July 11, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



39 



out gardens to cry down the present system, and to condemn 

 those who admire them as having no taste. 



[In consequence of want of time the reading of this paper 

 was not completed.] 



TEA-SCENTED EOSES. 

 I consider the Judges acted rightly (see page 526). Both 

 the Roses are Tea-scented. Marechal Niel is placed by some 

 nurserymen among the pure Teas, and hy some among the 

 Noisettes. Marechal Niel is of the Noisette family, but it is 

 not Noisette in character. A Noisette properly means a cluster 

 Rose. Here it blooms mostly as a single Rose. It was derived 

 from Isabella Gray, which was derived from the Cloth of Gold. 

 Neither MarGchal Niel nor Gloire de Dijon is a pure Tea. I 

 think the Tea-seented Noisettes and pure Teas may be well 

 shown together. In giving a list of Roses I usually place 

 Marechal Niel and Gloire de Dijon with Triomphe de Rennes 

 and Celine Fores tier. — W. F. Radclyffe. 



LAWN SAND. 



[The following communications are in answer to an inquiry 

 in our Journal, published June 20th.] 



Lawn sand has been tried here with the most remarkable 

 effect ; but we found it necessary to lay it on more thickly than 

 recommended in the paper of directions sent out with the sand. 

 We first marked out a small piece of turf, some 8 yards by 5, 

 and covered it with sand at the rate of 2 ozs. to the square 

 yard. This had very little effect on the Daisies and other 

 weeds, though it had some, but the improvement in the colour 

 of the grass was surprising at about a fortnight's end. We 

 then tried another piece at; the rate of 3 ozs. to the square yard. 

 This decidedly checked the Daisies, &c, and again the colour 

 of the grass was improved. Finally, the whole was covered 

 again at the rate of nearly 4 ozs. to the square yard, and the 

 result is most satisfactory. The part of the grass that has 

 been thus treated is now .of a fine healthy blue-green colour, 

 with hardly a Daisy and very few other weeds to be seen, while 

 the rest of the lawn is of a sickly yellow colour, and a perfect 

 mass of weeds of all kinds. The bine of demarcation shows as 

 clearly as if it had been stencilled, and has a very curious 

 appearance. I may add that we are on limestone rock, and the 

 land is thin and somewhat poor. — E. E. E. 



I tried an experiment with it last year. Only wishing to 

 give the stuff a trial, I sent for the smallest quantity that was 

 made up ; for this the charge, including carriage, was lis. 6d. 

 There was no direction sent with the tin as to how the " sand " 

 was to be applied, so the Plantains, Dandelions, Daisies, &c, 

 were dusted with it moderately thickly. I found it killed the 

 leaves of the weeds wherever it touched them, the blades of 

 the grass being affected in a similar manner, so that the lawn 

 was very unsightly for several weeks ; by-and-by, the grass and 

 weeds began to recover and to grow very much more strongly 

 than on the part of the lawn to which the " sand " was not 

 applied, and this was another objectionable feature, as this 

 part required cutting when the other part did not. My trial 

 proved to my own satisfaction, first, that the sand did not 

 eradicate the weeds, and, secondly, that it spoiled the appear- 

 ance of the lawn for weeks after it was applied. — J. Douglas, 

 The Gardens, Loxford Hall. 



I have had it in use for two years. My lawn was very full 

 of Plantains and Daisies ; in the centre of each of these nuisances 

 I placed a thimbleful of the sand, and in about five days there 

 was only a brown patch, the weeds being entirely destroyed, 

 nor did they come up again the nest season, which I was half 

 afraid would be the case ; and the most wonderful part of it is 

 that in a fortnight or three weeks (depending, of course, upon 

 the weather) the brown patches above alluded to were covered 

 with fresh and healthy grass. So far the sand is a most perfect 

 article ; but, on the other hand, I must mention a drawback — 

 the grass grows rather coarse where the sand has been placed, 

 and if the lawn is only mowed once a-week it shows very badly, 

 having a similar appearance to the dark green spots so often 

 seen in a field of young Wheat, but in places where the lawn is 

 mowed twice or thrice a-week, as is the case here, this defect is 

 not noticeable. — North Wilts. 



I mat say it caused our lawn to assume a brown appearance 

 for a time, but after a fortnight or so and onwards throughout 



the summer it gave it the most beautiful dark green hue one 

 could wish for, and at the same time considerably lessened the 

 Plantain and other weeds. We used the rose of a large water- 

 pot as a distributor, and it answered the purpose perfectly 

 well.— X. 



MAKQUIS OF LORNE CUCUMBER. 

 I can recommend this to everj'one. I have this season cut 

 three (the only three of this sort), and they were respectively 

 20 inches, 20i inches, and 21A inches long, perfectly even in 

 size from point to stem, and hardly a seed in them, the flavour 

 also excellent. Then great fault with me, however, is that 

 they are very late. I sowed Berkshire Challenge the same day 

 as Marquis of Lome, and the fruit of the former was fit to cut 

 nearly three weeks before the fruit of the latter. — North Wilts. 



THE POET SCOTT, OF AMWELL, AND THE 



MEZEREON. 

 This little-regarded poet — who is really deserving of more 

 attention than moderns can be expected to bestow upon him — 

 in his description of the seasons contained in his " Amabcean 

 Eclogues," while commenting upon the plants noticeable in 

 winter, says — 



" Bright Mezereon spreads her clustering leaves." 

 And to this the annotator, in Chalmers's edition of the British 

 poets, adds that " This beautiful little evergreen is frequent 

 among our woods and coppices. Its smooth shining leaves are 

 placed on the top of the stem in circular tufts or clusters. 

 The flowers are small and of a light green. It blows very early 

 in mild seasons and warm situations." In both instances an 

 error is committed. The reference is clearly not to the true 

 Mezereon but to the Spurge Laurel, which is evergreen, the 

 Mezereon having deciduous leaves ; also the Mezereon has 

 white or pink flowers, and it is not, and has probably never 

 been, by any means common. The bard of Olney avoided this 

 mistake, for he describes the 



" Mezereon, too, 

 Though leafless, well attired, and thick besefc 

 With blushing leaves investing every spray." 



Other parts, however, of Scott's Eclogues are true to nature 

 and local scenery, as I can testify from personal observation. 

 One Hue is particularly noticeable for its correctness — 

 " The enclosure ditch, luxuriant Mallows hide." 



The profusion in which the common Mallow (Malva sylves- 

 tris), grows in the fields and lanes of that district of Hertford- 

 shire has often struck myself and others. As he was not a 

 professed botanist, however, it is questionable whether, when 

 he says that 



" Autumnal fields few pleasing plants supply, 

 Save where pole EyeDright grows in pastures dry," 



he is alluding to the true Eyebright (Veronica Chamasdrys). 

 [Euphrasia] . Possibly he intends the Grey Field Speedwell 

 (V. agrestris).— J. R. S. C. 



FUCHSIA CULTURE. 



The Fuchsia is an old and general favourite. Few plants 

 can equal it for profusion of blooming and gracefulness of habit, 

 whether grown in a pot or trained up a rafter or back wall of 

 the greenhouse, where it flowers profusely, and is almost in- 

 dispensable when large quantities of cut flowers are in request, 

 as a few sprays round the outsides of the flower-glasses set them 

 off to great advantage, breaking the stiffness of appearance, 

 which should always be avoided as much as possible. To have 

 fine plants we prefer taking our principal batch of cuttings 

 about September for the largest plants, the following season 

 choosing those shoots, if possible, that have no bloom buds, 

 and placing them in sand and a little leaf soil under a hand- 

 glass, in gentle heat, and shading from bright sun. In a short 

 time all will be rooted, when each should have, a small pot, 

 using rich, free soil, having the pots well drained. Everything 

 should be done to induce the cuttings to root at this time ; if 

 allowed to remain dormant, they get checked and stunted, 

 and never afterwards grow freely, as they do if put in a genial 

 hotbed. 



When the first potting is over, replace them in a close, 

 warm frame for a short time, sprinkling overhead in bright 

 days, and shading until a start is made, after which every at- 

 tention should be paid them, as the future success of plants 

 depends greatly on being properly started. If a shelf close to 



