1831 . ] 
TROPiEOLUM EMPBESS OF INDIA.—THE CULTURE OF WALL-FRUITS : XXV. 
177 
TROP2EOLUM EMPRESS OF INDIA. 
[Plate 551.] 
OppN this novelty, of wliich Mr. Macfarlane 
K has given a very fair representation in 
the accompanying plate, but the colour 
of whose flowers is really unattainable by art, 
we have one of the very best of the new 
annuals suitable for decorative purposes. It 
has been raised and selected with great care by 
Messrs. Carter and Co., of Holborn, at their 
seed grounds at St. Osytli, where during the 
past summer we saw a large breadth of it, so 
true and uniform in character that the crop 
might have been supposed to be the produce 
of cutting plants rather than of seeds, had we 
not the assurance of the growers to the con¬ 
trary. So uniform, indeed, were the plants, 
that each might be practically regarded as a 
counterpart of its neighbour; and there were 
scarcely to be found over the whole piece, and 
certainly not to be noted without search, any 
of those unseemly gaps in the long, thick-set 
rows, which indicate that ‘ rogueing ’ has been 
a necessary item of cultivation. It was cer¬ 
tainly the most brilliant and dazzling piece of 
floral colour we ever saw. 
This variety is one of the dwarf annual 
forms of Tropceolum majus , of which there are 
several, varying much in colour, but mostly 
very desirable subjects for summer bedding. 
It is of the close, compact habit of the sort 
known as King of Tom Thumbs, and is remark¬ 
able for its dark blue-green foliage and its large 
and abundant deep, but brilliant crimson, 
flowers, which are by many shades darker and 
richer in hue than the highly popular variety 
just named, and indeed come nearest to the 
intense crimson-scarlet shades to be selected 
amongst the cultivated forms of Phlox Drum - 
monilii, the colour, as in that plant and 
in some of the bright-tinted Verbenas , having 
a decided glow, which adds greatly to its effec¬ 
tiveness in the mass. There is no exaggera¬ 
tion in the statement that it will rank far 
ahead of anything in the same way. 
As a companion to this novelty, we may 
commend to the notice of our readers the variety 
called Spotted Queen, the flowers of which are 
of the deep golden tint called “ dead-gold,” 
a colour which, in the sunshine, is, however, 
anything but dead and dull, being bright and 
sparkling in the extreme, the scarlet spots on 
the petals making it still more effective. For 
intensity and richness of colour, Spotted Queen 
ranks amongst the yellows as the equal of 
Empress of India amongst the scarlets, and the 
two would make a splendid pair to bed out in 
contrast.—T. Moore. 
THE CULTURE OF WALL-FRUITS. 
CHAP. XXV.—THE PEAR (Concluded). 
d'jj^AVING treated of the methods which it 
1 fw is desirable should be adopted to secure, 
t i(£r as far as possible, a well-drained medium 
for the roots, we may now advert briefly to a 
few other important matters to be observed in 
the general culture of Pears on walls. First, 
as regards aspects, both east and west walls are 
suitable and favourable for the general crop, 
but for early purposes it may be useful to 
occupy a small space on the south walls with 
a few of the earlier sorts, amongst which 
Williams’ Bon Chretien will be found suitable 
for early work. As regards quality, I cannot 
recommend either aspect as being superior to 
the other, only, it may be noted, that in good 
seasons the same variety from the south wall 
will be ready for use a week or ten days 
earlier than from the other aspects. 
No. 48. IMPERIAL SERIES. 
The kind of stock on which the Pear i3 
worked is generally allowed to be a very im¬ 
portant matter. They are of two kinds, the 
Wilding—commonly called the Free Stock, and 
obtained from seeds of existing sorts—and the 
Quince. As the use of the latter has lately 
become a matter of controversy, I shall only 
venture to add a few suggestions as to the 
principles which should guide us in the selec¬ 
tion ; and in so doing, I shall only presume to 
detail the results of my own experience, not to 
lay down an arbitrary rule, as I believe that in 
most places the natural conditions of the soil 
in the locality to be planted upon will be the 
best guide. 
For example, in comparatively shallow soils 
on a porous, gravelly, or otherwise warm sub¬ 
soil, a very free stock is the most likely to pro- 
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