August 29, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
163 
Last season several bunches were entirely destroyed, this season 
the affection has not been nearly so bad, still it has been to 
such a degree as to make the bunches thinner than they ought 
to be. In the division next to the above Lady Downe’s is very 
little affected. Why should such things be ?—R. P. BROTHER- 
STON, Tyninghame. 
OSMASTON MANOR CUCUMBER. 
AFTER reading Mr. Harding’s able article on Cucumbers in 
a recentimpression of the Journal I have thought to say a few 
words in favour of Osmaston Manor. I have grown it now 
two seasons, and am so satisfied with it that I am inclined to 
reduce Telegraph and promote Osmaston Manor to the top of 
the list, which in my case is not a long one. I do not grow 
many varieties, but hearing from a high authority that Osmaston 
Manor was really good I was induced to try it. My list forth- 
with will be Osmaston Manor and Masters’ Prolific : by grow- 
ing these two varieties I find I am able to supply a rather 
heavy demand of good everyday-use fruit, with a few extra 
fine ones for exhibition purposes to boot. I need not go into 
details as to the many good qualities of Osmaston Manor ; 
suffice to say that I am of opinion that it is the only real rival 
that Telegraph has to contend against.—W. W. B. 
HYACINTH GLASSES. 
WE have before referred approvingly to the new Hyacinth 
glasses of Messrs. Stevens & Williams, and subsequent ex- 
t: 
Fig. 22.—Hyacinth Glasses. 
perience with them enables us now to confirm all that we said 
in their fayour. We haye not only found the glasses admirably 
adapted for Hyacinth culture in the spring, but they are also 
elegant receptacles for cut flowers during the summer, or, 
indeed, at any season, as the accompanying illustrations suffi- 
ciently attest. Now that the Hyacinth-growing season is 
approaching the following sound instructions for growing the 
bulb in water, extracted from Messrs. Sutton & Sons’ catalogue, 
will be seasonable :— 
“Tt is of little consequence whether rain, river, or spring 
water be employed, but it should be clean and of a}kind not 
likely to become offensive. Fill the glasses sufficiently full 
that the bulbs will nearly but not quite touch the water, and 
place them at once in a dark cool place, that they may be 
encouraged to send their roots down into the water before 
they begin to expand their leaves. When the roots are 
growing freely bring them from the dark to the light, in order 
that their leaves and flowers may be developed in a healthy 
manner without being attenuated. Provide supports in good 
time; let the plants have as much light as possible, with an 
equable temperature. They are often injured by being kept 
in rooms that are at times extremely cold and at others heated 
to excess. Those who grow Hyacinths to perfection in glasses 
must remove them occasionally as circumstances may require, 
to prevent the injury that must result from subjecting them 
to rapid and extreme alternations of temperature. It is not 
desirable to introduce to the water any stimulating substances, 
but the glasses must be kept nearly full of water by occasion- 
ally replenishing it as it disappears. If the leaves become dusty 
they may be cleansed with a soft brush or a sponge dipped in 
water, but particular care must be taken not to injure them in - 
the process.” 
FRUIT REPORTS. 
A GooD deal was written early in the year upon fruit pro-- 
spects, now the time has come for fruit reports. Some of the 
prospects have been fulfilled, others have not. Some people’s: 
realisations have been beyond their anticipations, others have: 
been just the reverse. ‘Call no man happy till the day of his 
death,” said the ancients. Let no pomologist rejoice or weep: 
until the time of the fruit-gathering has come. 
I have recently returned from a run through parts of Waz-- 
wickshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire, and in a fruit- 
growing sense I wish other counties resembled these. A large’ 
portion of the pasture land in these counties is planted with: 
Apple and Pear trees, not always so thickly as to form orchards, 
though there are many, but with a certain number of trees at 
intervals, such wide intervals that injury to the lands there 
could be none, while an additional return of profit is certain. 
“ Be aye sticking in of a tree, Jock, for while you are sleeping 
it will be growing.’ This simple sentence of Sir Walter 
Scott’s is said to have led a great many Scotch lairds to plant 
woods, of which the benefits in appearance of the country and 
to the purses of the present owners of the soil are great. Why 
not, O English landowners, plant a few Apple trees in most 
fields, as they do in the counties I have named? Surely cider 
is as good as beer. But not only is the pasture land thus 
Apple-tree-sprinkled, but I noticed that often there was one 
row at least of Apple trees down the middle of a corn field, 
and very beautiful at this season of the year looked the well- 
grown fruit trees standing up amidst the upright ears of Wheat 
—two harvests on one land and at the same time. I must 
think this an admirable plan: as the Apple trees are in the 
middle of the field they are protected from the depredations of 
boys, for no boys would dare to tread over a field of corn ; 
