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THE FLORIST AND FOMOLOGIST. 



Trusting those who may have tried to grow this Grape, and have not been so success- 

 ful as they should have wished, may yet be tempted to give it a trial, for we have no 

 equal to it in appearance for a Black Grape. The Canon Hall Muscat is its only com- 

 panion as a White. The lati er I seldom fail in having a good crop of, although a bad setter also. 



Having several years ago given a public detail of my system of success in growing the 

 Canon Hall, I do not mean at present to rehearse it unless requested. 



Dalmeny Park. William Melville. 



THE PITCH PINE. 



In your last Number one of your correspondents, " E. S." asks if any of your readers 

 can say from what tree the timber imported from America under the name of Pitch Pine, 

 and said according to authority to be the produce of Pinus rigida, is really obtained. He 

 does not say why he doubts that it is the produce of Pinus rigida, but merely states that 

 " on examination, it is more likely to be obtained from Pinus Coulteri, ponderosa, or Ben- 

 thamiana." As all three come from the north-west coast of America, the length of the voyage 

 round Cape Horn would, we should think, prevent competition in this article with the 

 eastern coast ; and, unless " E. S." gives you his reasons for his supposition, and explains the 

 examination on which it professes to be founded, we are afraid Pmus rigida must still stand 

 father to the Pitch Pine. Allow me also to correct his statement that "■ Pinus Coulteri is not 

 hardy in Britain, while both Benthamiana and ponderosa are perfectly so." As they all three 

 grow together in then- native country, this would seem rather a surprising anomaly ; but if 

 he will take the trouble to pay a visit to the Eoyal Horticultural Society's garden at 

 Chiswick, he will be reassured on the subject. He will there find a fine, large, perfectly- 

 thriving example of P. Coulteri upwards of thirty years old. 



Your correspondent does not seem to be aware that a Scottish Society is now sending 

 out a collector to British Commbia chiefly for the purpose he recommends — of exploring it 

 and introducing new trees and plants ; nor that the chief objection taken to that expedition 

 is, that so much has been done already by private enterprise and the different surveying 

 expeditions, that little remains to reward his labours. Mr. Gordon would, undoubtedly, be 

 a most competent person for such an expedition, but we should recommend " B. S." to 

 accompany him for a different reason. 



" E. S." is more sanguine about the trees on the banks of the Amoor, and on the 

 Bokharan and Cashmerian mountains than we are. The reports we have read and received 

 are probably less favourable than his. 



His last suggestion that the Governor of the Cape shordd take in hand the importation 

 of Tasmanian and Australian timber trees as a commercial speculation is novel ! It may be 

 valuable, but it sounds droll to begin with. 



Pinus Eigida. 



M. ROBERT'S SYSTEM. 



In the December Number of the Florist and Pomologist a correspondent, " Phi," 

 strongly condemns M. Robert's method of renovating old and decaying trees — viz., by decor- 

 tication. He denies the efficacy of the proposed plan on physiological grounds ; and, further, 

 that the Frenchman's nostrum possesses not even the merit of originality. In the latter case 

 your contributor is perfectly right, the proposed scheme or its most salient features being 

 identical with that of Forsyth ; but that it cannot be successful, or, at any rate, partially so, 

 I respectfully demur to. I will, with your permission, state a case in point, and in which the 

 operation was performed by my own hands. I am now an old gardener, but when I was 

 young William Forsyth's receipt was better known and in better odour than at the present 

 day. But, withal, it may be none the worse of being old. I was called on to see what 

 could be done with a number of fruit trees — -Peach, Pear, Plum, and Cherry ; such wretched- 

 looking objects, that most persons would be inclined to send them, without more ado, to the 

 refuse-heap. There was not a branch on any one of them but was rotted and cankered to 

 a fearful extent, the stems back and front in a similar state. They were ugly customers to 

 deal with, and the advanced season (May), left it still more difficult. With the Peaches I 

 determined to have nothing to do — M. Eobert himself could not renovate them. The 

 Cherries I decided to defer, but I took the Pears and Plums in hand outright. I had the 

 branches all removed close to the stem, and then with an instrument which I had specially 

 made for the occasion I commenced the removal of the bark : this was easily enough effected 

 without materially injuring the liber or inner bark, and Forsyth's plaister was applied as 

 quickly as the bark was removed. 



You may believe the poor trees out but a sorry figure after this operation. There they 



