402 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ November 28, 1878. 
These I take it, according to the general election, are the 
best exhibition Teas. Is there any difference in the more 
select election of seventy-two varieties? Let us see. There 
we bad fourteen electors, and Maréchal Niel 14 votes, Cathe- 
rine Mermet 13, Souvenir d’Elise 12, Marie Van Houtte 11, 
Devoniensis 11, Niphetos 11, Souvenir d'un Ami 10, Marie L. 
Pernet 6, Alba Rosea 6, again make a muster of nine Teas in 
the seventy-two varieties, thus far in numbers resembling the 
other election and differing in names only by the substitution of 
Marie L. Pernet and Alba Rosea for Gloire de Dijon and Belle 
Lyonnaise. To continue : Madame Willermoz, Belle Lyonnaise, 
and Comtesse de Nadaillac muster 5 votes, oid Gloire de Dijon 
has 4 votes, Perle des Jardins and Jean Ducher 3 each; whilst 
Boule d’Or, Madame Caroline Kuster, Rubens, and Cheshunt 
Hybrid, assuming this Rose to belong to the class, have only 
2 votes each, and Anna Ollivier, Céline Forestier, Madame 
Hippolyte Jamain, Madame Margottin, Souvenir de Paul Ney- 
ron, and Souvenir de Madame Pernet have each only a solitary 
vote. Curiously enough, here also I make the total mentioned 
to be twenty-five ! and the difference between the two lists is 
simply the naming of Cheshunt Hybrid, Madame Hippolyte 
Jamain, and Souvenir de Madame Pernet, instead of Triomphe 
de Rennes, Jean Pernet, and Bouquet d’Or. Taking these two 
lists together we thus get twenty-eight Roses named in these 
varieties. 
It may further be noted that in the seventy-two varieties 
nine Teas are named, or exactly one in every eight Roses. 
Carrying on the comparison, the ratio is nearly the same—viz., 
25 in 180, or rather over one Tea in every seven Roses.— 
JOSEPH HINTON, Warminster. 
GROWING GRAPES IN COOL HOUSES. 
THOSE of us who live in the south, far away from the coal 
«listricts, find the cost of fuel an important, often a burning, 
question in more senses than one. How to keep down the 
coal bill is a problem which we find very difficult to solve, 
nor can we hope for much sympathy from northern gardeners, 
for itis a matter on which they hardly bestow a second thought. 
-“ How about coal?” said I once to one of these favoured indi- 
~viduals residing in the south of Scotland, and who had just 
‘been enumerating his glass houses by the dozen. “Eh,” said 
“ke, “Coal? Why, we just send a cart to the pit!” He 
actually had a coal pit on the estate, and thought no more of 
it than I do of sand, peat, or chalk, or any other substance 
which happens to abound in our particular locality. With an 
‘unlimited supply of fuel the temptation to apply artificial heat 
ia changeable or ungenial weather, “just to keep the ther- 
mometer steady,’ must prove irresistible, hence the idea that 
fuel is an indispensable necessity for Grape-growing. 
During the past season Ihave put the matter to amuch more 
severe test than that advised by “A KITCHEN GARDENER” for 
a vinery, containing in addition to Black Hamburgh, two strong 
canes of Lady Downe’s Seedling, two of Alicante, two of 
Madresfield Court Muscat, and one of Mrs. Pince’s Muscat, and 
nad not a single fire from the starting of the Vines till the crop 
was fully ripe. Now for the result. Madresfield Court Muscat 
before has never been so good in this house, bunches and ber- 
ries being of good size, and that delicious flayour for which this 
Grape is so much valued was fully developed, and the colour 
was all that could be wished; in fact, the fine crop of fruit 
was thoroughly well finished, as was that upon the whole of 
ithe other Vines. The Black Hamburgh and Madresfield Court 
Muscat are all used, Mrs. Pince’s Muscat being in use now, 
while the Alicante and Lady Downe’s Seedling are still un- 
rtouched, and 1 have no doubt will keep well as long as may be 
mequired. 
{To close the ventilators with the thermometer at 90° from 
‘solar heat is a standing rule during the swelling of the fruit, 
only broken during the second swelling of the fruit of Lady 
Downe’s Seedling, when if the weather prove sultry the venti- 
lators are thrown wide open night and day, and thus all loss 
from scalding is avoided.—EDWARD LUCKHURST. 
NOVELTIES IN THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW. 
CRINUM FORBESIANUM is one of the most important of 
the introductions to Kew this year, and certainly ranks high 
among the finest species. It appears to be very dwarf in 
‘habit, the scape not being longer than a foot. ‘The bulb is of 
large size, from 7 to § inches diameter and ovoid in form. 
‘Phe leaves are just appearing and seem inclined to spread ; 
their margins are finely ciliated. No other species produces 
so large an umbel. The flowers numbered over two dozen, and 
each of considerable size, something in form like C. ornatum, 
to which set it belongs. This species embodies a fine feature 
in the colouring of the flowers; each segment has a broad 
line of deep rose along the centre, and this rich colour shades 
off to a pure white margin. It was derived from the Lebombo 
mountains north of Natal. This plant is in the Begonia house. 
Close at hand is a remarkable Hippeastrum with green flowers, 
introduced by Messrs. Veitch and named H. calyptratum. It 
appears to flower freely, scapes haying been thrown up in suc- 
cession. In the next house Mesembryanthemum fragrans is 
the only one in effective condition, and this is extremely pretty, 
with five large yellow flowers nearly 3 inches across, and, as 
the name denotes, fragrant, and that very sweetly. It is one 
of the creeping kinds, with deep green very fleshy leaves, 
forming the tongue-leaved section. 
One of the prettiest plants in flower and rare is Trichinium 
Manglesi, in perfection, too, for many weeks past. It is an 
Amaranth, native of the Swan River, and the rosy flowers are 
mixed with fine white hairs in a dense roundish cluster. It is 
nearly hardy, but is best grown under glass, at least during 
the greater part of the year. It is very slow of increase un- 
less taken in hand the right way, and this is by cutting up the 
rootstock. The leaves are rather scanty, and the flower stalks 
slender and naturally perhaps decumbent, so that a good 
specimen can only be had by grouping. We should recommend 
early propagation by the above means, so that plants are ready 
for the open ground in May. In September those likely to 
flower should be taken up to bloom under glass, since no other 
plant could suffer more from splashing of dirt by heavy rain. 
Economic plants are not of general interest, but we may 
note one of considerable beauty, though only an ‘annual—a 
class, by the way, increasing greatly in popularity. This is 
Guizotia oleifera, allied to Heliopsis, and bearing flower heads 
about 2 inches across with fine bright yellow ray. It yields 
the important Ram-til oi] of India, used in India as a condi- 
ment and for burning in lamps. The plant assumes a pyra- 
midal form and flowers freely. The leaves are oblong or lan- 
ceolate, and light green incolour. Osmanthus fragrans is worth 
mention for its most delicious perfume, utilised by the Chinese 
for perfuming tea, hence its position in thishouse. As an idea 
we should rather prefer a plant in flower on the table itself, 
and the tea aroma would mix with its perfume agreeably 
without doubt. The leaves are dark green and handsome. 
The plant admits of cutting freely, so that it can be kept to 
any size or shape, and sprigs are freely available without in- 
jury. Itis grown from cuttings, or may be grafted on Privet 
and planted against a wall, though it flowers freely only under 
glass. 
Under our heading above some pardon is requisite for mention 
of Aphelandra cristata, which no doubt will be granted on 
account of its extreme showiness. It was a novelty 150 years 
ago. While several other kinds have prettier leaves, such as 
A. Fascinator, no subsequent introduction has surpassed its fiery 
scarlet flowers, and so we recommend for it a wide cultivation 
still. 
A fine new Macheranthera, finer than any hitherto intro- 
duced, is in great beauty. No name has yet been given, but a 
figure will be publishe@ in the “ Botanical Magazine,” no doubt 
under the genus Aster, to which the above has been reduced. 
It appears of biennial duration, though if sown early, as in 
this case, flowers are produced the same year. ‘The flower 
heads are over 2 inches across, of deep bluish purple, and very 
numerously produced in large panicles. It came from Colorado, 
apparently with much greater success than the beetle. 
In the Succulent house a very fine form of Agave schidigera 
will shortly open flowers. We admire the plant in the first 
place, the flowers being rather of interest and without beauty. 
Eyery leaf is thickly clothed with white threads, which, curling 
about, afford an unusual kind of beauty. As well known, the 
collection of this genus is important, some kinds being repre- 
sented here only, and of this number we might mention A. den- 
tata, a plant in the way of A. attenuata, but with very minute 
and numerous teeth. We are especially charmed with a nice 
plant of A. utahensis with narrow silvery leaves, radiating and, 
as it were, forming a star. It is said to be hardy, but a plant 
so rare and choice cannot be permitted to prove the question. 
Of the new species A. Desertii and A, Shawi are good repre- 
sentatives. 
In the Cape house a pretty miniature Hyacinth has been 
flowering under the name Milla sub-biflora. It turns out to 
