August 14. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
345 
iu our last nu mber, and from which it is distinguished 
by the upright habit of the tree, and the fruit being 
somewhat later. The fruit was very large, tender, and 
melting, with a very agreeablo and refreshing flavour. 
Mr. Rivers also exhibited ripe specimens of Doyenne 
tV Etc Pear, which is the earliest variety we have, 
coming in even before the Citron des Cannes and the 
Cranford. It it a pretty little fruit, with tender and 
juicy flesh, and with a sweet and agreeable flavour. 
Mr. Rivers stated that he regretted not having brought I 
with him specimens of a new seedling Nectarine, 
which was raised from the StamvicJc, and which he j 
considered an improvei nent on that variety. We have, 
however, had an oppor tunity of seeing the fruit since t 
the meeting, in company with several other members of 
the Society, and we feel pleasure in saying that we 
regard it as one of the greatest additions we have 
had to this class of fruits, not excepting the Slanmck 
itself, to which it is infinitely superior, both in size and 
flavour. The fruit is very large ; one of the specimens 
being eight inches in circumference, and of the shape of 
a truncated cone. It is mottled with pale and very dark 
red where exposed to the sun, and is of a greenish-yellow 
where shaded. The skin is thin; the flesh separates 
freely from the stone, is exceedingly tender and melt¬ 
ing, being somewhat of a buttery texture, like the most 
delicate of the Beurre Pears; the juice very abundant, 
and so full of sugar as to be quite a syrup ; the flavour 
i 3 full and rich, and exceeds in richness that of any 
other Nectarine. The kernel, like that of its parent, is 
quite sweet, like a Filbert. The fruit was from a 
plant grown in a pot; and it was suggested, that if grown 
in the open ground, the fruit might even be larger. 
There was one peculiarity which was remarked in all 
the specimens, that the stone, in every instance, was 
cracked. 
It was agreed that the next ordinary Meeting should { 
be held on the third Monday of September, and the ex¬ 
traordinary Meeting on the first Monday of November. 
It is exceedingly gratifying to us to see the steady 
and onward progress of this useful Society. When we 
consider that the preliminary expenses attending the 
establishment of the Society, and the current expenses 
of the whole year, have been defrayed from entrance, 
fees of ten shillings, and ten shillings as an annual sub¬ 
scription; and when we see, also, what the Society has 
done in that short period, we are convinced that it is 
not an expensive establishment; nor an array of high- 
sounding names that are necessary to make a society 
really useful. It is when earnest, practical, and disin¬ 
terested men associate themselves together for the 
attainment of mutual or public good, that good is to be 
attained; and believing, as we do, that the British 
Pomologicai. Society is destined to make for itself a 
name and a place among the useful societies of the day, 
we strongly recommend it to the notice of those of our 
readers who are not only desirous of benefiting them¬ 
selves, but of communicating the same benefit to others. 
RAISING HOLLYHOCK SEEDLINGS. — EVER¬ 
GREEN BERBERIS AS AN EDGING. 
The good old ways are fast wearing out now-a-days. 
The moment a Hollyhock-seed turns colour, or the seed- 
pods look a little browned, or a little of some other tint 
which shows that the seed within is fast approaching to 
maturity, it is gathered, cleaned, and sown the same 
day; the seedlings are up, wintered, and are in their 
final nursery rows by the time old gardeners used to 
sow their Hollyhock-seed; and by this time next year, 
or a little later, the proof of the pudding is before your 
eyes, instead of waiting a year longer. But every one 
cannot do this, for want of the proper means for protect¬ 
ing the seedlings during the winter; most of the fast- 
growers consider it necessary to give the same degree of 
protection to Hollyhock seedlings which come up after 
the middle of September, as they would to pots of 
Mignonette, so that any one who has been in the habit 
of keeping Mignonette in pots over the winter need not 
fear about trying the Hollyhock, to save a whole year in 
proving the seedlings. 
I have gone through this process myself only once, 
and cannot, therefore, from experience, recommend i 
a bolder course; but it strikes me that seedling \ 
Hollyhocks are as hardy as most Lettuces, and might j 
be wintered quite safely under a south wall, some¬ 
thing after this fashion; sow them in pots before ! 
they are dead ripe; put a piece of glass over the j 
pot, and set it in the warmest place about the house, j 
and keep it there till the seedlings have made some 
progress; give proper attention to watering, so that 
the mould in the pot is constantly damp—I mean, 
that the surface should not look quite dry all this time, 
for the whole secret lies in getting the seedlings up as 
fast as possible, and that cannot be done by a system of 
“ wet and dry,” as in watering pot plants. As soon as 
you see the seedlings coming through the surface, slip 
the glass a little to one side to give them air; but keep 
the glass over them as long as ever you can, for it will 
bring them on much faster than you may think, and 
they will be all the stronger as well, owing to the 
air being given them so early. When the seedlings 
reach up to the pane of glass, you are not to put it 
by as of no more use; you must show your inventive 
powers if you mean to learn the knack of doing things 
better than those who let everything take its chance. 
Put three or four small sticks in the pot round the j 
sides, so as to raise the glass one inch from the leaves; , 
the glass will rest on the sticks just as well as on the 
rim of the pot, and the air keeps constantly in motion 
from this time, which is another great advantage to 
them; but from the moment you can see them coming, 
you must change the mode of watering the pots, for, 
like big plants, what suits them from this time is to 
have the surface of the mould dry, twice a week, at 
least, or even once a week in November ; by before the 
end of November, I should think the balls might be 
turned out, and be plunged under a south wail, and 
quite close to it; then to have some very dry ashes to 
put round them to six inches distance, and to change the 
ashes at least once a month all through the winter; to 
change it on a fine day, and not to put the fresh dry 
ashes on till the last thing in the evening. Also, to 
have a board, or slates, or tiles, to place over them, 
and against the wall during heavy rains and hard frosts. 
Many gardeners, and good gardeners, too, are obliged 
to resort to such contrivances as this to keep their 
Cauliflower plants, Lettuces, and ever so many things 
in the same season; but, recollect, I did not try this plan 
myself; and I am not sure if it will answer; but I see 
no reason why it should not, nor why you should not try 
the experiment, and be the first to prove that the thing 
is possible. Once the spring comes, the seedlings will 
