JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jnly 7, 1870. 



the shrubbery. A well-kept lawn clothed in nature's " livery 

 of green " is always an agreeable object, soothing to the eye, 

 and refreshing to look upon, and is a striking and important 

 feature peculiar to the climate of our temperate zone ; the 

 flower garden in the shrubbery forms an object for a stroll, and 

 not being constantly seen, its charms retain their freshness 

 and attractiveness throughout the season. Bat if the mansion 

 stands on a very elevated position, a terrace garden is a very 

 appropriate and beautiful object, imparting an air of dignity 

 and grandeur by its ample breadth, its massive colouring, and 

 its accessories of balustrades, vases, and flights of stone steps. 

 In forming a terrace, care should be taken to have it in good 

 proportion to the mansion, nothing can possibly be in worse 

 taBte than a lofty imposing structure, with a narrow foimal 

 terrace garden crowded with flowers ; the terrace should there- 

 fore have breadth in proportion to the height of the building it 

 is near ; and the flowers, which should be well away from the 

 house, produce the best effect in such a position if disposed in 

 large bold masses. A broad raised terrace walk parallel to 

 the side of the mansion, and overlooking the flowers and the 

 scenery beyond, forms a delightful and appropriate prome- 

 nade. — Edward Luckhurst, Egerton House Gardens, Kent. 



A FEW VARIETIES OF CHERRY PYRAMIDALLY 

 TRAINED. 



I have several sorts of Cherries trained in the pyramidal 

 form worked on the Mahaleb stock, and growing in a deeply- 

 trenched, heavy, and moderately-rich loam, formerly pasture 

 land, with a liberal mixture of brick and mortar rubbish, and 

 a little rotten manure added. The trees were planted five 

 years ago, and were then a good sample selected from a well- 

 known nurseryman's stock ; they have therefore arrived at a 

 stage at which a person may easily judge of their merits, or 

 otherwise, for this mode of training. As most of the trees 

 have succeeded well, it may be a little guide to intending 

 planters next autumn if I name all the sorts I grow, and give 

 a brief description of their qualities, whether favourable or 

 otherwise. 



Adam's Crown is the first. It is a medium-sized early fruit 

 for table use ; the tree is a moderate bearer, and not a vigorous 

 grower, but it makes a very handsome and compact pyramid. 



Belle de Clwisy. — A large-sized, mid-season fruit for table 

 use ; it is a moderate bearer and vigorous grower, and makes 

 a fine tree. The fruit is very handsome. 



Belle d'Orleans. — One of the host and earliest Cherries for 

 table use ; it is of good size and flavour ; both in growth and 

 productiveness it is first-rate. 



Archduke. — One of the best bearers, early, and of good 

 flavour ; thin-skinned and fleshy, a good fruit for either table 

 or kitchen use. Makes a handsome tree. 



Late Dulse. — A well-known and desirable Cherry for the 

 table ; large and very prolific. The growth is moderately vi- 

 gorous, and it makes a pretty tree ; it iB generally late, coming 

 in for use in August, but this year it promises to be earlier. 



Elton. — A large, fleshy, and richly-flavoured midseason 

 Cherry for table use. As a pyramid, it does not bear so well 

 as some others, but it makes a good tree. 



Napoleon. — Like the last named it is a sort of Bigarreau. 

 The tree is an abundant bearer, producing large fruit of ex- 

 cellent flavour, which comes in about the beginning of August. 

 It is of vigorous growth, but is not so compact as some others ; 

 it soon makes a large tree. 



Circassian [Black Tartarian]. — A very early, excellent-fla- 

 voured black Cherry for table use ; it is in all respects a first- 

 rate and desirable sort. 



Precoce de Lyon. — This is a bad grower with me ; it cankers 

 and dies off. The tree has never ripened a fruit, so I cannot 

 speak of the quality. 



May Duke. — A well-known prolific Cherry. It succeeds 

 extremely well as a pyramid, and is excellent in every other 

 way. In comes in early for the dessert. 



Baumann's May. — A fair-sized black Cherry for kitchen or 

 table use. Tne tree is a vigorous grower and prolific. Skin of 

 fruit thin and fleshy. 



Montmorency. — The trees are moderately vigorous, with a 

 compact habit of growth and dark green foliage ; they have 

 hitlerto been shy bearers as pyramids, but the few fruit they 

 have borne look very like an inferior sort of Morello. The fruit 

 is late, and has an acid flavour ; the trees were not until this 

 geascn in a healthy state, which may account for their scanty 



produce. However, the numerous fruiting spurs they are 

 making show signs of cropping in future. 



The Flemish Cherry makes an excellent pyramid, but it only 

 bears sparingly. Being a late Cherry, it is worth growing for 

 tarts or preserving ; it bears a large red fruit inferior to the 

 Morello. 



Governor Wood. — This is a delicious Cherry, large and fleshy ; 

 it bears abundantly on walls, and as a pyramid it is not in- 

 ferior to any of the varieties previously noticed ; it is a dessert 

 fruit. 



Morello. — This is the laBt I have to mention ; it is not often 

 seen growing as a pyramid, but it makes the handsomest tree 

 of any I have named, and the fruit in yield, size, and flavour 

 is much superior to that produced by trees upon a north wall. 

 As this Cherry differs from all others in its habit of growth, 

 and produces its fruit upon the last year's wood instead of 

 upon spurs, as in other varieties, a different course of treatment 

 must be adopted for this mode of training. Very many of the 

 shoots have only one wood bud, and that at the extremity of 

 the shoot. If that is shortened in winter, as in other trees, 

 the fruit is useless, and the shoot dies because it makes no 

 foliage or wood. To obviate this a judicious system of summer 

 pinching the young shoots must be pursued ; there will then 

 be plenty of flower buds close together, and plenty of wood 

 buds to maintain the symmetry of the trees. The only winter 

 pruning required will be a little thinning of the shoots to 

 balance the action of the sap. 



It is a common remark this year, that the Cherries are very 

 much smaller than usual ; this is probably owing to the dry 

 season. We have not had more than one shower in the im- 

 mediate locality since last March, although two or three miles 

 from us frequent showers have fallen. — Thomas Record, 

 Lillesden. 



EARLY versus LATE PLANTING RIBBON 

 BORDERS. 



Mr. Fish, in "Doings of the Last Week," having invited me 

 to describe the mode of planting adopted in our large bed this 

 season, I somewhat reluctantly do so, as circumstances led me 

 to adopt a plan so widely different from that which he advo- 

 cates, and that which, for many reasons, I would like to be able 

 to follow. Our respective modes of operation have so little in 

 common, that in giving a rough outline of our procedure here, 

 I run the risk of being found fault with by almost all who have 

 such work to do ; but there may be some who may be under the 

 necessity of adopting a plan somewhat similar, and although 

 we are, I hope, for the well-being of flower gardening as a 

 feature of rural embellishment, in the minority, there is no just 

 cause or impediment why our voice3 should not be heard. Be- 

 sides, there are, no doubt, many who will be in some measure 

 consoled when they find that others are compelled to do as 

 they do. 



Mr. Fish throughout the long series of letters which are read 

 with so much relish by the public, advocates late planting, and 

 the oft-repeated warning, " wait," is without question, a pru- 

 dent one. On the other hand, we practise early planting, not 

 in every instance because it is the best, but because circum- 

 stances in a certain degree compel us to do so, and a few words 

 on the cause of this may not be without interest. In the first 

 place, I may explain that we suffer from want of space, and 

 although I k>.ow how well Mr. Fish economises both that and 

 water, yet we could not by any amount of crowding give a sepa- 

 rate position to half the plants required here for bedding. Our 

 flower beds have multiplied so much faster than the structures 

 capable of accommodating plants, that we are under the ne- 

 cessity of planting out the majority of those for bedding direct 

 from the cutting pans or boxes, with the exception of such sub- 

 jects as are considered more choice than the rest. These are 

 indulged with separate pots, or cared for in some other way. 

 To make this more clear, I may mention that in addition to 

 the large bed to which Mr. Fish alludes, and which has been 

 often described in these pages, we have two ribbon borders, 

 each 593 feet long, and 10 feet wide, occupying a space of more 

 than a quarter of an acre, or equivalent to upwards of 150 cir- 

 cular beds, each 10 feet in diameter. It will be easily conceived 

 that a very considerable space must be required as Btanding 

 room for plants to fill these borders alone, and not having accom- 

 modation for so many we plant out many things much earlier 

 than our neighbours, with results not always unfavourable to 

 early planting. 



To give an idea of the way we commenced planting, I may 



