December 1, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
211 
0. crispum, 0. Forbesii, 0. Marshallianum, 0. vari- 
cosum, and 0. tigrinum, most of them being now 
in season. 
The Odontoglossum house contains about 600 plants 
of 0. crispum (0. Alexandra), luxuriating with plenty 
of top and bottom air on night and day. Some of 
those that have flowered are fine spotted varieties. 
Other kinds grown here are 0. Andersonianum, 0. 
Chestertoni, 0. JVilckeanum, 0. Ruckeri, a nice lot 
of 0. Eossii majus, and 0. Cervantesii. At the 
warmest end of the house were some nice pieces of 
Oncidium macranthum undulatum, Odontoglossum 
Edwardsi, 0. Uro-Skinneri, and a few grand pieces of 
the winter-flowering Epidendrum vitellinum majus, 
with about ten spikes each, bearing from twenty-two 
to thirty buds. They are certainly beautiful. 
The Dendrobium house is kept cool at present, and 
contains some admirable specimens of cultivation. 
D. TVardianum exhibits eight growths, each 4 ft. long, 
and producing twenty-six trusses of flowers on a stem. 
Other choice representative species are D. crassinode, 
D. Devonianum, D. thyrsiflorum, D. Ainsworthii 
splendens, D. nobile, D. primulinum, D. suavissimum, 
D. Farmeri, D. Jamesianum, and D. Brymerianum. 
Another house contains some fine plants of Cymbidium 
Lowii, C. eburneum, and Sobralia xantholeuca, 3 ft. 
across. An evergreen Amaryllis, named George Firth, 
of gay colour at this dull season, stood out bold in 
comparison with Mrs. W. Lee and Mrs. Garfield. 
One house is occupied with well-grown Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, while another contains a splendid lot of hybrid 
greenhouse Rhododendrons, such as Countess of 
Haddington, Dalhousianum, Duchess of Connaught, 
Duchess of Teck, Duchess of Edinburgh, Fragrantissima, 
Jasminiflorum, Graveolens, Lady Alice Fitzwilliam, 
Prince Leopold, and a host of others. In another 
house are Azaleas, Camellias, a large number of Clivias 
(Himantophyllums), and greenhouse plants in general. 
Fruit is also well grown here, and must afford great 
pleasure to Mr. Firth and his most respected gardener, 
Mr. Collier, who seems to handle everything under his 
charge with great ability.— F. C. 
-- 
THE QUINCE. 
The Quince must be a very ancient fruit, for it was 
consecrated to Yenus, and was looked upon by the 
Grecian lovers as a love token. “According to 
Athenreus, the chariot of the Goddess of Love was not 
only filled with Myrtles and Roses, but also with 
Quinces, and in many ancient effigies of the goddess, she 
is represented with a Quince in her hand. By a decree 
of Solon, which gave to an ancient popular custom the 
countenance of the law, a Grecian bride, before seeking 
the nuptial couch, had to eat a Quince.” So writes 
Mr. R. Folkard, and this is certainly a distinct proof of 
its great antiquity. From the large size of the 
fruit, and its splendid colour, it is not at all 
improbable that it should be considered the golden 
fruit of the Hesperides, for Galesio, in his treatise on 
the Orange, has shown that the Orange tree was 
unknown to the Greeks, and that it did not naturally 
grow in those parts where the gardens of the Hesperides 
were placed by them. If it was the golden fruit of the 
Quince that made Hercules attack the guardian dragon, 
let us hope that he was not greatly disappointed if he 
ventured to taste one of them. There are Grecian 
statues of Hercules holding a Quince in his hand. 
The Quince is Cydonia vulgaris. The tree is of low 
growth, much branched, and frequently contorted. The 
fruit varies in shape and size in the different varieties, 
and is generally globular, oblong, or ovate. It has a 
peculiar and rather disagreeable smell, and somewhat 
austere taste. Fruit, such as that of the Quince, so 
attractive to the eye, so massive and golden, could 
scarcely fail to be observed in the very earliest 
historical times. Mr. Leo H. Grindon observes that 
“the original seat, there is no reason to doubt, was 
the north of Persia, where it still grows spontaneously 
in the woods, extending to the shores of the Caspian, 
the region to the south of the Caucasus, and to 
Anatolea. That it moved westwards at an exceedingly 
early period may be considered certain. There is good 
ground for believing that the ancient Hebrews were 
acquainted with it, and with the ancient Greeks and 
Romans it was very plainly a favourite.” 
It would perhaps be difficult to say when the Quince 
was introduced to this country. It is mentioned by 
Tusser as cultivated in England in 1753. In the south 
of France, and particularly on the borders of the 
Garonne, the Quince is said to be very extensively 
grown ; and the peasants prepare from it a marmalade, 
which they call cotignac. The French, who more than 
any other nation have paid great attention to the 
cultivation of the Quince, and were the first to adopt 
the practice of grafting Pears upon it, call the Quince 
tree Coignassier, probably, according to authorities, 
because the disagreeable odour of the fruit required 
that it should be placed in the corner (coin) of the 
orchard or garden. Miss Wood, in her Letters of Royal 
and Illustrious Ladies , relates an amusing anecdote of 
the fondness for it of the fickle and never-satisfied 
Henry VIII. In 1539 the new Queen, Ann of Cleves, 
desired to engage a maid of honour. Lady Lisle, 
seeking to propitiate His Majesty in favour of her 
daughter Katherine, made him a present of some 
Damson cheese, and some of this identical Quince jam 
(cotignac). Whether the object was attained or not we 
are left in doubt. So acceptable, however, to the royal 
epicure were Lady Lisle’s sweetmeats, that Anne 
Bassett, by whose hands they had been conveyed, 
writes offhand : “ The King doth so like the conserves 
you sent him that his Grace commandeth me to send 
to you for more, and that as soon as may be.” 
Eight varieties of Quince were mentioned in the fruit 
catalogue of the London Horticultural Society. The 
three usually grown are the Pear-shaped, or that which is 
more commonly grown, the Apple-shaped, and the 
Portugal. In their fruit catalogue, Messrs. G. Bunyard 
& Co., of Maidstone, enumerate two others—viz., 
Champion, a new Apple-shaped variety of American 
origin, much recommended there, and Reay’s Mam¬ 
moth, but no description is given. The Quince will 
grow in almost any soil, but prefers one of a rich, 
somewhat light, and rather moist nature ; heavy clays 
and light sandy soils appear ill-suited to its growth. 
To ripen the fruit properly, a situation not shaded by 
tall trees, and open to the sun on the south-east or 
west side, is necessary; but in any case, and particularly 
in cold and backward localities, a southern aspect is 
highly desirable. It is propagated by layers and 
cuttings ; budding and grafting are not often employed 
as a means of increase. 
The chief employment of the Quince in our own 
country is to enliven Apple pie and Apple pudding. 
When Apples are flat, or of poor kinds, a Quince sliced 
and diffused in the pie has a wonderfully quickening 
effect, superior even to that of lemon peel. 
Turner, in his British Physician, says that the juice 
of raw Quince is accounted an antidote against deadly 
poisons. To dream of Quinces is stated to be favour¬ 
able to the dreamer, denoting speedy release from 
troubles, sickness, &c.— R. D. 
--»3=<-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Queries on “Cutting Bace.” 
Where perfect quality, largest size and best developed 
characteristics of a Chrysanthemum bloom are required, 
of course only one way of cultivation is open—the 
crown bud method. In such a collection the majority 
of the blooms produced are almost too high to appreciate 
on the plants, unless in exceptional houses ; only in 
the cut state do we fully appreciate the beauties of the 
blooms. One of your correspondents makes mention of 
“Avalanche, 2£ ft. high, with three good blooms.’ 
How treated 1 What I wish to ask is this, Does the 
“cutting back” process, as a general system, furnish 
us with a method whereby we may, to some degree, 
attain that greatly - desired consummation—flowers 
approaching exhibition blooms on dwarf plants ? What 
a marked difference there is in almost each variety of 
Chrysanthemum ! Mrs. Rundle will retain its globe- 
shaped incurved bloom almost to the smallest lateral, 
while with so many— c.g., Empress of India—as you 
descend the scale of cultivation the globe form of 
flower is lost, or flatness succeeds. A paper from a 
skilled practitioner in cutting back plants, would be, I 
think, of much value, giving us especially the size pot 
for final potting and the number of shoots retained. I 
should much like to see some measurements of blooms 
also grown by this method. Lastly, Is “cutting back” 
adopted to any extent for the 4 ft. class at the Royal 
Aquarium, and is it likely to cut out “ bushes ” where 
few flowers, large flowers, and good flowers are required 
on dwarf plants for decoration.— Francis Mead, N.B. 
-~>X<-»- 
§foTEs from Scotland, 
Vegetable Notes. —It is calculated that the 
average temperature of the west is two degrees higher 
than that of the east of Scotland, and with the 
additional advantage of a very mild November, 
the kitchen-garden produce has been exceptionally 
plentiful. Besides other seasonable vegetables. Spinach, 
Coleworts, and Gilbert’s Chou de Burghley have 
afforded an abundant supply, and useful small heads of 
Cauliflower have also been obtainable. A prolonged 
supply of the latter vegetable is in some seasons 
secured by cutting all serviceable heads on the appear¬ 
ance of frost, and placing them in a cellar or other 
available out-house, in soil, to be used as required; 
but it is seldom that they can be had fresh from the open 
quarter so far into the heart of November as is the case 
this year. A plantation of the Early London, made 
about the end of July, often gives a useful succession to 
Yeitch’s Autumn Giant, and also proves a valuable 
auxiliary to autumn Broccoli when the latter grows 
strongly, and is therefore slow in coming into use. 
Globe Artichokes. —The cool, wet summer has 
been favourable for these, judging from the vigorous 
growth of a plantation made in May. The plants, 
though small and unsatisfactory in appearance, made a 
good start, the weather being warm and showery for 
some time after they were put in. They began to bear 
late in the season, and are still throwing up heads, 
thus giving promise of an abundant crop next season. 
Hardy Bedding Plants. —Two beds situated at 
each end of a range of glass structures, continued gay 
till the middle of November. They were planted 
with Countess of Kintore Violas, dotted with small 
groups of Scabious and Veronica Andersoni variegata, 
with a margin of Dactylis glomerata variegata. A 
good dressing of manure was worked into the soil just 
before planting the Violas. Plants similarly hardy are 
worthy of the attention of those who have but little 
space to afford for bedding plants under glass. — Western. 
Potatos and Peas.— Weaskedforinformationlast 
season regarding Vicar of Laleham and Beauty of Hebron 
Potatos (which was kindly given), and the crop, 
cultivated by the writer, grew into abundance of fine 
tubers, of handsome form, and the quality is 
excellent, especially of the former. These two kinds 
we intend to grow more extensively in future. 
Early Potatos (with the exception of some kinds of 
Kidneys which were planted on the surface of the 
ground) were watery and the quality not good ; but 
those which ripened during September and October 
were of good quality in every respect. The Village 
Blacksmith, which does so well in some parts, were 
unusually small this season; the wet weather may have 
affected them. Last year they were almost too large, 
and many were hollow in the centre. Creole or 
Cobbler has been very good this season ; but the finest 
flavoured kind we have tried, among many samples, 
was the old Fortyfold ; on dry land it always holds its 
own against all comers, is a capital cropper, but liable 
to disease. By far the most productive kind I have 
seen is grown in a Fifeshire garden (previously 
referred to), and is named Sutton’s Abundance ; this 
variety is very highly spoken of by the grower. A 
distinct Pea of extra flavour and good cropper was 
growing in the same garden referred to above. A 
wonderful Pea, about 3 ft. high, bearing an enormous 
crop of finely filled pods, was also seen growing in Mr. 
Downie’s Beechhill Nursery ; its name is Amateur, 
and such a sight during the first week in November 
cannot be easily forgotten.— Caledonian. 
Scutellaria Mocciniana.— The excellence of 
this plant for winter decoration is surely not so well 
known as it should be, as it is seldom seen in the best 
managed stoves ; the brilliance of the flowers during 
the early winter months makes them no mean objects, 
especially when associated with Gesneras, dwarf-grown 
plants of Jacaranda mimossefolia, Cyperus alternifolius 
variegatis and other choice plants with fine foliage. 
Scutellarias are excellent for cutting, and when placed 
singly in a glass with a few pieces of Fern, such as 
Davallias (of sorts) and Adiantums, the effect is very 
beautiful. They are easily propagated, and grow well 
in a frame during summer, with heat from fermenting 
material, which all plants of this class luxuriate in, and 
if kept free from the enemy mealy-bug, fine plants can 
be raised in one season.— Caledonian. 
Rochea falcata. — Many of the old plants 
familiar to us in our youthful days are now seldom seen, 
yet when these are well cultivated they have numerous 
admirers. Lately I visited a nursery and saw Rochea 
falcata, which brought to my remembrance the splendid 
displays I had seen of this very showy plant when 
I was employed as a “green hand” in a leading 
florist’s establishment in Chelsea. The easy culture of 
such a plant and its distinct bright colour should 
render it a special favourite among greenhouse flowering 
plants. Associated with the Kalosanthus, so familiar 
on exhibition tables, it was always admired, and as a 
market plant it could scarcely be excelled, and was 
bought up readily at a good price. Not having seen 
it for years past till visiting the nursery referred to, 
I had much pleasure in purchasing a stock, which 
arrived in good condition.— Caledonian. 
