October 7, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 337 
light place from which frost is excluded. Water should he gradually withheld 
from the plants, and in a short time all the leaves may be shaken off. Only 
sufficient water will then be needed to keep the wood fresh and the principal 
roots from shrivelling, and the plants will be as well under the stage of a green¬ 
house or in a cellar as in a light place until signs of fresh growth are apparent 
in the spring, w r hen light is essential. 
The Hessle Pear (.S'. N., Leicester ).—You have been rightly informed that 
this old variety is one of the most certain, serviceable, and useful of orchard 
Pears. The tree is hardy and a great bearer, and the fruit is well known and 
esteemed in the markets of the midland and northern counties. It is not un¬ 
usual for trees to bear 40 stones of 14 lbs. of fruit, and this sometimes when trees 
of other varieties are comparatively barren. You may safely plant a "tree or 
two ’’ of this Pear in your orchard, and in due time they will give a good return 
for the space they occupy. 
Physalis Alkekengi (N. S .).—The specimens you sent are the fruits of 
the Winter Cherry (Physalis Alkekengi) is a perennial herbaceous plant, often 
found in gardens, producing round red berries like Cherries, having an acidulous, 
slightly bitter, and not unpleasant flavour. They are chiefly recommended as a 
diuretic, but in America they are commonly eaten to quench thirst, and in 
Germany, Switzerland, and Spain they are served at the table as dessert along 
with other fruits. _ The fruit of P. pubescens, a native of North America, is 
eatable, and made into confections. It is now naturalised in Italy, where it is 
cultivated in gardens, and highly esteemed for its sweet acidulous berries. 
The Peaclrblow Potato (.S'. Gibson ).—On some soils and during favour¬ 
able seasons the tubers of this Potato are of excellent quality. Some cultivators 
esteem it the best of the American round varieties. We have known it almost 
or quite equal when cooked to York Regents, and we have also seen the tubers 
close and watery. In this respect it varies almost as much as the Early Rose 
does, and this variety we have seen take the first prize in a competition of 
cooked dishes of all the most esteemed English varieties, while from other soils 
it was not fit to be eaten. As your soil is light, thin, and dry, you may safely 
try the Peachblow. 
Storing Cannas (Suburban). —Some of the strong-growing varieties will 
keep safely in the ground if the surface is covered a foot thick with leaves or 
manure. It is found, however, the safest plan to take up the choice varieties 
and place them under the stages of cool plant houses, sprinkling a little soil 
amongst the roots to prevent them shrivelling. As the plants grow in spring they 
are divided and potted, and. are not only in good condition for planting in May, 
but they can be arranged according to their heights in a bed or border. When 
wintered in the ground they often come up in an irregular manner, some of 
the plants being a foot or more high when others are only a few inches, and 
the effect is then not at all agreeable. 
Measuring Flower Pots (A. Boyle ).—When the diameter of a pot is 
stated by a writer it alludes to the width of the pot measured from the inside 
and just below the rim, as indicated by the letters A A in your diagram. 
Names of Fruit (Peter Marks).— The Plum is Pond’s Seedling. No. 1 
Beurre d’Amanlis ; 2, Beurre Diel. (George Stcailes).— There must have been 
some mistake in packing the fruit in the first instance, which was undoubtedly 
Alfriston, the same as the single fruit now before us. The three fruits sent to 
us this week are Reinette de Canada. (J. Prothero). —1, Gloria Mundi; 2, Hol- 
landbury ; 3, Federal Pearmain ; 4, Alfriston ; 5, Dumelow’s Seedling ; 6, Autumn 
Pearmain ; 7, London Pippin. (J. J. <£S.). —1, MSre de Menage ; 2, Gloria Mundi. 
Names of Plants (Atdermaslon). —Leycesteria formosa. (Flora). —Puli- 
caria dysenterica. (Nil Desperandum). —1, Doodia aspera ; 2, Asplenium fon- 
tanum. (Juno ).—Eupatorium purpureum. (J. B.). —The specimen was very 
much crushed, but it resembles Chysis aurea. (Mrs. B .).—Passiflora kermesina. 
(B. D .).—The succulent plant is Sedum carneum variegatum. The tree is Pyrus 
pinnatifida. (A. F. G .).—Probably a form of Verbascum virgatum. (A. Milne). 
—■ 1, Gasteria verrucosa; 2, Sanseviera zeylanica ; 3, Specimen very small, but 
it resembles Gasteria lastepunctata. (Rosa). —The flowers sent are those of 
Angraecum bilobum, and are very much smaller than A. sesquipedale which 
bears flowers with spurs exceeding a foot in length. (Constant Reader ).—1, 
Aristolochia Sipho; 2, Cedrus atlantica ; 3, Ailanthus glandulosa ; 4, Andromeda 
floribunda. 
■T 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
ROTATIONS FOR CROPPING LIGHT SOILS. 
This is a subject affecting a very extensive portion of the king¬ 
dom, for light soils are not confined to any 'particular county or 
district either in England, Scotland, or Ireland ; and when we 
consider the variations of soil which come under the name of light 
land, and take into account the effect of the climate upon crop¬ 
ping, the importance of the task we have undertaken is at once 
indicated. At the same time it must be understood that systems 
of cropping go a long way towards influencing the mode of 
stocking the land, especially as regards sheep. It is said by 
some farmers that sheep do not pay—that is to say, they do not 
yield a direct profit ;• but there are two ways to view this matter, 
for in case we charge the animals with the cost of their food in 
crops they consume—that is, rent, tithes, rates, labour, tillage, 
manure, &c.—it will not always show a direct profit ; but it must 
be borne in mind that this is the only way of selling our green 
crops, &c., by the amount realised from meat made through their 
consumption, or by animals reared and sold as lean stock. The 
important point, however, next to be considered is the treading 
and manuring the land obtains by sheep, for under the heading 
of “Light Soils” we meet with land which would be absolutely 
sterile if it were not for the firmness contributed by the tread of 
the sheep during their consumption of roots and green crops upon 
the land. Again, it must be further considered that the manure 
left by sheep is almost the only way in which outlying land can 
be advantageously dressed and rendered productive of cereal and 
other crops for sale. We have thought it necessary to make these 
remarks, because in setting out various rotations of cropping the 
advantages of stock may not be directly referred to, but must be 
understood as part of almost any system of cropping connected 
with light land. Artificial manures often fail in their effect upon 
certain soils ; and in the absence of sheep the labour of rendering 
the land firm, although aided by the use of the best implements, 
would be very costly, and even then never equal to the tread of 
the sheep. 
Previous to any remarks upon actual cropping we must allude 
to certain applications upon light land, with the object of consoli¬ 
dating it and rendering it more capable of resisting the action of 
heat and drought; at the same time there is every reason why we 
should avail ourselves of an addition to the land of substances 
which will have a double action—that is to say, both mechani¬ 
cal and chemical. It is a common practice to apply to light 
and blowing sands, as well as thin gravels, a large and liberal 
dressing of clay of the most tenacious kind within reach, so as 
to diminish the cost of cartage ; but the quantity to be used is a 
matter of great consequence, for if we give too heavy a dressing 
it makes the land work unkindly. We cannot therefore recom¬ 
mend more than 12 or 11- yards, or one-horse carlloads per acre, 
for one dressing, preferring to give another dressing at a future 
time rather than a heavy quantity at once. We also recommend 
a liberal dressing of manure salt, fishery salt, or kainit at the 
same time as the clay is applied. There is, however, a better 
dressing than the ordinary yellow, red, or blue clay, which 
usually contains but little chemical qualities besides potash, and 
this varying greatly in degree; we mean the calcareous clay, 
usually compounded of carbonate of lime and clay, and commonly 
called marl. The best marl is generally found in those districts 
where the chalk soils meet the clay. This is the best of all soils 
for the improvement of any light land, but especially where 
sharp white sand or fine gravel prevails. This marl not only 
acts its part in consolidating the land, but improves its chemical 
composition, the latter being as essential as the former. We 
often find these sands and gravels particularly subject to weeds, 
and also unfavourable to healthy vegetation, especially in the 
cultivation of Swedes and Turnips, which are, in the absence of 
chalk or lime in some compound or other, subject to club roots 
and rottenness, and otherwise possessing but little feeding value. 
We have been induced to enlarge upon this part of the subject 
because it is desirable to vary the crops as much as will tend to 
profit, for in those cases where the land will not bear pulse or 
cereal crops it is wise to turn them to account by the growth of 
saleable crops of any variety for which there may be a local 
demand ; therefore by improving the staple and productive powers 
of the soil apart from ordinary manure, we at once widen our 
powers of production by enabling the land to carry a rotation of 
valuable crops, which in its ordinary state it would be useless to 
attempt. There is much land in various parts of the kingdom 
which tradition informs us was originally rabbit warrens. This 
is especially the case in Norfolk and Lincolnshire, and in some 
cases where the home farms possess such soils there is no reason 
why some land may not be again converted into rabbit warrens 
upon the new system, affording not only sport for the proprietor, 
