160 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



yard of prepared soil, consisting of three parts good loam, two parts rotten stable 

 manure, and one part broken bricks, nodules of mortar and bones. Supposing a 

 weak vine to be planted out of a pot next month in such a border, we should advise 

 to allow it to grow in its own way and not remove a single leaf or lateral shoot, and 

 not on any account allow a bunch of fruit. But if it should show a bunch or two 

 there would be no harm in allowing a few berries to ripen to prove if it be true to 

 name. In the spring of 1867 we should cut the vine down to within two or three 

 buds of the base, so as to get in that year a very strong rod from the bottom, and 

 then at the end of that year you would be in just such a position as if you had this 

 year planted a very strong cane. While making a rod to keep, as with the first 

 vine in 1866, and the second in 1867, we should pinch in all laterals at the fourth 

 leaf, so as to have the rod clothed with short spurs. This pinching should be carried 

 on assiduously till the top of the cane was safely lodged in the bouse ; and in the 

 first season of its grov/ing in the house we should begin to remove the twiggy 

 laterals a few at a time, beginning at the bottom, and unless the head took the lead 

 and grew vigorously, allowing two years to remove them all. The Floral World 

 Avill have an index certainly ; the past eight volumes have had one each. 



Fernery. — J. IF.— A fernery may be made and planted at any time ; but the 

 best time to put the plants in their places is from March to June. 



Floral World. — Clericus hortensis is thanked for his letter, which of course 

 cannot be discussed here, but will be borne in remembrance. 



Spring Flowers, — Neiv Subscriber will see that these are receiving attention. 

 At the present time very little can be done either in collecting or cultivating such 

 plants ; so we may safely defer till next month the consideration of the subject. 



Roses. — H. S. W. — Roses budded last summer, and that made good shoots, 

 should have been pruned in March to thi-ee buds. 



Seedling Orange Trees. — J. O. — We can only repeat what we said to 

 E. R- F.i that the fruiting of seedling orange trees is merely a question of time. 

 You cite a case of a tree twenty years old that has not yet fruited. True, but 

 many fruit at a much earlier age, and the fruits produced by seedling trees are 

 generally good. But if you ask about the desirability of grafting, we have only to 

 say that it is very advisable indeed to use seedlings as stocks, grafting upon them 

 such sorts as are known to be good, for grafted trees soon come into bearing, and 

 there is no risk about the quality of the produce. Your proposal to graft a portion 

 of vour three hundred seedlings we fully approve, far better certainly than to wait 

 for them to fruit. The question asked by E. R. F. was, would such trees fruit 

 without being grafted? To wliich we gave a straightforward answer, "Yes;" and 

 this we repeat, they will all fruit in time without grafting. 



Primroses Eaten by Birds. — Panghourne. — We can only suggest the use of 

 white worsted attached to short pegs, two or three lengths of wliich across the 

 ground may frighten the birds while the flowers are in bloom. We never recommend 

 nurserymen. 



Spekgula. — Miss 31. — Spergula is a genus of plants belonging to the order 

 Caryophyllacea?, or carnation tribe. The species best known are S. nodosa, S. 

 saginoides, and S. pilifera, the two first natives of Britain, the last a native of the 

 Alps, and probably only a variety of saginoides. They may all be grown from seed, 

 but to obtain the seed is no easy matter. Messrs. Carter and Co., and several other 

 trade cultivators, supply spergula turf ready for planting, but we are not aware that 

 any house supplies seed. The way to deal with spergula turf is to cut it up into 

 pieces of the size of walnuts, and plant them four inches apart in ground carefully 

 prepared for the purpose. 



Waltoman. — F. M. E. — We regret to say the manufacture is discontinued, 

 and the original manufacturer is non est. We cannot add in any way to the 

 descriptions that have appeared We explained everything so fully years ago. 



Various. — T. C. — We decline to give any estimate of the value of the produce 

 of your orchard. The query respecting "your most valuable work on the profitable 

 cultivation of orchards" we do not understand. — Rutland. — The mammoth gourd is 

 edible and excellent. The flowers were powdered to dust, and so cannot name the 

 specimen sent. 



