238 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
without any protection whatever, and without any particular preparation of 
the soil if only the subsoil is dry. The best time for planting them is 
towards the end of October or beginning of November, but with care they 
may be removed at anytime, except, perhaps, while in flower. With a little 
management they force well, and are very useful for decorating the con¬ 
servatory in spring. 
They are increased by cuttings taken off in August, or in the early part 
of September, with part of the wood of the preceding year attached, and 
planted in a sheltered situation where they will root freely. They may also 
be increased from single eyes like Vines ; also by layering, and by dividing 
the old plants. 
If the tree Pasony were a new plant what a deal would be thought of it, 
and how eagerly would it be sought after ! But, because it is an old plant 
it is neglected. If it were a tender delicate shrub, one could account for 
this neglect of a most beautiful plant; but on the contrary, it is one of the 
hardiest of shrubs, capable of enduring the severest frost of winter or spring 
without any protection whatever. 
Stourton. M. Saul. 
[Thanks to the very successful Chinese expeditious of Mr. Fortune, and to the perseverance 
and skill of continental cultivators, there are now to be had many very charming varieties of 
the tree Paeony, which far surpass in beauty the sorts winch are more generally known and 
distributed. We are surprised that they are so little appreciated.] 
THE TOMATO AND ITS VARIETIES. 
The great interest which appears to be taken in America in the cultiva¬ 
tion of Tomatos, and the numerous varieties mentioned in their garden 
publications, suggested to the authorities at Chiswick that it would be 
desirable to institute a trial of them here. Accordingly, in the spring 
of the present year, a large collection of varieties was procured from 
Messrs. Thorburn & Co. of New York, Messrs. Barr & Sugden (who obtained 
a collection from Germany), Messrs. Veitch, Vilmorin, Carter, and Williams. 
In this country Tomatos are mainly used for making sauce, or stewing whole ; 
hence the varieties producing the largest fruits are the most esteemed. In 
warmer climates, however, as in the south of Europe, and in the United States 
of America, they are consumed to a much greater extent, and are used in 
various ways, being even much relished by some as a dessert fruit, eaten in 
a raw state; the green fruits are also preserved with sugar. 
All the varieties were grown and fruited in pots under glass, which has 
afforded an excellent opportunity of seeing them all in their true character. 
They were likewise grown in the open air against a south wall, where some 
of the later varieties, such as the Tomato de Lays, Fiji Island, and, Tilden, 
have not done well in this cold season. Grown in pots, the Tomato makes 
a very handsome decorative plant, the Cherry, Plum, and other small- 
fruited sorts especially so. Few plants are more strikingly ornamental in the 
autumn months than these when well grown and laden with their numerous 
clusters of brilliantly coloured fruits. 
The earliest variety is the Bed Cherry Tomato of Thorburn (Cherry- 
formed, Barr & Sugden), the fruits of which are round, red, about the size 
of Cherries, and borne in clusters of from six to ten fruit in great abundance. 
It forms a very handsome plant of somewhat slender growth, with the leaf- 
divisions small and deep green. 
