302 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 8,1891. 
were growing in his Upi,on grounds. This Fothergill was another 
M.D. partial to flow r ers, and who sent to the Alpine regions at his 
own expense a collector, who brought back many new species, duly 
recorded in the Ilortus ICewensis. His account of the “ Culture and 
Use of Mangold Wurzel, or Root of Scarcity,” appeared in 1787. 
This w r as largely circulated, as were his hints on forming bee 
societies, dated 1796. 
The illustrious Miller, botanist and gardener, died in 1771, after 
many years’ service at the Apothecaries’ Garden, Chelsea. It is 
supposed that in the course of his life he witnessed the introduc¬ 
tion to Biitain of upwards of 4000 new plants, a large number of 
which passed under his hands in the Chelsea establishment. His 
successor in office was Forsyth, who had been his pupil ; he, too, 
was a Scotchman, and left the head gardenersbip at Sion House to 
preside at the Chelsea garden ; subsequently he resigned his post 
there to enter the Royal establishment at Kensington. He wrote 
treatises on the management of fruit trees, recommending a new 
mode of pruning, and on the preservation of Apples and Pears. 
For about twenty years he paid particular attention to any instances 
coming under his notice of forest or fruit trees that were diseased 
or injured, specially the latter ; and he professed to have discovered 
an unfailing remedy, in the form of a plaster or application. In 
1791 Forsyth published an account of his presumed discovery, and 
had there been anything both valuable and original in it he might 
have deserved the thanks of fruit growers, and merited also the 
reward of £1500, conferred upon him by Government. His com¬ 
pound was a mixture of lime rubbish or powdered chalk, wood 
ashes, and sand, all sifted fine, then worked together with a certain 
proportion of fresh cowdung. This application, according to 
Forsyth, not only healed external injuries or disease (I presume he 
would have recommended it for canker) ; but if inserted within 
hollows in trees it produced a growth of new wood which combined 
with the old, and the trees became as vigorous as ever. Such 
extraordinary statements somehow obtained endorsement from 
several botanists or naturalists of that time who ought to have 
known better, and probably a still larger grant would have been 
made him had not Knight, the first President of the Society, 
which afterwards became the Royal Horticultural Society, taken 
up the matter. Of course the controversy became a rather bitter 
one, but Knight made it very plain that others before Forsyth had 
advised a similar application, and that it would not effect what he 
pretended. A son of this gardener—who was not, in the main, 
an ignorant man—became a prominent London seedsman. 
Great attention was given in the reign of George III. to the 
culture of the Pine Apple, English-grown Pines being much in 
request. A proof of this is in the various treatises upon this fruit, 
and also upon the Melon, such as that by Giles, foreman in 
Russell’s nursery at Lewisham, published in 1767 ; and that by 
Taylor, of Devizes, in 1769. Of more general value was a work by 
Spefechly, gardener to the Duke of Portland, entitled “ A Treatise 
on the Culture of the Pine Apple and the Management of the 
Hothouse.” This book contained an important addendum—one of 
the earliest attempts to describe the insects of hothouses, and 
suggestions for checking their increase.— Entomologist. 
GARDENING IN CALIFORNIA. 
Tiie following notes from an old master of mine, a first-class 
English gardener, who has been in Napa, Co. California, for the 
past three years, may possibly interest some of your readers if you 
can afford space for it at this season. “The Phylloxera is playing 
great havoc in the vineyards ; we shall lose about an acre this year. 
Altogether in this county about 6000 acres have been destroyed up 
to date. The resistant stock appears to be the only remedy, 
grafted a foot above ground. By this means it will take seven years 
to get a vineyard re-established. I may say the small vineyardists 
(below 50 acres) are in a poor way just now. Wine is very cheap, 
from 5d. per gallon. I believe in the Raisin counties things are 
better, but the price of labour kills all produce here. Peaches, 
Apricots, Apples, Plums, &c., are very plentiful and cheap ; they 
do not average Id. per pound in bulk. We have over an acre of 
mixed trees. The thinning of the fruit cost £2, and I daresay if 
I tried I could make very little more of the entire crop, although 
close to the town. 
The greater part of our Plums and Prunes were cooked on the 
trees.the 20th of June and following days. The temperature was 
115° in the shade, the hottest on record ; for over a week it was over 
100° daily. We generally have it about 90°, which is comfortable. 
My opinion of fruitgrowing here is unless a man has unlimited 
capital, so that he can “ can ” his fruit and export it, he is better off 
growing Turnips in the old country. I had a grand show of Roses 
this season ; our Rose season is in April. I cut some fine Marechal 
Niels outdoors in March. From June to October the Roses are 
little good here ; they develop too fast, and disappear faster with 
the hot sun. Pelargoniums make fine bedding plants here on a 
north border. We have to pot them for winter ; they will not 
stand the wet in winter, as when it does rain here it comes down 
mightily. We are well advanced in the dry season now ; all herbage 
is dried up unless irrigated. We expect rain in October or November. 
It is a treat to have a foggy morning. In the hot weather I 
thought the end of the world had come ; one could not touch 
iron without gloves on. I forgot to say Grapes always colour well 
here owing to having plenty of hot air by day and cool at nights, 
generally between 50° and 60°. I think Muscat of Alexandria is 
better for being a little higher at nights, as they do not finish so 
well as the Hamburghs with us.” 
From the foregoing notes it would appear that any gardener 
with a small amount of capital intending to embark in fruit 
culture would do better to invest it at home than in America. 
There if he has to employ labour he will have to pay 8s. 4d. per 
day with board, &c., while unless he can export his fruit he will 
not make sufficient of it to pay the rent, much less provide himself 
with the necessaries of life. Good land at a fair rent in any of 
the British Isles should, I think, prove a far more profitable 
investment, particularly if a man is possessed with plenty of 
perseverance and a firm determination to succeed, qualifications 
which most British gardeners are well stocked with.— Handy 
Andy. 
[Is it not a wonder that the “ Old Master,” who fares so ill, 
does not turn into a “ man ” and earn 50s. a week with board, &c. ?] 
PEACHES ON OPEN WALLS. 
This season has again proved the usefulness of Peaches on the 
open wall, but the trees have had the most severe test of hardiness 
through the frost that has been experienced for eleven years. 
Several trees have dead and dying main branches, and a large 
number of the ends of the shoots died back last spring. It was 
not through immaturity of wood, for we have had full crops set, 
and the trees bloomed very freely, but I should think the sap was 
frozen after it had begun flowing freely, and expanding caused a 
rupture in the organs—at any rate, many of the branches have 
died in the old wood. 
Then, again, the stocks of several trees do not grow freely, 
consequently the trees do not make wood large enough to produce 
useful fruit, and they have a stunted looking appearance. 
Inexperienced persons purchasing fruit trees should be very 
particular in selecting clean grown stocks free from knots. Knotty 
stocks do not continue growth many years to px-oduce fruitful 
wood of any use. Nursei’ymen should not send them out. It is 
most discouraging after years of work and everything done that 
can be to be obliged to throw out trees from prominent places. It 
is a waste of time to plant stocks covered thickly with knots. 
I would here direct special attention to Royal George Peach. It 
is, perhaps, the very best Peach to grow in Northumberland 
against an unheated wall. We have several trees, some of them in 
splendid condition, which have produced a crop of fruit during 
many years without a failure, fine coloured richly flavoured useful 
size fruit. I have gathered the last fruit to-day (October 3rd) 
from the open wall of that variety, and the flavour is still good. 
Dr. Hogg and Dymond are also good about the same time. 
Noblesse has done well the last two years, the largest fruit has 
been 9 ozs. Sea Eagle and Prince of Wales are both grand and 
very free fruiters, come in late, and are useful for tarts. Bellegarde 
and Stirling Castle are not good here.— George Harris, The 
Castle Gardens , Alnwick. 
AURICULAS IN SCOTLAND. 
Auricula growers in Scotland this year finished repotting a 
month earlier than usual. My own collection was finished before 
the end of June, although I retain my old opinion that July and 
August are the best months in which to repot. This year 1 have 
discarded the glazed pots, as I have found the plants do rot like 
so much continuous moisture as they hold about them. G’azed 
pots may save some trouble in watering, but I would rather give 
the additional work for the sake of the plants. I find 4-inch pots 
the best size for plants generally, but the young plants grow well 
in 3 inch size. No advantage is gained by much pot room. The 
plants are at present looking remarkably well, the foliage being 
clean, fresh, and strong. The white foliage is particularly beau¬ 
tiful, and the glossy green of some varieties is pleasant to 
look at. 
One of my Auricula-growing friends writes that he has been a 
good deal troubled of late with green fly, another is afflicted with 
