152 



JOURNAL 01?' HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ ATjgsst 25, 1870. 



heat with a brisk top heat would set all right. Vegetable Marrows are 

 indifferent bearers this year, owing to the dry weather. 



Woodlice m Cucdmbbr Frame (21. JV^ry).— Place a boiled potato 

 wrapped up in a little hay in a small flower-pot, and lay the pot on its 

 side near the haunts of the woodlice. A number of such baits put down 

 at night, and the contents emptied in the morning into a bucket of 

 boiling water, will considerably thin the woodlice. 



Peaches Diseased (Mrs. W. F. Knatchbitll,.— The Peaches are suffer- 

 ing from gum, and probably the trees are also. The cause of this is the 

 roots of the trees having got into an ungenial soil. In autumn let the 

 roots be uncovered and examined, and as some of them will in all pro- 

 bability have thrown down tap roots into the subsoil, let these be cut off, 

 and all the remaining roots encouraged near the surface. 



Mesembryanthemtjm Culture (H. T.). — The culture of these plants is 

 not difficult. They require to be grown in a compost of equal parts of 

 light turfy loam, sandy peat, lime rubbish, charcoal or broken pots, and 

 silver sand. If the loam is poor, one part of old cow dung maybe ad- 

 vantageously added. Mix the whole well. The pots must be well drained. 

 Small pots only are necessary, or rather they should be small compared 

 with the plants. Pot in spring, or when the plants begin to grow. Propa- 

 gate by cuttings laid on a shelf in the sun a few days to dry at the base, 

 and then insert them in the above compost, with an equal quantity of 

 sand added to it. In summer they succeed out-doors on rockwork in an 

 open, very sunny situation, and are very suitable as window plants for 

 warm south aspects. In winter they need to be kept secure from frost, 

 and ought to have no more water than will prevent the stems and leaves 

 from shrivelling. "When growing they require a plentiful supply of water, 

 at other times dryness. Some of the best are M. densum, deltoideum, 

 strictum, conspicuum, falcatum, filamentosum, relaxatnm, spectabile, 

 cordifolium variegatum, coccineum, uncinatum, falcatum, echinatum 

 album, cylindricum, bicolorum patulum, lseve, aurantinm, spinosum, 

 aureum, barbatum, polyanthon, tuberosum, incurvum, denticulatum, 

 hlandum, difforme, heteropetalum, dolabriforme. and inclaudens. If 

 planted out in summer they will need to be taken up in autumn, potted, 

 and wintered in a house with a temperature not below 35°, nor higher 

 from fire heat than 45°, keeping them near the glass and dry. They are 

 not Everlastings. 



Peaches (F. W. Popham). — We do not know the Dymond Peach, and 

 never heard of the name. The nurseryman who sold it to you ought to 

 be able to give some account of it. The variety which he supplied you 

 with for Royal George, may probably be Early Victoria, as that is a dark- 

 coloured Peach, and with glandless leaves. 



Shoots of Vine Dying (IF. C. M.).— This decay and the Grapes shank- 

 ing, indicate that the roots of the Vine do not supply a sufficiency of sap. 

 They have either descended into a bad subsoil, or they have not a good 

 supply of moisture and nourishment. Give an abundant watering once 

 a-week with tepid weak liquid manure, and mulch the surface of the 

 border. 



Names of Plants (Julia).— Achillea Millefolium. (D. B.).~ Cuscuta 

 Trifolii. (M. Ctottterbucfe). — Catalpa syringasfolia. It does not bloom 

 until of a large size. (J. S.).— 1, Asplenium bulbiferum ; 2, Kephrolepis 

 exaltata ; 3, Pteris cretica albo-lineata ; 4, Platyloma rotundifolia. ; 5, Ha- 

 brothamnus elegans ; 6, Asclepias curassavica. {Milford). — Atriplex por- 

 tulacoides of Linnreus, now frequently referred to the genus Obione ; 

 O. portulacoides of Moquin. (M. A.). — "Without seeing the flowers of 

 your scented-leaved Pelargonium it is imposiible to say if it is better 

 than existing named varieties. The leaf you sent will be that of Achi- 

 menes Ghiesbrechtii. Apiece of a Fern frond enclosed with your letter 

 is Adiantum hispidulum. (J. G. S.). — No. 4 is Lysimacbia Nummularia, 

 and5Ftarmicavulgarisfl.pl.; No. 3, Gnaphalium margaritaceum. The 

 rest in a future issue. (D. A.).— 1, Some Labiate, apparently a Melissa; 

 specimen in this and the next far too imperfect ; 2, a Habrothamnus or 

 Oestrum ; 3, Cassia laevigata. Send better specimens when you make 

 inquiry again. (E. P.).— Peltasa adiantifolia. (S. W.).—l, Las'trea dila- 

 tata ; 5, L. spinulosa ; 2, Lomaiia spicant ; 4, S, and 10, all forms of Athy- 

 riurn Filix-fcemina ; 3, Lastrea Filix-mas ; 6, Polypodium calcareum ; 

 9, Polystichum Lonchites. (A Subscriber). — 1, Higginsia (or Campylo- 

 botrys) refulgens; 2, Eranthemum leuconeurum. 



POULTRY, BEE, ASD PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



A TRIP INTO GLOUCESTERSHIRE AFTER 

 POULTRY.— No. 1. 



Theke are many charming bits of scenery in England which 

 are, as jet, from lying away from railway stations, scarcely 

 known so much as they deserve to be. Or, if they have a 

 railway, it is that unsatisfactory thing, a single line, which in 

 slowness, perhaps, is meant to be a pleasing reminder of old 

 coaching times; sometimes, too, it comes to an end at ap- 

 parently nowhere particular, and, perhaps, at a very small 

 station, where two men are yawning, thus making a pretence of 

 doing something, or a lively boy, the only vigorous inhabitant 

 of the district, is whistling a tune which was a popular one 

 ten years ago. But there are often charming bits of scenery 

 close by ; one such it was my happy lot to see last week in the 

 district lying near Dursley, in Gloucestershire. Although the 

 Romans left their mark about Dursley, yet something more 

 ubiquitous even than that conquering power gave many of 

 the names to the places around — namely, pasturage and a 

 shepherd's life. Thus in Dursley we have deers-lie ; the next 

 parish is Uley — i.e., Ewes-lie; the next Owlpen, from old-pen; 

 and Lampern Hill from lambs-pen. Doubtless, the shepherds 

 gave the names, and all, save the first, tell of their quiet 

 pasture life. 



The valley of Uley is, indeed, a choice piece of scenery — high 

 hills covered with beech trees, there a natural growth ; then 

 in contrast to the thick woods, one bare long hill, Uleybury, so 

 unlike its well-clothed brothers, and a valley with wood — 

 perhaps too much— and, marvellous this dry season, a glimmer 

 of water and perfectly green grass. Place in this scenery a 

 couple of Gothio churches, a picturesque mansion or two, one 

 smaller, yet its ivy, and its stone tiles, and its air of comfort 

 and refinement, make each traveller instinctively say, "What 

 a nice old place ! Who lives there ?" I check rein before_ that 

 house, where lives and has long lived a brother cleric, a 

 brother poultry fancier, and a brother rosarian— a threefold 

 binding-chord. Mine is a second visit, so I know what to 

 expect and whom to look for— the kindly parson himself, his 

 wife, and oh, marvellous ! his small family. Then there will 

 be his man Hosea (a parson's man should have an Old Testa- 

 ment name). Then there will be the garden, apparently given- 

 up entirely to roBes, though there is a cabbage here and there ; 

 there will be the Dorkings, and the Game Bantams ; there will 

 be the selecting and packing-off the poultry for the coming 

 show ; there will be the master taking a last loving peep and 

 saying, " I wonder what prizes I shall get — perhaps none at all, 

 for those wretched judges may not see the beauties of my 

 beauties, and yet (here hope sparkles in his eye), I think, that 

 Dorking cockerel will do something." (N.B., He did.) Thero 

 will be Hosea, gravely and cautiously putting the show roses 

 in their case, dipping the moss in the water, filling the glasses, 

 sorting the roses, and thinking they will get a prize. Hosea 

 was right, they did. 



Wednesday morning we start from the valley of Uley for 

 Stroud, driving— that pleasantest way of getting through a short 

 journey in fine and warm weather. Soon we emerge from the 

 lovely valley and begin to climb that long steep hill, Lampern 

 Hill, with a forest of beech trees on our right, and a dip of 

 many hundred feet on our left. Pity we cannot, as far as 

 locomotion is concerned, do away with all hills. Look at the 

 wise Londoners, they only had one hill, Holborn Hill, and 

 they have done away with that. Bailways also know no hills ; 

 in fact, hills, except to look at, are sad nuisances. The late 

 Mr. Cobden once talked of crumpling-up Russia as he could, 

 suiting the action to the word, crumple up a newspaper, which, 

 perhaps, contained an article against him. I wished he had 

 lived to lower all the hills by filling up the valleys in the roads. 



Having at long-last climbed that tedious hill, we come into 

 the stone-wall country, leaving a little on our right Kingscote 

 Park, which has been in the hands of the Kingscotes for nearly 

 a thousand years. A Nigel de Kingscote came over with the 

 Conqueror, and Colonel Nigel Kingscote now represents, as his 

 forefathers did in many generations, a division of Gloucester- 

 shire. 



Further on, the country improved until we get among de- 

 cidedly pretty scenery. At Horsley, there stands an empty 

 unused jail, which ugly building though it be, we may look 

 at with pleasure, as it is a happy indication of improved morals. 

 But we get on to Nailsworth, and still the scenery improves, 

 passing Amberley, which gives a title to Earl Russell's eldest 

 son. Reaching soon Woodchester, we are, I suppose, in the 

 golden valley of Stroud, and beautiful it is ; not a close-shut- m 

 valley as some of our North Wilts combes are, nor yet a wide 

 valley with hills so far off as scarcely to come into the land- 

 scape—wide, and not too wide, with hills well-shaped and 

 well-wooded, indeed the whole of the golden valley has a 

 park-like appearance, so well-grown is the timber. Among the 

 scattered hamlets one caught sight now and then of a fine 

 gable, or ornate house of the Queen Anne date, but factories 

 are also in the valley, which, though indicating wealth and a 

 comfortable livelihood to many, add no beauty to the scene. 

 Art put alongside of Nature must not only, in order to add to 

 the beauty of the landscape, be high art, but must be altered 

 and improved by the hand of Nature, an alteration and im- 

 provement stretching over many years before it harmonises 

 with Nature. Thus, how a new monument, or a new church 

 smites the eye; but let the church tower or spire meet the 

 winds of Heaven for years and years and get well weather- 

 stained, how (as witness hundreds of old churches) it adds to 

 the beauty of the view ; but new factories can never be im- 

 proved. This train of thought reminds me of Shakspeare S 

 words in the Winter Tale — 



" Yet nature is made better by no mean, 

 But nature makes that mean : so o'er that art 

 Which, tou say, adds to nature, is an art 

 That nature makes, the art itself is nature." 



