December  19, 1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTACE  GARDENER, 
583 
tubers  to  the  soil  when  it  is  yet  very  cold  does  no  good.  Far  better  is  it 
to  let  them  produce  sturdy  sprouts  first,  then  plant  in  April,  as  growth 
is  strong  and  immediate. 
Manures,  both  natural  and  chemical,  are  largely  referred  to,  and 
results  of  experiments  with  the  latter  in  various  places  given,  both  the 
Warminster  experiments  and  those  of  Mons.  Girard  being  quoted.  Also, 
we  find  various  references  to  experiments  in  relation  to  the  respective 
produce  of  sizes  of  sets,  matter  generally  well  known,  although  some 
experiments  in  Surrey  this  year  rather  upset  the  theory  as  to  bulk  of 
crop  being  relative  to  size  of  sets.  Still,  what  is  here  in  the  book  well 
merits  consideration,  because  it  may  lead  some  growers  to  pay  more 
attention  to  the  selecting  and  housing  of  seed  tubers  than  is  now 
evidenced. 
Selections  of  Potatoes  are  given  with  most  of  which  growers  are 
familiar,  and  of  many  of  the  varieties  a  sort  of  running  commentary 
is  given,  though  such  information  as  “  The  Reading  Russet  is  a  very 
handsome  Potato,  and  is  valuable  for  show  purposes  ;  the  International 
Kidney  is  also  very  popular,”  do  not  help  readers  very  much,  as  ordi¬ 
nary  Potato  lists  usually  give  full  information  on  this  head.  General 
culture  is  fully  treated,  as  also  is  the  Potato  disease,  which  is  described 
and  also  the  effects  of  the  Bordeaux  mixture  in  counteracting  it.  The 
Warminster  experiments  seem  to  have  been  helpful  in  this  case  also. 
This  portion  of  the  book  is,  however,  freely  illustrated,  whilst  the 
chief  woodcuts  are  those  of  a  number  of  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Son’s  fine 
Potatoes  reduced  from  that  firm’s  seed  list.  Lifting  the  crop,  storing 
and  marketing,  are  fully  dealt  with.  Those  who  grow  Potatoes  largely 
for  market  and  are  not  ordinary  press  students,  may  find  in  the  book 
much  that  is  to  them  new  and  helpful.  In  all  such  cases  we  advise  the 
book  to  be  obtained  and  carefully  read. — D. 
IXIOLIRION  MONTANUM. 
The  two  “  Ixia  Lilies  ”  known  to  horticulturists — namely,  Ixiolirion 
montanum  and  I.  tataricum,  are  both  attractive  border  plants,  and  form 
welcome  additions  to  any  collection  of  hardy  favourites.  They  are 
suggestive  of  Camassia  esculenta  in  the  form  and  colour  of  the  flowers, 
especially  the  first-named,  which  is  represented  in  the  woodcut  (fig.  89), 
but  they  are  not  quite  so  strong  growing  as  that,  though  very  free  and 
floriferous.  I.  montanum  has  been  found  in  Persia  upon  the  hills  about 
Teheran  and  in  other  similar  districts  of  temperate  Asia.  It  is  quite 
hardy  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London  permanently  planted  out  in  the 
borders.  A  moderately  good  soil  appears  to  suit  it  better  than  one  that 
is  very  rich,  as  in  the  latter  case  the  growth  is  excessively  luxuriant  and 
the  flowers  proportionately  few.  In  a  well-drained  position,  where  the 
bulbs  become  thoroughly  matured,  flowers  are  annually  produced  very 
freely,  and  are  not  only  attractive  in  the  borders,  but  afford  a  useful 
supply  for  cutting,  the  bright  purplish  blue  colour  being  most  agreeable 
for  associating  with  the  numerous  other  tints,  which  are  more  common. 
0 
COOPER’S  BLACK  GRAPE. 
Having  seen  the  discussion  about  this  Grape  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  I  thought  a  little  information  from  one  who  knew 
Mr.  G.  Cooper  for  many  years  might  help  to  clear  the  matter  up.  Mr. 
Cooper  told  me  the  origiaal  Vine  was  glowing  at  the  “Palace,”  Armagh, 
when  he  went  there  as  gardener  about  forty  years  ago.  On  coming  to 
take  charge  of  the  gardens  here,  he  brought  a  few  eyes  of  the  Vine  with 
him;  when  these  fruited  he  sent  some  bunches  to  the  office  of  “the 
Journal,”  with  a  request  for  the  name  of  the  variety.  The  Editor  had 
not  seen  it  up  to  that  date  (thirty  years  ago),  and  if  it  is  the  same  as 
“  Gros  Maroc,”  it  would  have  been  recognised  as  such.  It  requires 
keeping  until  the  spring  to  develop  its  proper  flavour.  Mr.  Cooper 
thought  it  excellent  when  kept  until  March.  I  have  never  tried  to  keep  it, 
as  the  house  is  required  for  plants.  Mr.  Thomson,  Clovenfords,  correctly 
describes  it,  but  it  is  deceptive  in  weight  as  well  as  flavour.  As  has 
been  stated,  it  was  shown  at  Carlisle  in  the  year  1877  by  Mr.  Lees  of 
Hillsborough,  and  obtained  the  first  for  bloom. — William  Thompson, 
Harristown  Gardens,  Kildare. 
[We  clearly  remember  the  Carlisle  bunch  referred  to,  and  it  had 
rounder  berries  than  the  Gros  Maroc  has,  as  grown  by  Mr.  Rivers  and  in 
the  South  generally.  It  is  much  less  than  “  thirty  years  ago  ”  that  Dr. 
Hogg  bad  fruits  of  “  Cooper’s  Black  ’  and  “  Gros  Maroc  ”  for  comparison 
for  the  purpose  of  preparing  his  “  Fruit  Manual,”  and  he  was  unable  to 
discover  any  more  difference  between  the  fruit  than  was  apparent  in 
different  forma  of  the  Black  Hamburgh.  We  have  had  forty  bunches  of 
Grapes  sent  to  us,  some  named  “  Cooper’s  Black,”  others  “  Gros  Maroc,” 
in  some  instances  both  wood  and  foliage  accompanying  the  fruit.  We 
have  not  the  least  hesitation  in  expressing  our  conviction  that  with  the 
labels  removed  from  the  samples  there  is  not  a  person  living  who  could 
have  picked  out  the  bunches  and  arranged  them  in  two  distinct  classes. 
We  have  not  said  the  true  Cooper’s  Black  and  the  true  Gros  Maroc  are 
in  growth  or  other  respects  “  identical,”  but  after  a  critical  examination 
of  the  fruit  alone,  as  represented  by  an  unusual  number  of  bunches,  we 
-are  unable  to  arrive  at  any  other  conclusion  than  that  the  alleged 
varieties,  as  generally  grown,  are  decidedly  too  much  alike  for  exhibiting 
in  the  same  class  as  distinct  without  risk  of  disqualification.  We  are 
much  obliged  to  Mr.  Thompson,  and  shall  be  glad,  if  he  cannot  send  us 
a  bunch  of  Cooper’s  Black  this  year,  to  favour  us  with  one  another 
season.  'We  hope  to  hear  from  Mr.  Cooper  next,  whose  address  has  been 
obligingly  sent  to  us.l 
EDGBASTON  BOTANIC  GARDENS. 
Seldom,  if  ever,  has  this  noted  and  popular  botanical  establishment 
presented  a  more  attractive  display  of  floral  beauty  than  it  has  for  about 
a  month  past,  by  reason  of  the  abundance  of  Chrysanthemums  of  the 
leading  varieties,  to  examine  which  many  hundreds  of  persons  have 
visited  the  gardens.  The  plants  were  well  clothed  with  healthy  foliage, 
and  many  of  the  blooms  would  have  graced  the  exhibition  table.  Among 
the  elite  of  the  collection  we  noticed — Sunflower,  William  Seward, 
W.  H.  Lincoln,  Mdlle.  Marie  Hoste,  Colonel  W.  B.  Smith,  Florence 
Davis,  Viscountess  Hambledon,  Viviand  Morel,  William  Tricker,  John 
PIG.  89.— IXIOLIEION  MONTANUM. 
Shrimpton,  Charles  Davis,  Gloriosum,  Rose  Wynne,  La  Triumphante,  and 
Colonel  Chase.  Mention  must  also  be  made  of  the  gigantic  Camellia 
alba  plena,  said  to  be  the  largest  specimen  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
which  was,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  carrying  hundreds  of  blossoms, 
forming  a  striking  contrast  to  the  multi-coloured  array  of  Chrysanthe¬ 
mums  beneath. 
An  adjoining  house  was  bright  with  a  long  row  of  the  brilliant 
Salvia  splendens,  which  well  deserves  more  extended  recognition  by 
gardeners  as  a  late  autumnal  decorative  plant.  Apropos  of  the  genus, 
we  are  reminded  of  the  useful  but  little  grown  S.  gesnermflora,  intro¬ 
duced  as  a  stove  plant,  but  which  has  proved  to  be  amenable  to  a  green¬ 
house  temperature.  Grown  as  a  standard  it  makes  a  noble  looking 
plant  that  may  be  preserved  year  after  year,  requiring  only  liberal 
application  of  the  knife  after  the  flowering  period.  The  Orchid  house 
was  rendered  attractive  by  the  display  of  several  interesting  plants  of 
Cattleya  labiata  in  variety,  C.  gigas,  Cymbidium  Masters!,  C.  giganteum, 
Lselia  Perrini,  L.  purpurata,  Coelogyne  (Pleione)  maculata,  Cypripedium 
Schlimi,  C.  longifolia,  C.  callosum,  C.  Spicerianum,  and  many  others. 
In  the  aquatic  house  mention  must  be  made  of  two  or  three  large  plants 
of  Callicarpa  purpurea,  its  pendent  shoots,  from  3  to  6  feet  long,  being 
covered  with  pretty  clusters  of  berries  of  a  rich  colour,  resembling  well- 
coloured  Damsons  or  Grapes,  and  in  size  about  that  of  small  Red 
Currants. 
Altogether,  at  the  present  season  of  the  year,  the  inside  floral  display 
here  is  sufficiently  attractive  to  draw  hundreds  of  visitors  to  the  gardens, 
and  is  in  every  way  creditable  to  the  painstaking  and  popular  curator, 
Mr.  W.  B.  Latham.— W.  G. 
