496 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November so, i88 2 . 
frosty night, was to cover the trees about 4 P.M., so as to husband 
a little warmth, to protect the blossom, and if the night should be 
frosty do not uncover them until between ten and eleven o’clock, 
according to the weather. If, on the other hand, the night has been 
warm, uncover as soon in the morning as possible.— Or. G. 
ALNWICK SEEDLING GRAPE. 
When Mr. Bell sent out this Grape I remember, in explaining 
its character to myself, that his words were—“ Without artificial 
fertilisation it will not set a berry.” Since then the columns of 
this Journal have many times explained this failing. Regarding 
the value of the Grape, the complaint of Mr. Cooke suggested to 
my mind how much I would like to have had added to my vineries 
for next year’s prospects a house of this Vine well ripened that 
had failed to grow a crop this. For a gentleman’s table I prefer 
the equally well-grown Alicante ; but after this, save the extra 
labour during the blooming period that this Vine requires, I 
think all the advantages are on its side. The Alicante Grape I 
consider to be nearly as good as the Hamburgh at any season, 
and certainly it is much better at this season. The Alnwick 
Seedling to follow up to the period of the Gros Colman—January 
and February—Hike next, but I prefer the flavour of the Alicante, 
or, rather, I prefer it to the rougher pulp of the Alnwick Seedling 
berry. It is free-growing, and it will do better with the Black 
Hamburgh than the Alicante, as it requires about the same heat 
to ripen its wood, and less than it takes to ripen the wood of 
the Alicante. It is a most prolific Vine, seldom showing less than 
three bunches at each eye, and, what is of as much importance, 
during a succession of years on a single rod of, say, 18 feet, it will 
finish quite 5 lbs. more fruit than will the Hamburgh or Alicante, 
and will colour well. Here, during the bloomiDg season, every 
bunch, and no matter what the variety, is dusted with a fox’s 
tail each day at nooD, and no other trouble is ever taken to 
impregnate with other varieties. This year from nine Vines I 
have had an excellent crop well set, the berries of good size, 
and the bunches similar to the one exhibited on my prize stand 
at Edinburgh, which was from a single cane 15 feet long that 
carried twenty bunches. I only know of another Grape that will 
do this, and that is Gros Colman.— Joseph Witherspoon, The 
Vineries, Chester-le-Street. 
ARAUCARIAS. 
( Continued from page 45S .) 
In my previous notes upon the culture of Araucarias (page 456) 
the word “ success ” in the fourth line from the top of the second 
column was misprinted “ suckers,” which gives to the sentence 
an entirely different meaning from what was intended. 
A. Cunninghamii.— As a species not only handsome in itself 
but useful as a stock for some of the others this well merits a 
note, and it might be advantageously grown more generally than 
it is, for it is scarcely less graceful and suitable for decorative 
purposes than A. excelsa, though differing greatly from that in 
appearance. Young plants are raised from seeds either for grow¬ 
ing-on or to serve as stocks ; but it has been stated that the species 
has also been propagated by cuttings of the roots, a method that 
deserves more attention, and which might possibly be applicable to 
others. As with those already mentioned, there is. a good typical 
specimen in the Kew winter garden. It is 25 feet high, having 
the branches four or five in a whorl, slender, with the branchlets 
closely placed, imparting quite a tufted appearance to the branches, 
especially as the lower part near the trunk is apt to become bare. 
The leaves are needle-like or awl-shaped, about half an inch long, 
the old ones dark green and the young ones very fresh bright 
green. Two varieties are in cultivation named glauca and longi- 
folia, which titles sufficiently indicate the distinguishing charac¬ 
ters of the plants. Of the two glauca is the most attractive, the 
glaucous tint of the foliage being well marked. It was introduced 
by Messrs. Loddiges from Moreton Bay, and twenty years ago 
was certificated by the Royal Horticultural Society. 
A. Cunninghamii is known as the Moreton Bay Pine, and in 
Eastern New Holland forms extensive forests, particularly in the 
neighbourhood of Moreton Bay, individual trees having been 
found nearly 200 feet high. Mr. Walter Hill of Brisbane considers 
it “ the most ornamental and useful tree in Queensland,” the 
timber being extensively used in the colony. The wood is said 
to be “strong and durable when kept dry, but soon decays if 
exposed to alternate wet and dry some of it is, however, finely 
grained and takes a high polish. A white resin is produced, quite 
transparent and crystal-like, which often exudes from the trees 
and hangs in icicle-like masses 3 feet long. 
A. excelsa.— The Norfolk Island Pine, as this species is popu¬ 
larly termed, is, next to A. imbricata, the best known in England, 
and is more generally grown in houses for decorative purposes 
than any of them. In its native country it attains a great height, 
frequently exceeding 100 feet ; but probably the largest specimen 
in cultivation is that in the temperate house at Kew, which is 
about 30 feet high or slightly over. It is a fast grower, and the 
distance between the whorls of branches, which are rigidly hori¬ 
zontal, gives the tree a somewhat formal appearance, but in a 
small state this is not so noticeable. The branchlets are slightly 
drooping, the secondary branchlets being closely arranged, 8 or 
9 inches long ; the leaves half an inch long, slender, and curved 
towards the tip of the branches. The typical form is of a peculiar 
green shade, but there is a variegated variety which has whitish 
shoots, not very handsome but distinct. The finest variety is, 
however, that termed Napoleon Baumann, which is distinguished 
by a glaucous tinge, and the habit is also graceful. Still another 
variety, A. excelsa speciosissima, is in cultivation and has the 
reputation of being hardier than the species, having been grown 
out of doors in French gardens. The ordinary type has been 
planted out of doors in Ireland, but without success, as moderate 
frost has killed the specimens. Small plants are occasionally used 
for table decoration, but they are rather too formal in appearance 
for that, and are better suited for the conservatory. 
A. imbricata.— Any formal description of this well-known 
Conifer would be quite superfluous in these pages : a few words 
may be devoted to its history. It is a native of Chili, and accord¬ 
ing to the authority already mentioned (Parlatore) it abounds upon 
the western side of the Andes from latitude 36“ to 48°, or from 
Santiago to south of the island of Chiloe. It was first discovered 
by a Spanish officer, and subsequently by several botanists. But 
what we are principally concerned with is its introduction to 
England, and this we owe to Mr. A. Menzies, who, having accom¬ 
panied Capt. Vancouver to Chili, succeeded in obtaining cones 
and plants, the latter being conveyed to this country in 1876 and 
presented to Sir Joseph Banks. One was planted at Spring Grove, 
Isleworth, and the others at Kew, where the only remaining spe¬ 
cimen of the batch is still living, but not of a very promising 
appearance. This historical tree is near the new range, and not¬ 
withstanding the care taken of it the branches appear to be 
gradually dying. It is about 20 feet high, the spread of branches 
covering a similar space, the lowest whorl being 7 or 8 feet from 
the ground ; the apex has a stunted appearance very different 
from the numerous other healthy examples in the same gardens. 
Had this tree enjoyed a more suitable situation we might have 
expected a considerable advance towards the 100 feet which it is 
said to reach or even exceed in Chili. As it is, the finest speci¬ 
mens in England are as much as 60 feet in height, though some 
of these are considerably younger than the Kew tree. The wood 
of A. imbricata is valued in its native haunts, where also a resin 
it produces is employed for medicinal purposes. 
Several varieties of A. imbricata are grown : one named tenue 
from its more slender habit, another variegata, and a third varie- 
gata aurea. The last-named is said to have been raised at Castle 
Kennedy about a quarter of a century ago, and a few years since 
the original plant was still growing there in fine health and beau¬ 
tifully variegated. The other variegated form, Gordon states, 
originated in Glendinning’s nursery at Turnham Green. 
A. Rulei.— This is a very distinct New Caledonian species 
which requires more heat to ensure its success than the others, 
but when well grown it is very striking. Like the others this 
reaches a height of 100 feet in its native home ; but I have not 
seen any in this country a tenth of that height, in fact it is rather 
scarce. In some of the Australian botanic gardens, however, it is 
said there are several handsome specimens. The branches are in 
whorls of three, the branchlets being arranged in a pinnate-like 
manner. The latter are a foot or more long, the leaves lanceolate, 
curved, half or three-quarter inch long, and very closely set. The 
colour is a rich dark greeD, the habit bold, vigorous, and hand¬ 
some. It is a very striking species, and small specimens in pots 
have a noble and distinct appearance when arranged with Ferns 
or Palms. An unnamed species is grown with this in the Palm 
House at Kew, which appears to be a more slender form of it, 
though equally beautiful, the branchlets having the leaves so short 
and closely pressed that they resemble shoots of the strange little 
Crassula lycopodioides. 
Several other species are known, but some are not yet in culti¬ 
vation, and others are extremely rare.—L. Castle. 
In an article in the Journal of Horticulture of November 16th 
on Araucarias, it is stated that “ plants of Araucaria Bidwilli 
were brought home by Mr. Bidwill in 1842,” and “that one was 
purchased by the Duke of Northumberland for a hundred guineas, 
and the other transferred to Kew, and in the temperate house 
