MARCH. "9 
improvement in this class! and I think ita great mistake that so much 
should be said about new varieties in every possible way, before it can 
even be known from experience what they are. One knows pretty 
well what the history of a seedling is; if it makes a presentable appear- 
ance, it is immediately seized upon; it is kept back perhaps for a year, 
perhaps not ; in the meanwhile it is propagated to its utmost limit; as 
soon as a shoot comes to any size off it goes, it is not allowed to bloom 
hardly. And then how can people write about its effect in parterres, 
vases, beds, ribbons, &c., when it has never once had the opportunity 
of appearing in any of them. Surely it would be much better to 
express a hope that it might answer these purposes, than to positively 
affirm that it would. And talking of this, let me say, that while I saw 
many beautiful beds last year, I most decidedly give the palm to two 
in Lord Middleton’s garden at Woollaton, near Nottingham. They 
were long, narrow ones, in the geometric garden, somewhat shaped like 
an S, composed of variegated Geraniums and Verbena venosa mixed, 
edged with blue Lobelia; one was a pink-flowered variety, the other 
Alma; it is hardly possible to conceive anything more lovely than 
they were, and difficult to say which of the two looked best. - In other 
places I saw beds of Verbena venosa alone, and it was a failure, as are 
variegated Geraniums generally by themselves! but this mixture is 
very beautiful, and I feel quite confident that any lady would at once 
pick them out as extra beautiful, 
Christina, let out by Mr. Kinghorn, is really a very pretty addition 
to the pink-flowering varieties, dwarf in habit, free in blooming, and 
lively in colour. And in salmon and red ones there are two good 
importations from France, namely, Paul Lobb and Mons. Martin; and 
these, together with Emperor, which appears like an improved Master- 
piece, constitute the only valuable additions n my humble opinion in 
this class of bedding plants, during the past season ; nor do I know of 
anything very remarkable coming out. I saw an improved Golden 
Chain at Slough, and a curious foliaged one at the Botanic show, called 
Sunset; but whether it will be worth anything time will tell. 
Deal, Feb. 23. D. 

GRAFTED PEARS. 
Mr. C. T. Wren, late gardener to His Grace the Duke of Sutherland, 
at Trentham, sent, in November last year to the Fruit Committee of 
the Horticultural Society, some Easter Beurre Pears, still attached to 
the branch, to illustrate the results of grafting naked branches with 
short truitful wood, as explained in the following letter eee 
«<A method of treating the Pear has been extensively practised at 
Trentham, by Mr. Fleming, for a considerable time, the satisfactory 
results of which are such as to induce me to send specimens, illustrative 
of its excellence. ‘The trees are chiefly J argonelles, trained horizontally, 
and which still continue to bear fruit of the original varieties, at the 
points of the branches. It is frequently seen that two-thirds or more 
of the main branches near the stem produce no fruit, but a super- 
