September 8, 1870. 



JOUBNAL OF HOETICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



185 



an ample supply of these fragrant flowers throughout the entire 

 year. — P. Grieve, Culford. — (Florist and Pomologist.) 



A LARGE OAK TREE. 



On the outskirts of the park of Sir William Smith Marriott, 

 Bart, of Horsemonden, in Kent, stands a very fine Oak tree with 

 a healthy top and straight bole. The circumference, at about 

 5 feet from the ground and in the smallest part between the 

 root-claw3 and the first branch, is 21 feet, the bole appearing 

 to be perfectly sound, or at all eventB there is no outward indi- 

 cation of decay of any consequence. The appearance of the 

 upper part of the tree would indicate that the decline of life 

 had scarcely, if at all, set in. Some limbs had been broken off, 

 but these looked more as if by the effects of high winds or other 

 accidents than the decay of nature ; and the top, as a whole, 

 was not so large as is often met with in much smaller trees. 

 The situation was on the top of a slight embankment, caused 

 by the making of a sort of dry moat or excavation 5 or 6 feet 

 deep, the roots of the noble tree clasping the sides of the bank, 

 and presenting an extended mass of root timber rarely met with, 

 showing their naked surfaces along the side of the bank for 

 some distance, swollen and enlarged so as to resemble a kind 

 of irregular ribbed work, and finally disappearing at the bottom 

 of the moat, which was perfectly dry. The soil, I should think, 

 was of the kind common in the neighbourhood — a decomposed 

 sandstone, and sandstone formed the substratum ; it was evi- 

 dently well suited to the growth of this tree by the good 

 examples to be seen around. 



Another fine tree is pointed out as having been all but sacri- 

 ficed at one time to a mistake. Some workmen sent to cut oak 

 timber in this park had actually stripped the bark of the lower 

 part of the trunk prior to felling it, when the mistake was dis- 

 covered, and the bark nailed on again so carefully that no 

 vestige of the operation is to be seen, excepting a ring mark 

 round the tree at about 3 feet from the ground. This tree, 

 although much less than that previously noticed, is a fine speci- 

 men, and I believe tempting offers have been made for it by 

 purveyors to the navy and others. The bole where the girth 

 was made is as nearly circular as could be guessed, and free 

 from any bulges or swellings that increase the measurement. 

 I should think that at 30 feet up it would be 16 or 17 feet in 

 circumference. It grows on the escarpment of a moat, which 

 may, for anything I know to the contrary, have, formed the 

 boundary of an entrenched camp. — J. Eoeson. 



BLUEBELLS AND HAREBELLS. 



In your Journal of August 25th, page 151, 1 read, " The 

 common wood Hyacinth is the Scilla nonscripta of botanists, 

 the Harebell of common nomenclature." I presume you mean 

 the "Bluebell" of common nomenclature. Campanula rc- 

 tundifolia is the Hare (or Hair) Bell, but I believe it is usual 

 to call both "Bluebells," though the Campanula is "the Blue- 

 bell of Scotland." — Bluebell. 



[It is quite certain that the Harebell is the Hyacinthus non- 

 scriptus, or Scilla nonscripta. Two of our oldest botanical 

 writers, Gerarde and Parkinson, portrait it, and call it " Hare- 

 foels," probably from the Anglo-Saxon, har, grey, and belle, 

 a bell. The " Bluebell " is the Campanula rotnndifolia, ac- 

 cording to our best modern authorities, but when or by whom 

 the name was first applied we cannot tell, for all the old 

 herbalists call it the " Small round-leaved Bell-flower." The 

 name " Hairbell" applied to this flower on account of the fine 

 hair-like stalk of the flowers, is of very modern invention, 

 though probably for its aptness it is adopted by Babington and 

 Hooker. Dr. Hogg in his "Vegetable Kingdom," says that 

 C. rotnndifolia is " the lovely little Scotch Bluebell." We have 

 always heard it so called, and we will conclude by quoting — 



" Then strike the loud harp to the laud of the river, 

 The mountain, the valley, with all their wild spells ; 

 And shout in the chorus for ever and ever. 

 The Bluebells of Scotland, the Scottish Bluebells."] 



NEW AMERICAN POTATOES. 

 Seeing the interest that is felt in the new American Potatoes 

 which have been so highly spoken of, I forward the results of 

 a trial on a small scale, which may be interesting to some of 

 your readers, and is strictly reliable, as I weighed and counted 

 the Potatoes myself. The Potatoes were imported in December, 

 and planted on January 21st. A large proportion in weight of 



each kind consisted of handsome useable Potatoes, but in the 

 count and weights given I have included every small tuber 

 clown to the size of a marble. I may remark, that having so 

 few of each sort I cut them into as many sets as there were 

 eyes, and no doubt the produce would have been much larger 

 had small seed Potatoes of the same weight been planted. The 

 five Canadian Kidneys sent to me prove to be identical with a 

 similar number I received from my brother in Canada four 

 years ago, and from which I have succeeded in raising a large 

 stock. I have no hesitation in saying that it is the best eating 

 Potato I ever met with, and has the valuable property of beep- 

 ing good until late in the year. 



Early Eose. — Four Potatoes, weighing 1 lb. 5j ozs, cut into 

 twenty sets, and dug on July 28th quite ripe, producing 161 Po- 

 tatoes weighing 24 lbs. 6 ozs. 



Garnet Chili. — Five Potatoes, weigbiog 2 lbs. 4} ozs., cut 

 into twenty-eight sets, and dug on August 31st not quite ripe, 

 but had begun to grow again, producing 212 Potatoes weighing 

 50} lbs. 



Canadian Kidney. — Five Potatoes, weighing 2 lbs. 1 oz., cut 

 into tweDty-seven sets, and dug on August 1st quite ripe, pro- 

 ducing 160 Potatoes weighing 32 lbs. 12* ozs. — John J. Stone, 

 Seyhorwen, Llantrissent. 



ROSES NEW AND OLD. 



I always read Mr. Eadclyffe's and Mr. Kent's contributions 

 to Eose lore. They do not purloin and hash-up other men's 

 thoughts, but write independently from their own observation 

 and experience ; there is, consequently, a freshness and in- 

 dividuality about what they offer. Further, Blechingley and 

 Okeford Fitzpaine are far apart, and the soils are so diverse 

 that it is interesting to know how differing seasons affect the 

 varieties of Eoses, whether new or old, iu different localities 

 and soils. I can quite understand that a new Bose, when the 

 stock is limited to two or three plants, does not always reveal its 

 true character for one or even two seasons, and it is better to 

 speak under reserve when doubts exist, than to speak positively 

 and have to retract. The latter plan does not really inform, 

 although it may appear to do so, but it often misleads. The 

 "latest intelligence" is, doubtless, important when the au- 

 thenticity of it can be guaranteed. But the experience of life 

 is beginning to teach me not to be guided so much by the thing 

 said, as by who says it. 



The best dozen of the older Eoses were with me this year — 

 Alfred Colomb, Baron Haussman, Edward Morren (not always 

 good but sometimes very fine), Elie Morel, Horace Vernet, 

 Madame Fillion, Madame Noman (valuable as a white), Mdlle. 

 Marie Bady, Marie Baumaun, Monsieur Journeaux, Perfection 

 de Lyon, SouveDir de Monsieur Boll (very fine on the old but 

 not so good on the young plants), and SouveDir de Monsieur 

 Poiteau. It will be observed that I have avoided here the 

 very old kinds, on the assumption that their merits and de- 

 merits are already sufficiently well known. My soil is Btrong, 

 cool, and moist, and my system of cultivation is directed to the 

 development of bone and muscle rather than of fatty matter. 



Of the new Eoses I speak under reservation, but the 

 following have been satisfactory with me: — Hybrid Per- 

 petuals: Albion, Baron Chaurand, Comtesse d'Oxford, Louis 

 VanHoutte, Madame Dustour, Mademoiselle Eugeoie Verdier, 

 Marquise de Castellane, Paul Neron, and Princess Christian. 

 Tea-scented : Belle Lyonnaise, Madame Ducher, and Madame 

 Hippolyte Jamain. Perpetual Moss : Madame William Paul. 

 I find that I have in each case given a baker's dozen, but full 

 measure is a good rule, and seldom leads to difficulties. — 

 Williaii Paul, Paul's Nurseries, Waltham Cross, N. 



FLOWER-BED ARRANGEMENTS. 

 Tou frequently tell us in " our Journal " that you make a 

 rule of not offering suggestions for planting flower gardens, but 

 you criticise plans sent to you of those planted. Now, myself 

 and two sisters are fond of flowers (the fat baby don't take 

 much notice of them yet), and we have a small flower garden 

 laid out on the grass, a copy of which we enclose for your in- 

 spection. We all claim our separate beds, though at planting 

 time we pay due regard to order, and so have the beds to match 

 with each other. In the afternoons we spend many happy 

 moments in picking off dead flowers, and otherwise making 

 things look neat. As we are but little girls we cannot mow the 

 gras .', but two of our father's men run the machine over it once f ' 

 a-week. Next year we want a perfect arrangement of colours, 



