12S 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 10, 18J6. 



of pieces of rails, boards, &c.,laid on the ground and cross-laid, 

 and covered with a foot of sawdust. On this a layer of ice 

 cakes is placed, leaving a foot or more on the outside for saw- 

 dust, and sawdust is placed between the cakes that do not fit 

 closely, and the last layer is well covered with the same non- 

 conductor. In summer the sawdust is occasionally packed 

 down, and large ice blocks when wanted sawed into smaller 

 pieces and repacked. This ice house cost me about §5 labour 

 and §15 to §20 for hemlock lumber, $2 for saved sawdust, §3 to 

 §5 a-year for six to ten loads of ice blocks from the lake, and 

 when ice-gathering has failed one or two seasons ice has been 

 found in good condition the second summer. A chunk of it 

 will last half a day in a covered tin pail in dog days ; it cools 

 our milk and cream, and, in short, is winter saved for use in 

 summer. — W. W. Newman. — (New York Tribune). 



PORTRAITS or PLANTS, FLOWERS, and FRUITS. 



Bongakdia Rauwolfii. Nat. ord., Berberidacea?. Linn., 

 Hesandria Monogynia. — " Bongardia Rauwolfii has a very wide 

 range in geographical distribution, from the islands of the 

 Greek Archipelago (Chios and Rhodes), through Asia Minor, 

 Syria, and Persia, to Affghanistan and Beluchistan. In Syria 

 and Persia it is said to be found in cornfields and to be used 

 as an acid pot-herb. Plants of it have been received at Eew 

 from Max Leichtlin of Carlsruhe ; and from N. Elwes, Esq., 

 the latter of which flowered in the spring of the present year 

 in the open border." — (Bot. Mag., t. 6244). 



Duvalia polita. Nat. ord., Aselepiadeaa. Linn., Pentandria 

 Digynia. — " This flowered in the Royal Gardens, Kew, in the 

 summer of 1874, and is now coming into flower again. Its 

 history and the precise locality from which it came are un- 

 known, although not uncommonly cultivated by Stapelia 

 growers under the names Stapelia polita and S. eehinata. 

 With the exception of Duvalia Corderoyi it is the finest of the 

 genus, and is remarkable on account of its regularly six-angled 

 stems and very Bhining corolla, the lobes of which are less 

 replicate than those of any other species in the genus." — 

 (Ibid., t. 6245.) 



Eulophia iiACKOSTACHYA. Nat. ord., Orchidacese. Linn., 

 Gynandria Monandria. — "Avery graceful Orchid, introduced 

 into the Horticultural Gardens from those of Peradenia by Mr. 

 Watson, their then superintendent, so long ago as 1837, and 

 more recently sent to England by Dr. Thwaites, from whose 

 specimens cultivated at Kew the drawing now reproduced was 

 made in 1860, and who Btates that it is not uncommon in the 

 central province of the island, ascending to 4000 feet. It is 

 also, according to Wight, a native of the eastern slopes of the 

 Neilgherry Mountains. Lindley describes it as one of the 

 easiest-grown of Orchids, flowering late, and producing fresh 

 flowers till Christmas; ours bloomed first in January, 1864." — 

 (Ibid., t. 6246.) 



Leucothoe Davisle. Nat. ord., Ericacese. Lircre.,Octandria 

 Monogynia. — " This handsome evergreen Ericaceous shrub was 

 discovered in 1853 by Mr. William Lobb on the Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains of California at an elevation of 5000 feet. It was 

 sent by him to Messrs. Veitch, and distributed by them under 

 the name of Leucothoe Lobbii. It was gathered again in the 

 same tract by Miss N. J. Davis, after whom it was named by 

 Dr. Torrey, and this name has been adopted by Dr. Asa Gray 

 in the Proceedings of the American Academy, and in the valu- 

 ablework on the botany of California, of which we have just 

 received the first volume. It is the only species of the genus 

 which has been found on the western side of the American 

 continent. From the two well-known and long-cultivated 

 species of the Eastern States (L. axillaris and Catesbcei), it 

 differs by its shorter nearly entire much less-pointed leaves, 

 and by having its larger and handsomer flowers aggregated 

 into a panicle at the end of the branches. So that, horticul- 

 turally, it is a decidedly finer plant, and of course, coming 

 from such an elevation, it may be safely relied upon as quite 

 hardy."— (Ibid., t. 6247.) 



Agave Boitef.ii. Nat. ord , Amaryllidaceas. Linn., Hes- 

 andria Monogynia. — " This plant was sent a long time ago 

 from Mexico by M. Botteri to Mr. Wilson Saunders. When 

 this was dispersed it was purchased by Mr. J. T. Peacock, with 

 whom it flowered at Sudbury House, Hammersmith, in the 

 spring of 1875. It is a Littsea as regards inflorescence, and, 

 according to his classification, founded on characters, falls 

 into the group " Sabcoriacere," which combines the small 

 teeth of the "Aloidese," with a much thinner leaf, with the 

 firmer texture of the large-spined panicle d species of the series 



of which A. americana and Soolymus are best known repre- 

 sentatives."— (Ibid., t. 6248.) 



Gazuolepis euktopoides. Nat. ord., Composita;. Linn., 

 Syngenesia Necessaria. — " G. euryopoides is a native of the 

 mountains of British Cafiraria, Uitenhage, and Albany, at 

 about 2000 feet elevation. It was raised at Kew from seed sent 

 by Mr. Tack of the Grahamstown Botanic Gardens in 1868, 

 and flowers annually on the Cape shelf of the temperate house." 

 —(Ibid., t. 6249.) 



Apple. — Peasgood's Nonesuch. — " This is without doubt one 

 of the handsomest autumn Apples in cultivation, and is be- 

 sides an Apple of good quality. It was raised by Mr. Peas- 

 good of Stamford, and when exhibited at South Kensington in 

 September, 1872, was awarded a first-class certificate by the 

 Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. We take 

 Dr. Hogg's description of it from the ' Fruit Manual,' which 

 runs as follows : — ' This is very like a very large Nonesuch, and 

 not unlike the Blenheim Pippin when well grown. It is large, 

 3.J inches wide and 3 inches high, roundish, somewhat oblate, 

 and very handsome. The skin is yellow, overspread on the 

 sunny side with red, and copiously streaked with bright darker 

 crimson streakB. Eye very large and open, set in a deep, round, 

 and even baBin, and with short stunted calyx. Stalk short, 

 deeply inserted. Flesh yellowish, tender, very juicy, with an 

 agreeably acid flavour. A fine culinary and dessert Apple.' 

 This noble-looking Apple has been recently sent oat by Messrs. 

 W. & J. Brown of Stamford. Besides the certificate at South 

 Kensington above referred to, it gained a first-class certificate 

 at the Show held at the Crystal Palace in September, 1874." — 

 (Flor. and Pom., 3 s., ix., 181.) 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



HABDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



Wall trees have been looked over, and all the foreright shoots 

 have been cut off to a leaf or two from the base of each shoot. 

 The very dry weather has rather checked their growth; but 

 there is very little fruit upon either Plums or PearB, so the 

 growth has been sufficient. The Pear trees are trained on what 

 gardeners call the horizontal system of training. Each branch 

 is a cordon, and is spurred-in closely, none of the side branchea 

 being nailed-in to the wall. There is no summer nailing with 

 these trees, and a man accustomed to the work can go over their 

 dressing very rapidly. The shootB are taken between the thumb 

 and the edge of a sharp knife and are broken off. Some gar- 

 deners partially sever the shoots and leave them hanging. This 

 is supposed to prevent the eyes from starting, and it does to a 

 certain extent ; but the shoots hanging loose are untidy, and 

 there is not much gain from it, as the eyes at the base of the 

 young wood are not likely to become fruit buds. 



Plum, Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, and Cherry trees are trained 

 on the fan system, and this requires a certain amount of young 

 wood to be laid-in annually. This has already been done; but 

 many of the shoots are apt to become loosened by the wind, and 

 some of them grow considerably after the first nailing. These 

 must be nailed-in this month, as not only does it make the trees 

 have a more neat appearance, but the fruit becomes more 

 exposed to the ripening agency of the sun and air. Where 

 Peaches and Nectarines are shaded by the leaves these ought 

 either to be removed or laid aside. If the latter cannot be done 

 the leaves ought not to be stripped off, as this would be injurious 

 to the buds at the base ; but they may be cut, leaving part of 

 the leaf, which will perform the same function that the whole 

 one would have done. 



Fig trees also require a little attention at this time. The fruit 

 is now approaching the ripeniog stage, and ought to be exposed 

 to the sun to bring out the flavour. We have always seen the 

 best crops of Figs from trees that have been trained very loosely, 

 the shoots being allowed to hang from the wall. This is per- 

 haps objectionable in some gardens, as loosely hanging shoots 

 are always considered a mark of untidiness. If they are nailed 

 closely in to the wall the knife must be used as little as possible, 

 as the shoots that are trained in now will carry a crop next 

 season. 



Vines trained to walls must not be neglected. The lateral 

 growths require a final stopping, and the young wood intended 

 to bear fruit next year should also be stopped if it has grown to 

 the prescribed limit. All such young rods should have sufficient 

 space to develope the leaveB fully and allow of some lateral 

 growth. All laterals to be stopped at the first leaf. Dnst with 

 sulphur to destroy mildew, and syringe to prevent red spider. 



The Strawberry plants are now quite free from red spider and 

 mildew, and a little rain having fallen the plants have been put 

 out in the beds, and we shall Water them freely if no more falls. 

 A Bhallow depression is formed around each plant, and the 

 water is applied through a coarse rose. The plants must not be 



