November 23 , 1882 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 471 
a few good fruits, and not the least sign of the disease on either 
Cucumber or Melon. 
My opinion is that the disease was introduced with the soil of 
the purchased plants, as I find since that the grower in question 
has lost considerably by it. A friend of mine told me he had 
some plants which suffered in a similar manner, and these were 
procured from the same source. The plants struck from cuttings, 
including the first, are nowin perfect health, and I intend keeping 
them through the winter. 
I may say I have had an abundant supply of fruit up to the 
present, and expect to have a continuous one, and all my plants 
are from the original purchased ones, therefore it is evident the 
disease was introduced with the soil. Whether Mr. Taylor’s 
experience of the disease leads to the same conclusion he will be 
able to judge.—J ohn Gadd. 
THE WASHINGTON APPLE. 
This is not an Apple for everybody, but is submitted to the 
notice of connoisseurs who derive pleasure from growing fruit in 
orchard houses. True, it is not customary to include Apples in 
those structures which are usually devoted to Peaches, 
Nectarines, Pears, Plums, and Cherries ; but is not 
the exclusion of Apples a mistake ? 
The late Mr. Abram Bass of Burton-on-Trent used 
to say that no one could know the true character 
and full excellence of the Apple from outdoor fruit 
in this country, and the beautiful appearance and 
splendid quality of Cox’s Orange Tippin, Kibston 
Pippin, and other choice varieties as grown in his 
orchard house imparted much weight to his opinion. 
The fruit of Washington, a section of which we figure, 
was grown in the manner indicated, and we have no 
hesitation in saying no one could produce similar 
examples without being proud of them. The noble 
appearance of the fruit that was supplied by Mr. 
Bunyard of Maidstone—its large size, faultless shape, 
glossy and bright colour, and especially the melting 
texture of the flesh, the abundant juice and deliciously 
perfumed flavour—was something to be remembered. 
A dish of Apples of this kind would be more prized 
at a royal banquet than the best of Peaches or 
Pears, as these can be had every year from Covent 
Garden, but Apples cannot; yet they might be 
grown in private gardens, and could not be had 
without being prized. Two years ago we had speci¬ 
mens of Washington from Mr. Rivers of Sawbridge- 
worth, which were set in an orchard house, and 
ripened in a pot in the open air, the flavour of which 
was excellent, though the flesh was not so tender 
as in those ripened in an orchard house. These were 
more truly typical of the variety than Mr. Bunyard’s 
specimens, and the following description is from 
one of Mr. Rivers’ fruits Fruit 3 inches wide, and 
the same in height, conical, even, regular, and hand¬ 
some. Skin rich yellow, very much covered with 
broken stripes and mottled with crimson. Eye small 
and closed, set in a plaited and rather deep basin. 
Tube short, funnel-shaped. Stamens basal. Stalk 
nearly an inch long, slender, deeply inserted in a funnel-shaped 
cavity, which is lined with russet. Flesh yellowish, tender, very 
juicy, sweet, and finely flavoured. Cells open ; cell walis elliptic. 
THE ROCKERY IN AUTUMN. 
The flowering season of rockery plants is from the beginning 
of May to the end of June, though flowers ought to be plentiful 
quite to the end of the flower season, and many plants are well 
suited for rockwork, which the autumn frosts find quite at their 
best. Such are several of the St. John’s Worts, especially that 
neatest of late-flowering rock plants Hypericum reptans. This 
plant has much the appearance of our native H. humifusum, but 
has a more compact habit, and is up to the present time covered 
with bright yellow flowers as large as half-crowns. Another 
invaluable plant for autumn is Fragaria indica, the Indian Straw¬ 
berry. I plant this by the side of rough stone steps, and it trails 
down them G feet or more, sending side shoots across the inner 
angles of the steps, the growth being most elegant, and the whole 
plant covered with bright scarlet Strawberries as large as those 
of the Arbutus, and they might di-pute with that shrub the right 
to the name Unedo («»[«ro] edo, I eat one), said to have been 
given by the Romans to the Arbutus because its berries are so 
insipid that no one who tried one wished for another. The berries 
of the Indian Strawberry are luckily equally tasteless, so that 
even the birds do not touch them until hard pressed for food. 
Whether it will stand 30° of frost I do not know, but suckers 
are most easily saved and grow rapidly. 
Polygonum Brunonii is also very bright, and flowers most freely 
in rather dry spots. There is no doubt of its complete hardiness, 
but its relation, P. vaccinifolium, perhaps the prettiest of the 
genus, is liable to be lost in very hard winters. These are now 
at their best, but many other plants are this season either antici¬ 
pating their spring flowering or continuing their summer flower¬ 
ing beyond the usual time. Amongst them are conspicuous the 
double white Lychnis vespertina, Lithospermum prostratum, and 
Erigeron mucronatum, all of which are covered with flowers. 
But the foliage of a well-furnished rockery in autumn is even 
more beautiful than the flowers. I refer particularly to the bright 
green velvety tufts of large masses of mossy Saxifrages of diffe¬ 
rent kinds, allied to, or varieties of, S. csespitosa and S. hypnoides, 
many of which appear more distinct in their present condition 
than when in flower, and now is the time to visit the nurseries 
where good rockeries are to be seen and make a selection fiom 
the growing plants, instead of resorting to the bewildering process 
of trying to make a selection from a hundred names of Saxifrages 
enumerated in the catalogues. In some catalogues the Saxifrages 
are wisely divided into sections according to their habit of growth. 
Of these the London Pride section should not be despised becau e 
that plant is so common. One of the varieties of it. which I grow 
as S. Colvilli, gets as much admiration as any plant I have, being 
especially attractive in winter. 
The glaucous green and neat vigorous look of Euphorbia mjr- 
sinites, the best of the Euphorbias, is now very distinct, and the 
masses of Sibthorpia europrea covering the moist stones with 
tangled shoots resembling miniature light green Ivy are a pleas¬ 
ing contrast to the cushions of Saxifrage. 
A few remarks must be added on the work required on the 
rockery in autumn. Already dwarf alpines of doubtiul hardiness 
have been lifted and potted to pass the winter in a cold frame 
to guard them, not against the frost, which in many cases is their 
best friend, but from the alternations of warm rain and melting 
snow incidental to an English winter. The evergreen alpines 
suffer most, such as the Androsaces, Lychnis Lagascce, and most 
of all Onosma tauricum. Some recommend fixing a piece of 
glass over them in winter so as to exclude the rain but not the 
air. This, however, is very troublesome, and I find that where it 
is not convenient to lift plauts and put them in a frame it is best 
to plant them as much as possible under the shelter of overhang- 
