idtJBNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( April 11, 1872. 



greater extent devoted to masses of a few kiiidii of fiowering 

 plants only. — ExrKiiio Ceede. 



KESTOEIKG THE LEADER OF A tONIFEK. 



We have here a nice young specimen of the I'icea Nord- 

 nianniana 19 feet high. Three yeai-s ago, m the mouth of 

 April, it lost its leader. I tied up one of the side shoots of the 

 previous year's growth, and from that time to the present the 

 tree has grown .5 feet 1 inch, and has as fine a leader as any- 

 one could wish to see ; it is also nicely furnished with side 

 branches. If not informed of the fact one could not observe 

 that the tree had ever lost its leader. 



Of Picea pectinata there are several thousands hi the woods 

 here. In many cases the young trees have lost the leader, 

 but if it has not been cut below the side shoots of the same 

 yeaa-'s growth one of these shoots will rise and form a leader 

 — sometimes being rather crooked. With a suigle specimen, 

 guch as that at Lutwyche Hall, tyiug-up will prevent that. As 

 to grafting, I should never think of it as long as a side shoot 

 remained. If the whole of the last season's growth has been 

 cut otf I should say. Graft ; if not so cut off, it is only adding 

 injury to what has been deeply enough injured already. — 

 J. Smith, Fyiioni:, Sviith Vales. 



I It is not imusual for a side branch when tied up to replace 

 a leader to retain its noimal character, and remain for years 

 without produciug a regular whorl of branches as the natural 

 leader does. — Eds.] 



GEAFTING.— No. 7. 



In crowu-graftiug a stock near the snrface of the gioimd, it 

 is better, after the process is complete, to earth-up the graft 

 as far as the highest buds, as by so doing the diyiug of the 

 graft, which always causes hann, is avoided, and in the case 

 of certain species, fresh roots springing from the cuts, help to 

 quicken the growth of the plant. 



There is no special necessity for choosing youug succulent 

 shoots as grafts, since those of two years old, if they be in 

 active life and furnished with buds capable of developing them- 

 selves, are just as likely to succeed. Grafts of both these ages 

 combined may be selected for old trees, the two-year-old wood 

 being at the base where the cut is made, and that of only one 

 year at the top whence the growth wiU ultimately be continued. 

 The Gleditschia triacanthos, which is usually grafted with 

 G. Bujoti, and some other kinds, should be crown-grafted in 

 this way. 



On referring to Jh/. 1 it will be seen that the graft a is 

 of two-year-old wood, and bears two shoots of the current year 



shortened to within three-fourths of an inch of their base. 

 The cut should be made upon the older part, a, of the shoot, 

 in the way shown at «' ; and the shp inserted upon the stock b 

 by making a simple cut, and then forcing back the bark with 

 the handle of the grafting knife or a Uttle wedge of boxwood. 



This last precaution is absolutely neeessai-y, both on account 

 of the size of the gi-aft and the inelasticity of the bark of the 

 Gleditschia. 



Iinpruved Croicii-(jraftiiiii.— Thin kind of giaftmg differs from 

 the former m two very important points. 



1, The stock x (fiij. 2j is cut slantingly at the top B, and the 

 graft is placed within the bark, so that it fits upon the acute end 

 of the crown by means of a little notch. 



2, A cut is made through the baik of the stock, one side of 

 it, c, raised ; the graft is slipped into the opening so that the 



flat side caused by 

 cutting the notch in 

 the gi-aft rests against 

 the sapwood, e, of the 

 stock, and the back 

 part, G, is covered 

 over with the flap c. 



The chances of suc- 

 cess are gi-eatly in- 

 creased if a thin strip 

 of bark, i, is taken off 

 the side of the notch, 

 and the graft so fitted- 

 iu that the part thus 

 exposed rests against 

 that portion, n, of 

 the baik of the stock 

 which has not been 

 separated from the 

 Fi». 2. sapwood. 



In fill. 2, J repre- 

 sents the appearance which is presented when the work is all 

 done but the waxing and tyeing. We add the plan of the 

 stock, B, the portion of bark, c, raised from the wood, and the 

 other, D, which remains untouched. 



These sUght variations, which may be infinitely increased 

 according as reason and practice dictate, have for then' object 

 the hastening of the union between the graft and the stock. — 

 Baltei, L'An lU Grcfer. 



LACHENALIA TRICOLOR. 



Lei me put in a plea for this as a dinner-table plant. I 

 have two pots of it (6-inch) , and I have not had for some time 

 anything that has pleased me better. The pots were well 

 filled with bulbs and kept in a greenhouse ; they are now fiUl 

 of healthy green foliage partly di'ooping over the rims, and 

 with abundance of bloom. The colours are those which are 

 exactly suited for artificial hght^bright green, red, and orange. 

 The height, too, is in accordance with the present fashion ; 

 and from the ease with which it is grown it deserves a place 

 not only for the decoration of the greenhouse, but also for the 

 purpose I have indicated. — D., Deal. 



WORKMEN AT LONDON NURSERIES. 



The education of gardeners, together with the wages ques- 

 tion and other subjects having for their object the improve- 

 ment of the condition of the blue-aproned community, have 

 often been ably handled in the columns of the horticultural 

 press, and by its powerful influence been the means of redress- 

 ing many grievances and elevating the moral and social status 

 of an intelhgent and deser\ing body of men. But as Onward 

 and Upward ought to be our motto, I venture to call yoiu' 

 readers' and correspondents' attention to the many hom's that 

 workmen employed ui some of the Loudon nurseries have to 

 laboiu- during the summer mouths, and solicit then- aid and 

 supi^ort towards biiughig about a better state of things. I 

 make this appeal now, as the time is nearly at hand when in 

 previous years an additional hour per day has been imposed, 

 making the working day to extend from 6 a.m. to 7 r.M., with 

 one hour and a half deducted for meals. For this so-called 

 day's work the pay varies from 2>t. to 2s. (irf. If the labourer 

 is worthy of his hue — and would ho be employed if he was 

 not ? — surely he ought not to be expected to toil so long for 

 so small a pittance. The nhie-hours movement in the great 

 manufacturing seats of industi"j' is fast progressing with mighty 

 strides ; the spuit of the age is propelling it, promoting a 

 kinder and more genial feeUng between masters and men than 

 has hitherto existed. With this staring us in the face, is it, 

 I submit, either just or honourable for the gardening fraternity, 

 so far as nursery work is concerned, to be placed under so 



