August 16, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



125 



Then, as to variegation, will seed from a variegated Grass 

 produce variegated or plain-leaved plants ? Geraniums, I 

 am aware, will produce both, some variegated, and others 

 green, the one further from the type, but the other reverting 

 to it, and this when impregnated with the same pollen. 

 Geraniums, however, have been so crossed that they will 

 sport in almost any way; but from seed of a variegated 

 plant but onee removed from the species, will the progeny 

 be like the parent, or revert to the original type ? In other 

 words, is variegation continued by the pollen, or is it pecu- 

 liar to the individual plant ? and will the pollen of a va- 

 riegated plant have any effect in producing a variegated 

 progeny rf applied to the stigmas of green-leaved plants ? 

 Some speak of variegation as if they could accomplish it at 

 will; but it appears to me as if Nature was the most prolific 

 source of variegation, and that man has very little, if any, 

 control over its production. — G. Abbey. 

 (To be continued.') 



MY OECHAED-HOUSE.— ]\ T o. 7. 



I cannot help expressing how flattered I am at the kind 

 praise of my good friend Mr.. Rivers. It is a great induce- 

 ment to continue my efforts to develope and promote the 

 " good cause," as Mr. Rivers used to call it in our former 

 correspondence. And that it is a " good cause " it would 

 be easy to prove from the interesting letters received here 

 on this subject alone. There is a very great demand for 

 knowledge up to the present hour, and nothing could be 

 more acceptable than information such as Mr. Rivers 

 suggests — namely, as to the date of fruit ripening in dif- 

 ferent localities — in orchard-houses of course. In this way 

 data of great value to any amateur about to erect an orchard- 

 house would be obtained. He would thus know at once 

 what sort thrives best in his neighbourhood and situation ; 

 and also ascertain the periods at which he might depend on 

 fruiting the various sorts in succession,- so as to have no 

 waste, nor find his fruit ripening just when he did not 

 need it. 



Orchard-houses being a new structure, the periods of 

 ripening in out-door fruit could not be a safe guide — in- 

 deed,, in the case of Peaches, would be none at all. We 

 are on the eve of the introduction of quite new classes of 

 fruit, which themselves will become, as Mr. Rivers says, 

 alluding to that remarkable new Peach, the Honey Peach, 

 "the parents of quite new races." Any one who has tasted 

 this Peach will be satisfied on this point. It has a strange 

 tropical flavour quite peculiar to itself. So has Golden 

 Purple, a Georgian Peach. This last has the flavour of rose 

 water, and is a fine fruit, something like Noblesse. If this 

 be true of Peaches, it is equally so of Plums and Cherries. 

 Many of the new American sorts are delicate and worthy of 

 in-door cultivation. How important, then, to ascertain 

 clearly which sort is suitable for the north and which for the 

 south. Nothing vexes and discourages amateurs so much 

 as making mistakes in these matters. We are, most of us, 

 people of moderate means ; we like our orchard-houses, but 

 we dislike their becoming expensive, and, besides this, un- 

 profitable. I have seen men build such houses, stock them 

 unadvisedly, then become discouraged, leave them to igno- 

 rant servants or gardeners of the old school (who hate these 

 new-fangled things), and the end has been, that much 

 money has indeed been wasted and orchard-houses decried. 



Now, it strikes me that the more information we amateurs 

 can give each other, the less frequent will be failures in future. 

 The Editors have kindly consecrated a column to us, so 

 let us endeavour to put it to profit. . Let us, then, do as Mr. 

 Rivers suggests, begin by comparing'dates of fruit ripening, 

 for this is just the season. 



Last week I had a letter from a clever amateur living near 

 Dundee, 450 miles north of London, and 650 north of 

 Guernsey. He describes his fruit culture accurately, and 

 certainly the difference of situation is enough to make com- 

 parisons between our houses. 



Suppose, then, I had one hundred such correspondents 

 from various parts of England, each describing the period of 

 ripening in Peaches, Plums, &c, their sizes, and the shape, 

 dimensions and aspect of the house, I do not hesitate to 

 say that all this information could be arranged in two or 



three columns of THE Journal op Horticulture, that it 

 would be a labour of love to me, that it has never before 

 been attempted, and that only by means of such a Journal 

 as this could such valuable matter be brought together at 

 so little cost. At a glance would be seen how certain fruits 

 ripen in their respective zones, and how great a difference 

 600 or 800 miles would make in the same fruit, whether east 

 or west had any advantage, and how many days could be 

 gained by situation or form. To my mind, nothing in 

 orchard-house culture is more important. I have myself 

 helped to organise and plan ten or twelve houses, and feel a 

 certain responsibility as to their welfare, and how best to 

 work them. Probably we should find lean-to houses much 

 a-head in point of time, and large, well ventilated buildings 

 doing best of all. 



One other point is of much importance. Do orchard- 

 houses gradually and steadily, without falling back, advance 

 the period of fruit's ripening? I am convinced they do; 

 but I should like to have the opinion of some others better 

 able to judge. If they do thus advance the ripening of 

 many fruits, what a precious gain have we in this ! Time is 

 everything in fruit culture. Time is money when we out- 

 strip the market by even a week. In our own case, by care- 

 fully selecting the sorts, and by the above-mentioned 

 hastening of their previous ripening, we are able to send fine 

 Peaches and Nectarines, grown in an uuheated house, in 

 time for the London season. We should also be able to 

 compete with Algerian Peaches in the Paris market, we 

 being, as it is, a fortnight in advance of Montreuil. But this 

 was not the case six years ago for example, and it is the 

 result of careful attention to the nature of the fruits. 



Orchard-houses are rising up in the Channel Islands (mine 

 being the original one), and, as we export Grapes largely, it 

 may happen that we shall, by-and-by, export Peaches also. 

 Therefore, it is well to know certain facts before these houses 

 are organised for this trade. What is advantageous for the 

 Channel Islands must also be so for Devonshire and Corn- 

 wall; at least, we have much to contend with — much rain 

 and continual wind, with cloudy skies. Only our autumn, 

 long and warm, stores up heat, as also does the sea around 

 us. 



By this date about one-half of our fruit is gone. I have 

 just measured Exquisite, and it is already about 10J inches 

 in circumference. Stump the World, a splendid Peach, is not 

 so advanced in size this year, but shows signs of becoming 

 earlier. Hunt's Tawny Nectarine I recommend to amateurs. 

 It is a little inclined to be bitter, and is a little below me- 

 dium size, but it is early, and bears well. Rivers's Orange 

 Nectarine is a great favourite with the ladies. Its colour, 

 luscious flavour, and fertility, are admirable. I speak of it 

 as getting over, it is so early with us. Violette Hative and 

 Elruge are also nearly over, except in the east or late 

 house. Brugnon Imperial has been ripe since the 7th. In 

 a basket from one large cordon tree the fruit weighed about 

 4 ozs. each, and were, generally, 8 inches round. The flavour 

 and colour were first-rate, and it was the same with Craw- 

 ford's Early Peach, from one bunch of which we selected 

 twenty-seven, gorgeous in colour, and about 9 inches round, 

 on the 30th of July. Duchess of Oldenburgh is a great 

 acquisition. It contrasts admirably with the darker Nec- 

 tarines. It has been ripe since the 6th. This kind has 

 actually advanced in three years, from the 18th of August 

 to the first week, or about twelve days. Acton Scott is no 

 favourite of ours. Ever since Early York has been intro- 

 duced, its day seems gone. Peche Abec, which is always a 

 remarkably fine Peach, is never prolific. After trying it in 

 many forms and places, it remains a grand fruit, but not 

 fertile. It is also one of the few stationary in period of ma- 

 turity, ripening July 29th, 25th, and 25th, during the last 

 three seasons. Golden Purple has advanced from August 

 4th in 1862, to July 20th this year, without diminishing in 

 size or appearance. It is first-rate. Brugnon Violet is just 

 ripe, and very prolific. Is not this our Roman? It is not, 

 however, a clingstone. Belle de Doue was ripe from the 

 19th of July. As a diagonal cordon in a warm place, it has 

 advanced thirteen days in eight years. 



I hope, however, to prepare another article to prove how, 

 among seventy varieties of choice Peaches and Nectarines, 

 nearly, if not all, have advanced gradually, without dete- 

 rioration of quality (which is the danger), from five to twenty 



