JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ Jona 13i ises. 



and last summer a gentleman bronght me some bloomS of 

 Hydrangea japouica, a species certainly inferior to the older 

 one, and this was perhaps a brighter blue than I ever 

 remember with the old one. The plant was growing on a 

 dry sandy soil where the Ehododendron and others of its 

 kindred were quite at home. 



It is certainly remarkable that few, if any, plants show 

 such a difference in the character of their flowers as the 

 Hydrangea does when planted in soils favouring the two 

 extremes. Most plants to which chemical and other sub- 

 stances are sometimes applied exhibit a difference in their 

 general health as well as in their foliage, but the Hydrangea 

 possesses as robust health in the one condition as in the 

 other ; at the same time we may be right in assuming pink 

 to have been the original colour. Its change to blue seems 

 to be due to some soluble substance contained in the soil 

 and taken up by the plant, and carried through its system 

 int-o the flower-buds. There may also be some peculiarity in 

 the plant favouring the storing away of such soluble matter 

 as will effect the change. Iron is the only substance that 

 I have experimented with, and then only with varying 

 success, but alum or some other salt may effect a change; 

 still the light thrown on the subject is far from being 

 satisfactory, and discussion may doubtless bring about a 

 better understanding. 



I cannot conclude without adverting to a very common 

 disappointment — namely, that this plant will not produce 

 blue flowers when gi"own in a pot and in peat soil, and water 

 impregnated, perhaps, with chalk or lime is supplied to it 

 from a well. Water of this kind neutralises the effects of the 

 peat, and the flowers are pink instead of blue. I believe 

 many of the so-called failures in obtaining blue flowers arise 

 from this and similar causes. I may also add that such 

 ■water given to Heaths and kindred plants gi-owing in peat 

 soil is at all times hurtful, as the soil and the water have 

 opposite effects ; and in the case of the Hydrangea it is 

 useless to expect a good result from a mixture of opposite 

 ingredients, as the chemical properties wanted in a soil must 

 not be neutralised by the water administered to it possessing 

 those of an opposite character, as the object sought after is 

 rather an extreme than a neutral combination. Those, 

 therefore, who expect to have blue flowers on Hydrangeas 

 ought to be careful what description of water is supplied to 

 them ; and it is not too much to say that this has really more 

 to do with the success of the plants than the soil they are 

 grown in, but to make doubly sure the one as well as the 

 other ought to be duly attended to. — J. Kobson. 



EAELY POTATOES. 



I HAVE this day. May 20th, had my first "taking up" of 

 young Potatoes. In No. 198 I have given an account of my 

 method of cultivating my first open-air crop, I have followed 

 the same plan this season with this difference — the weather 

 was BO inclement all February that I could not get the bed 

 made till the beginning of March, and I did not plant tUl 

 the 12th. Owing to our peculiarly gratifying unfrosty 

 spring I had but few occasions to throw mats on the hoops — 

 i.e., arches of slight stakes — during the whole month of 

 April, not more, I think, than five or six nights ; fortunately 

 I did 80 on the night of the 30th, and thus saved my flourish- 

 ing crop from being cut down to the ground. 



My bc-d is 70 feet long and 6 feet wide. I take some 

 credit for a little regularity in planting ; for, knowing that 

 we always become anxious to have new Potatoes when May 

 is well advanced, I provided foralittle waste in taking thom 

 up when only half giown. I therefore planted my rows 

 10 inches apart, and the sets 9 inches apart in the rows, 

 8 across, intending to take up every alternate row while 

 quite young, leaving the others to perfect their growth. 

 The plan has answered admirably. We have had, without 

 any twinges of conscience on account of waste, young Pota- 

 toes every day since the 20th. I planted only two kinds — the 

 Early Ton-week and the Koyal Ashleaf ; the former really 

 deserves its name, for exactly ten weeks, less one day, had 

 elapsed from the planting day, March 12th, when they gave 

 from six to seven to each root, were as large as pullet's eggs, 

 and quite delicious. Tho latter were not quite so large, but 

 then each root gavo from twelve to fourteen tubers of excel- 



lent flavour. The 60 feet of my bed planted with this sort 

 was, and still is, a most gratifying sight, not a single tuber 

 missed growing, and every bine is of the same regular 

 growth, not a blossom to be seen, and remarkably robust. 



To those who like young Potatoes I cannot help giving 

 some small advice. They should be cooked within an hour 

 after being taken up, and if delicacy of flavour is admired 

 this rule should not be departed from till the end of October. 

 The tough, indigestible, young Potatoes sent to the London 

 markets from Cornwall and other distant places are distaste- 

 ful to those who dig them from their own gardens, and more 

 indigestible than any other vegetable. I look at them when 

 taking my dinner in London in May and June, and avoid 

 them, wishing at the same time that my friends could 

 enjoy the delicate flavour of a freshly-dug young Potato. — 



FOEWABDS. 



EOYAL HOETICULTHRAL SOCIETY. 

 JuHE 10th. 



Although in many of the classes the competition was 

 very limited, and others were not filled at all, there was a 

 very considerable aggregation of miscellaneous objects, 

 which served with the others to occupy the conservatory and 

 part of the two adjoining arcades. This much of the attend- 

 ance of exhibitors— that of visitors was likewise not large, 

 and it would appear as if the continuous round of flower 

 shows had begun to tell prejudicially by^diminishing their 

 interest. 



Among stove and greenhouse plants Mr. Fraser, Lea 

 Bridge Eoad, exhibited by far the finest plant of Phse- 

 nocoma prolifera, that has been seen of late years, and 

 covered with a profusion of its bright crimson flowers. In 

 the same collection were the showy scarlet Clerodendron 

 Kaempferi, a very good Stephanotis, Statice imbricata, a 

 large Boronia serrulata, and Allamanda cathartica. FromMr. 

 Baxendine came Hoya bella, Ehyncospermum jasminoides, 

 and a small plant of the beautiful Clerodendron ThomsoniB 

 in fine bloom. In collections from Messrs. Lee of Hammer- 

 smith we noticed a large bush of Erica Cavendishii, Ixora 

 coccinea, fine, a noble example of Alocasia metallica, Ehopala 

 De Jonghi, Dicksonia antaictica, Imantophyllum miniatum, 

 in fine bloom. Heaths, Azaleas, and other flowering plants. 



Prizes. — For twelve : first, Mr. J. Fraser ; second, Messrs. 

 Lee. For six : first, Mr. Kemp, gardener to Earl Percy, 

 Albury Park. For six (Jfurserymen) : first, Messrs. Lee. 



Orchids were likewise not numerous, and several of the 

 prizes were withheld. Among them were Aerides Lindley- 

 anum, roseum,andLarpentae,some poor examples of Calanthe 

 veratrifolia, Phaloenopses, includingLiiddemanniana, Vandas, 

 Saccolabiums, a few Oncidiums, Brassia verrucosa, and 

 Ladies' Slippers. Cattleya Acklandiae, from Messrs. Lee, was 

 very rich in colour. 



Prizes — For nine : second, Mr. Eobson, gardener to G. 

 Cooper, Esq. For nine (Nurserymen) : first, Messrs. Lee ; 

 second, Mr. Parker. For six : third, Mr. Eobson. 



Eoses appeared to have suffered somewhat from the sun. 

 Mr. W. Paul, and Mr. Francis, of Hertford, were the only 

 competitors in the Nurserymen's class. The former had a 

 charming plant of Comtesse de Barbantanne with about 

 forty of its pale flesh-coloured blooms ; Caroline de Sansal, 

 beautiful; Paul Perras, fine; and Marquise de Foucault, 

 pale yellow. The foliage, moreover, had a healthy sub- 

 stantial appearance. From Mr. Francis came Souvenir 

 d'un Ami and Chenedole, with large blooms ; Cliarles Law- 

 son, Paul Perras, La Eeine, and others in good bloom. Mr. 

 Terry, gardener to W. G. Puller, Esq., Youngsbui^, also ex- 

 hibited plants in good bloom ; and some beautiful Hybrid 

 Perpetuals in nine-inch pots were shown by Messrs. Paul 

 and Son. One of them. La Brillanto, very dwarf and com- 

 pact, had no less than a dozen blooms, which did not belie 

 its name, being a very bright carmine. Madame Charles 

 Wood and Olivier Delhomme were likewise very brilliant. 

 The others were Anna Alexioff, with six fine blooms; Madame 

 Boll ; and Souvenir de la Eeine de I'Angletorre. A fine 

 collection, upwards of forty in number, was also shown by 

 Messrs. Paul & Son. Of cut blooms, Mr. W. Paul exhibited 

 no less than ten boxes ; Messrs. Paul &, Son, eight ; Messrs. 

 Lee, six; Mr. Clarke, Brixton Hill, the same number; and 

 several came from Mr. Cant, Colchester, Mr. Batley, and 



