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JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. [ November 29, 1864. 



juicy, with a rose-water flavour, red near the stone. Eipe in 

 my orchard-house on the 20th of July. 



Canary, ripe July 11th; above the middle size, with a dis- 

 tinct nipple, freestone, flesh yellow, melting, aromatic. Quite 

 a, usual southern Peach. 



Honey, middle sized, freestone, very pointed, like an 

 almond, pale red on the sunny side, peculiar tropical flavour. 

 Eipe July 21st. 



Stump the World, very large, blunt nipple, distinct suture, 

 striped with red on the sunny side, pale red at the stone 

 which parts freely, juicy, delicious flavour. A first-rate 

 Peach ; ripe on the 15th of August, very prolific, and de- 

 serving cultivation. It makes much wood and might succeed 

 on a warm wall. — T. C. Beehatjt, Richmond House, Guernsey. 



•ORCHIDS IN FLOWER IX NOVEMBER, 



Baekeeia Skinneri; Calanthe vestita nivalis, C. vestita 

 flava oculata, C. vestita rubro-oculata ; Cattleya bicolor 

 (three varieties), C. labiata (seven varieties); Ccelogyne 

 agenaria, C. speciosa; Cypripedium barbatum, C. insignis, 

 C Fairrieanura, C. venustum ; Dendrobiumformosumgigan- 

 teum ; Epidendrum vitellinum major ; Ionopsis paniculata 

 major; Loalia anceps, L. anceps (variety), L. Perrinii, L. Per- 

 rinii grandiflora, L. prestans (many varieties) ; Lycaste 

 Skinneri (many varieties); Miltonia Candida, M. Morelliana ; 

 Odontoglossum grande; Oncldium barbatum, O. excavatum, 

 O. oi-nithorhynchurn, O. papilio majus ; Phalaenopsis amabOis, 

 P. grandiflora, P. rosea; Saccolabium violaceum; Sophro- 

 nitis grandiflora, S. cernua; Trichopilia tortilis; Vanda 

 insignis, V. tricolor ; Zygopetalum crinitum cceruleum. 



The above Epidendrum vitellinum majus has been in 

 flower for the last seven months. Laslia anceps variety is very 

 fine, one spike measures 4 feet 6 inches in length, with five 

 flowers on it, each flower measuring 5 J- inches across; one of 

 the Lselia prestans is also very fine, with seven spikes on it, 

 some bearing two flowers on one spike. Mr. Eobert Warner, 

 of Broomfield, informs me that it is a very unusual thing to 

 see L. prestans with two flowers on one spike in this country. 

 — Chabi.es KEaiMEET, Gardener to Tlws. Jones, Esu., Mlerslie 

 Yilla, Whalley Range, Manchester. 



IMPROVING OLD VINES. 



Some, perhaps, like myself with only one house for Vines, 

 may be benefited by my experience. 



The house here is a very old one, with two Vines, a Black 

 Hamburgh, and Black Prince, having stems as thick as a 

 man's arm. Eight years ago they bore bunches so small 

 that it made one quite miserable to see them, and my em- 

 ployer said I might try to improve them. 



Being close to the house, and planted in a 12-feet gravel 

 walk, where a border could not be made, I had to remove 

 the gravel and earth to the depth of 15 inches or more 

 without finding a root. Below that the roots were plentiful. 

 I then broke the old earth up with a fork as carefully as 

 possible, to avoid injuring the roots, and had ready a mixture 

 ■of loam, a little well-rotted dung, and a few bushels of inch 

 bones. Turfy loam from Epping Forest was the kind used. 

 Eeading about the same time in your valuable Journal, that 

 some person grew Celery very fine by laying earthenware- 

 pipes under the roots, I thought that was a hint for water- 

 ing my Vines, so I laid rows of pipes amongst the loam with 

 «lbow joints close to the wall, put brickbats around each 

 joint that the water might run out freely, and a lid to the 

 top of each pipe, on which lid we can stand a plant to make 

 all look tidy. I can pour about eighty gallons of weak 

 liquid manure down, put the lid on, and all looks clean. 



After filling the walk with the loam, &c, a little above 

 the level to allow for settling, I put the clean gravel on just 

 sufficient to make all neat. Boiling over that part for two 

 or three years afterwards was like rolling over elastic. 



The Vines did much better in the following season, and 

 every year since then the wood has strengthened, and the 

 bunches and berries increased in size. I have some bunches 

 hanging now more than a foot long well shouldered, and 

 coloured. 



The expense was very little, and quite repaid itself in 



the second season. I tried the walk this summer, and 

 found it quite full of roots ; but with the pipes I can give 

 them all they want without again disturbing the walk. 



Three years ago a friend removed with his master to a 

 new place, where there was a vinery in a very bad state, the 

 bunches few, small, and shanked very badly, the Vines had 

 not been planted more than eight or ten years. He asked 

 my advice, and I told him to carefully take them up and 

 renew the drainage and border in September. He hesitated. 

 I told him it was so stated over and over again in The 



JoTJENAI, OE HOBTICUI/TUEE. 



He had the same loam, bones, &c, all ready as before 

 stated, took the Vines entirely up, covering the roots with 

 damp moss and matting, renewed the drainage and border, 

 carefully planting the Vines, watering the roots, and gently 

 syringing the leaves morning and evening, and made a 

 little fire. One Vine only drooped, and that a Muscat. 



In the following season the wood was short-jointed and 

 promising, but there was not much fruit, but that we could 

 not expect. In the last two years the crops have been very 

 good, both in bunch and berry. He is greatly pleased, and 

 his master well satisfied, so accept the best thanks of my- 

 self and friend for the benefit we have obtained from your 

 valuable Journal, and often when I read I thank you and all 

 vour correspondents for the pleasure and profit I receive. — 

 W. C. 



MESSRS. FRANCIS & ARTHUR DICKSON 

 AND SON'S NURSERIES, CHESTER. 



When I gave a notice of these nurseries some time since, 

 I stated that I had been unable to go over the forest and 

 fruit tree grounds. A friend has, however, supplied the 

 deficiency, and the following brief account will perhaps be 

 interesting to those of your readers who care for such things, 

 for these grounds form one of the most extensive depots 

 for forest stuff, as it is generally termed, in the kingdom. 



" Some eighty to ninety acres of ground are devoted to 

 the cultivation of forest trees alone. In addition to the 

 twelve millions of seedling Larch (not Laurels, as by an 

 error of the press it was made to read), alluded to in The 

 Jouenal of Hokticultttee of October 11th, there are also 

 to be seen from five to six millions of transplanted Larch, 

 varying in height from 18 inches to 4 feet, healthy, vigorous, 

 and clean-grown stuff. Thorns or Quick are grown to an 

 equally large extent, the stock being of very fine quality ; 

 and the same may be said of large quarters of Scotch Fir, 

 Spruce, Spanish Chestnut, the Austrian Pine, also Pinus 

 laricio, both of these last-named trees being very much used 

 in the formation of plantations. They are both very valu- 

 able quick-growing Pines, admirably adapted for exposed 

 situations. Then there are almost endless quarters of Hazel, 

 Black Thorn, Ash, Beech, Birch, Horse Chestnut, Elm, 

 Silver Fir, Hornbeam, Poplars, Sycamore, Willows, &c, 

 offering to planters an extensive range for the selection of 

 their materials that only great establishments like the Upton 

 Nurseries can offer. 



"It would seem that one other especial feature of the 

 out-door nursery work is the production of plants suitable 

 for game coverts, underwood, &c. For these purposes there 

 is annually raised a very large quantity of Berberis aqui- 

 folium, which is much sought alter for the formation of 

 coverts, the berries being excellent food for pheasants, while 

 the rabbits will not bark the plants. For the same pur- 

 pose the Canadian Gooseberry — the stock of which, judging 

 from the catalogues periodically issued by the large nursery 

 firms, seems to be almost exclusively in the hands of the 

 proprietors of the Upton Nurseries — is also extensively 

 grown for coverts ; the fruit, which abounds on the plants, is 

 readily devoured by game, while the plant grows very vigor- 

 ously, and spreads with amazing rapidity. It only requires to 

 be more generally known to be extensively employed for this 

 purpose. For the same end are also grown Black Thorn, 

 Hazel, Hollies, Laurels both Portugal and common, in large 

 quantities, and of all sizes and stages of growth; Ehodo- 

 dendrons, Snowberry, Sweet Briar, Privet, all of a superior 

 character to what are generally seen. Pinus pumilio is also 

 an excellent plant for covers, as it grows very densely, and 

 game are fond of seeking it for shelter. 



" The culture of fruit trees is another especial feature of 



