2G8 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 25, 1859. 
Tlie self-sown seeds of Mesembryanthemums and Balsams 
also endure the frosty temperatures of winter unharmed, although 
the parent plants are proverbially tender. 
These facts, and the frequent failure of our Potato crops, led to 
the very judicious suggestion of planting these crops in autumn, 
which must be the best time, if practicable, for it is pursuing the 
dictate of nature. That it is practicable, we have long since 
proved. Frost in this country, where the soil is a light loam, 
and its surface level, never freezes, in the severest of our winters, 
to a greater depth than six or seven inches ; and where any cause 
for fear exists, no frost would injure the sets if a little coal ashes 
were put over them ; for coal ashes are an excellent non-conductor 
of heat, and, consequently, opposed to the admission of cold, and 
are, at the same time, a good preservative from excessive moisture. 
The fact that the earth, in regions not eternally ice-bound, 
never is reduced in temperature, at a few inches from the surface, 
so low as the exterior air in winter, nor is elevated at a similar 
depth to an equal degree of warmth in summer, suggests the 
necessity for more attention to the temperature of the soil in our 
horticultural houses than it has hitherto obtained. 
Attention is more awakened to it now than formerly, and by 
bottom, heat our gardeners now intend something more than a 
mass of fermenting matter for forcing Cucumbers and Pine 
Apples.—J. 
(To be continued.) 
NEW BOOKS. 
The Rose Annual eor 1858-59.*—In this work, Mr. Paul’s 
object is to record all the doings, not only of the Rose-growers, 
but of the Roses themselves, during the past year. To produce 
such a work creditably, it is necessary that a man be enamoured 
of his subject, and that he have time and opportunity for pro¬ 
secuting it. Our author possesses all these qualifications, and 
the way in which he has employed them in the present instance 
leaves nothing to be desired in “ The Rose Annual.” 
The work commences by a review of the Rose world during 
tlio last four years, and this is done by enumerating the new 
varieties introduced in each of those years, and by a survey of 
the seasons, and their effect on Rose culture. The latter are so 
particularly interesting and useful, that we shall quote one of 
them at length : — 
“ The bloom of 1854 was an indifferent one. The season had 
been favourable from winter to the end of April: the young buds 
had shot forth one or two inches, as if in anticipation of an early 
summer, and were full of sap, and in their tenderest state, when 
there came severe frost, followed by sunshine. Apricots as big 
as Gooseberries tumbled frozen through, and by noon of the suc¬ 
ceeding day young Rose shoots were drooping, with leaves 
withered, as if they had passed through a fire. Then myriads of 
insects—green-fly, black-fly, caterpillar—swarmed on every bush, 
and rose-grub and mildew were unusually abundant. Thousands 
of tender Roses, and even some that are not commonly accounted 
tender, died quickly, or dragged on a miserable existence, perish¬ 
ing by slow degrees.” 
in the same graphic style does Mr. Paul survey each year up 
to 1857, and show the effect each has on the Rose bloom of the 
season. The observations on 1857 assume a chatty, gossiping, 
and instructive form, of which the following is an example:— 
“ Heine Blanche is a new pure white Moss Rose, faultless in 
shape, and of a vigorous habit. It resembles Madame Hardy, 
both in form and colour. 
“ Cimabue is of another race, belonging to the hybrid Bourbon. 
The flowers are large and full, of a velvety crimson, with a 
brighter shade in their centres. The colour is particularly rich, 
and the growth vigorous. 
“ The group known as hybrid perpetual furnishes us, as usual, 
with the longest array of names. Dulce of Cambridge is a large, 
close, crimson Rose, of good shape : it approaches nearer to 
Baronne 71 (diez than to any other, but is of a darker hue. The 
constitution of the plant is unmistakeably good, and the foliage 
handsome. Hveque de Himes is, perhaps, the greatest novelty of 
the season, and unquestionably a gem. The flowers are of the 
richest crimson, of average size, containing an abundance of 
petals, which lie closely, the one over the other, in the way of 
Paul Dupuy, and many of the Gallica Roses. The foliage is 
particularly stout and handsome.” 
* The Rose Annual for 1858—59. By William Paul, P.H.S, London : 
Piper, Stephenson, and Spence, Paternoster Row. 
And so on, the author goes through a long array of the 
novelties of 1857, which are far too numerous for us to notice. 
We are then introduced to the reports and prize lists of the 
great Rose shows of the last season. Here we nave full lists of 
all flowers composing the collections, which are exceedingly 
useful to amateur growers in the selections of kinds wherewith 
to form a Rosery. Then we have extracts from the author’s Rose 
Journal: — 
“ March 8th. —The Roses in the forcing-houses arc now in full 
bloom. It is pleasant enough to escape the bleak winds of 
March, when such a charming retreat is accessible as a house of 
forced Roses. All is rude, bare, and desolate, without; fresh, 
brilliant, and fragrant within. One might spend hours pleasantly 
enough, in noting their varied beauty. The following kinds fully 
sustain the high reputation they have already acquired as forcing 
Roses :-” 
But our readers should buy the work for themselves, and see 
what Mr. Paul says. It is not only an useful, but an amusing 
book ; it is illustrated with four admirablo portraits of four of 
the author’s favourite Roses ; and it cannot fail to commend 
itself to all lovers of the Rose. 
The Illustrated Bouquet, Part V., December, 1858. 
—To picture good nosegays, which would last on the drawing¬ 
room table from year to year, was a good idea to begin with; 
then to make these nosegays registers on quarter-days, — to 
number, chronicle, and recommend all the best births amongst 
nosegay flowers, and the best selections which sound, practical 
skill could point out in all the fashionable circles of flowers, as 
their turn came round, was a still better resolve; and the best 
hit of the three combined was to give the best bargain that could 
be had for the money in the splendidly-coloured nosegays them¬ 
selves. It was also very fortunate not to have touched one of 
the grey hairs of botanical ideas—those hairs on end, which 
frightened the ladies from all “ illustrations ” and emanations of 
the body botanical. 
This fifth part begins with plate 21, which occupies two full 
pages in representing the grandest Rhododendron that we have 
heard of. This is Rhododendron Nuttalli, from Bhotan, towards 
the extreme eastern limits of the Himalayan range, with flowers 
as large as the largest Lily, pure white, and coming in large 
clusters. The plant is robust, and the leaves are a foot long. 
It bloomed for the first time in Germany, so we aro beaten by 
the Germans at last. All the best of these races of Rhododen¬ 
drons, and all about them, are now registered in this beautiful 
work. 
Plate 22 is the identical plant we have been all running after 
this last autumn— Tritoma uvaria; and this lift for it in tha 
“ Illustrated Nosegay” shows how very gay it must be, and how 
desirable it is to have it as cheap as possible, in order that every 
man, woman, and child, in the kingdom may see it alive, fresh, 
and gay. 
Plate 23 represents four kinds of Continental crossed Chinese 
Azaleas—two plain and two variegated. The plain ones put us 
in mind of some splendid seedlings of Hibiscus rosa-Sinensis. 
Another, of a beautiful Picotee on a white ground ; and the other 
is a florist-shaped, large, white, “ with an elegant starry, light 
rose central star, and radiating lines of rich carmine spots on the 
upper segments.” A biographical sketch of the heads of the 
principal sections and generations of Azaleas, and a selection of 
upwards of thirty of the most esteemed kinds of this generation, 
aro given under (his plate. 
The last plate is devoted to a little-known plant—the most 
deliciously sweet Gardenia radicans major; and to a new Torenia, 
which is as superior to Asiatica as that is to concolor, but just 
in the style of Asiatica. It is an extremely pretty thing; but 
part of the description of the colour is much more extremely 
curious—“ A large central white blotch, the brilliancy of which 
is intensified by its contiguity to the rich, deep purple.” That 
is certainly a new thing, at any rate. 
VEGETABLE CULTURE AND COOKERY. 
(Continued from page 203.) 
CUCUMBER. 
I do not intend to treat of the various modes that have been 
recommended and adopted for the cultivation of Cucumbers a 
yard long. I never had any ambition to grow a Cucumber of 
greater length than could bo conveniently consumed on its first 
