278 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
obtained by careful selection for some years 
past. It has remarkably broad leaves, and is 
of vigorous growth, plants left for seed rising 
to the height of 6 feet, and stout in propor¬ 
tion, the base of some of the stems being as 
toick as a man’s arm. Those who have 
seen it pronounce it to be the finest Celery 
ever raised. 
Busting of Grapes. —“ J. S.EVthus writes 
in a recent number of the Gardeners' Chronicle: 
—I lately had an opportunity of inspecting a 
case of real rusting, in which the clear bloomy 
cuticle of the ripe Grapes was more or less 
changed into a brownish grey fibrous sub¬ 
stance. This was clearly owing to excessive 
steaming. It had been the custom in the 
vinery in question to pour, twice a-day, a 
quantity of water on the heating pipes, so as 
to fill the house with dense white vapour of a 
high temperature. The rusting was worst 
immediately over the pipes, where the rising 
steam first impinged on the Vines, and it 
gradually decreased toward the top of the 
rafters. In the end of the house at which the 
heating pipe entered, and where of course the 
steam was hottest, the foliage as well as the 
fruit was much injured. The bunches near the 
upright glass In front were not rusted at all. 
I am aware that sulphur smeared on tho 
pipes, to destroy red spider, sometimes pro¬ 
duces rusting, but in this instance no sulphur 
had been employed, though a year ago a little 
had been dusted into the soil of the house. 
Viewing the circumstance on the spot, I could 
come to no other conclusion than that the 
rusting was due to the hot steam. Every 
one is aware that a moist atmosphere is bene¬ 
ficial to Grapes when the berries are swelling, 
but that is very different from immersing 
them twice a-day in vapour approaching the 
temperature of boiling water. Such an arti¬ 
ficial climate does not resemble any on the 
face of the earth ; and it is certainly very 
different from that in which Vines naturally 
grow. 
Gooseberry Insects. —The managers of 
one of the Glasgow nurseries were formerly 
much chagrined that they could not send out 
decent Gooseberry bushes, for which there was 
a good demand. The want of success was refer- 
rible to the attack of an army of insects, that 
would fall upon the buds in the act of burst¬ 
ing, and almost denude the plants. Hence it 
was decided to modify the system of pruning, 
and accordingly the plants were left untouched 
until May, when full of leaf. Since this plan 
has been followed success has been realised, 
and better plants could not be desired. 
Prize Celery.— The prize Celery shown 
about Nottingham is, we are informed, not 
earthed up, but is blanched by being tied up 
in brown paper, which is renewed every week, 
or as often as may be necessary. Though thus 
rendered better adapted for exhibition, it is not 
so debcate in flavour, as Celery which is 
properly earthed. 
The Oakhill Vines. —Mr. Forsyth re¬ 
marks on these Vines as follows :—“ In the 
Florist and Pomologist at p. 257, Mr. AV. 
Thomson s treatise on Vine Culture is quoted 
to this effect:—‘ At Oakhill, near London, Mr. 
Dowding planted a number of vineries forty 
years ago.’ Mr. Thomson says he became 
acquainted with them in 1837. Now, one of 
these vineries was replanted in my time, about 
1835, after the border had been entirely re¬ 
made ; and from an old Vine, replanted in 
this new border there was cut a bunch of 
Black Hamburgh Grapes, which was exhibited 
at Chiswick, and weighed 8| lb., the same 
Vine having borne a crop of Grapes the same 
year in the old border. This was considered 
at the time the finest bunch of that kind of 
Grape that had ever been exhibited in Eng¬ 
land, and therefore the extraordinary circum¬ 
stance under which it was grown, is worthy 
of note.” 
Pyrethrum Golden Feather. —This pret¬ 
ty and distinct dwarf-growing yellow-leaved 
variety of the common Feverfew, has proved 
itself, during the past summer, to be a v ery 
useful and effective bedding plant, its dwarf 
feathery habit, and deep golden colour, forming 
an elegant contrast to the other coloured- 
leaved plants now so much employed. AVe 
have used it as an edging to a mass of Ama- 
ranthus ruber with excellent effect. The 
Floral Committee of the Itoyal Horticul¬ 
tural Society, too, has at last become satisfied 
of its merits, and given it a first-class certi¬ 
ficate. 
Large Pears. — Four remarkably fine 
Chaumontel Pears, grown in the grounds of 
Mr. G. II. Horman, H.M.’s Solicitor-General 
for the island, have lately been exhibited in 
Jersey. They weighed together 96J oz. ; 
the heaviest of the four weighed 30i oz., the 
lightest 19|- oz. 
Garrya elliptica. —The female plant of 
Garry a is very rare in this country, but in the 
gardens of Mr. Finzell, of Clevedon, near 
Bristol, it has this season been covered with 
racemes of ripe fruit. The racemes are 
2-3 inches long, bearing 30-40 capsules of the 
size of peas packed quite closely, and having 
the colour and downy surface of unripe 
Peaches. They contain a purple juice of in¬ 
sipid flavour, and a couple of large seeds. , 
OBITUARY. 
Mr. James Cuthill, the well-known 
Strawberry,Cucumber, and Mushroom grower, 
died on the oth of November, at Denmark 
Hill, Camberwell, in the 62nd year of his age. 
Mr. Cuthill has been a frequent contributor 
to the horticultural press, the most important 
of his contributions being, perhaps, those on 
“Market Gardening Bound London,” which 
were republished in a separate form. He 
was also the author of other pamphlets on 
different subjects belonging to practical horti¬ 
culture, and a very successful cultivator. 
