128 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



L August IS, 186i 



twenty full grown fruit, set as thick as Bullaces. The 

 flavour is very excellent, and the stone is as sweet as an 

 almond.] 



09 is De Jong-he's Diamant. I consider this variety the 

 most beautiful and the best that exists in cultivation at the 

 present time. The seedling tree is healthy, hardy, vigorous, 

 fertile, producing fruit superb in form, and of exquisite 

 flavour at its perfect maturity. As the diamond among 

 precious stones surpasses all others, I have, by analogy, 

 designated my Apricot by this name, associating it with my 

 own as the raiser of this variety. 



[This is allied to the Peach Apricot, and considering that 

 the fruit sent us has been grown upon a standard in _ the 

 open ground, the state in which we received it indicates an 

 early habit. It was not, however, sufficiently ripe to enable 

 ns to judge of what the flavour will be when at its perfect, 

 maturity. The fruit is large and handsome, and the tree 

 appears to be very fertile, judging from the quantity of fruit 

 on the small spray.] 



So. 878 is Fondante de Crferne Pear. Cuerne is the name 

 of a village near Courtrai (Flanders). The popular name of 

 the Pear is Suiker Peer (Sugar Pear). It ripens during the 

 last fortnight of August ; but on the Pear stock in strong, 

 cold, humid soils, the maturity of the fruit is prolonged 

 to September. I will send you perfect fruits in the next 

 package, or in the end of the month, with two other early 

 varieties. 



Notwithstanding a very great heat, and a continued dry- 

 ness, accompanied with violent winds, the Pears are un- 

 affected on the trees. This year we shall see many of my 

 seedlings in all their perfection. — J. De Joxghe, Brussels. 



CAEHE.4D, YORKSHIRE. 



Caehzad, the seat of W. B. Wainman, Esq., lies quite out 

 of the way of tourists and travellers, up in the pretty and 

 romantic district of Wharfedale, and is more frequently 

 visited by agriculturists than horticulturists; for who has 

 not heard of the Carhead pigs and their achievements at 

 the various agricultural shows in the kingdom ? We have 

 before described this place in our pages at a time when 

 flower gardening was the chief feature ; but this department 

 has been greatly curtailed, and attention is now devoted 

 chiefly to fruit-growing. On the lawn and near to it, are a 

 few noble specimen Conifers — Abies Douglasii, 49 feet high ; 

 Pinus eembra, 20 feet high, and very symmetrical ; an 

 Arbutus proeera, 15 feet high and well berried, standing out 

 .perfectly hardy on the lawn. There are glorious specimen 

 Thorns, and a fine collection of them ; and these and the 

 large quantity of Rhododendrons about the place alone 

 create a superb display of flowers in the spring. 



The old vineries adjoining the lawn and close to a mass 

 of large trees on the west side, have hitherto not produced 

 fruit of fine quality, and have been very subject to shanking ; 

 but Mr. Ascough, the present gardener, last winter covered 

 the border with canvass, commencing in September, and 

 in February commenced using hot dung over the roots in 

 addition to the canvass, replacing the dung as it became 

 exhausted. Previous to doing this Sir. Ascough removed 

 the old surface soil as far as the root3 and replaced it with 

 fresh. There are now by far the finest Grapes seen at 

 Carhead for many years, many of the bunches of Black 

 Hamburgh weig-hing 4 lbs., and the berries are large and 

 the bunches compact. White Frontignan also is doing well 

 under the same treatment, and the bunches are fine. Against 

 the back wall of the conservatory the Guava is fruiting well, 

 and a large Desfontainia is in glorious bloom. Passing from 

 these houses to the kitchen garden, we came across a very 

 telling riband the whole length of the kitchen garden, 

 planted with Blue bedding Cliveden Pansy in front, Varie- 

 gated Alyssum, Scarlet Geranium, yellow Calceolaria, Perilla, 

 backed up by Gladiolus Brenchleyensis, and the wall covered 

 with climbing Eoses. 



In the kitchen garden on a heated wall facing the south- 

 west are some very fine Apricots, fully 81 inches in circum- 

 ference, unusually large for this cold district. Princess Royal 

 Pea is prized here for its productiveness and dwarf habit, 

 and Beck's Dwarf Green Gem Bean is a most productive 

 and rich-flavoured little sort, exactly suited to a gentle- 



man's table. The Chusan Marrow, a new kind introduced 

 this year, is bearing here. It is much more shrubby in 

 habit than any other, - is of a striped green colour, of the 

 same shape as the old kinds, and bears freely, the plant 

 not occupying so much ground; it is as delicious as the 

 Custard Marrow. Melville's Variegated Kale is also grown 

 here, and in large shrubberies is a highly ornamental plant. 

 Tom Thumb Lettuce is a firm and very small Cabbage 

 Lettuce, not at all coarse for salads ; and Wilson's Prolific 

 Cucumber is a most abundant bearer and just the sort for 

 amateurs. Mr. Ascough speaks very highly of Dean's Early 

 Prolific Potato, a small-haulmed kind, only five or six days 

 later than the Ashtop, of medium size, but a wonderful 

 cropper and of excellent flavour. Some good-sized bush 

 Apple trees which had been in an unhealthy and unfruitful 

 state were lifted a year ago, last autumn, and replanted in 

 good soil, and they are now in full health and loaded with 

 fruit. Amongst little-known Apples, New Hawthornden, a 

 fine baking sort, and Betty Geeson, a large kitchen Apple, 

 seem to be very productive on small trees. 



A block of vineries and Peach-houses is at the back of 

 the kitchen garden. In one of these, a span-roofed Paxton- 

 house, with the soil largely made up of lime rubbish and 

 stones, there are some fine Peaches, Grapes, and an enor- 

 mous crop of Figs. Several kinds of Grapes are grown 

 here, and the following remarks supplied by Mr. Ascough, 

 will give his experience of these kinds in one of the coldest 

 districts in Yorkshire : — 



" Chasselas Eotal. — Bunches shouldered. Berries round 

 and of a nice medium size, yellowish white when ripe, and 

 apt to crack when ripening. A great bearer and a strong 

 grower. Ripens a little earlier than the Black Hamburgh, 

 and is well adapted for pot culture. 



" Chasselas Vlbeet. — Bunches medium-sized. Berries 

 large, round, when well ripened of a pale amber colour ; 

 flesh juicy and sweet. A strong-growing variety and a 

 great bearer. It is a good pot Vine. 



"Lady Dowses' is one of the best late Grapes. Bunches 

 large, and the berries of a good size, and hanging a long 

 time without shrivelling. It is a free grower and good 

 bearer. 



" Gkos Maeoc. — Bunches large and compact, with shoul- 

 ders. Berries very large and long, tapering a little both 

 ways ; when ripe of a dark reddish purple colour, and 

 covered with bloom. This is an excellent Grape, and will 

 ripen with Black Hamburgh ; but it requires a good heat 

 when in flower to set its fruit well. It is well worth 

 growing. 



" White Feontignax is fruiting here well.'and is one oi 

 the best white Grapes in cultivation when well grown. I 

 think it should be more cultivated -than it is, for there is 

 none surpassing it in flavour. Bunches long. Berries 

 medium-sized and round, when thoroughly ripe greenish 

 yellow or amber; flesh firm, juicy, very rich, with a fine 

 Muscat flavour. This forces well either in pots or planted 

 out, and will ripen with the Black Hamburgh. It is an 

 abundant bearer, but requires a good bottom heat to ripen 

 it to perfection. 



" Muscat of Alexajndeia. — This is a good Grape, but it 

 requires good treatment to grow it to perfection. Bunches 

 very large and oval, with a fine Muscat flavour. 



" Muscat Ottonel. — Bunches very small but well set. 

 Berries small, skin thick; flesh tender, but not plentiful, 

 having a very strong Muscat flavour. It is an early Grape, 

 will ripen a fortnight before Black Hamburgh, is an abun- 

 dant bearer, and fruits well in pots. We think it is not 

 worth growing for anything but flavour, the berries are so 

 small. 



" Muscat St. Laubent. — Bunches and berries similar to 

 those of Muscat Ottonel ; flesh tender and juicy, with a 

 strong Muscat flavour ; colour pale amber when well ripened. 

 An abundant bearer in pots. It ripens with Muscat Ottonel. 

 The foliage of Muscat St. Laurent is much more indented 

 than that of Muscat Ottonel, which constitutes the only 

 difference we can perceive in the two. [The berries should 

 be roundish oval.] 



" Muscat Hambuegh. — This fine Grape is growing on its 

 own roots here in an inside border, and is carrying some 

 fine bunches. 



"Pukple Constantia. — Bunches long and tapering, with 



