98 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



r Aognst 2, 1S77. 



As it is essentia] we should agree, I have determined to 

 withdraw the idea. Being the child of " Wxld Savage " and 

 myself, of course we thought a great deal of it ; though, as 

 regards the two Roses above named, they are so beautiful and 

 the colour so exquisite when fresh, that I should be rather 

 glad of the excuse that two should be in the forty-eight. I 

 take Mdlle. FiDger to be rather deeper, and certainly a better 

 grower than her older sister. 



Thanks to Mr. Curtis for hints about cutting Roses for ex- 

 hibition. I cannot help thinking that certain Rosea will grow 

 in a stand after cutting, whilst others do not seem to move, 

 though apparently cut under similar conditions. Amongst the 

 •growers I fancy are Baronne de Rothschild and Francois Miche- 

 lon. Some Roses again keep their fresh colours, whilst others 

 almost immediately look lustreless. A startling instance of 

 the latter is Paul Neron : an hour or two after cutting, its 

 beauty (and though coarse it is sometimes beautiful) vanishes, 

 and the colour is dull, and coarseness with dnlness of colour is 

 fatal, hence it never appears to me to improve a stand. — Joseph 

 Hinton, Warminster. 



EOTAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



KEPOETS ON FBUITS, FLOWERS, AND VEGETABLES AT 

 CHISWICK. 



A meeting of the Fruit Committee was held on July 24th at 

 Chiswick to examine subjects grown for trial there this season. 

 Henry Webb, Esq., in the chair. 



The Gooseberbtes, of which there is an extensive collection 

 growing, were first examined, a small basket of each variety 

 {two hundred in number) having been gathered for compari- 

 son and classification. The Committee selected the following 

 varieties as especially worthy of cultivation — viz., Reds: Red 

 Champagne, Warrington, Monarch, and Starling. Green : Rose- 

 berry, Overall, Green Globe, Pitmaston Green G^ge, Cheshire 

 Lady, Shiner, and Gretna Green. Whites : 'Whitesmith, Or- 

 leans, Keepsake, Safety, and Top Gallant. Yellow: Sulphur, 

 Rumbullion, Aston Hepburn, and Yellow Globe. 



Red Currants — These were examined with great care as to 

 their nomenclature, so much confusion still existing amongst 

 them in that respect. Of the most approved varieties noted 

 the earliest and the largest is the Red Cherry, which has the 

 following synonyms — viz., Bertin No. 9, Grosee Rouse de 

 Boulogne, Fertile d'Angleterre, La Hative, La Fertile, Fertile 

 de Bertin, Ha'.ive de Bertin, Chenonceau, Belle de St. Gilles, 

 Fertile, Fertile de Palluau, and La Versaillaise. 



The Red Dutch, which is the variety most generally culti- 

 vated in gardens, rejoices in the following synonyms : — Knight's 

 Large Red, Knight's Sweet Red, Goliath, Fielder's Red, Palmer's 

 Late Red, Pitmaston Red, Pitmaston Prolific, Large Sweet 

 Red, Bertin No. 1, Dancer's Selected, and Jackson's Mammoth. 



The Red Grape, a long-bunched Bort, of a pale red. Syno- 

 nyms : — Rouge Transparent, Queen Victoria, Fertile de Palluau. 



Houghton Castle, the best constitutioned variety. Syno- 

 nyms : — Houghton Seedling, Orangefield. A fuller report of 

 "theEe will appear in the Society's Journal. 



An examination of the Turnips, of which about 150 varie- 

 ties are this season being growD, was then made, and the 

 earliest was the Green Strap Leaf (Carter & Co.). Tomatoes 

 were also examined, a very large collection of which is being 

 cultivated in pots, the only one showing signs of ripening 

 being Early Gem, sent by Messrs. Veitch & Sons. Of these 

 a later examination will be made. 



A meeting of the Floral Committee was held at Chiswick on 

 July 25th — George F. Wilson, Esq., in the chair — for the exa- 

 mination of the various collections of plants growing in the 

 gardens for trial thiB season. 



1, Zonal Pelargoniums. — Of these a large selection of the 

 most approved newer varieties which were grown in pots last 

 season have been bedded-ont along with some of the best 

 older sorts for comparison. First-class certificates were awarded 

 to Mr. J. R. Pearson for Atlas, a large-trussed crimson scarlet 

 Nosegay; Rev. A. Atkinson, crimson scarlet. To Messrs. 

 James Cocker & Sons for John Fraser, light magenta. To Mr. 

 J. George for Mrs. J. George, rosy cerise ; and Beauty of Surrey, 

 crimson scarlet, very free, and excellent habit. Of the older 

 varieties conspicuous for their excellence were noted Vesuvius, 

 Princess of Walee, Vesta, Cleopatra, Violet Hill Nosegay, 

 and Claude de la Meurtbe, &a. Of the newer varieties which 

 have been sent out this season, and grown in pots under glass, 

 first-class certificates were awarded to Mr. J. R. Pearson for 

 Rebecca, a very beautiful magenta scarlet Nosegay ; Louisa, a 



sort of shaded magenta pink, mottled with rose ; Blanche 

 Gordon, light pink. To Mr. J. George for Lord Mayo, bright 

 scarlet. Specially noticeable also were Miss Wakefield, Lizzie 

 Brooks, and Lord Giffard. 



2, Bedding Violas. — A large collection of those reported on 

 last year are again under cultivation, the most noticeable 

 amongst them being Crown Jewel (Grieve), Blue Beard, Blue 

 Bell, Queen of Lilacs, Lilacina, Rubra Lilacina, Princess Teck, 

 and PUrig Park. Of new varieties first-class certificates were 

 awarded to Mr. R. Dean for Vestal, a pure white variety of a 

 fine free habit ; to Messrs. Dickson & Co. for Holyrood, a very 

 rich dark blue variety of good habit ; to Mr. Fromow for 

 Golden Prince, a clear yellow variety with distinct white eye. 



3, Begonias — A fair selection of these have been grown in 

 cots, chiefly of the tuberous-rooted clsss, the most striking 

 being Acme and Kalista (Veitch), FrceMi, &a. A first-class 

 certificate was awarded to a seedling from rosasflora raised at 

 Chiswick, and named by the Committee Mrs. Barron. It is of 

 very robust growt.b, forming a large plant; flowers large, 

 roundish, and produced freely, of a pale rosy pink: a very 

 distinct sort. Moonlight, a hybrid raised by Col. Clarke and 

 certificated last year, is exceedingly attractive. This, which 

 is something of the habit of Weltoniensis and producing long 

 racemes of pure white flowers, will become a very popular 

 decorative plant. 



4, Fuchsias. — Of these a selected collection has been grown, 

 occupying one house. A first-class certificate was awarded to 

 Messrs. Laing & Co. for Lord Beaeonsfield, a hybrid from the 

 old Fulgens, and possessing a good deal of its character. As 

 a free-blooming decorative plant it will prove very valuable. 

 Very conspicuous amongst others is Champion of the World, 

 a verv large dark double sort — almost a monster. 



5, Verbenas. — Only a few varieties of these are on trial. 

 For habit Purple King etill stands pre-eminent. Blue Bell 

 (Smith) is verv effective. A first-class certificate was awarded 

 to Mr. John Fraser for Carl Sieglig, an intensely dark blue 

 varietv of good habit. 



6, Hardy Annuals. — Complete collections of Iberises, 

 Clarkias. Godetias, Viscarias, Dianthuses, Stocks, Balsams, &c, 

 are on trial this season, and when in full flower are exceedingly 

 showy. Of Ib°ris first-class certificates were awarded to Messrs. 

 Vilmorin et Cie. for two splendid novelties — viz., I. coronata 

 hybrida nana rosea, a variety of fine dwarf growth with large 

 rosy salmon flowers, not unlike gibraltarica and excesdingly 

 beautiful ; I. coronata hybrida nana alba, a variety of the same 

 character with pure white flowers. AmoDgst the Godetias 

 Lady Albemarle, which was certificated last year, is by far the 

 finest. Of Viscarias none exceed in beauty the true V. car- 

 dinalis. 



Mr. Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough, s«nt cut 

 blooms of his seedling Roses Penelope Mayo and Harrison 

 Weir. This latter variety is of a rich dark crimson colour, 

 and is a promising variety. The Committee highly recom- 

 mended it, at the same time requesting that it be again brought 

 before tbem, being unable to give a final decision from seeing 

 only one bloom. 



RESULTS OF PEAR AND APPLE CULTURE. 



In the year 1804 I bought a small piece of land with the 

 view of building a domicile ; and as no residence is complete 

 without a garden and a few fruit trees, and having the adage 

 impressed on my mind, "Who plants Pears plants for his 

 heirs," and being then approaching if not quite arrived at 

 middle age, I began to look about me for some course to 

 adopt to enjoy the present produce. Chance introduced 

 " Rivers' Miniature Fruit Garden" to my notice, and I there 

 found the system that was likely to answer my purpose, for it 

 promised immediate results. 



I bought and planted some fifty or sixty miniature Pear 

 and Apple trees, bushes and pyramids, which have since been 

 added to, making my number of trees altogether upwards of 

 three hundred — Pears, standards and pyramids, 103 ; trained 

 trees, 10 ; Apples, pyramids and bushes, 80. These are in a 

 bearing state, ten years old and upwards. Younger trees and 

 grafts, 128 : total, 321. As I stated in my letter about Roses 

 the soil is a light gravelly one, subsoil dry gravel. In planting 

 the Pears care was taken to dress the soil richly with manure, 

 and in the case of Apples to select the most loamy soil. Some 

 loam brought from elsewhere has been added. 



The trees were originally planted about 3 feet apart. They 

 have been summer-pinched, root-pruned, and shifted in the 



