JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. . C September 29, 1892, 
dwarf habit, others with bolder habit and more pronounced colouring ; 
Anemones in variety, lighting up the whole length of the border; 
Galtonia (Hyacinthus) candicans with its tall spikes of white flowers ; 
Statices latifolia and Gmelini, always interesting ; the Solidagos with 
their yellow spikes, fit companions for the blue Veronicas ; Tradescantias, 
Hypericums, Phloxes, the lovely little Polygala chamsebuxus, with its 
quaint but delightful fragrance; Colchicum autumnalein clumps,masses 
of flower ; Sedums of almost every variety, and many more plants 
were in full beauty. It is Mr. Foster’s intention to thoroughly over¬ 
haul the borders this season and re-arrange them. It will be time well 
spent both as regards the benefit the plants will derive and as respects 
keeping them correctly named. With the mention of three charming 
beds I must leave the remainder of the many good things I saw at 
Thingwall for another time. As we walked round the pleasure grounds 
a bed filled with Rosa rugosa. having great bunches of beautiful berries 
and many flowers, standing alone, was most attractive. Another bed in 
a nook surrounded by shrubs was filled with Tritoma Uvaria, and a 
little farther on in a similar position was a third with Anemone japonica 
alba. None of these is difficult to grow, and they appeared doubly 
welcome, isolated as they were from all other plants. 
Roby Mount, Roby. 
The most successful Blackberry culture that I have seen in this neigh¬ 
bourhood is to be met with here. A wall adjoining the embankment of the 
L. & N. W. Railway, and too low for cultivating Apples, Pears, Cherries, or 
fruits of that description, had some two years ago a plant of the hedgerow 
Blackberry and one of the Parsley-leaved planted, so as to make a 
covering. Ju9t the ordinary soil was used. Since then they have grown 
with amazing rapidity, and now cover a great many yards of the wall. 
They have been picked over five times up to the present, and the crop is 
enormous, hanging in massive bunches all over the plants. The fruit is 
of the finest description, and likely to keep on ripening until the frosts 
cut it short. The value of a crop like this, especially at thi9 season, 
when Raspberries and other fruits are over, is very great. As cultivated 
at Roby the common variety is both larger in the berry and of much 
better flavour than the Parsley-leaved. It was a happy thought of Mr. 
Eaton to plant the Blackberries, and one which must give the greatest 
satisfaction to his employer, John Parrington, Esq. 
Who would be without Carnations when they can be had in full 
flower in five months from the time of sowing the seed? This was my 
thought when Mr. Eaton pointed out to me a sturdy collection of 
plants of the dwarf Marguerites full of flowers and buds, some of which 
he picked for me, the colours comprising white, salmon, rose, maroon, 
pink, and terra cotta. They are prettily fringed and deliciously scented. 
The seed was sown about the middle of March, and placed in heat. 
When large enough the seedlings were pricked off into boxes filled with 
rich soil. The middle of May saw them placed a foot apart in a south 
border, and in August they were in bloom. For gardeners, nurserymen, 
or cottagers the Marguerite Carnations will prove of inestimable value. 
Cleveley, Allerton. 
If things go on in the future as they are at present we shall soon 
see Cleveley famed for its Lapagerias, which are just now very beautiful. 
Of the three original plants alba and rosea superba occupy the west 
side of the roof of a house for a length of 25 feet, whilst the variety 
rosea, which is very much inferior to the other, is planted in the same 
border, and covers the gable end of the house for a space of 20 feet. To 
stand at one end and view the whole, intermingled as they are, is to 
receive a most refreshing impression. The border in which they are 
planted is underneath the side stage of the house, the soil being com¬ 
posed of peat three parts, charcoal, crocks, and sand. As the growths 
appear they are protected from the attacks of slugs by having Cucumber 
glasses placed over them, wnich are retained until the young shoots 
possess a certain amount of solidity. In the long corridor, which 
is just now gay with Bougainvilleas, Plumbagos, Tropaeolums, and 
Roses on the back wall, and running up to the roof so that the sprays 
hang down gracefully, and the narrow side stage filled with the best 
varieties of Tuberous Begonias, is another newly planted border of 
Lapagerias, many growths being as thick as a good sized cane. The 
cultivation of Blackberries is being taken in hand on a large scale. An 
iron arch many yards long has been fitted up with the Parsley-leaved 
and Wilson, jun., varieties planted on each side. It is filling up rapidly, 
and a very fair crop of fruit is ripe and ripening on the former, but Mr. 
Cromwell fears the latter variety will be too late for this district; 
perhaps in a good season it may do better. 
Huyton and Roby—with Whiston—Horticultural Society. 
At a special meeting of the above Society, held a short time ag >, the 
question of appointing two Judges to judge the cottage gardens, came 
before the meeting, the result being that Mr. R. Pinnington, gardener 
to Mrs. Banner, Blacklow House, Roby, and Mr. T. Eaton, gardener 
to John Parrington, Esq., Roby Mount, Roby, were deputed to under¬ 
take the task, and report to the Committee their decision. At a 
meeting held last Thursday, presided over by G. G. Mus-on, Esq., the 
report was presented, and read by the Chairman. Mr J. Read, Kennel 
Cottages, Whiston, was unanimously awarded first honours for a we.l kept 
garden throughout, Mr. Samuel Davies, the same address, being a very 
good second, and Mrs. Helsby, Roby, third. There were four others 
recommended for their clean and neat appearance, and as an encourage¬ 
ment the Judges recommended that small sums should be awarded to 
them, a suggestion which the Committee readily acted upon. Subscrip¬ 
tions are coming in very freely, and everything points to a most- 
successful Exhibition of Chrysanthemums, fruit, and flowers in the 
Huyton Park Hall on Saturday, November 12th. The Secretary, Mr. J. 
Taaffe, is doing very good work.—R. P. R. 
EPIPHYLLUMS. 
Epiphyllums are charming and exceedingly useful plants, adapted 
for various decorative purposes and positions under glass. They do not 
grow very fast, and are in consequence very serviceable for decorating 
either large or small plant houses. For growing in pots the general 
system adopted for Epiphyllums is to graft them on stocks, Pereskia 
Bleo and P. aculeata being the best and most generally used. Cuttings 
of these strike readily in heat; they should be inserted in very sandy 
soil at any season, and should afterwards be potted and grown until 
they have reached the required height. Good sandy loam to which a 
little brick rubbish has been added will form a very suitable compost 
for them. Grafting is easily performed, as it merely consists in obtaining 
a small branch of Epiphyllum just as the growth commences in the 
spring, afterwards opening the stock at the top or at any part of the 
side that is suffic ently hard, inserting the branch, and passing one of 
the sharp spines from the Pereskia right through to hold all firmly. 
Young plants may also be readily obtained by taking short cuttings, 
inserting them in small pots, and placing them in a propagating frame ; 
but this method is not much practised except for use in baskets or a,ny 
position where they are intended to hang down, the branches being 
unable to support themselves in an upright position when growing, 
owing to the dense trailing or pendent habit. 
It is for decorating the roofs or pillars of houses having an inter¬ 
mediate temperature that I more especially wish to draw attention to 
the Epiphyllums, as there is nothing more effective during the flowering 
season. Pereskia Bleo forms the most suitable stock for this method of 
cultivation, as it is a much stronger grower than P. aculeata. Cuttings 
should be inserted as previously advised, and when roo'ed should be 
potted till they have reached the required height, when they should 
have their leader removed and the grafts inserted as before mentioned. 
When used as a decorative plant for pillars it is advisable to plant two 
stocks at each pillar and. train them round it in an opposite direction to 
each other, as by so doing a much quicker and better effect can be 
procured than by only planting one, in consequence of the Epiphyllum 
being, as I said before, of such a slow growing nature. When grown 
on a roof a charming display may be produced by associating it with 
the Stephanotis. The best way to accomplish this is to train it at 
intervals in an upright position across the Stephanotis, the latter 
making a beautiful background of green to the lovely scarlet of the 
Epiphyllum. It is by no means detrimental to the growth of the 
Stephanotis, and by training the stocks on the under side the Epiphyllums 
hang gracefully down and have a fine effect.—G. PARRANT, Ashby 
St. Legers Lodge , near Rugby. 
CALIFORNIAN PRUNES. 
Some interesting particulars are given by Consul Donoboe of San 
Francisco on the subject of the cultivation of the Prune in California. 
It is to France that California is indebted for this healthful and profit¬ 
able fruit. Louis Pellier, a French sailor, arrived in San Francisco in 
1819, and went to work in the mines in Trinity County. He did not 
succeed well there, and finally removed to San Josd early in the fifties. 
Here he established a nursery. He soon after induced his brother Pierre 
to join him in California, and the two brothers worked the nursery 
together until the spring of 1856, when Pierre returned to France in 
order to marry a girl to whom he was engaged. Combining business 
with pleasure, he secured a large number of cuttings of Prunes, Grapes, 
and other fruits, which he brought back with him on his return. The 
Prune cuttings were procured in the Villa Neuve d’Agen, from whence 
the common Californian Prune derives its name of “ Petite Prune 
d’Agen.” They were carefully packed in a box about 16 inches square 
by 1 feet in length, which was limd with cloth, and every precaution 
was taken to iusme the safe arrival of what has since proved the germ 
of one of the most important industries of California, The importance 
of Pellier’s experiment was not appreciated for about a quarter of a 
century after he began it, but at length the superiority of California as 
a fruit-growing State forcsd itself uoon public attention, and the Prune 
was given a trial. From that time the growth of the industry has been 
phenomenal. 
The Prune, says Consul Donohoe, is a very hardy tree, and will grow 
where the thermometer touches zero. Its favourite habitat, however, 
is a temp rate climate, with a warm generous soil. It is estimated 
that in California, in Santa Clara county alone, when the trees now 
growing sh ill have matured, the annual product will be over 
10 000,000 lbs. of dried fruit. The most extensive single Prune orchard 
in the State is now in the Salinas Valley, in San Luis Obispo county, on 
the eastern slope of the coast range, near the town of Templeton. In 
this orchard there are nearlv 300 acres of Prunes in one body, containing 
321,000 trees. The first Prunes were grafted on Plum stock, but this 
has grown into disfavour on aecouut of the tendency of Plums to throw 
out suckers, and other stocks, the Peach, the Apricot, and, lastly, the 
Myrobalau Plum, have c >me into use. The principal markets for Cali¬ 
fornia Prunes are Chicago and New York. The quantity now consumed 
in the United Sates is enormous. It will be years before the demand 
on the other side of the Atlantic can be supplied, and when that shall 
