December 26, 1878. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
493 
Wild Apple trees were not uncommon in this reign. William 
of Malmesbury says (lib. ii. cap. 8) that King Edgar in 973, 
while hunting in a wood and separated from his followers, was 
overcome by an irresistible desire to sleep, and alighting from 
his horse he lay down under the shade of a wild Apple tree. 
Henry of Huntingdon, in describing a quarrel that arose at 
the court of Edward the Confessor between two of the sons of 
Earl Godwin, represents one of them as departing in a rage to 
Hereford, where his brother had ordered a royal banquet to 
be prepared. ‘There he seized his brother’s attendants ; and 
cutting off their heads and limbs he placed them in the vessels 
of wine, mead, ale, pigment, morat, and cyder.’’—(“ Henry of 
Hunt.” vol. vi. p. 367.) It must, however, be admitted that 
although this history was written in 1154 it was not published 
until 1576 by Saville, when it it possible that the last word 
“cyder,”’ by that time the common drink of Herefordshire, 
may have been added.—(Hervfordshire Pomona.) 
HOW AN INVALID GREW SOME ROSES. 
Our garden is small; situation sunny, but much exposed ; 
soil light and sandy. I longed for. Roses, but was told I need 
not attempt to plant any. “ They won’t grow,” said wise 
friends and experienced gardeners whom I consulted, so for 
years I had to content myself with bedding plants. I was not 
content. I loved such plants only with the love any flower 
can command. You cannot care deeply for things that the 
first frost destroys, and that must be taken away to be seen no 
more. 
Meantime some little shelter had sprung up round our little 
dower garden—a Yew hedge on the north side, and a Privet 
hedge on the south-west. We cannot wholly shut out the east, 
though the house is to some extent a protection from that 
quarter. I ventured on buying nine or ten Rose trees from a 
gardener near who had a small but good collection. They 
were planted in three of the flower beds, but not all the ground 
was allowed. ‘Bedding plants would look well, and would 
do the Roses no harm.’ However, in spite of the surrounding 
parasites the standards did fairly. I had made a beginning. 
I had gathered Roses. 
Waiting another year and still studying my manual, besides 
corresponding with a practical Rose-grower who recommended 
the Manetti stock as likely to do better than the Briar on 
sandy soil, I ordered some standards and some dwarfs. The 
order included Gloire de Dijon for the east aspect of house, 
Maréchal Niel and Climbing Devoniensis for the south-west, a 
dozen or two Hybrid Perpetuals, and two or three of the 
hardier Teas. The soil was enriched with loam and dressed 
svith good stable manure. 
Even here discouragement was at hand with the remark— 
“You are making the soil too rich: the Roses won’t flower.” 
But the Roses did flower. They bloomed better and better 
every year as I learned to understand them and to treat them 
carefully ; and even with all the drawbacks of soil and situa- 
tion the blooms were generally fairly good and often positively 
fine. Now and then I lost a weakly standard, once a dwarf, 
and never a Tea Rose. 
I have now about a hundred varieties. All the bedding 
plants are routed. The Roses have it all to themselves, save a 
little space near the windows for Primroses, garden Daisies, 
and spring Forget-me-nots, and the Geraniums, &c., in autumn. 
Being an invalid I am shut up generally at pruning time, 
fout a friendly gardener looks after my trees twice a year, and 
does what is needful for the Roses. 
My first trees were planted in 1873. If-anyone should 
desire to know what Roses do best in such soil as I have 
described, and what varieties have given me the earliest, the 
latest, and the sweetest blooms, I shall be glad to communicate 
my experience to the Journal.—A. M. B. 
PETROLEUM OR PARAFFIN AS AN INSECT 
KILLER—A CAUTION. 
I AGREE with Mr. W. Taylor as regards the utility of 
parafiin oil for the destruction of insects on plants, but I 
would caution those who use it not to try his recommendation 
of “one wineglass to a gallon of water.’ Two years ago I 
was recommended to try this strength ; the result was that it 
not only killed the vermin but also the plants. It, perhaps, 
might not be too strong for matured hard wood, but on soft- 
syvooded and tender plants it was destructive. I therefore 
reduced the strength to a wineglass mixed with two gallons of 
water, but found this still too strong, for in watering or rather 
syringing a row of French Beans wherever the dose had been 
twice applied they died; but on reducing the strength to a 
wineglass in a bucket of water I found it most beneficial to 
all descriptions of plants, and look upon it as one of those 
things a gardener can use against all kinds of plant vermin— 
taking care to amalgamate the paraffin and the water with the 
syringe before each ejection.—G. O. 8. 
[A wineglassful of anything is an indefinite quantity, there 
being large and small wine glasses. What is reckoned as a 
wineglassful among apothecaries is 1} fluid ounces. All 
receipts ought to be stated in fixed quantities—Ebs. J. or H.] 
NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Atv the INTERNATIONAL PoTATO EXHIBITION held at the 
Crystal] Palace in September last, about thirty new varieties 
of Potatoes were brought forward by exhibitors who were 
anxious to obtain for them critical consideration. Itwas found 
to be impossible to deal fairly with so many in the brief space 
of time then at command, and hence there were no certificates 
awarded. The Committee charged with the task of inquiring 
into the merits of new varieties have now made their final 
selection, and have awarded first-class certificates to the two 
varieties which Mr. ShirleyHibberd has described as follows:— 
Radstock Beauty—A coloured round, inclining to pebble 
shape, even and somewhat angular, rarely attaining to large 
size, the skin tawny white, smooth, and silky. The eyes are 
few but conspicuous, the side eyes being of a rosy purple 
colour, with arched brows of the same tint distinctly defined ; 
the eyes of the brown or nose end clustered in a patch of a 
somewhat darker shade, giving to a good sample an extremely 
pleasing appearance. The growth is moderate, the produce 
mostly of smallish ware size, plentiful, and clean; the flesh 
fine in texture, mealy, dry, and delicately flayoured :— Wood- 
stock Kidney—A white kidney, of oblong shape, extremely 
evenandsmooth. Theskin is tawny white, silky ; the eyesfew 
and inconspicuous, set level with the general surface in a small 
cluster of dots at the crown or nose end. So regular in form 
is this variety that a fair sample may be likened to a model 
turned in a lathe. The growth is moderate and compact, the 
tubers are plentifully produced and mostly of middling ware 
size, and are in the very least degree affected by disease. The 
flesh is yellowish, fine in texture, and of the most delicate 
flayour. ‘his is, all points considered, one of the finest varieties 
hitherto submitted to the International Committee. 
—— Iv will be remembered that the ScorrisH HoRtTI- 
CULTURAL ASSOCIATION some time ago offered prizes of 
£3, £2, £1, and 10s., for competition by under gardeners, 
members of the Association, for the best four plans of kitchen 
gardens, with fruit, plant, and forcing houses, gardener’s 
house, and offices, complete. We are requested to call the 
attention of our readers to the fact that the time for forward- 
ing the plans is now at hand—namely, January Ist, 1879. 
The plans must be sent to the Secretary, Mr. John Methven, 
15, Princes Street, Edinburgh. 
THE FERN WORLD.—Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston 
and Co. are about to commence the publication, in a series of 
shilling monthly parts, of Mr. Francis George Heath’s “ Fern 
World.” Part 1 will be ready with the January magazines. 
“N.C.” COMMUNICATES the following in reference to 
the FRost AT NENAGH :—‘“ A self-registering thermometer, 
placed on a stand raised one foot above the snow, fell during 
the week ending December 14th, four nights to 15° Fahr. ; on 
14th to 10°; and this morning (17th) it had fallen to zero.” 
The soil is dry. Our correspondent “ W. J. M.” writing from 
Clonmel states that the weather has been so severe there as to 
have killed several shrubs in his garden. 
—— THE dates of the Floral Meetings in connection with 
the MANCHESTER ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, to be held in 
the Town Hall next year, are March 18th and April 29th. On 
the last-named date the Exhibition of the National Auricula 
Society (northern section) will be held in the Town Hall. The 
usual Great Show will be held in the gardens at Whitsuntide, 
and the National Rose Society’s Northern Show on July 12th. 
The Cottagers’ show will be held August 4th. 
—— WE have been astonished to see exposed for sale 
in Covent Garden Market splendid specimens of GOLDEN 
QuBnEN Hoes from 6 to 10 feet high, and which have 
evidently been trained with great care. Such specimens as 
