240 



JOUENAL OF HOETICTJLTTJBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ September 28, 1871. 



for the past three waeks. It has thirty-two trusses of splendid 

 flowers. All the time it has been kept in a cool greenhouse. 

 The compost I used was three parts fresh loam, and one part 

 leaf mould, adding a little manure and silver sand, as the plant 

 is a gross feeder. It should never be allowed to get too dry. — 

 J. N., Ennis. 



3MESSES. SUTTON'S COLLECTION OF POTATOES 

 AT KENSINGTON. 



The interest that is felt in the cultivation and varieties of 

 this useful root was evidenced by the collections which were 

 put up at the Eoyal Horticultural Society's Meeting on the 

 20th inst. Four good collections were staged. Mr. Fenn's 

 was remarkable as the product of years of unceasing energy 

 and skill in cross-breeding and cultivation ; Messrs. Lee's was 

 a fine example of good growth; Mr. Dean's also contained 

 some fine specimens of culture ; while that of Messrs. Sutton, 

 of Eeading, of which I would now write, was remarkable for the 

 large number of varieties staged. They call for no special 

 remark as to size and appearance. They had evidently not 

 been grown for exhibition, were the samples of an average field 

 crop, but they gave one an excellent opportunity of seeing 

 some of the many varieties which now puzzle cultivators quite 

 as much as florists' flowers. The collection contained the 

 following varieties, they comprised three divisions — viz., new 

 varieties sent out in 1871, American Potatoes, and a general 

 collection. 



Of the first division there were — 1, Giant White Mammoth ; 

 2, Giant Bed Mammoth ; 3, Canadian Kidney ; 4, Erdington 

 Monarch ; 5, Eamston Kidney ; 6, Early Bed ; 7, Esd Fluke ; 

 8, Golden Zone; and 9, Nuneaton Seedling. The last two 

 seemed from appearance to be good Potatoes in their respec- 

 tive classes, but as I have ever maintained, one can never 

 judge from appearances. 



The second division contained the following American 

 varieties : — 



10. Early Goodrich 



11. Bresee's Prolific 



12. Pranse Seedling 



13. Pink-eyed Ensty Coat 

 Most of these I have myself grown, many of them are good 



croppers ; and if people do not study much the flavour of a 

 Potato, or like them, not au naturel, but mashed or fried, they 

 may answer, but in a small garden and for general use avoid 

 them. Besides these there were Eed-skinned Flourball, sent 

 out by Messrs. Sutton in 1870, and samples of some which had 

 been sent out as such by other firms, and certainly bearing very 

 little likeness to the real Simon Pare. My opinion of this 

 Potato has not changed. For baking purposes it is admirable, 

 but it is too large for steaming, and not of sufficiently good 

 quality. 

 The third division contained : — 



l-I. Peach Blossom 



15. Early Kose 



16. Peerless 



17. Eing of the Earlieg 



IS. Bovinia 



19. EedEegent 



20. Early Shaw Improved 



21. King of Potatoes 



22. Eoyal Ashlea f 



23. Drnmtaond's Prolific 



24. Wooa's Scarlet Prolific 



25. Early Emperor 



26. Prince of Wales 



27. Dalmahoy 



28. Dawe's Matchless 



29. Early Giant King 



30. Improved "White Eock 



31. "Walker's Improved Eegent 



32. Paterson's Scarlet Bine 



33. Haigh's Kidney 



34. Scarlet King 



35. Paterson's Victoria 



36. Snowball 



37. Flonrball 

 3S. Fortjfold 



39. Myatt's Ashleaf 



40. Fluke 



41. Milky White 



42. Early Oxford 



43. Eed Farmer's Glory 



44. Paterson's Field White 



45. Paterson's Eed Kidney 



46. Early Coldstream 

 .Fox's Seedling 



4S. Sntton's Early Eacehorse 



49. Wellington 



50. Paterson's Eegent 



51. Skerry Blue 



52. York Eegent 



53. Lapstone (true) 



54. Paterson's Albert 



55. Headley's Seedling 



56. Early "Walnut Leaf 



57. Belgian Fluke 

 5S. Eed Ashlea 



59. Negro {black flesh) 



60. Paterson's Perfection 



61. Paterson's Early White 



62. Oxfordshire Kidney 



63. Early Ashleaf" 



64. Fir Apple Potato (very 



curious) 



Some of these sorts are well known and bear high characters, 

 Eome are unknown to fame, and many I have never seen before 

 to my knowledge, nor tasted. I know that Eoyal Ashleaf, 

 Myatt's Ashleaf, Lapstone, and Haigh's Kidney are good 

 amongst the kidney-shaped Potatoes. I know, too, that many 

 whose judgment I highly value esteem King of Potatoes, 

 Dawe's Matchless, Paterson's Victoria, Early Eacehorse, ' 



Skerry Blue, and Headly'a Seedling very highly. Amongst 

 round Potatoes — Dalmahoy, "Wood's Scarlet Prolific, Improved 

 Eegent, Early Coldstream, "jork Eegent, and Early Oxford ar& 

 good ; others seemed to me from their appearance and weight 

 as likely to be valuable, such as Golden Zone, a round clean- 

 looking Potato, and Snowball. There may be, and doubtless 

 are others that are good, but in the Potato appearances are often 

 deceitful, and it is not until the tubers are cooked that their merits 

 can be determined on. It is, however, a satisfaction to see the 

 Potatoes that are brought before the public ; and the eminent 

 firm whose collection I have thus briefly passed in review well 

 deserved the special certificate awarded them, in thus enabling 

 the frequenters at the Eoyal Horticultural Society's meetings 

 to see so large a number brought together. — D., Deal, 



THE PROPER WIDTH OF ORCHARD HOUSES. 



This is a subject which in my opinion requires some dis- 

 cussion. I am now about to speak of the maximum width of 

 span-rooled houses; in short, the best width to be selected for 

 large span-roofs. The house at Chiswick is 30 feet wide ; this- 

 gives good growth but not high-flavoured fruit. There are now 

 numerous houses of this width, seemingly built after Mr^ 

 Foster's plans for Mr. Pearson, of Nottingham; now, as a 

 rule no houses of this width give fruit of flne flavour, the low 

 ventilation is too weak, so that the trees at a little distance 

 from the sides give good growth and flne fruit to look at, but 

 generally failing in flavour. I know this from much experience,, 

 and am often reminded of Mr. Bewley, of Black Bock, Dublin, 

 one of the first to grow orchard-house trees, and he grew them 

 well in what he called "hovels" — small orchard houses — Inever 

 saw finer Peaches in pots. "Well, he thought of leaving his 

 teacher, Mr. Elvers, far behind, and accordingly built a house 

 40 feet wide, which his teacher told him would not do, as the 

 ventilation was not enough. After some experience this proved 

 quite correct, as the Peach trees gave fruit of inferior fiavonr, 

 and the house was turned to some other purpose. 



The span-roofed houses, each 100 feet long and 24 feet wide, 

 at Sawbridgeworth, have never yet failed in giving fruit of the 

 finest flavour. They are ventilated with shutters 20 inches wide,, 

 on hinges opening downwards , thelower part of the aperture being 

 20 inches from the surface of the soil. The roof is flxed, without 

 any apertures in it, but at each end just under the gable is an 

 obtuse triangular space about 9 inches in depth, and 22 inches 

 wide, for the emission of the heated air. These are unglazed 

 and always open. Nothing can be more perfect than this simple 

 mode of building, the only fault is a want of height. They are 

 12 feet in height to the centre of the ridge ; they should be 

 15 feet (as recently advised by Mr. Eiyers), for the large standard 

 trees now touch the glass, and although they bear quantities 

 of fruit, they annually require severe pinching and winter- 

 pruning. I may remark, that it is cm-ious to observe these 

 fine standards growing in the calcareous clay over which the 

 orchard houses are buUt. The soil is like a well-trodden path,, 

 and is never stirred, neither are the trees watered, stUl it is 

 evident that the abundance of water given to the trees in potB- 

 standing near them is sufficient to keep them in fine and 

 vigorous health. 



It will, I think, be seen from my description of these simply 

 and cheaply-built houses without ornamentation, that thorough 

 low side ventilation is the most perfect of all ; and although in a 

 house 30 feet wide it may remedy the defect of too much width, 

 so as to give Peaches of good flavour, I have reason to doubt it 

 from all that I have experienced, and am inclined to adhere to 

 the width so thoroughly carried out in the houses at Sawbridge- 

 worth — viz., 24 feet, which, as I well know, produces the finest- 

 flavoured and largest Peaches I have ever eaten, besides which 

 the trees are such pictures of health and vigour. 



It would be interesting to hear from some of your corre- 

 spondents as to their experience in tl e width of orchard houses, 

 for, as far as mine goes, I should rather advise 20 feet than 

 30 feet as the width of them. There is another point on which 

 I should like to hear the opinions of others, and that is the 

 unbroken roofs of span-roofed houses. Almost universal at 

 Sawbridgeworth, this is not, as a rule, followed elsewhere, 

 and hence much expense is incurred, most persons fearing 

 a lack of ventilation — an idle fear, as I think I can prove by 

 stating the cause of the thorough ventilation of those entire- 

 roofed houses. In sunny weather the air is rapidly rarefied 

 and ascends to the roof, where the temperature is often 100° 

 and 10.5°. This is comparatively a vacuum, and the cool outer 

 air, rushing in from the bottom, so rapidly ascends to the loof 



