January 30, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
347 
quite distinct from Muscat of Alexandra, its parent, 
but it does not equal that in quality. Bowood Muscat, 
which is also a seeding from Muscat of Alexandra, is 
thought to be distinct by several eminent gardeners, 
amongst whom is Mr. W. Coleman, of Eastnor Castle ; 
but the remarks already made in reference to the 
reversion of seedlings seem to apply equally in this 
case. If there is a form recognisable from the Muscat 
of Alexandra by its earliness and better constitution, 
as some maintain, it is very difficult to procure, and 
must be scarce. 
Other white seedlings are Ferdinand de Lesseps, 
Ascot Citronelle, Golden Champion, Golden Hamburgh, 
Golden Queen, Waltham Cross Seedling, White Lady 
Downes Seedling, and Mrs. Pearson, the last-named 
being much the best, for the others are seldom satis¬ 
factory, even under the care of the most experienced 
Grape-growers. Perhaps, compared with other fruits, 
the preceding list may not appear a long one, and there 
is unquestionably room for still greater advance, especi¬ 
ally amongst the white Grapes. We want a Grape of 
the Muscat of Alexandra quality of better constitution, 
one that will set more freely, and succeed in a lower 
temperature ; a good late-keeping white Grape is also 
needed to accompany Alicante and Lady Downes. In 
the black class, Black Hamburgh is such an all round 
useful variety that there is little chance of its being 
surpassed ; for size and fine appearance we have Gros 
Colmar, while Gros Maroc, Madresfield Court (where 
its peculiarities are mastered), and the two late varieties 
already mentioned are established favourites in the 
majority of gardens. — Vitis. 
-—- 
FRUITS, FLOWERS & VEGETABLES. 
Acacia platyptera. —Many who see this plant 
in a flowerless condition might be inclined to regard it 
simply as a curiosity. Its strangely flattened leaf-like 
branches have such an uncommon appearance that it 
resembles some of those vegetable abnormalities which 
one sees in botanic gardens, and its [usefulness would 
never be suspected. Yet there is no Acacia to equal 
this for early flowering, and as a winter plant its value 
is inestimable. Though at present only comparatively 
few gardeners have discovered the merits it possesses 
for this time of year. Readily and quickly propagated, 
easily grown, and flowering in all stages, from recently 
rooted cuttings to small specimens 2 ft. or more in 
height, it can be employed in numbers for the con¬ 
servatory with great advantage, either for decoration 
or cutting. Useful plants in 60 or 48-size pots can be 
grown in a short time, and then with annual re-pottings 
and generous treatment they can be cut as freely as is 
desired, the result being that they are rendered more 
bushy and compact than they are naturally. From 
December to February they may be had in flower if 
sufficient are grown to bring a few on at intervals, and 
they require very little heat to force them into flower 
in the first-named month, this chiefly depending upon 
the way they are prepared earlier in the year. 
Cuttings of the young shoots can be taken at any 
time after the plants have flowered, they should 
be 3 ins. to 4 ins. long and not too soft. Insert them 
in light sandy soil, cover them with a bell glass and 
place the pots in a temperature of about 60°, where 
they soon make fine roots, and it is seldom that we lose 
a single cutting. When it is seen that they are rooted 
and are commencing growth, pot them singly into small 
thumbs, using a light compost of loam, leaf soil and 
sand, and encourage growth in a temperature about the 
same as that named above, supplying water carefully 
but syringe them frequently. When sufficiently ad¬ 
vanced they may be placed into large 60’s, and as it 
will be advisable to retain some in that size for flowering, 
add a small proportion of old dry manure to the soil, 
also repeating this if they are to be re-potted into 48’s 
to form larger specimens. When the growth has ceased 
place the plant in a light cool well ventilated house, 
where the shoots can be matured, starting them as advised 
for early flowering, by replacing them in moderate heat. 
The bright yellow globular flowers are produced most 
freely along the margins of the flat branches, and have 
a pleasing appearance.— T., Wimbledon. 
The Profits of Celery Culture.— It seems to 
be a common practice in these days to represent the 
profits of market gardening as extremely small; and, 
no doubt, there has been a diminution in the value of 
some crops ; but, although the consumption has in¬ 
creased very largely, the numbers of producers have 
been similarly extended. Still, there is pdently of 
crops which when judiciously managed afford sub¬ 
stantial returns—sufficient to satisfy the most sanguine 
expectations, and amongst these must be reckoned the 
Celery crop. Celery has long been regarded as one of 
the most profitable vegetables grown in the low-lying 
districts near the Thames, both east and west of 
London, and especially in the direction of Woolwich, 
whence some of the finest samples have been sent to 
the metropolitan markets. Hundreds of acres of what 
might be termed marsh-land have been reclaimed and 
rendered the source of considerable incomes by the cul¬ 
ture of this vegetable, and the importance of this is 
enormously increased when it is considered that the 
land so occupied would otherwise have been fit for 
little but Willows. For many years the greatest part 
of the Celery supplies were derived from the London 
market-gardens, but of late the enormous demand in 
the populous provincial cities has induced numbers of 
enterprising persons to take up its culture in other 
districts. In the midland and northern parts of 
England especially there is scarcely a town of moderate 
extent, and where the soil is suitable, but what we find 
the Celery forming a good proportion of the local 
market-garden crops. Next to the London growers 
probably none in one district produces a larger quantity 
than those around Bantry, where its production con¬ 
stitutes an important local industry. There some 
hundreds of acres are devoted to Celery, and the yield 
per acre ranges from £30 to £50, according to the 
season at which the produce is placed in the market, 
and the quality of the “heads” or “sticks,” excep¬ 
tionally good samples realising still higher prices. 
This is about the same as the average returns from 
Onions, and leaves an ample profit for the growers. 
In London the wholesale price per bundle of a dozen 
sticks varies from Is. 6 d. to 3s., the latter price being 
seldom exceeded, though in the retailers’ shops 6d. per 
stick is by no means an uncommon price for the best 
quality, though large quantities of inferior samples are 
now sold for stewing and soups at nominal prices. 
Such crops as these yield handsome profits—even on 
the highly-rented land near London, where £10 per 
acre is the rule rather than the exception, and it can 
be imagined that there ought to be a good opportunity 
for growers who need not pay more than 30s. per acre, 
as plenty of suitable ground can be obtained at that 
rental.— A. G. 
The New Melons. —No summer fruit that grows 
under the sun is so welcome, or so thoroughly appre¬ 
ciated as a well flavoured Melon. Are we ripe, Mr. 
Editor, for a Melon congress ? Perhaps not, or a more 
fertile brain than mine would have suggested it ere 
now. But if we cannot have a congress we can at 
least originate a competition Tor new Melons, in or 
out of commerce, to take place during June or July. 
It might take the form of a sweepstake among the raisers 
of new Melons, to which I should be happy to subscribe 
from five shillings to one guinea, and I have no doubt 
many other Melon growers would do the same. But 
to remove the contest out of the category of anything 
in the shape of gaming, I would suggest that the 
amount collected be given by the winner to the 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, the honour 
of showing the best flavoured variety, being, in my esti¬ 
mation, an ample reward. What do other Melon 
growers say to the project ?—A. Gilbert, Burghlcy, 
Stamford. 
Rhus Cotinus. —Too much cannot be said in favour 
of this charming deciduous shrub. We have several good 
sized bushes of it here—about 7 ft. through, andnearlyas 
high—which I should say have been planted about eight 
years. Last autumn I gathered some seeds from them, and 
have raised some young plants, which are now about 
2 in. high. I believe it rarely seeds ; at all events, I 
had never observed seeds on them before last autumn. 
It has two seasons of great beauty; when in flower 
nothing is more striking than its feathery plumes, and 
again, just before the foliage falls, the colour of its 
leaves vary in brilliancy from a bright scarlet to the 
softest yellow. Some time ago I put in a lot of cut¬ 
tings of it, but failed to root one, so cannot say that 
it is propagated very freely from cuttings, which pro¬ 
bably accounts, in some measure, for its being somewhat 
scarce. My experience of it is that it never flowers in 
a young state. — J. T. Fletcher, Coppins, Tver. 
Ringing the Branches of Fruit Trees.— 
Your correspondent “ R. D.” is anxious to ascertain if 
this practice is still continued by fruit growers. It 
would, no doubt, be interesting to ascertain to what 
extent it may be done, as I have not seen it anywhere 
for very many years. I well remember, about twenty 
years ago, it was almost universal among the older 
members of the profession, but I think must be now 
almost discontinued. As a rule, modern gardeners do 
not use the knife in such an indiscriminate fashion as 
was the custom in those days, having learned that 
trees may be brought into fruitfulness by less use of the 
knife and judicious root-pruning. However, I myself 
sometimes resort to a practice very nearly akin to it, 
but for a very different purpose. That is in the case 
of a tree where a branch may be wanted to fill up a 
rather wide space on the stem, so as to look neater 
than where parallel running branches may have too 
wide an interval between them, I then cut a notch in 
the stem above a dormant and likely bud. It does no 
harm, generally closing up the next summer, but is 
very often successful in meeting the want.— R. Stevens, 
Poston, Northumberland. 
Hedychium coronarium. — I presume that 
what is grown under this name is really H. aurantiacum. 
I have never seen finer plants or better done specimens 
of this than Mr. R. Greenfield grows at the Priory 
Gardens, at Warwick. There it seems to luxuriate 
under the treatment given it; it is potted in good 
strong fibry loam, and it is copiously watered, and 
when growing it is treated to frequent soakings with 
liquid manure-water. Treated in this manner, the 
flowers are produced freely at the points of the strong 
growths which are thrown up from the crowns of the 
plants. It is an easy plant to grow, and it requires 
little attention beyond what has just been set down. — R. 
Forwarding Early Crops of Peas.— Many 
and various contrivances are resorted to forwarding the 
first crop of Peas, but of all I have tried none satisfies 
more than using large 60-size pots. I have found great 
advantage in this system for Several years past, and 
have during the present month filled several hundreds, 
and placed them under glass in cold frames or wliere- 
ever a little room could be spared out of the reach of 
mice, &c. My plan is to place a pinch of moss or a little 
half rotted rather dry dung over the hole in the bottom of 
the pot just merely to keep the soil in, and half fill them 
with a mixture of loam and leaf mould, then sow eight 
or nine Peas in each pot and fill up with the soil; one 
good watering will generally suffice until the Peas are 
up, air must then be admitted on favourable occasions. 
About the end of February, all being well, they will be 
about 1 in. high and will be fit for planting out. In 
the meantime a nice sheltered south border is prepared 
to receive them, and choosing a favourable day a 
deepish drill is drawn with the hoe, and the contents 
of the pots are then carefully turned out entire and 
planted with a trowel and at once covered with gal¬ 
vanized Pea protectors, on the top of which a slight 
covering of dryish litter from the dung heap effectually 
shelters them from cold winds, and from the attacks of 
birds and other depredators, and they are safe and 
comfortable and grow away at once without any 
check whatever. As soon as the tops reach the wires, 
the latter are removed and the sticks are placed to them 
at once, the result being a fine border of early Peas. I 
find ten pots will plant a yard run, so that it is easy to 
calculate how many to sow for a given border. I know 
some people say why take all this trouble, why not sow- 
in the borders at once ? but although theoretically it 
may seem a tedious job to them, I say that practically it 
is astonishing what a couple of handy men will do in a 
few hours. Again, what looks worse than thin and 
ragged rows of Peas ; I hate the look of them, and in 
cold wet seasons, and on some soils especially, lrqw is 
it to be avoided except by the planting out system. I 
only practice it for the earliest crops, but I know of one 
grower who told me that he sows all his Peas in pots, 
both early and late, as in no other way can he get a 
satisfactory plantation.— W. Harris, Dennc Park, 
Horsham. 
Poinsettias. —There has appeared just lately 
several communications from different correspondents 
in the columns of The Gardening World, each and 
all giving their different modes of cultivating this most 
useful autumn and winter decorative plant, and I have 
no doubt all their methods of culture have many points 
to recommend them. I had several times heard of 
