THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN,. January 25, 1859. 
259 
property; for I bought some, and put some of the best 
pick among my nudijlbntm. Now I had too many, and 
now they were too high, or too low ; but at last the exact 
number of shoots, leaves, and red berries, seemed to be 
just the very thing—the best hit I over made, and I shall 
never make such another. My Christmas nosegay for 
the dinner-table, and for the very centre of it, is the best 
thing of the kind now in existence. All the plants in 
the catalogue, and all the cut flowers one could think of, 
would not, and could not, in the same space, give such a 
degree of richness, or a better combination, or a cheaper 
article, or a more seasonable nosegay ; and I shall keep 
it as it is, by refreshings, as long as the Hollies are left 
up in the church, but no longer ; for I hold it to be one 
of the secrets of success, in any one thing, to keep strictly 
within the fashion. 
This brilliant centrepiece to the dinner-table at Christ¬ 
mas would be altogether out of place on Good Friday, or 
Easter iSunday, and I must think of some other change to 
follow. 
One other thing is to be thought of, however.' To 
dine eighteen requires a longer room and a bigger 
table than to dine six or twelve, and all things about 
dining and the dining-room ought to bear a strict pro¬ 
portion to the number who sit down to dinner ; and the 
rule holds good for the flowers,—the size and number of 
the plants, or the disposition of the cut flowers,—if they 
must be used like mine. The size and style of that 
which I have just told of, is best fitted for a dinner of 
twelve persons ; and it would do for a less number, down 
to six, but not higher. A larger vase and a higher and 
wider centrepiece, in such an arrangement of cut flowers, 
would be necessary for a larger party. On the other hand, 
the flowers that would suit a party of twelve at dinner, 
would not be out of place at a supper-party of forty 
young people fresh from the ball-room. It is a poor set- 
out to have no flowers for such parties; but it is ex¬ 
tremely vulgar not to have them as if they knew all 
about them. Almost every head-gardener in the king¬ 
dom, above a certain notch, is obliged to study these 
things as carefully as he studies Orchids or prize plants. 
Many families put as much stress on furnishing the rooms 
with pot plants, and cut flowers in various ways, as they 
do on their forcing-houses and flower gardens; and I 
have seen and heard so much of it, that I should tremble 
for my fame if I were to let an inch of it slip from my 
pen without full consideration. You may, therefore, 
depend upon this style being as good, as useful, and 
as fashionable, as any other you have ever read or 
heard of. 
My reason for saying so, is this. In the first place, no 
gardener out of five hundred ever writes about what he 
practices, now-a-days ; and almost every one of them are 
shy at writing about household-work, or any kind of 
work out of the garden ; and no class of men are more apt 
to make remarks on things they see out of place, or out 
of the fashion, among their betters, or their own equals ; 
although they must be well aware that all men, or all 
women, cannot possibly know all things, that are con¬ 
sidered, in our day, to be essential to our standing in 
society. The gardeners must see and hear everything 
of this stamp which passes, and must be had, amongst the 
highest in the land; and what one gardener has no oppor¬ 
tunity of seeing, or hearing, another gardener, who is 
in the midst of it, will tell him, so that our head men are 
never at a loss about these things. But they foolishly 
believe, that to write about the things themselves would 
be considered as too trifling by the rest of the world, and 
that they would only be laughed at for such tales and 
ways of instruction. Then, the rising generation of 
gardeners are but too apt to follow the same path. But it 
strikes me that, by my own example of breaking through 
all these rules, and ridiculous notions, and by giving a 
“broomstick ” article now and then, when other matters 
are not too pressing, I may be the means of drawing the 
young ideas into a more useful track, both for themselves 
and for those who employ them, or for whom they may 
write in after-life. 
Just hear my last story of the old ’58. The very last 
day but one of the last year, I learned the best hit I ever 
saw for keeping Hyacinths and all forced bulbs in living- 
rooms. I never heard of it, or saw it before ; and, of 
course, if I were a young ma» I would not confess so 
much for all the bulbs in the country. From the moment 
these bulbs leave the forcing-house, till the bloom is 
over, even if they are in a cold show-house, they do far 
better if they stand in water—a saucer under the pot, 
with only as much water as will keep the bottom of the 
pot wet. I adopt that plan, also, at my own house at 
home. D. Beaton. 
NOTES ON THE HABITS OF SOME OF 
OUR BEST TABLE APPLES. 
(Continued from page 226.) 
I here continue this subject, commenced as above :— 
Old Nonpareil. —This has long been a great favourite 
in this country, and most deservedly so : there are few 
that can excel it at this day, when well grown and in 
perfection. It is, however, unforttlnately given to 
canker: but, like the Margil, it is not well to seek to 
extirpate every appearance of this disease by pruning, as 
such will never totally eradicate it; and branches of that 
character, if not too far diseased, will continue to yield 
very good fruit, if the vigour of the tree be encouraged. 
This Nonpareil loves a generous soil; but if loam is 
used, it should not be so stiff and cold in texture, as for 
some of the coarser-habited kinds of Apples. It should, 
moreover, be planted on platforms, the soil not more 
than eighteen inches in depth. A little old manurial 
matter may be mixed with the soil, and biennial surface- 
dressings of rich manurial composts will be found of 
peculiar benefit in inducing surface roots, which will 
much promote the ripening of the wood. Shortening of 
the shoots should be regularly practised, especially in 
northern parts, as the points are apt to bo immature. 
Braddick’s Nonpareil. —This is an excellent variety, 
and should be in most gardens. It is a good bearer, fine- 
looking on the table, and a really good winter and spring 
fruit. It is also a compact-growing tree, requiring a very 
moderate amount of room, and, therefore, particularly 
adapted to small gardens. The soil should be very 
generous—good, sound loam and a liberal amount of 
manure. As for pruning, it requires very little as¬ 
sistance, not being disposed to produce much spray. My 
trees are on the Paradise stock, and they bear aoundantly 
very fine Apples indeed. On the free stock they will, 
no doubt, produce more u r ood. 
Ross’ Nonpareil. —What a pity that this Apple is 
not better known—it is so peculiar in its flavour, whilst 
its texture is undeniable. It has proved the soundest 
Apple I have ever grown. The flavour is of a rich spicy 
character, after the manner of Franklin’s Golden Pippin. 
There is no Apple with which I am acquainted which 
keeps so sure in the fruit room: it is most rare to meet 
with one blemished in any way. It is a sure bearer, and 
handsome in appearance, and of the most healthy consti¬ 
tution imaginable. It requires a rather liberal soil, and, 
in pruning, most of the interior spray should be removed 
annually. 
Kerry Pippin. —No garden whatever is complete 
without this most valuable autumn Apple. When in 
high perfection, few can excel it, the flavour, in my 
opinion, being quite of the old Golden Pippin cast. A 
safer bearer does not exist, and it is of the most consistent 
and manageable growth—never rambling or irregular. 
This kind requires a strong loam, well enriched; and as 
to pruning, a very moderate amount indeed. 
Red Joanetting. —This best of early Apples loves a 
