244 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 29, 187fl. 



Strawberries are abundant, and throughout the entire bed 

 will average 4 inches in circumference. The Wilson and Long- 

 worth Prolific are the best. Agriculturist, Jucunda, and a 

 dozen others imported from the Atlantic States, have proved 

 a failure. 



Grapes are successful beyond measure. The Black Ham- 

 burgh, which we in the east must grow under glass, here is 

 free and luxuriant in the open air ; as also are the Chasselas, 

 Sweetwater, White Frontignan, &c. Bunches of the Sweet- 

 water have often been picked as big as a man's hat, and weigh- 

 ing over 10 lbs. Gooseberries are large and sweet, almost of 

 the size of Crab Apples. 



The Delaware, Union Village, Catawba and a few other 

 eastern Vines, are grown with success ; and yet are mere pig- 

 mies by the side of the noble Hamburgh and Chasselas. Apri- 

 cots, Almonds, Mulberries are everywhere successful, while 

 Currants are luxuriant to a fault. 



Asparagus is fully equal to Borne of the specimens of our 

 famous Conover Colossal. Of Plums, the Green Gage and 

 Magnum Bonum are much the finest, still not very productive. 

 Potato beds had suffered greatly from the " hoppers ;" the 

 leaves had been stripped and the tubers become watery. Still, 

 very fine specimens of the Early Rose were dug, and pronounced 

 of superior flavour by Mr. Jennings. The Ash-leaved Kidney 

 is also successful, being perhaps the finest flavoured of all he 

 had tried. The White Ash-leaved is nearly equal to the Early 

 Rose. Mulberry trees are very thrifty. The people are now 

 engaging in their culture for raising silk. The growth is very 

 rapid, usually 4 feet a-year, but Mr. Jennings mentions several 

 instances of 11 feet a-year from cuttings. The Sweet Almond 

 is at home by the side of the Plum and Peach, bearing fruit. 



Mr. Jennings has some very fine Vines of the Mission Grape, 

 so universal in California. They bear large loose clusters, have 

 short but very thick-jointed shoots, some of the joints being 

 nearly an inch in diameter. The fruit is fine for table, and 

 universally made into wine. The Buckland Sweetwater Grape 

 grows with perfect vigour, and produces bunches large enough 

 to fill a hat. 



The Muscatel is also adapted to the climate. Specimens 

 were shown us of an Improved Rocky Mountain Currant ; ber- 

 ries as big as Cherries, and 2J inches in circumference. The 

 bush is lfirge, fully 6 feet broad, and above 4 feet high ; colour 

 of fruit deep black ; flavour sweet for a Black Currant, but 

 best fitted for preserves. On the posts near the entrance to 

 the house were specimens of the Mexican Cacti thriving in the 

 open air. What a singular sight to behold — on the one side 

 Apples from the east, Grapes from the west, tropical plants 

 from the south, the Almond from Europe, flowers from the 

 Atlantic States, lawn Grass from England, while over-topped 

 by all are the unchanging mountains, always girt with snow, 

 and picturesque in their contrast with the verdure beneath ! 



Mr. Jennings's place is an exception to the general character 

 of the gardens of the inhabitants. Some are very neat, but 

 usually the gardens of the Mormons are not well kept ; perhaps 

 the devastation of the hoppers has taken away their enthu- 

 siasm, for we saw an abundance of weeds in many gardens, 

 and not a soul working therein. 



Evidently everything is left to climate and water, and only 

 at occasional long intervals the gardener apppears and cleans 

 out the weeds. 



The soil is dry and gravelly. It would naturally be poor and 

 worthless, but the long streams of water come rolling down, 

 and behold the leaves grow of a deeper green, and their life is 

 renewed again and again. — (American Horticulturist.) 



WAYSIDE JOTTINGS.— No. 0. 

 Just before reaching the summit of the " hawse," an amus- 

 ing incident occurred. The Doctor had diverged from the track 

 to the right with the view of reaching the summit of Cockup, 

 which overhung our path in that direction, by making a detour 

 which would lessen the difficulty of the ascent. About a hun- 

 dred yards farther on, the Squire and I decided upon making a 

 similar attempt where the path to the top was considerably 

 more abrupt and precipitous than that adopted by our comrade. 

 We were induced to take this step by a desire to examine some 

 tufts of vegetation which we saw springing from the crevices of 

 the rock overhead, and which we could not identify at our 

 present distance. The Doctor had by this time disappeared 

 from our view, though his shrill whistle could occasionally be 

 heard reverberated from the crags around and above us. Just 



as we were about to encounter the only remaining obstacle to 

 our safe ascent, the Squire suddenly declined to pursue the 

 attempt further, affirming that his head was becoming affected 

 with premonitory symptoms of vertigo. Reaching the head of 

 my staff towards him, I exhorted him to persevere, but my 

 eloquence was tried in vain. " I have no desire needlessly to 

 imperil my limbs ; and recollect," added be humorously, point- 

 ing to the game bag slung from his shoulder, " the claret bottle 

 is here. Supposing any mischance should happen to the wine 

 flask." I replied, directing his attention at the same time to a 

 limpid stream far below, which was leaping from rock to rock, 

 and glistening in the sunshine like a silver thread, " We might 

 be worse off. Remember the rapturous words of the Roman 

 poet — 



" ' Dulcis nqufe saliente rivo restingnere sitim.' " 



" That's all very fine," was the rejoinder, " but let us get 

 down." Just at this point we were startled by a rumbling noisa 

 among the rocks above us, towards which we quickly turned 

 our eyes, half expecting to see our medical friend making a 

 somersault over the edge of the precipice which separated him 

 from us. A moment's suspense revealed to us the cause of the 

 noise, as the Squire's favourite pointer, Nino, unable to stop 

 the momentum of her downward career, sprang from the ledge 

 and alighted with a thud upon her master's billycock. Thi3 

 probably saved the poor animal from serious injury, as it 

 served to break the force with which she finally landed among 

 the screes below. As it was, she limped with pain for the rest 

 of the day. Being shortly rejoined by our friend, we began to 

 descend the opposite side of the pass, until we arrived at a 

 small and rudely-formed sheepfold, close to the brook above 

 referred to. Here a halt was called, and the sandwich case 

 and wine flask being produced, their contents were discussed to 

 our very great comfort and satisfaction. A more appropriate 

 place for the purpose of a mountain luncheon could hardly be 

 imagined. The sward of the diminutive fold was of the most 

 vivid green, and cropped as no lawn mower, Archimedean or 

 Siens Messor, could accomplish the task. Bl ocks of the schis- 

 tose rock, the staple of Cockup, formed the boundary of the in- 

 closure, among which, at every available opening, the beauti- 

 fully curled leaves of the Parsley Fern or Rock Brakes sprang 

 forth in every imaginable variety of form. In the brook close 

 to our feet little fishes played, one of which, a sprightly burn 

 trout, was momentarily made a prisoner for our examination, 

 and having been submitted to a close scrutiny, was returned to 

 his native element, evidently none the worse for his vigorous: 

 bounding on the green turf. Several hundred feet above our 

 present level, on the broad shoulders of one of Cockup's bigger 

 brothers, named Calvo, a large flock of rooks were enjoying 

 themselves, busy scanning the tarf for the grubs or larvae of 

 the Tipula, which often abound on elevated moors. — H. 



The Botanical Depaetment of the Beitish Museum. — 

 Mr. J. J. Bennett, the Curator, has just issued his annual 

 report for 1869. The principal business done in the depart- 

 ment during the year has been : — The re-arrangement of a 

 portion of the presses of the general herbarium; the re- arrange- 

 ment of certain orders of Apetalas and Endogens, and of the 

 Lichens, both British and foreign, with numerous additions 

 to each ; the selection of a very large number of specimens 

 from the herbarium of the late Mr. M. B. Ward, and from the 

 collection of Abyssinian plants sent by Dr. Schimper through 

 the Foreign Office ; the naming, arranging, and laying into 

 the general herbarium of Berlandier's Mexican collection, of 

 Linden's collection from New Granada, Tate's from Nicaragua, 

 Coulter's from California, Sartwell's Carices of North America, 

 Wright's collections from the Neilgherry Hills and from India 

 generally, Jameson's from the Andes of Quito, Orebideas from 

 different countries, Ferns from the islands of the South Paoific, 

 and of a large number of miscellaneous specimens of various 

 families and from different countries; the examination and 

 arrangement of the recent and fossil Conifera? and Cycadeaj ; 

 and of Mr. Brown's collection of fosBil woods ; the arrange- 

 ment and incorporation in the general herbarium of a large 

 number of European plants ; the re-arrangement of various 

 portions of the British herbarium, and of the collection of 

 fruitB and seeds ; and the re-arrangement of various parts of 

 the collection contained in the Exhibition Rooms, and especially 

 of the cases containing Coniferre and Cacteaj, with large ad- 

 ditions. The most important additions to the collection during 

 the year have been :— Upwards of 1000 European plants from 

 the collection of Dr. Rostan and the late Mr. N. B. Ward ; 900 



