November  14, 1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
457 
-  Polygonum  amplexicaulb  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  Knot- 
weeds.  For  several  months  the  bright  rose  red  racemes  are  produced 
profusely ;  even  now,  the  third  week  in  October,  it  is  more  gay  than  at 
any  other  period.  With  us  it  grows  4  feet  high,  and  rambles  over  a 
considerable  space  in  a  short  time.  By  division  of  the  roots  it  is  readily 
increased. — Geoweb. 
-  Peaks  and  Feost. — I  should  like  to  hear  the  opinions  of 
some  of  your  practical  correspondents  as  to  how  much  frost  Pears  on 
trees  without  any  protection  will  bear  without  injury  to  their  qualities 
after  being  gathered  ;  also  in  respect  to  varieties  such  as  Marie  Louise 
and  Easter  Beurre,  or  others  of  diverse  ripening  season.  After  the 
weather  of  the  past  month  this  is  a  point  worth  consideration. — 
J.  J.  Ceaven. 
-  A  Mammoth  Dahlia. — A  Dahlia  of  gigantic  proportions  has, 
we  learn  from  a  Liverpool  daily  paper,  been  grown  during  the  past 
season  in  a  most  unexpected  quarter — namely,  in  the  yard  of  the  Olive 
Street  Bridewell,  Liverpool.  The  plant  was  put  out  by  Mr.  Cook,  the 
Bridewell  keeper,  and  so  congenial  was  the  prison  atmosphere  to  it  that 
it  attained  the  height  of  11  feet,  and  during  the  summer  flowered 
abundantly.  The  name  of  the  variety  is  not  given,  nor  is  the  section  to 
which  it  belonged  stated. 
-  Eleusine  cokacana. — An  interesting  plant  lately  received 
at  the  Horticultural  Department  of  Cornell  University  is,  says  an 
American  contemporary,  Eleusine  coracana.  It  belongs  to  the  Grass 
family,  but  is  unknown  in  a  wild  state.  It  is  supposed  to  have  come 
from  Eleusine  indica,  the  common  Crab  Grass  of  dooryards,  although  it 
differs  from  this  plant  greatly  in  size,  being  4  feet  high,  and  in  the 
appearance  of  its  seeds,  which  are  smooth  instead  of  being  wrinkled.  The 
plant  is  known  in  China  and  India  as  Natchnee  and  Mandua,  and 
thousands  of  acres  of  it  are  grown  in  those  countries  and  in  Japan, 
where  it  is  a  famous  food-plant,  the  flour  from  the  farinaceous  seed 
being  made  into  bread.  A  form  of  it  is  also  in  cultivation  as  an 
ornamental  Grass. 
-  Geowth  of  Tbees.  —  The  following  interesting  results  of 
experiments  relating  to  the  growth  of  trees  at  various  times  of  the  day 
have  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Thompson,  the  Government  Ento¬ 
mologist  of  Tasmania.  Measurements  were  taken  as  far  as  possible 
every  three  hours,  with  the  following  results  : — From  6  a  m.  to  9  a.m., 
8|  per  cent,  of  growth  ;  from  9  a.m.  to  noon,  IJ  per  cent,  of  growth  ; 
from  noon  to  3  PM.,  no  growth;  from  3  p.m.  to  6  p.m.,  no  growth; 
from  6  P.M.  to  9  p.m.,  1^  per  cent,  of  growth  ;  from  9  p.m.  to  12  p.m., 
3J  per  cent,  of  growth  ;  from  12  P.M.  to  6  A.M.,  85  per  cent,  of  growth. 
The  greatest  growths  in  twenty-four  hours  were  Banksia  Rose,  6^  inches  ; 
“  Geranium,”  5|  inches  ;  Wattle,  4^  inches  ;  Apple,  2^  inches  ;  and 
Pear,  H  inch.— (“  Public  Opinion.”) 
-  Aglaonema  commutatum. — Unlike  the  rest  of  the  family, 
this  species  is  quite  showy  when  in  flower,  and  as  its  numerous  spathes 
are  freely  produced  it  is  well  worth  growing  for  the  sake  of  the  flowers 
alone.  The  leaves,  while  quite  ornamental,  are  less  richly  coloured  than 
those  of  Aglaonema  pictum  or  even  A.  nebulosa.  They  are  8  or  10  inches 
long,  green  and  glossy,  with  a  few  silvery  spots  scattered  over  the  surface. 
The  spathe  is  2  or  3  inches  long,  spoon-like,  of  a  creamy  white  and  waxy 
in  texture.  The  spadix  is  cylindrical  or  slightly  tapering  to  the  base. 
The  stem  is  thick  and  fleshy,  covered  by  the  sheathing  petioles  of  the 
leaves.  The  plant  is  generally  kept  dwarf  and  compact,  side  shoots 
being  freely  produced  if  the  main  shoot  is  topped.  It  is  most  orna¬ 
mental  when  only  8  or  10  inches  high,  but  broad  and  spreading. — 
N.  J.  E.  Cin  “  Garden  and  Forest.”) 
- Jeesey  Kale. — A  correspondent  of  “The  Independent”  writes 
that  the  Jersey  Kale,  a  plant  largely  used  in  the  island  of  Jersey  as 
food  for  cows,  has  been  introduced  into  California,  and  has  shown  itself 
a  good  forage  plant,  as  well  as  a  good  plant  for  poultry.  It  grows  very 
vigorously,  and  some  ranchers  in  California  have  stated  that  it  will 
produce  more  food  to  the  acre  than  any  other  crop  which  they  have 
tried.  The  plant  in  question  is  really  a  tall-growing  Collard,  not 
essentially  different  from  the  well-known  Collard  of  the  south,  which  is 
popular  where  Cabbages  do  not  head  easily.  It  differs  from  the  Scotch 
Kale  in  having  leaves  almost  smooth  instead  of  curled.  Perhaps  it  has 
no  special  advantages  over  other  members  of  the  Cabbage  family, 
except  that  with  care  it  will  last  several  years  and  wiU  grow  sometimes 
from  8  to  10  feet  high  if  the  leaves  are  pulled  off.  Even  Brussels 
Sprouts  on  good  Californian  land  will  often  grow  4  feet  high,  and  it 
will  sprout  from  the  trunk  and  will  give  a  great  mass  of  leaves  if  it  is 
cut  back  several  times  in  the  season.  *  . 
COOPER’S  BLACK  AND  GROS  MAROC  GRAPES. 
The  case  of  disqualification  of  an  exhibit  of  Grapes  at  Dundee,  as 
detailed  in  your  issue  of  October  31st,  on  the  ground  that  the  two 
alleged  varieties  are  alike,  is  a  matter  that  needs  bringing  to  a  clear 
issue,  if  possible,  to  prevent  confusion  and  disappointment  in  the 
future. 
As  to  the  two  so-called  varieties  being  synonymous,  my  experience 
of  them  is  not  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  express  a  definite  opinion,  but  I 
have  thought  for  a  long  time  there  are  different  varieties  of  Gros  Maroc, 
or  that  differences  arise  from  the  cultivation.  Some  years  ago  I  obtained 
eyes  of  Maroc  from  a  reliable  source,  and  from  them  Vines  were  raised 
which  were  afterwards  planted.  One  rod  was  inarched  to  a  Black 
Hamburgh,  the  Grapes  from  this  union  being  bluntly  round  as  compared 
with  those  on  the  Vine  on  its  own  roots,  which  are  inclined  to  be  oval. 
I  have  never  seen  a  variety  that,  to  my  mind,  is  so  good  as  this  one, 
the  colour  of  the  Grapes  being  richer  than  is  usually  seen  in  Gros 
Maroc.  I  have  not  exhibited  it,  as  the  opportunity  has  never  occurred 
for  doing  so  ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  Grapes  have  'been  fine,  as  can  be 
testified  by  several  well-known  men  who  have  seen  them  this  season. 
Another  “  Maroc  ”  obtained  from  a  different  source  is  quite  inferior 
to  the  first  named,  the  berries  being  quite  oval,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  judge 
at  preseiit,  the  fruit  will  never  have  the  build  and  appearance  of  the 
variety  first  alluded  to.  In  all  other  respects  the  Vines  are  identical. 
Now,  assuming  that  Cooper’s  Black  and  Gros  Maroc  are  distinct,  from 
what  I  can  learn  they  resemble  each  other  so  closely  in  nearly  every 
respect  that  they  should  never  be  included  together  in  a  collection  of 
Grapes.  Gros  Maroc  I  consider  one  of  the  easiest  Grapes  to  grow  and 
finish  well. — J.  J.  Ceaven,  Allerton  Priory, 
MEDICINE  FOR  “THE  SCEPTIC.” 
In  his  role  of  reformer  in  fruit  culture,  “  Sceptic  ”  attributes  to  the 
“  green  unripened  wood  ”  of  1894  the  extraordinary  success  in  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  exhibits  of  the  late  fruit  show.  It  would  be  easy  to 
retort  in  “  Sceptic’s  ”  own  controversial  style  by  asserting  that  the 
Apples  and  Pears  were  not  produced  by  green  unripened  wood,  but  upon 
spurs  “hard  and  firm — ripened  and  roasted”  during  the  hot  summer  of 
1893.  Although  there  is  more  underlying  this  dictum  than  “  Sceptic  ” 
in  his  present  mood  is  prepared  to  acknowledge,  we  will  leave  it  at 
present  and  refer  him  back  to  a  masterly  review  of  the  subject  by  “  A 
Judge,”  vide  JouttmI  of  Horticulture,  page  463,  dated  Nov.  22od,  1894. 
If  “  Sceptic  ”  had  read  and  assimilated  the  lessons  taught  him  in  that 
article,  he  would  know  that  between  his  own  stereotyped  definitions  of 
“  roasted  wood  ”  and  “  green  unripened  wood  ”  there  is  a  wide  field 
of  modifying  circumstances  bearing  upon  ripened  wood  in  its  true  sense, 
which  all  the  way  through  this  controversy  he  has  persistently  ignored. 
Locality  and  environment  he  dispenses  with ;  soils  and  subsoils  and  their 
resultant  differences  he  treats  with  contempt ;  whether  present  or  absent, 
in  due  proportions  of  potash,  phosphates,  nitrogen,  and  other  elements 
of  plant  foods  to  him  in  no  way  affect  results  ;  a  ruinous  attack  of  red 
spider  which  will  do  more  harm  a  thousandfold  than  the  hottest  sun¬ 
shine  we  ever  experience  in  Britain,  in  no  way  modifies  his  conclusions  ; 
12  inches  difference  in  the  rainfall  of  one  district  and  another  is  to  him 
a  matter  of  no  moment. 
If  our  ordinary  intelligence  suggested  a  comparison  between  our 
hottest  summers  and  those  of  France  and  Belgium  so  far  as  the  produc¬ 
tion  of  Pears  is  concerned,  and  the  summer  of  America  and  Australia 
so  far  as  Apples  and  Peaches  are  concerned,  we  should  still  be  told  by 
“  Sceptic  ”  that  ripened  wood  is  a  superstition,  and  he  would  still 
prattle  on  about  roasted  wood  and  green  wood,  and  insult  what  little 
intelligence  he  allows  us  by  claiming  successful  crops  of  fruit  produced 
upon  green  wood,  and  be  lamenting  his  failures  from  wood  which  he 
claims  as  being  ripened.  Yet  his  own  assumed  supeiior  intelligence 
does  not  suggest  to  himself  a  remedy  for  his  own  failures,  and  thus  this 
“  Sceptic,”  with  audacious  complacency,  hugs  his  green  wood  delusion, 
and  claims  to  be  securing  fleeces  before  he  has  caught  a  single  sheep. 
“  A  great  cry  and  little  wool,”  surely  ! 
With  characteristic  modesty  the  “Sceptic”  has  hitherto  refrained 
from  any  explanation  of  his  details  of  culture  and  the  “  scientific 
pruning,”  whereby  he  attains  his  successful  green  wood  results.  To 
the  same  virtue  we  possibly  owe  the  disappointment  of  not  learning 
what  position  he  obtained  in  the  prize  lists  at  the  late  fruit  show,  and 
we  must  express  our  regret  that  he  missed  so  fine  an  opportunity  of 
conveying  an  object  lesson  to  those  incapable  gardeners  whose  degene¬ 
rate  fruit  blossoms  are  unable  to  withstand  10°  to  15°  of  May  frost. 
A  dish  of  his  Peaches  produced  by  the  green  shoots,  which  he  prefers  to 
ripened  wood,  had  he  exhibited  them  would  have  been  more  convincing 
than  the  “luminous  envelopes”  (?)  with  which  he  has  surrounded  the 
subject. 
Unfortunately,  along  with  hundreds  more  gardeners  similarly 
situated,  I  live  close  to  a  large  manufacturing  town,  and  I  can  safely 
affirm  that  the  wood  of  my  Peaches  and  Vines  has  never  yet  been 
roasted,  and  certainly  it  has  never  in  the  best  of  seasons  been  over-ripe  ; 
though  with  a  considerable  amount  of  labour  in  washing  the  glass  we 
manage  to  have  both  Grapes  and  Peaches.  After  an  indifferent  ripening 
autumn  the  Peach  wood  on  the  lower  part  of  the  back  wall  lemains 
green,  and  previously  we  have  not  been  surprisoi  if  the  irees  set  no 
fruit,  nor  was  there  anything  wonderful  if  they  did  set  a  few  weakly 
blossoms  to  see  them  shrivel  up  without  fructification  ;  but  it  my 
employer  reads  “  , sceptic’s”  wonderful  discovery  1  need  not  be  surprised 
