November 29, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
477 
you many dishes of excellent fruit. These cordons require so little space 
that there would be no necessity for removing them. Here are three good 
Pears suitable for the purpose :—'Williams’ Bon Chretien, Doyennb du 
Comice, and Glou Morqeau. If, however, you prefer flowers, then such 
annual or biennial climbing plants as Tropseolum canariense, Cobrna 
scandens, and Eccremocarpus scaber might be grown while space remained 
for them. 
Planting Vines in a Span-roofed House (J. B.). —The number of Vines 
you may plant in a house 24 feet by 12 feet ought not to be more than G or 
4 feet apart. As your house is a cool one and the Grapes for market, you 
could not do better than confine yourself to Black Hamburgh ; but as you 
ultimately intend to have a flow and return 4-inch hot-water pipe all round 
it may be worth a consideration whether you could not do this at once, and 
in that case we should advise your planting Lady Downe’s and Gros Colman 
Instead of Hamburghs, as late winter Grapes realise a better price than autumn 
Grapes, as these have then to compete with imported produce. The Vines 
should be “ trained up one side the span and down the other,” especially if the 
roof has a sharp pitch, but if rather flat the Vines may be trained from end 
to end on a trellis having the same incline as the roof, and about 18 inches 
from the glass. In laying down the fron£ of the house in grass the Vine 
border should be kept clear, the border not being less in width than 
that .of the house. Grass would not only keep off the sun’s rays and rain, 
but impoverish the soil and prevent the application of surface dressings, 
which are essential to successful practice. The Vines may be planted on 
the east side of the house in preference to the west, but either will answer. 
In planting, the whole of the soil should be shaken from, or preferably 
washed off the roots, these being disentangled and laid out as straight and 
evenly as possible on the surface of the soil, and covered with 4 to 6 inches 
thickness of good mellow loam, and afterwards receiving a good watering 
with tepid water (100°), then mulched with short manure about 3 inches 
thick. The best time to plant Vines is in spring, when they have made a 
growth of an inch or two. If the weather be bright it is well to shade for a 
few days, keeping the house close and moist. Fruiting canes feel the check 
of dis-soiling and laying out the roots more than the smaller planting canes, 
and this has probably led to those planted with balls in your case doing 
better than when all the soil had been removed. 
Planting Peach Trees (John Bradshaw). —We have never seen better 
Peaches than from trees grown in a border 15 inches deep resting on a gravel 
subsoil; but the border was composed mainly of good turfy loam of medium 
texture, and was mulched liberally with manure. You say you have some doubt 
as to whether your soil is suitable for Peach trees, yet omit to say one word as 
to its nature. All we can do, therefore, is to advise you to mix lime rubbish 
and gritty matter with it if it is heavy, and strong loam or clay dried and 
crushed if it is light. The trees may be planted at once, and a good 
covering of manure placed over the roots. You do not state the number 
you require. The following are good varieties for succession, and will 
ripen in a house without fire heat Alexander, Hales’ Early, Rivers’ Early 
York, Gros Mignonne, Royal George, Bellegarde, and Barrington. These 
will probably be as many as you require. If you desire to plant a Nectarine 
or two, Lord Napier (early) and Pine Apple (late) will probably give 
satisfaction. If you can make the border G inches deeper by adding fresh 
loam, or such soil as would grow first-class Potatoes, you will not err by 
doing so. You must be careful, too, not to keep the house too close in 
winter, or the blossom will expand too soon, and be cut off by spring frosts, 
notwithstanding the protection of the glass. We have seen many failures 
in unheated Peach houses, and we always think a well-built house incomplete 
where no provision is made for heating. 
Genera versus Species (TV. B.). —If you read the remarks of “ R. I. L.” 
upon this subject, page 458, you will be able to form some idea of the 
difficulty attending the matter; in fact, it is almost impossible to give a 
definition of a species that is not liable to many exceptions. Botanists 
must have some definite lines to work upon, and therefore when a 
competent and recognised authority describes the characters of a newly- 
found plant that is sufficiently distinct, and bestows upon it a name, 
this name is associated with the characters and accepted as a species. 
If another plant should be subsequently found, or raised from seed, 
closely resembling the other in all essential characters — namely, those 
relating to the fruit and flowers, but differing possibly in some minor 
particulars, such as the colour for example, it would be termed a variety. 
But there the difficulty begins. Many plants are extremely variable when 
raised from seed, and of two so-called species of plants, very nearly 
related, forms may be obtained from each that will seem to form a series 
of links in the chain of relationship until one is reached so exactly inter¬ 
mediate that it is almost impossible to state to which side it belongs. 
A species is really a group of individuals which closely resemble each 
other in certain accepted characters, and amongst these individuals may 
be one differing from the others in some points, and if this is perpetuated 
we get a fixed variety or race. A genus, again, is a group of species 
agreeing in some broader and less variable characters ; tribes, sub-orders, 
and orders being simply still higher and larger groups formed in the same 
way for the sake of classification. The specimen shall be examined. 
Names of Fruit (F. Jones). —1, Bess Pool : 2, Blenheim Pippin ; 3, Hall 
Door ; others not known. (II. C.). —1, Ten Shillings ; 2, Sweeny Nonpareil; 
5, Court of Wick. The others probably local varieties. ( E. J. 0.). —1, a 
grand Apple, but not Cellini. Where did you get it? 2, Kentish Fill- 
basket ; 3, Gloria Mundi; 4, Golden Pearmain ; 5, King of the Pippins. 
( TV. TV. IV.).—1, Minchull Crab ; 2, not Duchess of Oldenburgh : not known ; 
3, Blenheim Pippin ; 4, Stunner Pippin. (J. B. C .).—Pears : 1, Beurre Diel; 
2, Nouveau Poiteau. Apples : 1, Dumelow’s Seedling ; 2 and 3, not known ; 
4, Keddleston Pippin. (J. F. C.). —Golden Noble. ( Thomas Parker). — 
2, Golden Pearmain. 4, Hollandbury. Are not the others local varieties ? 
(B. I. Lynch). —1, Dr. Harvey: 2 and 3, not known. Pears: 1, Seckle : 
2, Beurrh Superfin. 
Names of Plants (G. Long). —As we have previously stated, it is 
impossible for us to undertake the naming of florists’ flowers. There are so 
many of them so closely resembling each other that the names cannot be 
satisfactorily determined without comparing the flowers with others in a 
very large collection. The small-flowered variety is probably Eleonore ; 
the others are much too imperfect for identification without actual com¬ 
parison with other flowers. (T. B .).—The flpwers were much crushed, but 
Brassia resembles B. verrucosa, and the Brassavola is B. venosa. (Ardent 
Reader ).—Such diminutive scraps of plants are totally insufficient. 
COYENT GARDEN MARKET.— November 28st. 
market quiet with fair supplies. No improvement in Kent Cobs. 
FRUIT. 
s. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Apples. 
. £ sieve 
1 
6 
to 4 
0 
Melons ’. 
2 
0 
to 3 
0 
per barrel 
0- 
0 
0 
0 
Nectarines .. .. 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Apricots 
box 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Oranges. 
.. 100 
6 
0 
10 
K 
Chestnuts .. 
bushel 
10 
0 
0 
0 
Peaches. 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Figs . 
dozen 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Fears, kitchen 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Filberts. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
„ dessert 
dozen 
1 
0 
5 
0 
Cobs. 
. per lb. 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Pine Apples English., lb. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Grapes. 
. ..lb. 
1 
0 
3 
0 
Plums and Damsons .. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lemon. 
15 
0 
21 
0 
Strawberries.. .. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Artichokes 
. dozen 
2 
0 
to 4 
0 
Mushrooms .. 
punnet 
i 
0 
to 1 
6 
Beans, Kidney 
100 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Beet, Red 
. dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Onions . 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
3 
Broccoli .. .. 
0 
9 
i 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
3 
0 
4 
0 
Brussels Sprouts 
. £ sieve 
1 
6 
2 
6 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage .. 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Potatoes. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Capsicums 
100 
1 
6 
2 
0 
„ Kidney .. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Carrots .. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Cauliflowers .. 
. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Celery .. .. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Scorzonera 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Coleworts doz 
bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Seakale. 
basket 
2 
S 
2 
9 
Cucumbers .. 
. each 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Shallots. 
.. lb. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Endive .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
8 
Herbs .. .. 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Tomatoes 
.. lb. 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Leeks .. .. 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Turnips. 
bunch 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lettuce .. .. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
ERADICATION OF COUCH, TWITCH, AND OTHER 
WEEDS. 
This is an important operation, not only because it is so 
difficult to accomplish by ordinary tillage, but also in consequence 
of the expenses incurred. Economy must be the basis of all 
operations for freeing the land of couch or twitch grass, but 
also of onion grass, black bent grass, and some others which are 
indigenous to certain soils and climates. There are also some 
weeds which root under ground, and propagate from the roots, 
such as the coltsfoot, one inch of which if left in the land being 
sufficient to propagate and cover a considerable surface. Theie 
are various other weeds well known to practical men under local 
or provincial names; we therefore do not attach any particular 
importance to give the botanical names. These, however, are 
given fully in an excellent essay by Mr. Bravender in the 
“ Journal "of the Royal Agricultural Society of England,” and 
may be distinguished not only by the practical man by provincial 
names, but also by illustrations of the growth and seed heads of 
the various species. This subject, now more than ever, has been 
prominent during the many past wet seasons, and the result o 
serious changes of tenancy and disastrous failures left largf 
acres of arable land in the worst possible state, and covered wite 
couch and weeds oftentimes over the whole extent of what useli 
to be useful corn-producing farms ; it therefore becomes a landd 
lords as well as tenant’s question. 
The couch or white-rooted grass which increases under 
ground as well as on the surface, is peculiar to all those soils of a 
sandy nature. It should be guarded against not only by fal¬ 
lowing at the onset and eradicating in that way. but also by 
arranging such a rotation of cropping as will give not only the 
most frequent opportunities by fallowing, but also of forking out 
at all intervals of cropping, or during the infancy or fall of the 
leaf of such crops as would not be injured by this process. These 
small pieces, though not likely to do any serious injury to the 
present crop, will if allowed to remain become parents of a large 
succession, and in all weather except frost can be removed, and 
thus prevent not only the growth of the white roots by night 
and by day, but also the serious and costly horse labour which 
can only be successfully carried out in the finest of weather at 
certain seasons. We are induced to speak firmly and dec dedly 
upon this subject, having repudiated fallows as the means of 
clearing land and thereby preventing a quick succession of the 
most valuable crops, as we continued to folk out couch for a 
period of thirty years, and under which system no 1 allowing was 
required except an amount of tillage necessary only to promote 
