JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
566 
[ December 22, 1881. 
seat of the Earl of Derby, some twenty years ago, and it has been 
one of my companions ever since ; but I must own I have only 
discovered its merits as a decorative plant for winter within the 
last two or three years. It has always been treated as a plant 
that was useful for affording flowers during winter when we could 
not obtain sufficient of others, or to afford a little variety when 
there was apt to be too much sameness ; but it was never thought 
of great value, and its total loss a few years ago would have 
occasioned little regret. Its great merit, however, is its adapta¬ 
bility for small specimen plants in 6-inch pots, where they grow 
from 15 to 18 inches through and a foot high, producing flowers 
at every tip and from most of the axils. The flowers are nearly 
white ; they have just a tinge of pink in places, which gives them 
when growing the appearance of being blush white throughout. 
They are produced in abundance all through the year, but they 
are most useful in autumn and winter, and it is for these seasons 
that they are grown and recommended. The leaf is smaller and 
the habit better than B. insignis, a beautiful old pink variety 
which everybody should grow, but which I believe is difficult to 
obtain true now, there being spurious forms of it in cultivation. 
I have often observed seedlings of B. Knowsleyana growing where 
plants have stood in the previous year; and although I am not 
sure that I have grown any of these seedlings to flower them, yet 
they are always in appearance so much like the parent that there 
can be no doubt it comes true from seed. I am of opinion that it 
is a distinct species imported by one of the collectors of a former 
Earl of Derby, who used to collect both plants and animals, more 
especially the latter, in large numbers. Knowsley at one time 
was celebrated for its menagerie, but the only remnant of it at the 
time I speak of was an aviary. I often heard the labouring men 
speak of a botanist or collector who used to be allowed to attend 
to some of his own pet plants in the gardens. I forget his name, 
but it was a well-known one. Was it Nuttall? Mr. Barron of 
Chiswick took some cuttings of this Begonia back with him when 
visiting Knowsley, and I have little doubt but that it found its 
way from Chiswick to Kew, where I am glad to see it has been 
thought worthy of a name. 
Its culture is very simple. Cuttings are struck in March or the 
beginning of April, potted into 6-inch pots in such soil as would 
suit Pelargoniums well; they are kept in what may be called cool 
stove temperature— i.e., with a minimum of about 55°, and when 
the pots are filled with roots liquid manure is occasionally sup¬ 
plied, or, what I consider better, they have a teaspoonful of 
Standee’s manure placed on the surface of the soil. This once 
repeated, if care is taken not to wash it over the sides of the pot 
when watering, is sufficient to carry them through the winter.— 
William Taylor. 
SCRAPS ABOUT FRUIT. 
Virgin Winter Apple.—I shall feel greatly obliged if Mr. 
T. C. Antrobus will kindly tell me where the above variety can be 
obtained true to name, either trees or grafting scions.—R obert 
Warner, Broomfield, near Chelmsford, Essex. 
Seckle Pear.— Where did “ Wiltshire Rector ” obtain the 
sample of this Pear which was so “very small and of a vulgar 
sweet taste ?” I very confidently venture to predict that not 
many of your readers will be found to agree with him. In the 
first place, it is not very small under good cultivation. I have seen 
and tasted fruit of it this season in Sussex quite as large as 
Louise Bonne of Jersey, and of most delicious flavour. But 
then, perhaps, it is the very exceptional aromatic richness for 
which it is so famous that offends the delicate palate of “ Wilt¬ 
shire Rector.” If Seckle is to be condemned on the score of 
size, what are we to say about Winter Nelis, Comte de Lamy, 
Z6phirin Gr^goire, or Dana’s Hovey ? all of them in my opinion 
indispensable sorts, and all having small fruit. The crop of 
Seckle was this year a heavy one, so heavy that the unthinned 
fruit was doubtless small and probably of inferior flavour; but 
is the result of such practice to be used to assail the high cha¬ 
racter of a fruit of such world-wide repute ?—E. L. 0. 
Select Apples. —Recently I had the pleasure of examining in 
a nursery in Essex a number of Apple trees in full bearing. I 
append a list of the sorts I thought worthy of cultivation as 
standards or pyramids—Tower of Glammis, the most extra¬ 
ordinary fruit I ever saw. Two years since in Covent Garden 
Market 6d. each was the price of them. Winter Majetin is every¬ 
thing we could desire as a late fruit. Golden Russet, Norfolk 
Stone Pippin, Northern Greening, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Welling¬ 
ton (Dumelow’s Seedling), Lord Suffield, Hawthornden, Manks 
Codlin, Stirling Castle, Nonpareil, Golden Winter Pearmain, 
Winter Pearmain, Blenheim Pippin, London Pippin, Boston 
Russet, Allen’s Everlasting. King of the Pippins and Summer 
Pearmain, two early Apples, were past when I visited the nursery. 
Scotch Firs afford an ornamental as well as useful protection to 
fruit trees in exposed positions.— T. C. Antrobds. 
Red Currants. —This is one of the most prolific of all fruits. 
The Red Dutch is very good, but Raby Castle is much superior 
both in size of bunches and berries, and keeps much longer. We 
had it fit for tarts on bushes in the open throughout October 
without any covering other than ordinary fish nets. White 
Dutch is a good companion variety.— Somerset. 
Bergamotte Esperen Pear. —I find this one of the best late 
Pears, coming into use when most other kinds are over, and with 
care may be kept until spring. All late Pears require to be kept 
cool and not over-dry, or the fruit is apt to shrivel, which spoils 
the juiciness and melting character of the fruit. It is a free and 
certain bearer, succeeding admirably on a west wall on the Pear 
6tock, trained either horizontally or fan-fashion. It succeeds well 
on the Quince, but as a pyramid is not profitable, as the fruit 
in ordinary seasons does not attain to perfection ; indeed it is 
only against a wall that it can be had fine in North Yorkshire.— 
G. Abbey. 
Rivers’ Early Prolific Plum.— There was an omission in 
my previous note about this Plum which I hasten to make good. 
The pyramidal trees are of an average height of 13 feet, and are 
10 feet in diameter at the base. I may add for the benefit of 
those who are unacquainted with this Plum, that its name of Early 
Prolific is faithfully descriptive of its remarkable property of 
earliness and abundance. A really good Plum which is ripe in 
July must command the market, and is a sound investment for 
those who are planting for profit.— A Kentish Grower. 
Black Currants. —Apropos of planting for profit I may 
usefully call attention to the important fact, that in Kent Black 
Currants prove more profitable than any other fruit. The better 
the soil the stronger the growth, the finer the fruit, and the 
heavier the crop. You cannot give them too much manure, and, 
mark this ! you cannot lose money by doing so. But do not dis¬ 
turb the roots of thoroughly established bushes. Surface-dressing 
is the best way to apply manure, and if you have plenty of 
sewage pour it about among them frequently, and you will have 
plenty of sturdy shoots from the ground, and a constant renewal 
of youth and vigour.—K. G. 
The Best Twelve Pears.— Beurrd Clairgeau invariably affords 
me some fruit, and usually bears a full crop. This year it was a 
heavy one, and the fruit was remarkable for its beauty of both 
form and colour ; but it was so poor in flavour, and really good 
Pears were so abundant, that not a dish was used for dessert. 
Doyenn4 Boussoch, too, was very fine and plentiful, but it was 
only used for stewing. It bears such noble fruit that I always 
regret its invariable poverty of flavour. Were I to select a second 
best twelve for dessert, neither of these Pears would be included 
therein. I very confidently venture to assert that had “W. J. M.” 
and his co-judges tasted Beurrfi Clairgeau and compared it with, 
say, Fondante d’Automne, they would not have come to a decision 
so erroneous and so misleading. I may add that the soil here is 
so largely impregnated with iron that the fruit of Beurre Clairgeau 
is always very highly coloured, and is so beautiful that I once 
took some of it to Dr. Hogg, who much admired its brilliant ap¬ 
pearance, but made no remark about flavour, nor was I surprised, 
for what saith the “ Fruit Manual ? ” “A handsome and showy 
Pear ; ripe in November. Its appearance is its greatest recom¬ 
mendation.”— Sussex. 
GOLDFUSSIA ISOPHYLLA. 
This plant is by no means so popular as it deserves to be, and 
for a late autumn and winter-flowering plant none could be more 
useful and ornamental. The colour of the flowers is indeed very 
pleasing, being of a pale lilac. Its uses are numerous, and for 
conservatory decoration, when a rather dry atmosphere is main¬ 
tained, it is a great acquisition. In the case of Goldfussia, as in 
many other plants that belong to Acanthacese, the individual 
flowers are of rather short duration ; but fortunately they do not 
all expand at the same time, and if a little care is exercised to 
remove the decayed flowers the plants will keep in good condition 
