December 20, 1863. 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTtTRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



509 



with a painter's brush, taking eare to work it in underneath 

 the buds. During the resting period the trees should bo 

 exposed on all favoura,ble occasions to a free circulation of 

 air, for if the house is kept too close in eai'ly spring and tlie 

 weather is either mild or sunny, it wUl cause the blossom- 

 buds to expand prematurely. When the buds begin to swell 

 the trees may be sj'riuged daily when the weather is line, 

 until the flowers commence to open, and when in bloom a 

 dry atmosphere must be maintained with a good brisk cur- 

 rent of fresh air continually rushing through the house. If, 

 while the trees are in bloom, the weather should be dull and 

 cloudy, a little fire heat during the day with plenty of air 

 will be found useful, and artideial means of fertilisation 

 must be had recourse to, by simply passing a camel' s-hair 

 pencil over the anthers and stigmas, to distribute the pollen 

 which adheres to the anthers without being properly dis- 

 persed. A light hand and nimble fingei's will soon pass over 

 a large number of trees. When the air is dry my employer 

 will occasionally give the trees a rap with his walking-stick 

 as he is walking through the house. The temperatm-e of 

 the house while the trees are in bloom should never range 

 liigher than oo° by day unless by sun heat, nor more than 

 45° or 48° by night. 



As soon as the fruit is fairly set, syringing may be again 

 commenced and caivied on until the fruit is changing colour, 

 when it must be discontinued. The end of the syringe should 

 be pointed underneath the leaves, as there tlie red spider will 

 take up its quarters, and it is well known that it is no advo- 

 cate of the hydropathic system. The fi-uit being pretty 

 secure may be thinned, leaving a few more than the tree is 

 intended to carry, as diu'ing the stoning period some are 

 certain to fall. The trees will now be smothered with a host 

 of young shoots, which must be considerably thinned, re- 

 serving those shoots nearest the base of the previous year's 

 wood. As the trees advance in growth they will require the 

 points of the shoots to be pinched out. Much of the mode 

 of pinching will depend on tlie shape which the tree is de- 

 sired to take ; when it is intended to form it into a, close 

 conical-shaped tree, the shoots must be pinched very closely, 

 to within three or four buds of their base, and as they keep 

 putting forth fresh shoots these must be pinched again and 

 again. When tlie tree is intended to be formed into a bush 

 the shoots may be allowed to grow rather longer before they 

 are pinched, the laterals or side shoots should be pinched to 

 within one bud of the base, and the leading shoot at every 

 five or six buds. Weak manure water will be found useful 

 twice a- week after tlie fruit is set, aud the temperature may 

 be raised from 10° to 1.5°. The trees may also receive a sur- 

 facing of rotten dung with advantage, and the dung not 

 washed away by watering will be found in the autumn 

 one mass of roots. They must receive no stimulants during 

 the time of stoning or the fruit will fall. The trees are then 

 enjoying a partial rest, and therefore must not be excited 

 either root or branch. When the fruit is stoned it must be 

 finally thinned, not leaving too man}' on a tree. As they 

 approach matiu'ity the atmosphere of the house must be 

 kept di'y with plenty of air, or the fruit will be liable to 

 crack. Daring the whole of the growing season they will 

 requu'e copious supplies of water; but when the fruit is 

 gathered water must be given more sparingly. 



I have endeavoured to touch as briefly as possible on some 

 of the leading points in the cultivation of these beautiful 

 trees. I might considerably enlarge on the subject, but fear 

 lest I should encroach on your space. I am certain that to 

 any one with only a small orchard-house and only a limited 

 number of trees, if tliose trees are treated properly they 

 cannot faU. to afford an endless source of pleasure. The 

 cultivator watches wit'i feelings of intense pleasure the ex- 

 pansion of the first blossom-bud, the unfolding of the leaves, 

 the development of the fiuit ; aud as it approaches maturity 

 and he breathes the fragrant odour which it exhales, he can- 

 not fail to feel thankful to the Giver of all gooi things who 

 so bountifully supplies His creatures with these charming 

 fruits. — QuiNTiN Read, Gardeaer to the Rev. W. H. Holt, 

 Bidcl/idphf neay CoTUjleton, 



1859, 1 find that during that year it was gi-owing on the Lime, 

 Apple, Thorn, Oak, and Maple, all in this neighbourhood, 

 but chiefly on the fh-st three trees. There is plenty growing 

 in this part, but up to this time I have not traced it on any 

 other tree. — W. Divers, Gardener to Wm. Moore, Esq., Wierion 

 House, near t^tapleliurst, Kent. 



Having read an account in The Journal of Horticul- 

 ture of Nov. 24, respecting the Mistletoe growing on various 

 trees ; I beg to inform you that there is a very fine bush 

 of the Mistletoe growing luxuriantly on the Acacia — viz., 

 Robiuia viscosa, in the Priory Gardens, Great Malvern, the 

 residence of Dr. Gulley. — James Watkins, Gardener to 

 C. Lawrence, Esq., Cirencester. 



SMALL OR LARGE BRUSSELS SPROUTS, 



WHICH AKE MOST WOETIIT OF GENERAL CULTIVATION? 



I SENT three dwarf heads of what I consider extra samples 

 of Brussels Sprouts for the opinion of the Friut Committee 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society at Kensington. They 

 were about 11' or 15 inches high, aud closely studded with 

 most compact firm sproutings. The opinion of the Com- 

 mittee was that they are too large ever to become a variety 

 of any importance, seeing that the desideratum in that vege- 

 table is to procare it as small as possible. I consider, then, 

 that it would be a matter of no small ijublic importance 

 to know the criterion of a perfect specimen of a profitable 

 kind of Brussels Sprouts, combining every property worthy 

 of caltivation. The Committee think that to have the in- 

 dividual sproutings as small as possible is the "hief object. 

 Will that be the size of a round button or the size of a boy's 

 play-marble ? 



The great desideratum I consider in every vegetable is 

 to have a variety that will produce the largest quantity in. 

 a given space of ground, but in a perfect condition for table 

 use. The samples sent, no doubt, had every individual 

 sprouting the size of three marbles. Now the jiroduce of the 

 latter will be more than double, aud still bo in a condition 

 perfectly fit for the table of any gentleman, not to speak of 

 the million to whom it is invaluable as a winter dish. — Wm. 

 Melville. 



[We have made inquu-ies, and find from members of the 

 Fruit Committee well acquainted with the subject, that the 

 Brusaels Sprouts preferred for first-class dinner-tables are 

 those which, being the size of a boy's jjlay-marble, are at 

 the same time very compact and firm. By " the million," 

 with whom quantity is a prime consideration, your new 

 variety may be highly estimated. 



For appearance at table, as well as delicacy of flavour, we 

 agree with the Committee that the smaller sprouts are pre- 

 ferable. In addition, we will add, that if the smaller sprouts 

 are produced as densely clustered round the stem as we 

 have seen them, we think there would be little difference 

 between the weight of produce of them and of the larger 

 sprouts.] 



Mistletoe. — I observe, among the answers to correspon- 

 dents, in your Journal for Nov. 24, that you ask for informa- 

 tion respecting the Mistletoe. On referring to my journal of 



MATERIALS USED I^T FORMING COMPOSTS. 



(Continued from page 487.) 



Sand. — Most soils contain a certain portion of this ; in 

 fact, it may be truly said that sand exists in greater or less 

 quantity in all soils supporting a vigorous vegetation, al- 

 though the character of the sand, or rather the substances it 

 is incorporated with, may differ very much in the individual 

 compounds. A mountain peat contains a large proportion of 

 sand, which, however, differs widely I'lom that found in the 

 dry upland tillage fields of certain districts. The grit itself 

 may be the same in both cases, but the chemical substances 

 with which it is incorporated make a wide difference in the 

 action it has on vegetation. It is, however, an essential 

 ingredient in all the artificial compounds in which choice 

 plants are grown, and some circumspection ought to be 

 used as to the kind of sand mixed with the other materials 

 forming the compost. 



I have already stated that sand exists in most soils, and 

 most likely in those to which it is added on the potting- 

 bench; so, before going into the merits of the difl'erent kinds 



