136 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 17, 1876. 



early Potatoes remained on the shelves till the whole of the 

 late kinds were planted, many of the early kinds not being 

 planted till the last week in April, and yet the whole of them 

 were lifted and housed in twelve weeks from that time. Late 

 planting is, therefore, not incompatible with early lifting. We 

 have only to store the seed well at the time of lifting and then 

 calmly await a favourable planting-time when spring comes 

 ronnd again. It is most important that this should be made 

 quite clear to those who have not yet tried the plan. I may 

 therefore explain that when Potatoes are stored in single 

 layers upon open shelves the sprouting, which is inevitable, is 

 so wonderfully robust — often being as large as one's finger — 

 that when the planting is done the haulm springs up as if by 

 magic, and with a strength and uniformity which is most grati- 

 fying, affording a striking and agreeable contrast to the weak 

 uncertain growth of seed that is heaped or otherwise mis- 

 managed. 



The keen cutting winds from the north and east that were 

 so prevalent in spring taught a lesson of much importance — 

 half learnt long ago, of the necessity and value of shelter for 

 all kinds of fruit trees. I say half learnt advisedly, for while 

 one is accustomed to see blossom affected by exposure to cold, 

 yet it is something new to have the foliage of Apples and Pears 

 battered to shreds by the wind, and that, too, after it waB 

 grown to full size and become tolerably stout in texture, as 

 was the case this year with many of the trees standing out in 

 single rows along the side of kitchen-garden paths. In an 

 orchard only the outside rows on the windward side suffered, 

 and these were not so much affected as those in the kitchen 

 garden, which proves that such trees shelter each other when 

 planted together in large numbers. Thick belts of Larch and 

 Spruce Fir form admirable wind screens, and it is intended to 

 plant such a belt along the north and east sides of an orchard 

 to thicken and make perfect the shelter which already exists 

 in the form of a number of Oaks and Beeches. In doing this 

 care will be taken to bring the belt as near as possible to the 

 orchard boundaries, and yet not so near as to shade the fruit 

 trees. An open trench ± feet deep will be made and maintained 

 close along the orchard fence to prevent any encroachment of 

 the Fir roots, and the trees will be planted 4 feet apart, having 

 Spruce only in every third row, and only every third plant to 

 be Spruce in that row, all the other trees to be Larch, which 

 would bring the Spruce 12 feet apart, with the view cf gradu- 

 ally removing the Larches, so as eventually to form a dense 

 •screen of evergreen Spruce trees. 



Some Peaoh and Neotarine trees on the outside of a south 

 wall had the foliage much blistered by the cold east wind which 

 -swept along them with unchecked violence. Upon the prin- 

 ciple that the best remedy is the right one, a permanent screen 

 in the form of a wing of brickwork 20 feet long and of the 

 same height as the garden wall is to be attached to the south- 

 east corner of the wall, bo as in future to effectually break the 

 force of the wind at a period of the year when its effects are 

 so hurtful to the young and tender foliage of these valuable 

 exotic fruits. 



It is usually advised that young Raspberry shoots should be 

 thinned in summer in order to impart as much etrength as 

 •possible to those which are left to bear the next year's crop. 

 Another and most important effect of this thinning is to ex- 

 pose the selected canes to the ripening influence of sun and 

 air, without which there is considerable risk of damage from 

 an unkindly spring, as was clearly demonstrated in two beds 

 •this season. That which was thinned passed through the cold 

 with impunity ; but the other, which remained unthinned till 

 autumn, had the wonderfully robust but uaripened canes 

 partly destroyed. I may add that these latter canes were of 

 •such exceptional strength that thinning appeared to be alto- 

 gether unnecessary. — Edwabd Luckhurst. 



Peach. The stone is rough and small, the glands are round, 

 and the flowers are large. The tree is said to be delicate and 

 very liable to mildew ; but I have seen nothing of either here. 

 It is difficult to fix the season of ripening, but I suppose 

 here it ripsns usually from the third week in August to first 

 week in September. My garden is cold and exposed. — W. F. 

 Radcltffe. 



GROSSE MIGNONNE PEACH. 

 This is one of the finest, if not the finest, full-sized mid- 

 -season Peach. It is only just second to Noblesse, which I 

 deem the best of all Peaches. I had Grosse Mignonne origin- 

 ally under four different names, three of which were Padley's 

 Early Purple, Royal Kensington, and smooth-leaved Royal 

 George. The fruit is large, roundish, somewhat flattened and 

 furrowed with a deep suture at the top which divides it into 

 two lobes. Exposed to the sun it is of a fine crimson colour, 

 sometimes brownish red ; the skin is covered with soft down. 

 The flesh is pale yellow, red under the skin on the sun side, 

 and red at the stone. It is a rich, vinous, highly-flavoured 



THE LATE CAMPAIGN. 

 Now that we are in the middle of August, and grouse shoot- 

 ing haB commenced, we may consider that the Rose season is 

 over. There may be good second blooms in a few gardens, 

 but as Mr. Hole so well expresses it, these will be but the 

 gleaning of the Grapes — the echo of the chorus. We can, 

 then, now regard the late season with care, and deliberate 

 upon its results. 



That there have been some magnificent stands staged at 

 the great Rose shows I am the first to own ; but yet I do not 

 hesitate to say that this has not been a good season for Roses. 

 How, indeed, could it be? Never, for the last ten years at 

 least, have we had such trying weather — a winter unusually 

 prolonged, a most inclement spring, drought continued all 

 through the most important month of May, followed by un- 

 UBnally cold weather during the early part of Jane. If under 

 such circumstances as these we were able to have Roses equal 

 to any of past years, then we might be able to snap our fingers 

 at the weather, and say, Do your worst, you cannot hurt us. 

 But no one, on the contrary, is so dependant on the weather 

 as the rosarian, and for this reason : his plads must be 

 grown in the open air ; because, if not, the blooms will all be 

 over before the Rose show season commences, and no amount 

 of watering will compensate for continued drought during the 

 growing season, while no plan of rough shelter can effectually 

 withstand the severities of our English springs. 



And yet in spite of all, some marvellous blooms have been 

 staged at our great Rose shows. Mr. Cant of Colchester, the 

 (I think this will be granted by all) premier exhibitor of the 

 year, was never in better form, at least since I have had the 

 privilege of seeing his Roses, while Mr. Turner has surpassed 

 himself, and Mr. George Paul has been uniformly good through- 

 out the season. Mr. Keynes and Mr. CranBton have most 

 exposed nurseries. • The former has also a very poor soil, 

 while the latter is more dependant upon rain than any of his 

 great rivals. What wonder, then, is it that this year they have 

 not been more successful, since they have been martyrs to the 

 ungenial season ? Among amateurs Mr. Baker has well main- 

 tained his position. He was, I know, beaten for the head 

 prize at the Crystal Palace, but he was first in every other 

 class, and was also first for the chief prize at the Aquarium. 

 A deluge of rain the day before the Alexandra prevented his 

 showing, but in spite of this he has taken more first prizes 

 throughout the year than any other amateur. 



The surprise, however, of the year has been Mr. Nicholl of 

 Bury St. Edmunds. I knew that we had a dark horse to con- 

 tend with, who was expected by so great a judge as Mr. Cant 

 to do great things, so I was quite prepared to hear of his 

 success, and I am sure no one congratulates him more sincerely 

 on Mb victory than do the leading amateurs. There is no 

 envy, no bitterness felt by them ; they like an open fair fight, 

 and when defeated, so far from being angry, are the first to 

 congratulate the victor, particularly if he is a new beginner. 

 Mr. Jowitt of Hereford has been increasing his reputation ; 

 he won Mr. Cranston's challenge cup at Hereford, and has 

 been grand all through the year, particularly with his pets 

 the Teas. 



And now as to individual Roses. This year has been a most 

 extraordinary one. Some of the leading sorts, whioh are 

 generally grand, have been nowhere. Particularly has this 

 been the case with Charles Lefebvre, the grandest of Roses. 

 I have never once seen this Rose shown well. It has been ex- 

 ceedingly light in colour, often small, and nearly always thin. 

 Alfred Colomb, too, has been poor this year, and all the Roses 

 of that shade of colour have been unsatisfactory. But on the 

 other hand it has been a grand year for Reynolds Hole, Fisher 

 Holmes, Louis Van Houtte, and Xavier Olibo. On the whole, 

 however, I should say that this has been tbe year for light- 

 coloured Roses. " The Baroness " and La France have been 

 grand, Marie Cointet has maintained her position, and Eugenie 

 Yerdier has advanced. 



Teas this year have been unusually good, in fact it was just 

 the year to suit them, provided that due care was taken by 



