284 



JOURNAIi OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE QARDENSa. 



[ April 19, 1377. 



the same treament as the " old stock ;" but not in one instance 

 has the change of seed proved advantageouE — on the contrary, 

 the "old eort" is still the best. The additional seed has 

 been obtained sometimes for the purpose of supplementing the 

 home-raised tnbers, and also, if found desirable, for super- 

 seding them. 



Now the variety that succeeds so well in this one particular 

 garden does not always preserve its good character in other 

 places. Where the soil is less suitable it appears to lose vigour 

 and fresh supplies of seed are sought for from the original 

 stock, which proves the truth of another remark in the article 

 alluded to, that " the seed should have been grown in a soil 

 calculated to produce the variety in its best state. That is an 

 important matter not sufficiently attended to in selecting "a 

 change of seed." 



Another variety which is a favourite for the main crop, and 

 is largely grown on the same estate, will not, with the utmost 

 care in cultivation of the crop and preparation of the seed, 

 retain its good character for more than two years, and it has 

 been placed beyond controversy that it is advantageous to 

 purchase fresh seed of this variety every year. The supply 

 has not always been procured from the same locality ; a portion, 

 however, yearly came from the same grower (his surplus stock), 

 and it was found that this seed invariably produced much 

 better crops than did the seed tubers from other districts. So 

 decided was this improvement, that for some years past it has 

 been found profitable to secure the whole of the seed tubers 

 yearly from that district where the particular variety — Dunbar 

 Eegent — is grown in its best condition. I am satisfied that 

 that is the right principle to follow in the matter of " change 

 of seed." 



It has not unfrequently been recommended that seed tubers 

 possess some special virtues when grown in sandy soil. That 

 has almost become a popular notion, but my experience war- 

 rants me in regarding it as a popular delusion. Potatoes 

 grown in sandy soil may be more free from disease than crops 

 from a rich alluvial loam ; but the producing power of the 

 tubers which have been grown in the loam is greater than that 

 of tubers grown in sand. Sets from a light sandy soil contain, 

 as a rule, more numerous and smaller eyes than sets grown in 

 loam, and the stronger the soil the fewer and stronger are the 

 eyes : hence the stronger is the haulm resulting and the better 

 is the crop. The soundness of that logic I have repeatedly 

 proved by special and careful experiments, and on it the 

 practice is founded which is adopted in a district where 

 thousands of tons of Potatoes are grown annually for the 

 London, Manchester, and Liverpool markets. 



Another matter on which misapprehension exists is that 

 whole tubers are better than cut sets. I have frequently 

 planted medium-sized whole tubers, large whole tubers, and 

 cut tubers in alternate rows, and I have never found the pro- 

 duce of the cut tubers inferior to the others, but often superior. 

 Whole tnbers frequently produce a multiplicity of growths, 

 which become overcrowded and weakly, eventually falling and 

 covering the ground, preventing the air circulating amongst 

 the stems. The character of the crop is reflected in the haulm 

 — when the stems of the plant are numerous and small so are 

 the tnbers. Good cut sets produce a few and strong growths, 

 so few and so strong that the air can circulate amongst the 

 stems, promoting their sturdiness, and they retain their 

 upright position much longer than the more weakly and 

 crowded growths, and the crop resulting is of greater value. 

 The tubers may be fewer in number but they are finer, and a 

 greater weight is " marketable." 



It is to check a multiplicity of shoots that some cultivators 

 find it advantageous to slice off a cluster of eyes from whole 

 sets, a practice which your correspondent " A Kitchen Gar- 

 dener " cannot perceive possesses any merit ; but many with 

 whom Potatoes are the staple crop — their principal means of 

 livelihood — fancy there is " something in it," and I fancy so 



too. — A NOKTHEKN GARDENER. 



GUMMING OP FEUIT TREES. 

 I HAVE never seen any reason to doubt the dictum of the 

 late Mr. R. Thompson of Cbiswick, who states in hie " Gar- 

 dener's Assistant " that gumming is rarely injurious to the 

 Plum or the Cherry ; but that as regards the Peach it is the 

 disease "most to be dreaded, and is very difficult to cure; 

 indeed, if it pervades the tree to any considerable extent the 

 sooner the latter is dug-up and replaced by a healthy subject 

 the better." This view I share fully, speaking from my own 



experience, but I am prepared to alter my opinion if Mr. W. 

 Taylor (page 264), can furnish one authenticated instance in 

 which gumming was beneficial rather than injurious to a 

 Peach tree, let the disease have been brought about as it 

 might. I have seen gumming under not a few different circum- 

 stances, but as far as one was able to judge, it could always be 

 assigned to ill-ripened wood, gross feeding, or external injury, 

 and the results were always disastrous. — J. Simpson, JTortletj. 



FUCHSIAS FOR GARDEN DECORATION. 



Brilliancy of colour is not so fashionable in flower gardens 

 as formerly, and elegance of form receives its well-deserved 

 share of attention. Few plants are more elegant than Fuchsias, 

 which are graceful alike by their habit of growth and charming 

 pendulous flowers. They moreover contain just sufficient of 

 colour to render them cheerful, some of them even showy, yet 

 they have not a semblance of gaudiness on account of their 

 ample foliage. 



The small-flowered Fuchsias, such as gracilis and Riccar- 

 tonii, are hordy in sheltered districts — that is, their principal 

 stems and branches are not killed by the frost, the plants 

 ■ — or trees — then flower early and are splendid objects for 

 walls and borders. Even in the coldest localities the roots 

 are not killed and the shoots push up freely at this period of 

 the year, and eventually flower profusely. These old Fuchsias 

 are seen to the best advantage when growing on elevated sites, 

 such as mounds in shrubberies, rockeries, and rooteries. For 

 villa gardens they are very appropriate, for they require little 

 or no care, and in almost any sort of soil and any position 

 in town or country they produce their charming flowers in 

 abundance. Such plants afford a valuable supply of flowering 

 sprays for indoor decoration, and for this purpose alone these 

 old favourites are worth growing in every garden where cut 

 flowers are in demand. But the best way of all is to grow the 

 plants as standards, the stems being 3 feet or more in height, 

 and heads about 2 feet in diameter. F. gracilis does not make 

 such a good standard as does Eiceartonii and globosa, both of 

 which are naturally pendulous in growth. 



These standards are most easily formed. Plant out young 

 plants in good soil and train them to stakes until the desired 

 height is attained, then stop them and form the head. Take 

 them up and pot them each autumn, wintering them in any 

 light or dark place from which frost is excluded, and plant 

 them again in May. Prune them each year closely — more 

 closely then a standard Rose is usually pruned, and they will 

 grow and flower with the greatest freedom. I have had 

 standard Fuchsias in my charge for twenty years which are 

 planted in suitable places in the flower garden every summer, 

 and no plants in the garden give a better return for the trouble 

 bestowed on them. 



I have also had for many years standard Fuchsias of another 

 species which is not often cultivated — namely, F. corymbiflora. 

 Small "trees" of this old Fuchsia when planted in partially 

 sheltered places where the wind does not shatter the ample 

 foliage or injure the conspicuous corymbs of brilliant flowers, 

 have a striking effect, the more so as the plants are dissimilar 

 from all surrounding objects ; and certainly no plants are 

 more easily cultivated. The standards of this species are, 

 however, only planted out every alternate year ; during other 

 years they are kept in pots and plunged as a check to luxuriant 

 growth. 



Standard Fuchsias of the greenhouse varieties are also ad- 

 mirably suited for outdoor decoration. They thrive best in 

 rather moist and shaded places, where for healthy foliage and 

 abundance of flowers they rival, often surpass, others cultivated 

 in pots under glass. The best of all for outdoor decoration is, 

 I think. Rose of Castile. A supply of plants of this valuable 

 old variety should be provided in most gardens where appro- 

 priate places for planting and growing them can be found. A 

 group of plants of this Fuchsia afford a pleasing change from 

 the ordinary bedding plants, and yield almost unlimited quan- 

 tities of flowering sprays for cutting for the furnishing of vases, 

 ttc, these sprays being always appreciated. Another excellent 

 variety for garden cultivation is Venus Victrix. The glossy 

 foliage, white tube, aud purple corolla render this variety 

 highly attractive, and it generally flourishes much better when 

 planted- out than when grown in pots. As a white-sepalled 

 variety for outdoor decoration Conspicua is excellent, as also 

 is the dwarfer variety — Bland's Floribunda. A new variety, 

 E recta Von Novelty, is sure to be a good bedding variety, it 

 being a free grower and bloomer, and showing the flowers well 



