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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ October 10, 1872. 



single this year than last, hut when half-open its unap- 

 proachable tint and shell-like petalling tend to keep it in the 

 front rank. La France, so far, is worth all the praise that 

 has been bestowed upon it, although I cannot call it a good 

 autumn bloomer. Charles Lefebvre "and the Duke of Edin- 

 burgh hate both the fault of sending up a single gross shoot, 

 to the detriment of the rest of the plant, but their blooms are 

 often indispensable to a show-box. Paul Neron has carried 

 the largest Roses I have so far succeeded in growing, but, per 

 contra, the blooms are few and far between. Alfred Colomb 

 lias not proved a good show Rose with me this year, although 

 it rarely fails. Felix Genero, is, however, a downright failure. 

 I shall remove it into the shade next year to see what that will 

 do ; it was trumpeted a good deal at the start, but it spots and 

 discolours so badly as to have always a disreputable seedy look 

 about it. General Jacqueminot does good duty, and ranks as 

 a favourite ; Pierre Notting is a sparse bloomer, but on the 

 whole a valuable Rose ; Prince Camille de Rohan, Empereur 

 •de Maroc, Souvenir de Dr. Jamain, Fisher Holmes, Senateur 

 Taisse, Xavier Olibo, Comtesse de Chabrillant, and Eugene 

 Appert, furnishing, as they do, fine colours and good form 

 and foliage, ought not to be lacking in a rosery. Charles 

 "Verdier, a Rose rarely mentioned, has too many good points 

 to be overlooked ; it is vigorous in habit, and good in form 

 and colour. 



Boule de Niege and Mademoiselle Bonnaire I should not like 

 to be without, although the latter tries one's patience at times. 

 I am now told that the only plan to have a stock of vigorous 

 plants is to bud some every year, and then for the first two 

 years of their existence they will flower well. Is this so ? 

 Anna Alexieff certainly carries a goodly number of flowers, but 

 few or no choice blooms. Abel Grand and Marguerite de 

 St. Amand I should not like to lose, they are rarely without 

 good flowers, especially the latter, which I take to be often- 

 times a first-class Rose. Louis Tan Houtte and Marquise de 

 Castellane happen to be weakly plants and so have not had a f air 

 trial, but I am sanguine that next year they will hold their- own 

 amongst the best. John Hopper, I suppose, no one ever dreams 

 ■of being without, or good old never-say-die Jules Margottin, 

 which, never will believe winter is come, but will persist in send- 

 ing out its cherry-bright blooms when all its kindred seem to say, 

 " Rest and be thankful." As to dear old Gloire de Dijon, thy 

 title is a misnomer ! thy glory is too universal to be that of 

 Dijon alone ! Even here, in "Western Barbary, thou art the 

 glory and delight of old and young. No soil, no climate, seems 

 to daunt thee, but thou sheddest thy glory lavishly, be thou 

 cultivated or neglected. Take thee all in all, thou art very 

 queen amongst the queen of flowers. — Cokkubia. 



GRAPES AT DRUMLANRIG. 



While on a recent visit to the famous gardens at Drum- 

 lanrig, the noble seat of the Duke of Buecleuch, Mr. David 

 Thomson, the eminent horticulturist and gardener there, showed 

 me some of the finest black Grapes I ever had the pleasure of 

 seeing. They were of a variety which is little known, named 

 Seacliff Black. Two rods have now matured their second year's 

 crop with six magnificent bunches on each, which will average 

 from 4 to 10 lbs. a-pieee — 40 lbs. to the rod, or 80 lbs. combined. 

 These, with then' large shoulders and fine symmetrical form, 

 and with berries large and equal in size, their jet black skins 

 completely obscured with an exquisite coat of bloom, con- 

 stituted objects highly worthy of admiration, and showed the 

 extreme of perfection in Grape-growing. The variety thus 

 so fertile originated at, and was named from, a place called 

 Seacliff, in East Lothian, whence Mr. Thomson obtained it 

 while at Archerfield, where I have seen it in fine condition, 

 but never in such excellency as at Drumlanrig ; indeed the 

 Glasgow International Show, with its predominance of Grapes, 

 contained no such suiierb examples. In habit and constitution 

 this Vine somewhat resembles, yet is quite distinct from, the 

 Barbarossa (Gros Guillaume) , a good late keeper, and in flavour 

 the fruit is an improvement on that variety. 



Contrary to my expectations, which were based on a re- 

 port which I perused some time ago regarding that wonderful 

 new Grape the Duke of Buecleuch which Mr. Thomson has on 

 trial from his brother, the raiser, in which it was then repre- 

 sented as being " spoiling," it was still, though ripe in the 

 beginning of July, hanging in an excellent state of preserva- 

 tion, and appeared likely to keep in the same condition for as 

 long again. 



Madresfield Court Grape, the bad behaviour of which I have 



personally experienced, observed elsewhere, and heard much 

 about this season, is, after being accorded the best of treatment, 

 rooted out and utterly discarded at Drumlanrig, to give place 

 to those more worthy and of a less peculiar character. — M. 



CULTURE OF THE JERUSALEM AND GLOBE 

 ARTICHOKES. 



L? anything is worth growing, it is worth growing well. 

 Such was the remark made and often impressed upon me by 

 one of the best gardeners under whom I served, and if this 

 remark need be applied to any one subject more than another 

 it is to the garden Artichokes ; for it is common to meet with 

 one or the other, or both, planted in most unworthy and un- 

 suitable places, and where a fair produce is impossible. That 

 the Artichokes will pay for a little extra labour applied to their 

 culture is beyond question, and instead of being planted in 

 the poorest of soils, and in the worst of situations, under trees 

 and in shady out-of-the-way corners, as is too often the case, 

 they should have the benefit of a well-selected open spot, with 

 deep soil — tolerably rich, and close in texture. 



In making a plantation of the Jerusalem Artichoke the 

 ground should be trenched 2 feet deep in the autumn, and laid 

 up roughly for the frost to penetrate it during the winter. 

 From the middle of February up to the same time in March is 

 a good season for planting if the ground work well ; but if not, 

 the first opportunity should be taken to break the soil tolerably 

 fine with a rake or three-pronged hoe ; then draw drills 3 feet 

 apart and 6 inches deep. The sets should be placed 1 foot 

 apart, and for them the best and most shapely of the stock 

 should be selected. When they are earthed over, the ground 

 may be raked down level, and a crop of Radishes or Lettuces 

 can be taken off before the Artichokes appear, but afterwards 

 they must be allowed to have the ground to themselves. 

 Keep it well hoed, and if dry weather should set in while they 

 are growing fast abundance of water must be applied. The 

 aim should be to give them one uninterrupted period of growth 

 until the time of ripening-off in September. The top growth 

 may be cut-off within 6 inches of the ground when the Aspa- 

 ragus beds are cut over in autumn ; if the tubers are to remain 

 in the ground and be taken up as wanted, it is a good practice 

 to earth them up like Potatoes, and when hard frost sets in 

 throw some loose litter over the rows, as done in the case of 

 Celery. The usual practice is to take up as many tubers as 

 are likely to be required during hard frost, and store them in 

 earth or sand in a cool shed, to be used when wanted. The 

 Jerusalem Artichoke is despised in far too many instances, 

 while in others it is grown largely and well. Common and 

 unimportant as it may be considered by many, it is, neverthe- 

 less, a delicious vegetable, and it possesses qualities both in 

 produce- and flavour which a judicious system of cultivation 

 will greatly develope. 



Coming now to the Globe Artichoke we have a different sub- 

 ject to deal with, although in the preparation of the ground 

 the conditions are precisely similar, but the plantation should 

 he made in a moister situation with, if possible, a greater- 

 depth of soil. In dry, shallow, or gravelly soils this vegetable 

 does not succeed, yet, as it is liable to injury from frost, a dry 

 situation is a safeguard in winter, but the produce in such 

 places is not satisfactory. I have usually prepared the soil 

 as already stated, but more manure is worked into it. The 

 plants are obtained from old stools divided or suckers from 

 other plants ; the latter mode is preferable. The beginning of 

 May is a good time to plant. I prefer planting in patches of 

 three or more plants at about 4 feet apart every way. These 

 young plants will require attention at first to get them to start 

 satisfactorily. During the summer the ground must be kept 

 clean, and water given when necessary. When growth is com- 

 pleted in autumn my plan has been to protect the stools by a 

 coating of half-rotten stable-manure, and cover the whole of 

 the plantation or bed with loose litter, or fern, which to a 

 considerable extent prevents injury by frost. In the spring 

 they throw up their crop of globular heads, the size and quantity 

 of which will be regulated by the strength and size of the stools. 

 According to the pains that have been taken in cultivation, the 

 soil, and situation, a plantation will last from six to twelve 

 years ; but in this crop, as well as most others, young and 

 vigorous plants produce the greatest yield and best-flavoured 

 heads. I have found that the spring frosts are as much, or 

 more, injurious to the Globe Artichoke than the very severe 

 frosts of winter, the young growth is so liable to get injured, 

 therefore the protection must not be taken away too soon. 



