THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, September 1 , 1857. 845 
cut here, the crop having been very thin, except where the 
ground is very wet by the side of the river, and then it was 
rank and sedgy. The common Acacia ( Robinia pseudo- 
acacia ) is generally used for forming hedges where they 
exist at all, and it is found to succeed well and grow quickly 
on ground which is too poor and light for hedges of White¬ 
thorn. As we proceed the train carries us through the out¬ 
skirts of the Grunewald, a great forest, which is used as a 
royal hunting ground in winter. It is of vast size, extending 
from here to Charlottenburg. This part is occupied by 
Birch and Fir trees intermixed, which produce a very pretty 
effect at all seasons of the year, the white stems of the one 
contrasting with the sombre foliage of the other. 
About three quarters of an hour’s walk from Potsdam is 
Gleincke, the residence of Prince Karl, the brother of the 
king. It is a pleasant walk under an avenue of very fine 
old Lime trees, now covered with flowers, which perfume the 
air, and among which we hear “ the murmuring of innu¬ 
merable bees.” There is nothing worthy of remark in the 
greenhouses of this place, and the flower garden contains 
nothing particularly good except some beds of foliage plants, 
such as Cinnas, Caladiums, &c., of which I must speak at 
greater length on some future occasion. The park is very 
beautiful, and quite as good as the average of English parks, 
although the necessary absence of many Conifers and ever¬ 
green shrubs is a point to be continually regretted. The 
lawns are in good condition, but at the expense of daily 
watering. The grounds abound in relics of ancient Greek 
and Roman art, sometimes arranged as ruins, at others as 
single columns or statues, around which, with the taste that 
was prevalent in England a hundred years ago, there are 
dogs, foxes, stags, &c., cut from living Box, which require 
clipping into form every few weeks, entailing labour which 
might profitably be expended upon other parts of the garden. 
The park is beautifully undulating, and affords from many 
points a splendid view over the town, the surrounding hills, 
the other palaces, and the mingled waters of the Spree and 
Havel, which here spread out into large lakes, furnishing a 
delightful item in the landscape. The water is so clear that 
we can distinctly see the shoals of fish with which it abounds. 
Every person interested in new plants, and particularly 
those who formed the acquaintance of Mr. Wendland, from 
Hanover, during his several visits to England, and who 
afterwards heard of his being despatched on a botanical 
mission to Central America, will be glad to hear that there 
are letters from him published in the horticultural maga¬ 
zines of Germany. They state that he has safely arrived 
in Guatemala, that he was in good health, bad every pros¬ 
pect of success before him, and had, indeed, already found 
some good things, although he does not specify what.— Karl. 
WINDOW GARDENING FOR AUTUMN. 
I will suppose the autumn to extend from the middle of 
August to the beginning of November. I can add nothing 
particular to the general directions given at page 115, and 
but little to the lists given at page 130. Most of the plants 
mentioned will continue in bloom until the nights become 
cold, and longer when fire heat is supplied to the room. 
Fuchsias struck early in spring, scarlet Geraniums, Nose¬ 
gay Geraniums , and those of the Crimson Unique, Sidonia, 
and Diadematum group, along with Balsams and Salvias, blue 
and scarlet, would make any window gay. Small plants of 
Cassia corymbosa would give a bright orange, and yellow 
Calceolarias of the shrubby kinds, topped back in spring and 
early summer, and kept in a cool place, would give a nice 
mass of yellow. Blue hangers from vases could be supplied 
by the old Lobelia speciosa, the best of all for this purpose. 
To these may be added the Mesembryanthemums mentioned 
at page 130, and Oxalis Bowiei , cruenta , and purpurea. 
The culture to be thought of is— 
1. To harden and ripen the wood of all plants that have 
passed their beauty, such as Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, &c., 
by placing them as much in the sun as possible, and giving 
as little water as will just prevent them from flagging. The 
same rule to be observed with bulbs, succulents, fee. 
2. To propagate, by the middle of August, Pelargoniums, 
Fuchsias, &c., as they will do very well in the open air in 
sandy soil, the tenderest only being protected with a hand- 
light without heat. Roses, Pinks, and Carnations will want 
the assistance of a handlight. 
3. To sow hardy annuals in poor soil that you expect to 
bloom early indoors, as Nemophilla, &c.; herbaceous Cal¬ 
ceolarias for spring blooming; Intermediate and Ten-week 
Stocks for the same season; and to prick off all these except 
the annuals out of doors as soon as bandleable. 
4. To repot the Geraniums or Pelargoniums as soon as 
the young shoots are one inch or so in length, after you have 
pruned them back, when the stems are well browned, 
shaking the earth gently from the roots, repotting in the 
same or a smaller-sized pot, using light sandy loam, and 
getting this done so that the roots will be catching the sides 
of the pot before winter. Keep Cinerarias, &c., growing on 
gently, and as cool as possible to be safe. 
5. Do not encumber yourself with too many old plants, 
and house all in good time, so that frost shall not touch 
them. Large scarlet Geraniums in pots or boxes that could 
not be saved in a window may be kept dry towards the end 
of October, and set in a loft or other dry place, and in a 
fortnight or so may have all the leaves stripped off them; 
a little protection from frost and the soil not quite dust dry 
is all they will require before spring. R. Fish, 
VINTAGE FETE OF IRRAWANG. 
Several of the country guests who were present at the 
Irrawang vintage in April have just arrived in Sydney, and 
their glowing descriptions of the proceedings at this in¬ 
teresting fete champetre —one which marks the commence¬ 
ment of a new era in the history of the producing powers 
of this colony—have redoubled the regrets of the numerous 
friends of Mr. Blake in Sydney who were prevented by the 
inclement weather, and the reports of the flooded state of 
the country between Morpeth and Raymond Terrace, from 
availing themselves of his invitation to attend the vintage 
fete. The country visitors were, however, less scrupulous in 
respect to braving the dangers of flood and field; and 
equestrians from all parts of a circuit of about forty miles 
made their way to Irrawang, and acknowledged themselves 
amply repaid for their venturesome journeying. The fes¬ 
tivities, notwithstanding le temps tempetueux, were kept up 
during three whole days, for, with Beranger, the guests 
remembered that 
“ C’est l’eau qui nous fait boire 
Du vin, du vin, du yin! ” 
At the right and left, on entering the chai, the process of 
wine making was found to be in rapid progress. In front 
stood the pressoir, which plays so prominent a part in the 
procede , running out the ruby juice under the action of a 
powerful screw. 
The best judges state that the must was, on the average, 
the richest of any vintage of the present year, promising 
wines of the finest quality. Some few thousand gallons had 
already been vatted, and the process of fermentation was 
proceeding in the tuns containing the recently gathered 
grapes. Perhaps among the happiest of the faces were 
those of the German viynerons, whose recollections of the 
vintages of the Rhine and the Moselle were awakened by 
this first public celebration in Australia of une vendange. 
Yet their songs to the accompaniment of the German band 
brought down from Sydney by Mr. Blake evinced that, 
although they fully appreciated the improvement which 
their migration had. effected in all their domestic affairs, 
their hearts were still in the faderland. One of the youngest 
of the songsters sang with much taste and feeling Speyer’s 
famous song of “ Mein Herz ist am Rhein ” (My heart’s 
on the Rhine). 
In conclusion, we may justly say that this example set by 
Mr. Blake of celebrating a vintage is worthy of applause and 
imitation; and we believe that the motto of New South 
Wales, as he suggests, will henceforth be, “Wool, wine, 
coal, gold, and tallow.”—( Sydney Morning Herald.) 
