September 28, 1871. ] 



JOtlENAL OF HOBTICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENBK. 



235 



I may say I liave had six practical gardeners to assist me in de- 

 ciding on their merits. All the kinds have grown so tall, owing 

 to the wet season, that the extreme height cannot be taken as a 

 standard. As to flavour, the trial was made in the raw state, 

 which I think is not a good criterion. Although some gar- 

 deners pretend to judge of the quality in the raw state, I have 

 failed as yet to master this part of judging. I must highly re- 

 commend to the notice of gardeners Maclean's Little Gem. I 

 consider it the best Pea ; it requires no stakes, has a good 

 flavour, is early and productive ; can be grown in rows only 

 1 foot 6 inches apart, and the produce is equal to or more than 

 that of the tall varieties, taking into consideration the same 

 space of ground. It should, however, be trenched 2 feet 

 deep, and be well manured. — Eobeet Dkapeb, Seaham Hall, 

 Sunderland, 



TILLANDSIA LINDENIANA CULTURE. 



This very remarkable and handsome Bromeliaeeous plant 

 ■was introduced from Brazil a few years ago by Mr. Linden, of 

 Brussels, in honour of whom it is named. It was exhibited at 

 the Paris Exhibition and also at the St. Petersburg Show in 

 1863, where it excited much astonishment and admiration by 

 its extreme beauty. The leaves of this plant are crowded round 

 the base of the stem, spreading out on all sides, slightly re- 

 curved towards the ends, and thus forming an elegant vase-like 

 plant ; they vary in length from 9 to 18 inches, and are about 

 an inch across at the base, tapering upwards to a point, dark 

 green on the channelled upper side, the veins on the under 

 side being of a deep reddish purple. The flower scape rises 

 from the centre to the height of 12 or 18 inches, the upper 

 portion or spike, fome 6 or 7 inches lorg, clothed with dis- 

 tichous, imbricating, boat-shaped bracts, which are about 

 2 inches in length, dark green, suffased with rosy pink towards 

 the edges. The flowers are, perhaps, the largest of any known 

 species of this genus, measuring 2 inches or more in diameter ; 

 the colour is light violet, shading-off into azure blue, with a 

 feathery streak of white running up into it from the base of 

 each petal, forming a brilliant ornament to the plant house, 

 and that, too, of a colour which is exceedingly rare amongst 

 the denizens of our stoves. 



Tillandsia Lindeniana (with, indeed, many other plants be- 

 longing to the order Bromeliaceaj), is well deserving of a place 

 in every garden where stove accommodation can be afforded it, 

 combining as it does such extremely beautiful flowers with a 

 neat and compact habit of growth. 



There is, perhaps, no class of plants so easily cultivated as 

 the Bromeliads, and yet we seldom see them grown in a satis- 

 factory manner. The soil best adapted for them is a mixture 

 of peat and loam in about equal parts, with a good quantity of 

 sand mixed in it. Large pots are not at all necessary, but it 

 is very essential that good drainage should be secured ; in ad- 

 dition to this these plants have another means of subsistence, 

 which, however, is too frequently overlooked or disregarded by 

 the majority of gardeners either through ignorance or care- 

 lessness, but if anyone will take a glance at these plants their 

 peculiar construction will at once be apparent. Their leaves 

 are all sheathing at the base and form large cavities which hold 

 water, and as the upper surface of the leaves in most instances 

 is channelled, they conduct whatever water falls in a state of 

 .nature into the before-mentioned cavities, and this undoubtedly 

 is of material advantage to the plants. Tet how frequently 

 have we seen men who consider themselves good gardeners, 

 deliberately empty the water out, and hence, as a consequence, 

 the miserable and unsatisfactory condition in which the Bro- 

 meliads are usually seen. My advice, therefore, is. Always 

 apply water to these plants upon the leaves, so that the latter 

 may have a constant supply standing in these natural re- 

 ceptacles, for this is in my opinion of much greater conse- 

 quence than the soil in which the plants are potted. — Expekto 

 Ceede. 



POTATOES. 

 YouE correspondents, " D., Deal," and Mr. Thos. Kivers, 

 in No. 515 of this Journal, cannot, I think, have the " true 

 Early Bose," but a kind almost identical in appearance ex- 

 ternally, the American Eed, for when first dug nine-tenths are 

 in size and shape as nearly alike as two peas, and would de- 

 ceive five out of six observers ; but out them and cook them, 

 and yon will then detect the difference. The true Early Eose 

 is, I maintain, one of the finest Potatoes grown. I have grown 

 it for the last three years •with many other kinds, both 



English and American, which are lauded to the skies, but not 

 one have I found to come up to the Eose in any one particular. 

 Mind, I am writing with reference to early kinds. The Eose 

 I have is anything but "watery," "nasty," "uneatable," 

 " harsh," and " unpleasant," as described by Mr. Elvers. This 

 is my experience of the kind — that it has not been over-extolled, 

 that it is fit for the table in sixty days after planting, that the 

 yield is enormous, that the flavour cannot be surpassed (at 

 least, I have not met with any one kind to equal it, and I 

 have tried every reputed " first quality," both English and 

 American), that it is anything but "watery," "earthy," "dry 

 and harsh," as described by Mr. Elvers. This is what I have 

 found it. In this respect, at sixty days, though as large as a 

 very large duck's egg, it is like most other new Potatoes ; at 

 seventy days the tubers begin to ripen somewhat, and then 

 burst in boiling, and for a third of their thickness are somewhat 

 floury; when fully grown and ripened they literally fall to 

 pieces in cooking. They continue to retain this quality till 

 they begin to start, towards the end of April with us, but if its 

 eyes are rubbed off it continues a month or six weeks later, 

 which is quite as much and more than obtains with most other 

 early kinds. 



I have grown the subjoined, and up to this date have dis- 

 carded all but the Early Eose and Harrison's, a Yankee late 

 Potato. 



Eivers'a Eoyal Asli- Early Handsworth 



leaf Dalmalioy 



Mona's Pride American Reds 



Myatt's Ashleaf Goodrich's Early 



Early Eose Elnbes 



Early Goodrich Eed Ashleafs 



Jackson's White Patersou's Victoria 



Prince of "Wales Eeerents 



Early Sovereign 

 Eocks 

 Climax 

 Owen's 

 Blues 

 Christie's 



Harrison, and a host of 

 local varieties. 



This year I have planted the Eed-skinned Elourball and the 

 Early Eacehorse. The latter I have tried, but it does not come 

 up to my Early Eose in any way (size, earliness, and flavour). 

 The Early Eose is not what can be called a rank grower ; but, 

 then, I do not plant Potatoes in over-rich ground, so that this 

 may account in some measure for size and quality. I plant 

 but a single eye, and in drills, and earth-up but once. Should 

 an eye have the appearance of throwing out many side shoots 

 I cut it in two. My average yield is 5 lbs. to 7 lbs. from 

 every eye. If the eye is planted entire the yield has come up 

 in five out of six roots lifted to 7 lbs., if cut in two, 5 lbs. For 

 seed I do not let the tubers get over-ripe. I cannot imagine 

 climate can affect their qualities, 



I have no hesitation in recommending this fine Potato, 

 despite all that has been written against it. I could supply 

 anyone with a small quantity of the kind I have. I would not 

 be bothered with sending away from this a large order, for I 

 am no farmer, but cultivate a few things for home consump- 

 tion, and by way of introducing superior kinds of vegetables. 

 I have found the Goodrich valueless. The Harrison's in my 

 opinion is the finest late Potato grown, yield 490 bushels to 

 the acre with me. It keeps well, and is as floury as the Early 

 Eose. I cannot imagine the Flourball will beat the Harrison's ; 

 should they, then I shall patronise them instead. 



I am curious in Peas, and have tried every known kind. The 

 Eingleader, Laxton's Supreme and Prolific, the Prizetaker, and 

 Drew's Dwarf bear the palm. — K. 



TEA ROSES. 



It gave me much pleasure to find myself supported in my 

 appeal for Tea Eoses by such an experienced hand as Mr. W. 

 Paul. I must, however, repeat, that in my experience the Tea 

 Eose can be grown without even the protection of a wall. On 

 referring to my Rose book before me, I find I have somewhat 

 over sixty varieties of Tea-scented Eoses. My garden, a fine 

 rich loam, runs down to a river ; it faces south, but is more 

 open to S.W. and N.E. winds than it ought to be. My Teas 

 are planted in borders by themselves, in lines north and south. 

 I had about 250 of them, mostly on the Manetti stock, but a 

 good number on short Dog Bose stocks, planted out all last 

 winter, and though I had a week's skating on the river at their 

 feet, I did not lose a single Tea Eose, though I lost a few Per- 

 petuals. The only protection my Eoses had was about 3 inches 

 of old hotbed manure and half-rotten leaves over the surface 

 of the beds, put on at the beginning of November. I need not 

 say that I did not let them see the knife until quite the end of 

 March. I cut my first blooms this spring about the third 

 week in May. 



