170 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 30, 1864. 



rived at after the expenditure of much care and experience 

 for three or four seasons, or by purchase ; and it does not 

 seem to be conducive to the encouragement of the young 



there is now a second crop of bunches, which are setting. 

 Last year it was the same, and the second crop (only a few 

 bunches), ripened thoroughly without fire heat. Is not this 



gardener that such plants should be allowed to bear away^i unusual ? 



the reward season after season, to the exclusion of others of { The vigour of this Vine is extraordinary, and I have great 



less age, not from want of skill on the part of the grower, but 

 simply, as the Americans would say, because the latter were 

 not raised quite soon enough. As the matter now stands, in 

 order to carry out the present utilitarian mode of procedure, 

 in lieu of the employer paying the gardener it ought to be 

 the reverse — the gardener to pay such a per-centage on the 

 amount of his yearly prizes in the ratio of the number of 

 valuable collections placed under his care. 



I have a nice little collection of Camellias and choice Rho- 

 dodendrons, but if an early spring exhibition were started I 

 could not venture to send my plants, when I know that my 

 neighbour, who purchased his collection at the sale of Messrs. 

 Chandler's stock, intends exhibiting his magnificent speci- 

 mens ; and yet all my plants have been grown under my own 

 personal superintendence, whilst the Camellia fancy was 

 never developed in my friend until after he had admired my 

 little plants. 



In the second place, I think that it would be a valuable 

 means of encouragement to appoint judges to visit the re- 

 spective establishments of those desirous of competing, and 

 that prizes should be given to those who could show the 

 neatest and best furnished places, taking into consideration 

 the means and appliances at command. This would, I t hink , 

 be a far better test of the real talent and skill of a gardener, 

 for I have more than once heard a complaint that the pre- 

 parations for exhibition take up so much time that other 

 branches are neglected. — C. M. Majob, Cromwell House, 

 Croydon. 



ORCHARD-HOUSE EXPERIENCE -ESPERIONE 

 VINE. 



Like many others of your readers I have for some years 

 past found much pleasure, but, I regret to say, little profit 

 in the shape of abundant crops of fruit from the culture of 

 pot trees in an orchard-house. I have failed to obtain any- 

 thing like fair crops ; but I feel quite sure that it is to be 

 done, if one only sets properly to work about it. 



Like your correspondent "A. B.," I visited early in July 

 the nurseries of Mr. Rivers, and, like him, was aghast to see 

 the magnificent crop of Apricots in pots, especially as I 

 last year saw very light crops at Mr. Pearson's, and heard 

 from our mutual friend Mr. Brown, of Lenton, that, though 

 he did so well with Peaches and Nectarines, he could not 

 succeed with Apricots. My visit to Sawbridgeworth con- 

 vinces me that orchard-house trees in pots have in almost 

 every instance been too sparingly supplied with water and 

 rich top-dressing. I have been using wool-dust (the sweep- 

 ings of a woollen mill), saturated with sewage, and I find in 

 the course of a month that the top-dressing is completely 

 netted with the root-fibres. 



I cannot agree with Mr. Brehaut that Peche Abec is a bad 

 cropper. I obtain a good crop, but the flavour is not so good 

 as any others I have. Early York I have had this year superb 

 in size and flavour, but a light crop. Early Crosse Mig- 

 nonne has borne a very good crop ; it is of good flavour, and 

 a most handsome Peach. Salway does not seem to do well. 

 The tree makes very vigorous wood, but the fruit does not 

 swell oif as it should. Walburton Admirable has dropped 

 most of its fruit, and did so last year, though apparently in 

 vigorous health. Of Early Newington Nectarine I have had 

 some magnificent fruit. Yiolette Hative Nectarine is bear- 

 ing a very large crop, not yet ripe, but coming on day by day, 

 and looking most tempting. We have a Peach in this neigh- 

 bourhood which I cannot find in any of the fruit catalogues 

 by name — Cox's Seedling, a very early, delicious Peach, and 

 an enormous cropper. I hope to send you some next year for 

 examination. 



Will some of your correspondents be good enough to give 

 their experience of Esperione Vine as a stock for grafting 

 on or inarching ? In a cool vinery I have a Vine of it that 

 has been planted about eighteen years ; it carries this year 

 seventy bunches averaging 2 lbs. each, which are now 

 colouring. On some of the laterals at the ends of the rods 



difficulty in restraining it. I purpose next year to intro- 

 | duce grafts of a better sort (Muscat Hamburgh), shall I do 

 right ?— M. B., North Devon. 



[The caterpillar found at work on the unripe Peach in the 

 orchard-house was the larva of Mamestra persicarise, and out 

 of place accidentally, the fruit not being its proper food.] 



LIVERPOOL BOTANIC GARDENS. 



In "Doings of the Last Week," I lately alluded to the 

 great beauty of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens last year. 

 I intended a description of them, and Oulton Park, and 

 other places, to have appeared before now, but could not 

 get time for the pen to do what the head and the will wished. 

 I believe that this trying season has much taxed the time 

 and opportunities of many gardeners as well as myself. The 

 ribbon-borders at Oulton, and the artistic arrangement at 

 Liverpool, were exceedingly fine, and grand too, with the 

 rain descending in torrents. Perhaps I may see them again 

 before attempting to do justice to their beauty. 



I believe that whilst human nature is what it is every 

 place will have its own difficulties, whether it be a private 

 or a public establishment. The success, however, of all 

 public establishments of a popular kind (and the Liverpool 

 Botanic eminently combines the scientific and the popular), 

 will greatly depend not merely on the taste and genius but 

 on the agreeable and gentlemanly manner of the super- 

 intendent. It is delightful to find that amid the difficulties 

 of serving such a number of masters Mr. Tyerman has suc- 

 ceeded in securing the esteem of the Corporation, and the 

 respect of the inhabitants generally. Long may he be spared 

 to diffuse a ripening and bettering influence ; for I had oral 

 evidence in various quarters that his efforts were as well 

 appreciated among mechanics, and porters, and cabmen, as 

 among the more genteel classes of society. 



It is so pleasing to find the services of a public officer 

 duly appreciated, that I take the following from the columns 

 of the Liverpool Daily Courier for the ISth of August : — 



" Yesterday, the annual official inspection of the Liverpool 

 public squares and gardens provided for the recreative plea- 

 sures of the inhabitants of this large and populous town 

 took place, and this municipal duty was performed by the 

 committee upon whom the highly interesting work of main- 

 taining the gardens devolved. The committee met at an 

 early part of the afternoon, and commenced their duties 

 with the visitation of the various squares. These include 

 the Great George Square, St. James's Mount, Palkner Square, 

 Abercromby Square, and Sheil Park ; and we have the 

 gratification to state that the committee were highly pleased 

 with the condition of the whole of these public places of 

 resort by the inhabitants of the districts in which they are 

 located. There was a perceptible improvement in all of them, 

 and with regard to the artistic arrangement of the flowers, 

 the utmost credit was reflected upon the Curator. These 

 squares, which so advantageously enlarge the lungs of the 

 borough, and tend so greatly to the promotion of the pleasant 

 recreation of the inhabitants, are a very important feature 

 in the sanitary character of our local government ; and^it is 

 very gratifying to find that they have not only been main- 

 tained in their full force of efficiency, but that an actual im- 

 provement is obvious to the most superficial observer. The 

 principal object of inspection, however, was that popular 

 place of entertainment known as the Botanical Gardens, 

 entrusted to the horticultural skill of Mr. Tyerman. Here 

 the committee arrived in their tour of inspection about five 

 o'clock in the afternoon. They consisted, as usual, of the 

 members of the finance committee, and some other members 

 of the Corporation, who were invited to take part in the 

 inspection; the Mayor and the ex-Mayor (Mr. E. C. Gard- 

 ner), and about a dozen other of the municipal authorities 

 being present; the Rev. H. Higgins, and other gentlemen 

 to whom the invitation was extended, were also amongst 

 the party. 



" The Botanic Gardens, it is well known, are the most 



