October 9, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
325 
paste,” says Mr. Eivers ; “ The failure was due to cold and damp when 
the trees were in bloom,” says Mr. Pearson ; “ Fruit trees are too much 
left to themselves (that is, are not cultivated),” says “ C. M.” ; “ The 
fruit fell after the excessive cold weather in April,” says Archambaud. 
“Fruit trees have been laden with the finest blossom year after year, yet 
no fruit has followed ; but stunted trees in orchards and healthy well-fed 
trees in gardens have been alike barren because of severely inclement 
weather in spring, and nothing else.” Who said that ? One who will 
perhaps have no more to say on this subject at present, and who has 
nothing to retract because so well supported, namely — An Old 
Gardener. 
SEASONABLE VEGETABLES. 
Will “ A Kitchen Gardener ” allow me to say a word in reply to his 
note on page 303 ? Whether Brussels Sprouts may be considered in 
season or not in September I will leave to judges in such matters, and 
pass on to where it reads, “ There are very few gardens in which Brussels 
Sprouts are ready, nor is it to be regretted.” With this latter expression 
I beg to differ. Where there is a large family to supply and Sprouts not 
well forward, I should rather say it is much to be regretted. Neither, 
perhaps, is it reasonable to suppose that such are quite so rare as “ Kitchen 
Gardener ” would lead us to think ; in fact, the desire to have early Sprouts 
is, I believe, annually increasing, and to have them in readiness for a 
change after the first sharp frost they must be fit, or nearly so, early in 
September; otherwise there must be a sacrifice during the first gatherings, 
such as we often experience with early summer crops.—E. Burton. 
THE PAST EOSE SEASON. 
I daresay “ A. F. M.” is quite equal to defending his suggestion, 
which I endorsed, that in the Bose world “maiden ” plants should give 
place to “ yearling.” “ T. W. G.” discountenances the suggestion ; still, 
I think “ yearling ” plants more correctly describe what we mean. 
For instance, is a Cloth of Gold tree, budded ten years since, but which 
has never bloomed—and this is no hypothetical matter—a “ maiden ” 
plant? if so, it does not describe what “ A. F. M.” meant, that a Rose 
shoot from the bud should in its first year of growth be called a 
“ yearling ” plant. Possibly other varieties, Marechal Niel for instance, 
or Lamarque would very probably the first year of growth not bloom. 
Is such a plant, the second year, still to be called a “ maiden ?” I fancy 
“ T. W. G.” would not call it so. 
I have not discarded Mad. Cusin, but am closely watching, and thus far 
I am disappointed. I hope I may be mistaken. As to Etoile de Lyon it 
is, as “ T. W. G.” remarks, a splendid grower, very strong, and the foliage 
is beautiful, but here the star will not shine, and when she does she is 
inferior to Perle des Jardins in every way. 
In my remarks on Madame Lacharme I do not seem to have made my¬ 
self plain. Supposing I have already freely disbudded a shoot, leaving only 
the best bud ; this progresses, but with me, just as the bloom is beginning 
to show its colour at every joint on the shoot below the bud, fresh buds 
are rapidly pushed on, and the central and older bud appears arrested in 
its growth. Neither does it in my experience greatly improve the central 
originally selected bud to further stop these pushing buds. I take it, but I 
may be very wrong, that when these buds start from the lower part of 
the flower stem there has been already an arrest of sap going to the 
bloom, and the sap is diverted to these buds that have suddenly and 
rapidly started into growth. To cut these away may lose some sap, but 
does not restore the vigorous growth to the original bud. 
A propos of disbudding, perhaps I shall be considered a heretic, but I 
confess I am not certain that all Roses like it, and I have sometimes 
befen disposed to think that they resent the interference. Is there a 
certain stage when this interference is approved of, and the chosen bud 
profits largely, while if this stage is past only a check is given ? From 
my own limited experience the earlier it is done the better. 
“ A. F. M.” praises Belle Lyonnaise. Certainly it has with me this 
year been a most useful and beautiful Rose. It is several years since I 
have grown it, and this year it has well repaid my care ; hitherto it had 
rather disappointed me.—Y, B. A. Z. 
A VISIT TO HAMWOOD. 
At all times there is something worthy of notice to be found at 
Hamwood, Clonee, Meath, the residence of C. W. Hamilton, Esq., the 
flower garden being especially bright with choice flowers of various tints. 
By the approach are some very choice ornamental trees and shrubs of 
great promise, while on the other side are some fine Conifers, amongst 
them being a handsome Araucaria imbricata 45 feet in height and well 
furnished ; a fine Taxodium sempervirens in grand health is also notable. 
The kitchen garden is all that can be desired, well furnished with useful 
vegetables. The herbaceous borders were very attractive, the useful 
Anemone japonica alba being grown extensively. In a frame I noticed a 
new Mimulus, which is about to be tried for bedding purposes, as it is 
almost perpetual-flowering. It will he a good addition to the flower 
garden, as the colour is a deep orange and the plant grows about 3 inches 
in height. In one of the houses I noticed Abutilon Boule de Niege 
planted out, forming handsome bushes and covered with flowers, which 
will be very useful during the winter months. In another house were 
numbers of Gardenias in great health, and the gardener, Mr. Latimer, 
told me he could find flowers on these plants at any time of the year. 
The plants are allowed plenty of root room, being placed in very broad 
pans, though apparently not more than G or 8 inches in depth. The stove 
is filled with u.seful flowering plants, the roof being well furnished with 
Allamandas, Bougainvilleas, Stephanotis, &c., flowering remarkably well. 
Tomatoes occupy another house and have a remarkable crop, they are 
grown in pots.—J. Pithers. 
HELIANTHUS CUCUMERIFOLIUS. 
English gardens have been enriched by many choice and beautiful 
herbaceous plants through Mr. W. Thompson of Ipswich, and the useful 
autumn-flowering Composite, of which an engraving is given in fig. 56, 
■Helianthus cucumerifolius. 
deserves a high position amongst the best of these. In several large 
collections plants of this species have for some weeks been extremely 
attractive, flowering most profusely, and forming dense bushes 3 to 4 feet 
high. The ray florets are of a most brilliant golden yellow, contrasting 
well with the black centre, somewhat like certain Coreopsises or allied 
plants. It is a Texan plant, and received its name from the resemblance 
its leaves bear to those of the Cucumber on a small scale, but according 
to some authors it is merely a variety of H. debilis. As a garden plant 
it deserves every attention, and as plants are readily raised from seed it 
will probably soon become one of the most favourite of the annual 
Sunflowers. 
POMOLOGICAL MEETINGS AT ROUEN. 
The twenty-sixth session of the Socidte Pomologique de France was 
opened at Rouen on the 1st inst., simultaneously with the Exhibition 
of dessert, culinary and cider fruits, projected by the Society Centrale 
d’Horticulture of the department of the Seine Inferieur. Both were held in 
