ART. XIII. On the Treatment of the American Shrubs in the Pleasure-Gardens of Francis Canning, Esq., Foxcote. By Mr. W. B. RosE, Gardener there. Sir, you be mode of treatanaccount. of my I AM induced to send ing American shrubs, from seeing in your Magazine (Vol. V. p. 143.) an abridged communication from Mr. Donald on the same subject, and also from the bad appearance which these plants generally present. At the north-west corner of the noble mansion at this place my American plants may seen in full flower, with corollas more than 14 in. in circumference. They grow in sand mixed with lime and bog earth; the sand was washed down through the plantations from the sandy hills above, carrying the dead leaves with it into the fish-ponds. After several years it was taken out and mixed I took some of this, and with lime, for agricultural use. added a little bog earth to it, and I placed the plants in it. They are considerably shaded by the mansion, and some large, elm trees, &c. I peg down all the bottom branches, cover them with soil, leaving only the ends above the surface of the ground. In this manner they bloom beautifully, and, the other parts of the plants rumming upwards and coming into flower, the whole has the appearance of one thicket of blossom, and is the admiration of every one. I this year planted a quantity of American shrubs in a heap of mud, in a sunny situation, by the side of a large fish-pond: they are in a thriving condition at present, but how they will be some time hence I cannot determine. With respect to my other bed of plants, being in a cold situation, I always cover them in November with a shelter of common laurel boughs. I let this covering remain till Mayday, after which the plants present a most beautiful appear ance. I am surprised that the common laurel is not more cultivated than it is, as it will grow under the dripping of trees, where many other plants will not thrive, and it moreover affords an excellent shelter for game, besides other purposes to which it may be applied. I am, Sir, &c. Foxcote, near Shipston on Stour, W. B. ROSE. ART. XIV. On raising Auriculas from Seed, and on a new Description of Covering for an Auricula Stage. By Mr. P. CORNFIELD, Florist, Northampton. Sir, I OBSERVE in your Magazine (Vol. IV. p. 481.) a corre spondent gives an account of his manner of keeping and of sowing his auricula seeds: he says he keeps his seed in a damp room till the time of sowing, and then sows it in a common garden frame; and he thinks his plan better than Mr. Hogg's, who keeps his seed in a dry room, and sows it in front of a green-house. Now, Sir, I beg to differ from both your correspondents as to the way they recommend. I shall not presume to say that my way is preferable to all others, but content myself with giving some account of the mode I pursue in raising auricula seedlings. When my seed is ripe, I prepare my soil to receive it, in the following manner: I sift the soil, which is chiefly of bog and old rotten cowdung; I then sprinkle it, to make it quite moist; then I put some of it into a shallow tin pan, and place it over a clear fire, till it is as hot as I can bear my hand in it. I keep stirring it till I think it has destroyed any seeds of weeds, or the larvæ of insects; preparing soil enough to lay it about 3 in. or 4 in. deep from the upper edge or rim of the pots. I then gather the seed-pods, rub the seeds out on a sheet of paper, and sow them immediately, then sift through a very fine sieve just enough of soil to cover the seed, about as thick as a sixpence. I place my pots in a shady situation, or where they can only have the morning sun for an hour or two. I use no frame or glass of any sort till after Christmas, as they will generally bear a good deal of cold till that time. I find the seed, which I sow as thick as nearly to cover the surface of the soil, will come up plentifully in three weeks or a month, and great numbers of the seedling plants will be fit to prick out in November or December; being careful to extract them so as not to disturb the lesser plants. The seed will continue to come up for months after; indeed, what I sowed at the beginning of last August is coming up daily. I preserved a portion of my last year's seed, and sowed it on the 6th of April, three large pots, full as thick as before, which are now up as thick as clover, and will be fit to prick out in a few days. I find that new seeds make the strongest and most healthy plants. I have at this time in use a new description of covering for my auricula stage, which, I find, answers the purpose admirably well, and is of the most economical kind ever yet invented. It consists of frames, made of light thin deal, in the manner of cucumber lights. These have some fine cambric calico, strained tight, and nailed on the frames, which are oiled with clear linseed oil once over. They admit nearly as much light as glass, will repel the wet, and completely prevent the sun's rays from injuring the blooms or plants. I think of using the same frames, or lights, as an awning for my carnations, as I have made them exactly to fit the carnation stages. I do think this description of covering would answer well for covering tulips, ranunculuses, or any kinds of florists' flowers, as being preferable to thick mats, canvass, &c. I remain, Sir, &c. Kingswell Street, Northampton, May 18. 1829. P. CORNFIELD. ART. XV. On the Culture of the Rosa odorata, the Sweet or Teascented Rose. By Mr. J. ELLES, late of Longleat Gardens. Sir, THE Sweet-scented China rose, although universally admitted to be a most lovely flower, is still, generally speaking, not a common plant in our flower borders; and yet it may be propagated with the utmost possible facility, and, when planted out in the open border, it is nearly, if not quite, as hardy as the common China rose, which, during so many months in the year, decorates the cottage and the flower-garden, but, unfortunately, does not fill the air with that delicious perfume which is exhaled in such profusion from its more favoured congener the sweet-scented variety. To remedy this defect is the object of the present communication. I have before observed, that it is nearly, if not quite, as hardy, as the common China rose; and, I believe, most people consider the flower, independently of its fragrance, as more beautiful, if not so showy. But its growth, in favourable situations, almost exceeds credibility. I have seen upwards of two hundred flowers and flower-buds upon a single shoot; but that was a shoot as thick as my little finger; and this fine plant, too, under the management of a poor weaver, a man of great singleness of mind, an ardent lover of flowers, and, indeed, altogether, a most praiseworthy individual. This extraor dinary specimen, it is true, was budded and trained against his cottage; but no protection, save the eaves, was ever thought of: and thus it has continued, for many years, his pride and the wonder of his neighbours. I have one which has stood six winters with little or no protection. In the spring of last year, I planted out about fifty plants of this rose: they grew and flowered tolerably well (Mr. Young of Epsom saw them); and, although the last winter was a severe one, every plant survived, and they are now flowering and growing as freely as the common China rose. In April, we lost three plants through excessively wet weather; the subsoil being a blue clay, and very retentive, the bed was like a quagmire for weeks together. The following mode of propagation is easy and expeditious: Put a plant or two into the hot-house in January or February, and there will soon be some young shoots: as soon as they have three or four leaves, take them off, no matter how tender or succulent, but never remove or shorten a leaf. Having prepared your cuttings, put them into sand, with a glass over them, in the same heat as the plants, and in three weeks they will be ready to be potted off. Thus continue taking fresh cuttings, or topping the cuttings already struck, till there are as many as you want. I propagated upwards of 100 plants in one season, from a small plant which only afforded three cuttings at the commencement. I have little doubt that hundreds of gardeners are acquainted with the above method, and, probably, have for years grown this rose in the same manner as I have recommended; but, as it has not been noticed in the Gardener's Magazine, perhaps its beauty, fragrance, and easy culture are not so generally known as it might be wished. I am, Sir, &c. London, April, 1829. J. ELLES. ART. XVI. On flowering the Chrysanthemum indicum. By Sir, THE Complaints of the last season on the flowering of the Chrysanthemum índicum induce me to add to the number of your correspondents by detailing the mode of treatment which I have pursued with the greatest success for some years, and which, if generally adopted, will insure their flowering in any season, however unfavourable. Immediately after the plants have done flowering, I select the best of the young shoots, and pot them, three in each pot, in pots of 3 in. diameter, and place them in a cold pit or frame protected from frost, where they remain until the begin |