288 
CONTEMPORARY WRITINGS. 
many more buds were formed, but they opened 
very indiiferently towards the end of Septem- 
ber ; in October, the plants began to lose 
their leaves. When this was accomplished, 
the tubers were taken out of the cistei-ns, and 
put into small pots as before stated. The 
Neluvibium speciosum, in a glazed pot, with 
similar soil, plunged in leaves in the same pit, 
has flowered well, and ripened seeds, while a 
plant in the pine-stove, although growing 
freely, has not even shown flower. — Letter 
from Mr. C Duff. 
The American Cranberry, — It appears 
from a paper read at the Horticultural Society 
in 1808, that the American Cranberry, the 
Vaccinium macrocarjmm, had for some years 
been cultivated with success at Spring Grove. 
It is necessary to premise, that a spring rises 
in a small grove, within the precincts of 
Spring Grrove, which is no doubt the origin 
of the name ; this spring is carried in leaden 
pipes into the house, to which it affords an 
ample supply; the waste water is suffered to 
run through a small basin and a pond in the 
pleasure-ground, befoi-e it escapes to Small- 
bury Green. In the middle o£ the basin, a 
small island was formed, by supporting a box 
of oak upon posts driven into the bottom ; 
in the centre of this pond, the waste water, 
which used before to issue through a fountain, 
is suffered to flow in the form of a spring, 
which, rising into a large shell of the Chama 
■gigas, perforated for the purpose, imitates 
very well a natural spring, and gives in hot 
weather an appearance of freshness and cool- 
ness, very pleasant to those who walk in the 
garden. The oak box which constituted this 
artificial island, is circular, 22 feet in diameter, 
and 13 inches deep ; the bottom is 5 inches 
under the surface of the water, and bored 
through with many holes ; on this a layer of 
stones and rubbish was first placed, and upon 
that a covering of bog earth, brought from 
Hounslow Heath, which together are 5 inches 
below, and 7 inches above the surface of the 
water of the basin : in this bed of black 
mould, a variety of curious bog plants were 
placed, which flourished in an unusual de^'ree; 
among these was the Vaccinium, which flow- 
ered and ripened its fruit the first year. In 
the autumn of the second year it again pro- 
duced a plentiful crop, and soon after began 
to send out runners somewhat resembling 
those of a strawberry, but longer and rather 
less inclined to take root while young ; they 
did however take root in the winter, and 
early in the spring threw out upright branches 
ten inches and a foot long, on which the 
flowers and fruits were chiefly placed ; the 
produce was this year gathered, and found to 
be high flavoured berricwS, very superior to 
those imported, which have in general been 
gathered unripe, and have become vapid and 
almost tasteless by long soaking in the water in 
which they are packed for carriage. It was 
now determined to consider the American 
Cranberry as an article of kitchen garden 
culture, and to give up the whole of the island 
to it, which in a few years it entirely covered 
by its own runners, without any fresh plants 
being put in. In the year 1805, a bed was 
made on the side of the pond, 20 feet long and 
5| feet broad, by a few stakes driven into the 
bottom parallel to the side, and lined with old 
boards ; the bottom of this was filled up with 
stones and rubbish, and on these a bed of 
black mould, 3 inches above and 7 inches 
below the usual surface of the water, was laid : 
this was planted with Cranberry plants, many 
of them having been rooted in a hot bed, in 
which they throve most vigorously. It is 
remarkable, that during the seven years these 
Cranberries have been cultivated at Spring 
Grove, nothing has arisen, from the variety 
of seasons, from blight, or any other circum- 
stance, that has diminished the quantity of a 
full crop ; the flowers have issued out of their 
buds, in abundance, in their due season, and 
fewer of them have been abortive, than in 
general is the case in other plants. The fruit 
has gradually swelled and duly ripened with- 
out being subject to the attack of any vermin, 
or to injuries of any kind from the excesses 
of heat or cold, or from those of wetness or of 
drought. — Letter of Sir .Joseph Banks, Bart. 
[What has become of the island and the 
cranberries now, we know not ; in all proba- 
bility, the island has gone to the bottom. Those 
who like cranberries, however, may think it 
worth while to try their cultivation, although 
they have been since grown in an American 
bed with success, and without difficulty.] 
Sowing Seeds. — In sowing seed beds for 
a supply of plants of any particular crop, it is 
best to sow enough seed, but not too thickly 
on the ground ; a store of plants is often 
found very useful in garden culture. Recol- 
lect, too, that of quick growing crops a supply 
must be sown frequently, "little and often" 
being a better principle to act on than its con- 
verse. — M. 
Compost for potted Plants. — A mix- 
ture of soils which will be suitable for growing 
the generality of plants, may be prepared 
thus : — To tliree parts of the turf of a loamy 
pasture partially rotted, add one part of turfy 
peat soil, such as heaths are found growing in 
upon our commons, and one part of cow-dung 
or hot-bed manure, in a completely rotted and 
friable condition ; mix these ingredients well 
together, but do not sift them, except for very 
small pots. If the loam is adhesive, add about 
an eighlh part of sharp sand — silver sand is 
gmierally piefencd. — M. 
