Kavamb«r U, 18C7. 1 



JOUENAIi OP UOliTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



363 



as long as poasiblo. Tliia may ba done by keeping them from 

 currents of air and sprinkling them once or twice daily. 



In about ten days alter the ciittinga are inserted the leaves 

 will bepin to stiffen, and the tops to show signs of growing ; 

 the cuttings should then be gradually inured to the light, and 

 in about three weeks they will be rooted, when thoy should be 

 placed on a shelf near the glass. When they have well filled 

 the pots with roots, which will be in about two months, they 

 should be potted in -ISsized pots, using strong loam with a 

 little leaf soil and sand on it. The plants should still be kept 

 in a healthy growing atmosphere of not leas than CO', must be 

 well supplied with water as soon as the roota have reached the 

 sides of the pot, and should be kept growing freely all through 

 the winter, and up to tho middle or end of April, when they 

 may be placed in a cold pit or frame to harden them off a 

 little preparatory to placing them in the open air. 



The plants should bo placed out of doors early in May, the 

 proper place for them being in front of a sunny wall or fence. 

 They should not bo plunged in any way, but must be allowed 

 to stand Ji) the full sun all through the summer, watering them 

 once or twice daily as they may reipiire it ; they should not be 

 allowed to suffer for want of water during the summer. 



Treated in the manner described the plants will become well- 

 ripened, and about the beginning of September will commence 

 showing their plump flower-buds at the points of most of the 

 shoots ; manure water should then be given twice or thrice 

 a-week. It will thus bo very easy for persons having a stock 

 plant or two of Maruchal Niel liose to propagate four or five 

 dozen nice plants. I have no doubt the plants I have now in 

 bloom will continue flowering more or leaa throughout the 

 winter ; and if repotted in the spring, grown on freely in heat 

 to mature their growth, thou gradually hardened off, and after- 

 wards allowed to ripen in tho full sunshine, as recommended 

 for the small plants, they will produce fine masses of bloom in 

 the following autumn. — J. Wills. 



GROWING ROSES ON THEIR OWN ROOTS. 



Is all that I have read in your columns of late on the subject 

 of Koscs, I havo seen nothing bearing on the culture of Ivoses 

 on their own roots, nor do I find much on the subject in works 

 on Koses, beyond tho statement that Tea Roses on their own 

 roota are beat for pot culture. Will you, therefore, inform me 

 what are tho respective advantages and disadvantages of grow- 

 ing Roses, more especially Hybrid Perpetuals and Teas, on this 

 system ? Do tho weaker varielies throw poorer flowers than 

 when grown on an alien stock ? And, if so, why is this mode 

 of culture recommended at all for pots ? In short, are there 

 any disadvantages in the method suflieient to counterbalance 

 these two maniteat advantagea — firstly, that Roses on their 

 own roots, if killed to tlio ground, will break again from below ; 

 and, secondly, that they free the cultivator from all liability 

 to those deceptive Mimetti suckers ? — A Learnkh. 



[The difficulty in answering such inquiries as those above 

 made, arises from the fact that, unlike lawyers, gardeners have 

 no such rule as " a rule absolute " in this branch of Rose cul- 

 ture. To use a bold figure, Roses have likes and dislikes. Some 

 will do nothing on their own roots, others will do nothing on 

 alien stocks. There can be no doubt, that if land is good 

 (abounding in alumina), the genus Rosa is best on its own 

 roots ; but for inferior land, and cultivation that is not high, 

 an alien stock would probably give the greater desired product. 



In the Rose kingdom, as regards " own roots " or stocks, we 

 cannot predicate a universal. As regards Tea Roses, my im- 

 pression of them is that they are best on their own roots, and 

 that the best way to get them on their own roots is to buy them 

 on the Klanetti stock, and earth them sufficiently over the point 

 of union for that purpose. AU mine (I have but a few, in front 

 of my house) are on their own roota. They were purchased 

 growing on the Mauetti stock. 



Allowing that there is no such rule in the Rose kingdom as 

 "a rule absolute," still L conceive there cannot be any dis- 

 advantage in having Tea Rosea or Hybrid Perpetuals on their 

 own roots. Roses generally, I think, prefer their own roots, 

 but unless you buy them on the Mauetti for that purpose, the 

 process is long, and they are often ruined in their minority 

 from oarelesmess. Roses on Manetti, and Pears on the Quince 

 stock, will sirike out their own roots to a certainty, if you cover 

 them over the point of union. I have just moved fifty-four 

 Pear trees on the Quince, and wherever they were covered over 

 the point of union they have struck roots of their own. 



It cannot be denied that some tender Roses and delicate 

 growers will do well on alien stocks, nor can it be denied that 

 some of such Roses will do nothing on alien stocks, but will 

 succeed altogether well on their own roots. 



Tne poverty of flowers often arises from tho cultivation being 

 inadequate. I have none in pots, except such as are invalids, 

 and are placed in my vinery for recovery. — W. F. Eadclyffe.] 



THE CULTIVATION OF LATE RASPBERRIES 

 AND CURRiVNTS. 



I HAVE often heard gardeners speak of double-bearing Rasp- 

 berries, but have never seen such, excepting when some strong 

 flowering shoots of the summer varieties have produced a little 

 autumn fruit, and then become useless for fruit bearing in the 

 following season. The late Raspberries I grow are quite dis- 

 tinct from any of the early fruiting sorts with which I am ac- 

 quainted. Their names I do not know, as I havo always had 

 them aa tho Autumn-bearing. They generally commence to 

 produce about the second week in August, the white variety 

 coming in a little before the red. 



My mode of management is as follows : — Early in the spring 

 tho old cane is cut down to the ground, the stakes being left 

 standing, and often visitors ask, "What do you do with those 

 stakes standing at equal distances from each other ?" as there 

 is not a veatige of any plant to be seen. About May the young 

 canes begin to make rapid growth, but are not interfered with 

 till all my summer sorts have nearly ceased bearing. The 

 autumnal Raspberries aro then thinned out to six or eight 

 canes, according to the strength of these, and here, in my 

 opinion, lies the secret of prolonging the season of the fruit. 

 The shoots to be retained must be very carefully selected, not 

 taking all the earUest, but endeavouring to secm'e some of the 

 latest as well, for if all the early ones were preserved and tho 

 rest cut away the crop would bo over now, whereas at the pre- 

 sent time I have Raspberries in all stages, some of the latest 

 in full flower. Should the weather become severe I will put on 

 a slight covering, hut experience teaches mo that the less they 

 are covered up the better, as they require plenty of air. 



I may here mention that I never allow digging between the 

 rows of Raspberries, but the ground receives a good dressing 

 of short manure, which is slightly forked in ; tho roots are 

 thus kept close to the surface. The summer varieties are all 

 treated in tho same manner in regard to manure, and the 

 result is most satisfactory. 



About late Currants I have little now to say, as I consider 

 that situation has more to do with the keeping of them than 

 treatment. My late Currant trees are on a north wall about 

 150 yards long and 12 feet high. They are planted at equal 

 distances, the rods being trained upright at about 18 inches 

 apart. Tho pruning is performed very late in the season, 

 being often deferred till the trees are nearly in full leaf. They 

 are then cut back, and in summer as much foliage is left on 

 as possible. The border is 11 feet wide, and is well-manured, 

 not dug deeply, and the crops grown on it are generally dwarf. 



At present I have plenty of Currants as sound as can be 

 desired, and I shall have them so till Christmas. The varieties 

 are the White Dutch and Raby Castle (red). Of the common 

 Red Currant I have a few on the wall, but they are quite use- 

 less and black. — Jaues Siewaet, NuneJiam Park, 



TRANSPLANTING APRICOT TREES. 



I Tr.ANsrLANTED three Apricot trees on the 20th of September, 

 1800. The varietiea were Royal, Moorpark, and Hemskerk. 

 Those trees every year produced abundance of blossoms, but 

 persistently refused to bear a single fruit, so that I was deter- 

 mined either to kill or cure. The result, however, was a com- 

 plete cure. This year I had aa fine a crop as well could be 

 wished for. This success I mainly attribute to the early 

 moving of the trees, so that I altogether agree with Mr. Abbey's 

 excellent practice. — W. H. G. 



Pelargonidm Miss Watson. — I observe that at page 331 

 Mr. Watson appeals to my opinion in favour of this variety. 

 He is quite justified in doing so, for I consider it one of the 

 very best in form and colour. The best proof of my estimate 

 of its merits is, that I bought a plant at first sight, and I am 

 perfectly satisfied with it. If the growth is equal to its raiser's 



