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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 14, 1876. 



them in 1718 under the title of " Philosophical Letters between 

 the learned Mr. Ray and several of his Correspondents, natives 

 and foreigners." 



CUCUMBER CULTURE. 



Youk correspondent, "J. P.," has on page 472 named five 

 varieties of Cucumbers which have done well with him, but I 

 wish to add a few more to the list and a few cultural remarks. 

 ■On the 8th of January I sowed the seeds in a bell-glass, using 

 three parts of leaf soil and one part of turfy loam, and placed 

 the glass on the hot-water pipes. The seed soon germinated, 

 and the third day afterwards I potted the plants into 60-sized 

 ipots, using leaf soil and turfy loam in equal parts. As soon 

 as the plants were well established they were planted in pure 

 turfy loam. I do not use manure in the soil, for I have proved 

 that planting in rich soil causes excrescences to form on the 

 roots, which are almost certain death to the plants. I use 

 liquid manure two or three times a-week in a warm state when 

 the plants are growing. I began cutting fruit on the 18th of 

 March, and continued until the 28th of October, when the old 

 plants were removed. 



The first variety I wish to mention is Sutton's Duke of Con- 

 maught. It is very handsome and level fruit, growing from 

 20 to 25 inches in length, and of excellent flavour. Hamilton's 

 British Volunteer is remarkably productive ; it is very tender 

 and good, and grows from 25 to 30 inches in length. Hamil- 

 ton's Needle Gun is perfectly smooth and straight, and grows 

 from 20 to 28 inches in length, but is rather shy in fruiting. 

 Hamilton's Goliath is very large ; it grows from 25 to 30 inches 

 in length, and for a long variety is remarkably free in fruiting. 

 Blue Gown is an excellent variety ; it grows from 20 to 26 inches 

 long, regular in shape, and good in flavour. Daniels' Duke of 

 Edinburgh is a fine variety ; it is a free-bearer, and grows from 

 20 to 20 inches in length, it is quite tender, and of superior 

 flavour. The above I consider good exhibition varieties, as 

 well as being serviceable for table use ; but as producing fruit 

 fit for cutting freely for everyday use I can recommend 

 Sutton's Berkshire Champion. It is a good variety for frame 

 cultivation, being very prolifio and of superior quality. The 

 fruit grows about 20 inches in length. Kirklees Hall Defiance 

 is suitable for either frame or house cultivation ; it is prolific, 

 tender, and grows about 20 inches in length. Improved 

 Market Favourite is a most excellent variety for frame cultiva- 

 tion, being a free-bearer, the fruitgrowing from 15 to 18 inches 

 in length. Sion House Improved is one of the best for winter 

 work ; it is a heavy cropper, the fruit growing about 16 inches 

 in length, straight, and of the first quality. The varieties 

 named have done well with me, and I can recommend them 

 as worthy of general cultivation.— G. S., Faulkners House 

 Gardens. 



EFFECTS OF ARCTIC TEMPERATURES. 



I will premise by saying that as I once upon a time spent 

 ■four summers and two winters in the " Plover," Captain Moore, 

 in search of the " Terror" and "Erebus," under Sir John Frank- 

 lin, I consider myself entitled to form an opinion about what I 

 am going to state. 



Any newspaper account I have seen merely says that Dr. 

 Kane left some Wheat for experimental purposes, but none of 

 them tell under what conditions it was left. If it was left 

 buried in the ground it would never be exposed to a lower 

 temperature than 28°, however cold the atmosphere might be ; 

 and if even it was merely laid on the surface of the ground, it 

 is extremely improbable that it would fare much worse, as the 

 snow would fall and cover it before any very severe frost could 

 reach it. During my stay in the Arctic regions we had the 

 thermometer down to 50° below zero in the open air ; but a 

 registering thermometer which we buried under about 2 feet of 

 enow on the floe alongside, and left undisturbed the whole 

 winter, never fell below 28°, or the freezing-point of salt water 

 — so that unless the Wheat was exposed in some manner so 

 that it could not be buried by either earth or snow, we could 

 ■expose it to a much lower temperature here at home. So 

 much for that experiment. 



I would like to see some specimens of the Arctic flora brought 

 to this country, to find out how they would weather our winters, 

 as in their proper habitat they are always covered with snow, 

 and here they would very often have to encounter severe cold 

 without any such protection. In the North vegetation is so 

 very rapid immediately after the disappearance of the snow, 

 that one is opt to believe that some of the flowers actually ex- 



pand underneath it. In Grantly Harbour I have gathered 

 plenty of Onions about a foot long, wbich hod half of that 

 length covered with snow, and were in full flower by the time 

 it was all gone ; and about Cape Barrow, Icy Cape, and Wain- 

 right Inlet, the vegetation hardly ever seemB to be cheeked, as 

 the dwarf Alders and Willows, which are the only substitutes 

 for trees thereabouts, are covered with fine plump buds under 

 the snow in the months of January and February. Any 

 ptarmigan (Tetras lagopus) which we got during the winter 

 appeared to live on these buds, as their crops were always 

 filled with them. The Esquimaux, taking advantage of this 

 predilection of the birds, snare them in great quantities by un- 

 covering the bushes and affixing snares to them. 



The great length of the summer days in those hyperborean 

 regions serves in a great measure, in my opinion, to counteract 

 the want of sun heat in ripening the numerous berries which 

 abound there, otherwise the short summer would not suffice to 

 get ready food for the various birds and beasts which visit the 

 country. 



If I happen to have any doubt about the effect of the climate 

 on Wheat, I have none as to its effect on flour. Captain Beechy, 

 in the ship "Blossom," buried an iron-bound cask of flour on 

 Chamisso Island in the year 1825 : in 1849 I was present when 

 it was dug up by the crew of the "Herald," Captain Eellet; and, 

 with the exception of a cake about three-fourths of an inch 

 thick next to the wood, the rest of the flour when cooked was 

 as good and palatable as if it had just come from the mill. — 

 Uncle Andkew (in The Gardener). 



LIMATODES ROSEA. 



I was interested in reading the article by Mr. G. Abbey in last 

 week's number on winter-flowering plants, and was pleased to 

 find that amongst Orchids Limatodes rosea is placed amongst 

 those that are easily grown. I do not find it so ; and Mr. 

 Denning, Lord Londesborough's gardener, who seems to grow 

 and flower Orchids that puzzle everybody else, told me in 

 conversation only last Wednesday week, that though nothing 

 could surpass the beautiful soft rose of its flowers, it was a very 

 difficult Orchid to grow and flower. I would thank Mr. Abbey 

 very much if he would kindly say how he treats his plants as 

 to temperature, compost, watering, resting period, &c. — 

 J. Douglas. 



PEAR SCALE. 



In the winter of 1870 I tried paraffin oil as a cure for Pear 

 scale. I had a Muirfowl Egg tree very severely attacked by it. 

 Seeing that paraffin oil was stated to be a complete cure for 

 the pest I resolved to give it a trial, so I loosened all the 

 branches from the wall and applied the oil with a painter's 

 brush. The result was a perfect cure so far as scale was con- 

 cerned, but the tree, an extra healthy one, was killed. I also 

 know of another gardener who made the experiment with the 

 same result. My motive for writing this is to warn others to 

 be careful in using paraffin in the manner described. But I 

 may state that I have used it with beneficial effects as a wash 

 for fruit trees (in winter) in the following manner : — 



To one gallon of water was^added one gill of paraffin, working 

 the whole well up with the 'syringe until it frothed like soap- 

 suds, and with this I gave the trees a good syringing. — James 

 Dickson. 



PLANTS AT THE CLOSE OF THE TEAR. 

 Even in winter we have a few lingerers left to cheer us in 

 the season's gloom. Our beds and borders have lost some of 

 their gaiety, but we have a few old friends left, and others are 

 on the way. Plumbago capense is a capital plant for late 

 autumn. Zauschneria oalifornica we prize as a late autumn- 

 blooming plant. Some of the Michaelmas Daisies still afford us 

 sprays for bouquets and other decorative purposes, one of the 

 best of the tribe is Aster elegans; A. dumosus is also a useful 

 plant at this season. Chrysanthemums in sheltered places do 

 us good service. Viola odorata in the open border has given 

 us a supply of blooms for weeks past, and will do eo for weeks 

 to come ; no doubt the hot dry summer has had muoh to 

 do with the flowering now. Pansies sown in the spring are 

 strong and coming into bloom, showing us their cheerful faces. 

 Viola Perfection, Lothair and Lutea grandiflora are among our 

 best and are very effective. Lupinus nanus still keeps on 

 flowering. SapOnaria ealabrica, Alyssum maritimum, Salvia 

 argentea and Phlox verna are cheerful still. Spring-sown 



