JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDBNEE. 



[ February 0, 1871. 



rinsing them after they are washed, so as to have them quite 

 clean. It is highly important to have plenty of shed room, so 

 that a portion of all the sorts of soil likely to be called for may 

 be stored close at hand in the potting shed ; a series of spaces 

 with boarded partitions are best, and they present a very neat 

 appearance. Thus there might be a space for silver sand, one 

 for loam, one or two for peat, one for leaf mould, another for 

 manure so decayed as to be a rich soil, another for charcoal, 

 another for broken tiles, and so forth. In all these a full 

 supply should always be kept. No practice can be worse than 

 to go to the soil yard for soil just as it is wanted for the plants, 

 for it is there exposed to all the vicissitudes of the weather ; 

 dried by the sun, and saturated by the rain, it can never be 

 nsed with any degree of certainty. 



Extremes of temperature are hurtful to all plants in a greater 

 or less degree; when plants are subjected continuously to even 

 a few degrees more heat than their nature requires, the effects 

 are soon visible in the attenuated growth and delicate, or rather 

 sickly, condition which they present, and which is even more 

 hurtful than the stunted growth and discoloured foliage in- 

 duced by the other extreme, yet from which a more favourable 

 temperature will in most instances recall them. Take, for 

 instance, a Pine Apple plant, which will, perhaps, bear more 

 ill-treatment than any other; when subjected to an extremely 

 low temperature its foliage becomes of a pale sickly hue, and 

 many of its roots perish ; but after such a trying ordeal a few 

 weeks of fair treatment effect a marvellous change in its ap- 

 pearance,_^nd from being a miserable, unsightly object, it be- 

 comes a flourishing plant, such is its wonderful vitality. But 

 though this favourable change may be produced by judicious 

 treatment, such faulty culture deserves no praise ; the fruit of 

 a Pine Apple, the flowers of any plant, so badly treated, in- 

 variably fail to develope that high degree of excellence usually 

 visible in the crop cf those plants whose vigour has sustained 

 no check at any time. 



In considering what kind of structure is the best for plant 

 culture, the mind recalls many an old, almost flat-roofed house, 

 with paint and putty perished, abundance of cracked glass, and 

 immense heavy rafters, where plant-growing beset with difli- 

 culties has been practised, and yet a tolerable degree of ex- 

 cellence attained. The very best kind of plant house is a light 

 airy span-roof, not too lofty, with suitable staging, and with a 

 thorough command of plenty of heat and fresh air. With such 

 advantages plant-growing is an easy and pleasurable affair, 

 the abundance of light on all sides tending materially to pro- 

 mote an even and symmetrical growth in every part of a plant, 

 so that the constant shifting and turning about become un- 

 necessary. One of the most important principles in plant cul- 

 ture is cleanliness ; given plants with clean foliage, clean pots, 

 sweet soil, a pure atmosphere, tempered to suit the plant's 

 nature, the woodwork, glass, and every part of the house clean, 

 and success becomes almost a matter of course. Knowing the 

 importance of all this, one cannot but wonder at the miserable 

 style of plant-growing which is met with but too often. A host 

 of plants crowded together in undersized pots, their long 

 drawn-up shoots producing a few poor, puny flowers, are just 

 a miserable set of caricatures, two-thirds of which would be 

 better on the rubbish-heap, and the man who has brought to- 

 gether such a collection would be much more iu his proper 

 place with a fork turning that heap than inside a plant house. 

 As Mr. Keaue has told us, " it is better to grow a few plants 

 well than many badly," for a few well-chosen plants brought 

 by skilful treatment to a high state of excellence, must afford 

 more real pleasure to all who see them, than the most ex- 

 tensive collection could ever do when spoilt by bad treatment 

 and the absence of all those important conditions which I have 

 endeftvoured to enumerate. — Edwaed Luckhuest. 



AMERICAN POTATOES. 

 It is quite pleasant to see the truth told at last by " D., 

 Veal," about these wretched impostors. My experience 

 entirely coincides with his. In 1869 I first planted the 

 "Early "(!) Eose and Goodrich Potatoes. I was much struck 

 with the vigorous habit of the former, it seemed so distinct 

 and promising. In the month of July of that year I had some 

 taken up for cooking, with some Ashleafs growing alongside. 

 They were as large as these, but watery, nasty, and uneatable. 

 In September I again tried them ; the tubers were large and 

 good-looking, but on being cooked with great care they were 

 found to be harsh and dry, with a hard centre, and a flavour 

 perfectly original, but bo unpleasant— nasty according to our 



cook — that I gave them up for that year. The misnamed 

 Early Goodrich came in with the Eegents, but instead of being 

 like that sort in flavour, the tubers were earthy, with a peculiar, 

 unearthly, and most disagreeable flavour. The past season I 

 again planted Early Eose in a deep loamy soil resting on sand, 

 a soil in which Ashleafs are fit for the Queen. It was again 

 tried in July, and found, as in 1869, quite valueless. In October 

 some fine handsome tubers were steamed in one of Barlow's 

 steamers, and again yesterday ; they were dry and harsh — not 

 floury like our English sorts, and most disagreeable. 



I hear that the other American sorts are of the same dis- 

 agreeable flavour as those I have mentioned. I saw last year 

 a lengthened euloginm on the Early Eose Potato in one of our 

 periodicals, and afterwards found it in the catalogue of a 

 London seedsman. So the climate or the soil affects these 

 Yankee products, for unless they were different in America, 

 the YanJiees are too sharp to give a dollar a-ponnd, as they 

 did for the Early Eose. — Thos. Eivees. 



DOYENNE D'ALENCON versus EASTER BEUEEE 

 ' PEAR. 

 Eemaekably like each other in appearance are these two 

 Pears. The flrst-named is, indeed, in general considered as a 

 mere synonym of the latter variety, and is given so in almost 

 every fruit list. Place a few specimens of Doyenne d'Alencon 

 before the best pomologist and he will at once say Easter 

 Beurre. It is, however, quite distinct and much superior, and 

 that is saying a great deal after the lavish praises that some 

 writers have cf late bestowed on the French Doyenne d'Hiver, 

 our Easter Beurrfi. Easter Beurre is good if well ripened, 

 which is frequently not the case. It only succeeds well in 

 certain favoured situations and localities. It generally requires 

 a wall, and is then frequently pastey and hard-cored. If there 

 is one locality iu this country better suited for Pears than 

 another, it is assuredly the Eoyal Gardens of Frogmore, and it 

 is just there that the striking difference between Easter Beurre 

 and Doyenne d'Alenijon is made manifest. Whilst visiting 

 these noble gardens in autumn, Mr. Eose and Mr. Powell 

 kindly directed my attention to the two Pears. Looking at 

 them in the mass (several bushels), the distinction was plainly 

 seen. In colour of skin the Doyenne d'AIenpon is more yellow 

 than the Easter Beurre, which is generally of a greenish 

 tinge. In the shape, the difference is slight but distinctive. 

 The eye of the Easter Beurrfi is set in a flat or somewhat 

 hollowed depression, the end being rather broad. The Doyenne 

 d'AleE(;on has the fruit drawing more to a point towards the 

 eye, like a Williams's Bon Chretien, the eye set without any 

 depression ; when a number of fruits are examined this dis- 

 tinction is very plain. In flesh the Doyenne d'Alen<;on is 

 yellow, the Easter Beurre white. The wood, the buds, the 

 growth, and habit of the trees are also different, the former 

 being more yellow, pointed, and pendulous than the latter. The 

 most important distinction, however, is that the DoyennS 

 d'Alen9on is of finer quality than the Easter Beurre when 

 grown under the same circumstances, as manifested at Frog- 

 more. Grown as an open standard at Frogmore, the Doyenne 

 d'Alencon produces splendid crops of fruit of the finest quality, 

 which supply the dessert for the royal tables during the winter 

 months, whilst Easter Eeune is, on the contrary, very cften 

 unpresentable excepting for its size. Here, then, is an im- 

 portant matter for our fruit cultivators ; we find in Doyenne 

 d'Alencon a late Pear of the highest quality, suited for open 

 standard cultivation, and we shall have to thank Mr. Bose for 

 almost a new introduction and a welcome one, — B. 



IMPROVING THE GENERA VIOLA AND 

 DIGITALIS. 

 The finest improvement of a British plant by the hand of 

 the florist, I think, must be considered to be the Pansy or 

 Heartsease. In suitable soils no other British plant gives such 

 a variety of rich tints ; it rivals in texture and gorgeous colour- 

 ing the vegetable denizens of the sunny south, and hybridises 

 freely with kindred species and varieties, as Viola lutea and 

 purpurea, which may be said to be the ancestors of this lovely 

 family. I can see no reason why other species of this exten- 

 sive family moy not be improved in size of flower, in vigour cf 

 growth, and iu richness of colour as well as in fragrance. I 

 am not aware of anyone having taken the Violas in hand in 

 earnest with a view to improving them. The varieties of Viola 



