August 16, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



131 



cultivated ; yet I would note that I observed few Sloes, fewer 

 Crabs, many haws, lots of berries, Hollies' and others, and if 

 bloom be any guide there will be an abundance of heps and a 

 plentiful crop of Blackberries — a good prospect of food for our 

 feathered friends in autumn and winter." 



STOCKS FOR EOSES. 



In reply to " Homunculus," I do not quite see how his sug- 

 gestion as to the stock that best suits each Rose is to be carried 

 out in the Rose election. There would be a great variety of 

 opinions on each separate Rose, and even then much would 

 depend on the soil. Not many years ago — two I think — we had 

 the battle of the stooks, and perhaps if " Houunculus " refers to 

 that he may see something that will suit him. Such an election 

 could only be conducted by singling -out some half dozen Roses, 

 and asking on what stocks they have been found to do best. 

 But then, again, how difficult to reply. Take Charles Lefebvre 

 for instance, and suppose circulars were sent out to A, B, and 

 C thereon. A replies S.B., the Rose having succeeded admir- 

 ably thereon, he not having tried or found it necessary to try 

 any other. Now possibly the soil exactly suiting the Rose, it 

 would have succeeded as well on Manetti. B may have tried it 

 on every stock unsuccessfully, the climate being unfavourable. 



From the replies I have already received as to the present 

 exhibition election, I may say that some startling results are 

 probable, as already two persons, considering it right to reply 

 to the question by giving their experience in their own Rose 

 grounds of the best forty-eight varieties, wholly exclude from 

 the forty-eight each one a different Rose, because, treat it as 

 they would, they could never sucoeed in growing a bloom fit 

 for exhibition or that could be placed in a Btaud without 

 ruining its chance. These will be noticed in due course. 



" Hojiunculus " mentions the glorious buah of Souvenir de 

 la Malmaison. I have a standard bush of Charles Lawson. I 

 budded it quite sixteen years ago ; the stem is now at least 

 2 inches in diameter, the head is at least 5 feet through, as for 

 a couple of years I have let it grow as it pleased. This year 

 it has been a sight. I have cut at least one hundred of its 

 beautiful pink blooms, whilst as many more have remained on 

 the tree. The tree stands as a tree, and has long since declined 

 any support. — Joseph Hinton, Warminster. 



VINES. 



The readers of the Journal may recollect that I wrote an 

 article some months since on pruning Vines on the quarter- 

 rod system — a plan something between the rod and the spur 

 system. This season we are reaping the full benefit of this 

 plan, for we have not only had to cut off one-half the bunches, 

 but at this time I am sure we have left one-third too many. 

 At the same time, since there is a much larger amount of 

 wood left by this plan than on the long-rod-and-spur system, 

 a Vine can bear a heavier crop. 



I will first refer in a few words to my plan. Supposing the 

 main stem to be 16 feet in length I allow four laterals to ramble, 

 say 6 feet in length ; when I perceive that the wood is getting 

 ripe I cut each rod down to 4 feet. By this plan I get 4 feet 

 of youog wood thoroughly ripe. If I had allowed a rod to run 

 up the whole length of the main stem only half of this rod 

 would be thoroughly ripened ; at any rate, the other half 

 wou'd not be in such a condition for bearing fruit as if only 

 4 feet of a rod had been left. This I have now proved. 



With regard to the spur system. In order to keep these 

 spurs within bounds it is necessary to cut them off nearly 

 close to the main stem, so as to get a bud from the axil, which 

 is never bo strong or so well developed as the buds further 

 from the axil ; besides which the lateral has in all probability 

 given a bunch the previous year. On my plan four or five 

 new thoroughly ripened rods are produced every year on which 

 no fruit is allowed until the following season. — Observer. 



AURICULA APHIS. 

 When I last wrote on the re-appearance of this pest I had 

 no idea of the extent to which it had gone, but on looking over 

 the next frame I found that there was hardly a plant that was 

 not affected by it, convincing me that Auricula growers have a 

 most formidable enemy to contend with. I do not think that 

 I was sufficiently alive to its insidiousness when I repotted, 

 but I feel that however venturesome it may be to turn all my 

 stock out again I must do it, and indeed have already begun. 



It seems to insinuate itself first into the creases of the" stem 

 and under the roots which emanate from it just below the 

 surface, and then to work its way down. It does not seem that 

 dipping either in salus or Gishurst kills it ; so I have taken a 

 small painter's brush and brushed diligently all round the 

 collar and every root separately, examining every part with a 

 pocket lens, and afterwards dipped it in a solution of one or 

 the other of the above mixtures, and when it has sufficiently 

 dried have them repotted. If I do not get rid of it thus I 

 shall be in despair. 



I wrote at once to Mr. Llewelyn who first drew attention to 

 it, and in his reply he says, " I find the aphis on my plants, 

 although they were all thoroughly washed and repotted in 

 clean soil in May and June. Apparently the early life of the 

 aphis would be within the tissues of the root where the soft 

 soap will not reach them, or in the wrinkles of the neck where 

 it seems first to appear. I have but little of it ; still enough 

 to warn and put me on my guard." 



This morning's post brought me a letter from an Aurioula 

 grower in the midland counties, who says, " Since I saw the 

 account of the disease that has destroyed many of your Auriculas 

 I have carefully looked over my plants frequently ; perhaps 

 from time to time I have found from twenty to thirty aphides 

 It appears to be a small woolly aphis quite white. The downy 

 substance is deposited round or on one side of the plant just 

 above the soil and as far as the roots are exposed, and even 

 extends to roots making their way to the surface and Hot con- 

 nected with the stem ; above the soil they become covered 

 with a white down or mould." This is evidently the same, 

 although the description does not quite tally with mine. My 

 correspondent has dressed with tobacco ashes, and although 

 he thinks it efficacious I doubt it very much. We want to 

 know somethiDg more of aphis's history. It is distinct from the 

 woolly aphis of the Apple, and is a terrible nuisance to anyone 

 who is visited by it. — D., Deal. 



THE CIDER FRUITS OF HEREFORDSHIRE. 



Our readers will have observed an advertisement which ap- 

 peared a few weeks ago in the pages of this Journal announcing 

 the publication by the Wbolhope Club of the " Herefordshire 

 Pomona." It is now many years since Mr. T. A. Enight pro- 

 duced his " Pomona Herefordiensis," the object of which was 

 to illustrate the cider Apples grown in that county, and to 

 introduce to the attention of orchardists some varieties of his 

 own raising which he expected would supersede the old varie- 

 ties grown for cider, and which he considered had become so 

 much exhausted as to be on the brink of extinction. Happily 

 Mr. Knight's fears have not been realised any more than his 

 hopes ; for those varieties of his own raising which were in- 

 tended to take the place of the older ones have received little 

 attention from planters, and in the county in which they were 

 raised they are perhaps less known and appreciated than they 

 are in other parts of the country. 



The " Pomona Herefordiensis" of Knight was, even at the 

 time of its publication, a very fragmentary and imperfect work. 

 The plates by which it was illustrated were not specimens of 

 high art or even of average merit, and the letterpress that 

 accompanied them did not consist of such descriptions of the 

 fruit as would enable anyone to identify the variety. The 

 members of the Woolhope Club, being convinced that a matter 

 so intimately connected with the great commercial industry of 

 their county was worthy of a better representative, have de- 

 termined to issue a "Herefordshire Pomona" which shall be 

 worthy of the subject ; and while it will embrace all the native 

 and other varieties employed in the production of cider, it will 

 also figure and describe others which are used for dessert and 

 culinary purposes and which are not indigenous to the county, 

 being cultivated merely on account of their merit. In this way 

 the " Herefordshire Pomona " will become of wider interest ; 

 and we doubt not that if it receives the support of all fruit- 

 growers, as we have no doubt it will, its scope maybe extended 

 so as to take in all the varieties of fruits worth cultivating in 

 the gardens and orchards of the country generally. We know 

 that the best artistic and literary talent are already engaged 

 in the work ; and from what we have seen of the original por- 

 traits we are convinced that the Woolhope Club have under- 

 taken the production of a work which will be of universal 

 interest, and one that will be of great usefulness to the country 

 at large. 



Those who appreciate the possession of such a work will 

 obtain all information respecting it on application to J. Regi- 



