July 21, 1863. 



JOUENAL OP HOKTICTJLTTJRE AlfD COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



47 



Geraniums, &c. A tea-house ornaments the centre of the 

 garden, and some beds of various shapes in front, planted 

 with bedding plants, looked pretty. On the lawn is a very 

 large round bxish of the variegated Box (Buxus sempervirens 

 variegata), about 15 feet high, and not less than 60 feet in 

 circumference. Besides a tine Cedrus deodara and Picea 

 cephalonica, I noticed Picea nobUis or an intermediate 

 vax'iety between that and Picea Nordmacniana about 25 feet 

 high. Roses in flower, Khododendi-ons, ornamental deci- 

 duous trees, and evergreen shrubs viforthy of note, are also 

 met with everywhere. 



Somehow I have omitted mentioning a Peach-house in its 

 proper place ; and as I noticed not only some fine fruit on 

 the trees planted out, but some trees in pots preparing for 

 forcing, I took Mr. Clarke's opinion about trees in pots. 

 For early forcing or affording a few fruits early he considered 

 a doaen or two of great service, but for affording a supply he 

 denied then- utility. 



With another look at the new flower garden, and thanking 

 Mr. Clarke for his kindness, I departed. In conclusion let 

 me add that every thing under Mr. Clarke's management 

 denoted indomitable jjerseverance, intelligence, and skill. 

 In the welfare of his assistants he also takes great interest. 

 They are privileged to leave work at five o'clock on Saturdays ; 

 and I trust that ere long every gardener and every man 

 employed in gardens will have his houi-s of labour shortened, 

 not ordy at Studley, but throughout the country, and instead 

 of leaving work at five o'clock on Saturday, that they may 

 hava Satm-day afternoon, like other trades, to themselves, 

 to improve themselves by visiting other gardens, and collect- 

 ing plants or studying nature in the field. Men who would 

 •not work harder dming the remainder of the week to make 

 up for Satm-day afternoons I would discard fi-om the garden- 

 ing world ; but I feel sure they would, and that no employer 

 woiild regret granting the advantage.— G. A. 



EOOTD^G STEA"V^BEEEY-RU:?fNEES. 



In rooting Strawben-y-i-unners into smaU pots, ought the 

 pots to be put under the first joint of the runner (I mean the 

 joint nearest the plant) when the roots are sprouting, or 

 under the last bud 'i If put under the fii-st joint, ought the 

 end of the runner to be cut off? — M. B. 



[The question is of more importance than would appear 

 at first sight. When it is desirable to increase a favourite 

 kind every runner made may be layered with propriety, and 

 thus a great number of plants may be obtained ft-om one 

 stool. In this case the lii-st layer is put in, and every one 

 that comes after in succession, and none are cut from the 

 mother plant untU all are rooted. In iLich case the first 

 layers wUl generally be the strongest, and we would advise 

 their being kept by themselves and planted by themselves. 

 Where time and means exist, this plan of rooting the young 

 plants is by far the best for making autumn-plantations, as 

 the plants will be strong and established enough to produce 

 a fair crop of very fine fruit the following summer. 



We lately stated that we approved of layering the plants 

 in small pots when forcing plants were required ; but we 

 said nothing as respects our correspondent's interesting 

 inquiry as to what woidd be the best layer to adopt. Here, 

 then, we must just tell what has been our practice of late, 

 though somewhat opposed to the theory which experiments 

 led us to consider as the soundest and best in the matter, 

 if circumstances admitted of its being carried out. 



To clear our way we must here allude to another query 

 about runners, sent by a coiTCspondent "Quiz," who has 

 had a hot discussion with a friend as to whether runners 

 were to be looked upon as feeders or robbers. We think 

 that both are right and both are wrong, according to the 

 stand-point of the argument. For instance: here is a 

 Strawberry-stool that we wish to become as bulky and 

 luxuriant as possible; and in such a case, were size and 

 luxuriance the objects, we would look upon a number of 

 Tunners, each rooting and catering not only for itself, but 

 also by the connecting Unk for the old parent plant, as being 

 much less robbers than feeders. It so happens, however, 

 that we value the Strawberry-stool less for its mere luxuriance 

 and large leaves than for its weU-ripened buds and conse- 

 quent extreme fruitfulness. In such a case we think little 



of the young plants either as feeders or robbers. Our 

 object is to concentrate as much strength in every parent 

 stool as shall be compatible with the extreme of fruitfulness, 

 and hence we shorten and remove all runners early. We 

 even remove some of the weaker buds or shoots of the stool, 

 not only that the strength may be concentrated, but that 

 the sun and air may play freely round, and thus thoroughly 

 ripen the buds for next season's produce. In gaining this 

 result we prefer that the runners should grow a few weeks 

 before they are nipped oft', as sometimes when we have 

 kept them nipped close all along, some of the extra strength 

 being thi'own into the buds, they were apt to burst or, as 

 it is called, come bUnd, at the fruiting season. Though 

 we generally keep our Strawberries about three years on the 

 ground, we have often proved that if stools are so deprived 

 of runners early, and the smallest shoots thinned out and 

 rich top-dressings and manure-waterings given, the same 

 plantation may be kept in good bearing order for many 

 years, though no great advantage is thus gained — not 

 enough, in our opinion, to make up for the advantages of a 

 regular rotation of cropping. 



Owing to the cold springs and dry summers our practice 

 of late has been to layer the first runner that came, and, 

 then, unless in a case of scarcity, to nip oft' the ru nnin g point, 

 to concentrate aU the growing strength into the single 

 runner. Thus, also, a few runners from a stool get more sun 

 and air than if a greater number were layered. These first 

 layers, in general, make as stated above, the finest and 

 strongest plants, and if well managed afterwards, they will 

 be found very fair for fi-uitfulness. If made too luxuriant, 

 or kept growing too long in the autumn from rich surfacings 

 and manure-waterings, the fine buds will be apt to split, and 

 then it will be found that the extreme of luxuriance is not 

 always attended with the extreme of fertility. 



Though for the above reason of lateness of runners, we 

 chiefly depend on the first-formed, we would under other cir- 

 cumstances be inclined to slip off the fitrst-formed one with- 

 out hurting the string, and wait for the second yoimg 

 plant on the runner to layer. Several years ago, we made 

 experiments in this dii-ection, and although the results 

 were not in aU. cases so conspicuous as to give grounds for 

 forming an unalterable theory, stiU they were such, as, on 

 the whole, fully to convince us that the second young phint 

 formed on the runner, though generally less luxuriant, was 

 also generally more compact and fruitfld. In this case two 

 new runners were allowed to go beyond the layer on the pot. 

 On account of the dryness of the ground, we have been 

 obliged to take the first iimners, and these will be none too 

 early for early forcing ; but we should be glad if others more 

 favourably situated would make some experiments in this 

 direction, as what may be of less moment when some thou- 

 sands are grown, may be of considerable importance where 

 only a score or two of pots can be managed. 



From whatever cause, some stools will often be found much, 

 more inclined to sterOity than others in the plantation, and 

 these should be either pulled up or marked, so that no 

 runners be taken from them. This is the more necessary, 

 as almost constantly such plants send out the earliest and 

 strongest runners, and the sterile habit is almost sure to be 

 continued. We recollect picking-out such stools of the Elton 

 perfectly barren, when all around them had a dense crop, 

 and on marking and trying layers from such plants for four 

 years, we never gathered a fruit from them. A little trouble 

 in selsction, therefore, is far from being labour lost in small 

 gardens, where every foot of ground is an object. Take 

 layers, then, if possible, from the best bearing plants.— 

 R. F.] 



FBinTEBEBS' Company.— On the 8th instant, the Master 

 of the Fruiterers' Company (WiUiam Brown, Esq.), with the 

 Wardens (Josiah Walker, Esq., and HUary Nicholas Nissen, 

 Esq.), and Mr. O. C. T. Eagleton, the Clerk of the Company, 

 waited upon the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House by 

 appointment, and presented his lordship with a choice se- 

 lection of aU the fruits of the season. The Master and 

 Wardens in addressing the Lord Mayor, refeiTed to the 

 deviation the Company had made from the ancient custom 

 of presenting sundry bushels of Apples in the winter, and 

 expressed a hope that the present now made would be more 

 acceptable. The Lord Mayor acknowledged the present in 



