October 9, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
323 
Peach trees, and if your correspondent will ohlige by stating the 
size of his verdant examples, with the length, width, depth, and 
nature of the borders, I will bestow a little more thought on the 
subject in question. _ 
Evidently fruit can be grown on trees in pots, and Colonel 
Turbeville’s gardener is to be complimented on his splendid produc¬ 
tion as represented on page 205 ; but beyond doubt many persons 
fail, and the method is perhaps on the whole more interesting than 
profitable. Incessant attention and hard labour are essential to 
success, and these are not the days when more cats are provided than 
catch mice. Orchard houses should, in my opinion, be provided 
with the means for excluding frost, and the trees should be planted 
out. Then, if well managed, the structures are both enjoyable and 
profitable. Having seen and experienced both failures and successes 
the above is my deliberate thought on this subject. 
Thus far I have been thinking of topics in the issue of the 
18th ult,, and now pass to the following week. I am much obliged 
to Mr. Ward for his supplementary note on Pine culture on page 288. 
I felt that the recommendation of 12-inch pots was open to some 
qualification, and it is courteoiuly afforded. Under the precise 
circumstances described I do not suggest jmur correspondent acts 
unwisely. I have fruited dozens of Pines in l2-inch pots ; but then 
I found as time went on that I had equally good fruit from plants 
in 10-inch pots, and some that were considered very satisfactory 
were from pots 9 inches in diameter. As to the softsoap mixture, 
my reason for preferring 4 ozs. to twice that quantity to a gallon 
of water is that I have found the lesser quantity, with petroleum, 
quite sufficient for destroying scale, and I think your correspondent 
will find it equally effective if he tries it, in which case I presume he 
will not indulge in the larger dose. 
“ Sylvanus ” Avrites interestingly and sensiblj'' about flowers for 
vases OH page 277. The close packing, smooth lurapishness, and the 
incongruity of certain flowers for certain Amses and positions have to 
be avoided now-a-days when flowers seem to have become almost 
necessary adjuncts of w’ell-furnished rooms. It is worthy of note, 
now that the demand for floAvers is so “ alarming ” to the gardeners, 
that the greater the taste exhibited in arrangement the fewer are the 
flowers used for producing an admired effect. 
When flowers are somewhat scarce, or whether they are scarce or 
not, vases may be attractively furnished in great part Avith leafy 
sprays. Dark and richly coloured Coleuses, the pretty marbled leaves 
of Caladium argyrites, the chastely netted Fittonias, silvery Centaureas, 
and striped pendant Panicums tastefully associated need only the 
fewest flowers, merely a few “ touches ” to render them beautiful ; 
and vases thus furnished I have known greatly admired by critics 
who move in the “ highest circles of society.” i think, perhaps, this 
is worth mentioning on the eve of the winter season when there is 
little left in gardens besides Michaelmas Daisies. 
When Mr. Iggulden writes about Tomatoes he is entitled to be 
listened to respectfully. He is known to take great interest in this 
fruit, and is the author of a very useful treatise on its culture. His 
observations on the flavour of Tomatoes appeal to our common sense. 
The fruit is grown to be eaten, and the quality of the varieties 
ought to be a primary test of merit; but the time has scarcely arrived 
for judging them at exhibitions by the palate test, and it is very 
doubtful if it were adopted that it Avould give satisfaction, for the 
simple reason that tastes vary, and so does the flavour of Tomatoes. 
According to my taste the Orangefield and Carter's Greengage are 
the best in qualitjL Mr. Challis, it seems, prefers the “monstrosity” 
President Garfield ; he would consequently award the prize to that 
variety, while I should ignore it. That is an example of the difficulties 
that Avould ai'ise in judging by tasting, and cultivators will have to 
determine the merits of the varieties for themselves, as in Potatoes. 
Nor is judging by appearances as at present conducted at all 
likely to give satisfaction, for no one knows whether to stage smooth 
or corrugated fruits. As a rule the latter have the best chance of 
winning, but there is no certainty that the judges may not prefer 
ribbed examples. Now that Tomatoes are so generally cultivated 
and eaten would it not be as reasonable to offtr prizes for both types 
as to provide them for round and kidney Potatoes ? Perhaps Mr. 
Iggulden will give his views on that point, as I am inclined to think 
the subject is worthy of consideration. By the way, I have no green 
Tomatoes, but a few ripe ones, therefore if your ccrrespondent 
Avould like to know what I think of his “chou-chou pickle” he had 
better send me a “jar " through the Editor. 
A CORRESPONDENT, “ B,” in his notes on vegetables gives a vote to 
Dedham Favourite Tomato for quality, and it is no doubt good ; but 
what is perhaps better worth thinking about is his hint about ripening 
the fruit in a warm temperature. It is exactly what he says. Fruit 
ripened in a temperature of 70° is decidedly superior to that of 
the same variety ripened Avhere the atmosphere is 20° colder ; arid 
ripe cold fruit placed in a warm house for a feAV hours is improved in 
quality. , 
The same correspondent asks if there is a better late Pea than 
Ne Plus Ultra. For use at this season of the year especially I cer¬ 
tainly think it is the best of all. I have tried most of them, and for 
ten years consecutively it is the only Pea that has given a certain 
supply throughout October and into November, weather permitting. 
The best dwarf Pea for late use that I have tried is Hair’s Dwarf 
Mammoth ; but I think the true variety is not easy to purchase, as I 
have had seed from three different sources and found three distinct 
varieties, which I hardly thought satisfactory. Some good old Peas, 
like old varieties of Broccoli, seem, as Mr. Luckhurst says, to get 
“ mixed.” Ne Plus Ultra, hoAvever, fortunately remains true, and it 
is not likely to go out of fashion before I have done thinking. 
I HAVE not convinced “ B ” that a change of seed in Potatoes is 
of no advantage. I have no desire to convince him ; my desire is 
that greater care be taken in the selection and preservation of seed, 
as I know from very careful experiments that the crops would then 
be better. I have had seed of the old Ashleaf from six widely 
separated districts for experimental purposes, and the tubers that had 
been selected from a stock groAvn in the garden for thirty years gave 
the best results. A gentleman of my acquaintance had his stock 
of Myatt’s Prolific from the raiser — I think before the variety 
was placed in commerce, and his crops are still as good as ever ; he 
says he has “ tried changes, but aahII change no more.” The soil may 
be, and perhaps is, particularly suited for “ fiiiishing off ’ Potatoes, 
Those Avho have ground unfavourable for maintaining the pristine 
A’^igour of the stocks Avill of course act accordingly ; but no one can 
err in carefully selecting and stcjring seed tubers. 
It is not often I think about Orchids, or at least express my thoughts 
about them ; but I have had sufficient “ to do ’ with these plants (though 
I have not seen the Mephistophelian Stenia), to knoAV, or think I kuoAV, 
Avhen a writer knows Avhat he is about when describing them and their 
culture. “ J. U. S.” evidently is no stranger to them, but writes like 
a master of his subject. I had to assist in establishing imported 
Orchids collected by the late Mr. Skinner thirty-two^ years ago, and 
we killed or ruined numbers by placing them in a “ high temperature 
before roots were formed,” and in using pots three times larger than 
were needed. Such mistakes are not made now by competent men 
like Mr. Walker and your correspondent, who might with advantage 
give a few more particulars as to the temperature in which Mu 
Bromehead’s Dendrobiums were groAvn so well. “ Annual mean 
temperatures will not do, and I think there must be a mistake some- 
Avhere, as an annual mean of 45° means that the freezing point must 
be approached, if not reached, in winter. 
Thus far I had written—^jotted down what I intended to be my 
last thought this week, Avhen the Journal of the 2nd inst. arrived, 
and I see the explanation is afforded that instead of mean annual, 
mean ” winter ” temperature was intended, which makes the luattei 
quite intelligible. I see something else too, and hardly know wliat to 
think about it. I cannot at the moment satisfy myself^^whether 
“ T. W. G.” is romancing or not in his_ “ gold letters recom¬ 
mendation ; nor whether a “ Non-Believer ’ is serious in his ciiticism. 
At any rate, he is “on my track” in a manner which I can we 
tolerate, and, all being well, 1 will be on h'S another Aveek, I dare 
not trespass further now.—A Thinker. 
TEA KOSES AS ANNUALS. 
I CANNOT lay claim to originality as far as the heading of 
his paper is concerned, but I can safely assert that I had put 
lie idea into a practical shape long before the above title ap- 
leared in print. Of the gi'eat value of Tea Roses there is little 
leed for me to enlarge upon, and I will merely repea.t that 1 
lonsider them in every way of much greater value than the 
dybrid Perpetuals. It is true that as yet they are far behind 
he latter in point of richness of colour, and as a rule the blooms 
ire also much smaller: but they are perpetual bloomers, can be 
lad in bloom all the year round, are most pleasingly scented, 
ind in some cases yield valuable buds, while the fully expamded 
ilooms of others last longer in a cut state than do most of the 
lybrid Perpetuals. Of the Hybrid Teas I sha 1 say nothing at 
iresent, as, although we are growing most of the best oi them 
