THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 4, 1858 
73 
you to print it, my object was simply, as I saicl, to thank 
you ; but if anything herein would be in any way useful, you 
can do as you like about either making use, or making fun of 
it, for I am, by no means, ashamed of being—A Green 
Hand. 
1 WHICH ARE THE THREE REST PLANTS 
EOR FORCING? 
If I were asked this question, I should have no hesitation 
in saying that Deutzia gracilis , Weigela rosea, and Prunus 
sinensis alba-pleno are the best. All three flower abundantly, 
and at a very early age ; the Deutzia sometimes bloomiUg 
profusely when not more than six or eight inches high from 
the pot, and the others when not a great deal larger; they 
also propagate freely, and are easily managed. A few Rho¬ 
dodendrons and these, with a Cytisus or two, or a Coronilla, 
will make a house look gay at an early period, and with very 
little trouble. The Dielytra speciabilis is a pretty thing too, 
but it does not always force well; an awkward, distorted 
growth, instead of a graceful assemblage of flowers, some¬ 
times greeting the expectant cultivator. If some enterprising 
collector would but send home something in the way of the 
three plants mentioned above, but with other colours, he 
would confer a great boon on all who are anxious for winter 
display. A bright blue Deutzia, a scarlet, purple, or yellow 
Weigela, or, in fact, any additional colours to those we have, 
would be acceptable ; scarlet flowers in winter being the most 
scarce, and, perhaps, yellow the most plentiful. The Acacia, 
Cytisus, and others, present tis with bright colours of that 
hue ; but profuse blooming plants of any colour, and of easy 
culture, are at all times acceptable in winter; and the 
Deutzia and Prunus above as whites, and the Wiegela as 
rose-coloured, are, in their respective places, as near perfec¬ 
tion as anything we have in the plant line.—J. Robson. 
RHODODENDRON BARBATUM. 
(Bearded Rhododendron). 
Rhododendron barbatum. 
Distribution and range: Kemaon, 
Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhotan ; 8,000 feet to 
11,000 feet; confined to the dampest 
wooded regions. 
A tree thirty to forty feet high, branched 
from the base. Leaves, in the very young 
state, sparingly hairy and ciliated; when 
fully developed, five to seven inches long, 
and from one inch and a half to three 
inches wide, elliptical - lanceolate, acute, 
rather broader above the middle, the mar¬ 
gins reflexed and rough from the presence 
of small harsh hairs; the nerves sunk on 
the upper surface; dull but full green 
above, paler and quite glabrous beneath, 
and destitute of scales or down. Petioles 
sometimes quite deprived of hairs. Flowers 
moderately sized, blood - colour, collected 
into a compact globose head four to five 
inches in diameter. Bracteas oblong or 
ovate, the inner ones silky, all more or less 
glutinous.— One of the most beautiful of 
the Himalayan species, but variable in size 
and habit. Dr. Hooker saw it forming a 
low shrub in mossy swamps, and then en¬ 
tirely destitute of bristles on the leaf and 
flower-stalks. 
It bloomed for the first time in England ; 
during April, 1848, at Eaton Hall, the seat , 
of the Marquis of Westminster.— {Horti- 
cultural Society's Journal .) 
A DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF 
POTATOES. 
(Continued from page 27.) 
Dean’s Seedling. — This variety was 
raised from the Fluke , which it resembles. 
It was raised by Mr. James Dean, Hopton, 
Todmorden, Lancashire, and sent out, in 
1854, by Mr. Abraham Stansfield. It is 
rather earlier than its parent, with shallow 
eye, slight roughness, moderate haulm, a 
good cropper and keeper. An excellent 
variety. 
Brockley Kidney. — This was intro¬ 
duced by Mr. Myatt, of Manor Farm, Dept¬ 
ford, the well-known Strawberry raiser. This 
variety is about ten days, or a fortnight, 
later than the old Ash-leaf. It has a clear 
skin, even eye, full size, and a good cropper. 
This variety I can highly recommend. 
Bread Fruit. —Some twenty years since 
this variety was highly esteemed in some j 
