January 7, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
299 
free-growing sort of the same type as the scion. The 
operation of grafting may be done any time during the 
autumn or early in spring, keeping the plants after 
working in a close case at an intermediate temperature, 
gradually inuring to air and light after the union has 
become properly secure. Side-grafting the same as 
that used in working Camellias is the best mode for 
this kind of Rhododendron. 
All the kinds will root from cuttings, and these 
should be put in during November or December, or 
any time when the wood is in proper condition. This 
may be decided upon as soon as the young growth 
has become firm enough, and the terminal point or leaf- 
bud is properly set for another growth (flowering points 
should not be taken). Where it can be done, they 
should be taken off with a heel, but this is not always 
convenient ; therefore, the cutting must be made at a 
point where the wood is firm enough to admit of it, but 
always below a joint. 
Long-jointed and weak cuttings do not root well, 
and are generally of more trouble than their worth. 
The cutting should, in all cases where practicable, be 
short-jointed, plump, and firm. Trim off the bottom 
leaves with a sharp knife, not scissors, and insert in 
very sandy peat, either singly in pots or else about 
half-a-dozen on the edge of a 4-in. pot. See that the 
latter are well drained, and be sure that the cutting 
or cuttings are made quite firm in the compost. Water 
overhead with a fine-rosed watering-pot, in order to 
settle the soil and cuttings into their places. After the 
water has drained away, the pots should be plunged in 
a very close case, with a steady bottom-heat of about 
65° to 70°. They must be kept close for a short time, 
only opening the case to allow superabundant moisture 
to escape, closing it again as soon as the foliage shows 
signs of becoming dry. Shade from sunshine till they 
show signs of rooting, which they will do in about six 
weeks ; afterwards gradually give air to inure them to 
the temperature of an intermediate house. 
Cuttings that have been put round the edge of a pot 
will require to be kept rather close for about a fortnight, 
till they take root afresh after potting off. Those that 
have been placed in single pots to root, will only 
require potting into a larger size. No more water than 
what is really necessary must be given to the cuttings 
while rooting in the case, nor after they have had their 
first shift from the cutting pot. These are matters 
that must be left to the judgment of the operator. 
The R. jasminiflorum and bell-shaped types all root 
freely under the plan described above, and those 
wishing to increase their stock may do so by following 
out the above instructions. 
The pest from which they suffer most is, perhaps, 
thrip. This must be destroyed before the cuttings are 
put in, otherwise one pot of cuttings infested will spoil 
a whole batch, causing endless mischief.— TV. O. 
-- 
DROPMORE IN WINTER. 
At no time can the natural habits of deciduous trees 
be better studied than in winter, nor do evergreen 
kinds ever appear to better advantage than when 
brought into prominence by the leafless condition of 
their associates. It may be argued—and there is a 
considerable amount of truth in it—that the pyramidal 
or columnar habit of Conifers can never be mistaken 
for, or confused with, the round-headed and more 
spreading-habited deciduous trees of temperate climates. 
The contrast of the two leading types is, however, con¬ 
siderably toned down when in full leaf and planted in 
close proximity, as they should be in woods or forests 
devoted in the first place to the growth of timber. 
Mere ornament, however much it may be desired, is a 
secondary matter in extensive woods. 
The peculiar tints of the various species of Abies, 
Picea, Pinus, and other things were never more distinct 
or effective than at the present time. As one enters 
the gate leading from the high road, through the 
grounds of Lady Louisa Fortescue, Dropmore, Bucks, 
towards Burnham Beeches, the first feature of interest 
is a great mass of the Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris) on 
the rising ground on the opposite side of a hollow, with 
massive red-barked trunks as straight as a ship’s mast, 
capped by a dome of branches and sombre-hued foliage. 
An open space in the foreground, covered with brown 
Heath and dry bracken, serves to set off the picture. 
The deciduous trees skirting the flanks, and from the 
spectator’s stand-point consisting chiefly of Oaks, 
Limes, Beeches, Birches, and others, constitute the 
framework. A little distance ahead is the Cedar walk, 
sheltered with bold and magnificent specimens of the 
Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus Libani), well known for its 
long, horizontally-spreading, and umbrageous branches. 
Truly, the trees are of no great age (possibly about fifty 
years), but for that reason the lower branches are still 
preserved in all their vigour, and, skirting the ground, 
display a wealth of foliage of a type which the Larches, 
the allies of this genus, cannot rival, even at mid¬ 
summer. A few of the Mount Atlas Cedar (C. atlantica) 
are distinguishable by their more narrowly pyramidal 
habit and ascending branches. As a rule, the foliage 
of this species is much more glaucous than that of any 
other, and one tree particularly showed a near approach 
to the variety known as C. a. glauca. The glaucous 
grey foliage shone and glittered in the December sun 
like frosted silver. 
Beyond the belt or colony of Cedars various ornamental 
and exotic Conifers are scattered at intervals, and rear 
their pyramidal trunks in stately grandeur, as in some 
primeval forest. They are almost invariably backed 
up by deciduous trees, to which they constitute a fore¬ 
ground as isolated specimens or in groups of species 
belonging to some particular genus. None, perhaps, 
exhibit a more refined grandeur than the species of 
Abies or Silver Fir. The Pines, on the contrary, are 
noted for their rugged grandeur. Two sister trees on 
the left—namely, the Mount Enos Fir (Abies cepha- 
lonica and the Pinsapo Silver Fir (A. Pinsapo)—tower 
to the height of 60 ft. or more, perfectly pyramidal in 
shape, and feathered to the ground. According to our 
experience the former is always a majestic tree, grows 
rapidly, and preserves its outline particularly well. 
Another peculiarity of this tree by which it may be 
recognised is the characteristic twist at the base of the 
leaves just as they emerge from the parent branch. 
The Pinsapo, on the contrary, grows more tardily, as a 
rule, and is very liable to lose its leader, or remain in 
the form of a stunted bush, with its singular sub- 
cylindrical or slightly compressed and rigid leaves 
bristling in all directions. Further on are equally 
handsome and perfect specimens of the noble Silver 
Fir (A. nobilis), with its glaucous and darkly sombre 
tinted foliage arranged with great density. On the 
whole, however, it bears itself with more graceful 
elegance than A. amabilis, which, in this country at 
least, exhibits a rigid and stumpy appearance by reason 
of its knotted and short horizontal branches. A. 
grandis is equally graceful, if not more so than either, 
and grows very rapidly, with a slender straight leader. 
A. concolor, known under a variety of names, grows, 
as a rule, as slowly as the Pinsapo ; but a healthy 
specimen here is well furnished with its characteristic, 
long, pale-coloured foliage and plumose branches. 
The more familiar Cypresses—such as Cupressus 
Lawsoniana and C. nutksensis, Cryptomeria japonica, 
C. Lobbii, Sequoia gigantea, and S. sempervirens—are 
noteworthy at this season from the preservation of 
their accustomed and dark green hues ; whereas, on the 
contrary, Cryptomeria elegans, many species of Retino- 
spora, and Thuja, assume a paler or sometimes a deep 
rusty or metallic-brown hue. Libocedrus decurrens, 
known in many establishments under the name of 
Thuja gigantea, preserves its green colour, and is as 
decidedly columnar as a Lombardy Poplar. As already 
mentioned, the rugged grandeur of the Pines are well 
displayed by contrast in the winter season. The 
laminated and rugged bark of the Pinaster (Pinus 
Pinaster) is deeply rugged and furrowed longitudinally 
to the depth of 1 in. or 2 ins., displaying its annual 
layers to the naked eye very visibly. P. insignis must 
not be overlooked, as it differs so signally from most 
other Pines in the grass-green colour of its foliage. 
This seems to be particularly the case in the neighbour¬ 
hood of the sea, where its vigour would seem to indicate 
that it is adapted for maritime situations. 
The noblest of all the Conifers here are magnificent 
specimens of Pseudotsuga Douglasii and Araucaria 
imbricata ; both are worth making a pilgrimage to see. 
The latter is a male specimen, laden with cones about 
6 ins. in length, and now dropping in all directions. 
The tapering trunk is very massive at the base, and the 
drooping branches equally so. The former was the 
late Mr. Frost’s favourite tree, and might well be 
designated the king of the forest. There is some hope 
that the destruction caused by the snowstorm of 
Christmas, 1886, will eventually become obliterated by 
the development of lateral branches hiding the remains 
of those wrenched off, although the tree may never 
become so symmetrical in the upper reaches. Near by 
the gracefully drooping branches of Tsuga Brunoniana 
are heavily laden with their charmingly miniature 
cones. The habit of the tree, in this instance at least, 
is not so strictly pyramidal as that of T. Albertiana, 
but more so than that of T. canadensis, the common 
Hemlock Spruce ; and the underside of the foliage of 
the first-named is as white as snow. 
The nakedness of the deciduous trees displays very 
visibly the normal as well as any peculiarities of 
growth, some of which are very interesting, such as 
fasciated branches, twistings or contortions, and one of 
the latter we noticed by a natural aberration from the 
normal course of growth had curled like a ram’s horn 
of large size. Mistleto hung from the branches of 
Poplars and Hawthorn. Amongst recent additions to 
the collection of trees is a beautifully symmetrical 
specimen of Araucaria imbricata about 30 ft. in height, 
which was removed from Mr. Charles Turner’s 
Nurseries at Slough, and planted here with all due 
ceremony by Lady Fortescue and her friends in com¬ 
memoration of the Queen’s Jubilee. The Cedars 
planted on Coronation Day occupy similar positions on 
the sloping ground a little to the right. The work of 
planting, so well carried on by the late Mr. Frost, is 
now taken up by Mr. C. Herrin, and we hope to see 
many fine additions to the collection. 
-- 
ARDENING fflSCELLANY. 
A Neglected Fruit. 
How few gardens there are at the pr< sent time 
which seem to possess trees of the True Service 
(Pyrus sorbus, also known as P. domestica in Smith’s 
English Botany) l In the days when Loudon did so 
much for hardy trees and shrubs, and the famous col¬ 
lection of the Royal Horticultural Society remained 
intact at Chiswick, it is probable that considerable 
numbers were disseminated about the country, but 
which in few cases now remain. When Loudon wrote 
his Trees and Shrubs of Great Britain, he spoke of both 
the Apple and Pear-fruited forms being in the collection 
of the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick, and in 
that of the Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney. A large 
tree, now in the grounds at Devonhurst, Chiswick, the 
residence of E. H. Watts, Esq., is highly interesting, 
as in all probability it is one of the trees referred to by 
Loudon. The grounds at Devonhurst formerly con¬ 
stituted an integral part of the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, and the inference that this was 
one of the old trees is further strengthened by its size 
and the time it requires to attain maturity. From 
50 ft. to 60 ft. is stated to be the height it attains in 
France, after a period of 200 years, and that it will live 
to the extraordinary age of 1,000 years. By some it is 
considered a native of Britain ; but it is more probable 
that the tree was planted for the sake of its fruit. This 
idea is strengthened by the specific name as used by 
Smith. Turning now to the fruit, which is about the 
size of a large marble, or even larger, and is produced 
in great abundance annually by the tree mentioned, we 
may say that, like the common Medlar, it is unfit to 
eat till in a state of incipient decay. Just before 
ripening it is of a bright shining green, and even of an 
inviting appearance, much more so than in the case of 
the dry, brown, husk-like aspect of the Medlar. When 
decaying, however, it becomes brownish, with a pleasant 
and spirituous flavour. It would, no doubt, prove 
acceptable to many, and might have its culture revived 
by some enterprising fruit grower. When raised from 
seedlings, the tree is a long time before it comes into 
bearing ; but by grafting shoots from an old tree on 
young stocks, it bears at an early age like other fruit 
trees. 
The Dean Potato. 
“Caledonian,” at page 279, is kind enough to 
make favourable reference to The Dean Potato as 
seen lately in Scotland. I think I can assure him that 
he will be not only very pleased with its cropping 
powers, but especially so with the round handsome 
sample lifted, and its admirable quality when cooked. 
I have much doubt whether there are many round 
Potatos having coloured skins which equal The Dean 
in table quality. Whilst usually as round as a cricket- 
ball, the tubers have dark purple skins, generally 
somewhat netted, and always darker, rougher, and 
rounder than are those of its well-known seed-parent, 
the Vicar of Laleham. The latter is, without exception, 
one of the best cropping and most popular of coloured 
Potatos ; but the flesh, if whiter, is not quite so mealy 
or well-flavoured as is that of The Dean. Being 
anxious to improve the “Vicar,” if possible, I crossed 
it with that delicious Potato, Woodstock Kidney, and 
The Dean is the result. When better known, it will 
be as widely grown as the Vicar, and as popular as that 
unbeaten red round, Reading Russet. Of coloured 
round Potatos, I class Reading Russet, The Dean, and 
Radstock Beauty as the best and handsomest three in 
