — with whom my namesake, Dick Burbidge, was 

 familiar as a friend — certainly alludes to the hedge- 

 hog's cry. It is in " The Tragedic of Macbeth, actus 

 '//tortus, scena prima. Thunder. Enter the Three 

 Witches." (First folio edition.) — 



" 1. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd. 

 2. Thrice and once the hedge-pigge whin'd." 



These pretty and harmless little animals are very- 

 abundant in the Midland Counties, and are there 

 often called " urchins," also a not uncommon name 

 for a mischief-loving boy. Elves and fairies were 

 also supposed to appear in the form of urchins or 

 hedgehogs, and Shakespeare's allusions to the 

 animal (for he has one other at least) must be read 

 in this light. The hedgehog is reputed to be ex- 

 cellent food, something like young rabbit, and as a 

 boy I often heard legends of the gipsies cooking 

 them by rolling the animal, skin and all. in clay, 

 and then baking them in the ashes of their camp 

 fires. F. W. Burbidge. [Every one cites this legend. 

 We suspect it to be as factitious as the alleged 

 barbarity of the anatomist and the silence of the 

 urchin under such circumstances. Ed.] 



THE POTATO CROP REPORTS. — I quite concur 

 with your correspondent " A. D.," viz., that these 

 reports are made out fully a fortnight or three 

 weeks too early. Up to August 6 never do I 

 remember seeing the Potato-tops look better or 

 more promising for a good yield, while in less 

 than a week from that date there was not a 

 top that was not blackened by the fatal disease. 

 I found the first signs of disease on July 30. The 

 disease spread very slowly from that date up to 

 August 6, when the weather became much warmer, 

 and then it propagated itself with great rapidity ; and 

 now (August 20) every Potato plot in gardens and 

 fields in this neighbourhood is infected — indeed, 

 much of the haulm on smaller patches has been cut 

 off and taken away. The American varieties have 

 suffered the worst. If Mr. Jensen's theory be cor- 

 rect, viz., that the rain washes the spores through 

 the soil to the tubers, we should have but very few 

 diseased tubers (where the haulm has been cleared 



