468 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



f December 15, 1870. 



known peat to exist in one part of the garden, and quite a 

 sandy soil in another ; and, again, on our farm, there is one field 

 of eight acres, a part of which is very stiff marl or loam, while 

 the top end is very light ; the Potato can be grown to every 

 possible advantage where the soil is so divided. I quite agree 

 with the late Mr. Paterson, in saying that maiden soil is the 

 best for Potatoes, especially that which was meadow land pre- 

 vious to breaking up. 



; I will give an instance of what I did with a small plot of 

 ground which had been used as a cottage garden for, I may say, 

 centuries, and which had been condemned for Potato-growing. 

 I trenched the ground as deeply as possible, sometimes turning 

 up quite a yellow soil, I then planted the sets just as I have 

 recommended under the head of planting, allowing about 

 14 inches from row to row, and 8 inches from set to set. I flat- 

 hoed once, and never touched the ground again till I took up 

 the crop, when I obtained twelve bushels of good-sized tubers, 

 and two bushels of seed Potatoes. The ground was 12 yards 

 long, and 10} wide. 



■ I recommend getting the crop in early, and then there is 

 more likelihood of obtaining the produce before tb.9 wet and 

 bad weather sets in, whereby decay of the tubers is promoted. 

 The exact time for planting must be left to the discretion cf 

 the grower, who will be guided by the weather. — J. C. Lewis, 

 Gardener and Bailiff, Sudbury Rectory, Derby. 



NOTES ON.: ; THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT 

 LIVERPOOL, 



Theee was' at the show nothing to speak of among the 

 Japanese varieties, which wps a matter of surprise to me; 

 though their being later in blooming than the other varieties 

 may have been the reason of so few having been exhibited, 

 and the same reason in all probability will lead to their being 

 grown for decoration and cut blooms. 



Of the cut blooms, Eve, white, was undoubtedly the first on 

 the list, being followed by Mrs. Heale, Golden John Baiter, 

 and John Salter, very good. Bronze Jardin des Plantes was of 

 astonishing size and beauty. Mr. Gladstone was beautiful in 

 colour, but smaller than it might have been. Of Prince of 

 "Wales I am sorry to see there are distinct varieties Bent out 

 by two different firms, causing confusion among growers. I 

 give the preference to the bright red variety, though the other 

 is very fine. Kev. J. Dix showed well up to the front, as did 

 also General Slade and Baron Beust. Yellow Perfection was a 

 very pleasing good variety. Guernsey Nugget and Princess Bea- 

 trice were very fine ; also Ossian. Of others I noticed Empress 

 of India, a fine bloom, but open in the centre ; Isabella Bott, 

 a charming variety ; Alma, also a good show flower ; Cherub, 

 a very fine bloom ; Sir Stafford Carey, which, though placed 

 last on my list, is by no means the worst, but, on the contrary, 

 one of the most striking blooms. The above were the cream 

 of the show in cut flowers. 



The plants in the large-flowered section I will take in alpha- 

 betical order, Annie Salter being first. This is a well-known 

 variety, and should be in every collection. Ariadne I was 

 sorry to see come out so badly, as it is very fine with me. 

 Bronze Jardin des Plantes, very fine, is an extremely useful 

 variety, and Cherub pleasing. Cleopatra also came out well. 

 The Christines, White and Golden, were good, but have, to my 

 taste, too rough an appearance. Faust was very telling. Fingal 

 was also fine, but rather loose and open-centered. Florence 

 Nightingale, a very useful, good vaiiety, was shown in good con- 

 dition. General Bainbrigge is a very fine late variety. Gloria 

 Mundi, fine free variety, was rather too far gone. Hereward, 

 a very fine flower, is very effective. Jardin des Plantes was 

 one of the finest. John Salter is likely to be generally grown. 

 Julie Lagravere was about. the only one of its colour shown 

 very good. Lady Harding and Lady Slade were both very 

 fine, and are two very useful varieties ; but Lady TaUourd is 

 grand ; it struck me at once, and was shown well in several 

 collections. Lord Derby is a very good dark purple ; Mr. 

 Brunlees a very large flower and good ; Mr. Cullingford, though 

 one of the best, I do not remember seeing. Mrs. G. Bundle 

 was very fine in one collection only. I found it was faulty in 

 several collections, as it is with me. Mrs. Haliburton was 

 more like a Dahlia than a Chrysanthemum ; this is a good 

 variety, and is to be depended on. Pink Pearl was very good, 

 but I have not Pink Perfection down in my notes. Prince 

 Alfred was very fine, but inoliued to be open in the centre. 

 Sir Stafford Carey seemed to be a favourite with several ex- 



hibitors. Fleur de Marie, a large, white Anemone flower, was 

 very effective. 



Coming to the Pompons, Adele Bisette was very beautiful ; 

 the same is true of Andromeda. Auroro BorSale was charming, 

 the colour being so changing. Bijsu de rHorticulture (a long 

 name, truly), an old variety, was very good, and Bob was better 

 than usual. Drin Drin was smaller than I am accustomed to 

 see it. Helcne, a fine rose-coloured flower, showed out well ; 

 but Lizzie Holmes was better. Mdlle. Marthe was also fine and 

 effective. Of the Anemone-flowered Pompons Cedo Nulli was 

 very fine — in fact, the most perfect specimen in the Hall; and 

 Mrs. Wyness, a very fine free-flowering variety, came out in 

 the front rank.— Stephen Cashe, Bent Hill Gardens, Prest- 

 wich, Manchester. 



PLANTING. 



No time could be better than this for plantiag and replant- 

 ing all kinds of evergreens, and planting for shelter, for profit, 

 and for cover. The ground is now almost moist enough for 

 common purposes, and still, notwithstanding the late frosts, 

 retains much of its summer warmth. We are rath6r pleased 

 that some remarks lately on planting have drawn considerable 

 attention to the subject, and more especially to the importance 

 of planters in exposed places paying more attention to the 

 number of times the plants have been moved, and the distance 

 they stand apart, than to their mere size or height. In nothing 

 more than in planting will it often occur that the cheapest 

 goods are by far the dearest, if not worthless and useless in the 

 6nd. It is not the fault of our tradesmen who deal in trees 

 and shrubs. People will have things cheap, and the nursery- 

 men to live must occupy as little ground with them as possible. 

 They would only be too glad to send out sturdier hardier plants 

 if purchasers would consider that it was to their interest to give 

 abetter price for a better article. As a case in point, we may 

 mention that two or three years ago a lot of Larch was taken 

 to an exposed place. The sight of the nice trees, with their 

 smooth bark and slender twigs, would have shown us, even if 

 we had not otherwise known, that these trees were taken from 

 nursery rows where each stem pretty well rubbad its neighbour 

 stem, so thickly did they stand, one thus protecting the ether. 

 To turn out such close-packed trees in an exposed place at 

 4 feet apart was like turning one out of a cosy room into the 

 clear sky of a cold night. Very few of these plants survive — 

 none thoroughly healthy — and the bite of a rabbit or a hare 

 was sufficient to kili them. At the same time ana place other 

 Larch trees were planted, not taller, but much more bushy, 

 and with rough hardy stems, the plants having stood 15 inches 

 or more apart in the rows. Not one of these plants gave way, 

 even in the hot summers which destroyed the others ; and the 

 other day we noticed that many made long leading shoots 

 last summer, and no Larches could look more healthy and 

 flourishing. They cost about double the price of the trees first 

 alluded to. For a definite, sure, pleasant result, they were 

 well worth from three to four times the money of the others ; 

 and as we think they had been atleast twice replanted, of course 

 the work and the extra ground would have to be paid for. One 

 thing in tVeir favour was, they were carefully taken up and 

 quickly aud carefully planted. 



This leads us to restate— and the planting time is our ex- 

 cuse — that if we were to plant largely in the way of woods 

 and coverts we would not trouble ourselves with seeds or 

 raising young plants, as the seedsmen and nurserymen would 

 thoroughly beat us in that, but we would have a little nursery 

 of our own in which we would keep the trees a year or two 

 after receiving them from the nurseryman, and by giving them 

 more room than the dealer could be expected to afford, we 

 would thus prepare them for more exposed positions. Another 

 great benefit we should derive would be our being able to lift 

 our plants just a3 we wanted them, and not too many at a 

 time. When trees that come from a distance do not succeed 

 over- well, we are apt to forget how the roots may suffer in 

 trucks and waggons during the uncertainty of the winter 

 mouths ; and when, from the vast numbers obtained at a time, 

 a considerable period must elapse before they are all planted, 

 those who have no such home-store to go to, and resolve to 

 plant this season, will aot wisely, in our opinion, when order- 

 ing from their nurseryman to make inquiries, not merely as to 

 the height of the plants, but as to the times they have been 

 moved, and the distance they stand from each other. Great 

 disappointments often take place because mere height and 

 prioe are the only considerations ; many a man would give a 



