December 5, 1878. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
429 
are generally swelling by the beginning of March, and they 
are soon in full flower after the house is kept close. The fruit 
forms early in April, and during July and August itis gathered. 
At the same time the Vines are notidle, as by May the bunches 
are formed, and the crop is generally quite ripe by the middle 
of September. 
As arule the six Peach trees bear over thirty dozen fruit, 
the twelve Vines twelve bunches each. The Peaches are 
Noblesse, Prince of Wales, Royal George, and a Victoria 
Nectarine; the Vines, Black Hamburgh, Black Alicante, and 
Lady Downe’s. The fruits of both Peaches and Vines are always 
exceedingly fine, as every person remarks who sees them. No 
particular treatment is carried out. When the weather is hot 
outside the ventilators are opened freely, otherwise they are 
kept close ; in cold weather the inside is kept rather dry. All 
the Peach tree roots are inside. They are very freely watered 
throughout the year. Much attention is paid to keep every 
leaf clean. The side shoots of the Vines are kept closely 
pinched to one leaf beyond the bunch, so that there are spaces 
‘between them to admit light to the Peach trees, We always 
think we obtain a double crop owit of this house, and the cost 
of producing the whole is trifling. 
About November, when the house is damp with no means of 
drying it, we cut all the bunches of Grapes with a piece of the 
stem attached to each for inserting into the mouth of a wine 
bottle filled with charcoal and water, and when placed in a 
dry room the Grapes keep good for the greater part of the 
winter—A KITCHEN GARDENER. 
NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
“‘T)., Deal,” writes, in reference to the NATIONAL ROSE 
Socrery—‘‘In my notes in last week’s Journal I made an 
error in dates. That of the Manchester Show should be July 
12th, not 14th ; and as some misapprehension has arisen from 
my saying that the dates were fixed, I did not mean that they 
were definitely fixed, as at the meeting of the General Com- 
mittee where they were arranged it was determined that they 
should be submitted to the annual meeting. I take this 
opportunity of saying that Dr. Hogg has kindly consented to 
take the vice chair at the annual dinner, and that a goodly 
gathering of rosarians may be expected.” 
— ON November 22nd the opening address for the season 
of 1878 and 1879 was delivered to the members of the DAR- 
LINGTON GARDENERS’ INSTITUTE by Mr. E. Pease, the Presi- 
dent. A peculiarly interesting portion of the address was that 
part of it relating to the flora of the Pyrenees on which were 
found many of those sub-Alpine plants which enrich the hills 
and pastures of Upper Teesdale. It was noted, however, that 
the Gentiana verna, Primula farinosa, which up the Tees bloom 
at a height of 500 feet above the sea, there flowered at an 
elevation of from 3000 to 4000 feet. On the Pyrenees were 
found Anemone ranunculoides, Primula integrifolia, Corydalis 
solida, Dentaria digitata, Cardamine pyrenaica, Pinguicula 
grandiflora, Erythronium Dens-canis, Meconopsis cambrica, 
Isopyrum thalictroides, Hepatica triloba, Gentiana acaulis, 
Erinus alpinus, Saxifraga oppositifolia ; in pastures below the 
Pyrenees, Anemone coronaria, and Centaurea Cyanus ; near 
Arcachon, Bartsia lanceolata, Erythraa pulchella, Anagallis 
tenella ; near Baritz, Lithospermum prostratum, Narcissus 
Bulbocodium ; also a parasite on the Poplar, Clandestina rec- 
tifolia. Mr. Pease said he had been struck with the beauty of 
a field covered entirely with the flowers of the scarlet Anemone. 
The party gathered a few, and the owner asked for a gift, as 
he could not get rid of the Anemone, and no profitable crop 
would grow near it. An added interest was given to this part 
of the address by the exhibition of water-colour drawings of 
ae the flowers named, beautifully painted from nature by a 
ady. ; 
—— ONE of the most useful ORCHARD HOUSES we have 
recently seen is in the gardens of Lord Ormathwaite at War- 
field Park. The structure is a lean-to, 140 feet long and 
nearly 18 feet wide—light, lofty, and well ventilated. It is in 
divisions, and is mainly devoted to the cultivation of Peaches, 
Nectarines, and Plums. The mode of training adopted, al- 
though not new, is commendable. Instead of a continuous 
trellis of the usual kind arranged from the front of the house 
to the back pathway, a series of upright trellises are formed at 
7 or 8 feet intervals from the ground to the glass crosswise of 
the border of the house. By this arrangement an equal or 
greater extent of trellis is provided than by the mode usually 
adopted, and, as is obyious, the trees on the back wall are not 
shaded, and the wall is thus furnished to the base. The border 
between the upright cross trellises is occupied by low bush 
trees in pots—the trees, being started in early vineries, are 
brought into the orchard house to mature their crops; by this 
means a long and abundant supply of fruit is provided. All 
the trees are in admirable bearing condition, and reflect much 
credit on Mr. Brodie, Lord Ormathwaite’s competent gardener. 
In the above-mentioned park, which is richly wooded, 
a permanent mode of indicating the AGE of many TREES is 
apparent. Ata short distance from the stems dressed stones 
more than a foot square are firmly inserted, and on these the 
names of the planters of the trees and dates are deeply cut. 
There substantial tablets tell that Wellingtonias 35 feet high, 
and in robust health and splendidly furnished, were planted 
in 1860. The Spanish Chestnut trees in the park are grand 
specimens, and here and there are venerable Oaks that com- 
mand attention, On the lawn an Araucaria cones freely, and 
near it Yucca gloriosa has become a tree, the stems being 
nearly a foot in diameter: as bearing eight fine spikes of 
flowers this venerable specimen had a fine effect. In the 
flower garden a large bed of the old Monthly China Rose is 
still covered with flowers; indeed we were informed that the 
bed contained flowers almost all the year round; but fine trees 
constitute the chief feature of the old place, and they are evi- 
dently cherished by Lord Ormathwaite and his family. 
THE great increase both in the number and the quality 
of the entries in the PorAToO CLASSES AT BIRMINGHAM was 
very marked. Mr. Peter McKinlay, of Woodbine House, 
Beckenham, carried off the first honours in this department. 
In class 16 he was awarded the first prize of 5, and also 
Messrs. Suttons’ cup, value five guineas, for the best twelve dis- 
tinct varieties. Those shown by Mr. McKinlay were Snowflake, 
Trophy, Extra Early Vermont, Harly King, Suttons’ Woodstock 
Kidney, Grampian, Emperor, Schoolmaster, Rector of Wood- 
stock, Blanchard, Triumph, and Breadfruit. One dish in the 
exhibit—Suttons’ Woodstock Kidney, won the extra prize of a 
silver medal for the best dish of Potatoesin the show. In class 
17—for eight varieties, four of them to be American—there was 
a severe competition between Mr. James Pink of Faversham 
and Messrs. G. & J. Perry; but the first prize, a silver cup, 
value five guineas, given by Messrs. James Carter & Co., was 
awarded to the former for a very well-grown collection, com- 
prising Snowflake, Carter’s Breadfruit, Excelsior, Karly Rose, 
Brownell’s Beauty, Schoolmaster, Improved Magnum Bonum, 
and Model. 
Mr. Boyes informs us of a striking case of DICHROISM 
that has occurred on a Rose in his garden. Last summer he 
had a shoot of the White Bath Rose on which were two white 
flowers, two pink, and two half white and half pink. On 
another flower stalk were two flowers half white and half 
pink, one pink one, and one pure white. We have known the 
same Rose produce a solitary pink flower occasionally, but we 
do not remember hearing of a plant so sportive as the one 
above mentioned. 
Messrs. RICHARDSON & BEST, Paternoster Row, Lon- 
don, are issuing a new edition of a child's presentation book 
entitled “Facts ABouUT FLOWERS.” Mixed with the facts is. 
much wholesome sentiment; and instruction is given on col- 
lateral subjects as they occur throughout the volume. The 
book is written in the form of a dialogue between father and 
child, and the ideas are appropriately clothed in simple language 
easy of being understood by very young children. The volume 
contains a coloured frontispiece forming a border round the 
name of the child to whom the book is presented. It is a 
pretty gift book, suitable for being placed in the hands of any 
child in whose mind it is desired to incite a love for flowers. 
ONE of the most useful of ornamental-foliaged plants 
for hall and corridor decoration is ASPIDISTRA LURIDA 
VARIEGATA. Its bright green persistent foliage beautifully 
striped with creamy white resists the effects of cold, dust, and 
a dry atmosphere hetter than does that of almost any other 
variegated plant. Although the plant is nearly hardy, it is 
highly worthy of greenhouse treatment, and of a little extra 
heat and care when producing fresh foliage. It is grown 
extensively and well on the Continent both in a large and 
/ small state, and is found to continue healthy in rooms and 
corridors for months together. 
We find in the Gardener's Magazine the results of a 
trial of 116 varieties of POTATOES grown at Stoke Newington 
by Mr. Shirley Hibberd. The majority of the sorts produced 
poor or much diseased crops, which were nearly worthless : 
