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108 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDBiTEK. 



February 7, 18G5. 



leaves, the epidermis is full of stomata or moutlis. The 

 parenehym oi fruits has its functions as well as that of 

 the leaves. The sap ascending liom the roots is deve- 

 loped therein, the useless portions are evaporated into the 

 ataiosphere, the nutritious substances remain in the cells, 

 where they are decomposed by tlie oxygen to form nutri- 

 ment for the growing fruit. These fruits absorb a very 

 large proportion of sap for their own use, and do not restore 

 it to the general use of the tree as the leaves do. This 

 is how the too abundant production of fruit exhausts the 

 vitality of the tree, and how the crop of one year affects that 

 of the next. 



Diiring the period of growth fruits inhale carbonic acid, 

 and exhale oxygen. But when quite ripe thoy absorb oxygen, 

 .ind set free carbonic acid. When, then, all this acid is 

 disposed of, and replaced by oxygen, the fruit is perfectly 

 ripe, and decay is not far off. In aU these processes we 

 see what an important pai't water plays, whether in the soil 

 as the means of conveying the nutriment to the plant, or in 

 the air in the condition of vapour. In the soil it dissolves 

 the substances it meets there ; iu the body of the tree, as 

 sap, it is the vehicle of these nuti-itive substances, and in 

 the air, in the state of vapour, it remedies any undue dry- 

 ness of the soil. A superabundance of humidity is, liowever, 

 an evil. Trees grow, but produce but little fruit when 

 moisture is too abundant. 



Not less important than water is air. Without it the sap 

 would not be converted into cambium. The roots decay 

 when witlidrawn from the influence of the air. Soil must, 

 therefore, be permeable. 



Without light trees could not feed, nor produce fruit. 

 Light accelerates the maturing of the sap, by causing an 

 evaporation of the superabundant water iu the cellular 

 tissue of the leaves. The roots are thus stimulated to absorb 

 more liquid nourishment. The more light, the more root- 

 action. A briglit light is needed for the leaves to decompose 

 the cai-bouic acid oouumulated in their tissue. Light flavours 

 and colours the fniit. 



Heat is also an indispensable agent in vegetation. It 

 stimulates the energy of plants, especially when combined 

 with moisture. Even dui'ing periods of great heat the sap, 

 then much stimulated, brings into the leaves some of the 

 coolness of the soil derived thi-ough the roots, thus pre- 

 serving the leaves from being injured by the solar rays. 

 During the winter, on the contrai-y, the sap circulates very 

 slowly, but still brings with it something of the latent earth 

 heat, which is higher than that of the atmosphere, and thus 

 counterbalances its coldness. — T. Collinos Brkhaut, Rich- 

 mond House, Guernsey. 



THE CLIMBING EOSE DEVONIENSIS. 



Having read in your paper " D., Deal's," remarks on new 

 Boses, I find he mentions having received from Mr. Curtis, 

 of Torquay, two plants of a Rose said to be a fixed sport of 

 Devoniensis, and named by him a climbing Cevoniensis. It 

 may be interesting to your readers to know that a Koso 

 similar in every respect to the one named by " D., Deal," 

 has been most successfully cultivated and sent out by Mr. 

 S. Pavitt, uursorynian. Rose Cottage, Bath, for the last seven 

 years, and it is the true Devoniensis. There are several 

 large trees of this Rose in close proximity to the town, and 

 growing with gi'cat luxuriance ; one in particular has reached 

 the height of 40 feet and is 10 feet wide. It is very hardy, 

 having withstood the severe winter of 18G0, blooms in groat 

 perfection all the season, and is almost an evergreen. 



I visited Jlr. Pavitt's nursery this season, and saw fifteen 

 htmdred plants of this Rose, budded on the Briar, flourishing 

 to a degree almost beyond belief ; neaily all had shoots 3 feet 

 and some of them measured D fi.-et in length, with three, four, 

 and five shoots to each plant, and all of the previous year's 

 budding. Many of the trees were in full bloom, and most 

 magnificent tUo blooms were. — T. F. Anubews, '.',, Locisbrook 

 PUu-:, Bath. 



Potato, I believe raised and only known in that district, 

 under the name of " The Early Emperor." They ai'e in 

 shape flattish-round, colour rosy red, very shallow-eyed, and 

 !\ltogethor a remarkably handsome Potato. They were 

 highly recommended to me for their cooking qualities. Of 

 the latter I cannot speak from experience, as up to the 

 present my aim has been to secure a sufCcicnt stock. Should 

 this prove the kind wanted by your correspondent, I shall, 

 on receiving his address, bo only too happy to send him a 

 few sets. — James Nicholls, Righer Marl-et Street, Tavistock. 



Early Kino Potato. — In reply to the inquiry of " E. W." 

 1 beg to stuto that a season or two since I received from a 

 friend residing at Budc, North Cornwall, a few sets of a new 



PROPOSED EXHIBITIONS OF THE EOYAL 



HOETICITXTUEAL SOCIETY. 

 We have been requested to publish the following memorial 

 which has been presented to the Royal Horticultural Society. 



TO THE COUNCIL OF THE ItOTAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. 



The undersigned members of the Exhibitors' Society and 

 other exhibitors beg to call the attention of your honourable 

 body to the very objectionable arrangements just announced 

 for the exhibitions and meetings of your Society during 1S63. 



It is with gi'eat regret that we feel bound to comment on 

 them in this manner. They have, however, been condemned 

 by the entire horticultur.al and floricultui-al press, and we 

 consider them to be diametrically opposed to our interests 

 as exhibitoi-s, as well as to that of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, and totally adverse to the practical purposes of 

 horticulture. 



It is not our object or wish to dictate to the Councfl. On 

 the contrary, it is our earnest desire to co-operate with 

 them if they will meet us in a practicable form ; but with 

 the arrangements as they at present exist we must most 

 respectfiilly decline to exhibit at any of the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society's exhibitions for the year 1865 ; and we feel it 

 our duty as horticulturists to communicate this intention to 

 the Council without delay. 



At a meeting of the Exhibitors' Society held a short time 

 since, the following letter from a distant member, a well- 

 known and successful grower of Orchids and other plants, 

 was read, and heartily approved as embodying the views of 

 the members generally : — 



"Your letter respecting the meeting of the Exhibitors' 

 Society is to hand. I am sony it is not convenient for me 

 to attend, owing to the great distance I am from you, and 

 the loss of time it would entail. 



" As the meeting is to take into consideration the pro- 

 gramme of the Royal Horticultural Society, I may venture 

 to express my opinion of it in a few words. 



" In the first place, I decidedly object to the shows at 

 South Kensington taking jjlacc on Saturdays. If necessary 

 I might even enforce a stronger argument on behalf of 

 myself and other country exhibitors living at a great dis- 

 tance from London than the one so ably written and pub- 

 lished in the Gardeners' Chronicle for December 3rd, p. 1157, 

 and signed " G. B.," inasmuch as these exhibitors who are 

 situated as I am are obliged to make the journey homo on 

 Sund.ay, and unload our plants, which keeps us hard at 

 work all day, besides having our several establishments 

 unsightly on the very day they are required to be in the 

 greatest order. 



"The letter to which I have referred deserves to be read 

 to the meeting as an answer to Sir Joseph Paxton's letter 

 respecting his visit to an establishm'ent near London when 

 the plants were gone to win tho stakes. It is what it 

 deserves. 



" In the second place, I consider the special weekly and 

 floral decoration shows a complete farce. Tho fortnightly 

 meetings might eventually bo of some interest if small 

 prizes were offered for small collections of different subjects 

 in their respective seasons, in addition to awards which are 

 at present offered for new and rare horticultural productions, 

 so as to make them partake more of the character of a minor 

 flower show — sometliing after the character of the meetings 

 which were formerly hold in Regent Street. 



•■ In tho third place, I consider tlie whole general pro- 

 pi'amme a great mistake, more detriuiental to horticulture 

 than otherwise ; and I think this meeting sliouU take into 

 consideration tho propriety of offering advice to the Horti- 



