84 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Aagaat S, 1871. 



Madame Dnatour, H. P. (Fernet & Co.). Brilliant cherry crimson ; 

 of fine half-globular shape, in the way of Victor Verdier. Good, though 

 of medium growth. 



Madame Le Francois, H.P. (Oger). Rosy pink. Habit and shape 

 of Chabrillant, but not so good. 



Madame Level, T. (Levet). Shaded yellow and buff. Very evi- 

 dently a seedling from Gloire de Dijon. 



Madame Liabaud, H.P. (Gonod). Light pearly or rose blush, nearly 

 white ; of beautiful circular shape to its centre. In the way of Virginal, 

 bat of rather stronger growth. A decided acquisition. We could wish 

 this gem rather larger for our exhibition stands. 



Madame Trifle, T. (Levet). Yellow, shaded salmon and buff ; large, 

 of good dark foliage and habit. A Gloire de Dijon seedling. 



Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier, H.P. (Guillot fils). Beautiful flesh blush, 

 very large and showy. Of somewhat more expanded form than Ma- 

 dame Rothschild, and like Victor Verdier in growth. 



Marquise de Castellane, H.P. (Pernet &Co.). Clear brilliant cherry 

 rose colour ; very large, striking, and beautif al. Of good habit, and a 

 great acquisition. 



Marquise de Mortemart, H.P. Beautiful light flesh blush ; of good 

 size and circular outline, but of dwarf growth. 



Paul Neron, H.P. (Levet). Full rose colour ; immensely large and 

 massive. A very strong grower. 



Princess Christian, H.P. (Paul). Fine shaded flesh rose colour. 

 Habit and foliage of Victor V^erdier. 



Perle Blanche, H.P. (Touvais). White, delicately tinted flesh ; 

 globular and massive, style of La Reine. A hard opener. 



Reine des Beautcs, H.P. (Gonod). Light blush ; a very strong 

 grower. The plants have not yet flowered suihciently to be proved. 



Souvenir de Baron Rothschild, H.P. Dark purplish crimson. Not 

 much of an acqnisition. A free bloomer. 



Susanna Wood, H.P. (Eugene Verdier). Rose colour. Of medium 

 growth. 



Thomas Methven, H.P. (Eugene Verdier). Brilliant carmine ; 

 growth strong. 



Thyra Hammerick, H.P. Light flesh rose, largo and circular ; of 

 medium growth. 



Tour Bertrand, T. (Ducher). Yellow, shaded bufi and flesh. A 

 seedling from Gloire de Dijon, which it much resembles. 



Unique, T. (Guillot fils). Flesh, edged and tinted with rose. Pe- 

 culiar and distinct. 



Clemence Raoux, H.P. (Granger). Flesh blush tinted and bordered. 

 Of flat, expanded, massive form. Poor habit. 



Those forty varieties were all proved in the Devon Nursery, 

 and the notes record Mr. Cartis's opinions. I will add for the 

 satisfaction of one of the " old Gooseberries " and his daughter, 

 that I saw several specimens of Mr. Curtis'g new Rose " Bessie 

 Johnson." I can attest that it is a large, fragrant, pale pink 

 flower, and of vigorous habit. Mr. Curtis says of it, " It is 

 superior in perfume to most of the full-sized blush Eoses, with 

 the exception of La France ; decidedly superior to Beine 

 Blanche ; is distinct, and a very free autumnal bloomer, of the 

 fine habit and growth of Abel Grand." 



I must conclude. It is raining steadily, and disagreeably 

 near to the 20tb, when Devonians expect the heavy rain, which 

 they call from that anniversary " St. Margaret's Flood ;" but 

 it shall not drive me away, for " I have not yet done with 

 Torquay." — G. 



P.S. — The rain was last night ; glorious sunshine this morn- 

 iag. Off to Berry Pomeroy Castle. 



CUCUMBER FAILURES. 

 Many thanks, Mr. Luekhurst, for your answer to my plaint. 

 Would that I could say it has solved the difficulty for me, but, 

 truth to say, it has not. The day after I received the Journal 

 my and your former neighbour, Mr. Woodford, came down to 

 Bee me ; he knew my case, and I put your letter into his hand. 

 "Well," he said, " we will go and have a look at the bed," and 

 BO we did. So far from finding the bed soddeued or the roots 

 dead, we found the hills filled with fine, white, clean, healthy- 

 looking roots, and the soil so loose and friable that one could 

 put his hand right down to the manure without any difficulty; 

 in fact, a better-looking bed could not be. So, again, I am at 

 a loss. I find several of my neighbours similarly situated, and 

 in one case the owner has, I know, made all the bed with turf 

 as you have described ; so I fear I must put it down as one of 

 those things with " no fellow can understand." — D., Deal. 



Lauge Lettuce. — I have frequently grown Lettuces to a 

 much larger size than those spoken of by "R. F. S., Stafford" 

 After reading his remarks in your number of July 20'h I 

 visited my Lettuce bed, and cut two of the Paris White Cos, 

 weighing respectively 3} and 4J lbs., and measuring 25 inches 

 in circumference. About two years ago I cut two of the same 



sort, which together weighed Hi lbs. They were all cultivated 

 in the usual way for the use of a family, and had they received 

 a little more attention would undoubtedly have acquired a much 

 more prodigious size. I know of no Lettuce so useful for 

 summer as the Paris White Cos. For years I have procured 

 my seed from a remarkably fine selected stock. Not only have 

 the Paris Cos Lettuces grown from this seed won the admiration 

 of visitors for their enormous size, but connoisseurs who have 

 tasted pronounced them the best and sweetest of Lettuces. — 

 Ukiah Hain, Eousham Gardens, Oxfordshire. 



THE PORTUGAL QUINCE. 



Some time since (about two years) I received some Portugal 

 Quince stocks from Mr. Seott, of Crewkerne, and at the same 

 peiiod some from Mr. Rivers. They differ so widely in habit 

 that I am tempted to ask your opinion as to which is the true 

 sort, the small or the large-leaved. I enclose some of both. I 

 find that the former strikes from cuttings, and has the appear- 

 ance of the Angers Quince. The latter will not strike from 

 cuttings but must be layered ; this bears large fruit. — Inquibeb. 



[The large-leaved variety Is doubtless the Portugal Quince, 

 easily distinguishable from the Angers. — Eds.] 



THE POTATO CROPS AND THE DISEASE. 



I SEND you a report of the progress of the Potato disease in 

 this neighbourhood (Ilford). There was an appearance of it 

 about the end of June In plainly-discernible black blotches on 

 the leaves and stalks, and about the Ist of July I dug up a plant 

 of Veltch's Improved Early Ashleaf, and found three diseased 

 tubers. This variety and Hogg's Early Coldstream were planted 

 on a south border fully exposed to the sun, for the earliest crop. 

 On the 1st of July the thermometer fell to the freezing-point, 

 with a continued low temperature until the 14th ; from the 

 2ad to the 15th 2 38 Inches of rain fell. The disease made 

 rapid progress in the garden, which is highly manured, conse- 

 sequently the crop Is more susceptible to the disease. Rivers's 

 Royal Ashleaf was attacked all along the lines. The haulm of 

 Early Coldstream was soon a mass of decay : but very few 

 tubers of this variety were diseased in the garden, and none in 

 the field. I did not examine many of the second early crop. 

 The haulm is a little touched in places. I lifted two roots of a 

 promising variety named Derbyshire Hero, which was kindly 

 given me to try by my friend Mr. Laing, of Downie, Laird, 

 and Laing, and two roots of White Don. None were diseased. 

 Of the last-named I never saw such a crop of even-sized 

 Potatoes. 



But it is in the fields and amongst the farmers that anxiety 

 ia felt. A neighbouring farmer had a fine crop of Kidneys, of 

 which he thought much — nearly all are diseased. The Early 

 Shaws, a variety which has been grown about here for more 

 thana quarter of a century, were attacked first, and in some 

 fields many were diseased, while the later sorts showed by the 

 too-easily-dlncerned spots on the haulm that a continuance of 

 weather favourable to the progress of the disease would soon 

 make sad havoc with the main crops. The farmers, fearful for 

 the loss of their crops, hurried them into market, and caused a 

 rapid fall in the price. The Shaws are only second-rate as 

 regards quality, and the very best " ware " were only fetching 

 £3 per ton. 



It was both interesting and instructive to watch the develop- 

 ment and progress of the disease during the early days of July, 

 until a kind Providence caused a change in the weather on the 

 14th. The air seemed to change, and the thermometer showed 

 a rapid rise in the night temperature ; it registered 61° on the 

 15th, 65° on the 16th, and 60° on the 17th, with a continued, 

 rather dry, west wind, and a day temperature ranging from 80° 

 to 85°. The disease was apparently stayed ; the black spots on 

 the leaves seemed to dry up, and the rest of the leaf remained 

 of a healthy green up till to-day, July 27th. There Is no dis- 

 ease in the main crop at Loxford over a range of seventy acres 

 yet standing ; and I again dug np a root of White Don to show 

 the produce to a gentleman from Fife, who declared he never 

 saw such a crop of large even-sized Potatoes and no disease. 

 A young farmer told me yesterday that " down the country " 

 the disease is very wide-spread, and some crops much injured, 

 especially in the neighbourhood of Upminster. — J. Douglas. 



The weather in our midland districts has been warmer in 

 the past week, but is still very unsettled and at a very critical 



