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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



4S9 



liid on the glass, the screw then passing through the rubber, 

 thence into the rafter ? If so, should it be placed at the bottom 

 of the pane ? — J. R. Cooper. 



ABECA PURPUREA. 



The Arecaa constitute an important genus of a beautiful 

 iamily. A. Catechu is the Betel-nut Palm, and A. oleraceathe 

 Cabbage Palm. It is, however, not on account of their pro- 

 ducts that Palms are valued in this country, but it is their 

 stately elegance of growth and their adaptability to various 

 decorative purposes that renders them so deservedly popular. 

 .Mr. B. S. 'Williams of Holloway states that he raised this Palm 



Failure may be due not to some one particular condition, but 

 rather to a combination of circumstance?, which it would be 

 difficult to satisfactorily elucidate. The only really sound 

 advice that can be given in case of canker is to discard the 

 trees liable thereto and replace them with those found to 

 succeed. 



I have Eibston Pippin and Hawthornden Apples both on 

 Crab and Doncin stocks, and the trees not only canker 

 badly but the fruit is so muoh spotted, and in a wet season 

 craoked as to be useless. I have lifted them, ohanged the 

 soil, but only with a very slight improvement, and nothing 

 further, so far as I can see, remains to be done but to clear 

 them out. Equally cumberers of the ground are Louise Bonne 



Fig. 91. — Abeca pubpcrea. 



Cfig. 91) from seeds sent from Madagascar. He describes it as 

 an elegant neat-growing Palm ; leaves pinnate ; the stem and 

 detioles are of a bronzy purple colour, which makes a very 

 striking contrast to the pleaBing green colour of the leaves. It 

 'is very distinct, at least in the small state, from any Palm in 

 •cultivation; and on account of its dwarf and compact habit, 

 and graceful appearance, will be found to be admirably adapted 

 lor dinner-table decoration. 



FRUIT NOTES. 

 FBDir crops were rendered extremely scant, even in the case 

 <of many trees worthless, by a few nights of rather severe frost, 

 but surely other influences must have contributed in some 

 degree to so general and complete a failure ; indeed, I attribute 

 more of the cause of the failure to the wet and cold previous 

 autumn than to frost in the spring, the wood not being suffi- 

 ciently ripened. Canker of the wood is a great enemy to full 

 fruit crops, and it is nearly as common as frosts in spring. 



of Jersey, BoUni- d'ADJou, Beurre Brown, and Beurre d'Arem- 

 berg Pears. Tney are on both Pear and Quince stocks, and 

 against walls as well as in the open with a similar result. 

 Passe Colmar, Easter Beurre, and Beurre Superfin.the latter 

 in the open only, are no good in this cold exposed position ; 

 the trees canker, the fruit pits and cracks. Beurre Snperfin 

 against a wall is contrariwise good. An election of fruits con- 

 stitutes a valuable index to the planter, but it is Dot sufficient 

 for all persons and positions. Then I am troubled with kinds 

 that do not afford profitable crops. It is not a consequence of 

 inj udicions selection but of unsuitability of soil or situation, or 

 both. Blenheim Pippin stands highin the election, but my trees 

 have not given any fruits worth mentioning ; yet Cox's Orange 

 Pippin fruits abundantly. Surely pyramids 10 feet in diameter 

 at the base and as much in height ought to do something. They 

 are very healthy, very much nobler-looking than others that 

 produced more fruit the year after planting than the others 

 have yielded altogether. Beurr6 Hardy Pear, though it makes 

 an imposing pyramid and has a noble appearance against a 



