130 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 18, 1892. 
able place being one of the great essentials to success. It is a 
small-growing plant, found naturally on the branches of Oak 
trees, and in situations where there is usually a strong current of 
air ; under cultivation, however, we prefer small baskets for this 
plant, for the reason that less attention is necessary than when 
they are grown on blocks of wood. Good drainage is indispensable, 
and the material used should consist of rough fibrous peat and 
living sphagnum moss, with some medium-sued nodules of charcoal 
added. The baskets used should be as small as possible, and the 
plant raised well up on a cone-like mound, in order that the roots 
may ramble over the surface, but care must be taken not to over¬ 
load the roots with soil, as if this falls into a state of decay, the 
roots soon become affected, and the health of the plant will rapidly 
decrease ; should, however, the material get into a bad state, care¬ 
fully remove it, and wash the roots before replacing the plant in 
the basket, but the plant should not be disturbed whilst the roots 
continue in good condition, as it is impatient of removal. During 
the growing season it enjoys an abundant supply of water, and 
hence the necessity of good drainage, whilst at the time of rest it 
should be carefully tended, so that its pseudo-bulbs and leaves may 
be kept in a plump condition. This plant should be suspended 
near the roof-glass, as it enjoys abundance of light and but little 
shade, and unless these conditions are well studied the growth 
does not ripen, and no flowers will be produced. The Mexican 
house is the most suitable structure for its successful cultivation. 
Our illustration was prepared from a plant grown by Mr. W. H. 
Young, gardener to F. Wigan, Esq., Clare Lawn, East Sheen, who 
showed at the Westminster Drill Hall, on May 12th, 1891, a 
vigorous example in a basket, bearing four handsome flowers 
expanded and two buds showing. A cultural commendation was 
deservedly awarded for the specimen. 
OPEN AIR PEACHES. 
As a rule, anonymous critics may indulge in personalities and attacks 
on me to their heart’s delight, but if I make any blunders corrections 
are welcomed from any quarter whatsoever. Nor do I wish to shelter 
myself from any slip of the pen that is made under the plea that the 
printers erred in the matter. If my readers will kindly read the offending 
passage quoted by “ Nous Verrons ” on page 102, thus : “ When the trees 
are in full bearing order ”—the last word being inadvertently omitted 
in my original MS.—very little more need be added. My meaning was 
plain enough, but “ Nous Verrons” thought proper to ignore what was 
written in the last paragraph but one in my article on page 79. 
With reference to my remarks on moving trees when in flower, or 
even when they have shoots on them 6 inches long, with satisfactory 
results, it does not follow I recommend the practice generally. There 
seemed to be no necessity for me to give my reasons for moving trees 
thus late; in fact, the article was quite long enough without them. 
Doubtless those ” old fogies ” for whom “ Nous Verrons ” appears to have 
so much respect could have told the readers of the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture far better than I what it is possible to do with Peach trees, but 
why do they not do it, and not carp at tbe younger men for making a 
good use of their leisure time ?—W. iGGtTLDEN. 
Perhaps Mr. Iggulden will be pleased to know that he is not alone 
in his new ways, as " Nous Verrons ” calls it, of treating Peaches on out¬ 
side walls, and I think the whole of his article on Peaches sound. When 
I took charge here four years ago some of the trees on the walls 
were in indifferent health, and as Peaches and Nectarines are highly 
valued, and expected to be had in quantity, I began to think, it being in 
May, as to the best ways and means to adopt to be successful. No 
indoor Peach is cared for here. I saw that some trees would require root- 
pruning, others removing altogether, so the bold experiment your corre¬ 
spondent has advised was tried. I severed part of the roots of the trees 
making strong growth, and in the autumn did the remainder, of course 
at the same time applying such soil as I thought best to cause fresh 
fibrous roots to issue from the cut-back roots. The best results have 
followed that practice, as will be seen from the following note sent me 
by my employer after receiving some Peaches from the trees operated 
upon the next year :—“ The Peaches arrived in excellent condition, and 
we think them a marvel for outdoor fruits.” 
I have here 150 yards length of walls, from 10 to 14 feet high, devoted 
to Peach and Nectarine culture. The Peaches I find best here are 
Waterloo, Early Beatrice, Hale’s Early, Stirling Castle, Bellegarde 
(Barrington and Dymond), two of the best. Crimson Galande, Royal 
George, Crawford’s Early, Goshawk, Exquisite, Sea Eagle, Violette 
native ; and of Nectarines, Advance, Humboldt, Goldoni, Spencer, 
Pitmaston Orange, Rivers’ Early Orange, Elruge, Dryden, Violette 
native. Pine Apple, and Albert Victor. Lord Napier and Victoria crack 
with me do what I may, so I have discarded them with regret, and grow 
Lord Napier in pots. I fully believe that the outdoor culture of Peaches 
and Nectarines can be successfully accomplished if sorts are carefully 
selected ; and if before planting the border and drainage are properly 
prepared, also by all means try to keep the roots near the surface. I use 
Thomson’s manure, which causes a free but not rank growth. 
Mr. Iggulden’s practice as to getting a young tree or two every year 
is good advice, not only as regards keeping a young stock handy to fill 
vacancies, but it also helps to encourage trade. I bought most of the 
trees here as maidens, and have this year rooted out old trees from 
60 yards in length of wall, made new borders, and replanted young trees, 
four years now from the bud, at 8 feet apart, every other tree to be 
moved or cut out as those to be left extend in growth. I took from 
twelve to eighteen fruits from these trees last year, left on purpose to 
check a too luxuriant growth, which proved satisfactory. If “Nous 
Verrons ” will re-read Mr. Iggulden’s article he will see that he says it 
is advisable to cut one side, and the other in the autumn (not all at one¬ 
time). I should not hesitate, if the case demanded it, to move a tree in 
bloom carefully. It has been done, and^can be done again. 
Mr. Iggulden has many new ideas, and having tried them tells his 
brethren. Let us in the interest of science and good gardening carefully 
test the new ideas, and if found better than the old ones publish them, 
at the same time remembering with the old pioneers who laid the 
foundation of our practice. This is not the day for fads, production is 
the order of the day in most places, and woe to the young man who goes 
in for fads instead of following out his own practical experience.— 
John Chinneey. 
YICIA NARBONENSIS. 
The “ Botanical Magazine ” for the current month gives a coloured, 
plate of a plant possessing considerable interest as the supposed 
progenitor of the cultivated Bean. In referring to this Sir Joseph 
Hooker has the following remarks :—“ The chief interest attaching to 
Vicia narbonensis rests in its having been supposed to be the origin of 
the common Bean (Vicia Faba, Zin7i. ; Faba vulgaris, Moencli.'). For 
this supposition the two weightiest arguments are (1) that the two 
plants belong to, and are the only species of one and the same section of 
Vicia ; and (2) that V. Faba is said to have been found wild within the 
same area as that covered by V. narbonensis, viz., the desert of Mungan, 
in Mazanderan on tbe southern shores of the Caspian Sea, where it was 
collected by Lerche, a Russian traveller, whose specimen is preserved in 
the Herbarium of the St. Petersburgh Botanical Gardens. With regard 
to the first argument, it is much invalidated by the fact of the 
differences in almost every organ of the two species, especially in the 
strongly nerved, usually serrated leaflets of V. narbonensis, with many 
very spreading nerves and strongly reticulate nervules, and its flattened 
pods, which are remarkable for the little bristles with bulbous bases 
along both sutures, and of which bristles I find no traces in the 
cultivated V. Faba. 
“ On the other hand V. narbonensis, which has an immense 
geographical range, in cultivated and virgin soil, from Southern France 
to the Caucasus, and from North Africa to Arabia, Persia, and North 
India, is a variable plant, the stipules being sometimes almost entire, 
the number of leaflets varying from two to eight and from quite entire 
to acutely deeply toothed. Their nervation too varies, though I never 
find the few almost straight nerves of V. Faba, the leaflets of which are 
three-nerved from the base. Then again, though V. Faba was no doubt 
found apparently wild by Lerche, there is no evidence that it was 
indigenous ; and Boissier, whose knowledge of the Oriental Flora was 
unrivalled, expressly says that he never saw it in an indigenous state. 
The only author who expressly claims to have seen V. Faba wild is 
Munby, who includes it in his “ Catalogus Plantarum in Algeria sponte 
nascentium,” as being found at Oran. His specimen is in the Kew 
Herbarium, and ticketed by himself, ‘ Vicia Faba, L., spontanea in 
pascuis argillosis, Figuia, Oran, Maii, 1865,’ but Cosson, whose know¬ 
ledge of Algerian plants ranked with Boissier’s of Oriental, afldrms that 
he has never seen a wild specimen from North Africa. 
“ For some of the above information I am indebted to M. De 
Candolle’s valuable ‘ Origine des Plantes Cultivdes,’ where all the very 
earliest authorities for the history of the cultivated Bean are given, 
together with much interesting information. This author does not 
favour the hypothesis of Vicia narbonensis being the origin of the Bean, 
but rather appears to consider the two plants as generically distinct. 
On the contrary, Bentham, who made the Leguminosee a life-long 
study, says in the “ Genera Plantarum ” (vi. p. 525) that V. Faba only 
differs from narbonensis in the thicker subfleshy or coriaceous pericarp, 
and is perhaps a race of that species produced by cultivation. 
“ The specimen of V. narbonensis figured in the “ Botanical Magazine ” 
was raised from seed by Messrs. Sutton & Co,, the eminent seedsmen, 
and sent by them to Kew for determination in June of last year.” 
SLUGS AND THE FROST. 
It is often supposed that frost destroys the troublesome garden slug, 
but I believe it is more imaginary than real, for if ever frost could 
destroy slugs I should think it ought to have done so this winter. The 
suddenness of the frost, following as it did on a very wet period, gave 
them little opportunity for burrowing into the soil beyond its reach, 
and this fact raised the hope of a possibility of their destruction. Unfor¬ 
tunately, I find they are possessed of a constitution sufficiently vigorous 
to withstand a period of low temperature without any apparent harm. 
While the ground was in a frozen state I could find plenty under the shelter 
of vegetable foliage where they happened to be in close contact with the 
soil, and in cutting small Lettuces from a border directly after the thaw 
commenced I found them quite as healthy as though there had been no 
frost, A small Lettuce in times of sharp weather certainly could not 
provide a very warm shelter, but it evidently proved sufficient. I have 
