December 6, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



453 



taken tip in the second week in October. The result is seen 

 in the following table. The *' load " is 12 pecks — the peck 

 20 lbs. by weight. The land is situated in North Derby- 

 shire, on the lower measure of the millstone grit. 



Sort set. 



Quar 



tity set. 



Total 



crop. 



Return. 





load. 

 

 

 3 

 I 

 2 



1 

 

 1 

 

 



peck. 

 4 

 6 

 H 



o" 















U 



2~ 



load. 



1 



2 

 20 



9 

 23 



3 

 

 4 

 1 

 1 



peck. 

 1 

 8 



91 



-3 

 11 

 9 



9 

 91 



Hi 



OJ 

 7 



S.25 



Flukes 



5.33 

 G.6 





10.0 





11.87 



Paterson's : 



3.75 

 4.5 





5.0 

 8.0 

 9.5 





9 



7 



69 



9 



7.2S 



N.B.— The seed obtained from Hessrs.Paterson direct. 



Permit me to make a few remarks on these several results. 

 Da the first place, there is a difference between Paterson's 

 Seedlings in the two series as compared together. In the 

 Preseot list the Blue and Bed sorts are far in advance of the 

 Victoria and Napoleon. In the Derbyshire list it is just the 

 reverse. In some trials printed and circulated by Messrs. 

 Paterson themselves the result in this respect agrees with 

 the latter. 



Again, there is great discrepancy between the returns in 

 the two series. In the Preseot experiments the Blue made 

 a return of forty-fourfold. In the Derbyshire Napoleon (the 

 highest) returned but nine-and-a-half-fold, whilst White 

 Bocks and Protestants (local favourites, one originally from 

 Lreland, and the other from Scotland) gave respectively a 

 tenfold and twelvefold return. One cannot help seeing that 

 some error has arisen, probably from the quantity tried 

 being inadequate to a true aggregate. Obviously, the larger 

 the quantity set, the whole crop being carefully weighed, 

 the less likelihood of mistakes unwarily creeping in. In 

 this respect the Derbyshire trials have a great advantage. 

 The Messrs. Paterson took up only a single yard of each 

 sort for comparison. This is wholly unreliable, as a very 

 small error multiplied by the number of yards in an acre 

 would amount to a great sum. That some such mistake 

 has insinuated itself into the Preseot experiments seems 

 certain from this — that the return claimed is altogether 

 incredible. The quantity of seed for an acre at the ordinary 

 distance, with rows 3 feet apart, we see is 32 bushels 2 pecks. 

 A return of forty-fourfold, as given for Paterson's Blues, 

 would amount to 140S bushels, omitting the 2 pecks over, 

 or more than 50 tons ; in value more than ,£204 per acre at 

 3s. the bushel. 



No doubt different Potatoes do better on different soils ; 

 but the only results from experiments of this kind that 

 could be rjositively relied upon would require not only equal 

 weights, but equal numbers of sets, and the larger the area 

 the nearer would be the approximation to absolute truth. — 

 Agbicola. 



[We have the address of the clergyman who favours us 

 with this communication. It is from such comparative ex- 

 periments that truth is obtained, and it was with that object 

 the Preseot experiments were reported to us. " Agbicola " 

 is quite right in his remark that experiments on a large 

 scale are much less liable to error than experiments on a 

 small scale. Soil has much influence over the productive- 

 ness of the Potato, but season and climate much more. It 

 would be very satisfactory to have similar experiments insti- 

 tuted for two or three following years. The past summer 

 was very hot and dry ; would the same varieties give the 

 same results if the summer were cold and wet ? It is very 

 desirable to know which variety will best endure such a 

 season. — Eds.1 



SOMEEFOED PAEK. 



The Eesidesce of Sie Chaeles Shakeelet, Bart. 



This lovely place lies about four miles to the west of 



Congleton, and is about five miles from the railway station. 



The country from Congleton to Somerford is uninteresting, 



and somewhat deficient in undulating scenery; but as I 



passed along the road, I could not but admire the splendid 

 fields of golden corn on either hand. Some had been already 

 cut and carried, while the remainder was ready to succumb 

 to the sickle. 



"We entered the park from the road leading from Con- 

 gleton to Knutsford ; it covers an area of about six hun- 

 dred acres, and contains some noble specimens of timber 

 trees, rearing their stately heads. Extending my rambles 

 across the park in the direction of the gardens, I noticed to 

 the left a beautiful lake, its extent judiciously concealed by 

 bends and curves, and the banks planted with evergreen and 

 deciduous trees. To the right lay the church (sustained at 

 the worthy baronet's expense), encircled with masses of 

 luxuriant green foliage. Arriving at the frame ground, the 

 first things that presented themselves were some very old- 

 fashioned houses. An old greenhouse was filled chiefly with. 

 Fuchsias, Ferns, and Lycopods, the latter two being great 

 favourites with the lady of the house. Against the same 

 wall was a range of Peach-houses and vineries, built sixty or 

 seventy years ago, in the same style of architecture as our 

 forefathers built hothouses. Notwithstanding the age of the 

 Vines there were some good bunches of Grapes, the berries ex- 

 tremely well coloured, perhaps owing to the free ventilation 

 between the numerous small squares of glass. That there 

 had been a good crop of Peaches, and fine fruit, was evident 

 from the remnant left. 



Leaving now the frame ground, and entering the kitchen 

 garden, properly so-called, the first object of interest was 

 two newly-erected viDeries, put up on the newest and 

 most approved principles. The first house I entered was 

 entirely devoted to Muscats ; the Vines, only planted last 

 spring, are at the back and front, and such canes for one 

 year's growth I never saw. The second house had been 

 planted two years longer, the first year the Vines were cut 

 down in the usual way, last year they were allowed to carry 

 two or three bunches, and this year they are bearing eight 

 bunches each. It was the Grapes and flower garden that 

 I more particularly went to see. I had heard a good deal 

 of the latter, and my expectations were more than realised. 

 The front of this house was planted chiefly with Black Ham- 

 burgh Vines, with one Grizzly Frontignan, and one Muscat 

 Hamburgh. On the back wall were White Muscats, Buck- 

 land Sweetwater, Chasselas Musque, and Trentham Black, 

 and they were fruited nearly down to the ground. The 

 Black Hamburghs were extremely fine, and in their culture 

 evidently displayed a great amount of skill on the part of 

 Mr. Silcock, the intelligent head' gardener. Many of the 

 bunches would weigh from 3 lbs. to 4 lbs. each. The berries 

 were well coloured, a very important point in Grape culture, 

 and I have seen but few, if any, to surpass them, either at 

 Keele Hall, or Garston, two of the greatest Grape-growing 

 places in the kingdom. 



We have had many long treatises written on the forma- 

 tion of Vine-borders, so I will just give, in a few words, the 

 composition of those here, which were inside the houses. 

 No doubt when your readers hear of great success attending - 

 the culture of the Vine, or any other plant, they like to 

 know the nature of the material in which the plant thrives 

 so well. After the usual drainage, the borders consist of 

 rich turfy loam, pared from the surface of an old pasture 

 about 2-o inches thick, and allowed to remain in a compact 

 mass previous to use, intermixed with ground bones, and a 

 tolerable quantity of lime rubbish. 



On leaving these houses I proceeded round the kitchen 

 garden, and I noticed that the south wall not occupied by 

 the vineries was covered with Peach and Nectarine trees 

 in full bearing, and carrying a heavy crop. These, as well 

 as all the other wall trees, have only been planted about six 

 years, and yet nearly every inch of the walls was covered 

 with fine healthy timber. The wall with a westerly aspect 

 was planted with Peach and Apricot trees, the latter having 

 borne a nice crop of fruit. On the east wall I noticed some 

 fine Plums of the more choice varieties, while the north 

 wall was furnished with Morello Cherries, and a most mag- 

 nificent crop, such as hardly could be surpassed. 



In the kitchen garden I also observed many cone-shaped 

 Apple trees, near the edges of the garden walks, 6 or 8 feet 

 high, and loaded with beautiful fruit. One small tree of 

 Lord Suffield 3 or 4 feet high arrested my attention, I 

 counted fifteen large Apples upon it, and took the dimen- 



