173 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— June 3, 1850. 
CALYSTEGIA PUBESCENS. 
(Downy Beabbinp.) 
This plant belongs to the Natural Order Bindweeds 
(Convolvulacere), and to Pentandria Monogynia of Linnseus. 
“ Raised from a small portion of the root found in a dead 
Paony root, in Box No. 32, from Mr. Fortune’s mission in 
China. The box was sent from Shanghai, and stated to 
contain a plant of the double Convolvulus, which was 
supposed to be dead when received at the Garden in 
June, 1844. 
“ This curious plant approaches very nearly to the C. 
sepium, or larger Bindweed of our English hedges, from 
which it differs in having firmer and smaller leaves, much 
narrower bracts, and a fine pubescence spread over every 
paid. It is the first plant of its order that has been 
mentioned as producing double flowers. They are about as 
large as those of a double Anemone, but the petals are 
arranged with the irregularity of the Rose; they are of a 
pale very delicate pink, and remain expanded for some days. 
The calyx is quite unchanged. The exterior petals are very 
much lacerated and irregular in form ; those next the centre 
are narrow, drawn together into a kind of cone; the next 
central are completely concealed by those without them, and 
diminish till they are mere scales, analogous to those which 
may be found in the first buds which burst in the spring. 
Not a trace can be found of stamens or pistil. 
“ It is probably quite hardy if planted in a dry situation. 
It requires a rich, loamy soil, and is easily increased by the 
roots. The roots very much resemble those of the common 
bindweed ( Calystegia sepium). It flowers freely in July and 
August. It is a very handsome climbing plant, with large 
double flowers, which are produced freely.”— Horticultural 
Society's Journal. 
REPORT ON A TRIAL OF THE DUTCH 
METHOD OF FORCING APRICOTS. By Mr. 
W. Tatter, Gardener in the Royal Gardens of 
Herenhausen, near Hanover. 
(Translated from the Allgemeine Garten Zeitung, of Berlin.) 
I hope by the publication of these experiments to render 
a service to German gardeners, in recording the details of | 
the process. 
For the first experiment, a wooden pit (represented in the 
engraving) was built, and in the beginning of March an 
Apricot-tree was planted in the box (a) prepared for it. 1 
The soil mode use of consisted of a mixture in equal parts | 
of rotten wood and garden loam; and I have found that ! 
this mixture is peculiarly suitable, for the Apricot, especially 
during the period of forcing. The tree taken for forcing 
had been, from the earliest age, transplanted every two 
years, and had thus formed copious fibrous roots ; in a word, 
it is essential that such a tree should have its mass of roots 
in the best possible condition, in order that it may bear 
transplanting without injury. 
The great object was, now, to produce good fruiting wood : 
for this purpose, at the end of May, all superfluous or badly 
placed shoots were stopped before they had completed their 
growth, and removed in this state, an operation which 
enabled the obtaining an equal distribution of wood. The 
tree now threw its whole strength into the remaining 
branches. The strong shoots, and in general all those 
which appeared unfit for bearing, were then shortened 
to a third of their length. The result was the pro¬ 
duction of a great number of strong, healthy, fruiting 
spurs, which had shot out with great vigour from the eyes 
of the shortened branches. Again, many of these spurs 
were yet sacrificed to the pruning-knife ; for the tree would 
have been unable to bring to perfect maturity so great a 
mass of bearing wood, notwithstanding several waterings of 
liquid-manure with which it was strengthened. This treat¬ 
ment appeared to agree well with the tree, as it remained 
perfectly free from insects. 
The young shoots remained unfastened, because, when 
they are not disturbed nor-bent, they grow more vigorously, 
and attain greater perfection. However slight the bending 
of a branch may be, it is still in so far injurious to its 
growth, for the sap, as is well known, always endeavours to 
rise. By the curvature of a branch, a hindrance is opposed 
to the circulation of its sap, its maturity is hastened before 
it has attained so great a degree of perfection as if it had 
never been bent. 
In the beginning of November the tree had already lost 
its leaves, a sure sign of the maturity of the wood, and I 
must confess that the excellent bearing wood it had formed 
was such as is seldom seen. The tree was now perfectly 
ready for forcing, and this is the most important part of the 
operation, as upon it depends directly the future results. 
The severe cold which came on in December rendered it 
necessary to put the lights on the pit to keep the branches 
from freezing. The roots had already been covered wdtli 
leaves in November. 
On the 5th of January the pit was prepared for forcing. 
Before putting in the hot dung I inserted a wooden partition 
(</), about nine inches below the espalier (/) for the pur¬ 
pose of packing the dung underneath it, and for the re- i 
ception of a lining of oiled paper on each side which should 
protect the tree from the strong effluvia of the dung. This 
partition is not in the Dutch pits, yet I would strongly re- i 
commend it as most useful. The Dutch only plant their 
tree at the time of commencing the forcing. The tree in ! 
question has been planted in the spring, and we had,so far 
departed from the Dutch plan in the expectation of a more ! 
certain success. 
The roots of the tree were slightly disturbed in order that ; 
the later formed wood-buds might not follow too closely on 
the flower-buds, it being necessary that these should expand i 
before the others have grown vigorous; the tree was thus 
slightly weakened at the commencement of the forcing. 
Nothing more was now cut from the tree, as the summer 
training had rendered this unnecessary, only what little j 
dead wood there may have been was removed. The stem 1 
and branches were washed with clean -water, in order to 
