November 8, 1864. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



369 



pauperata, serpyllifolia, tenella, nummularia, neglecta, and 

 quaternata, are all lovely little plants not more than a 

 couple of inches high ; alpina in many varieties all dwarf 

 and trailing, V. gentianoides, a giant in comparison, and 

 many others, are all free-blooming, preferring light soil, and 

 increased by division. Besides these the annual "Veronicas, 

 which are such miserable things for summer flowering when 

 sown in spring, are never seen to advantage unless sown in 

 September, for their time of flowering is in the spring, and 

 they evidently dislike the heat and dryness of summer._ 



Vincas are fine, especially V. herbacea, major, and minor, 

 their foliage being as handsome as their flowers. The double 

 variety of V. minor, which I have not seen for the last ten 

 years, is fine, if it flowers as well as I once saw it in a clump 

 many yards wide under the trees of a plantation. 



With these must be associated the lovely spring Forget- 

 me-not (Myosotis montana). It flourishes in moist soils, 

 and in sunny situations flowers with the Snowdrop and 

 Winter Aconite. It has flowers double the size of the Wood 

 Eorget-me-not (M. sylvatica), and of a brighter blue. It 

 also continues in bloom most of the spring. Division. 



I must again call attention to the lovely Hepatica angu- 

 losa, which has flowers double the size of the single blue 

 Hepatica, of a clear and vivid sky blue. The leaves are 

 five-lobed, and hairy. The flowers are borne on stalks from 

 9 to 12 inches high, and well up above the foliage. 



I must conclude the list of blue flowers with Iris reticulata, 

 which with the first return of spring sends up its dwarf 

 stems in tufts of from 6 to 9 inches high, affording a suc- 

 cession of really beautiful blossoms of a deep, yet brilliant 

 blue purple, with golden orange at the base. It will find its 

 way into every garden, as it is a charming plant for forcing. 

 I. pumila makes pretty groups. It grows 6 inches high, and 

 flowers in April and May, affording a profusion of blue and 

 yellow blooms. — G. Abbey. 



(To be continued.) 



THE GEQUND VINEEY. 



The ground vinery is a great fact and a great success. 

 Mr. Rivers has sent us two bunches of Black Hamburgh 

 Grapes, one taken from a Vine in the open air, and the other 

 from one grown in a ground vinery. The former is a small 

 insignificant bunch, with berries the size of swan-shot, 

 green, hard, and acid ; the latter, part of what appears to 

 have been a good-sized bunch ; the berries large, black as 

 jet, thin-skinned, and deliciously flavoured. In fact they 

 were quite equal to any that could be grown in a vinery. 

 The site and soil of both plants were the same. The bunch 

 of the former hung 9 inches from the ground on a Vine 

 growing in an open border, and a few feet from the ground 

 vinery.; the latter was also 9, 'inches from the ground, but 

 under the ground vinery, and with that protection such 

 great results have been achieved. 



Erom what we have seen in other places these ground 

 vineries will become a necessity in every garden, and must 

 ere long be as common as Sea-kale pots or hand-glasses. A 

 full account of them will be found in Mr. Rivers's " Miniature 

 Fruit Garden." 



Mr. Luckhurst then enumerated a number of Pears suited to 

 the different seasons, interspersing his remarks with some 

 well-timed and practical hints on the different descriptions. 

 The Chairman followed Mr. Luckhurst with a few observa- 

 tions on the same subject, remarking that one of the most 

 popular plans at one time was the "umbrella" system, 

 which had its advantages, being very graceful to the eye. 

 Another was the pyramid system, upon which Mr. Frost 

 made a few practical remarks. A general diafcussion ensued, 

 in which Messrs. Wilmore, Whyman, Davis, Luckhurst, and 

 Frost took part, each one giving his experience in the ma- 

 nagement of the Pear tree. The subject having been fully 

 discussed, the balance-sheet for the year was brought for- 

 ward and read by Mr. Davis, from which it appeared that 

 the Society had been formed one year, during which time 

 its success had been far beyond the expectations of the most 

 sanguine. During the year they had one most successful 

 Show, and the number of members had increased very con- 

 siderably. Notwithstanding the small subscription to the 

 Society, the balance in hand at the present time was .£36 

 13s, 2(J., .£30 8s. 6d. of which was placed in the savings' bank 

 in the name of the trustees of the Society. 



MAIDSTONE GAEDEJSTEES' MUTUAL 

 IMPEOVEMENT ASSOCIATION. 



A genebal meeting of this Society was held at the Rose 

 and Crown Inn on the 12th ult., Mr. J. Robson in the chair. 



As announced at the last meeting, Mr. Luckhurst gave 

 an account of his experience in the cultivation of the Pear, 

 several fine specimens of that delicioas fruit being exhibited. 

 With proper attention, some kinds of Pear trees would last 

 two or three centuries. One of the best plans to adopt, in 

 order to obtain a good and plentiful crop, was to graft the 

 Pear on a quince stock, from which, with good management, 

 some of the finest fruit might be obtained. Mr. Luckhurst 

 then entered into a detailed account as to the best modes of 

 training a tree, each system having its peculiar advantage, 

 one of the principal objects in view being to make the tree 

 look graceful to the eye. One of these modes was the hori- 

 zontal system, which had a pretty effect when well trained. 



ME. EICHAED SMITH'S NUESEEIES, 

 st. John's, tvoecestee. 



These nurseries are situated about a mile and a quarter 

 west of the city. The principal entrance is from the 

 Bransford road, and turning to the left a drive conducts the 

 visitor to Mr. Smith's dwelling and counting-house, the 

 grounds about which are flanked with greenhouses, and laid 

 out with flower-beds on grass, rustic baskets, rockwork, 

 water, &c. The flowers at the time of my visit were being 

 removed, and the beds planted with dwarf plants of the 

 Golden Arbor Vita?, Silver-blotched Ivy, Golden Holly. Irish 

 Tew, Golden-striped Irish Tew, the Heath-like Japan 

 Cypress, which during the winter becomes of a peculiar 

 violet red colour, and is, therefore, particularly desirable for 

 contrast, especially with light green colours ; the Black- 

 leaved Lanrustinus, Silver-striped Periwinkle, Irish Gerse, 

 Golden-striped Periwinkle, Silver Holly with red berries, 

 Aucuba japonica, Cerastium tonientosum, and similar plants, 

 to give variety and contrast to what may be called the 

 winter arrangement of the beds. 



On the lawn are fine examples of Weeping Ash, Weeping 

 Beech, the Japan Arbor Vita?, a dwarf, dense, bushy, and. 

 conical-shaped kind, very desirable for lawn specimens;. 

 Wellingtonia gigantea, Quercus Fordii, Juniperus excelsa . 

 (the tall Juniper), a compact, distinct, and very ornamental 

 pyramidal tree, rather tender, but in sheltered situations: 

 forming a beautiful specimen; Nordmann's Silver Fir, of 

 majestic and symmetrical form, and which is most valuable 

 in landscape gardening, its warm green contrasting well 

 with all the shades of blue and grey; the Himalayan 

 Spruce, the Laurel-leaved Oak, deciduous Cypress, and the 

 Silvery-branched Virginian Cedar, which is a beautiful va- 

 riety of the Red Cedar, with a peculiar whitish appearance, 

 and very useful for contrast, for planting near water, or on 

 rockwork, and as forming a fine cone-shaped tree. Araucaria 

 imbricata, with its deep green foliage, rigid form, and sym- 

 metrical shape, is about 22 feet high. The lower branches 

 from their length and weight, droop gracefully, and resemble 

 snakes partly curled around the trunk, and stretching forth 

 their long slender bodies in search of prey. I also noticed 

 the Frankincense Juniper, symmetrical in form, and having 

 delicate-looking branches, although it is so hardy that no 

 frost will injure it; the large-coned Pine, invaluable for 

 effect in landscape gardening; the green drooping Cedar, a 

 very graceful variety, and as pendulous as a Weeping 

 Willow; and the Pieea nobilis (the noble Silver Fir), pro- 

 perly so named, for this is certainly one of the most majestic 

 and magnificent trees in cultivation. Douglas writing of 

 it says — ■" I spent three weeks in a forest composed of 

 this tree, and day by day could not cease to admire it." 

 One of the specimens here measured 3 feet 9 inches round 

 at 3 feet from the ground, and 33 feet in height. Lambert's 

 Pine, the gigantic Arbor Vita?, the Evergreen Redwood 

 Tree, and Cupressus Lawsoniana, were beautiful specimens.. 

 All of these are natives of California, and perfectly hardy.. 



