July  1,  1197. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
11 
run  the  risk  of  losing  a  pretty  plant.  The  rough  leaves  hold  moisture 
long,  and  sleet  and  snow  appear  very  ininrious  to  the  plant.  Even  if 
shabby  looking  in  early  spring  it  often  recovers,  and  those  who  think  it 
is  beyond  recovery  may  find  a  week  or  two  of  fine  weather  make  a  great 
difference  in  the  look  of  their  plants. 
Those  who  are  acquainted  with  its  drooping,  almond  scented  yellow 
blooms  (fig.  3),  so  distinct  from  most  other  flowers  of  the  season  by  reason 
of  their  shape  or  colour,  will  not  readily  be  without  it  in  their  gardens. 
A  dry  soil  with  full  exposure  to  the  sun  is  to  be  preferred.  It  may  be 
increased  by  cuttings,  which  root  more  readily  if  taken  off  with  a  heel 
of  old  wood  and  put  in  pots  of  light  soil  surfaced  with  sand  and  placed 
in  a  close  frame  until  rooted. 
Cassinia  fulvida. 
The  inclusion  of  shrubs  suitable  for  the  rock  garden  is  quite  within 
the  scope  of  these  articles,  so  that  no  apology  is  required  for  speaking  of 
this  very  distinct-looking  plant  of  shrubby  nature.  It  is  occasionally 
seen  under  the  name  of  Diplopappus  chrysophyllus,  but  the  name  at  the 
head  of  this  note  is  the  correct  one.  If  left  to  itself  it  becomes  rather 
too  large  for  many  rock  gardens,  but  is  so  amenable  to  pruning 
operations  that  this  can  hardly  be  called  a  fault.  It  is  so  readily  kept 
in  bounds  that  a  bush  several  years  old  may  be  kept  under  2  feet  high. 
It  looks  very  pleasing  with  its  light  yellow  branches,  the  same  colour 
also  distinguishing  the  under  surface  of  the  leaves,  the  upper  being  a 
dark  green.  The  unopened  buds  are  also  yellowish,  but  the  small  flowers 
in  flat  heads  are  white.  I  grow  it  for  the  sake  of  its  general  aspect,  and 
not  for  its  flowers. 
I  am  not  quite  certain  of  its  native  habitat,  but  think  it  comes  from 
New  Zealand.  It  appears  hardy  in  many  gardens  in  England  and 
Scotland,  and  here  has  never  suffered  in  my  garden  from  the  most  severe 
winters  we  have  had  for  several  years.  It  is  easily  propagated  by 
cuttings  taken  off  with  a  heel  and  placed  in  pots. — Alpinus. 
(To  b-s  continued.) 
GRAPE  APPLEY  TOWERS. 
New  varieties  of  Grapes  placed  in  commerce  are  few  as  compared 
with  other  kinds  of  fruit,  so  that  when  a  first-class  Grape  like  the  above 
does  appear  I  am  surprised  more  is  not  heard  of  it.  In  the  variety 
Appley  Towers  we  have  a  Grape  good  for  market  and  exhibition.  It 
was  awarded,  I  believe,  a  first-class  certificate  by  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  and  sent  out  in  the  spring  of  1894  with  Lady  Hutt,  a  white 
Grape  of  good  flavour,  but  small  in  bunch  and  berry. 
Appley  Towers  is  a  Grape  of  noble  appearance  ;  bunch  large,  some¬ 
times  shouldered,  . especially  on  canes  which  have  been  inarched  on  some 
other  variety.  This  year  bunches  on  a  Vine  planted  in  1894  appear  as 
if  they  will  weigh  between  3  lbs.  and  4  lbs.  each ;  others  inarched  two 
years  ago  on  Black  Hamburgh,  Golden  Queen,  and  Black  Prince  are 
equally  fine,  especially  on  the  latter.  The  berries  are  large,  the  size  of 
Gros  Colman  ;  oval  in  shape,  half  way  between  Madresfield  Court  and 
Gros  Maroc,  not  so  round  as  the  latter,  and  borne  on  stiff  footstalks. 
The  colour  is  an  intense  black,  with  a  fine  grey  bloom  when  finished, 
like  Black  Prince. 
The  fruit  hangs  well,  the  berries  never  losing  colour ;  bunches 
coloured  now  (June  20th)  will  hang  till  December,  but  the  Grapes  are 
in  the  best  during  late  autumn.  Early  in  the  year  they  become  gritty, 
but  the  flavour  is  very  good.  Like  Gros  Colman,  Appley  Towers  will 
finish  a  heavy  crop  of  fruit  well,  so  ought  to  make  a  good  market  Grape, 
The  only  objection  to  this  is  the  Vine  being  such  a  grower  as  to  require 
a  wide  space  between  the  rods,  4^  feet  being  little  enough.  Like 
Alicante  in  a  young  stage,  the  laterals  must  be  tied  down  carefully,  as 
they  are  very  brittle  and  easily  rolled  out  of  the  sockets. — W.  T. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Cucumber  Culture. 
Although  the  Cucumber  is  classed  as  a  vegetable,  it  invariably 
comes  under  the  fruit  foreman’s  charge  in  large  establishments.  It  is 
grown  in  very  large  quantities  in  market  nurseries,  in  fact  in  some  of 
them  the  Cucumber  season  is  the  market  grower’s  harvest.  Span-roofed 
houses  are  preferred  for  Cucumbers,  for  though  they  do  equally  well  in 
lean-to  houses  and  frames,  the  same  number  of  plants  cannot  be  grown 
in  them  as  in  a  span-roofed  house  or  pit  of  equal  length  and  width. 
The  seed  is  best  sown  singly  in  3-inch  pots,  at  different  periods, 
according  to  the  time  required  for  the  plants  to  bear  fruit.  Cover  the 
pots  with  a  piece  of  glass  or  papet,  and  place  in  a  temperature  about 
75°.  When  the  seedlings  appear  remove  the  covering,  and  afford  all 
necessary  light  for  keeping  them  sturdy. 
The  next  thing  will  be  to  make  a  hotbed  of  litter  and  leaves,  treading 
it  firmly.  A  stake  or  two  may  be  placed  in  the  bed  so  that  you  can  tell 
when  the  highest  temperature  is  reached.  When  this  point  has  been 
passed,  and  the  bed  begun  to  cool  down,  a  layer  of  turves  may  be  placed 
on  the  bed,  and  upon  these  small  mounds  3  or  4  feet  apart.  The  compost 
for  these  mounds  should  be  turfy  loam,  broken  into  small  lumps,  with  a 
little  dried  cow  manure  or  spent  Mushroom  bed  material  added. 
When  the  temperature  of  the  bed  has  cooled  sufficiently  to  be  safe  the 
plants  are  inserted,  and  shaded  for  a  few  days.  Fix  a  wire  trellis  to  the 
roof,  and  train  the  plants  on  the  top  side.  By  this  method  the  shoots 
do  not  require  so  much  tying,  and  are  not  dragged  out  of  position  by 
the  weight  of  the  fruit.  Place  the  trellis  far  enough  from  the  glass  to 
prevent  the  leaves  coming  in  contact  with  it. 
Shading. — Some  growers  do  not  shade  their  plants,  but  allow  them 
full  exposure  to  the  sun  from  the  time  they  are  planted,  whilst  others 
shade  them  rather  heavily.  I  have  seen  excellent  crops  of  Cucumbers 
under  both  methods  ;  but  the  first  is  rather  dangerous,  for  if  the  surface 
soil,  owing  to  the  sun  shining  on  it,  becomes  dry  the  plants  will  flag  and 
the  leaves  scorch.  With  the  heavy  shading  system  the  plants  are  too 
long  before  they  fruit,  and  much  time  is  thus  wasted.  Tbe  practice 
that  I  have  seen  answer  the  best  is  to  shade  the  plants  very  lightly  and 
admit  no  air,  unless  on  a  very  hot  day,  then  only  a  “  crack.”  By  this 
method  two  crops  can  be  had  in  the  time  that  one  can  be  obtained  by 
the  heavy  shading  and  full  ventilating  system. 
Watering  and  Syringing, — Daring  the  spring  and  summer  months 
Cucumbers  require  copious  supplies  of  water,  both  at  the  roots  and  in 
the  atmosphere.  Occasional  applications  of  liquid  manure  are  beneficial 
when  the  plants  are  bearing  fruit.  Some  growers  add  a  little  soot 
water,  to  give  the  foliage  a  rich  green  appearance,  but  this  is  not  a  wise 
practice,  as  it  is  apt  to  cause  the  Cucumbers  to  be  bitter.  Syringe  the 
plants  twice  daily — viz  ,  morning  and  afternoon — getting  well  under  the 
leives,  BO  that  filth  may  be  kept  down.  Syringing  must  be  done  early 
in  the  morning,  so  that  the  leaves  get  dry  before  the  sun  has  power 
upon  them,  or  it  will  cause  them  to  scorch.  Too  dry  an  atmosphere 
often  causes  Cucumbers  to  come  crooked,  and  to  prevent  this  the  paths 
of  the  house  are  damped  several  times  during  the  day. — Elvedex. 
(To  be  continued.) 
The  Means  and  Modes  of  Propagating  Plants. 
In  a  state  of  nature  all  plants,  be  they  what  they  may,  are  propa¬ 
gated  from  seed,  and  most  seeds  are  covered  with  a  hard  shell  or 
envelope,  which  protects  them  from  external  injury,  and  within  that 
envelope  lies  the  embryo  plant.  All  seeds  in  this  latent  state  contain 
an  organ  or  germ,  which  under  favourable  circumstances  shoots  upwards 
— the  plumule — and  becomes  the  stem  of  the  plant  ;  another,  called  the 
radicle,  seeks  its  place  in  the  soil,  and  becomes  the  root.  The  seed 
lobes  yield  nourishment  to  the  young  plant  in  its  first  stages  of  growth. 
Moisture,  heat,  and  air  are  necessary  conditions  for  the  development 
of  all  growth  from  seeds,  and  most  of  them  require  in  addition  conceal¬ 
ment  from  the  light.  These  conditions  are  found  in  the  open  texture  of 
well-pulverised  garden  soil,  through  which  water  percolates  freely  and 
air  follows,  each  yielding  their  quota  of  oxygen,  hydrogen,  or  carbon 
in  a  gaseous  state  for  the  support  of  the  plant.  Leaves  are  the  first 
outward  sign  of  germination,  and  are  next  to  the  roots  the  most 
important  organs  of  a  plant.  The  seed  leaves,  as  the  lobes  which  first 
appear  above  the  ground  are  termed,  are  of  vital  importance,  and  if 
destroyed  prematurely  the  young  plant  rarely  recovers. 
Germination  is  the  natural  process  by  which  the  embryo  of  the  seed, 
placed  in  favourable  circumstances,  throws  off  its  shell  or  covering,  and 
in  course  of  time  becomes  a  vegetable,  resembling  that  from  which  the 
