Angast 11, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



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get, probably Mr. Keynes can supply it ; it was numbered 13, 

 very dwarf, not growiDg more than a foot high, of a pretty 

 blush colour, and good shape. 



Although RoseB were my chief object, yet one could not pass 

 by some other things which Mr. Keynes cultivates admirably. 

 Need I say that the Salisbury Dahlias with which he first won 

 his way to fame are as famous as the Salisbury Roses ? and 

 notwithstanding the excessive drought they were looking beau- 

 tiful ; while some seedlings that I saw seemed to me to be in 

 advance of those we already have, notably a shaded purple of 

 great beauty. But as Mr. Keynes will be a large exhibitor at 

 the first exhibition of the new Metropolitan Society for the 

 Encouragement of Florists' Flowers I shall have more to say of 

 them then. 



I have before now noticed the Vines at these nurseries, and 

 again I have to express my wonder at the fine plants which fill 

 the houses. To pick and choose from them would be simply 

 needless, for they are all alike good ; and I wish those good 

 people who talk of Golden Champion being an indifferent 

 grower could hive seen the canes here from eyes, quite aB 

 vigorous in every respect as the Black Hamburghs close by 

 them. Of Royal Ascot, too, Mr. Keynes spoke highly, especi- 

 ally as a Vine for pot culture, for which its prolific character 

 makes it admirably suited. TheBe Vines, with their long stout 

 canes, were not forced by stimulating manures ; they were 

 grown in nothing but leaf mould and good loam, and their 

 appearance fully justified the treatment to which they had been 

 subjected. 



It is well known that Mr. Keynes sends out yearly some 

 Verbenas raised by Mr. Eckford. I saw those of this season, 

 and notwithstanding the drought they looked very well indeed. 

 The finest as a bedder was Eclipse, but the others were also 

 very good — Mrs. Eckford, HeDry Eckford, Countess of Radnor, 

 Miss Cole, and Sensation. The past season has tried Verbenas 

 very much, and I fear they are gradually going out of estima- 

 tion as bedding plants. 



Suoh is a brief notice of what I saw at Salisbury. A finer 

 stock, especially of Roses on the Manetti, I never saw ; and one 

 has only to visit such a nursery as this to see how universal is 

 the love of the queen of flowers in these islands. — D., Deal. 



EARLY PROLIFIC AND OTHER 

 STRAWBERRIES. 



The season for planting Strawberries having arrived, it may 

 interest amateurs to hear something of the above splendid 

 variety, raised from seed by that indefatigable amateur, W. 

 Roden, Esq., of Kidderminster, and latterly made known to the 

 public. Afler having admired, two yeara ago in Dr. Roden's 

 garden, the fruit of bis pet, he kindly sent me a few plants for 

 trial. I increased them so as to form a nice bed of fifty plants, 

 which had grown strong and capable of bearing a full crop the 

 past season. 



In consequence of the late cold spring my lot only began to 

 bloom on the 10th of May, and it beautifully set its fruit, the 

 first of which was ripe on June loth, and the plants continued 

 bearing for more than five weeks. To describe the beauty of 

 this little bed in full bearing is impossible ; suffice it to say 

 that everybody who saw it was struck by the picture. 



In size the fruit is rather large, of a very handsome even 

 shape, mostly conical, sometimes flattened; in colour it iB 

 bright glossy vermilion from calyx to point ; and as to quality, 

 it is surpassed by none. The plant is of healthy growth, ele- 

 gant habit, and easy propagation. I can boldly assert that the 

 Early Prolific is the earliest of the large kinds, and it produces 

 no fruit of inferior size. When better known it must become 

 a general favourite, the more so as I found it very useful for 

 early forcing ia pots. Another point of recommendation is the 

 fact that it stands the drought and heat better than most 

 others. I am convinced that all fragarians will feel glad of my 

 having called their attention to such a superior novelty. 



Dr. Roden has another valuable seedling, the Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, a worthy companion to Early Prolific. This is a little 

 later, but its noble fruit is larger still. Mr. Bradley's Sir 

 Joseph Paxton, quite a gem here, is, I am sorry to Bee, but 

 rarely mentioned across the Channel. It is later than the 

 Early Prolific, but likewise a sort which will be grown as long 

 as Strawberries are cultivated. 



Of the late Dr. Nicaise's ten new seedlings, sent out last ! 

 spring at exorbitant prices, I have as yet not been able to form 

 an opinion. As far, however, as I have proved them, I believe 

 that some of them will be useful additions to a choice collection. 



Our Strawberry crop has been, generally speaking, small and! 

 of short duration. On acoount of the extraordinary drought 

 and tropical heat of the present summer, the fruit of such soft 

 kinds as Marguerite was roasted before completing its maturity. 

 It is to be wondered that we should have had Strawberries at 

 all. — Ferdinand Gloede, Beauvais (Oue) France. 



After reading Mr. Creed's paper on the Strawberry (see pags 

 57), it has just occurred to me that a few more notes from 

 another pen might be of service to those about to plant. My soil 

 is a clayey loam, hard as a flint when dry, yet easily worked! 

 under certain conditions. The whole of my Strawberry bads 

 I had trenched two spades deep, and as much manure rb 

 possible was put in. I planted the following sorts all grown 

 under the same conditions, that is, throughout the dry weather 

 they received no water, as I had it not to give — Rivera's Royal 

 Hautbois, RiverB's Eliza, Dr. Hogg, President, Mr. Radclyffe, 

 De Jonghe's Emma, Lucas, Nimrod, Stirling Castle Pine, La 

 Constante, and Carolina Superba. 



As regards the Royal Hautbois the flavour was excellent, and 

 it bore better than I expected ; I shall still grow some of this 

 sort. Rivers's Eliza was exceedingly prolific, a good strong 

 grower, producing some very good fruit, but this was rather 

 surpassed by the Stirling Castle Pine in quantity, flavour, 

 and colour, Mr. Radclyffe being equal with this variety in all 

 these respects, but beating it in size. President was small with 

 me and had but few fruit. Dr. Hogg did not grow well, and to 

 my mind is not bright enough in colour. Lucas was also a shy 

 bearer, also Nimrod, but|both are good. La Constante was weakly 

 and very small in fruit. Carolina Superba is not strong enough in 

 constitution for my soil, and gives too small a crop. De Jonghe's 

 Emma was very fine in flavour and colour, a free bearer, and 

 certainly, worth growing. After taking all qualities into con- 

 sideration, for my stiff soil I have decided that Mr. Radclyffe 

 and Stirling Castle Pine are my best two, very closely followed 

 by Rivers's Eliza and De Jonghe's Emma ; for I hold that one 

 wants quantity as well as quality, and I also like a good bright- 

 looking Strawberry, something that appeals to the palate 

 through the eye. Lucas and President, also Dr. Hogg, I shaH 

 grow, but if they do not serve me better another year I shall 

 discard them. I have only a dozen of President, and I shall not 

 increase my stock. La Constante and Carolina Superba I shall 

 dig in most of at once, on account of their weakly growth. 

 Nimrod I shall try another year, but I think most likely I shall 

 reduce my varieties to Mr. Radclyffe, Stirling Castle Pine, and 

 De Jonghe's Emma, if the last go on as well as it has begun. 

 I may h6re remark that I can do nothing with the British 

 Queen in my soil, and also I may sh.v that amongst all the fore- 

 going sorts I do not think I had a dozen barren plants, which 

 seem to have been so common with Mr. Creed. — Harrisoe 

 Weir, Weirleigh, Kent. 



IMPERIAL BLUE PANSY, EAST LOTHIAN 

 STOCKS, AND BETA CICLA CHILENSIS. 



Perhaps one of the greatest acqusitions which has gladdened 

 the hearts of bedders-out lately is Imperial Blue Pansy. We 

 may write it down as first-rate as surely as Golden Pyrethram. 

 The colour, a beautiful deep lavender blue, is all that can be 

 wished for, and it is one that was much needed. The blooms 

 seem to retain their depth of hue to the end — at least, there ie 

 no symptom of change aB I write now, on August 4th. With 

 attention to taking off decaying blossoms and pretty constant 

 top-dressing, this Pansy remains vigorous in constitution and 

 a mass of bloom all summer. What would be the best edging 

 for it ? I have Golden Pyrethrum, but it is too pale. Some- 

 thing more orange would be better. I am inclined to think its 

 best companion would be Duke of Edinburgh bronze sons! 

 Pelargonium. 



The next plant I wish to express my gratitude to is the erim- 

 son East Lothian Stock. Here, again, we have a colour, wbiah 

 in the north of Ireland we have always found it most difficult 

 to obtain iu a mass. The uniform habit of the growth of this 

 Stock, its durability, and the large proportion of plants bearing 

 double flowers, entitle it to a very high place indeed. Golden 

 Eagle Pansy would make a beautiful border for it. 



Beta Cicla chilensis is a very beautiful and striking plant. 

 It would be a magnificent border for a shrubbery, or a large 

 bed of Dahlias or Rhododendrons. The stems, which are very 

 broad, are most brilliantly-coloured — scarlet, orange, yellow, 

 magenta, rose, and white. It would, I think, be very handsome 



