July 5, 1861. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



named will prove great acquisitions. Vast numbers of 

 plants of all the leading kinds raised by other growers are 

 in equally fine condition. 



Next, and in no way inferior in merit, is the magnificent 

 collection of hardy Ferns, chiefly British, with about a dozen 

 exotics. Altogether there are in cultivation here 158 varie- 

 ties of British Perns, but very many of these originated 

 here as the offspring of other kinds. At present there 

 appears to be no limit to the number of varieties likely to 

 be obtained. Variations occur every year, and some of them 

 of great beauty and distinctness ; but it also happens that 

 the seedlings (if I may use this term as applied to Perns) 

 frequently go back to the form of their original parents. It 

 is worthy of note that all the Ferns actually found wild in 

 this country are kept in stock, so that every lover of this 

 description of plants can readily obtain kinds that would 

 take a long time and. distance to find in their wild state. 

 The British Ferns, then, when brought under the training of 

 the skilful cultivator, are yearly showing some new feature 

 of interest, and, because of their hardiness, will at no dis- 

 tant period be eagerly sought for as important items in 

 garden decoration, for dinner tables, plant-cases, and many 

 other purposes where foliage is required as much as colour. 

 Their cultivation is also easy, therefore they may share the 

 attention of all. 



The collection of Messrs. Ivery is familiar to the visitors 

 of the great metropolitan shows ; but to such as may not 

 have had the opportunity of seeing them the subjoined list 

 may be depended on as containing some of the most beau- 

 tiful and distinct kinds. Adiantum eapillus-Veneris (Common 

 Maiden-hair). Aspleniums. — Asplenium fontanum (Smooth 

 Rock Spleen wort); septentrionale (Forked Splenwort); viridis 

 (Green Spleenwort). Athyriums Filix-fmmina (Lady-Ferns). 

 — Athyrium Filix-fcemina apuseforme, very beautiful, the out- 

 line of the frond resembling a fish, and the pinna? little fishes ; 

 corymbiferum, fronds and pinna bearing light tassels at the 

 ends, a vigorous grower, very distinct and lovely ; crispum, a 

 dwarf tufted variety, very curious ; difHssum, rather rare ; 

 Fieldise, a new and striking variety, it should be in every 

 collection. The same may be said of Frizelliae. Laciniato- 

 lineatum and plumosum rank among the most beautiful of 

 the Lady-Ferns. Blechmtm spicant (Common Hard-Fern. — 

 The best of the tribe is probably Blechnum spicant ram osum, 

 all the fronds being beautifully crested at the ends. Nearly 

 as good and distinct are polydactylon ; strictuni; subser- 

 ratum ; and subserrato-imbricatum. Lastrea (Aspidium).— 

 Lastrea Filix-mas (Male Fern) : Bollandiae, one of the hand- 

 somest of the non-cristate varieties of Filix-mas, and very 

 distinct; crispa is quite a unique kind, differing from the 

 species in the widest manner imaginable ; cristata is a fine 

 variety ; cristata angustata, a new and rare form of the pre- 

 ceding; and Jervisii is an interesting variety; Osmwuda 

 regalis cristata is very handsome. Polypodiums. — The four 

 following are pretty:— Polypodium Dry opteris, Phegopteris, 

 Robertianum, and vulgare cambricum (Welsh Polypody). 

 Polystichums (Prickly Shield-Perns). — Polystichum angulare 

 imbricatum ; angulare proliferum; angulare Wollastoni; 

 and lonchitis (Holly Fern), are the most desirable. Scolopen- 

 driums (Hart's Tongue).— Of about thirty of the Scolopen- 

 driums, the following half a dozen are good: — Scolopen- 

 driuni vulgare sculp turatum ; vulgare Wardii; vulgare cris- 

 pum ; vulgare digitatum ; vulgare maerosorum ; and vul- 

 gare muricatum. 



_The_ following four new Ferns are now ready for dis- 

 tribution: — Athyrium Filix-fcemina mucronatum and glo- 

 meratum (which have both received first-class certificates 

 from the- Royal Botanic and Royal Horticultural Societies) ; 

 Athyrium Filix-foemina Parsonsise, and Polystichum aculea- 

 tum acrocladon. The last received a second-class certifi- 

 cate from both Societies, but when shown it was not fully 

 developed, so that its merits have not yet been fully recog- 

 nised. 



Of the nursery stock out of doors, the most prominent 

 are the Coniferae, on account of the number, size, and form 

 of the specimens. The Home Nursery, small in extent, con- 

 tains a large number of fine plants of all the most important 

 kinds used for ornamental purposes. Wellington] as are 

 from 8 to 12 feet high ; and among them is one very inter- 

 esting at the present time from the circumstance of having 

 twelve perfectly-formed cones. The cones were first noticed 



last summer, but, not coming to perfection in the autumn, 

 were suffered to remain, and are now firmly set ; but it is 

 not certain that they will produce seed. My own supposition 

 is, that they are abnormal, caused by frequent removals of 

 the plants. They are formed round the main stem at the 

 end of the growth of 1862. Also deserving of notice is a 

 Cupressus Lawsoniana, with abundance of seed. 



The Araucarias are very fine. Prom thirty to forty of them, 

 ranging from 10 to 15 feet high, planted in close proximity, 

 offer a curious and interesting sight, such as can only be 

 seen in the old-established nurseries of England. 



It is a mistaken notion that Conifers are only fit for parks 

 and large pleasure grounds. They should be planted every- 

 where, in the smallest as well as the largest gardens ,(s° 

 many of fastigiate habit have, of late years, been introduced 

 that the size can no longer be pleaded as an excuse), much 

 more the compact kinds, as Thuja (Biota) aurea, Juniperus 

 ericoides, &c. Any one taking the slightest interest in his 

 garden, and looking at the planted space in front of Mr. 

 Ivery's house, filled with Conifers of all sizes and forms, 

 would not hesitate to acknowledge their beauty, and the 

 wide range of their adaptability. 



Among the other plants most worthy of note is a large 

 one of Lonicera aureo-reticulata, which stood out in a rather 

 exposed situation the whole winter. It continued growing 

 the whole time, excepting in the severe frosts, when very 

 small portions of the ends of the shoots suffered trifling 

 injury. The hardy character of this beautiful climber is 

 thus sufficiently proved. 



At the upper end of the nursery on the north side of the 

 boundary-wall is a collection of Ivies and Vincas, suitable 

 for shady and other places, where many things will not grow. 

 Of the former Mr. Ivery tells me he has thirty-nine varie- 

 ties. Many of them are very distinctly striped and blotched. 



The Roses are here, as they must be in every nursery, an 

 important branch of the business. A judicious selection of 

 the really best kinds is infinitely better than an indiscrimi- 

 nate propagation of the good and bad that have always been 

 muddled together in extensive collections. Without getting 

 behind the times, the Messrs. Ivery are careful to keep out, 

 as far as possible, the rubbish sent to England every year 

 by the French growers. At the time of my visit there were 

 good blooms of Triomphe d' Angers, Triomphe de Caen (good 

 colour, but rather too thin), Deuil de Prince Albert, L'Ele- 

 gante, John Hopper, Charles Lefebvre (good), Senateur 

 Vaisse (still Al), Cecile de Chabrillant (ditto), Duchess of 

 Norfolk, Mademoiselle Bonnaire (one of the best light Roses), 

 William Griffiths, America, General Jacqueminot, Baronne 

 Prevost, &c. 



In conclusion, I have to acknowledge the courtesy and 

 kind attention of Mr. Ivery in pointing out the various 

 objects of interest. — Adolpht/s H. Kent, Blechinnley. 



DESTROYING THE EED SPIDEE. 



The mixture used for the destruction of the red spider 

 (and noticed by you at page 461) is not made from gum, 

 but sago flour — a much cheaper mixture than gum, as it 

 costs in Liverpool only about 10s. per cwt. (Potato starch will 

 do equally well, if sago flour is not obtainable). My starch 

 was made in the following manner: — 2 lbs. of sago flour were 

 made into a thin paste, thickening it in the same way as 

 the laundry-maids do when making starch. This paste was 

 then poured into three gallons of boiling water, and the 

 mixture well stirred up until it came to boiling again, it was 

 then mixed with six gallons of cold water, and applied to the 

 trees immediately by a syringe having a jointed nozzle. 

 Thirty trees in my orchard-house were syringed with the 

 effect shown on the leaf sent to the office of The Journal 



OP HORTICULTURE. 



It cannot be used too soon after being made. The cold 

 water with which it is mixed reduces* the temperature to 

 something like 100° F., which is quite safe, but if allowed to 

 get cold it has not the same fluidity as at first. 



I think it best suited for Peaches and Nectarines. The 

 pubescence on the under side of the leaf in the Apple and 

 the Plum, hold the film of paste more tenaciously than does 

 the leaf of the Peach. For the thrips it ought to be very 

 fluid to get close alongside the midrib of the leaf, and at the 



