THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



231 



that vine borders made in the same 

 way produce the same results. The 

 soil best adapted for planting fruit 

 trees, when it can be procured, is the 

 top spit from an upland pasture that 

 has been used for a sheep-walk many- 

 years. I like to use it fresh, taking 

 care that it is well chopped up with 

 the turf upon it, so that during the 

 growth of the trees they will derive 

 the full benefits from the decom- 

 position of its organic constituents. 

 Then as to the management of trees, 

 I plant them as near the surface as I 

 possibly can, taking care in the train- 

 ing of them that the branches are 

 brought down as near the bottom of 

 the wall as is requisite, keeping the 

 middle of the tree quite open, never 

 allowing one branch to take the lead 

 at the expense of the rest, but study- 

 ing to get an equal distribution of 

 sap in all the branches, lower as well 

 as upper. If that is not done, the 

 lower branches do not receive a full 

 supply of sap ; they then invariably 

 dwindle and die, and the beauty of 

 the tree is destroyed. You will iind 

 that by attending to the method I 

 pursue, you will get well-filled walls 

 and healthy fruitful tree3. I also 

 wish to say a few words on the dis- 



budding of fruit trees, more par- 

 ticularly wall-fruit trees. I have not 

 spoken of orchard-house trees, for 

 they seldom come within the range 

 of amateur practice in suburban 

 gardens. 



The disbudding I perform as 

 follows. As soon as I can, when the 

 bud begins to grow, I go over the 

 trees carefully with my penknife, 

 cutting off all the foreright buds, and 

 leaving only those that I require for 

 fruit shoots, so that when the summer 

 nailing comes, I have only to lay in 

 the shoots, thus doing away with 

 what is called summer pruning. I 

 find by pursuing this method that I 

 get much stronger and more fruitful 

 wood. I am not an advocate for pro- 

 tecting fruit trees with netting in the 

 spring from frosts, as my opinion is 

 that the reason why the spring frosts 

 are so injurious to fruit trees is this: 

 we have a few days' fine weather ; 

 the sap begins to move ; then cold 

 nights intervene, and the result is a 

 check in the flow of the sap, and the 

 blossom inevitably falls off. Now if 

 the roots as well as the branches were 

 protected, then I agree that the crop 

 will be preserved, but not otherwise. 

 — J. Herod, Pine Apple Nurseries. 



COLLINSIA VERNA. 



Collinsia verna, introduced by Mr. 

 W. Thompson, of Ipswich, is one of 

 the most beautiful of spring flowers, 

 and deserves to be extensively culti- 

 vated, not only in mixed borders and 

 in pots for the conservatory, but is 

 well adapted for ribbon and marginal 

 lines in geometric gardens, where its 

 effect when planted en masse is equal 

 to Lobelia Pastoniana, to which, in 

 its colours and habit3 of growth, it 

 bears some resemblance. It is no 

 longer needful to vindicate the dis- 

 tinctness of this species, that has 

 been satisfactarily established ; but 

 it may be remarked that it is the 

 only Collinsia that can be had in 

 bloom in the month of April, a pecu- 



liarity which renders it invaluable 

 for grouping with other spring 

 flowers. 



The seed of this charming annual 

 must be sown in the autumn ; it 

 will not vegetate if kept till spring. 

 The best time is from the end of 

 August to the end of September. 

 Mr. Thompson recommends sowing 

 in pans of light soil, and keeping 

 those in a frame till the seedlings 

 have developed their first pair of 

 leaves, and then transplant them to 

 the places where they are to bloom. 

 It would be well also to keep a few 

 pans of it in a pit, in case of severe 

 weather killing these that were 

 planted out. 



