360 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 11, 1860. 
with its proper name; so that, if you wish to exchange with 
your neighbours, you can always do so safely, though your 
plants may be at rest and dormant. Some binds—the Cypri- 
pediurn, for instance—have bundles or fascicles of long fleshy 
roots ; and the buds are placed in a cluster, with these roots 
radiating from them. To propagate such rooted plants is a nice 
operation. A sharp knife must be used, and the blade put 
between the buds without bruising them. Let it pass through 
the connecting part, or rhizoma, and no lower, or the roots will 
be cut also. Then with the hand gently separate the parts cut 
off, and the roots will divide away from each other without 
injury. Repot both the parent and the offspring immediately in 
proportionate-sized pots, and cultivate afterwards in the usual 
way. T. Applebt. 
{To he continued.) 
PURPLE ORACH—VARIEGATED GERANIUMS. 
Purple Orach is a capital thing. I saw it at Trentham two 
years ago, had my garden full of it last year, and found all my 
borders perfectly bloody with it early this spring from self-sown 
seeds blown about last autumn. This hardiness makes it an in¬ 
valuable assistant to Perilla, and it may be grown to as tall, and 
almost as elegant, a specimen (by liberal treatment) as a Humea 
elegans ; or you may keep it to an edging sis or nine inches high, 
by pinching and clipping. 
This season I planted two large match-beds with Brilliant 
G-cranium (the silver-edged, not the brondly variegated) in the 
centre; then Perilla, and edged with variegated Alyssum. The 
Perilla, a foot wide, took two rows of plants ; and half of it soon 
fell a victim to those melancholy north-west winds we have had 
so much of. So the survivors were taken to fill up the inner row 
of the dark band in each bed, and the outer row of the band was 
made up entirely from the aforesaid “bloody” borders, and the 
beds have looked excessively well ever since. The graceful, com¬ 
pact growth of Perilla cannot be superseded by purple Orach; 
but the latter is not to be despised. I have it mixed, plant for 
plant, with Farfugium grande , and also as an edging to Tritonia 
aurea. By the way, Tritonia aurea will make a good bed in 
decent seasons ; as any one may prove by buying two or three 
plants, and following carefully the directions “ D. B.” lias given 
on the subject. 
Variegated Geraniums have done well here, particularly Burn¬ 
ing Bush, Motel de Clung, Fontambleau, and Countess of Warwick, 
and Annie, a decided improvement on Flower of the May. Ver¬ 
benas only passable : Lord Raglan and True Blue (which should 
have been called White-eyed Purple) the best.—A. C. S. 
A REVIEW. 
Mr. Bailee’s papers on the past winter and the spring’s 
future relative to horticultural prospects on the other side of 
Oxford were so applicable to this side of the rare old city, that I 
thought it superfluous to trouble you with observations of mine 
on the subject then ; but to the several recent calls claiming 
information as to our “ resuscitations ” and doings, pen in band 
I rush back again to the frosts of last October, which made a 
clean sweep of all in our garden, excepting Celery, Cottage Kale, 
and the Cabbage—these stood out the winter bravely, and thus I 
was more favoured than a great many people. I have even now 
several representatives of the Cabbage crop, the envy of our odd 
man. What the sort is I do not know. The seed was sent to 
me from Suffolk, under the supposition that it was a good quick 
Turnip I knew there of yore! I shall perpetuate the breed 
certainly for its good qualities, as I never thought I could tolerate 
the idea of Cabbage during the time of Marrowfat Peas before. 
Asparagus we had abundant and fine. Not a particle of top¬ 
dressing was applied to the bed during the winter, thus proving 
the plant to be as hardy as the Oak. 
The blossoming period for my fruit trees passed off well. The 
Nectarines and Peaches are young. They did not set any fruit; 
and, contrary to a general rule, they are healthy and promising. 
They began to be affected with blight in the spring ; so I heated 
a copper of soapsuds, and gave them a thorough syringing with 
it at 130° by the thermometer-—so hot that I could scarcely hold 
the syringe in my hands. It destroyed all trace of insect life 
cheaply and effectually. This is an Apricot neighbourhood, and 
the produce is great and late this year. Hereabouts one may 
produce all the fruits in the catalogue up to Pine Apples, and 
yet get pooh-poohed if one lias not got a crop of Apricots ! but 
the fact is my trees are screws. Twelve years ago, when I 
rearranged this garden, I procured the fruit trees from our 
neighbouring nurseryman, and the Apricots are going the way of 
most all the others—to the oven. I now send further and fare 
better j and I have excellent crops of Pears, Plums, and Cherries 
upon young trees procured from within the radius of London. 
Apples, my crop is enormous. Quince, ditto. Gooseberries, I 
have made eighteen gallons of i/icrm-pagne of, for what coidd have 
become of all of them P Currants and Raspberries, judged by 
the preserve-cupboard and manifold tarts, bountiful: the Rasps 
good-flavoured too, which, considering the season, I greatly 
attribute to the “awfulality” tank, for the application of which 
I have added a long-legged pump figured in the advertisements. 
Cucumbers and Melons, in consequence of calls from home for 
days together, and the never following out the instructions during 
my absence by the damsels, I have given up with vexation their 
cultivation, and sold the frames. My last Melon I took to Elgin 
in a liatbox : it scented the trains and hotels on its way thither, 
and was pronounced “ very good.” Strawberries, a good crop 
and lasting. I have picked a fine plate of Fltons this 30th day 
of August, and according to appearances shall be able to do so 
into the second week of September. I still cultivate my old 
sorts—the Keens' Seedling, British Queen, and Flton Pine ; and 
I am ne.ver satisfied if I cannot gather Strawberries on the natural 
ground from the middle of June till the 1st of September. The 
Rector, like the late T. A. Knight, Esq., breakfasts on Straw¬ 
berries and cream as long as he can get them. When the Straw¬ 
berries wore over, Mr. Knight, for the remaining period of the 
year, breakfasted on baked Apples and cream. Alas for cream, 
or milk either, in Woodstock ! I fear the dairy people are not 
honest. 
What shall I say for my Grapes ? There they are, but they will 
not ripen this season, it is needless to say ; so, if not champagne 
I must try hock, blow many primings of the vineyards abroad 
go to fabricate the wine ? Green Grapes will surely do it better. 
Besides, I possess the receipt of the late Mr. Knight for making 
wine of the thinnings of unripe Grapes, and send it to you for 
the good of the out-of-door Grape cultivators of the present year ; 
and I can do so the more confidently, because I have drunk of 
the very good wine made from the receipt at Downton Castle, 
where I should as soon have thought of flying in the air as to 
publish it, or ever to have become wine-maker and Grape-grower 
before the public. 
Green-grape Wine. —“To every 5 lbs. of unripe Grapes add 
7 pints of water (when boiled and allowed to get cold it is best). 
Bruise the Grapes, and put them into a tub with 6 parts of water. 
Allow them to remain for ten days, stirring them twice a-day. 
Then strain through a fine hair-sieve, and wash the pulp with 
the remaining quantity of water. To every gallon of juice add 
3 lbs. of best rate sugar. When dissolved put it into a cask, and 
stir it every day until the fermentation ceases, which can be 
ascertained by putting your ear to the bunghole. If the wine is 
made in the spring it will be fit to fine and stop down in the 
autumn, and for bottling in the spring following. An ounce of 
isinglass is sufficient to fine 16 gallons. Dissolve the isinglass in 
a cup just covered with vinegar {sic), let it stand t welve hours, 
and then whisk it up with about half a pint of sherry. Draw a 
gallon of the liquor from the cask, and whisk it well together. 
Return it into the cask, stirring it well, and it will be fit to stop 
down the following day.” 
Now I am on the subject of wine I wish to correct a blunder. 
In No. 589, page 230, I noted back to Nos. 161 and 156, thus 
referring the reader to Mr. Livett’s excellent wine articles. I 
can account for it by having been so accustomed to consult them. 
The figures came as a matter of course. For the two bottom 
lines on the left-hand page read, “ I have made no alteration in the 
system of groundwork and training my Vines from that which I 
stated in Nos. 4-27 and 428, Vol. XVII.” 
Roses. —My Roses, owing to the wind and the wet, have 
suffered, though we have now in very good bloom and buds 
offering, Muchess of Sutherland, Baronne Prevost, Lord Raglan, 
Louis Napoleon, Madame de Cambacbres, Muchess of Norfolk, 
Geant des Batailles, Souvenir de Malmaison, Reine d’ Angleterre, 
General Pelissier, Triomphe de VExposition, Madam Rivers, and 
Thomas Rivers; but the king of all the Roses I have seen this 
year was Jules Margottin at Putney Heath. 
Potatoes. —These are my speciality. I would rather lose all 
the other crops in the garden put together than the Potatoes. 
Mine were all taken up by the 20th ult. ; and I still maintain j 
