174 



JOUENAL OP HOETICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ March 9, 1871. 



soils, from its greater hardiness, take the place of the Lap- 

 stone. 



Red-skinned Flonrhall (Sutton's). — An enormous cropper, 

 and a very large even-sizsd round Potato, too large for steaming 

 purposes, but a good Potato for baking — better for this than 

 any I know, except one, the name of which escapes me, which 

 I had sent ma some years ago by Mr. Thomson, then of Archer- 

 field. Those who like a " baked tater " will be glad to grow 

 this. 



Beaconsfidd (Turner). — A very handsome Potato, similar in 

 appearance to Headley's Nonpareil, and evidently of Fluke 

 origin. I tried it for some time, and felt inclined to rely upon 

 it for- a main crop ; and where the Lapstone cannot be grown, 

 it will be found very useful. 



Eanis''s]<ionpareil{CxAh\xsVj. — AhanSsome and well-flavoured 

 Kidney Potato, a very good cropper, and apparently tolerably 

 hardy in constitution. 



King of Potatoes. — I have never been able to grow this Po- 

 tato to give me any satisfaction, yet I hear it constantly praised 

 as a fine variety. 



Faterson's Victoria. — I again tried this Potato this year, as 

 so many wondered that I could not give a better character of 

 it, but I am unable to alter my opinion. To me it has a coarse 

 flavour ; it is well-suited for field culture and for mai-ket- 

 gardening purposes, but I should not care to grow it for my own 

 use. It is very prolific, and the tubers are very close home 

 round the haulm. 



Blandford Kidney. — Already grown under other names. It 

 did not do well with me, so that I am unable to speak of its 

 merits. 



Bnjanstonc Kidney, raised at Lord Portman's at Bryanstone, 

 near Blandford. Mr. Eadclyffe sent me two tubers of it, but, 

 as I said before, everyone of them went bad, so I have had no 

 opportunity of testing it. My friend thinks highly of it. 



Prince of Wales. — To the pigs, if they will eat it. Question- 

 able if they have any taste. 



Dunbar Eegents. — Of all late round Potatoes, this and some 

 other strains of Regents I consider to be the very best. A good 

 cropper, good in flavour, and floury, suitable for most soils, 

 and likely to please most palates. 



Such are the notes I have made. I am prepared to find 

 them controverted, for tastes diiier, and localities affect dif- 

 ferent varieties, but they are honestly made from my point of 

 view. I have received one or two kinds this year which look 

 promising — Carter's Main Crop, a very smooth-looking, round 

 red Potato, with very shallow eyes ; and Cambridgeshire Kid- 

 ney, from the same firm, which looks well ; but I have now 

 done with trials of Potatoes. I am contented, for my own grow- 

 ing, with Myatt's Prolific, the Lapstone, Haigh's Kidney, and 

 Yorkshire H?ro. And I have found about here a very'dark- 

 purple Kidney Potato which promises well, and seems to come 

 in very late. For kitchen use I should take Headley's Nonpa- 

 reil, Eed-skinned Flourball, and Dunbar Eegents. 



Since the above was written I have seen Mr. Lewis's note on 

 Early Eose. I pride myself on having Potatoes well cooked, 

 and although I think better of Early Eose than of any of the 

 other Yankee notions, yet in wet seasons and close soils it will 

 not do. — D., Deal. 



ASPECT FOE TEA EOSES. 



As the articles concerning Eoses which so frequently appear 

 in " our Journal " are principally from the pens of amateurs, 

 so the advice given is not always applicable to the practice of 

 the professional gardener. The amateur, controlling and fre- 

 quently doing much of the work of his garden himself, is more 

 likely to advocate a system of culture or management best 

 suited to his own taste or convenience than one adapted to the 

 numerous requirements of a large garden. The truth of this 

 reasoning has lately been exemplified in some communications 

 on Tea Eose culture, ono writer preferring an east wall to train 

 his plants to, while another cares for no wall, but thinks an 

 open bed best. Both methods may be very good, but neither 

 is snflioiently comprehensive for practical purposes. 



All who have had much work with the regular routine of 

 dressing vases and maintaining a supply of cut flowers, must 

 be aware of the great value of Eoses, and especially of the 

 classes known as Tea and Noisette Eoses, for such a purpose. 

 In order to have a supply of these desirable flowers as long as 

 possible, it has been my practice to plant some of the same 

 kinds against walls facing all sorts of aspects. Thus, I have 

 had such kinds as Gloire de Dijon and Souvenir d'un Ami on 



walls facing north, south, east, and west, seme plants being 

 fully exposed to sun and wind, others somewhat sheltered by 

 surrounding trees, and I have even planted them in obscure 

 corners partly shut in by trees, so that I could be tolerably 

 certain to have some of these channing flowers throughout the 

 season for bouquets and vases. 



The culture of Eoses is so simple and easy that it is sur- 

 prising they are not more grown than they are. Many an out- 

 building or wall might have its naked unsightly surface turned 

 to good account for such a purpose. All that is necessary is 

 care in guarding the plants from blight or insects, protect- 

 ing them in very cold or exposed situations in winter, and 

 affording them a sound rich soil and generous treatment, for 

 the Eose is a regular gourmand, thriving best under a liberal 

 regimen of fat manure and rich liquids. Unlike the animal 

 glutton, it never becomes so obese as to appear unsightly ; on 

 the contrary, its stout rampant shoots clothed with luxuriant 

 foliage yield a proportionate profusion of magnificent stout- 

 petalled flowers. 



This high feeding can only be practised where there is plenty 

 of wall space on which to train the luxuriant growth ; where 

 the plants are in confined situations the reverse of this treat- 

 ment must be appUed. In the latter case I would advocate an 

 almost starvation system, only giving the plants just sufiicient 

 nourishment to keep them healthy, the aim being to secure 

 miniature plants which will afford a supply of those pretty 

 little flower buds so useful to intermix with larger or expanded 

 flowers in bouquets. 



But apart from the great usefulness of the flowers for such 

 purposes. Tea Eoses have many valuable properties, entitling 

 them to a high rank as decorative plants. In the choicest 

 varieties much elegance of form, both in foliage and blossom, 

 refinement of colour, and delicacy of perfume are developed. 

 The flowers, too, are produced so freely and continuously, that 

 Tea Koses might be styled the Perpetual Eoses with more 

 justice than the class now known as such. Let us not mind 

 about aspects, then, but rather try to utilise every spare foot of 

 wall space in the production of flowers so charming, so useful, 

 and, above all, of such easy culture. — Eewakd Lucehtjkst. 



THE EAFXY VINEEY— GP.APES IN POTS. 



The Eaklt Yixery. — So much has been written on this sub- 

 ject that I cannot be expected to bring anything new to light, 

 but I will just note a few facts which may assist the amateur. 

 While Grapes may be grown in any glass structure, there are 

 certain forms of structure most suitable for producing given 

 results, and early Grapes, by which I mean Grapes ripe in 

 April. 



Our early vinery, which I had built, has given me great satis- 

 faction. It has at one end an Orchid house, at the other the 

 late vinery, so that it is well sheltered from cutting winds. It 

 is 14 feet wide, has a front sash 2 feet in height, and the back 

 wall is 14 feet high. There are four 4-inch pipes round the 

 front and ends, and one 4-inch pipe at the back wall ; every 

 sash on the roof is moveable, so that an inch opening can be 

 left for air at the top, and the same in front. I never give air 

 in front until colouring commences. The wires to which the 

 Vines are tied are not nearer the glass than 1-5 inches, so that 

 in hot weather a current of air passes between the foliage and 

 the glass. The leaves should never come in contact with the 

 glass, for when they do I have seen them frosted in a clear cold 

 night, and turn yellow. I have over one of the pipes troughs 

 or steaming-trajs, which are kept full throughout the growing 

 season ; these steaming-trays afl'ord moisture to the air of the 

 vinery, and warm water for syringing. 



Oar late vinery is the same as the early vinery, only there is 

 one 4-inch pipe less in the front. It is 14 feet wide ; there is 

 at back a 4-feet path of York pavement, and the border is 

 10 feet wide inside, and 10 feet outside. 



The soil of the border was taken out to the depth of 2J feet 

 at the back, and in the outside portion 3i feet, and there is a 

 drain at the bottom 4 feet deep. The bottom of the border 

 was made on a uniform slope, and paved with hric'ss, among 

 which thin cement was brushed into every crevice. On this 

 were built the pillars upon which the arched front rests. 

 Above the pavement was put a foot deep of brickbats, the 

 smallest being kept at the top; then a httle lime rubbish free 

 of dust, and on this turves 2 inches thick, grass side down- 

 wards. The compost I used was principally formed of a friable 

 loam, which had been stacked six months ; this was broken np 

 while dry with a spade or fork, and mixed with half-inch bones 



