HORTICULTURE

UNDER the article GARDENING, PRACTICAL, in the Encyclopædia (Vol. IX. p. 411), there is an ample detail of the operations of horticulture, for each month of the year, in the Kitchen Garden, the Fruit Garden, and the Flower Garden. Since that article was written, however, considerable improvements have taken place; and of these we propose now to give an account. It would be difficult to treat of subjects so numerous and multifarious in a connected discourse. Instead of attempting this, we shall rather study not to omit any thing of importance, trusting that we shall thus enable the reader to form a tolerably just estimate of the present state of British Horticulture.

The simple and natural division into Kitchen, Fruit, and Flower Garden, adopted in the Encyclopædia, shall here be adhered to.

Under this head, we may give the first place to the improvement which has taken place in the culture of Sea-Cale; and of this we shall treat pretty fully.

The cultivation usually recommended consisted merely in covering the shoots, at the approach of spring, to the depth of a few inches, with dry earth, or with sand or gravel, in order to the blanching and intergenerating of the shoots. These were cut as they appeared in March and April. Now, however, the blanching is not only much more completely effected, but simple means have been devised of supplying the table with shoots for half the year, including all the winter months. It has of late become a market vegetable, and appears plentifully on the stalls of Covent-Garden, and more sparingly on those of the Edinburgh green-market. It is somewhat remarkable, that, in regard to this excellent culinary article, we have decidedly anticipated our neighbours the French. The Manuel du Jardinier for 1807 speaks only of the leaves being used, and, justly enough, condemns them as coarse. In the recent editions of the Bon Jardinier (1818, 1819), the blanched shoots are at last recommended, and the English mode of culture is mentioned. But this mode of culture is not yet practised in the marais of Paris, and sea-cale shoots will still be looked for in vain in the celebrated marché aux herbes of that capital.

The practice of the best cultivators shall here be described.—It is considered proper that the sea-cale bed should be trenched at least two feet deep. The soil should be rather light, and should have a dry bottom. If manure be added, it ought to consist of sea-weed, or of tree-leaves well rotted; the shoots being very apt to imbibe a disagreeable flavour from recent dungs and coarse manures. The plant may be propagated by offsets, or by small pieces of the

root, having eyes or buds attached to them; but it rises freely from the seed: this is sown in March, generally in patches of three or four seeds, placed four or five inches separate, leaving fully two feet between each patch. During the first two years, the chief things to be attended to are hoeing and weeding, and rejecting any superfluous plants, in case all the seeds may have germinated. At the approach of winter, some gardeners throw a little light stable dung over the whole surface of the bed: a covering of fresh sandy soil, to the depth of two inches, answers equally well. In the third year, the plants become fit for blanching; and if the sea-cale bed be judiciously managed, it will continue productive for several successive years. In order, however, to ensure a succession of young and vigorous plants, and to provide for the bad effects of forcing, which is generally destructive to the plants subjected to it, it is proper to sow a small bed of sea-cale yearly. Fresh seed may always be kept in readiness, by allowing two or three plants to produce their flowers and seeds each year; the flowers, which are white and smell of honey, appear in May, and are followed by the seeds in September.

Various modes of blanching the shoots have been resorted to. In the first volume of the Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, Sir George Mackenzie describes a very convenient method. The sea-cale bed is merely covered, early in the spring, with clean and dry oat-straw, which is removed as often as it becomes wet or musty. The shoots rise through the straw, and are at the same time pretty well blanched. Mr Barton, formerly gardener at Bothwell Castle, employed tree-leaves for this purpose. When these naturally fell in the end of autumn, he caused them to be swept together, and laid over the sea-cale bed to the depth perhaps of two feet. He found that a thin covering of stable dung, sufficient only to keep the leaves from being blown about, was useful in forwarding the production of the sea-cale shoots, a slight fermentation being thus induced. The shoots rise sweet and tender among the leaves, in the early part of spring; but it must evidently be difficult in this way to regulate the heat of fermentation, and safer to avoid it. Another method practised by many gardeners consists in placing over each plant a flower-pot of the largest size, inverted; and blanching-pots, constructed for this express purpose, are described by Mr Maher in the first volume of the Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London. These have since been much improved, by fitting them with moveable lids, the utility of which will presently appear. Such pots, we may remark, should not be made to taper much at top; but should be nearly of equal width throughout, in order to give room for taking off such shoots as are ready, without injuring the others. It may be proper to provide from thirty to sixty pots; and it may be expected that each pot will, on an

average, furnish a dish and a half of shoots during the season.

With the aid of these pots, sea-cale is now forced in a very simple way, in the open border. In the latter end of the autumn, a bed of vigorous sea-cale is dressed off, that is, the stalks are cut over, and all decayed leaves are removed. The ground is at the same time stirred or loosened around the plants, and a thin stratum of fine gravel or of sifted coal-ashes is laid on the surface, in order to keep down earth-worms. A pot with a moveable cover is placed over each plant, or over each patch of plants, if two or more have remained together. Stable litter is then closely packed all around the pots, and pressed firmly down; and successive quantities are added, till the pots be buried to the depth of a foot or more; the whole thus assuming the form and appearance of a large hot-bed. When fermentation commences, a thermometer should occasionally be introduced into a few of the pots, in order to ascertain the temperature within, which should never exceed 60° Fahr. The depth of the covering of litter, therefore, is to be increased or diminished, according to the state of the fermentation, and partly according to the severity of the season. The vegetation of the included plants is speedily promoted; so that, in the space of a month, the most forward shoots will probably be ready for cutting. The shoots thus produced, being completely excluded from the action of light, are most effectually etiolated, and exceedingly tender and crisp. The advantage of the moveable lids must now be evident: the state of the plants or stools can be examined, and such shoots as are ready can be gathered, without materially disturbing the litter or dissipating the heat. This simple mode of forcing sea-cale has every where superseded the practice of planting it on hot-beds under glass-frames, formerly recommended by Abercromby and other writers on horticulture. This vegetable, it may be remarked, in one respect forms an exception to all others: it is of better quality, when forced in the midst of winter, than when produced naturally in the spring season.

By the modes of culture which have now been described, sea-cale shoots can readily be furnished fresh for the table, from the middle of November till the middle of May.

Rhubarb Stalks.

These are now so much in demand for the making of tarts, that they have become a leading article of trade with the green grocers of London and Edinburgh. The practice of using them seems peculiar to this country; at least it is unknown to the French, the Dutch, or the Germans. The stalks at present sent to market are evidently of finer quality than in former years. By the mode of culture practised, especially the employment of young seedling plants only, the frequent removal of the leaves, and preventing the plant from flowering, the leaf-stalks are rendered more tender than those of plants which have been long established in a garden. Indeed, some of the varieties which have been raised from seed, especially by Messrs Peacock of Edinburgh,

have leaf-stalks of a more succulent nature than usual. These appear to be intermediate varieties; and have been raised from seeds yielded by plants of Rheum rhaponticum, growing close by R. hybridum, compactum, and Sibiricum,—the leaf-stalks of which species are used indiscriminately. Such succulent stalks, when peeled, cut down and baked into tarts, have all the appearance of apples, and are by many people preferred to them. In the open ground the stalks are produced from April till midsummer. The progress of vegetation may be hastened during the month of March, by throwing over the plants some loose haulm, care being taken not to injure the shoots, which at that season are very brittle.

Rhubarb may be forced, much in the manner above described for sea-cale; and the leaf-stalks are thus not only rendered tender, but, being at the same time blanched, become of a fine light colour, and have less of the peculiar flavour of the plant, which is an advantage. The smaller species, such as R. crispum and undulatum, are best for this purpose, being most easily confined within the covers. In the third volume of the Transactions of the London Horticultural Society, a mode of forcing the rows of rhubarb, by means of an open frame of wood-work, surrounded with stable litter, is described. Stakes between three and four feet long are driven into the ground opposite to each other, on each side of the row of plants, making the included bed or row two feet wide. The stakes are contracted at top, or made to slope inwards, by means of connecting cross pieces, fifteen inches long. Two or three lath-spars are nailed horizontally along the side stakes, in order to keep the litter from falling in upon the plants. The lining of dung should not be less than eighteen inches thick; the longest litter should be reserved for the top, so as to be easily removed when the state of the interior is to be examined. This plan is well adapted for forcing and blanching the larger species of rhubarb, which could not be confined within sea-cale covers.

Mr Knight (who gives his attention equally to humble details of practical utility, and to philosophical speculations connected with horticulture, and whose name will often fall to be mentioned in this article) has described a method of forcing rhubarb by planting in pots. In the beginning of winter a number of roots of rhubarb are dug up, and placed in some large and deep pots, each pot being made to receive as many as it will contain. Some fine sandy loam is then washed in, so as closely to fill the interstices between the roots, the tops of which are so placed as to be level with each other, and about an inch below the surface of the mould in the pots. The pots are placed in any kind of hot-house; and other pots of the same size are inverted over them. If water be freely supplied, vegetation proceeds very rapidly: three successive crops of leaf-stalks may generally be obtained. The shaded spaces of vineries or peach-houses, which are generally wholly unoccupied, are exceedingly well suited for forcing rhubarb in this manner.

This culinary vegetable, which is allied to the savoy, originated long ago in the Low Countries, and, as may be inferred from the name, is much cultivated in the neighbourhood of Brussels, where it is called Chou à jets. From the axillæ of the stem-leaves proceed small rosettes or sprouts, which resemble savoy cabbages in miniature: these by degrees push off and supplant the main leaves. The sprouts are very delicate when boiled, and justly held in estimation for the table. The culture is nearly the same as that of other coleworts. The seed should be sown in the spring months, and the seedlings planted out before midsummer, during showery weather. The plants grow tall, often three feet, and the sprouts closely surround the stem, the whole forming a narrow pyramid; they may therefore be placed more near together than others of the cabbage tribe, or they may be planted between rows of winter spinage or other low growing crops. In October the plants should have additional earth drawn towards their roots, to firm them, and save them from being destroyed by the frost. The earliest sprouts become fit for use in November; and, if the weather be mild, they continue good, or even improving in quality, till the month of March following. Two or three plants of the most genuine character, with the rosettes small and closely set on the stem, should be allowed to run to flower, in order to secure a supply of true seed. From February till April, Brussels sprouts are now very common in the London market; but they are only beginning to be cultivated in the sale-gardens at Edinburgh.

Mr Van Mons of Brussels mentions (Lond. Hort. Trans. Vol. III.) that, by successive sowings, the sprouts are there obtained for the greater part of the year. The tops of the plants are commonly cut off a fortnight before beginning to gather the sprouts; this, it is thought, promotes the production of rosettes. The sprouts are preferred when small or young; if they be more than half an inch in diameter, they are thought too large. In the spring, when the plants have a tendency to run to flower, their growth is checked, by lifting them and replanting them, in a slanting direction, in a cool shady situation.

This is an early purple variety, which was introduced a few years ago, from the Cape of Good Hope, according to some, and from Italy according to others. It is a fine kind, being of a delicious flavour when dressed; but on account of the plant being very apt to start into flower, its cultivation has in many places been neglected. When the crops are properly managed, however, this tendency can be overruled. Two crops should be sown; the first in the middle of April; the next in the middle of May. The first sowing may be made on any border of light soil, scattering the seed very sparingly. In about a month the plants may be transplanted, directly from the seed-bed, into a quarter consisting of sandy loam, well enriched with rotten

dung. They should not stand nearer than two feet apart every way. Frequent hoeing is proper, and the earth should be drawn to the stem, as in the case of common broccoli. The greater part of the second crop should be planted in pots likewise directly from the seed-bed. These pots are to be sunk in the open ground till the broccoli heads be formed. In the end of November, the pots are to be raised and placed under a glass-frame; and in this way very fine broccoli may be produced in the severest weather of winter. In August, a small sowing should be made in a frame, by which means the plants are somewhat forwarded, without being rendered more tender; these are planted out about the middle of October, three or four together, and protected by hand-glasses during winter. The principal use of this last sowing is to secure the possession of a few good plants in the spring, which may furnish a supply of proper seed.

It was on the pea, it may be observed, that Mr Knight first made his experiments, many years ago, on the fecundation of one pistillum, by pollen taken from different varieties of blossom, white and grey. In the course of these experiments, he obtained the new pea now to be described. The plant is of luxuriant growth, generally rising to the height of eight or ten feet: in exposed situations it is apt to be injured by the winds; but in sheltered places, and with the aid of tall stakes, it proves extremely productive. The blossoms are white and of large size; and both the legumes (or pods) and the seeds (or peas) are large. The peas are of a cream colour; immediately as they begin to dry, they shrivel or contract in some degree; and, from this circumstance, the name of Wrinkled Pea is often used, particularly among seedsmen. The flavour of the peas, when boiled, is peculiarly rich, surpassing that of any of the other marrow peas: they have been found to abound more in saccharine matter than any others. It is a late pea, and should not be sown before April or May. It makes an excellent principal crop; and it may be added, that it retains its flavour in the autumn better than any other, and should, therefore, be preferred for the latest sowings.

The mode in which Mr Knight manages his autumnal crops of this pea may here be mentioned, because it generally has the effect of keeping them free from the attack of mildew. The seed for these crops is sown, at intervals of ten days, from the beginning to the end of June. The ground is dug over in the usual way, and the spaces to be occupied by the future rows of peas are well soaked with water. The mould upon each side is then collected, so as to form ridges seven or eight inches above the previous level of the ground, and these ridges are well watered. The seeds are now sown, in single rows, along the tops of the ridges. The plants grow vigorously, owing to the depth of soil and abundant moisture. If dry weather at any time set in, water is supplied profusely once a week. In this way the plants continue green and vigorous, resisting mildew, and not yielding till subdued by frost.

Under this name, a species of Lathyrus (L. tuberosus) is by some persons cultivated for the sake of the tuberous roots, which being perhaps two inches long, and having a fibre at one extremity, may easily be fancied to resemble mice. When the tubers are of the size mentioned, they are considered fit for use. They are cleaned, and, being firm and hard, boiled for a long time, two hours or more, till a fork will pass through them: they are then dried, and slightly roasted; when they are served up in a cloth, in the manner of chesnuts. They are merely calculated for the dessert, and in Holland and Flanders they are not uncommonly used for that purpose.

Mr Dickson, of Croydon, has described the most approved mode of cultivation. (Lond. Hort. Trans. Vol. II.) He recommends the forming of an appropriate border for the plant, inclosed with brick-work, twenty inches deep, and also paved with bricks in the bottom. This bed is filled with a light but rich soil. In this way the roots are restrained from penetrating deep, which they would otherwise do; and the formation of tubers is at the same time promoted. The plant is easily propagated by the tubers, which should be placed six inches apart, and three inches below the surface. The bed should not be disturbed till the second year; after which it will continue productive for a long time, if dug in regular course from one end, leaving the smaller tubers to produce a succession of plants, and adding some good rich soil every year.

The cultivation of the onion has been greatly improved by the practice of transplanting. This mode has been recommended in England by Mr Knight, and in Scotland by Mr Brown at Perth, and Mr Macdonald at Dalkeith.

Mr Knight's plan consists in sowing the seed, preferring the variety called White Portugal Onion, at the usual spring season, thick under the shade of a tree, and in poor soil. In the autumn the bulbs are small, scarcely exceeding in size the dimensions of large peas, but of firm texture. They are taken from the ground and preserved till the succeeding spring, when they are planted at equal distances from each other, perhaps six inches in every direction. The plants thus produced differ in no respects from those raised immediately from seed, but in possessing greater strength and vigour, owing to the quantity of previously generated sap being greater in the bulb than in the seed. In this way, two of our short and variable summers produce the same effect as one long and bright summer in Spain or Portugal, and bulbs are procured equal in size and flavour to those that are imported.

Mr Brown's plan, which he has occasionally practised with a part of his own crop for twenty years past, is nearly the same as Mr Knight's, only he does not sow under the shade of trees, with the view of getting small bulbs; he merely collects, from the ordinary onion crop, all the small bulbs, from the size of a pea to that of a hazel-nut (which would otherwise be thrown away as refuse); and having kept these

over winter, they are planted in the spring. If the sown beds at any time fail, he can always trust, he finds, to the transplanted rows forming a reserve.

Mr Macdonald confines his operations to one summer. He sows in February, sometimes on a slight hot-bed, sometimes merely under a glass-frame. Between the beginning of April and the middle of the same month, according to the state of the weather, he transplants the young seedlings, in rows about eight inches asunder, and at the distance of four or five inches from each other in the row. Immediately previously to planting, the roots of the seedlings are dipped in a puddle prepared with one part of soot to three parts of earth. The crop being in regular rows, weeds can be destroyed with the hoe in place of the hand, and the bulbs thus enjoy the great and well known advantage of having the surface-earth frequently stirred. Onions of large size are thus produced, equal in firmness or flavour to foreign ones. It is found by experience that the transplanted onions remain free from wire-worm or rot, while those left in the original seed-bed are frequently much injured by both. The beds destined for these transplanted onions are deeply delved over in the beginning of April, and many larvæ may probably thus be destroyed; and the plants growing with superior vigour, in consequence of the repeated hoeings, must be better able to resist the attacks of insects. Possibly the soot-puddle may also be beneficial, by tending to repel the larvæ till the bulbs be too strong to be attacked. Mr Macdonald finds the Strasburg or Deptford onion answer equally well for transplanting as the Portugal or Reading onion.

The varieties of the potato cultivated in Britain, having been chiefly derived from Ireland, where the plant is nearly secure from frost from the middle of April till the end of November, the want of new and more hardy varieties has long been felt; and the Horticultural Societies both of London and Edinburgh have offered premiums for the production of such varieties. A hardy potato is, however, still a desideratum.

Various new kinds, some of them possessing desirable properties, have indeed, of late years, been raised by cultivators in different parts of the country; but to particularize these seems unnecessary. It may, however, be remarked, that while the Ash-leaved and American Earlies are the kinds with which the Edinburgh market is principally supplied in the months of July and August, a superior early variety abounds even in the neighbouring town of Perth. This is called the Royal Dwarf. The plant is distinguished by its broad shining leaves, and by the first tubers forming a cluster of three or four immediately at the bottom of the stem. This last circumstance renders it easy to rob the plant of the earliest and largest potatoes, without disturbing the roots, leaving it to produce a sufficient crop of secondary tubers for seed-stock. The royal dwarf is a dry potato, or rather mealy than waxy; but this is a quality which recommends it to many persons. It is generally fit for use a fortnight earlier than the ash-leaved or the American early. It may be re-

marked, that the most desirable early varieties are such as do not show a disposition to send forth flowers; that portion of the substance and vigour of the plant which would go to the formation of flowers, being diverted to the production of tubers.

A very important fact in the cultivation of potatoes was observed, about the year 1806, by the late Mr Thomas Dickson of Edinburgh, viz. that the most healthy and most productive plants were to be obtained by employing as seed-stock tubers which had not been thoroughly ripened, or even by planting only the wet or least ripened ends of long-shaped potatoes. Mr Knight has likewise clearly shown the advantage of using, as seed-stock, potatoes which have grown late in the preceding year, or have been only imperfectly ripened. It is important to know, that if a valuable kind seem to be exhausted or to have lost its good qualities, it may be restored merely by planting the tubers late in the summer, and preserving the produce of this late-planting for seed-stock.

The forcing of early potatoes on hot-beds has long been practised; but it is attended with considerable trouble and expence. Small supplies of young potatoes are now commonly produced, during winter, in boxes placed in the mushroom-house, in the shade at the back of a hot-house, or in a common cellar, if beyond the reach of frost. In October, old potatoes are placed in layers in the boxes, alternating with a mixture of tree leaves, sand, and light mould, until they be full. Vegetation soon proceeds; and there being no opportunity for the unfolding of stems and leaves, the energies of the plants are expended in the production of young tubers. Before mid-winter, these often attain the usual size and appearance of early potatoes; but they are much inferior, being of a watery taste, and having little or no flavour.

It is much to be wished that we should be acquainted with improved modes of storing the principal autumnal crop, so as to preserve the quality unaltered till the following summer. The Reverend Dr Dow, of Kirkpatrick-Irongray, has devised a mode which certainly merits attention. In the autumn, the potatoes are put into small pits, holding about two bolts each. These pits are formed under the shade of a tree, or on the north side of a high wall; and they are covered with straw and earth, according to the usual mode of pitting potatoes. In the end of April, or beginning of May of the following year, the potatoes are examined; all buds are rubbed off, and such as show any tendency to spoil are thrown out. The pits being cleaned out, are nearly filled with water; when this has been absorbed, the potatoes are returned into them; at the same time, every quantity is watered as it is laid in, and the whole covered with earth, as before. The pits must, in this way, long remain cool. The abundant supply of moisture is, however, contrary to established prejudices as to the mode of keeping potatoes; and on this account, many have probably been deterred from adopting the Doctor's plan. But, in this way, we are assured, the potatoes are kept not only plump and unaltered in taste, but the dry kinds, after being seven months in the pits, come

out unimpaired, and appear on the table as mealy as ever.

Turnips.

Nothing new occurs in regard to the culture of the turnip, unless, perhaps, the practice of sprinkling powdered quicklime over the young plants while in seed-leaf, in order to check the ravages of a little beetle called the turnip-fly. The variety called Stone-turnip is still very much cultivated for the London market. But the Aberdeen Yellow Turnip is preferred, in many places, for use at the table during the winter months. It is hardy, and remains firm and good till the spring.—A very beautiful yellow variety has of late been cultivated, under the name of Maltese Turnip. It is of a round shape, and has such a fine golden colour and so very smooth a skin, that it resembles some foreign fruit. It is excellent for the table; but, if intended for winter use, it must be carefully packed in sand, being otherwise apt to shrivel and decay.—The Swedish Turnip, or Ruta Baga, is now preferred by many persons for the winter supply, on account of its rich flavour and agreeable sweetness. It may either be stored among sand, in a cellar, or, being extremely hardy, it may remain in the ground till wanted.—The Navew, or Navet of the French, is a distinct species, a variety of our native Brassica Napus. The cultivation of the French turnip was promoted in this country during the late war, owing to the numerous French emigrants creating a demand for it. The cultivation is similar to that of ordinary turnips. The root, which is oblong, or carrot-shaped, is of a much higher flavour than any of the common turnips. It is put whole into soups, after being merely scraped, not peeled.

Turnip-rooted Cabbage.

Of the turnip-rooted cabbage, or kohl-rübe, there are two varieties, one swelling above ground, the other in it. Both are occasionally used for the table, and, while in a young state, are equal in flavour to the Swedish turnip. There is nothing particular in the culture, unless that, in the case of the first-mentioned variety, the earth should not be drawn so high as to cover the globular part of the stem, or the part used. The seed may be sown in the beginning of June, and the seedlings transplanted in July: they are thus fit for use at the approach of winter; and they may either be stored like turnip, or, being quite hardy, they may be left in the ground till required.

Succory

is, like the navew, a plant indigenous to our island (Cichorium Intybus), and we also owe its cultivation to the foreign refugees during the war. It is still but little attended to, probably less than it deserves. It is much esteemed by the French as a winter salad; and, when blanched, is known under the name of Barbe du Capucin. When intended for winter use, the seed is sown in June or July, commonly in drills; and the plants are thinned out to four inches apart. If the first set of leaves grow very strong, owing to wet weather, they are cut off, perhaps in

the middle of August, about an inch from the ground, so as to promote the production of new leaves, and check any tendency to the formation of flower stems. In the end of September, or beginning of October, the plants are raised from the border; all the large leaves are cut off, taking care not to injure the centre of the plant; the roots are also shortened. They are then planted in boxes filled with rich mould, pretty close together. These boxes are set in any sheltered situation, and occasionally watered, if the weather be dry. When frost comes on, they are protected by a covering of any kind of haultm. As the salad is wanted, the boxes are successively removed into some place having a moderately increased temperature, equal perhaps to 55°, but not exceeding 60° Fahr. The less light they are subjected to, the blanching is of course the more easily accomplished. The mushroom-house, a corner of the green-house, or a cellar off the kitchen, will answer the purpose. Each box affords two crops of the blanched leaves, a short interval being allowed for the growth of the second crop. The leaves are reckoned fit for cutting when they are about six inches long. A more simple and easy, but perhaps less neat and less productive, mode may be mentioned. The plants may be taken from the open border at the approach of winter, with balls of earth attached to them, placed in boxes, and the interstices between the balls filled with sand. If the green leaves be cut over, and the boxes be placed in a darkened cellar, or other similar situation, a crop of blanched salad will soon be produced.

When colonial produce was excluded from most of the continental markets, the roots of succory were resorted to as a substitute for coffee-beans, and many still continue to use a mixture of succory and coffee, in preference to the simple infusion of the latter. The roots are taken up when of the size of small parsnips; they are cut into little pieces, of nearly equal size; these are carefully dried, generally in an oven, so as to preserve their plumpness and avoid shrivelling; and they are afterwards reduced to a powder in the manner of coffee-beans, as needed for use. The succory root is thought to communicate to the infusion the power of acting as a gentle diuretic.

American Cress,

although its name would lead us to expect a distant origin, is a plant indigenous to England, the Erysimum praecox of the Flora Britannica. It resembles the common winter-cress, E. barbarea, but is smaller; and it is only a biennial, while the former is a perennial plant. The leaves of the American cress have a pleasant warm taste; while those of the common winter-cress are rather nauseous. It has of late years been very generally cultivated as a green salad plant. It may be sown either as broadcast, or thinly in drills a foot asunder, on any light soil. Two or three successive sowings may be made during the season, in order to have young plants; but it may be noticed, that when the outer leaves are regularly gathered, new ones are produced in succession. A late sowing should be made in August or September, on some sheltered border;

the plants stand the winter without injury, and afford leaves fit for use in February or March.

Melons.

The melon-ground is generally regarded as an appendage of the Kitchen Garden, and has been treated of in the Encyclopædia (article GARDENING, Part III.) under that head. To the ample instructions there given for the cultivation of the melon, little remains to be added, excepting a caution, founded on the observations of Mr Knight, against removing any leaves for which room can possibly be found. This is the more necessary, that many gardeners of the old school are very apt to think that, in thinning out the leaves, they are doing service, by admitting sun and air to the fruit, while they are probably inflicting a positive injury. The success of the fruit depends very much on the plant possessing a luxuriant and healthy foliage, having the upper surfaces regularly presented to the light, and remaining as much as possible undisturbed in that position. Pegs are therefore to be freely employed, not only with the view of retaining the shoots in their place, but of keeping the leaves steady and upright; and when water is necessary, it is to be introduced without touching the leaves.

Two uncommon varieties of the melon, introduced of late years, may be shortly noticed; the Salonica and the Valentia.—The Salonica Melon is nearly a spherical shape, and without depressions on its surface; its colour approaches that of gold; its pulp is pure white, of the consistence of that of the water-melon, and very saccharine. The fruit should remain on the plant till it be completely matured; for it improves in flavour and sweetness till it become soft and be ready to decay.—The Valentia Melon is produced plentifully in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. It is remarkable for the property of keeping for many weeks; insomuch that it has sometimes been imported into London from Spain. In this country it is raised in the manner of other melons. The fruit gathered, when nearly ripe, and suspended in a dry airy room, will keep till January or February. Hence it is often called the Winter Melon. It is oval-shaped, and somewhat pointed at the ends; the skin thin, and of a dark green colour; the pulp whitish, firm, saccharine, and juicy: though the flavour is not rich, it is pleasant to the taste.

Succada.

A small green gourd has for some years past been cultivated in the neighbourhood of London, under the name of Succada or Vegetable Marrow. It may be raised in the spring on a common melon or cucumber hot-bed; and in June transplanted to the open border, in a good aspect, and trained to a small temporary trellis. When the fruit is of the size of a hen's egg, it is accounted fit for use. It is dressed in salt and water, squeezed, and served up in slices on a toast.

Mushrooms.

The usual mode of raising mushrooms, as well as of preparing the spawn, has already been described.

(Encyclopædia, Vol. IX. p. 443). But what is called Oldaker's method may deserve to be particularized. In forming the compost, he procures fresh short dung, from a stable, or from the path of a horse-mill. The dung must neither have been exposed to wetness, nor subjected to fermentation. There is added about a fifth part of sheep's droppings, or of the cleanings of a cow-house, or of a mixture of both. The whole ingredients are to be thoroughly mixed and incorporated. The beds, if they may be so called, are formed in coarse wooden boxes or drawers. A stratum of the prepared mixture about three inches thick, being deposited in the box, is beat together with a flat wooden mallet. Another layer is added, and beat together as before; and this is repeated till the beds be rather more than half a foot thick, and very compact. The boxes are then placed in the mushroom house, or in any out-house, where a slight increase of temperature can be commanded. A degree of fermentation generally soon takes place in the mass; but if heat be not soon perceptible, another layer must still be added, till sufficient action be excited. When the beds are milk warm (or between 80° and 90° Fahr.), some holes are dibbled in the mass, about nine inches apart, for receiving the mushroom spawn, which, it is to be presumed, has been previously prepared. The holes are left open for some time; and when the heat is on the decline, but before it be quite gone, a piece of spawn is thrust into each opening, and the holes are closed with a little of the compost. A week afterwards, the beds are covered with a coating, an inch and a half thick, of rich mould, mixed with about a fifth part of horse droppings. This is beat down with the back of a spade, and the bed may then be accounted ready for producing. The apartment is now kept as nearly and equally at 55° Fahr. as circumstances will allow. When the boxes become very dry, it is occasionally found necessary to sprinkle over them a little soft water, but this must be done sparingly, and with great circumspection. The more that free air can be admitted, the flavour of the mushrooms is found to be the better; but the exclusion of frost is indispensable. If a number of boxes or drawers be at first prepared, a few only at a time may be covered with mould, and brought into bearing; the rest being covered and cropped in succession, as mushrooms may happen to be in demand. In this way, they may be procured at every season of the year.

Preserving of Cauliflower during Winter.

It is found that this vegetable may be kept in perfection over winter by very simple means. Cauliflowers which have been planted out in July, will be nearly ready for use in October. Towards the end of that month, the most compact and best shaped are selected, and lifted carefully with the spade, keeping a ball of earth attached to the roots. Where there are peach-houses or vineries, the plants are arranged in the borders of these, closely together, but without touching. Some of the large outside leaves are removed, in order that the plants may occupy less room, and at the same time any points of leaves that immediately overhang the flower (or eatable

part) are cut off. Such houses, however, are generally kept not only without fire-heat, but as cold as possible, during the first part of winter: in time of frost, therefore, it is necessary to cover the cauliflower plants with mats and straw. Another mode consists in placing the cauliflower plants, raised with balls of earth as before, in hot-bed frames, as closely together as possible, without touching. In mild dry weather, the glass-frames are drawn off; but they are kept carefully closed during rain; and when severe frost occurs, they are thickly covered with mats. If the plants be occasionally cleared of decayed leaves, they will continue, in this way, in excellent state for several months, instead of becoming yellow and ill-flavoured, as they generally do when placed in sheds or cellars, where air and light cannot occasionally be given.

Keeping of Vegetables, &c. in the Ice-house.

The Ice-house is generally under the care of the Ice-house gardener; and where it is placed near the garden, it is found useful for several subsidiary purposes, and particularly for preserving esculent roots, and likewise celery, during winter, in recesses contrived for the purpose. Where parsnips and beet-roots are left in the ground over winter, they must be lifted at the approach of spring, as they become tough and woody whenever there is a tendency to form a flower-stalk. These roots may, therefore, at this season, be placed in the ice-house, and preserved there for a considerable time in excellent order. The ice-house is equally useful in this respect during the summer season: in hot weather, various kinds of vegetables, for instance green peas and kidney beans, can be kept fresh in it for several days.—In order to avoid introducing the subject again, another use may here be mentioned: fruits gathered in the morning, which is the most proper time for gathering them, are here kept cool, and with all their freshness and flavour, until required for the dessert in the afternoon. Several ice-houses, excellently adapted not only for the main purpose, but for these secondary views, which nowise interfere with the other, have lately been constructed in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, under the directions of Mr Hay, planner of gardens, particularly at Dalmeny Park and Dundas Castle. These ice-houses have double walls, a passage being left between the outer and inner. In the thick wall immediately inclosing the ice are four recesses, with stone shelves for receiving the vegetables or fruits. In the outer wall the same object is provided for. The roof, it may be added, is arched with stone, and has a hole at the top for introducing the ice. The passage between the two walls is likewise arched, and has two or three small grated apertures, which may be closed with fitted stones, or opened for the purpose of admitting light and air when wanted.

FRUIT GARDEN.

During the last thirty years the desire for fruit has greatly increased among the inhabitants of this country, and the attention paid to its production has advanced in proportion. The general diffusion of this taste has created such a demand in the me-

tropolis and principal towns, that not only are professional cultivators enabled to lay out considerable capitals with advantage in the raising of exotic fruits, but great encouragement is thus given to private gentlemen to improve and enlarge their gardens, vineeries, and peach-houses; because a ready and lucrative market is open for the superfluous produce at any time, and for the whole produce of the garden, when the proprietor and his family happen to be from home. We shall first advert to any changes or improvements in the general management of the garden, or of the different kinds of hot-houses connected with it; and shall next take particular notice of the new fruits, or new varieties, which have been lately introduced, or have lately risen into notice.

Fruit-Trees in the Nursery.

Some kinds of fruit-trees, particularly the Mulberry and Walnut, are so slow in their progress to a bearing state, that the planter of the trees seldom sees their fruit. Mr Knight has ascertained that, if the cions be taken from prolific branches of bearing trees, the young trees become productive in a very few years. Indeed, if the stocks be planted in pots, and grafted by approach, they afford fruit in three years after the operation. Young trees thus grafted with cions from the bearing wood of adult trees, are not yet to be found in the public nurseries; even the most eminent of our nurserymen not possessing a collection of bearing trees for this purpose.

In regard to the training of young trees, especially of the peach and pear kinds, notice may be taken of an excellent and simple mode for which we are indebted to Mr Knight. His plants are headed down as usual, a year after being grafted; two shoots only are allowed to each stem, and these are trained to an elevation of about 5°. It is a well known fact in horticulture, that a branch trained upright grows much more luxuriantly than one confined to a horizontal position. Advantage is here taken of this law of vegetation, and in order to procure the shoots to be of equal length, the stronger is depressed and the weaker elevated. All lateral shoots are carefully removed. Next season as many branches are encouraged as can be laid in without overshadowing each other; and if care be taken in the spring to select the strongest and earliest buds near the termination of the year-old branches, to be trained lowest, and the weakest and latest buds near the base of the branches to be trained inclining upwards, the result is, that, at the end of the season, each annual shoot comes to be nearly of equal vigour. In the following winter, one half of the shoots are shortened, and the other half left at full length, one shoot being left and the other cut alternately. In the third year, if the subject be a peach-tree, the central part will consist of bearing wood. The size and general health, and equality of vigour in every part, of young trees trained according to these rules, appear to evince a very regular distribution of the sap; and the rules are simple, and might easily be attended to.

Wall Training.

As the trees above described advance, they naturally fall to be trained in what is called the fan mode, or according to various modifications of this. Where the garden-walls exceed seven feet in height, this is the mode now preferred by the best practical gardeners; for in this way a tree can much sooner be made to fill the space of wall allotted to it, and the loss of a branch can most easily be supplied at any time. The fan mode is particularly well adapted for such kinds of fruit-trees as do not abound in superfluous wood, or extend their branches to a great length, as the peach, nectarine, apricot, and cherry trees. For walls under seven feet in height, the horizontal method of training is still preferred, as in this way the wall can be more completely filled, although not in so short a space of time. In this mode, which was first strongly recommended by Hitt in his excellent Treatise on Fruit-Trees, a principal stem is trained upright, and branches are led from it horizontally on either side. Many kinds of pear-trees, and also apple-trees, are very productive when trained in this horizontal manner.

In both modes of training, and with all kinds of trees, it has been found very advantageous to have the extreme branches bent downwards. By this means a check seems to be given to the growth of the wood of the tree, and a tendency to yield fruit is promoted. Besides, it is evident, that, in the flexure of the extremities of wall-trees, the natural mode of growth is imitated.

Connected with this subject is the recent practice of turning the extreme branches of fruit-trees from one side of a wall to the other. The late Sir Joseph Banks having a Gansel's bergamot pear-tree on a north aspect, where the fruit did not succeed, caused some branches be turned over to the south side, and trained downwards. There they not only produced fine fruit, but abundance of it. The roots of the May-duke cherry, and some others, require to be in a cool soil. On the north side of a wall, therefore, such trees thrive best; and it has been found, that if their extreme branches be turned over the wall, and trained downwards on the south side, they are not only brought into plentiful bearing, but yield their fruit more early in the season.

Before leaving wall-trees, we may here notice, that, for protecting the blossom of peaches and nectarines from the effects of hoar-frosts and cold dews, nets made of coarse woollen yarn or carpet worsted have, in some parts of Scotland, been very advantageously employed. When such nets are worked in the loom, they can be afforded at a very cheap rate. They are woven pretty close, the meshes not being larger than to admit the point of the finger. Worsted nets are better than any other, on account of the bristliness of the material and its tendency to contract. Screens covered with white paper have likewise been employed with good effect. Where such screens are made to project sufficiently from the wall, and are applied in the evenings, they will be found very effectual in preventing the radiation of heat from the earth in the cold and clear nights.

of structure. In place of the lofty wide houses of former times, small low pits are now employed. These are commonly of two sizes; one, called the Succession pit, is rather lower in the roof and of smaller dimension than the other, which is the Fruiting pit. The advantages are considerable: the atmosphere of these last can much more easily be maintained at the requisite temperature; and the plants enjoy the advantage, well known from experience, of being placed near to the glass. In propagating ananas, some of the most successful cultivators use suckers only: these are allowed to remain long on the parent plants, so that when they come to be detached they are of a larger size and more forward growth than is usual. The suckers are planted in pots in September, and placed in beds of tan, in any common hot-house furnished with a furnace and flues. After the plants have fairly made roots, a high temperature is not wanted, and, for the following six months, if frost be carefully excluded, the plants succeed best in a cool house, which may be supposed somewhat to resemble the winter of their native country: pretty late in the spring, they are transferred to the pine-pits. Sometimes this is in reality little else than a large hot-bed having tanners' bark in the centre, and being furnished with exterior linings of stable litter, or some other fermentable material. In other cases the pit has likewise a furnace and flues: in those pits, however, which depend on fermentation alone for artificial heat, the ananas are observed to grow remarkably fast during the summer season. In autumn the plants are again returned to the common hot-house for the winter: in the course of the following season they are brought to fruit in the larger sized pit; and if this be not of sufficient dimensions, as sometimes happens from the spreading of the plants, a few of the most forward are allowed to fruit in their winter quarters. In this way pine-apples, particularly of the variety called the Queen, are produced in two years, instead of three, which were formerly thought necessary.

In the opinion of Mr Knight and of other eminent cultivators, the employment of a bark-bed, or bottom heat of any kind, is wholly unnecessary after the crowns or suckers have pushed their roots. In an ordinary hot-house, the pots may be placed on loose piers of brick, and thus raised near to the glass; a layer of bricks being removed as the plants increase in height. In the summer season, the temperature may depend chiefly on confined solar heat, no air being given till the temperature exceed 95° Fahr. For soil Mr Knight prefers thin green turf chopped small, and pressed close into the pots while damp; a piece of whole turf, with the sward downmost, being laid at the bottom of the pots. The surface, however, is covered with vegetable mould and sandy loam mixed. Mr Knight recommends applying daily to the pots, during the height of summer, water in which pigeons' dung has been steeped till the colour be nearly as dark as that of porter. A little pure water may be sprinkled over the plants, but not till all remains of the former sprinkling have disappeared. As the day gets shorter, less of the pigeons' dung water is given,

the plants being then less able to feed on it. During winter the house is kept as nearly as possible at 50° Fahr. Mr Knight prefers pots which are little more than a foot in diameter, and he does not seem to consider repotting as necessary: at least, he regards the shifting from smaller to larger pots as detrimental, the matter which would go to the formation of blossom and fruit being thus diverted to the production of new roots.

It may here be remarked, that for communicating heat to pits or frames, it has been found advantageous, in place of stable litter, to employ the cleanings of a flax-dresser's mill, known under the name of Lint-shows or Flax-pob. This substance ferments very slowly, and the heat is therefore kept up for several months in succession, and very nearly of an equal temperature.

Various improvements and changes in the form and interior arrangements of glazed houses intended for the production of peaches, nectarines, figs, and grapes, have of late been introduced or recommended. These are detailed chiefly in the Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, and in the Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society. Mr Knight and Mr Gowen, with Mr Loudon at Bayswater near London, seem to be the principal persons who have attended to these subjects in England; and Mr Hay of Edinburgh, Mr Beattie at Secon, and Mr Henderson at Brechin, have led the way in Scotland. Among amateur horticulturists, our countryman Sir George Mackenzie has distinguished himself by projecting spherical hot-houses; and modifications of this form have been strongly recommended by Mr Loudon.

A very considerable improvement in the mode of Glazing of
glazing hot-houses may deserve to be more particu-
larly mentioned, because it tends materially to obviate
breakage, which, on account of the high duty on
glass in this country, is now an important object. It
consists chiefly in making the upper and lower edges
of the panes segments of a circle, instead of being
rectilinear or horizontal; the upper edge being made
concave, the lower convex. For a pane eight inches
wide, a curvature $\backslash frac\{8\}\{10\}$ths of an inch deep in the centre
is sufficient. The advantages of this circular form
must be evident. The rain which falls, or moisture
which collects on the exterior of the glass, gravitates
to the centre of the pane, and runs down in a con-
tinued line, instead of passing along the sides of the
bars, and being partly detained by the capillary at-
traction of the two surfaces, at the overlapping of
the panes. The extent to which one pane overlaps
another can, at the same time, therefore, be much
lessened; and $\backslash frac\{1\}\{4\}$th of an inch is found sufficient.
This narrowness of the lap, again, prevents breakage
from the lodging of moisture, and the sudden expan-
sion produced by freezing during the variable wea-
ther of winter. When these circular panes are cut
from whole sheets of glass, the expence is scarcely
greater than for oblong squares. It is proper that
the glass should be very flat or equal; and the kind
known by the name of Patent Crown Glass should
be preferred. In stoves or hot-houses where a high
temperature must be maintained, the laps are puttied.
In this case, a small central opening is left in the

putty, by inserting a slip of wood at first, and withdrawing it when the pane is pressed down to its bearing; by this little aperture the condensed vapour generated within escapes without dropping on the plants. The ingenious Mr Loudon uses very thin sheet lead in place of putty, for closing the laps; he thus avoids all risk of expansion from frost, and the lap can thus be made exceedingly narrow.

Heating of Hot-houses by Steam.

Of all recent improvements, however, in this branch of gardening, the most important is the use of steam for communicating the artificial heat, in place of depending, as formerly, on the passage of smoke and heated air through flues, aided in particular houses, called Stoves, by the slight fermentation of tanners' bark. The principal advantage arising from the use of steam consists in this, that an equable high temperature can thus be maintained for a length of time with much greater ease and certainty. Besides, in steam hot-houses, the plants can scarcely ever be liable to suffer a scorching heat; the air continues pure and untainted, and persons visiting the house are much less apt to be annoyed with the smell of smoke or soot. In districts where coals are scarce and high priced, the saving of fuel is an object; and it has been found that seven bushels of coal go as far in keeping up steam heat, as ten bushels do in maintaining an equal temperature the other way. Further, it is evident that, by merely opening a valve, the house may, at any time, be most effectually steamed, that is, filled with vapour; and the warm moisture thus applied to every part of the plants is observed to contribute remarkably to their health and vigour.

While steam alone may, in new erections, be trusted to for supplying the necessary heat, it fortunately so happens that it may likewise very advantageously be resorted to in aid of the common flues conveying smoke and heated air. A steam-apparatus may be appended to any ordinary hot-house, without incurring any material expence, or occasioning any considerable alteration in structure. A boiler is erected over the usual furnace, the smoke of which passes through the flues as formerly. Metal pipes are laid along the top of the brick-flues. These are rather of copper than of lead, on account of the former expanding less. A square shape is sometimes preferred; and the pipes are set on edge, so that any condensed vapour trickling to the bottom may occupy little room, or present only a small surface, till it make its way back to the boiler, to which a gentle inclination is given. As in the common steam-engine, the boiler is supplied from a cistern above, and is made to regulate itself by a simple contrivance; in the feed-head is a valve, which is opened by the sinking of a float, which descends in proportion as the water is dissipated in steam; and being balanced by a weight, whenever a sufficient quantity of water is admitted, rises again and shuts the valve. A safety-valve is added, loaded according to the strength of the boiler; and there is another valve for admitting atmospheric air, in case of the condensation of the steam causing a vacuum in the boiler. By thus adding a steam-apparatus in aid

of the common flues, a higher and much more steady heat can be commanded. Instead of requiring more of the time and attention of the gardener, he will be greatly relieved, and have several additional hours a day which he may wholly devote to other concerns of the garden. If the furnace be duly charged, and the boiler properly prepared, the hot-house may be left with confidence for eight or even ten hours together, the temperature continuing equal for that length of time. Where forcing is practised during the severe weather of winter and early spring, the gardener is thus relieved from much anxiety and night-watching, to which he was formerly subject.

For heating stoves, conservatories, and green-houses, steam is likewise excellently adapted. The difficulty of maintaining continually a high temperature in a large stove has, no doubt, been one cause of the comparative neglect into which the cultivation of fine tropical plants in England has fallen. By means of steam, this difficulty is most effectually removed: and we may soon expect to see the noble palms, and arborescent ferns of the tropical regions, waving at large in commodious receptacles heated in this manner.

It may here be mentioned, that the cultivation of tender exotics has of late been further rendered easy, by the substitution of a chamber filled with heated air, or with steam, in place of tanners' bark; the procuring of which is often attended with difficulty and expence, and the proper drying of it invariably troublesome. The plants are placed immediately over the steam-chamber, the roof being formed of thin flag-stones, like those known by the name of Arbroath pavement. The pots may be sunk in sawings of wood, which remain for a very long time in a clean and unaltered state; and in which insects are not very apt to breed.

For the conservatory and green-house, if the steam be in action from three to nine o'clock P.M. the temperature will be kept constantly within a proper range, in the ordinary winter weather of this country. In time of severe frost, the steam must, of course, be longer applied.

The most extensive and most perfect steam-apparatus for the heating of plant-houses is to be seen at the grounds of Messrs Loddiges, near Hackney, where glazed houses to the extent of almost a thousand feet in length, and forming three sides of a square, are heated solely by steam from a single boiler. The boiler is of an oblong shape, measuring eleven feet by four, and is made of malleable iron. In certain narrow houses, intended for green-house plants, a single steam-pipe is found sufficient. In other houses, of considerable height and breadth, or where a higher temperature is required, as in the palm-house, the steam-flue is made to describe two or three turns. The pipes at Hackney are of iron, of a round shape, and four inches bore. They are flanch and screwed together with bolts and nuts. When they make returns within the house, the joints are formed with iron cement on milboard dipped in white lead.

Where steam is employed for heating the principal suite of hot-houses, it will be found easy, in general, to convey it also to the melon ground; the

Fruit Garden. melon pits or frames must, however, in this case, have their side-walls formed of brick. In places where steam-heat has been applied to the culture of this fruit, the success is said to be remarkably great.

Watering of Green-house and Hot-house Plants.

Watering of Hot-houses. When large collections of plants are kept in the green-house, hot-house, or conservatory, the watering of them by the hand is a tedious operation. The ingenious Messrs Loddiges, already mentioned, have devised a mode of greatly facilitating this operation. A leaden pipe, of half an inch bore, is conducted horizontally along the upper part of the house, in the space most convenient for the purpose in view. This pipe is everywhere perforated, the holes being so small as only to admit a fine needle. The perforations are so disposed in the pipe as to throw the water in the directions where it is most wanted. In general, the holes are at two inches distance from each other; but, towards the extremity of the pipe, where the pressure of the water is less, they are somewhat closer. The cistern must, of course, be above the level of the pipe. By turning a stop-cock, the water passes along the pipe, and is diffused over the plants, in the manner of a gentle shower of rain.

Production of new Seedling Fruits.

Mr Knight's doctrines. During the last twenty years great attention has been paid to the production of new seedling varieties of the more hardy fruits suited to our climate. For exciting the attention of the public to this important matter, we are particularly indebted to Mr Knight. A very succinct statement of his views on this subject, which have sometimes been strangely misrepresented and even turned into ridicule, may here be proper. In his Treatise on the Apple and Pear, he noticed in a particular manner the fact, that some of the finest cider and perry fruits of the seventeenth century have already become extinct. This fact was undeniable; for daily experience showed, that the golden pippin in England, the grey Leadington and white Hawthorndean in Scotland, and other old apples, were fast wearing out. Mr Knight remarked, that each variety of fruit springs from an individual at first; and that, by means of grafting or budding, the individual only has been extended. Whatever tendency to decay and extinction existed in the individual at first, must, he observed, exist in all the extensions of that individual accomplished by means of buds or grafts. By careful management or fortunate situation, the health and life of a particular individual or original tree may be prolonged; and, in like manner, some buds or grafts, placed on vigorous stocks and nursed in favourable situations, may long survive the other buds or grafts from the same tree, or may long survive the original unengrafted tree. Still, in all of them, there is a progress to extinction; the same inevitable fate awaits them: the only renewal of an individual, the only true reproduction, is by seed.

Mr Knight's doctrine, we may add, seems now to be established as to fruit-trees. It may probably be extended to all trees, and even to all the more perfect tribes of plants; for the sagacious Philip Miller

long ago observed, that herbaceous plants propagated by cuttings, became barren in a few years. The importance of acquiring new varieties of our staple fruits from the seed is now, therefore, universally acknowledged; and as a taste for experimenting in this way is prevalent, we may probably do an acceptable service to our readers, in bringing together some of the precautions adopted by the distinguished horticulturist already so often mentioned, and the facilities which have been devised towards success in this interesting branch of gardening.

The seeds to be sown should belong to the finest Raising of kinds of fruit, and should be taken from the ripest, new Varieties of Fruit. largest, and best flavoured specimens of each kind; for although some crab-apples may result from sowing the seeds of the nonpareil or the Newtown pippin, yet from the seeds of such excellent varieties, there is a greater chance of procuring an apple somewhat similar in qualities. Mr Knight took uncommon pains in order to procure promising seeds: for example, he prepared stocks of the best kinds of apple capable of being propagated by cuttings, and planted these stocks against a wall in a rich soil; these were next year grafted with the golden pippin. In the course of the following winter, the young trees were raised from the ground, and the roots being shortened, they were replanted in the same spot. By this mode of treatment they were brought into a bearing state at the end of two seasons. Only two apples were suffered to remain on each little tree; these fruit consequently attained a large size and perfect maturity. The seeds of the apples thus procured were sown, in the hopes of procuring seedlings possessed of qualities allied to those of the golden pippin; and if these hopes have not yet been fully realized, the success has been sufficient, at least, to encourage to perseverance in similar modes of experimenting.

It may here be mentioned further, that, with the view of producing a variety uniting the good properties of two known and highly approved kinds, Mr Knight, Mr Macdonald, and some others, have been at the pains to bring the pollen of the one kind in contact with the pistils of the other. To do this with proper effect, requires some nicety and caution. Mr Knight opened the unexpanded blossom of the variety destined to be the female parent of the expected progeny, and with a pair of small-pointed scissors cut away all the stamina while the anthers were yet unripe, taking great care to leave the style and stigmata uninjured. The full blown blossoms of the other variety were afterwards applied. The fruits resulting from such artificial impregnation have been of the most promising character: the seeds of these fruits, again, were sown, with the expectation of procuring improved varieties, and there is every reason to think that the expectation will be realized. Mr Knight has often remarked in the progeny, a strong prevalence of the constitution and habits of the female parent: in this country, therefore, in experimenting on pears, the pollen of the more delicate French kinds, as the crasanne, colmar, or chaumontelle, should be dusted upon the flowers (always deprived of stamina) of the muirfowl egg, the grey achan, the green yair, or others that

are hardy or of British origin. By these means, it may be hoped that, in the course of another generation, excellent winter pears may be obtained in abundance from our standard trees; for at present we are nearly destitute of hardy winter pears.

Some persons make a practice of sowing great numbers of seeds, taken indiscriminately. Out of some hundreds of such seedlings, a very few only may prove deserving of any notice. In the ordinary course of nature, the lapse of six or perhaps ten years would be required before the fruit could be seen. But in order to form a general estimate of the character of the seedling trees, it is not necessary to wait till they actually produce fruit: even in the first season, such an opinion may, to some extent, be formed, from the shape and texture of the leaves; those which are pointed, thin and smooth, promising little; while those which are blunt or round, thick, and inclined to be downy, promise well. In the second year, these tests are more satisfactory; for the leaves of good kinds improve in the above noticed qualities yearly. Plants whose buds in the new wood are full and prominent, are much to be preferred to those whose buds are small and almost sunk into the bark.

Some means have likewise been devised for hastening the production of the fruit of seedling trees, or shortening the period of probation. The moving of the plants and shortening of their roots have already been mentioned. Mr Williams of Pitmaston, an eminent English horticulturist, has succeeded in promoting their early puberty, by using means to hasten that peculiar organization of the leaf which appears necessary to the formation of blossom-buds. The seeds (of course only of select kinds) are sown in pots, and the growth of the seedling plants is forwarded by the artificial heat of a peach-house or vinery. They are afterwards planted out in nursery lines. Every winter, all small trifling lateral shoots are removed, leaving the stronger laterals at full length; and such a general disposition of the branches is effected, that the leaves of the upper shoots do not shade those below. Every leaf, by its full exposure to light, is thus rendered an efficient organ, and much sooner becomes capable of forming its first blossom-bud. Those who have even slightly studied vegetable physiology, must be convinced of the great consequence of attending to such apparently minute circumstances.—Another plan resorted to with success, consists in taking cions from the seedling trees, and grafting them on wall-trees in full bearing: in this way, the fruit may be seen in three or four years from the sowing of the seeds. If

possesses any promising qualities, such as fine colour, firmness, or flavour, it ought not to be rejected at first on account of acidity or smallness of size: If a seedling be somewhat juicy, it is very promising, for this good quality also increases with its years; and it is remarked, that a fruit having a firm pulp commonly improves with the age of the tree, but that a soft or mealy pulp gets worse. In general it may be remarked, that the fruit has always a tendency to improve in mellowness and in size, as the tree itself becomes stronger and approaches maturity.

Not only have British horticulturists been successfully occupied in producing new varieties at home, but they have at the same time been extremely active in introducing approved kinds raised in other countries. Some of the best new varieties, both native and foreign, of the different fruits usually cultivated, shall now be enumerated.

New Varieties of Fruits.

APPLES.—For the best new varieties of this excellent and useful fruit, we are indebted to Mr Knight. The Downton Pippin has now been known and approved of for a good many years. In exposed or upland situations, it comes of better quality than in low and warm places. The Wormsley Pippin is a large fine fruit, resembling in the consistence and juiciness of its pulp the Newtown pippin. The Yellow Ingestrie Pippin is the produce of one of the hybrid fruits already mentioned, between the golden pippin and the orange pippin: in shape and colour it resembles the former, and it also rivals it in richness and flavour. The Scotch Nonpareil is another of the hybrid productions, for which we are indebted to Mr Macdonald of Dalkeith. It was raised from a fruit produced after dusting the blossoms of the nonpareil with those of the Newtown pippin. By grafting on a wall-tree, he procured the new fruit in the fourth year. Specimens of this fruit have at different times been exhibited at meetings of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, and have always met with great approbation. The Russet Nonpareil was raised at Pitmaston near Worcester, from seed of the nonpareil. The blossom appears to be more hardy than that of the parent variety; the fruit is compressed, of a dull green, much covered with russet; the pulp is of a pleasant consistence, and highly charged with the peculiar aromatic flavour which characterizes the nonpareil. The Martin Nonpareil, raised likewise near Worcester, is regarded as a fine dessert fruit; it is remarkable for keeping in a sound state, not only over winter, but till the following midsummer; for supplying the table, therefore, in the spring months, this variety is valuable. Still another offspring of the nonpareil has been recommended in the Transactions of the London Horticultural Society, called the Braddick Nonpareil; the pulp is sweeter and more melting than that of the nonpareil, richly sugared, and slightly aromatic. The Bredon Pippin is a new English variety which cannot be traced to its original: in shape it is flatly conical, with many plaits or wrinkles around the eye; the skin is of a deep dull yellow; the pulp yellowish, firm, very sweet, with a rich vinous acid. The Lamb Abbey Pearmain is the offspring of an imported Newtown pippin; but it differs very much in shape and general appearance from the Long Island fruit, being of an oval form and somewhat pyramidal; the pulp is yellowish next the skin, and green next the core, very firm, so as to fit for keeping, at the same time juicy, richly sweet, and not without flavour: the tree requires to be trained against a wall or espalier rail, because the branches are so slender that they cannot, in general, support the fruit.

From North America we have, of late years, re-

received several excellent varieties of apple. The Newtown Pippin from Long Island, already repeatedly named, deserves the first place. It is an excellent dessert apple, allied to the rennets; it keeps well, is in perfection for the table in January, but continues good till March or later. In this country the tree requires a wall with a good aspect. The Spitsenberg Apple is of a fine appearance, and the pulp has somewhat of the pine-apple flavour: the tree requires a sheltered situation and good soil; it succeeds better on a west than an east wall. The American Nonpareil or pomme de grise is a high-flavoured apple, introduced only a few years ago; it ripens very well on a wall having a west aspect. The Canadian Rennet is a large fruit, of a yellow colour, with a tinge of red; it likewise requires a wall in this country. Of varieties brought over from the Continent, we shall only notice the Borsdorfer, which is one of the most highly esteemed throughout Germany. The fruit is round, of a yellow colour, but red next the sun; having a rich flavour, it is suited to the dessert, as well as for all culinary purposes.

PEARS.—For the production of new seedling pears in this country, longer time and more attention are required than in the case of apples. Generally ten or twelve years elapse, before a seedling pear-tree shows blossom-buds. Only two new pears can here be recommended; but several very promising seedlings are known to be in a state of progress both in England and Scotland.—The Wormsley Bergamot has been raised by Mr Knight, from the blossom of the autumn bergamot dusted with the pollen of the St Germain. It is a melting pear, of good flavour. The tree grows freely, and the blossom appears to be hardy.—Williams' Bon Chretien is a large fruit, of a pale green colour; pulp white, very tender, abounding with an agreeably perfumed sweet juice. The tree bears freely, even as a standard; but the fruit comes to greatest perfection on a west wall. It is now a good deal cultivated in the neighbourhood of London.

From America, we have, of late, received an excellent variety, called the Sickle Pear. The fruit is rather small; sometimes of a yellow colour, and red next the sun, at other times altogether of a russet appearance; the pulp is melting, juicy, and of exquisite flavour. The tree is very vigorous and quite hardy.—The public nurseries at Edinburgh have, within these few years, been enriched with grafts of some of the finest seedling pear-trees raised at Brussels by Mr Van Mons, a distinguished cultivator there, and now Professor of Rural Economy at Louvain. None of them have yet produced their fruit in this country; but a Committee of the Calendonian Horticultural Society had an opportunity of tasting several of the fruits at Brussels, and have particularly recommended those called Poire Marie Louise, Poire Napoleon, Marly, Diel, Salisbury, Archduke Charles, and Callebasse.

PEACHES.—In the production of new peaches, Mr Knight again excels. He planted several peach-trees in large pots, and paid every attention to bringing them to a state of high health and vigour; he then applied to the pistil of one good kind the anthers of another; each tree was allowed to bring to

perfection no more than three fruits: from sowing the stones of these some new and improved seedling varieties were looked for, and the expectations have not been disappointed. Two new kinds deserve particular notice; and the situation of Downton, the seat of Mr Knight, being rather high and exposed, it may be presumed, that fruits which are produced there, may probably succeed even in the more northern parts of the island. 1. The Acton Scott Peach. The fruit comes early, and never fails to attain maturity; it is juicy and sweet, with a rich flavour. The tree is a plentiful bearer, and not liable to mildew. This new variety deserves the especial attention of Scottish horticulturists. 2. The Spring Grove Peach is of a bright yellow colour, and red next the sun: it has a firm but not hard pulp, which melts in the mouth, and has a remarkably rich, brisk, and vinous flavour. The fruit never becomes over-ripe or mealy, but, when quite ripe, is apt to shrivel a little: it is then in the most perfect state for the table. The tree grows slowly, but ripens its wood early in the season. It seems to succeed better on an apricot than a plum stock.

To America we owe Braddock's American peach, figured and recommended in the second volume of the London Horticultural Transactions. It is a large fruit, with a yellow skin, red next the sun; the pulp is yellow, and of high flavour. It is not a hardy kind, nor does the tree produce freely.

NECTARINE.—We know only of one new variety Nectarine, of nectarine, which can at present be recommended for cultivation. This is the Woodhall Nectarine, so called from its having been raised at Woodhall, near Holyton in Scotland, by Mr Walter Henderson, gardener there, well known as a most successful cultivator of the Citrus and Erica tribes. The fruit approaches most nearly to the clurge; but it is more juicy, and perhaps also of a higher flavour; the fruit never fails to come forward to maturity. At present its good qualities are evidently on the increase. The tree grows freely, and has never shown the slightest symptom of mildew; the wood ripens readily in the autumn. The blossom is small, early, and hardy; and ever since the tree came into bearing, about six years ago, it has not once failed to produce an abundant crop.

PLUMS.—The most important acquisition of the Plums. plum kind has been described and figured by Mr Hooker in the third volume of the London Horticultural Transactions, under the name of Wilmot's New Early Orleans Plum. In general habit the tree resembles the common Orleans; but the fruit ripens three weeks before that of the Orleans. Notwithstanding this early maturity of the fruit, the blossom is later of expanding than in almost any of the plum tribe. The combination of the properties of late flowering and of early ripening, must render this variety peculiarly valuable in the northern division of our island. The fruit resembles that of the Orleans, but is softer and more juicy, and of excellent flavour. The habit of the tree is vigorous and fertile.—Coe's Golden Drop is generally regarded as a new variety. The leaves of the tree are uncommonly large, and this is the most marked character of the variety. When the fruit is ripe, the pulp is of a gold yellow colour;

on the side next the sun the skin is dotted with violet and crimson. The fruit may be kept for many weeks if suspended in a dry place. The tree requires a wall, but succeeds very well on a west aspect.

The Hailes Plum is a seedling of excellent qualities, which has lately been raised at Hailes, near Edinburgh, by Mr Clephane, gardener there. The foliage of the tree is remarkably light-coloured; the fruit is yellowish-white, juicy, and has a good deal of the rich flavour of the greengage.

CHERRIES.—To Mr Knight we are indebted for four new or seedling cherries, all of which are either good or highly promising.—1. The Elton is the production of a blossom of the graffion, to which the pollen of the white heart had been applied. This variety is distinguished by a deep tinge of crimson on the petals, and by the great length of the fruit-stalks. The pulp is very juicy, and has a delicate flavour.—2. The Black Eagle was from the graffion and the May-duke. Both tree and fruit bear a considerable resemblance to the May-duke.—3. The Waterloo (so named from the circumstance of the fruit having first ripened about the time of the celebrated battle) had the same origin. The fruit is somewhat later in ripening than the black eagle, and is rather larger and more conical at the point. It is nearly as hardy as the May-duke, and has been observed to attain tolerable perfection even in cloudy and rainy weather. When ripe, it is of a deep red colour, almost black.—4. The Early Black had also the same origin, and is nearly allied to the immediately preceding, from which it is most easily distinguished, by having a shorter fruit-stalk. It ripens fully a week before the May-duke, and is therefore one of the very earliest cherries. The pulp is soft and sweet, but not very juicy nor rich. As the original tree, however, is still very young, the fruit will in all probability improve in the qualities of juiciness and flavour.

GRAPES.—For one of the best new grapes, the Variegated Chasselas, we are likewise indebted to the indefatigable Mr Knight. He procured it, by bringing the pollen of the Aleppo grape to a flower of the White Chasselas. The berries are striped and beautiful, have a thin skin, and are very juicy. The vine has been found to be very hardy, and constantly productive, bearing good crops on the open wall in England. The bunches gathered in October, and hung up in rather a damp room, may be kept till February or later.—The Pitmaston White Cluster was raised, as intimated in the name, by Mr Williams, who has already been mentioned as a very active and intelligent amateur horticulturist, in the West of England. It sprang from a seed of the Anverna, or small black cluster, the variety which is common on cottage-walls near London. The berry is round; when ripe, of an amber colour, bronzed with russet on the one side. The leaf is thin, and of a dark green colour. The vine is hardy, and a copious bearer. The berries are crowded, like those of the black cluster; but the bunches are larger, and ripen more early. It comes to perfection on the open wall in England. As it is early, and the berries are not apt to crack, it is well suited also for forcing.—The Esperione is not a new grape, but it has only of late come into particular notice. The vine is hardy,

of luxuriant growth, and bears large crops: it perfects its fruit on the open wall near London, equally well as the sweet-water or white muscadine. Indeed, Mr Aiton, of the Royal Gardens at Windsor, mentions that, in unfavourable seasons, it has a decided advantage over these varieties, in being less retarded or affected by the state of the weather. It may, therefore, prove an acquisition in the northern parts of Britain. The bunches are large, and shouldered not unlike those of the black Hamburg. The berries are of a fine dark colour, with a bluish farina; the pulp adheres to the skin; though neither highly flavoured nor melting, it is very pleasant.

GOOSEBERRIES.—Great attention has been paid, for a number of years past, to the raising of new and improved varieties of the Gooseberry. This being a branch of experimental horticulture fortunately within the reach of almost every man, it is pleasant to observe, that it has been practised especially by the cultivators of Lancashire, many of whom are workmen having small gardens for their recreation. For size, in particular, the gooseberries of Lancashire excel all others; insomuch that foreigners, at first sight, generally regard them as belonging to the plum tribe. To enumerate even the principal varieties seems unnecessary; numbers are constantly rising into some degree of notice, while others, of temporary celebrity, are losing ground. Among the red, the old ironmonger, the red Champagne, the Warrington, and the captain, are at present held in high esteem. Wilmot's early red likewise deserves particular mention: it is very early ripe, and of excellent flavour; in May, it is better for tarts and sauces than most others, being larger, and the skin not being tough, but melting down with the rest of the berry. The bush is easily cultivated, and is very productive.

RASPBERRIES.—Mr Williams of Pitmaston has lately raised from the seed a double-bearing red raspberry, the fruit of which is greatly superior to that of the old double-bearing variety. The second crop of this new kind begins in the end of August, and continues till the end of October. The autumnal fruit is produced not only at the ends of the annual shoots, but also on suckers, which rise from the root about midsummer, and bear abundantly.

CURRANTS.—Of the currant no variety superior to the large Dutch white and the Champagne has yet come into general notice. The latter is intermediate between red and white, and is larger and more juicy than the red. The Pollock white is an excellent variety, which has been raised from the seed, at the garden of Sir John Maxwell, Bart. by Mr Campbell, the gardener there, but which is not yet generally known. The property on which its excellence depends is superior sweetness. It may be remarked, that the importance of thus gaining from the seed more saccharine kinds has greatly increased, in consequence of the very general employment of the berries in the making of home made wines.

STRAWBERRIES.—Of the strawberry several new varieties have lately appeared. Of these novelties, one originally raised by Messrs Caddenhead at Aberdeen, and called the Roseberry Strawberry, has acquired the highest character for excellence. In the

berry it resembles the scarlet or Virginia, but it is larger, and of a richer flavour. The flower-stalk of the plant rises completely above the leaves; the produce is very great, and the fruit ripens in succession for several weeks, in this respect resembling the habit of the alpine strawberry. So prolific is this variety, that plants which have been forced in the early spring, and yielded a crop in the hot-house, afford, when turned out of the pots into the open border, a second crop in the summer. Nay, Mr Lee of Hamersmith reported in the autumn some plants which had been forced in the spring; and, on being placed in a vinery, they produced ripe fruit in November and December, not only very fine in appearance, but excellent in flavour. The roseberry is now much cultivated, both for the Edinburgh and London market.—Mr Knight has raised, from the seed of the scarlet, a variety which is now called the Downton Strawberry. The fruit is large, but irregular in shape; the external colour a bright scarlet; the pulp soft, juicy, sweet, and of a rich flavour. The plants produce abundantly, and are hardy, the leaves remaining green through the winter.—A variety, called the Mulberry Strawberry, is now likewise a good deal cultivated at Edinburgh. The berries make a fine appearance, being of a dark purplish red colour, and the acini of the fruit being large. They are not, however, desirable for the dessert, the firmness of the pulp rendering them coarse when compared with the roseberry or scarlet. For preserves they are well adapted, on account of the quality just mentioned, and also of their flavour.

AMERICAN CRANBERRY.—As a new and recent addition to our hardy cultivated fruits, the American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) deserves particular notice. It is distinguished by the smoothness of the stems, and the largeness of its fruit. It grows freely, and produces its fruit readily, in any damp situation, though not absolutely marshy; but wherever there is a pond, it may be cultivated with the greatest success. The margin of the pond, or a part of it, if large, is to be prepared, by driving in stakes a short way within the water line; boards are so placed against these, as to prevent the soil of the cranberry-bed from falling into the water. Small stones, such as are raked from the garden borders, are laid in the bottom; and over these, peat or bog earth, mixed with sand, to the extent of about three or four inches above, and half a foot below, the usual surface of the water. If the plants be placed at six feet asunder in this prepared border, they will cover the whole superficies of it in the course of two seasons, by means of their long runners, which take root at different points. Particular attention should be paid to this circumstance, that there are two varieties of the American cranberry, one very productive of fruit, the other not so; of course, the former is to be greatly preferred. From a small space, a large quantity of cranberries may be gathered: if the bed be thirty or forty feet in length, by five or six in breadth, a quantity will be procured sufficient for the supply of a family throughout the year. The cranberries are easily preserved in bottles, till wanted for use in tarts or otherwise.

TENDER EXOTIC FRUITS.—Notice may here be taken of one or two tender exotic fruits, which have of late years been cultivated in our hot-houses.

The GRANADILLA VINE (Passiflora quadrangularis) is, in some places in England, particularly at Harewood House, treated as a fruit-bearing plant. The fruit, called Granadilla in the West Indies, is of a greenish-yellow colour, the size of a goose-egg, sweet, and of a very pleasant flavour. The temperature of the warmest hot-house is necessary for its production. The plant is pruned much in the manner of the grape-vine. The only peculiar part of the culture seems to consist in annually cutting-in the roots to within six inches of the stem, and giving at the same time a supply of fresh rich loam. (Lond. Hort. Trans. Vol. IV. Part I.) It is proper likewise to assist the fecundation of the germen, by drawing a camel's-hair pencil over the anthers, and applying it to the style.

The PURPLE-FRUITED PASSION-FLOWER (Passiflora edulis) is now to be found in many stoves around London, treated as a fruit-bearing plant. The produce, which is ready about November and December, is abundant, and beautiful to the eye; but we cannot help thinking, that the very large space occupied by the plant might be better employed. The finest specimens of this fruit scarcely surpass in quality the common red magnum plum, to which they bear some resemblance.

The LO-QUAT (Mespilus Japonica) has for a number of years been cultivated as a fruit-bearing tree in the hot-houses at the seat of Lord Bagot in Staffordshire. The mode of culture adopted by his Lordship is described in the third volume of the London Horticultural Transactions. The plants, which are kept in large pots, and are six or seven feet high, are set out of doors from the middle of July till the middle of October, thus imitating the winter of their native climate. They are then removed into the warmest situation in the stove. They flower in December, and ripen their fruit about March. The fruit is much esteemed in the East Indies; but a gentleman who had eaten it in Ceylon, gave the preference to that produced in our hot-houses. The cultivation of the lo-quat is extending, the plant already existing in many collections where it has never been treated as a fruit-bearing tree.

The Orangery.

It may be doubted if more attention be now paid to the orangery than in former times. Perhaps the number of large orange trees in the country has rather declined. Still, however, their culture has in some places been improved, and kinds are now cultivated with success which were formerly little known. The Citron and the Lemon are more hardy than the Orange; and the former are now therefore preferred for training on trellises, or for covering the back wall of a hot-house. Mr Benham at Islesworth near London, and Mr Henderson at Woodhall near Glasgow, are, we believe, among the most successful cultivators of the orange tribe, in this country. The Malta orange, or Sweet Philippine orange, has lately been introduced. It

Flower Garden and Shrubbery. is distinguished by its round shape and reddish-yellow rind, but more especially by the crimson colour of its juice. The fruit is small, at least in our oranges. The Shaddock often attains with us a large size, the fruit weighing from 4 lb. to 8 lb. or upwards; but it is fit only for making preserves.

By grafting, on small stocks, with cions on which the fruit or flowers are already formed, dwarfish fruit-bearing trees are produced, very ornamental in the green-house. For this operation, the Mandarin orange is well adapted, the young fruit being more firmly fixed than that of most others. It is necessary, however, to have the air for some time excluded from the grafted plants, by means of large bell-glasses; and success is promoted, by placing the plants for a few days in a slight hot-bed.

FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERY.

Under this head, the improvements may be considered as consisting chiefly in the introduction of various ornamental shrubs and flowers, formerly unknown to our pleasure-grounds and parterres. All that here seems necessary, therefore, is to mention the most important of these, and to take notice of any peculiarities in their culture.

New Roses. The first place is perhaps due to several new species of Rose from China, which have of late years added wonderfully to the beauty and richness of our flower gardens. 1. The Blush China-Rose (Rosa Indica) is so hardy, that it often unfolds its elegant pale red flowers early in the spring, notwithstanding the ungenial weather which we generally experience at that season of the year, and it continues displaying a succession of flowers till November. It is almost without scent; but the flowers are very showy and produced in great profusion. There is a sweet-scented variety, which is of dwarfish stature and not so hardy. When this is placed in a conservatory, it proves highly grateful by its odour, as well as ornamental by its delicate colour: it should, however, be observed, that there are two sorts of this; one having a much richer perfume than the other. 2. The Crimson China-Rose (R. semperflorens) is an elegant spreading shrub. It requires a sheltered situation, and in general succeeds best when trained on the outside of a green-house or hot-house wall. Some varieties with semi-double flowers are extremely beautiful, and worthy of a place in the conservatory. 3. The Macartney Rose (R. bracteata), although neither so hardy nor so beautiful as the preceding, tends also to decorate the exterior of our hot-houses with its milk-white flowers, during the greater part of the summer. 4. The Bramble-flowered Rose (R. multiflora) requires to be trained against a wall with a southern aspect: here, however, it often proves very ornamental, the flowers coming forth in large clusters. 5. Lady Banks's Rose (R. Banksiae) is remarkable for the elegance of its foliage; and it is hardy, growing pretty freely in our open borders, and producing its blossoms readily.

White Moss Rose. A white variety of the Moss Rose has of late attracted much notice, on account of its variety and

uncommon appearance. It does not appear to be very permanent, but rather apt to return to the usual hue. Flower Garden and Shrubbery.

The Ayrshire Rose (R. capreolata of Don) has likewise excited a good deal of attention. It grows with great rapidity, and has been found very useful for covering any offensive wall, paling, or roof. There are two kinds; the one most commonly sold in the public nurseries is merely Rosa arvensis, a native of this country: the other is more nearly allied to R. sempervirens, a native of the south of Europe; from which, however, it differs considerably in habit; in particular, the Ayrshire rose is more hardy, and grows more freely, and during winter it does not retain its leaves nearly so much as the sempervirens.

Many varieties of the Scots Rose (R. spinosissima) have been raised; some double, others semi-double, but variously coloured in the petals. These, it may be remarked, naturally flower early in the summer; and it seems reasonable, therefore, to regard them as well adapted for forcing in the spring.

Some very ornamental Japan shrubs are particularly deserving of notice. 1. The Corchorus Japonicus (or Kerrea Japonica), trained against a north or east wall, retains its leaves through the winter, and early in the spring produces its rich yellow blossoms in profusion. 2. The Japan Apple (Pyrus Japonica), trained on the outside of a green-house or hot-house, displays at the same early season its beautiful red blossoms. A white-flowered variety has likewise been introduced, and forms a good contrast with the other. In favourable situations the fruit often attains a considerable size during summer; but the shrub is of importance only in the way of ornament. 3. The Gold Plant of Japan (Aucuba Japonica) highly adorns the shrubbery, especially during winter, by its brilliant leaves, blotched with gold yellow. In sheltered situations it sustains our ordinary winters without injury.

A variety of the lilac-tree, apparently a hybridous Siberian production between the common and the Persian, Lilac, is now cultivated, under the name of Siberian Lilac. It forms a pretty shrub, the size of the leaf being intermediate between that of the two old species. It seems to be the Varin of the French.

Ribes aureum, or the Yellow-flowered Currant, Yellow Currant. makes a fine appearance when covered with its blossoms in May. It requires a sheltered place, or to be trained to a wall.

Ireland has, within these few years, produced Irish Ivy. three very ornamental varieties, all of them evergreens. 1. The most important is a broad-leaved ivy, usually distinguished by the name of Irish Ivy. For all the purposes for which ivy is desirable in a garden, this kind is preferable. It not only grows more freely, but its leaves are four times larger than in the common ivy, and of a brighter green. For decorating or disguising the back of a wall, it is well calculated, on account of the beauty of the leaves; for covering a rock or an aged tree in the pleasure grounds, it is equally adapted. 2. The next is a kind of Yew-tree, first observed at Florence Court, remarkable for its upright growth, and commonly

Flower Garden and Shrubbery. distinguished by the name of Irish Yew. It forms a very fine object in the shrubbery, its dark foliage contrasting with the light hue of the cypress or the Swedish juniper. It is so different in aspect from the common yew, that some regard it as a distinct species.

Irish Furze. 3. The Irish Furze is a very recent production, and it is likewise remarkable for its upright growth. For small cross hedges, or brise-vents, in flower-borders, it is very desirable, being at the same time curious and ornamental, and completely answering the purpose. It is propagated by cuttings, but these do not strike very readily.

American Grounds. For the many fine flowering shrubs which require a bog soil, compartments are now prepared with great care, generally in a low situation, or by the side of a rivulet or pond. Surface peat-earth, having a considerable portion of fine sand intermixed with it, forms the most desirable soil. From the circumstance of several of the most showy plants (particularly the whole genus Kalmia, with different species of Azalea and Andromeda, and one fine Rhododendrum, R. maximum), being natives of America, these compartments are generally called the American grounds. The list of plants adapted to those grounds has been considerably increased. Rhododendrum Catawbiense, Caucasicum, and Dauricum, may be particularly specified, with Andromeda pulverulenta and cassinefolia; and some new varieties of Azalea nudiflora and viscosa.

Moutan. The Tree-peony or Moutan, if planted in a sheltered situation in the garden, and protected by a temporary cover during winter, forms a most beautiful ornament when in flower in the beginning of summer.—This may be considered as a connecting link, leading from the notice of shrubs to herbaceous plants. But here brevity must be studied; and only a few of the most ornamental can be named.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS. The different species and varieties of herbaceous Peony may first be noticed, these having, of late, been much in vogue, and getting in many places a separate border of the flower-garden allotted to them. The following are at present cultivated: P. corallina; paradoxa fimbriata, or double-fringed; peregrina compacta, or byzantina; albisflora, in three subvarieties, with single flowers, with double flowers, and double sweet-scented (the latter one of the finest); daurica; tenuifolia, anomala, or genuine lacinata; albisflora Tatarica, or Sibirica; officinalis with double red flowers (one of the oldest inhabitants of our gardens); the same with double flesh-coloured flowers, and a still paler variety approaching to white.

Dahlia. The cultivation of Dahlia has become fashionable, and they must not, therefore, be omitted.—There are two species, D. superflua and D. frustanca. Of the former there are purple, scarlet, and rose-coloured varieties; of the latter, saffron-coloured and white. Occasionally most of these are procured with double or semi-double flowers, and these are most highly prized by florists. The roots, which are tuberous like those of the common peony, are taken up in autumn, and kept in a dry place, beyond the reach of frost, till the time of planting in the spring. Burying them among sand is unnecessary, and often proves hurtful. In April the more choice kinds should be planted in pots, so as to have their

growth forwarded in a frame or green-house. In Flower Garden and Shrubbery. June they may be planted out: a rich border is not desirable for them; on the contrary, the flowers come more brilliant in a poor soil. If the plants show a great disposition to be luxuriant, the flowering is impaired; this disposition may be somewhat checked, by pinching off some of the secondary branches while young and tender. After the flower-bud has appeared little water should be given to the plants, even though the weather should prove dry.

The Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) was long admired; but it is surpassed by two species lately introduced, Lobelia fulgens and L. splendens. These are fortunately more hardy, or at least more easily kept than the former. In mild winters they stand perfectly well in the open borders; but the stools should be separated in the spring, the young slips forming much finer plants. It may be proper, however, to preserve two or three well-established plants of each kind in pots in the green-house during winter, and to divide the sets in spring at the time of planting out. A compartment in the flower-garden filled with these, makes a most brilliant appearance in the months of August and September. If it is wished to see them in full luxuriance and splendour, more care is requisite. The offsets should be potted in October, and kept in a frame or cool green-house till the spring, when they should be repotted and subjected to increased temperature. During their growth they should be kept very moist, perhaps even with a pan of water under the pot. Treated in this way, they become as strong and tall as plants of the Pyramidal Bell-flower (Campanula pyramidalis); and as they produce their flowers at the same period, the blue and crimson form a fine contrast.

The Tiger-spotted Lily of China (Lilium tigrinum) is a valuable acquisition, being quite hardy, and, when planted in a considerable clump, becoming extremely ornamental. It succeeds well in soil prepared with a portion of bog-earth, somewhat in the manner of the American ground. The bulbs may be left in the ground without risk of injury, unless the situation be very damp. They multiply rapidly at the root, however, by means of offsets; and the roots must, therefore, be occasionally parted. The plant is also readily propagated by means of the small bulbs produced in the axillae of the leaves.

The Mexican Tiger-flower (Tigridia pavonia) succeeds pretty well in the front of a hot-house, and for several weeks expands daily some of its most gorgeous, but transitory flowers. The roots require to be lifted at the approach of winter, and to be kept carefully from the access of frost.

Great attention has, for some years past, been paid to the important subject of rendering the plants of warmer countries sufficiently hardy to enable them to sustain our variable climate. The most effectual way is to endeavour to bring such plants to ripen their seeds in the open air in this country with as little assistance from glass as possible; and then to sow these seeds, from which a somewhat more hardy progeny may be looked for. By continuing this mode for several successive generations, the plant may (according to the theory of Sir Joseph Banks,

Flower Garden and Shrubbery.—when treating of the Canada rice) be completely naturalized.

Green-house and Conservatory.—The additions to the ornamental inhabitants of the green-house or the conservatory have, of late years, been very great. We can only notice a few of them, and these very generally.

CapeHeaths.—The Heaths of the Cape of Good Hope have proved so numerous, and, at the same time, so beautiful, that, in many places, a separate green-house has been established for them, under the name of the Heathery. About 240 species are now cultivated; and they are highly worthy of the care and expence bestowed on them, some species or other being in flower in almost every month of the year, and several of them being fragrant. Most of them have been figured by Mr Andrews, in a splendid work, entitled, Engravings of Heaths, with Botanical Descriptions. All the Ericæ grow best in a mixture of bog-earth and sand. They require as much free air during winter as can be given to them, without absolutely subjecting them to frost. They are generally propagated by cuttings, as many species do not produce their seeds in this country; and he is accounted an expert propagator, who succeeds readily in striking cuttings of Erica ardens, taxifolia, Massoni, retorta, articularis, and elegans.

Geranium.—The number of showy Geraniums has greatly increased; the raising of seedling varieties having for some years been a favourite occupation of florists. Some of the finest are varieties of Pelargonium inquinans, with flowers of an intensely crimson colour, and with semi-double flowers; others with large blossoms, finely marked on a light ground, have sprung from P. cucullatum.

Tree Mignonette.—A simple but desirable addition to the ornament of the green-house or the lobby must not be passed over. A variety of Mignonette has been introduced, which, when kept in pots, remains in flower, and, what is more important, in full fragrance, throughout the winter. By training, it is made to assume somewhat the shrubby appearance, and is called Tree Mignonette. It seems to be a variety very distinct from the common kind; the leaves are much smaller, and the flowers are produced in greater abundance.

Acacias.—The Dry Stove has received rich accessions to its treasures, in numerous new species of Stapelia and Mesembryanthemum.

Acacias.—The Conservatory is now filled with the curious and beautiful Acacias of New Holland. These are not less remarkable for their singular foliage (which is generally upright, and acts equally on light in every direction, or, in other words, the leaves have no upper and under surface), than for the profusion in which they display their rich yellow flowers in the spring season.

Flower Garden and Shrubbery.—The Japan Rose (Camellia Japonica) must not be forgotten; for some most beautiful varieties, forming the pride of the conservatory, have appeared within the last few years; particularly the waratah or ancmone-flowered, both with double red flowers and with double white flowers, the latter often called the Pomponæ camellia.

Hydrangea.—The Hydrangea hortensis succeeds in the open border in good seasons; but it is always much injured during winter. If room can be spared in the conservatory, it makes a much finer appearance there; and, according to Mr Hedges (Lond. Hort. Trans. Vol. III.), by planting it in pure yellow loam, the flowers may be procured of the beautiful blue colour sometimes observed in this species,—an experiment, however, which does not always succeed.

Aquatics.—Tender aquatics, of the genera Nymphaea, Nuphar, Menyanthes, and Nelumbium, are now cultivated with great success in frames resembling those used for the raising of melons. The plants are placed in cisterns, made of wood and lined with lead, about four feet in length, and two feet and a half in breadth; and these cisterns are plunged in tanners' bark or stable dung. In this way the plants flower much more freely and beautifully than when kept in lofty hot-houses heated by flues.

From the details which have been given, it pretty clearly appears, that great advances are making in the knowledge and practice of an improved horticulture. For this fortunate state of matters, we are in no small degree indebted to the two patriotic associations, the Horticultural Society of London and the Horticultural Society of Edinburgh, already mentioned. Both consist of several hundred members, all of them amateurs of gardening. Among them, horticultural knowledge must rapidly increase, and a beneficial feeling of friendly emulation cannot fail to be excited. Both societies distribute honorary rewards for excellence in any of the productions of the garden, or for the encouragement of well-conceived experiments. Both publish Transactions, which have been repeatedly quoted in the preceding pages; thus affording equally to the scientific cultivator and to the practical gardener a convenient medium for communicating to the public notices of useful improvements. The London Society has already given to the world three volumes in quarto, embracing many important subjects, some of them illustrated by engravings in the first style of excellence. The Scottish Society has published two volumes in octavo, likewise meritorious as to matter, but with slender pretensions to ornament or illustration. (G.G.G.)