October 20, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



311 



possible, however, that next season, or the one after that, 

 the tree may be benefited by the operation, especially if it 

 is young and vigorous ; but in general we would not advise 

 root-pruning Walnut trees unless they are in that con- 

 dition, for Nature usually jjoints out when a tree ought to 

 commence bearing, and if it begins to do so when very 

 young, and is allowed to cari'y heavy crops, it seldom an'ives 

 at a great size. To begin bearing early is, in a certain 

 sense, a token of disease or a too early maturity. Pinuses 

 which commence beai-ing cones early rarely become large 

 trees, and the same may be said of Walnuts. Patience, 

 therefore, must be observed, and the best results will xisuaUy 

 follow when the tree has been allowed to have its own 

 way in everything save in the site chosen for it, which 

 ought to be di-y, hard, and stony, avoiding the deep, rich, 

 cultivated soils of old gardens, and the damp situations to be 

 met with elsewhere. The most fruitful Walnut trees ai'e 

 very often those occupying a public place on some hard road 

 or thoroughfare, or some di'y meadow, the tree receiving no 

 further attention than a good beating when it produces fruit. 

 At all other times letting alone is, perhaps, the best treat- 

 ment the tree can have. 



It may here be remarked, that although there is only one 

 recognised species of fruit-bearing Walnut in general cul- 

 tivation, the kind called French being only a sort of enlai-ged 

 English, stQl, like every other hardy fruit, it diifers to a 

 certain extent on being raised from seed ; the variation 

 takes place in the quality of the fi-uit, so that certain trees 

 produce better nuts than others similarly placed. This 

 fact is weU known amongst the rustics, who have for many 

 years made it a point of duty to taste the produce of aU. 



A similar sport or variation is observable in the Sweet 

 Chestnut, and other trees also raised from seed. Some ai'e 

 known to ijroduce excellent nuts, others indifferent, and 

 some cast them before they arrive at perfection. Other 

 instances might be given, but in your own case I would 

 advise the Walnut tree to be left alone, and when Nature 

 has done her part by expanding the tree to something like 

 the proportion of a timber tree, she wOl aftervvards become 

 less anxious for enlai'gement, and direct her energies to the 

 production of fruit.— J. Eobson. 



A PLEA FOE FLOEISTS' FLOWEES. 

 In the columns of a contemporary I find a paper bearing 

 the honoui-ed signature of Eobert Fortune, in which, fi'esh 

 from feasting his eyes with Japanese beauties and gar-dens 

 of ten thousand Cherry trees, he runs a tilt at florists as 

 having to some extent injured floricultvu:e. This is an old 

 charge, but one hardly expected it from this quarter ; for 

 when Mr. F. looks at the beautiful collection of Pompone 

 Chrysanthemums, and remembers that they were the pro- 

 geny of the little Chusan Daisy which he imported into 

 England, he will acknowledge, surely, that in this instance 

 florists have done a good service. But indeed it is hai-dly 

 fair to put the case thus, for he allows that they have fi-e- 

 quently benefited floriculture, but thinks that, in some in- 

 stances, they have ean-ied theu- principles too far. We ■wiil 

 not contend about that, as it is, after all, a matter of taste ; 

 but I think he has hardly made out his case with regai-d to 

 Fuchsias, the new kinds of which he characterises as "being 

 a new race of sickly -looking things with large gorged flowers 

 and unhealthy-looking leaves." As I met 1V&. Foi-tune at the 

 last Eoyal Horticultural Society's Exhibition in September, 

 he may have possibly formed this conclusion from the few 

 which he saw there ; but these were simply plants of Messrs. 

 Smith's new decorative Fuchsia Pillar of Gold, about which 

 there are certainly different opinions, although I beUeve 

 myself that it will make a very desirable plant for table 

 use, and also an addition to ornamental plants. But no 

 one ever intended to set that forward as a florists' flower, 

 and I do not think that the charge of sickly-looking foliage 

 can be brought against the new kinds of Fuchsias generally. 

 The blood of some of the more vigorous species has been 

 infused into them, and I have seen many of the named kinds, 

 not merely in pots but out of doors, with as fine foliage, 

 large, glossy, and gi-een, as any of the older kinds which he 

 enumerates. I am an admirer of many of them, gracilis, 

 globosa, and some others being very pretty ornaments for 



the flower garden ; but these " artificial monstrosities" make 

 quite as good bushes when any ordinary amount of care is 

 bestowed on them, while, in point of freeness of flowering, 

 there can be no comparison, many of the new kinds absolutely 

 weighing down the branches with the weight and number 

 of theii' blossoms. — D., Deal. 



MILDEW ON VE^ES IN A CONSEEVATOEr 

 TINEEY. 



Adjoining our drawing-room is a good-sized greenhouse, 

 and when we took possession last June twelvemonth, there 

 was a magnificent crop of Grapes coming on. Very soon, 

 however, mildew appeai-ed to a considerable extent, and we 

 were advised to try sulphur, which we did with such success 

 that the next morning evei-y leaf was dead, and every bunch 

 of Grapes (above six hundj-ed) was shrivelled to nothing. 

 In despair we cut off all the leaves and bunches, and in 

 three weeks' time a fresh crop of leaves came out, but no 

 more Grapes. All through the winter we followed the in- 

 structions given in The Journal of Hokticultube, gave 

 plenty of air, and thoroughly washed the house and the 

 Vines with soap. In the spring the Vines broke weU, and 

 soon had an abundant crop of Grapes ; but, alas ! when they 

 became the size of currants, the mildew again appeared, 

 covering them with a thick white powder, and each berry 

 cracked and withered up, so we have again lost our crop. 

 But the provoking part is, that the mQdew seems to affect 

 evei-ything in the gi-eenhouse. The Geraniums lose their 

 leaves, and will not blossom; the Fuchsias are perfectly 

 bai-e, and nothing prospers. The smell of the mildew is 

 quite overpowering. I should add that the Vine had always 

 been noted in the neighbour-hood for bearing well, and 

 that the previous tenant, who is also the landlord, had a 

 remarkably fine crop of Grapes the year before last fi-om 

 the same Vine. We have been advised to do away with 

 the old roots, and plant new ones, but as we have only 

 a seven years' lease it woidd scarcely be worth while to go 

 to such expense, if in any other way we could prevent the 

 evU. The Vine has been in bearing for more than twenty- 

 years. — Sigma. 



[There are two points we should have liked to have known 

 more about — fu-st, the mode of applying the sulphur; 

 and, secondly, the mode of heating the greenhouse. As to 

 the first, we can only imagine fr-om the results that you 

 must have burned the sulphirr, whilst, to apply it coiTectly, 

 it should only be dusted on the fruit and leaves affected. 

 From what you state, we think it would be -wi-ong to destroy 

 the Vines ; but you might dig a deep trench for a drain in 

 front of the border. We would care less about the flowering 

 plants now, but do everything by dryness and extra heat 

 to hai-den the wood of the Vines. When this is done, and 

 the wood is bro-wn and hai-d (but not if at all soft and 

 spongy), and the leaves are turning brown, we would shut 

 up every cranny that connects the house -with the dra-wing- 

 room, using damp moss, clay, or putty, for the purpose. 

 Then, we would burn in the house fr-om a pound to half 

 a poimd of sulphur mixed -with sawdust. This wUl settle 

 all fungus matter, as weU as all insects; but, of course, 

 the fumes must be kept out of the drawing-room. It 

 not sure of the wood being hard and ripe, do not try this 

 cure, but whether you do or not, proceed as follows : — When 

 Vines are pruned, wash the glass and wood with hot soap 

 and water, not soft soap ; then wash the Viaes, scrubbing 

 them well -with the same, removing all loose bark, &c. 

 Paint them all over then -mth clay and sulphur- paint ; wash 

 all the walls ; paint -with lime and sulphur, and as the 

 Vines break go over the walls again with sulphur, especially 

 where the sun strikes on the wall. To make it stick use a 

 little fresh lime with it, or make a paint with the sulphur, 

 by using some oU. Scrape off the sui-face soil of the floor, 

 and replace with fi-esh. Now, these are all first-rate pre- 

 cautions, but alone they will not save you fr-om the enemy. 

 We incline to think that the reason why you have suffered 

 so terribly is, that you have kept your house too close in the 

 growing season in summer, and the atmosphere too moist. 

 If youi- house is heated by hot-water pipes, we would 

 also smother them with sulphur as soon as the Vines broke. 

 From the beginning of June we would leave a little air on 



