November 15, 1S64. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



389 



be glad to know what is the crop of 1S65. I am very glad 

 to see that he manages his Peach trees as regards protection 

 much the same as myself; but I fear our error is a leaning 

 towards overcropping. I do not attribute the loss of his 

 leaves and the non-setting of his fruit to the same causes as 

 he does — quite the contrary. It was not from keeping the 

 sheets on, but probably from having left them off on " mild 

 nights," when the frost caught him napping. In bad 

 weather I leave them on for days and nights together. 

 When will people learn that the leaves of a Peach tree are 

 more tender at their unfolding than even the blossoms ? 



I went this year to review my oldest friend's large garden 

 near here. What did I see ? A capital crop of Peaches pro- 

 tected by tiffany j but the north-east wind and frosts had gone 

 through the tiffany, and blistered the leaves almost to a to- 

 tality. The leaves looked as if a mole had burrowed between 

 the cuticles. These blistered leaves must drop ; what is to 

 become of the tree and fruit till new ones spring up ? The 

 tree, being deprived of lungs at such a time, must suffer in 

 its general health, and the fruit can never be of first-rate 

 quality. Pines, Grapes, Perns are well done at my friend's : 

 the two things wanting there are glass casings and more 

 pumps. In such a large garden, with so many trees, it is of 

 no use to talk of sheeting, which is better than any glass 

 casing for the general health of the trees, unless it can 

 be drawn up and let down by rollers. Where there are only 

 p^ few trees, and where the amateur takes particular interest 

 in them, sheets will (put on at 4 p.m. and taken off at 10 a.m., 

 and only left on in discourteous weather), beat everything. 

 The trees are much more healthy, thus protected, than when 

 permanently stewed under glass. Had I a glass casing I 

 would, in torrid summers, remove every bit of it after the 

 danger is over. The mess made under glass arises chiefly 

 from a want of free circulation of air, and from deficient 

 ■watering. 



In conclusion, I must say that it is not the fault of gar- 

 deners that their Peaches fail ; they cannot do impossibili- 

 ties. A Peach tree is as much an exotic as a Muscat. The 

 Muscat is protected, but the poor Peach tree, blossoms and 

 leaves, is suffered to " rough it." The wood this year is 

 nicely ripened, and the leaves drop fast. I am like Mr. 

 Micawber in the Fleet prison, hoping some good thing will 

 " turn up ! " — W. P. Radclytte, Rushton. 



CULTURE OF THE ALPINE STRAWBERRY. 



Notwithstanding the excellence of the Alpine Straw- 

 berry as a dessert fruit, comparatively little attention has 

 been paid to its cultivation. This is evidenced by the fact, 

 that we too often see it grown in some out-of-the-way place, 

 or trampled under foot, as if kept for the mere sake of 

 having the variety. Consequently, it is no wonder we so 

 often see such small fruit from this valuable Strawberry. 

 Knowing its value, and that its culture should be more 

 cared for, I offer to your readers a few notes on the mode 

 of cultivation I have practised with good results. 



To obtain seed, procure some fine and well-ripened fruit ; 

 bruise it, and spread it over some thick paper for drying. 

 Place it out in some dry airy place, not allowing the damp 

 to affect it; when dry scrape it off from the paper, and 

 store it away till the following March; then sow in pans, 

 just covering the seeds with light soil. Place the pans in 

 gentle heat until the seedlings are up and sufficiently 

 strong ; then gradually harden them off. Never allow the 

 plants to become too dry. When sufficiently hardened, 

 prick them out, in a rich and open piece of ground, in rows 

 9 inches asunder, allowing 4 inches between the plants in 

 the rows. Keep all runners cut off, and give water when 

 required. Nothing more will be wanted but keeping the 

 plants free from weeds during summer, until the following 

 spring, then a piece of ground in an open position must 

 be provided, highly manured, dug, or if well trenched all 

 the better. Choose a fine day for transplanting the plants 

 to their fruiting place — a care that cannot be too strongly 

 recommended for all planting. 



The ground being ready for planting, mark out the rows 

 2 feet apart ; then with a plunging-fork take up the plants, 

 and set them in their new quarters a foot apart in the 

 rows. Neatly finish off the ground, and never allow weeds 



to encroach. Keep all runners cut off during the summer, 

 which will enable the jolants to swell their fruit better. 

 Watering is one of the essentials for the Strawberry, there- 

 fore it must be duly done. Another point is to cover the 

 surface round the plants with some kind of material, such 

 as flints, broken tiles, or slates. I use flints, which not only 

 allow the water to pass more readily to the roots of the 

 plants, but keep the ground near the roots more moist. 



Following the above hints, one may have ripe Alpine 

 Strawberries from the time the other larger kinds have 

 done bearing until the end of October, and often later; and 

 thus the labour bestowed on this Strawberry will be amply 

 compensated, and especially to those who, like myself, have 

 many dishes to make up every evening. — C. P. 



VISITS TO GARDENS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. 



MESSES. F. & A. SMITH, DULWICH. 



As some years had elapsed since I had been able to visit 

 the well-known nursery at Dulwich, I was not sorry of the 

 opportunity afforded me in the month of September of again 

 going through the extensive houses which cover so large a 

 space in this nursery. When I was there before, the nursery 

 was in a transition state. It had formerly been one from 

 which Covent Garden Market had been largely supplied with 

 those plants which are not indeed 



" born to bloom unseen, 

 And waste their sweetness on the desert air ;" 



but are born to die an untimely death, killed by the dust, 

 and dirt, and gas, and fire heat of London rooms. The 

 Messrs. Smith were then getting out of this, and at the 

 present time the houses and pits that used to be filled 

 with such plants are occupied with the choicer and more 

 valuable ones that are comprised in a good nursery stock. 

 The success which has attended their efforts at hybridisation 

 in the many beautiful varieties of Cinerarias, Azaleas, &c, 

 which they have from time to time brought before the public 

 show that they are not novices at such things ; while their 

 magnificent show of Balsams has always been acknowledged 

 as about the finest in the kingdom, and, as I witnessed, 

 there is no retrogression in this department. 



It would be impossible for me to describe (and were I to 

 do so it would be a useless attempt), the whole of the plants 

 contained in this extensive establishment ; and I shall there- 

 fore select a few such salient points as seem to me to espe- 

 cially mark it. Thus their collection of Zonale Geraniums 

 is probably as extensive as any in the kingdom, comprising 

 every variety of home and foreign growth ; while their own 

 establishment has afforded them thousands of seedlings, 

 many of them of great promise, especially amongst those 

 Tricolor variegated ones of which Mrs. Pollock is the type, 

 and on which there is now so great a run. The Messrs. 

 Smith have largely hybridised in this class, and some pf 

 their results are very curious. Selecting one of the plain, 

 yellow-leaved sorts, such as Cloth of Gold, for the mother 

 plant, they have hybridised with some of those broad-zoned 

 varieties of which there is a plentiful assortment, and thus 

 the combination is obtained ; while the bright flame, vary- 

 ing from light pink to brilliant crimson, is found in a 

 large proportion of the issue. In some the marking partakes 

 more of a marbled character, being irregularly disposed over 

 the whole leaf. Then, again, there were plants which were 

 absolutely double, half the plant was green and half varie- 

 gated. Nor was this confined to the leaves only : the stalk 

 was in the same way divided, one half of it being green, the 

 other marked. Whatever may be the cause of variegation, 

 be it disease or not, some light might surely be thrown upon 

 it, by such curious results as these, in the hands of a bo- 

 tanist. Then, again, some plants run up quite green through- 

 out. To the eye of an inexperienced person they would 

 seem to be useless ; but Mr. Smith waits, and strangely 

 enough they break, from the base of the stem very fre- 

 quently, quite variegated. Others again, which show symp- 

 ■toms, very faint it may be, of variegation, when potted into 

 richer soil break into colour. While alluding to this subject 

 I may mention that I have this autumn put in a large 

 quantity of cuttings of Mrs. Pollock, and that I have not 

 lost one. My plan is to put three or four cuttings in a pot, 

 and place them in the sunny part of my little greenhouse. . 



