November 16, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



431 



been numerously attended and muoh appreciated, and the 

 cordial thanks of the Institute are due to the gentlemen named 

 for their kindness, and they express a hope that those readings 

 may continue. They also report and gratefully acknowledge 

 the gift of a valuable microscope from Mr. J. W. Pease, M.P. 

 Twenty-one meetings for the inspection and naming of fruits 

 and flowers have been held, and those meetings have been 

 useful, interesting, and instructive. A sub-committee have 

 during the summer season held several open-air concerts, 

 through the kind permission of the owners, in the grounds of 

 West Lodge, Polam, and Woodlands. The balance sheet 

 showed the receipts and expenditure amounted to £61 6s. ll<f. 



The Crystal Palace Company are announcing as a pro- 

 minent attraction their collection of Chbysanthemums now 

 arranged in the central transept. The display is an excellent 

 one, and is deservedly admired by large numbers of visitors. 

 The plants are arranged in front of the orchestra, and ocoupy 

 a space of 50 yards in length by 4 to 6 feet in breadth. They 

 vary from 3 to 8 feet in height, and are composed of the best 

 of the large-flowering and Pompon varieties. They are in 

 excellent health, having good foliage and many "exhibition" 

 blooms. Especially fine are White Globe, Empress of India, 

 Anrea Multiflora, Dr. Sharpe .Golden Beverley, Mrs. G. Rundle, 

 Pink Perfection, Prince of Anemones, Jardin des Plantes ; and 

 attractive by their rich colours are Cardinal Wiseman, Oliver 

 Cromwell, and Progne. The most noteworthy of the Pompons 

 is Model of Perfection.- The exhibition will continue for some 

 time longer, Mr. Thompson having hundreds of plants in 

 reserve in one of the corridors. It is the best display of its 

 kind that has been seen in the building. 



We have recently seen with what good reason Mr. 



Luckhnrst occasionally refers to the profitable nature of espa- 

 lier feuit tbees. His father has for a term of about forty 

 years been gardener at The Mote, near Maidstone, the estate 

 of Lord Romney, but now in the occupation of Lady Howard 

 de Walden. The trees which Mr. Luckhnrst, sen., planted 

 in that garden thirty years ago are now remarkable " hedges," 

 fringing the walks of the fine kitchen garden, and even during 

 the present season the crops of fruit produced by these trees 

 have been vejy good. The espaliers are about 5 feet high and 

 are nearly "self-supporting" — that is, only a stake here and 

 there is required to support the branches. They are not 

 formally trained horizontal cordons, but in reality are hedges 

 of Apple trees bristling with spurs and producing annually 

 superior fruit — such crops as no other system of culture could 

 produce on the same limited space, and with the same small 

 outlay in labour which is necessary to keep the trees in order. 



Under the able superintendence of Mr. F. Bause, Me. 



Wills's Nubseby at Anerley resembles the Belgian plant 

 manufactories. By rapid propagation Mr. Bause has crowded 

 the several houses with new and valuable plants, the Dracaenas 

 alone numbering about ten thousand. Another extensive 

 batoh of seedlings has just been pricked out in a hundred pans 

 each containing about a hundred plants. The beautiful Yucca 

 filamentosa variegata continues to be increased in the same 

 successful manner that has been previously noticed. Ferns 

 are raised from spores apparently as freely as are Mustard 

 and Cress from seeds. Pitcher-plants are numerous and fine. 

 Anthuriums, not only A. Scherzerianum but A. crystallinum, 

 are growing from seeds like Radishes, and Lapagerias are being 

 struck from cuttings in large batches. Altogether the nursery 

 is in capital order, and possesses many features of interest to 

 propagators and those identified with the increas'e and culti- 

 vation of new and popular plantB. 



An American writer informs us that wrapping the 



stems of trees for an inch or two below the ground to a foot 

 or two above with coarse brown paper, bass bark, or old sacks 

 of any kind, after which smearing the outside with coal tar, 

 will prevent the depredations of rabbits, mice, and similar 

 vermin. 



A plant of the greatest value for winter decoration is 



Lasiandra hacrantha flobibunda. It is a dwarf form of 

 L. macrantha, and was found in Brazil by the late Dr. See- 

 man. The great usefulness of this plant is, that it produces 

 its splendid violet-blue flowers in profusion when in quite a 

 small state — that is, cuttings struck in the spring form plantB 

 which flower freely during the following winter. We have 

 recently noticed plants about 6 inches high and growing in 

 •3-inch pots, each plant showing six to twelve flowers. These 

 plants were grown in frames during the summer, and will 

 shortly be worthy of being associated with dwarf Poinsettias, and 



it will not be easy to determine which are the most effective, 

 the brilliant scarlet braots of the one, or the large rich violet 

 flowers of the other. This dwarf Lasiandra is recommended 

 as meriting extensive cultivation. 



One of the sweetest of Orchids is Burlingtonia fba- 



geans ; its perfume may be desoribed as that of May blossom 

 intensified. This plant was recently flowering — indeed, it ap- 

 pears to be almost always in flower — in the collection of Mr. 

 Bull at Chelsea. The plant is growing on a block, and its 

 pendulous racemes of delicate blueh-tinted flowers are very 

 attractive. It is a most enjoyable Orchid, and worthy of a 

 place in all collections of stove plants. 



We are informed that the Royal Horticultural So- 

 ciety of Ibeland's winter Show, which was held on the 9lh 

 iost., was an excellent one. The principal feature was tho 

 Grapes exhibited by Mr. Roberts, gardener to the Conntess of 

 Charleville. The variety was Gros Guillaume, three bunches 

 weighed in the aggregate 45 lbs. The weight of the largest 

 bunch was over 16 lbs., the other two weighing 15 lbs. and 

 14 lbs. respectively. Each bunch was well finished, and they 

 were altogether most praiseworthy examples of cultural skill. 



Although the system of growing Watebcressfs W 



Pots has been frequently mentioned, that mode of culture is 

 not by any means generally adopted. Yet nothing can be more 

 easy of being carried out, and a supply of sweet and quickly 

 grown " Creases " may be had throughout the winter by all 

 who will pot a few plants and place them in any heated struc- 

 ture. The roots should be placed closely together in 6-inch 

 pots, using rich soil and potting lightly. The pots should then 

 be placed in deep saucere of water on a shelf in any moderately 

 heated structure. We have lately seen some productive pots 

 of Watercresses at MunBter House, Fulham, and Mr. Pithers 

 the gardener, spoke in high terms of the simplicity and useful- 

 ness of this mode of culture. 



■ We have to-day (November 14th) seen a further supply 



of Strawberries from Rabley. The fruit was perfectly ripe , 

 medium-sized, and well coloured. The plants producing this 

 fruit were forced last year, and afterwards planted in the open 

 ground : on showing trusses in the autumn the plants wero 

 again potted, and two hundred of them are now in full bear- 

 ing, and very valuable. 



We omitted to notice in our report of the last meeting 



of the Fruit and Floral Committees that a gold medal was 

 recommended to be given to Mr. Ollerhead for Orchids, and a 

 similar award to Mr. Ross, Welford Park, Newbury, for four 

 Smooth-leaved Cayenne Pine Apples weighing respectively 

 7 lbs. 4 J ozs., 8 lbs. 5 ozs., 9 lba. 2 J ozs., and 10 lbs. 5J ozs. 

 The suckers which produced these fruits were potted in 6-inch 

 pots in June, 1875, and shifted into 11-inch pots in April, 1876. 



Mr. Judd, late of Oxton Hall Gardens, has been ap- 

 pointed gardener to the Earl of Warwick, Warwick Castle. 

 Mr. Phipps, late of Ingestrie Hall, succeeds Mr. Scammell at 

 Bowood ; and Mr.Edwards, late Superintendent at the Regent's 

 Park, is succeeded by Mr. Brown from Hampton Court. 



Mr. G. Dawson, after alluding in the Irish Farmers' 



Gazette to the annoyance oaused by slugs in nibbling Mush- 

 rooms when in a small state, writes, that " about 2 inch(s 

 thick of the roughest sawdust to be had, put all over tho 

 beds, proved the best protective we ever tried both sgainst 

 woodlice and slugs. Neither of them likes to travel over diy 

 sawdust. And Mushrooms before fit for use, are sure to push 

 up quite enough through the sawdust to let a person know 

 where they are ; indeed, they generally throw themselves right 

 above the sawdust before they are of the size of a crown-piecp. 

 Should the beds require to be watered, it is best to clean the 

 sawdust completely off, then water according to need ; let the 

 surface dry as much as possible before returning the covering, 

 as the sawdust, to do good service, cannot be overdry." 



These was again a very full attendance of members at 



the usual monthly dinner of the Horticultural Club at their 

 clubhouse, 3, Adelphi Terrace, on the 8th inst. The Hon. 

 and Rev. L. T. Boscawen presided. Much interesting dis- 

 cussion took place after dinner, especially in reference to tho 

 Royal Horticultural Society and Mr. G. F. Wilson's efforts for 

 its revival. Mr. W. Wood of MareBfield and Mr. Andrew- 

 Henderson of Pine Apple Place were elected members. The 

 next dinner (which will be the anniversary) will be on De- 

 cember 6th. 



Mr. Abbey sends the following corrected mode of com- 

 pounding the insecticide which he recommended on page 401 



