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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Octoter 26, 187u. 



and I thought novel and well adapted for many situations 

 where space is valuable.— J. Robson. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



Although the Feuit Show, which was announced to be 

 held at South Kensington on November 8th, is officially post- 

 poned, there is reason to believe that the meeting of that date 

 will be of more than ordinary interest. The competition for 

 the prizes offered by Messrs. James Carter & Co. and Messrs, 

 Sutton & Sons cannot fail to bring out some worthy products ; 

 and the excellent suggestion of Mr. Gilbert in the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, that gardeners should show their respect for the 

 "old Society" by exhibiting fruit, &c, will possibly be acted 

 upon by those who are able to do so. What may be done by 

 voluntary effort and good will was well shown in the nursery- 

 men's exhibition of last year, and Mr. Turner has again notified 

 his intention of exhibiting a large collection of Chrysanthe- 

 mums ; and we hear that Mr. B. S. Williams also intends to 

 contribute largely out of the abundance of his extensive and 

 valuable storehouse. 



Mb. Dickson of Arkleton thus refers to two new Grapes 



— the Duke of Buccleuch and Venn's Black Muscat: — "I 

 grafted two of the former last year, and so far they have done 

 well. I had five bunches on one and two on the other." 

 Alluding to the keeping qualities of "the Duke " Mr. Dickson 

 states that he has a bunch hanging now in a perfect state 

 which was ripe in August. He has a good opinion of this 

 Grape, which he describes as " a grand Grape when well 

 grown." On Venn's Muscat he writes : " This also is a good 

 Grape, and most decidedly I think it quite distinct from 

 Muscat Hamburgh. I have it inarched on Muscat of Alexandria 

 and also on its own roots." 



Mr. A. Botle in a note on the Touato disease observes 



that " W. C. Smith and ' South Devon ' have somewhat mis- 

 conceived my meaning when I said ' My experience appeared 

 to show that Tomatoes take the true Potato disease from 

 neighbouring Potatoes whenever there is wet weather.' By 

 this I did not mean that Tomatoes do not otherwise take 

 that disease, only that they would more certainly do so (and 

 probably to a worse extent) in the circumstances named. The 

 instances I cited of Tomatoes in my neighbourhood at a dis- 

 tance from Potatoes escaping the disease were adduced to 

 show this merely, and not that the plant in question is always 

 free from that disease when away from the Potato." 



We have had sent to us a profusion of Antibbhinuji 



flowees, each different and all raised by Mr. Caudwell, florist, 

 Wantage. They are large, handsome, and of the best strain. 



Mr. John Atkinson of Brigg writeB to us as follows on 



large MusHEOoiis : — " Having seen an account in your Journal 

 of September 28th of some large MushroomB which had been 

 gathered in Ireland, I thought it might be interesting to your 

 readers to know that a still larger specimen of Agaricus 

 arvenBis has been found in England. I picked on the 10th of 

 this month in an old pasture at Winterton in the county of 

 Lincoln a Mushroom, the two diameters of which measured 

 1 foot 1 inch and 11 inches respectively ; the weight being 

 1 lb. 9ozs. This Mushroom was most delicious when cooked." 



Me. A. J. Tejiple, formerly steward and gardener to 



Mrs. Roe, Nutley, near Dublin, has been appointed gardener 

 and general estate superintendent at Hartsholme Hall, Lincoln, 

 aB successor to Mr. Holah. Mr. Allis, who was formerly gar- 

 dener at Hartsholme, is now manager of the old Warden Hall 

 estate near Biggleswade, belonging to the same proprietor, 

 J. Shuttleworth, Esq. 



In the list of our imports from British India Tea is 



distinguished by the large increase shown in the returns for 

 last year. The quantity rose from less than 18,000,000 lbs. in 

 1874 to upwards of 25,000,000 in 1875, and the value advanced 

 to nearly £2,200,000, giving Tea a place among the articles 

 for which we pay India more than £2,000,000 sterling in the 

 year. The Indian Government report on the financial year 

 1874-75 states that the cultivation of Tea is rapidly spreading 

 in Bengal, and the amount of the out-turn is now amply re- 

 munerative. The prices obtained in the market are such as 

 show that the average quality is good, and, indeed, the industry 

 is in an infinitely better and safer position than it was ten 

 years ago. The native labourers are well treated by the 

 European planters, and are generaUy contented. The best 

 labourers come from Nepaul, and bear a good character for 



industry and aptitude. In the Darjeeling district the increase 

 of area under Tea cultivation in the year was 3193 acres, and 

 the increase of out-turn was 971,201 lbs. The average yield of 

 an acre was about 325 lbs. ; in 1872 it was about 256 lbs. The 

 Tea plant was introduced on the Neilgherry hills about forty 

 years ago, and now covers nearly 2000 acres. The China 

 variety, with which the oldeBt of these estates are planted, is 

 the most hardy, but grows slowly and produces very little leaf ; 

 the Assam variety, on the other hand, grows rapidly and is a 

 large producer of leaf, but it requires a sheltered situation on 

 a rich fertile soil. The cross between the two is the most 

 generally useful. 



Refeeeing to Strawberries as a field crop, the North 



British Agriculturist states that a grower near Cupar-Angus 

 netted £400 this season from three acres of Strawberries on 

 thin land. The plants on which these grew were four years 

 old. Another near Perth refused £2800 for the crop of 

 twenty-eight acres of Strawberries, and the offerer was to have 

 gathered the crop, which was a splendid one. Aberdeen and 

 its surrounding districts have for years been famous for Straw- 

 berry production. This year, however, the crop has not been 

 quite so good there as it sometimes is, neither in quantity or 

 quality. Strawberries have, however, been a good crop in 

 some parts of Perthshire and Forfarshire, and have paid the 

 growers handsomely. The cost of planting an acre does not 

 exceed £20, and the plants remain good for several years. On 

 thin land in Kent many acres aro devoted to Strawberry cul- 

 ture, and few other crops pay the growers so well. 



NOTES on VILLA and SUBUBBAN GARDENING. 



The Flowee Garden. — If not already dons, all tender plants 

 which are needed for store plants should be taken up and potted 

 before frost comes and injures them. We annually take np a 

 large number, and the work is done with much care, especially 

 among variegated sorts. Some of the roots may be shortened 

 and some of the foliage removed, and a few of the strongest 

 shoots may be cut off, so as to make the plants compact and 

 convenient to pack into close quarters. Sandy loam and leaf 

 soil is suitable compost. We generally use boxes of a convenient 

 size and depth, also in some cases pots, and the plants are put 

 in thickly and kept in a cool, dry, airy place. A slight bottom 

 heat for a time to induce the plants to make fresh roots is good, 

 but is not always provided in an amateur's garden. Many 

 plants can be preserved through the winter in frames if means 

 are adopted to keep them secure from frost and damp. Verbenas 

 can be so kept, but the plants must be dusted with sulphur 

 occasionally to keep mildew away. A dry bottom for the pots 

 is necessary, and an inch or two of ashes put down will be an 

 advantage in placing the pots level. Both cuttings and plants 

 should be freely exposed as often as possible with safety so as to 

 have them well established. Water should be very sparingly 

 given, and if possible on bright mornings, and then the lights 

 can be left off till the foliage is dry. 



Prepare a place for Calceolaria cuttings, which may be in- 

 serted now. It is a very easy matter to strike them. The shoots 

 chosen should be those which have not flowered this summer, 

 and which are now growing and healthy. They should be cut 

 into lengths of about 2 inches, removing some of the lower 

 leaves, so that the cuttings may be dibbed in the soil about an 

 inch — jast sufficient to make them firm. Light loam, leaf soil, 

 and sand will be a suitable compost, but it must be sifted so as to 

 press closely against the cuttings. The bed in which they are 

 to be struck should be made level, and the cuttings put in rows 

 about 2 inches apart, and afterwards watered sufficient to settle 

 the soil about them. Many thousands can be put-in in a day if 

 needed. They must be protected from frost, and after being 

 rooted exposed to air and sunshine ; but before that they must 

 not be allowed to flag from the effects of sun, or they go off. 

 They are not subject to suffer from damp, but moisture rather 

 favours their rooting. I sprinkle my cuttings every morning, 

 and if they are put in properly not one in a hundred will fail to 

 root. In the spring the points of each shoot must be taken out, 

 which will cause them to produce side shoots. Attention must 

 be given to the timely thinning-out of the plants, for if they 

 are allowed to grow thickly together the shoots run up weakly, 

 and the plants never recover their compactness. The plants 

 which are taken out may be planted in another bed or potted, 

 and all of them will be ready for planting out in spring before 

 any other bedding plants. 



Old plants of Calceolarias, if taken up and potted and plaoed 

 in a cold frame, will pass through the winter safely, and in 

 spring they will produce fine large bunches of yellow flowers 

 which will prove very useful and ornamental. The plants will 

 need manure water at flowering time. 



Chrysanthemums are now coming on quickiy, and if the buds 

 are plentiful it will be well to thin out some of the smallest, 



