40 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ FbbruAiiy, 
arranged twenty-four Maples, 2 ft. to 3 ft. apart, over the bed. The ground was 
then thickly planted with golden Pyrethrum, and the result so far exceeded my 
expectations, that I have decided upon working up some of those beautiful forms 
another year. 
With the exception of the Retinosporas^ many of the Japanese plants have 
been overlooked or underrated for pictorial planting; they certainly deserve to 
be brought into more general use. I now have a large stock of the beautiful 
Viburnum Awafurhii^ which I intend to use for grouping next year.—W. 
Coleman, Eastnor Castle. 
I .1 I«.— II — ■ I I I I . .1 — 1 - n - . 
PECULIAEITIES IN THE EIPENING OF FEUIT. 
w ^AEDENEES who are ever anxious to keep up a constant supply of hardy 
fruits, such as Pears, Apples, &:c., mostly give close attention to the dates 
f of ingathering, often harvesting the crop produced by individual trees at 
two or more distinct dates. This is done, because, when fruit is gathered 
in succession, it ripens in succession also, though often in inverse order to that 
which a casual observer would Infer, that which is gathered last often ripening 
first, and vice versa. Those who have any experience in the matter also know 
that many early kinds of fruits, if permitted to hang too long upon the trees, lose 
much of their flavour and merit. What I would now draw attention to more particu¬ 
larly, is the fact that within the two or three last years, I have found that fruit 
of somewhat longer-keeping properties has exhibited these peculiarities, even in a 
more marked degree. Partial gatherings of some large Beurre Diet and Bishop’s 
Thumb Pears.^ made early—somewhat too early, some might fancy, who have not 
paid much attention to the subject—have been very excellent; but successional 
gatherings, such as were made at the time the pips had assumed more of the 
ripened character, have “ gone to sleep,” without ripening, and without any of 
the usual softening of the flesh which is indicative of ripening. I am at a loss 
to know why this should be. It is not here and there a fruit which has gone off 
in this way, but whole pickings made at the later date. I have also noticed that 
the late or early gathering of given kinds of dessert Apples, tends, in the former 
case, either to bring about in the juices the necessary saccharine changes, or, on 
the contrary, to maintain them in their original raw and sour state, indefinitely.— 
William Earley, Valentines. 
PANOEATIUMS AS DECOEATIYE PLANTS. 
f ’^HESE handsome bulbous plants are highly deserving of cultivation, on 
account of the large, beautiful flowers they produce, the delightful fragrance 
f that succeeds their opening, and the length of time they continue perfect. 
They are most valuable as decorative plants, and most useful for cutting 
for bouquets. Their culture is very easy ; they require to be grown in a compost 
of three-parts light sandy loam and one part vegetable mould. The sorts that 
come from the East and West Indies require stove-heat. They can be propagated 
