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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Aueust 14, 1878. 



way, and the poor tree is sadly deforroed. Cases similar to 

 this are met with all over the country, and yet we have found 

 no preventive. 



One thing I would siiggest to young planters is, — never 

 accept a tree which has been often cut back in the nursery, or 

 one which has not been properly cut. When pieces have been 

 left, the branches are always liable to die-back where these 

 pieces have been attached. When the cut is clean and properly 

 done, the bark will grow over, and the wound will hea!-up 

 nicely. When planting is done, never use manure (except for 

 mulching, to keep out frost or drought) ; let all the soil, after 

 it has been prepared, be made as firm as a rammer can make 

 it, — if stones are plentiful, so much the better; the soil may 

 be placed over the roots, and made only moderately firm. 

 Endeavour to get the tree to start freely, and use the knife 

 only where it cannot be avoided. When the roots have run a 

 little, they will come in contact with the hard-rammed soil, 

 and will throw out fibre in all directions, which will cause the 

 tree to grow sturdy, and the young wood will become very 

 hard. When any shoot takes the lead, and is likely to mono- 

 polise the whole growth, take off a joint or two at top, and a 

 number of small shoots will spring up ; train them over the 

 empty space, and the foundation of a sound tree will be formed. 

 Avoid the use of the knife in winter if possible, and if root- 

 pruning should become necessary, let it be done early in the 

 autumn, — but examine the roots first at one side, taking off 

 none except they may be going downwards, or away from heat 

 and air, — replace the soil, or fresh loam instead, and ram it 

 as hard as possible under the roots, and lay every fibre care- 

 fully in its place, and cover them over as before. A very small 

 portion of the tree thus treated will be enough to check un- 

 necessary growth, and large firm leaves, plenty of natural fruit- 

 spurs, and a hardy tree, will be the reward. The cutting 

 round the whole tree with a spade, as some have done, is reck- 

 less and mischievous in the extreme. 



If too rich soil should be the cause of watery growth, lift 

 the tree and mix some lime rubbish in the earth ; ram it dowu, 

 and lay-out the roots over it, and place 6 inches of loam over 

 them. This should be done as the leaves are about to fall in 

 autumn. 



Speaking of the Vine, how often do we see promising young 

 rods bear well for a few years, their roots filling the porous 

 border. They begin to fall off: extra top-dressing is given, 

 shanking goes on, red spider destroys the foliage ; yet all 

 seems right at the roots. But careful examination will show 

 that the feeders have found their way into a poor unhealthy 

 subsoil, and as fast as fresh rootlets are made they die. The 

 fine rich border is left behind, and all the manuring, watering, 

 &c., is so much labour thrown away. The points of the roots 

 are beyond help, so the vinery by degrees becomes a wreck. 

 But if Asparagus beds, or a free sound loam, is in the way of 

 the roots, instead of unhealthy stuff, the Vines will not only 

 remain healthy and vigorous, but be rejuvenated. The same 

 applies to all trees, even to the Oak of the forest : a tree may 

 grow luxuriantly for years, and at last begin to fail — hundreds 

 around me are striking examples. If the cause was searched 

 after, the active roots would be found far from the trunk, out 

 of the reach of the famous loam which had made the gigantic 

 tree, and struggling for an existence among material foreign to 

 their nature. We should never despise the lessons which old 

 trees in cottagers' gardens teach us, but search out the cause 

 of their success, and it will be found that the roots are in their 

 natural element; and the roots of our own trees, which are 

 growing at railway speed, are in unusually rich quarters, 

 where they will luxuriate till they bring about their own 

 destruction. — M. Temple (in The Gardener). 



A GRUMBLE ABOUT ROSES. 

 At a time when so much has been said and done about Roses 

 it may appear something like heresy to put in a plea of dis- 

 content at the limited area which the Rose-growers of the 

 present day seem to move in. I confess making this charge 

 with considerable diffidence, especially as I do not pretend to 

 be well-up in this queeu of flowers, and am therefore liable to 

 run into error, perhaps, in some of the views I take on the 

 matter. These may be summed-up into a single complaint 

 against Rose-growers, as a whole, of running too much in a 

 groove — so much so that, although great improvements doubt- 

 less have been made in many varieties, there were as many 

 really distinct forms in cultivation fifty years ago as now, and 

 the colours then to be had have not been multiplied since. 



For instance, the old Tuscan Rose presented as dark a tint of 

 a rich plum colour as the best kinds to be seen in ordinary 

 stands at fiower shows. The old white Rose was quite as sweet 

 as more recent ones ; and if the old Moss has been improved 

 in some of its properties, it is not all other varieties that can 

 beat the old one. The Yellow Banksian and Macartney seem 

 to be ignored altogether by the leading Eose-growers of the 

 present day, and assuredly something more might have been 

 done with the latter two. The very praiseworthy efforts of 

 those who provide us with new varieties have been mostly 

 directed towards improving the size or shape of individual 

 flowers of the kinds that bloom in greatest abundance in June. 

 This is all very well, and great credit is due to them for this ; 

 but there is no reason why other kinds should be neglected, 

 and also why improvement should not take another form. 

 The old York-and-Lancaster Rose, which now apd then 

 occurs in old places, carries a charm with it which the new- 

 fashioned varieties with their unpronounceable French names 

 fail to do ; for although it may not compete with the latter in 

 point of form, the fact of its being striped gives it an import- 

 ance which a mere multiplicity of petals all of one hue would 

 fail to do. And who can blame the admirer of a striped Rose,, 

 when in all probability it is a greater rarity than many that 

 first made their appearance in 1872 ? But why should not the 

 old Y'ork-and-Laucaster have its place amongst others of its 

 family ? Why has it not been improved, and why are Roses 

 equalling it in the regularity of its markings not forthcoming 

 at our Rose shows, with all the improvements which a greater 

 number of petals and a better form can give ? 



florists assume to accomplish, or rather to approach very 

 near to, any standard of excellence that may be laid down. 

 Why, then, do they not furnish us with a good striped Rose 

 having less tendency to run into self colours than the Y'ork- 

 and-Lancaster Rose ? There are many persons not yet edu- 

 cated to discern at a glance the small difference there is in 

 colour between many of the excellent sto-nds of Roses that are 

 exhibited for competition, but who would be delighted were a 

 good striped Rose to make its appearance amongst them ; and 

 i am not sure that a meritorious single variety might not be 

 acceptable now and then — not in an exhibition stand, perhaps,, 

 but in a Rose bed or border. Single flowers of many kinds 

 are not always to be despised. I remember many years ago 

 having a very jiretty single Dahlia for some time, but I lost it. 

 I certainly do not remember any single Rose of dwarf growth- 

 possessed of much merit, but that is no reason why there 

 should not be one. Moreover, might I ask hybridisers if 

 nothing more can be made of the Y'ellow Banksian ? Can its 

 beautiful flowers not be had later in the season than they now 

 are ? and if some of their qualities cannot be transferred to 

 another variety ? also if the Macartney Rose cannot be made 

 to conform to the wants of the present day? and lastly, if 

 hybridising the Persian Y'ellow with the so-called Hybrid Per- 

 petual class cannot be accomplished, so as to give us that 

 inimitable colour which even Mar6chal Kiel in all his glory 

 cannot supply ? 



Other complaints I have, but I fear I have said enough to 

 call down the indignation of the queeu of flowers, and in a 

 greater degree that of many of her votaries ; but if what I 

 have said be the means of directing attentiou to improvements 

 hitherto neglected, I can willingly submit to any amount of 

 chastisement to which a grumbler at existing things may bo 

 exposed. Certainly, in the matter of Roses it would be better, 

 instead of quibbling over the respective merits of new varieties 

 that may or may not differ from older ones, that some one 

 should start on new ground altogether. Enough has been 

 said to show to Eose-growers that, although they are entitled 

 to our best thanks for what they have done, they have pur- 

 sued one course long enough now to satisfy those outside the 

 fold, and that hereafter it would be better if they took other 

 ground. — J. Robson. 



GARDENING IN THE WEST.— No. 6. 



BECKETT PARK, THE SEAT OP VISCOUNT BAKEINGTON, M.P. 



It is a quaint old town that of Shrivenham, in which, 

 thatched cottages appear to outnumber those covered with 

 slates and tiles, and rather picturesque ; and at no great dis- 

 tance from it and the station on the Oreat-Western main line 

 is Beckett Park, which forms the subject of our present notice. 

 Leading to it from the village of Shrivenham — for it is nothing 

 more — we pursue a pleasant country road till the park gates 

 are reached, respecting which wo have nothing special to re- 



