November 22, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



407 



Mr. Edwards, gardener to Rev. Canon Tarver; Mr. Creed, 

 gardener to Mra. Walton, Fernsdale ; W. S. Balwin, Esq., and 

 Mr. Hart, gardener to S. Cooper, Esq. The prizes for Onions 

 were won by E. Thorne, EBq., and Mr. Penny, gardener to 

 H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. 



In the absence of White Camellias, or rather the in- 

 adequacy of the supply of bold pure white flowers in Covent 

 Garden Market, there has recently been somewhat of a "run" 

 on white Chrysanthemums. Mrs. G. Rundle, White Venus, 

 and other incurved varieties have been in request, but espe- 

 cially, perhaps, Elaine, the large pearly white Japanese variety. 

 Good blooms have sold readily at 2s. each — not an extravagant 

 price when it is remembered that to obtain flowers of the 

 desired quality only three or four can be grown on each plant, 

 whioh plant must have careful cultural attention for fully 

 nine months. 



Twelve of the Natural History and allied Societies in 



the midland counties have formed a union for the furtherance 

 of the study of Natubal History, &o. The union has de- 

 cided to issue a monthly magazine to be called " The Mid- 

 land Naturalist," the first number of which will be issued in 

 January next, under the joint editorship of Mr. Edward W. 

 Badger, F.R.H.S., Birmingham, and Mr. W. J. Harrison, F.G.S. , 

 of Leicester. The magazine will contain original articles on 

 natural history, &c, meteorological, botanical, geological, and 

 other notes, brief reports of the proceedings and excursions of 

 the societies in the union, and a di-iry of coming meetings and 

 excursions, &a. It is hoped that Floras of the several midland 

 counties will in time be published in the magazine. 



The two thousand blooms of white Camellias ad- 

 vertised for by Mr. Wills in the Journal of last week were 

 employed in the decorations at the Oratory, Brompton, on the 

 occasion of the marriage of His Grace the Duke of Norfolk on 

 the 21st inst. The floral decorations were very elaborate and 

 extensive; besides nearly three thousand cut blooms of white 

 Camellias, several large plants of Camellias were arranged, also 

 Orchids, Roman Hyacinths, Nepenthes, and Ferns. One plant 

 of Nepenthes Rafflesiana had sixty pitchers. 



Messrs. James Carter & Co. have been awarded a Bank- 



sian medal for the excellent collection of Potatoes exhibited at 

 the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 6th inst. 



Writing to us on Laurustinuses in pots a well-known 



floral decorator seasonably observes — White flowers are always 

 in demand at Christmas. It is not every season that Laurus- 

 tinus flowers can bo depended on outdoors in December and 

 •January, but plants in pots removed to a cool house before 

 severe weather will be sure to give a succession of bloom for a 

 lengthened period. The plantB are best established in pots, 

 but we have frequently lifted neat little bushes in October well 

 set with bloom and potted them in loamy moderately rich soil, 

 and placed them under a wall or fence protected from the sun 

 for a few days, removing them to a cool house in November, 

 watering well, and sprinkling overhead occasionally, the reward 

 being heads of bloom very useful for decoration and cutting from 

 during the dull winter months. The best form is the pyramid 

 as taking up less room than bushes, but standards are fine for 

 breaking the monotony of flat even surfaces. All the plants 

 require is to be hardened off after flowering, to be planted out 

 in good soil in an open situation but sheltered from winds, 

 and to cut the heads into shape before growth takes place, 

 watering well if dry weather prevail when planting out ; and 

 they may be lifted again in autumn, for the lifting appears to 

 increase their floriferous charaoter. The flowers are much 

 finer and more delicate when produced under glass than out- 

 doors. 



Mr. Alfred R. Wallace writes in " Nature " as follows 



on Bees killed by Tritoma. In a friend's garden here (Dork- 

 ing) where there are quantities of Tritomas or "Red-hot 

 Pokers," hundreds of bees have been this year destroyed by 

 them. The honey produced by the flower is very abundant, 

 and the bees enter the tube of the corolla to get at it ; but the 

 tube, which is only just large enough at the mouth, tapers 

 gradually, and so the bee gets wedged in and cannot extricate 

 itself. 



■ We recently noticed a good plant in flower of the 



3Pancbatium speciosum at the Royal Nurseries, Slough. Its 

 large Bweet-scented pure white flowers are invaluable as a 

 centre to bridal bouquets. Introduced from the West Indies 

 120 years ago, it is still the best of the species, and should be 

 in every collection of stove plants. 



We regret to have to announce the death of Mr. 



Septimus Holmes Godson, of Rutland Gate and Tenbury, 

 which took place on the evening of the 16th inst., at the age 

 of 7.8. Mr. Godson was for many years a member of the 

 Council of the Royal Horticultural Society, and during the 

 whole of the period devoted himself with an energy and 

 constancy rarely met with to the promotion of the Society's 

 work in the direction of pure horticulture, at a time when 

 other influences were endeavouring to make use of the Sooiety 

 for other purposes. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



kitchen gaeden. 



In nearly every garden there are annually some alterations to 

 be made, and the best time to do this is when the pressure of 

 work is not severe. In most gardens when the months of 

 November and December are mild there is spare time that may 

 be devoted to various improvements. In the first place it is of 

 considerable importance that all the vacant ground should be 

 dug and trenched. Not only does the garden look better in that 

 condition, but the soil is rendered more fertile by exposure to 

 the winter's fro&t ; then all beds, borders, or newly-planted 

 trees Bhould have a mulching of manure placed round the roots 

 before severe frost sets in. We generally wait for the first frosty 

 night, and as the manure is all ready to wheel on to the ground 

 it can be done when the surface is bard and clean. We have 

 been waiting for this to place a mulching of manure on the 

 Asparagus beds ; they require a good dreBBing of rich cow and 

 stable manure annually. 



Besides having the quarters and borders neatly dug or 

 trenched, the walks ought to be kept in the best order; they 

 ought to be dry for the feet in all sorts of weather. If they are 

 not in condition now is a good time to attend to them. We 

 have seen the Box edging a foot high in some gardens because 

 it had not been trimmed when it required it ; and the gravel had 

 disappeared under a coatiDg of soil carrjed from the alleys by 

 tbe feet of the workmen. This at least ought to be prevented 

 by having a scraper fixed at the end of each alley where it is 

 connected with the paths. When walks are in this state set 

 about renovating them at once. The Bus edging should be 

 lifted and the ground prepared for replanting it. This ought to 

 be done by taking out some of the old soil and renewing it with 

 fresh. It is not necessary to wheel any of the soil away to do 

 this ; it can be done by digging up the ground about 18 inches 

 wide, and during the process the soil under the Box line should 

 be thrown on the border and the fresh soil from the border be 

 thrown into its place. After the ground is dug tread it in 

 firmly with the feet, then rake it level, and in the process re- 

 move any large stones that would interfere with cutting off the 

 soil. After this has been done strain a line tightly along it; 

 this will show any inequality in the ground, when it must be 

 made level. When this has been done beat the ground down 

 firmly with a spade. The soil may be cut off deep enough to 

 allow of the Box plants being buried sufficiently to leave about 

 2 inches above the ground. If the old Box was bushy 1 yard 

 will plant about 3, and if the remainder could be Bold it would 

 fetch a sufficient sum to pay for the alterations. After the plant- 

 ing is finished let the walks be regravelled, finishing off the 

 work so that the middle of the path is the highest, but the 

 middle ought not to be so much higher as to make it uncom- 

 fortable for the feet. It is necessary when the kitchen garden 

 lies flat to drain the rain water from the path by having a row 

 of drain tiles laid down its centre and some rough stones or 

 brickbats over it. The walk itself ought to be composed of 

 rough stones with a coating of finer gravel on the surface. The 

 moBt comfortable gravel for the feet is that which binds readily 

 after it has been rolled or walked on for a week or so ; but this 

 will sometimes retain water on the Burface, and it is not dry to 

 the feet after rain. The best for wet weather is that from which 

 the finer particles have been sifted, retaining only the rougher 

 portion. It is sometimes necessary to sift it a second time to 

 remove stones above a certain size, as large stones are very un- 

 pleasant on paths. 



vineries. 



There has been a week or more of wet weather, and this has 

 had an unfavourable effect upon the fruit hanging in late houses. 

 Royal Vineyard has suffered most. This variety has usually 

 kept well with us up to Christmas and later ; but it has a fail- 

 ing, and that is the tendency of the berries to crack near the 

 stalk. They are worse in this respect than we ever had them, 

 and wherever there is a crack the berry decays. All the other 

 sorts are keeping well, including Snow's Muscat Hamburgh, 

 Waltham Cross, Lady Downe's, Muscat of Alexandria, Mrs. 

 Pince, and Gros Guillaume; the last-named sort is very well 

 flavoured this season. The moisture given off from decaying 

 leaves either lying on the ground or hanging on the Vines is a 

 fertile source of decay, and they should be frequently removed 



