Sfp'embei 22, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
P,49 
some 1200 to 1400 healthy full-formed bunches of Royal Muscadine, 
Black Hamburgh, Chasselas Musqu4, and other varieties. The Pine 
Apples are in fine condition, and already show prospect of plentiful crop, 
Queens, Smooth Cayennes, Prince Albert, and some others being con¬ 
spicuous. 
Walking over the grounds many attractions meet the eye, not the 
least of these being an avenue of fine free-growing Araucarias, and a 
long walk planted on each side with sundry varieties of forest trees of 
graceful form, greatly admired by visitors,# and in the planting and 
cultivation of which the taste of the late lamented proprietor, E. Pike, 
Esq., is everywhere visible. Sparing no pains or cost in attaining the 
object in view, the most casual observer, as he leisurely strolls through 
the place, must be struck with the success attained.— Visitor. 
GOOD PLUMS. 
In my opinion there is no hardy dessert fruit more pleasing than a 
good Plum. The form and colour of some varieties are very attractive, 
and the beautiful bloom they acquire gives one a good impression of 
their richness. The flavour of the good varieties is excellent, and it is a 
little surprising that Plums are not more grown, especially in small 
gardens. I know many instances where considerable attention is given 
to Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots in the open, and the result almost 
invariably is failure, or very near it, as the fruits are uncertain in 
numbers, and not always well flavoured, but Plums will root freely at 
least two seasons out of every three, and their development and flavour 
is, as a rule, very satisfactory, and very oft in thoroughly so. If the 
SOME NEGLECTED PLANTS. 
To a great extent fashion is to blame for the neglect of old 
favourites. We have only to take a glance through any private 
establishment, either of small or large proportions, and the cry on 
every hand is, “ Our people want such an amount of cut flowers 
now-a-days that we can hardly keep pace with them and so it is 
the occupants of our greenhouses and stoves of years ago were not 
in a great majority of instances adapted for the cut-and-come-again 
practice of to-day. The order of to-day is something that may be 
forced easily and which will yield an abundance of bloom readily. 
Thus it is that the mixed collections of plants so frequent in green¬ 
houses of the past have given way to a more limited number of 
useful plants for the purpose named. But notwithstanding this 
great change and the number of really good plants which have been 
sacrificed in consequence, there is no reason why such should be 
quite lost sight of, and therefore a passing reminder of some may 
not be altogether useless. 
DIPLADENIAS. 
First, then, we will briefly consider one of the most lovely of 
stove climbers, I mean the Dipladenias, and we cannot but wonder 
why these plants are not seen more frequently on the roofs of our 
warmer plant houses. True it is that as specimens on trellises we 
sometimes see them at the leading exhibitions, and even here not 
nearly so frequently as their merits deserve. It is not going too 
far to say of them that they are not equalled by any other stove 
climber, their gaily coloured trumpet-shaped blossoms are almost 
Fig 31.—A JUBILEE CARPET BED. 
same attention were given to protecting Plum blossom and growing the 
trees as is devoted to the Peach trees, the Plum results would be grand, 
and if those who have tried time after time to secure a crop of good 
Peaches, but never succeeded, would root their trees out and introduce 
good Plums, I am sure they would be satisfied with their work. Per¬ 
haps some may not be able to decide to root out a Peach tree, as “ it is 
such a fine specimen,” but although specimen foliage plants are very 
pretty indoors, Peaches and Apricots, with little else hut their wood and 
foliage to recommend them, are not valuable, and no one need hesitate 
to root them out if there is a sure prospect of securing a good crop of 
Plums in their stead. 
A rather heavy calcareous soil always suits them, and good drainage 
is an advantage which should never be lost si ht of. Very free bearing 
sorts are to be commended. Some may think that those which bear 
heavily and annually cannot be very good, but this is a mistake. There 
is not a more prolific Plum in cultivation than the Victoria ; it succeeds 
as a bush, and excels on a wall,' grows to a large size, colours brightly, 
and when well grown is undoubtedly excellent. It is much valued for 
preserving, and is equally acceptable as dessert. Kirke’s Plum is 
generally described as being “ medium size, round, deep purple, juicy, 
sugary, delicious, one of the finest dessert Plums,” and merits every 
word of this description. The Green Gage Plum may be reckoned 
amongst hardy fruits at the same huh standard as Muscat of Alexandria 
is amongst Grapes. It is almost unique amongst high-flavoured fruits. 
Coe's Golden Drop is another grand Plum, and the dark purple De 
Montfort is excellent. Rivers’ Early Favourite should be planted 
everywhere, as it is ready before all others, and Rivers’ Early Prolific 
is equally good, and, if anything, more prolific than the last named. 
As a September Plum Jefferson’s is hard to surpass. Tt is large, oval, 
golden yellow, mottled with red, and deliciously flavoured. Reine 
Claude Violette is very high flavoured, but not very prolific, and the 
following are other good sorts—Purple Gage, Ickworth Impcratricc, 
Lawson’s Golden, Washington, and Prince of Wales.—M. 
unique. They are best treated as pot plants perhaps where their 
wants may receive annual attention. Some growers manage these 
plants remarkably well in pots, and certainly well-grown examples 
are highly creditable, since they require considerable experience to 
bring them to perfection. The white flowered D. boliviensis is 
much more robust than the coloured s) ecies, and is at the same time 
very useful. In the Royal Exotic Nurseries, Birmingham, Mr. 
Spinks, the manager, has a noble example planted out in one of the 
stoves. It makes remarkable growth and produces great numbers 
of flowers. By gradually ripening the shoots in the autumn by 
exposure to sun and giving the plants a complete rest during the 
winter months good flowering wood is guaranteed for the succeeding 
year. They should be potted early in spring and lightly syringed 
once or twice a day according to circumstances, and by being 
afforded plenty of heat they will soon be in active growth, and 
those thus treated will produce abundance of flowers during the 
summer and autumn months. Roughly chopped peat and charcoal 
with plenty of sand is a good compost for them, and a perfect 
drainage is of the highest importance. Careful watering at all 
times is needful to keep them in health, for if once the soil becomes 
overcharged with water—it will soon be seen by the leaves turning 
yellow—the chances are against it unless it be in experienced hands. 
The whole of this group are deserving of much care and attention, 
for they are among the most beautiful of stove climbers. 
GL0RI03AS. 
The Gloriosas are another instance of neglect, and as in the last 
case are very attractive stove climbing plants. Of one species at 
least this may be said with much truth—namely, G. superba. It 
may be grown in an intermediate temperature, or even in a green- 
