December JO. 
THE COTTAGE OARDEN Eli. 
217 
question of light than any particular temperature; anil 
I fear it is too ofton forgotten, or thought trifling, that a 
j standard-tree, well managed, gets more light in the 
aggregate than a pet on a south-wall; albeit, the latter, 
at times, enjoys greater intensity of both light and heat. 
A free circulation of air, too, when combined with a 
proper amount of solar heat,—why not an important 
i consideration? 
I have here been tempted to wander from the general 
character of the past summer, by that all-important 
fruit, the Pear; about which, perhaps, more pages have 
I been printed than about any other fruit. Really, the 
I paper-makers are highly indebted to this much-esteemed 
| fruit, not only as au after-dinner affair, but also as one 
i connected with the pocket. 
To return to the general effects of the past summer, 
let us talk of the Peach. Of course, I cannot affirm 
how it is, in general, with this much-esteemed fruit; but 
the trees here are just as I wish them to be ; the future 
blossom-buds so protuberant already, that it might be 
j the middle of February. No fruit shows the effects of 
' a really fine summer, or proper culture, more than the 
Peach and Nectarine. Unquestionably, tbe two great 
matters of complaint to which we may trace most of the 
failures are, first, unripened wood ; and, secondly, a 
premature blossoming, as regards the weather in 'Britain, 
through what our physiologists would call the excitability 
of the Peach and Nectarine. That the first evil may be 
overcome with certainty, in any summer, I have long 
since proved; and for the second, or too early blooming, 
the only thing wo can do is to retard the blossoming, 
and this may be done by a fortnight, at least. 
The past summer has been a singularly infelicitous 
one, however, as to blights; I never knew its equal. 
Of course, warm and sunny weather is exceedingly 
favourable to the spread of many of our insect tribes, 
and above all, a quiet state of atmosphere. I have even 
known the Aphis family to nmko most way in our 
kitchen or fruit-gardens where well sheltered from 
winds; and the past summer has, in these parts, been 
more conspicuous for the utter absence of storms than 
for its heat alone. There is no question, but that winds 
are most important agents for good or evil in gardening 
affairs: it little avails to have much sunshine, if brisk 
winds prevail; the heat cannot accumulate. I speak 
here, of course, with regard to our more tender fruits 
and vegetables. On the whole, however, tho fruit¬ 
grower of 1855 will commence operations with cheering 
j prospects. R. Errington. 
MEETING OF THE HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY.— December 5tii. 
I went to see the fruit in Covent Garden Market, 
| before the Meeting in Regent Street, that I might see 
the difference, if any, between exhibition-fruit and that 
offered on sale in the public market. Apples, Pears, 
and Grapes, were not numerous in kinds; and very few 
of them were fit for desserting. The Pine-Apples were 
the best fruit in the market; they asked from 5s. to 
7s. Gd. per fb for the best Queens, and about the same 
for Black Hamboroughs and Muscats. Beurre Biel and 
Cliaumontels were the only good Pears that I could see. 
The price of Beurre Diels was enormous—as much as 
threepence and fourpencc each. There were hosts of 
large, green Catiline Pears, for stowing; but I did not 
ask the price of them, nor of the pretty French Lady 
Apples; but 3s. a dozen was marked on several lots of 
second-rate Newton Pippins—I suppose from America, 
or somewhere far off, and they suffered in looks from 
the carriage and packing. Beautiful-looking Spanish 
Chesnuts, in every other stall, and marked Is. 6d. per 
hundred. Best Spanish Onions, 3d. each. Good 
Oranges, Id. each ; and tolerable ones Gd. a dozen; they 
were very abundant. 3s. Gd. to 5s. a bushel for very 
good-looking Potatoes. Small, dirty-looking Nonpareil 
Apples, 4d. a dozen; for similar Ribstone Pippins, Is. 
lor 111 teen; and very dirty, dingy Chaumontel Pears, 
third size, Is. a dozen. I never saw finer Carrots, \ 
Parsnips, and Turnips. There was some very good Sea- , 
Kale; but no Asparagus or Rhubarb, by the time I got 
there (about ten in the forenoon). Very fine Mush- I 
rooms; some fine Tomatoes, but dear; common 
vegetables enough to frighten one; the finest Parsley in 
the world, and enough of it to serve the army in the 
Crimea for two months. 
Plants. —There wore but few pot-plants in the market 
to-day. Large and small kinds of Chrysanthemums 
at from 9d. to Is. Gd., according to the size; double and 
single Chinese Primroses ; three or four kinds of 
Heaths; abundannee of Mignonette, Heliotropes, Early 
Van Thai Tulips, and a few Cinerarias. 
Cur Flowers. —There wero a great variety of cut 
flowers, and abundance of nosegays. 'The principal cut 
flowers wero Camellias, Chinese Azaleas, double Violets, 
Tropooolum Triomphe de (land, white and yellow largo 
Chrysanthemums, New Zealand Veronicas, Scarlet 
Geraniums, and lots of the Gauntlet Geranium from 
forced plants. My flower-girl is married, but her sister 
was there, and told me that the Gauntlet will not conie 
“of itself” so late as this; nor the Chinese Primrose j 
fast enough, without a little warmth, particularly the I 
double ones. Great quantities of Rose-buds, all of one 
sort, tho common China; and there was no other Rose 
in the market. A few bunches of Bignonia venusta, 
badly coloured ; quite pale, instead of a rich, deep orange 
colour; Euphorbia Jacquini/lora, Crinum capcnsc , and 
llippeastrum aulicum, Poincettia pulcherrima, Cactus 
truncatus, Passijlora racemosa, Pentas carnea, and 
Epacrises. 
Nosegays. —With one exception, the make of the 
nosegays was “ huddley-muddloy good flowers thrown 
away, in fact; or rather, thrown together bunchyfied, 
but cheap enough, in all conscience. Large bunches, 
ten inches across, of excellent flowers, for one shilling. 
The only exception was the six-quartered nosegay, niue 
or ten inches across the bottom, and raised in the middle 
four inches above the base line. There wero only three 
kinds of flowers in this nosegay, but it looked far better 
than the rest, because the make was perfect, and the 
colours in contrast —blue and white. The centre was a 
large white Camellia; then six white spreading ribs, 
like the ribs of an umbrella, of double while China Prim¬ 
rose ; and the quarters betweou the ribs all of double 
blue Violets. 
I am tempted to give a design for one of the cheapest 
and prettiest nosegays, which one could mako in 
November, on this quartered system, and all out of five 
kinds of Pompone Chrysanthemums. Such a nosegay 
might be made so as to last full three weeks, in a cool 
room. For tho ceutre, in place of a white Camellia, 
take four flowers of ryentum, a pure white Chrysanthe¬ 
mum, or four of Cedo Nulli, a blush-white ; let there be 
only one flower on a stalk, or stem, so as to get the four 
blooms perfectly even on the top; the four stems should 
be six inches long, so as to form tho handle of the nose¬ 
gay ; the six ribs to be of single blooms, one after the 
other, and all of Daphne, the darkest purple in Pom¬ 
pom’s; and the six divisions between the ribs to be in 
opposite pairs; two of Surprize —the best lilacy-blush: 
two of Poulidetto —tbe best pinky, or rosy-pink, with a 
light lilac eye ; and the last two of Madame Rousselon, 
the nearest to peach-blossom, before it is too old. I 
would never allow yellow, or any shade of buff', in a 
Pompone bouquet, with white, blush, and lilac; but 
yellows do well with Daphne, Aramis, President, and 
Lais —all purple of different shades. President is dark 
