86 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 10, 1885. 
large graceful Tomato, and is very pleasing indeed for 
decoration, and excellent for preserving -whole; this 
fruits finely, ripens -well, and is a very meritorious kind. 
Williams’ Seedling proved a very fair cropper, the fruit 
handsome and well coloured, and a robust grower. 
Williams’ Golden Queen is also a fair cropping kind, 
the fruit is of a rich golden hue, and very handsome in 
form. Hackwood Park, one of the Excelsior type, 
presented weak growth, the fruits small, and late in 
colouring. Mayflower, a new American kind, carries 
fine fruits of a rich red hue, of the Excelsior type, is a 
moderate cropper, and not very robust, indeed, several 
kinds raised from American seed seemed to lack the 
strength found in English or continental seed strains. 
Cardinal is very much like the preceding kind, fruits 
handsome, and of a beautiful rich colour, but is a shy 
cropper. Canada Victor is large, but possessing no 
special merit. Blount’s Cluster seems to be a fine and 
very promising kind, it is a moderate grower, fruits 
freely, generally a handsome sample of deep red hue. 
Hartington is another American sort, rather more 
robust than some other kinds, but exhibits no other 
merit. Smooth Boiuid and Small Round seedlings are 
selections which seeTn to need considerable fixiug. The 
tendency on the part of some forms of Tomatos to sport 
from red to yellow, and from yellow to red is remark¬ 
able. Nisbet’s Victoria and Dickson’s Queen of 
Tomatos are both medium-sized Pear-shaped kinds, 
pretty enough, and very fruitful, but not otherwise 
valuable for outdoor culture. Other yellow kinds than 
those previously mentioned are Golden Eagle, a very 
poor doer ; Golden Acme, a yellow form of Acme ; 
Greengage, now so well known as a yellow sport from 
Excelsior and Golden Plum, a yellow form of Chiswick 
Red ; whilst King Humbert is something like the latter, 
but less robust. Trentham Fillbasket is a moderate 
cropper; so also here is Reading Perfection, though such 
a fine doer under glass. Garfield is a gigantic kind, 
fruits perfect monsters, but unripe and ungainly. 
Vilmorin’s Early, Glamorgan, Plum Shaped, and various 
others, call for no special comment. Generally the 
result of the trial indicated that nine-tenths of our 
Tomatos are only adapted for warm wall or glasshouse 
culture. __. 
AN EARLY FROST. 
Ik Scotland we have suffered severely from early 
frosts. On the 1st of September, 7°, 8°, and'even 10° 
were registered in different parts of the country, and 
the damage done to Potatos has been very serious. As 
a matter of course, all tender things came to grief, and 
many kitchen and flower gardens presented a miserable 
appearance on the day following this severe frost. It 
becomes a serious question for consideration whether it 
is worth while now-a-days to continue bedding out 
many plants that are sometimes nipped by late frosts in 
June, and are killed entirely by such a severe frost as 
we suffered from on the 1st of September. If om- sea¬ 
sons are to continue deteriorating as they seem to be 
doing, we may expect to have frost and snow in the 
middle of what used to be summer, and in consequence 
many plants at present cultivated for flower garden 
decoration and for kitchen garden use, will have to be 
discarded, or else relegated to pits and frames, where 
they can be protected, and be made the subject of reflec¬ 
tions on the change of our climate, by men who have 
seen times when we had a spring and summer distin¬ 
guishable from winter, and who can point to them and 
tell the young men they may be training, that these 
“ grew outside a few years ago.” 
Some people think that we are only suffering from a 
temporary depreciation in the value of our summers, 
and that in a short time we shall be able to mark the 
bounds which divide winter from summer—not to 
mention spring. The cultivation of the numerous 
beautiful and hardy Japanese shrubs should be largely 
increased if om- climate is still going to remain ‘ 1 eliill 
and drear.” They will stand all kinds of ill-treatment 
from “Dame Nature,” and are becoming very cheap. 
There are numbers of hardy shrubs which display 
beautiful flowers as well as handsome foliage, these 
should be more extensively planted, also many more 
of the numerous family of herbaceous plants which can 
stand frost at any time. 
The labours attending ordinary “bedding out” plants 
are hardly duly rewarded by a brief display in mid¬ 
summer, especially when there is the risk of seeing 
many of them either injured or killed by late and early 
frosts. — Scotia. 
Scottish Gardening. 
Notes of Observation : The Madeesfield Court 
Grape. —This Grape is only grown extensively in very 
few places, but where it can be cultivated free from the 
tantalizing “cracking” of its skin, its fine qualities 
are thoroughly appreciated. Its handsome appearance, 
its immense berries, and its very refreshing and dis¬ 
tinct flavour, are qualities so prominently developed 
that the most fastidious palates of connoisseurs are 
generally satisfied. The cracking infirmity has done 
more than anything else to exclude it from choice col¬ 
lections of Grapes. What is most curious in connection 
with this “cracking ” infirmity is, that one may see it 
in a bad form in some places, while in others the fruit 
is quite exempt from it, even though no special care is 
taken to prevent it, drencliings of water being given 
ad lib, and the fruit remaining intact to the last. 
We observe that the skin is very thin and tender, 
which sometimes causes premature decay. The berries 
require to be thinned with extra severity 7 , and to 
be done by an experienced hand. This season we 
suffered a little by the jambing of the berries 
through insufficient thinning, they swelled out to a 
much greater size than we had seen them do before, 
and such is the only excuse we have for our mistake. 
It seems curious that a mere spindle of a vine (a super¬ 
numerary) cropped so heavily as the one referred to 
should produce berries of such a size, colour, and fair 
bunches (about 21 to 3 lbs. weight) seven of which 
were on a small rod 8 ft. long. 
It is a mystery with some other fruit trees, besides 
vines, why thin wiry wood often bears as heavy crops 
of better fruit as wood doubly strong, and to all 
appearance thoroughly ripened. The cracking process 
has also something mysterious about it, as we know 
that in some places it is never seen, even where nothing 
is done to prevent it. A proprietor who is a keen 
observer in all matters horticultural, told us that 
cracking was never seen in his vineries, and we know 
that in these structures plants are grown extensively 
during the ripening period of the Grapes. Camellias are 
planted along the back wall, and moisture is liberally 
supplied to the flowers and roots (they are outside in 
a very low lying spot) along with the other vines which 
number five or six kinds—in the same house, and 
nicking or “boring” the wood is never practised. I 
fear that, notwithstanding all we have read about the 
misbehaviour of this Grape, we are ignorant of the true 
cause of many of its eccentricities. We purchased 
this Grape (a two guinea vine) when it was first sent 
out, and recommended it to others. We first saw it at 
the “Royal” when it held its provincial show at 
Leicester. Some ofthe friends to whom we recommended 
it were successful in its cultivation, while the examples 
which we grew were almost worthless, and we were 
taught the lesson, which is sometimes ignored, that when 
others attain perfection in cultivating a fruit or any¬ 
thing else, we should attribute our own failure with the 
same to our own want of knowledge and not to inherent 
defects in the thing itself, as is too often done, not only 
in the case of the Madresfield Court Grape, but with 
Golden Champion, Golden Hamburgh, Duke of Buc- 
cleucli, and some others of the very cream of Grapes. 
Good Peaches and Nectarines. —Among the best 
kinds which we have seen this year, are, Dr. Hogg, 
SeaEagle, andPrincess of Wales. Whiletheirappearance 
has been nearly all that one could desire, their flavour 
when well ripened in a dry and bracing air has also 
been of first quality. The handsomest Peach we 
perhaps ever saw, was Sea Eagle, but while admiring 
these we have not lost our esteem for Bellegarde, Royal 
George, Noblesse, and Barrington, which always hold 
their own whether on the dessert table or exhibition 
benches. Novelties among Peaches are not yet shunting 
the old kinds familiar to us in our youth. Among 
Nectarines we have seen a greater variety this year than 
heretofore, and the much abused Lord Napier, both in 
pots and and trained on trellises has been well to the 
front, and at one extensive place we know, it has been 
much appreciated both as a cropper and for dessert. 
Violet Hative, Elruge, and Pitmaston Orange, among a 
host of others in the same gardens, were decidedly in 
every respect second to none. Queen Victoria we find 
is one of the hardiest and best croppers we have 
seen. A maiden tree, which we planted two years ago 
last August, from a box in which the roots were laid 
out flat till the glass structures were ready, has per¬ 
fected about 130 fruits, some of which were grown in 
clusters. Though not one of the handsomest of 
Nectarines, it is a very free bearer, very hardy, and the 
flavour is fair. As good trained trees are not easily 
found, we would advise the purchase of maidens, using 
the knife at first only to thin .out the shoots should 
they be too numerous. Train them at full length, 
either fan shape or horizontal, and the second year they 
will grow to the top of a 10 or 12 ft. high trellis, cover 
a good width, and form a very handsome tree as well. 
Fly on Cabbages, &c. —Vermin has this year been 
something like a calamity in every locality which we 
have visited. Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, 
&c., have been smothered with a green fly which has 
almost destroyed the whole crops, and in some cases 
have defied every effort of persevering cultivators to 
eradicate the unwelcome intruders. I think we have 
suffered as bad as most people, but have kept master 
of the situation, by applying liberal dustings of soot 
and lime; though it has been a struggle to get plants to 
grow, we never was better pleased with the produce, 
not a yard of space being vacant. 
Turf, Vegetable Refuse, &c. —Old gardens 
which have long been well supplied with manure, and 
may be fairly well cultivated, sometimes cease to give 
satisfactory returns for labour and attention expended 
on them. Where a depth of soil cannot any longer be 
brought to the surface to renew what may be considered 
the upper crust, much good can be done by withholding 
manure and turning in very liberally a good quantity 7 of 
turf, fresh soil of any kind, and garden refuse. The 
complete transformation of soils by liberal additions of 
such materials is very marked, and to every portion of 
ground in which such material has been well incor¬ 
porated one can easily point. Now is a good time to 
trench in such material, and where rubbish is accumu¬ 
lating a sanitary improvement will take place and 
economy be maintained. A good plot of ground prepared 
in this way, and Cabbage planted thereon, will give 
satisfactory results. We have often seen great quan¬ 
tities of useful material for laud wasted when it might 
have done much to improve the tilth in gardens. It is 
supposed that at this season large breadths of ground in 
vegetable gardens should be empty, and turned up to the 
influence of the weather. Where it is absolutely neces¬ 
sary that ground should be vacant, the turning of it up 
to the weather will in all likelihood impi-ove it; but 
we do not consider it a well-managed garden to have 
much vacant space at this season of the year. Where 
close cultivation is practised, every part of the ground 
at present should be covered with good vegetables. 
Where such has to stand through the whiter, we prefer 
healthy well-trenched land, renewed and sweetened by 
fresh soil, in preference to heavy applications of manure. 
Strawberries which have stood three years, trenched 
down with all the trimmings of other Strawberry plots, 
puts land into fine condition for spring crops. 
Gladioli in Pots. —Gladioli for autumn and early- 
winter decoration of conservatories are of much value, 
both for appearance and for cut flowers. Planted late 
in pots, and in good rich soil, they 7 throw up fine spikes, 
say during October and November. A few dozens placed 
among dwarf plants less showy, throwing up their spikes 
clear and distinct, give a lively appearance to the 
structure in which they are placed. When the flower- 
spikes appear, liberal waterings with liquid manure should 
be given. Gladioli with good bold spikes, and not insig¬ 
nificant in quality, can be bought very cheap. What 
growers call their seedlings are often found to be useful. 
Pansies from Seed. —Seeds may now be had from 
the leading growers which will give 90 per eeur. of fine 
flowers, and few bad ones will be seen in the whole 
stock. Some seeds which we had sent here for trial have 
turned out far beyond our expectations. A strip of 
peaty ground, not very rich, has produced the finest 
lot of flowers we have seen from seed. They were 
planted out good plants from the seed-boxes during 
May, and have flowered ever since. Several Pansy 
fanciers have been to criticise them, and have done so 
most favourably. They have had very little attention 
at our hands, but do credit to the vendor of the seeds, 
Mr. Forbes, of Hawick Nurseries, a grower who is 
making a speciality of florist flowers. It is sometimes 
believed that Pansies flower most profusely in rather 
poor soil. We have never noticed this to be the case. 
In deep well-broken ground, well enriched with rotten 
cow-manure, and in the full sun, the finest Pansies we 
have ever seen were grown.— M. T. 
