62 



JOURNAL OF HOETICTTLTITBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ July 26, 1864. 



nose. It has a beautiful soft-looking skin, with a bloom 

 similar to a peach ; colour dull muddled yellow ; flavour of 

 the finest quality. Makes a fine vigorous bush, growth 

 upright ; and a most prolific bearer. 



Yellow Gunner was sent out by Mr. Hardcastle about 

 the year 1821, and, I believe, it is of Lancashire origin, but 

 I am not certain as to when and where sent out. It is one 

 of the best old varieties, and was the heaviest yellow berry 

 shown in the following years — viz., in 1826, when it weighed 



23 dwts. 4 grains ; in 1827, 27 dwts. 1 gr. ; 1828, 24 dwts. 

 5 grs. ; in 1S33, 25 dwts. 2 grs. ; in 1834, 23 dwts. 11 grs. The 

 berry is very round, handsomely formed, and covered with 

 strom* rough spines ; it is one of the roughest berries grown. 

 In colour it is almost olive green, shaded and blended with 

 a yellow tinge, the veins a little lighter than the rest of the 

 skin. It ripens well, and is of fine flavour. Habit of growth 

 strong and robust, making a fine upright bush. 



Golden Sovereign was raised by Mr. John Bratherton, 

 of "Wistaston, Cheshire, and sent out by him on the last 

 Monday in October, 1821, at the Eockwood Inn, Wistaston, 

 Cheshire. This was a useful variety for some years, but has 

 long since been surpassed as a show variety. It is of a 

 bright light yellow, of medium length, ripens early, is a free 

 bearer, and of good flavour. 



GREEN KINDS. 



Bumper was raised by Mr. John Bratherton, of Wistaston, 

 and sent out by him at the Eockwood Inn, Wistaston, Che- 

 shire, on the fourth Monday in October, 1832. This variety 

 was shown as a see dlin g, and has weighed 30 dwts. 18 grains ; 

 but was soon eclipsed by Thumper, sent out by Mr. Richard 

 Eyle, of Wistaston, on the same day. Bumper is light 

 green, smooth, of medium length ; an early variety, ripens 

 too soon at the nose, and is very subject to shanking in hot 

 weather. Habit rather weak and spreading. At the pre- 

 sent day it is useless. 



Troubler is a long berry, tapering very much towards 

 the stalk. It is rough, and in colour very dark green. 

 Quite useless at the present time for any purpose. 



WHITE KINDS. 

 Eagle of the Sun, now called Eagle, was raised by 

 Mr. Thomas Cook of Hatherlow, and sent out by him at the 

 Spread Eagle, Hatherlow, Cheshire, on the 1st of November, 

 1823 ; and in 1825 it was the heaviest white berry exhibited 

 — viz., 23 dwts. 20 gTains ; and it weighed as follows — in 1827, 



24 dwts. 18 grains ; in 1830, 27 dwts. 12 grs.; in 1831, 25 dwts. 

 18 grs.; in 1833, 23 dwts. 11 grs. ; in 1834, 25 dwts. 22 grs.; 

 in 1835, 21 dwts. ; in 1840, 24 dwts. 9 grs. ; in 1844, 26 dwts. 



It is one of the longest berries grown. The three-veined 

 berries are very fine in form, long, smooth, and very round. 

 The two-veined berries are rather flat, and generally a little 

 tapering towards the stalk, which is rather long and small. 

 Colour yellowish white. Makes a fine bush. Wood long 

 and rather fine ; bears freely ; flavour tolerable. 



Ostrich was raised in the neighbourhood of Wistaston by 

 Mr. James Billington, was sent out by him on the last 

 Monday in October, 1827, and was the heaviest white berry 

 exhibited in 1S29, 21 dwts. 11 grains ; in 1832, 24 dwts. 

 20 grains. This variety is very long, rather flat on the 

 side, and seeds badly, consequently seldom weighs well for 

 the size of the fruit. It is a little rough, colour yellowish 

 white ; in habit it grows freely, makes a fine spreading bush, 

 and bears well. 



White Swan was raised by Mr. William Wood, and sent 

 out by him at the Grapes Inn, Croston, near Chorley, Lanca- 

 shire, on the third Monday in October, 1831 ; and was the 

 heaviest white berry grown in 1838 — viz., 24 dwts. 16 grains. 

 The berry is of medium length, very smooth, of a darkish 

 white colour ; the veins very conspicuous, being broad and 

 much whiter than the rest of the berry. It makes a fine 

 bush, and bears freely. 



It will be seen by the above that very few of the better 

 kinds of show Gooseberries are of Lancashire origin, although 

 so often called " Lancashire Show Gooseberries." — C. Lei- 

 cester. 



Council have announced that on the 26th of August next, 

 the late Prince Consort's birthday, the public will be 

 admitted gratuitously to the Society's Gardens at Ken- 

 sington, and that the same tribute to his memory will be 

 continued in after years. 



ORCHARD-HOUSE PRODUCE— DESTROYING 

 APHIDES. 



From an orchard-house, heated in cold weather, in five 

 days last week eighty dozen of Peaches and Nectarines have 

 been gathered for market, besides many not fit, but used at 

 home. 18s. per dozen was the largest sum received for 

 Nectarines this season. There are Vines in this house, but 

 kept exposed until the middle of April, the crop from these is 

 very large. My gardener made ,£164 for his Grapes this 

 season from one house 110 feet by 15 ; the roots were covered 

 with glass also to the extent of 5 feet in addition to the 15. 

 He began cutting in the middle of April, when he sold the 

 Grapes for 12s. per lb. 



I find the best remedy for aphides out of doors is 1 lb. of 

 perfectly dry Scotch snuff and 3 lbs. of the white silicious 

 dust which can now be obtained quite dry in any quantity 

 in our lanes ; being silicious, every particle can be syringed 

 off. A puff-ball of indiarubber with a conical tube is the 

 best thing for small growers to apply this with; a saucer 

 being used for the powder, the ball when empty and com- 

 pressed will suck up the powder. Yesterday, the 19th inst., 

 the whole atmosphere in this neighbourhood was loaded all 

 day with green fly. — Amateur. 



LA CONSTANTE STRAWBERRY. 



Mat I be allowed to recommend such of your readers as 

 contemplate making new Strawberry-beds to try La Con- 

 stante ? I grow Filbert Pine, British Queen, Crimson Queen, 

 Carolina Superba, and many others, but I do not think one 

 of them is equal to this very fine variety. There is a pecu- 

 liarly delicious aroma about it which no other Strawberry 

 possesses, and it is a handsome-looking fruit and ripens 

 thoroughly where British Queen will not. — P. 



[We quite agree with our correspondent in his praise of 

 this most excellent variety.] 



Royal Horticultural Society's Garden. — In compli- 

 ance with a wish expressed by Her Majesty the Queen, the 



GISHURST COMPOUND versus AMERICAN 



BLIGHT. 



We have had a very bad year for the American blight 

 on our Apple trees, so much so that we have been applying 

 the Gishurst with the garden engine, and in doing so I 

 noticed a fact that may interest you — viz., that all the trees 

 that had been dressed with Gishurst in previous seasons were 

 clean, or nearly so, while those that for ten years had never 

 been blighted, nor dressed, were this year covered as with 

 snow. The spread this season is beyond anything I have 

 ever known; it is a hard matter to find a clean treo, but I 

 am determined, if possible, to keep it down. My success 

 with the Orange family . has been complete. Three dress- 

 ings in two weeks in the spring, with a solution not stronger 

 than 2 ozs. to the gallon, will carry the trees through the 

 summer clean. We do this when the fruit is gathered, and 

 before the growth starts for the following season, and have 

 no further trouble with them. — John Carson, Melbourne, 

 Australia. 



CULTIVATION OP THE MELON. 



(Continued from page 43.) 

 Succession. — To have a regular supply of Melons, it is 

 necessary to have a succession of beds. Subjoined is a table 

 of the principal operations, and the times of their perform- 

 ance, on a number of beds and pits heated by dung alone, 

 which furnished a regular supply of Melons of fine flavour 

 from May to November. The time of setting was when the 

 fruit began to swell freely. 



