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 correspondent 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 extraordinary 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 * * Mr. John Parsons, Dilton's Marsh, Westbury. 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 indicum 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 ning of April, when they are shifted into pots of 7 in. or 8 in. diameter, and remain in them until the roots have filled the pots; they are then finally shifted into pots 12 in. in diameter, where they remain to flower. The subsequent treatment is the same as that described by your able correspondent, A. C. Lambie. (Vol. III. p. 291.) I remain, Sir, &c. January 23. 1830. A CONSTANT READER AND SUBSCRIBer. ART. XVII. Notice of a Plant of Musa paradisiaca (the Plantain), which has flowered and ripened Fruit in the Garden of John Milford, Esq., Conver, near Exeter. Abridged from three Communications by Mr. HENRY DALGLEISH, Gardener to Mr. Milford, dated July 25., November 9., and December 23. THE plant grows in a tub, and was only 2 ft. high when it was received into Mr. Milford's hot-house about three years since. It showed flower about the beginning of July last, and on the 25th of that month the spike of fruit, flowers, and unopened buds measured 3 ft. 5 in. long, and contained 21 spikelets, or hands, as they are called by the natives of tropical climates, each hand having or showing eight fruit; in all 168 fruit, 50 of which were at this time set, though the upper half of the spike had not then blossomed. By the 9th of November the flowering of the spike was completed, and it was found to measure from the base to the extremity 3 ft. 8 in., and to contain 75 bunches of fruit. Two suckers which the plant sent up after it began to flower, and which were 9 ft. high in July, were now 11 ft. 7 in. high, their leaves 8 ft. long and 2 ft. 5 in. wide, and there were about seven leaves on each plant. The fruit is getting soft, and changing colour. On December 23., Mr. Dalgleish sent us two of the fruit, perfectly ripe. Half of one of them we boiled, and the other half we tasted in its raw state. The taste in both cases was rather insipid; the flavour, if any, seemed to be not unlike that of the sweet potato. The other fruit we kept, in order to note its decay, which took place in about a fortnight. This is, as far as we have been able to learn, the first time that the plantain has been fruited in the west of England. It had before been fruited at Messrs. Loddiges', Sir Watkin William Wynne's, the Earl of Haddington's (East Lothian), and other places; and, we believe, there is now a plant in fruit in the magnificent conservatory of Mrs. Beaumont, at Bretton Hall. Mr. Dalgleish is so good as to say, that if any one desires it, he will send an account of his mode of culture. Such an account cannot but be acceptable to our readers, and we shall be most happy to receive it. We shall also be glad to know the total number of fruit ripened, and the length of time that this single plant contributed to the dessert. - Cond. Dec. 30. 1829. ART. XVIII. Remarks on Mr. Newington's Observations on the Management of Peach Trees. By Mr. JAMES CRAIG, Gardener to G. Cholmely, Esq. Howsham, York. Sir, PRESUMING that the pages of the Gardener's Magazine are open to fair discussion on any subject its previous pages contain, I take leave to offer a few remarks on Mr. Newington's observations (p. 55.) on the management of peach trees. Be assured, Sir, I am not turned critic for the sake of cavilling, but with the view of preventing what I think erroneous opinions from taking root and spreading their vexatious branches. That gentlemen complain of, and that many gardeners feel and confess, a deficiency in the management of peach trees, I readily admit; and that the failure of the crops very often, though not always, arises from the manner of pruning the trees, I will not dispute; but I must tell Mr. Newington flatly that his text is entirely erroneous. He says, "It is the endeavour of every cultivator to procure annually a great supply of long and strong wood, sufficiently large to make basket-rods." Had not Mr. Newington given his name to this extraordinary assertion, I should have suspected that it was invented as a pretext for abusing his brethren; but, as he has given his name, I can only say he is under a mistake. In the circle of my acquaintance among gardeners (and it is not very limited), I do not know one who endeavours to procure "basket-rods " on his peach trees; and if they chance to have any such, they do not expect fruit from them. On the contrary, they all know the sort of wood which is most fruitful, although some of them may be deficient in the "ways and means" of procuring a regular supply of such wood; and Mr. Newington knows, or ought to know, that much depends on soil and situation: but he condemns us all, at 66 one fell swoop," and would send us to Malta or America. If he has been at these places, I believe he could tell us that the peach trees growing there are chiefly standards, and are not much troubled with the handywork of Nature's journeymen. |