310 



JOtJKNAL OF HOETICULTITRE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ October 20, 18G3. 



colovu' were possible, which we do not believe. We fear 

 you are the subject of either mistake or deception. Could 

 we believe that Nature would sport or be influenced into 

 such lawless irregularity there is no sayinjj what might be 

 expected. It strikes us that you will find all your Dahlia 

 flowers of the same shape as well as of the same colour, and 

 different vai-ieties of Dahlias ai-e vcrj differently shaped; 

 and sui-ely you cannot believe in change of shape as well as 

 of colom-.] 



PLA^'TI^TT. 



It sometimes happens that for the pm-pose of finishing 

 as he goes along a gardener is obliged to move plants in 

 winter or eaa-ly spring which would be better if they could re- 

 main unmoved till the end of April. I was so circumstanced 

 myself once, and had to move a goodly number of lai-o-e 

 evergi-eens — Spruce, HoUy, and Lam-ustinus, &c., when'l 

 would rather have waited tni April. It was done, however, 

 in winter and with perfect success — not as much as one 

 death taking place out of about two hundi'ed moved, and all 

 growing in a strong clayey soil with a blue clay subsoil. 



Ml-. Dawson seems to think that large plants cannot be 

 successfully transplanted in strong soils. Now the above 

 plants could not be less than thirty years old, having occu- 

 pied the jjlace I moved them fi-om for about twenty-six 

 years. 



As a general rule Mi'. Dawson prefers small plants, and 

 no doubt where large plantations are to be made no other are 

 available ; but where the planting is not too large and large 

 plants obtainable, I confess to a strong leaning in their 

 favour, not only because the desired effect is almost at once 

 produced, but because I have experienced no failures ; and, 

 like Mr. Dawson, I have had to do with different soils both 

 in this country and beneath the burning sun of North 

 America. 



_ In the winter of 1855-56 I was engaged planting out the 

 view of a village and a pubUo road which were too conspicu- 

 ous from a part of one of the approach roads. It took 

 about five huudi-ed i^lants to accomplish the object: most 

 of these were Oak, Ehu, and Sycamore, averaging 15 feet in 

 height, with some large shi-ubs fi-onting them. The object 

 was at once effected, and when I saw that plantation fom- 

 years afterwai-ds it was as dense and as flourishing as if it had 

 been there foiu-teen years ; but if small plants, such as Mi-. 

 Dawson recommends had been used, the noble proprietor 

 would no doubt have had to wait that length of time for the 

 desii-ed effect. I may mention, that though highly approv- 

 ing of mulching and the general necessity of watering, none 

 of those trees or shi-ubs was so favoured, and, worse than 

 aU, some of the planting was done dui-ing a sharp frost. 



If I mistake not there is a general impression in favour- of 

 moving the Pine tribe in autumn. I have always practised 

 late-spring planting, and have never had a failure with this 

 tribe. When I could select my own season I have taken 

 them just as they commence gi-owth or are showing symp- 

 toms of it. In the spring of 1857 I had to move about 

 fourteen large Spruce ; they were at least twenty-six years 

 old, and had to be moved about a mile across the demesne. 

 The work was not commenced tUl the last week in AprU, when 

 some of the plants had begun gi-owth. These were all moved 

 with perfect success, aU of them making a growth of fi-om 

 6 to 9 inches the first season. They had a good watering 

 before aU the soil was put in about them, but no mulching 

 was given, the spreading branches well securing the roots 

 from the sun. — J. K., Ireland. 



Celekt.— I fully agree -with Mr. Fish as to the superiority 

 of Turner's Incomparable Dwarf White Celery both for 

 autumn and spring use. I had five or six varieties this 

 season, but this kind is the favourite; moreover it is 

 not apt to spindle like some other sorts, and, being white, 

 is useful for cooking as well as for table. For the last three 

 years the Celery did not do well here, it being subject to 

 disease. This season the sm-face of the ground about the 

 plants had a di-essing of superphosphate of lime before 

 earthing-up, which I consider has prevented the disease to 

 a considerable extent. — D. Phelan, Gardener, Rathmines 

 Castle, near Duhlin, 



HYBEID PEEPETUAL EOSES FOE A BED. 



A LADY, " Marie," writing fi-om a central county, asks for 

 infoi-mation on the above subject. She wants to have dwarf 

 plants on their own roots, and to have them trained in 

 pyi-amidal form so as never to be more than 3 feet 6 inches 

 or 4 feet high. 



It is easy enough to have dwarf Perpetual Eoses on their 

 own roots, but to be able to train them so as to be nice- 

 looking pyi-amids is a more difficult matter ; for in spite of 

 all the attention that can be given to Eoses, they have a 

 waywardness of their own at flowering time which we fear 

 will prevent their submitting to the close restraint necessary 

 to insui-e a tidy uniform shape of the kind wanted at all 

 seasons. Perhaps our con-espondent is anxious for a bed of 

 Eoses to resemble such masses of plants as are to be seen 

 in pots at the London shows. This, no doubt, could be done, 

 but such plants only conform to the pyi-amid or balloon 

 shape shortly before the blooming period ; their gi-owth the 

 preceding summer is UTegular and stragghng enough, and 

 cannot well be made otherwise if flowers are wanted. We 

 would, therefore, advise the lady to abandon the idea of 

 exact training during the gi-owing season, merely cutting 

 away any gross shoots, and, at the proper time, to prune as 

 ordinai-y dwai-f m-egular-gro\ving plants, for the Eose looks 

 best so done. There is a difference in Hybrid Perpetuals 

 for doing well on their own roots. Those we have found 

 succeed best are Bai-onne Hallez, Baronne Prevost, Caroline 

 de Sansal, Jules Margottin, Geant des Batadles, Souvenir 

 de Eeine de I'Angleten-e, Wniiam Jesse, and others ; while 

 Oriflamme de St. Louis, Senateur Vaisse, and some others 

 have not done well. In another place, however, this may 

 not be the case ; but whatever kinds our correspondent 

 selects we certainly do not by any means advise them to be 

 trimmed like clipped Yew trees in summer. — J. E. 



THE WALNUT TEEE. 



A cOERESPONDENT complains that a Walnut tree of his 

 growing in a meadow on a gravelly soil overlying chalk 

 has never produced Walnuts until this year, and now they 

 are poor in quality, and far from numerous. The neigh- 

 bourhood, he observes, is one certainly not unfavourable to 

 the Walnut ; and the tree, which is about 30 feet high, was 

 rather severely root-pruned last year. This season most 

 of the fruit fell at an early period of their growth, and the 

 remainder were only very poor. He asks for information on 

 the subject, advice as to the future treatment of the tree, 

 and other particulars, remarking that the culture of the 

 Walnut has not been adverted to of late in The Jouenal 



OF HOKTICULTTJKE. 



I may in the fii-st place observe, that the Walnut is seldom 

 considered as in the list of cultivated fi-uits, its growth and 

 bearing being generally left to chance. There is an old 

 distich coupling the Walnut with a spaniel and a wife, to 

 the effect that they are aU better of being well beaten. Now, 

 this advice is, I confess, all that I have read about rendering- 

 the Walnut tree fr-uitful ; and vidgar though it be, and often 

 regarded as an unmeaning couplet put forth by some sai-castic 

 individual, I am far fi-om denying it some merit, for the 

 beating of the tree with long poles to knock down the fruit 

 in autumn, is never accomplished without breaking off a 

 number of small shoots, thereby effecting a sort of rude 

 pruning, and so rendering the tree more fi-uitfid the follow- 

 ing season ; and as the rougher the usage the more shoots 

 are broken off, it is not unlikely that a greater proportion of 

 fii-uit may follow the year after. This, however, is not 

 always the case, for other influences also operate on the 

 crop. An unfavourable spring is fatal to the setting of the 

 young fi-uit, or it may be an ungenial autumn refuses to 

 prepare the embryo buds, or other causes may tend to pro- 

 duce a failure similar to that which all other fruit-bearing 

 trees are liable to. 



Now, although but little can be said about the proper 

 treatment of the Walnut tree, I fear the severe root- 

 pruning given by our con-espondent last year is the cause of 

 much of the fruit falling at an early stage, and of the re- 

 mainder being poor and imperfect, as most likely the tree 

 woidd have borne a fair crop of useful fruit but for that 

 pruning which deprived it of its most important food. It is 



