It; 
THE FLOKIST AND POJrOLOGIST. 
[ jANTAliV, 
onglit to be, I have never known vines suffer from 
too much water in their growing season, and have 
known them get 6 ft. of rain in the year, besides 
•artificial waterings in inside borders amounting to 
even more tlian 6 ft. 
— ^The well-known Hodgins’ Holly {Ilex 
Aijuifolium Ifodjiimi) is the best of hollies for 
town gardens, and a very fine holly everywhere. 
Usually when hollies arc planted in smoky and 
confined places, the common typical form of I. 
Aqnifolium is chosen, and it does very well; but 
Hodgins’s beats it in every w'ay. It is more noble in 
leafage, richer in colour, denser in habit, and more 
rapid in growth. “I am really surprised at the 
progress of this variety in my collection, which, 
being extensive, affords me abundant opportunity 
for comparison.” So says a writer in the Gardener ’a 
M agazine, and we quite agree with him. 
- ®HE Aiieeican Cranberhy (O.TI/COCCVS 
macrocarjJiis) is growni in the gardens at Pet- 
worth, in a shallow tank, where it hears bushels 
of the most delicious berries. The ” tank ” is from 
throe to four feet deep, and not w'ater-tight. It has 
a layer of rubble at bottom, to hold superfluous 
moisture ; and then two feet of sandy peat, in which 
the plants were set some years since. This shallow 
cranberry-tank is 3Gft. across, and carries a crop of 
several bushels of fruit. The plants are submerged 
in water several times during summer, and should 
always be flooded to set the blossom about the 
middle of June. There is no better vehicle for 
cream and powdered sugar than a cranberry tart. 
Words will not describe the excellence of this berry, 
or its pleasant, brisk flavour. 
— She New Canadian Poplar (Popnb/s 
canadensis nova), by reason of its marvellous 
rapidity of growth and other good qualities, is 
calculated to grow I’apidly into favour for town 
planting, and where shelter or immediate effect is 
an object. It is, perhaps, not too much to say that 
it is one of the best and most u.seful hardy deciduous 
trees we have. It is the most rapid-growing of all 
our hardy trees, sometimes, in a season, making ten 
feet growth, well furnished with branches. It may 
be seen in luxuriant health in the plantations on 
the Thames Embankment at Chelsea. From the 
treatment to which it has been there subjected, it 
is evident that it will bear any amount of pruning; 
so that it may be kept to any size or form required. 
It is probably the best tree we have for planting in 
the smoky towns of the manufacturing districts in 
the north of England. Its nearest affinity is with 
the Black Italian Poplar; and in fact, it may be 
regarded as a very much improved form of that 
variety, possessing greater vigour of growth, as well 
as larger leaves, which are retained fresh and green 
till a later period of the season. It is, in fact, in 
every way an improvement on that well-known and 
useful sort, and as a screen tree has no rival. 
— jjHE beautiful Belladonna Lily is 
liable to failure from two causes, as noted by 
“ J. S.,” in tire Gardeners’ Chronicle. Tire 
one consists in not giving the plant sufficient water 
during summer to bring about a full and healthy 
leaf development; the other in allowing it to be¬ 
come frost-bitten during the winter. The tendency 
of thi.s Lily is for the bulbs to become crowded, so 
that they push each other near the surface, and if 
not protected, all the uppermost, which are the 
strongest and best ripened, get their crowns injui’ed 
and perish. To prevent this, a few inches of half- 
decomposed leaves should be put over the border 
as .soon as they have done flowering, which answers 
the double purpose of enriching the soil and render¬ 
ing them safe for the winter. Owing to the very 
early growth they make, the foliage is liable to get 
cut in the spring, but a mat thrown over them at 
night, or a few evergreen branches stuck in, till 
frosts are over, form a sufficient protection at that 
season. 
— En reference to Storing Fruit, a cor¬ 
respondent of tire Garden recommends as very 
effectual, the use of Malt-dust. The plan 
recommended, and proved by satisfactory results, is 
to pack tho fruit in malt-dust, which is easily to be 
obtained from any brewery. They may be placed 
in ordinary flour-barrels, and stored away in a dry 
place. 
— S'liE dish of Sutton’s Woodstock 
Kidney Potato, which -was recently exhibited 
at South Kensington, after being cooked and 
tasted, was awarded a First-class Certificate. 
Woodstock Kidney rvas raised by Mr. Fenn, and has 
the high quality peculiar to his varieties. It is an 
oval-shaped kidney, silvery-white, with netted skin, 
a model in shape, pleasing in texture, an excellent 
cropper, tho shaws somewhat less robust than 
those of International. In quality it is all that 
can be desired. 
— ®HE following are ornamental Large- 
leaved Oaks, according to the Deutsche 
Gartner-Zeitumj ; —1, Querciis confeita (Kit.), 
the Q. panuonioa of gardens, strongly recom¬ 
mended on account of the beauty of its foliage. 2, 
Q. Daimio (Hoi’t.), a Japanese species only known 
in a young state, the foliage of young healthy trees 
being usually much larger than in large trees. 3, 
Q. macranthera (F. et M.), native of tho Caucasus 
and North Persia, attaining a height of 50 to 70 
feet, and having broadly obovate leaves 8 inches 
long. 4, Q. Dincrocflrpn (Miehx.), a North-American 
species, vigorous trees of which have leaves a foot 
or more long, by 5 in. or 6 in. broad. 5, Q. oIiv(v- 
formis Hampteri (Hort.), a garden variety, with 
much larger leaves than the introduced type. 6, 
Q. rubra (L.) 7, Q. tinctoria (Willd.) To which li.st 
Q. alba might be added. 
— ®iiE Weeping Bl.\ck Bigareeau 
Cherry, as grown by Messrs. C. Lee and Sou, 
of Hammersmith, bears fruit of large size and 
excellent flavour, ripening a fortnight earlier than 
the Bigarreau. The habit of the tree is weeping, 
so that it is both ornamental and useful. It was, 
we are informed, introduced from the Continent, 
where it is still a novelty, and bears the names 
Bigarreau Fleureur, and Bigarreau Nuir Monstrueux 
Pleureiir. 
— 0'nE Tuberous-rooted Begonias grown 
AS Basket Plants form very interesting objects, 
for in this way their large, brilliantly-coloured 
blossoms, which are naturally of a drooping cha¬ 
racter, can be seen to advantage, and if grown in 
good soil and kept well supplied with water in a 
moderately cool, dry house, they will produce a 
charming display for montlis iu succession. We 
saw some of them thus grown last summer, by 
Messrs. Laing and Co., at the Staustcad Park 
Nurserie,s, and they were very effective. 
