April 19, 1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 323 
The after culture is simply earthing up in the usual way, and keeping 
down weeds.— John Clark, Brodie Castle, Forres. 
Nairnshire.— 1 . First week in April for all of them. Myatt’s 
Prolific Ashleaf, Yeitch’s Improved Ashleaf, Taylor’s Fortyfold, and 
Snowflake. Soil.—Light. 2. Schoolmaster, Dalmahoys, and Dain- 
tree’s Seedling. 3. Magnum Bonum, Paterson’s Victoria, and Cham¬ 
pion. Manures and Application.—Planted after Cabbages, Peas, Ac., 
which had been well manured the previous year; ground ridged in 
autumn ; a sprinkling of dissolved bones or any other artificial ma¬ 
nure when planted. General Culture.—They are earthed-up when 
planted, kept clear of weeds by hand-weeding, nothing else being 
wanted until they are lifted.— James Maitland, Cawdor Castle. 
Renfrewshire. —1. First to second week in March. Smith’s or 
Coldstream, Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf, and Early Dwarf-top Ashleaf. 
Soil.—Medium for first and second earlies. 2. Second to third week 
in March. *Dalmahoy, Rector of Woodstock, and *White Don 
3. Any time in April when ground will suit. *Regents, *Patersons. 
Victoria, and ♦Scotch Champion. Soil.—Heavy. Manures and Appli¬ 
cation.—The early varieties have no manure save a dressing of leaf 
soil dug in. The second earlies follow the previous Onion crop, with 
a slight dressing of decayed grass and leaves. The late varieties 
have a good dressing of sand spread over the ground, then a coating 
of light manure is dug in. General Culture.—The soil in this neigh¬ 
bourhood is generally heavy, and not very well adapted for growing 
good-flavoured Potatoes. Second earlies and late varieties succeed 
best, especially Victoria and Champion, which are the chief sorts 
grown by farmers here ; they keep long, and often bring good prices. 
—John Methven, Blythswood Gardens. 
Ross-shire. —1. February and March. Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf, 
Myatt’s Prolific Ashleaf, Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, and Oxford Early. 
Soil.—Light. 2. March. Dalmahoy, Rintoul’s Early Don, Walker’s 
Improved Regent, and Fortyfold. Soil.—Medium. 3. March to 
first week of April. *Regent, *Paterson’s Victoria, *Champion, and 
*Magnum Bonum. Manures and Application.—Farm manure in 
whole, or in part supplemented by bone dust or dissolved bones 
applied before planting, either dug or drilled in by the plough. 
General Culture.—The soil is deeply stirred and well broken up by 
spade or plough and grubber, and thoroughly cleared of weeds before 
planting. After the plants push through the ground weeds must be 
kept down by the hoe, and when from 4 to 6 inches high carefully 
earth them up in dry weather. Rotation of cropping and a change 
of seed are both of great consequence to success.— Robert Massie, 
The Gardens, Ardross Castle. 
Roxburghshire. —1. March, first week; Potatoes not cut. Old 
Ashleaf, Myatt’s Prolific Ashleaf, Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, and *Red 
Kidney. Soil.—Light soil, southern or western exposure, so as they 
do not get the morning sun. 2. The last week in March and first 
week in April. *Beauty of Hebron, Schoolmaster, Snowflake, and 
American Breadfruit. Soil.—Medium, clay subsoil. 3. Generally 
about the first week in May in the field. ^Scotch Champion, 
*Magnum Bonum, and Paterson’s Victoria. Soil.—Very heavy soil. 
Manures and Application.—Well-made cowdung mixed with beaver. 
General Culture.—I approve of planting all early Potatoes whole, 
not forced before being planted. The old Ashleaf is my earliest 
out of eight varieties. Red Kidney is the best-cropping early Potato 
that I know. The crop is always enormous.— John Galloway, 
Minto Gardens, Hawick. 
Stirlingshire.—!. 1st of March. Old Ashleaf, Myatt’s Prolific 
Ashleaf, Mona’s Pride, and Coldstream Early. Soil.—Free light 
porous soil, gravel bottom. 2. 15th of March. ^Schoolmaster, Suttons’ 
Flourball, Fortyfold, and Climax. 3. 1st of April. *Magnum Bonum, 
♦Scotch Champion, *Rock, and *Paterson’s Victoria. Manures and 
Application.—Two-year-old leaf soil is employed, covered to the depth 
of about 8 inches, and roughly dug-in about November. Forked 
slightly before planting. The early varieties are planted in drills 
about 3 inches deep. Late and second earlies dibbed in about 5 inches 
deep. General Culture.—Magnum Bonum if allowed 3 feet between 
the rows I consider the heaviest cropper, and with me of first-rate 
quality from November onwards. Fortyfold cannot be surpassed for 
quality, but is subject to disease some seasons, and here it gives good 
crops, the only place I have seen it worth growing. The old Asbleaf 
is the earliest I know of the kidneys, and Coldstream of the round 
kinds.— Thomas Boyd, Callendar Park Gardens. 
1. February if the weather is fine. *Myatt’s Prolific Ashleaf, Old 
Ashleaf Kidney, and *Taylor’s Early Fortyfold. Soil.—Light soil 
well manured. 2. 15th March to the end if the soil is in good order. 
♦Schoolmaster, ♦Drummond’s Prolific, and *Grampian. Soil.—I con¬ 
sider the medium soil is best for Potatoes such as I have recommended 
as second earlies. 3. 27th March, and April about first week. ♦Mag¬ 
num Bonum, *Paterson’s Victoria, and *Reading Hero. Soil.—For 
late varieties I prefer a heavy soil, giving a little lime. Manures and 
Application.—I consider stable manure the best for Potatoes on strong 
soil with a little lime. I have been successful at shows with other 
varieties, which I could not recommend to give a supply for home 
use or market; they only look well on the exhibition table. Those 
I have recommended suit my soil and climate best. My soil is cold, 
and I ridge it in September and apply stable manure.— William 
Murray, Park Hall, Polmont. 
Sutherland shire. —1. Beginning of March. Veitch’s Improved 
Ashleaf, Myatt’s Prolific Ashleaf, Mona’s Pride, and Rivers’ Royal 
Ashleaf. Soil.—Light. 2. Middle of March. *Fortyfold, School¬ 
master, and *Rintoul’s White Don. Soil.—Medium. 3. Beginning 
of April. *Rock, *Regent, and *Paterson’s Victoria. Manures and 
Application.—In old gardens where there is usually much undigested 
manure in the soil I consider it best to plant the Potatoes without 
anything in the way of farmyard manure if the piece of ground has 
been fairly well manured the year previous. Should manure be re¬ 
quired we usually give a dressing of half-decayed leaves, a dusting of 
bone dust, or a dressing of lime, as we think necessary. General 
Culture.—Potatoes are valued here according to their eating qualities, 
and we find none give more satisfaction than the old standard sorts. 
We have tried a good many of the new sorts, but have discarded nine- 
tenths of them. We usually find, that although they look well for 
exhibition purposes, they are not liked when cooked and sent to 
table. Too much attention has of late years been given to the pi o- 
duction of new Potatoes suitable for exhibition purposes only. If 
Fotato raisers would make table qualities the primary consideration, 
and appearance a secondary matter, it would be a great advantage to 
the public, and growers would have less hesitation in investing in the 
purchase of new kinds at fancy prices.—D. Melville, Dunrohin 
Castle Gardens. 
Wigtonshire. —1. February 24th. Myatt’s Prolific Ashleaf, 
♦Mona’s Pride, and Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf. Soil.—Light, high, 
and dry. 2. March, first week. *Covent Garden Perfection, Glou¬ 
cester Kidney, and *Schoolmaster. Soil.—Medium. 3. 1st of April 
and onwards. *Magnum Bonum, *Scotch Champion, and Skerry 
Blue. Soil.—Medium. Manures and Application.—The only manure 
used is from the stable. For late Potatoes a good dressing is given, 
and the ground ridged-up early in autumn, keeping the manure under 
the ridge as much as possible, with the view that the plants may not 
reach it until they have made some progress. For early and mid¬ 
season varieties manure is applied to the previous crop. General 
Culture.—I always plant on the drill or furrow system, and lay the 
sets along, breaking the soil well over them, always keeping the soil 
well hoed, and Potatoes are earthed up twice in the season. The 
early sorts I keep covered with soil as long as possible on account of 
frost, which generally visits us late. This is a large Potato-growing 
district, Magnum Bonum being the favourite variety for market, the 
Champion often being hollow in the centre.— James Day, Galloway 
House, Garliestown. 
ORCHIDS IN FLOWER AT BRENTHAM PARK. 
A description of the Orchids at Brentham Park appeared in 
the Journal some time ago. It is considered the finest collection 
in Scotland. The following were flowering in March Ada 
aurantiaca, several specimens ; Angraecum citratum, Ellisii show¬ 
ing fine spike, sesquipedale ; Cattleya atalanta (?), Triame, and 
Triame alba, one very striking large-flowered variety of the last 
with large purple lip, finely edged, and deep orange-lemon throat; 
Cirrhopetalum picturatum, Coelogyne cristata Lemoniana, C. 
ocellata maxima; Cymbidium pendulum, Cypripedium Boxalli, a 
fine form of dark variety ; Druryi showing flower ; villosum, a fine 
form of ; Warneri showing ; Dendrobium Ainsworthii, D. crassi- 
node Barberianum, Dominianum, D. Farmeri aurea, D. fimbri- 
atum oculatum, D, Findleyanum, D. luteolum, D. primulinum 
giganteum, D. Wardianum, some fine vars ; Lmlia harpophylla, 
several samples ; Lycaste Skinneri, several, including alba (rare); 
Masdevallia Estradas, Harryana, several; ignea, several ; Lindeni, 
several; Shuttleworthii, trochilus ; Maxillaria grandifiora, Mil- 
tonia Warscewiczii, Odontoglossum blandum, very rare ; O. cir- 
rhosum, 0. cordatum, 0. crispum, O.gloriosum, 0. Halli, 0. mem- 
branaceum, 0. nebulosum, O. nevadense, very rare ; 0. Pescatorei, 
O. pulchellum majus, roseum, 0. Rossi majus, O. Sandersianum, 
O. tripudians splendens, 0. triumphans ; Oncidium bicallosum, 
0. Cavendishii, O. cucullatum, O. serratum, O. unguiculatum ; 
Phalsenopsis amabilis, P. grandifiora, P. rosea, P. Schilleriana ; 
Pilumna fragrans ; Vanda lamellata Boxalli, V. suavis (Veitch s 
variety) tricolor (Dalkeith variety), and Zygopetalum intermedium, 
fine variety. 
Vicomtesse Hericart deThury Strawberry.— Your correspon¬ 
dent, Mr. G. Summers, says on page 270 that he finds the above variety 
useless for early forcing. I think he must have taken his runners 
from barren plants, for I have been gathering fine fruit and a good 
crop from my first batch, which have been ready for the last week 
fine fruit weighing If oz., good in colour and flavour. La Grosse 
