114 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDBNEB. [ February 10, 1863. 



locality, and yet in another place should be little beyond second- 

 rate in flavour is worthy of inquiry, as it will in some measure 

 account for the very different descriptions we meet with of the 

 same Pear by writers on pomology. 



As the fruit-room where I tasted the Victoria had not the 

 light excluded, it would in a measure account for the flavour- 

 less state of the fruit (which were all ripe January 30th). Yet, 

 locality, soil, and season have such wonderful influence on the 

 flavour and keeping properties of Pears, that I think it well to 

 state the fact of the Victoria being flavourless here this season, 

 that purchasers of fruit may understand that it is quite out of 

 the power of nurserymen to prevent Pears sometimes turning 

 out the very reverse of what they describe them. 



After tasting the Victoria, we taBted the Bergamotte Esperen, 

 which we also found watery and with little flavour. M ow, in 

 nine places out of ten this, I think, would not happen with this 

 sort, as I find it one of the best and most constant in its fine 

 qualities, and one that bears profusely. No garden should be 

 without so valuable a sort, more especially as it bears well as a 

 pyramid, and is one of the best on a quince I know of. How- 

 ever, I find that all the fine-fleshed late Pears will be melting, 

 juicy, and sweet upon light, warm soils, but will generally want 

 that high, rich, buttery, and honied flavour which distinguishes 

 some of them upon heavier soils inclining to clay. 



The converse sometimes holds good with the coarser-fleshed 

 kinds — a light warm soil very often brings out all their best 

 qualities. A striking example of this I had here this season in 

 Rousse Lench, which surpassed all my other sortB in luscious, 

 honied sweetness, and rich, melting, buttery flavour. I should 

 say that this sort is invaluable for light warm boUb, being a pro- 

 fuse bearer and keeping until now (February). It is the latest 

 hanger on the tree of any sort with which I am acquainted. 

 Even when the leaves have all fallen, one will find the iruit still 

 adhering firmly to the tree — a valuable quality in exposed 

 places, as it is not easily blown off j and for walls I think it one 

 of the best sorts known. Of course, such a late Pear would not 

 do for the north of London, and, perhaps, not beyond Wilts, 

 Hants, Beds, and Bucks. 



" T. R." says he thinks that the Victoria will supersede the 

 Orion Morceau and Beurre Diel. I think with him as to the 

 first ; but the second will not be easily dethroned in some locali- 

 ties on strong soils, although on light soils it will not be able to 

 hold place with the Victoria. I do not know any Pear that 

 varies so much with soil as does the Beurre Diel, nor any Pear 

 that has such a range of the ripening period. With me this season 

 it has extended from November to now (February) ; some fruit 

 having fallen from the trees ripe, whilst others are now in my 

 fruit-room and have no appearance of ripening, and possibly will 

 rot and be worthless. On a pear soil about six miles from here 

 it is one of the most magnificent Pears one would wish to 

 possess, and although I had my grafts of the trees that bear 

 these most splendid fruit — in all senses splendid — yet mine are 

 not worth gathering. 



Is " T. R." right, or is it the P. D. has made the mistake in 

 saying that " the flavour of the Victoria is like the Prince of 

 Wales Pear ?" Should it not be Princess ? (a little prematurely 

 perhaps). I think the last was the name given by Mr. Huyshe 

 to his third seedling. Quite a stroke of luck to obtain three such 

 Pears from the same erosB, and it shows how much may be done 

 by judicious selection of parents. 



To-day I have again tasted EaBter Bergamot, and find in two 

 specimens taken from the cold fruit-room that they are rich, 

 crisp, and juicy ; whilst a third taken from a warm cupboard is 

 rich and nearly melting. The specimen described by me, page 29, 

 was from a warm place, which generally much improves all late 

 Pears. In cold or clay soils this sort would, undoubtedly, be 

 as " T. R." Bays, " worthless." 



As to Doyenne Goubault, the fruit from my specimen tree 

 corresponds exactly with the description in the "Fruit Manual." 

 I received my tree from Angers, where the sort was raised by 

 Groubault, and the description given with it wsb, " First quality ; 

 medium size. Flesh rich, buttery, and melting. Ripe in October 

 and December. Tree an abundant bearer." 



And now to finish my long dissertation, allow me to recommend 

 to the notice of your readers a new Pear, called Vauquelin, a 

 very large and beautiful sort, with a fine, delicious, melting, 

 and perfumed fleBh, which is also rich and buttery, and just now 

 ripe (February 2nd). I have aB yet only had two specimens, 

 but from their superlative qualities I think the sort will prove 

 one of our best kinds. — J. Scotx, Merriott, Somerset. 



"THE ELOEIST AND POMOLOGIST." 



At the beginning of last year the pictorial journal so long 

 known under the name of "The Florist" assumed a new title, 

 and became " The Florist and Pomologist." The increasing 

 taste throughout the country for the study and cultivation of 

 fruits called for some more prominent recognition of this subject 

 in a pictorial form than had previously been made ; and in the 

 new publication the same importance was given to fruits and 

 fruit- culture, as to floriculture. 



The volume of " The Florist and Pomologist " for the past 

 year is now before us in its beautiful blue and gold binding, and 

 whether viewed externally or internally, we cannot but congratu- 

 late the editors on having produced a very handsome and very 

 useful book. The plates, of which there are twenty-three, are 

 quite masterpieces of art, and convey the most faithful repre- 

 sentations of flowers and fruits from the pencil of Mr. Fitch. 

 As was to have been expected from the management under which 

 the new periodical was placed, the success of the undertaking 

 was complete from the commencement. We find in the pages 

 of this volume thoroughly excellent papers on practical gardening 

 by some of the most celebrated gardeners of the present day, and 

 on all these grounds with great pleasure we recommend this 

 excellent work to the notice of our readers. It is, indeed, a 

 marvel of cheapness, with its two beautifully coloured plates, 

 and sixteen pages of good practical gardening. 



COTTON-SEED CAKE AS A MANURE. 



Allow me to ask if any of my co-subscribers have tried 

 cotton-seed cake as a manure ? and if so, will they give the 

 result of such trial ? 



My gardener assures me that it is valuable ; that from a line 

 of Potatoes on which he put 14 lbs. of cotton-cake, he obtained 

 68 lbs. of Potatoes, while farmyard manure produced only 33 lbs, 

 the length of row being the same in both instances, and only 

 3 feet apart. I was induced to have it tried through reading 

 a short paragraph in Mr. Johnson's work on agricultural 

 chemistry. Naming the matter to a friend, he drew my atten- 

 tion to Mr. Alderman Mechi's work, " How to Farm Profitably." 

 This gentleman speaks well of it and annexes a table drawn out 

 by Mr. Lawes, who estimates the value of manure from animals 

 fed on cotton-seed cake, at 20 per cent, higher than that from 

 rape or linseed-cake. — A Conbiaut StrBSOBlBEB, WilmsloWf 

 Cheshire. 



WATEE-BABOMETEE. 



Pebsection is not claimed. No weather-glass is faultless. 

 But, it is believed, that the indications of this instrument are 

 more truthful than those given by barometers in general use. 

 Its cost is within the means of working-people. This con- 

 sideration has induced one who has made experiments on what 

 is an old principle, to make public the results of his experience. 



The water-barometer consists of two transparent vessels — a 

 flask and a hyacinthTglass. The flask is 10 inches high — 5 in 

 the bulb and 5 in the neck. The neck is, through its entire 

 length, of half-inch diameter ; the bulb being at its greatest 

 breadth 3 inches through. The hyacinth-glass should be 7 inches 

 and a quarter in height, and of such width as will insure 

 stability. In the bottom of this lower glass there Bhould be 

 water, coloured by some dye, forming no sediment. The neck 

 of the flask should be divided into 40 equal parts of one-eighth 

 of an inch each on its outside, with figures 5, 10, and so on up 

 to 40, 20 answering to " change." This scale may be made with 

 any dark paint or varnish, by a Bmall camel's-hair pencil. As 

 soon as dry, the flask must be put upside down into the lower 

 glass, so as to be suspended on the rim with its end submerged 

 half-an-inch only in the coloured water. The instrument is then 

 complete. The water will rise up the neck of the flask for -fine, 

 and sink for bad, weather. 



This barometer should be placed in some room where neither 

 sunshine, fire, gaB, nor frost comes. It is but slightly sensitive 

 to natural, but very much affected by artificial heat or cold. It 

 will always move with the quicksilver, but will often alter for a 

 coming change when the common weather-glass is obstinate. 



In giving notice of a storm, this water-barometer acts very 

 correctly. Fog does not affect it. North and east winds have 

 in degree, but not in extent, the same influence on this as they 

 have upon, the mercury glass — they elevate the column. Bain 



