556 



JOUSNAtj OP HORTICULTURE iND COTTAGE GA.RDENEB. 



t ll»y 10, H77. 



celleut terms with the duck?, which walk eoJately in aud ont of 

 the kitchen garden and clear np the grab? nnd insects at their 

 ease, perfectly nudiatnrbed by the dos;a and cats. The coUey 

 attends strictly to business, aud would not dream of chasing 

 a ohickeu or a duck, whil» ho never allows a wild bird a 

 moment's peace. — E. E., h'ilts. 



WATERING ROSES. 



Not much has been written " about Eosea " lately in your 

 pages. It is not quite the Rose season ; for now the trees are 

 resting, and their owners appear to be resting too. But the 

 Roses are now awakening into growth, aud we also must ha up 

 betimes and aid thom in the best way we can in rendering that 

 growth perfect. 



I have said the Roses are resting ; but I doubt if they ever 

 really rest. I sometimes think they work even during the 

 winter, and appropriate and store such food as is within their 

 reach, and of which they iu due time show us the benefit. 

 Perhaps I grow different Roses aud for a different object than 

 do the real roearians. I grow them also in a different manner 

 from that often adopted. A limited number of " fat blooms " 

 is not my object, and treps " one year from the bud " are not 

 my favourites. The favourite Roses in this garden are real 

 bushes aud real trees which have been growing in the same 

 places for twenty — thirty years and more, and which appear 

 each year to be more beautiful than before. They are Rases 

 Bo hardy that they do not require to ba dug-up annually 

 and wintered on a sheltered north border — such tiny mifly 

 sorts are not suited for a Yorkshire garden aud to produce a 

 cartload of flowers for a choral and floral festival. The Roses 

 in this garden are not enveloped in Fern or thatched with 

 straw, for they need no such " protective care." They are old 

 and hardy — so hardy that some of them survived that long-to- 

 be-remembered arctic Christmas-eve of 1860, when the thermo- 

 meter fell below zero aud many a cherished favourite fell too; 

 many, however, only to rise again, for being " on their own 

 roots" they started afresh with renewed vigour and have ever 

 since resisted the severity of the wiuter'a frost. They are not 

 pruned, perhaps, as a Paul would prune them, nor are trained 

 as a Camm would train them. A few gross overfed shoots 

 producing a few highly- fed blooms are not what are coveted 

 here. They are not "bloated aristocrats" nor "globular" 

 ecclesiastics ; they are plebeian Roses — Roses grown in tho 

 mass and for the masses — Roses that are not grown as food 

 for the learned criticism of a few, but for affording delight 

 (it may be unlearued, but it is not unrelished) for the many. 

 They are not growing in " 2 feet of loam aud a third of ma- 

 nure," but they are just growing in the plain garden soil — 

 strong in texture it is, but not clay, and it is not more than a 

 foot in depth, and then come the stones. " But what sorts 

 of Roses can grow so long aud thrive so well in such ' stuff,' 

 and how are they supported;"' I fancy may be the mental 

 inquiry of some. I will tell them. 



One of these Roses — one of the finest, is Chi'nudoU'. I can- 

 not say how many times a blackbird has built its nest in this 

 " tree," aud how many black nestlings have looked upwards 

 at the crimson firmament above them and received their 

 "first impressions" of a beautiful world. Then there is 

 Madame I'lantier, like a mountain of snow in .Jane and July, 

 that one bush having more blooms than probably all the 

 " plants " of Marie Van Iloutte in tho county. Then there 

 are Brennus and Blairii; the " two Charles," I'uvsl and Law- 

 son; and the two Pauls, Perras and Ricaut, and " William" — 

 i.e., William Jesse. Pierre de St. Cyr, if old, is still beautiful, 

 and La Villo de Bruxelles gives armfuls of flowers. Coupe 

 d'Hi'bu on the gable end of the vicarage is splendid (what a 

 grand wall Rose this is!). Our young ladies say this Rose is 

 the " Queen's favourite," aud who will say it is not worthy of 

 that honour ? Aud then there is a hedge, a veritable fence, of 

 the old Scotch Rose often decked with ten thousand bright 

 buda ; and for " button holes " the most eateemed of all ia the 

 old double Persian Yellow. Those are a few of the Roses 

 which are grown ; aud now to the question of support, which 

 brings me to my text. 



They are supported with water — we call it wine, for it makes 

 the Eosea ao glad and brings colour to their cheeka^no, leaves 

 and flowers. What is wine to the Roses is liquid manure to 

 UB. It is convenient to empty some largo tanks and cesspools 

 when the faiajly are in London during the first week in May, 

 and then tho wees have their feast of wine, and give us in 

 return a feast of 'S.oaee. The buds are then swelling aud comn 



out boldly, the foliage aubseqnently unfolds a rich dark green, 

 and the flowers expand freely. 



It is no use for those learned in the " laws of vegetation " 

 to tell me that it is wrong to water Roses when there is no 

 foliage to absorb the water. They may, perhaps, prove to their 

 own satisfaction that such a system is wrong in theory, but 

 many yearly " wiue feasts " have satisfied me that it is right 

 in practice. I am convinced that it is not only right to apply 

 liquid manure to Roses now, but that it is the best time to 

 apply it. I like to saturate the ground wherein are the roots 

 of the Roses until no more liquid can soak iu, and I like to 

 " give it 'em strong," as our old coachman says when he assists 

 in the work. Rosea growing against walls where the soil is 

 not rich, and is possibly dry, are greatly benefited by a thorough 

 soaking of liquid manure at the end of April or the beginning 

 of May. Rosea also iu the open, where the ground is richer, 

 and it may be wet, are similarly stimulated by the liquid food. 



I cannot listen to objections as to the water perishing the 

 roots and souring the soil. I think, perhaps, what we call aour 

 the Rosea interpret as being sweet. At any rate, I know that 

 they enjoy the May watering and show the benefit of it through- 

 out the blooming season. To all who have Roses which have 

 been growing for years in the same soil I say, Give them 

 liquid manure now, give it freely, and give it strong; in 'act, 

 I do not know of any Roses, let them be growing in whatever 

 soil they may, which would not be benefited by an application 

 of this nature. If I am asked what kind of liquid manure ? 1 

 reply, Any kind. The drainings of manure, the contents of 

 cesspools, soapsuds, &c. — all are good for Roses, and if none 

 of these can be had give them guano water; strength, 1 oz. 

 to the gallon and a pinch of salt ; mix and use immediately, 

 giving as much as the soil will take. Liquid manure is a capital 

 medicine for Roses ; it promotes health aud prevents mildew, 

 especially when taken in the spring. — A Pabson's Gakdener. 



DISBUDDING FRUIT TREES. 



A FEW weeks ago you published some remarks on Vine cul- 

 ture, in which the importance of thinning the shoots was 

 pointed out ; and the benefit this has on the Vine applies with 

 equal force to most kinds of fruit trees growing out of doors, 

 especially those trained against walls. Many consider that 

 disbudding and pinching are iodispeusable to the well-being 

 of Vines, Peaches, aud other trees under glass, but few, ex- 

 cepting good professional gardeners, think the same practice 

 is necessary or would be advantageoua to outdoor trees ; yet 

 in many instances disbudding is more needful out of doors 

 than under glass, because outside trees often produce more 

 young wood than those indoors, and the former have not the 

 same chance of ripening their wood when it is close together 

 as those with the assistance of glass. Old standard trees which 

 are fully grown are hardly worth the trouble of disbudding, 

 besides the wood on such is seldom of luxuriant growth ; but 

 young standard trees of Apples. Pears, Plums, Cherries, Ac, 

 should all be disbudded, not only with the view of giving the 

 young shoots sufficient space to develope, but alec that the 

 trees may grow-up in a symmetrical form. 



In disbudding standard treea first remove the shoots which 

 are growing the closest together, and those which are growing 

 in the direction of the centre of the tree should always be 

 taken before those which are growiug outwards. The dis- 

 budding, however, of standard or bush trees is of secondary 

 importance to those trained against walls, as the air cannot 

 circulate all around the latter like the former, and there ia, 

 therefore, all the more need to attend to the disbudding of 

 wall trees. 



Before describing tho mode of disbudding I desire to say 

 that it is a bad plan to commence the work too early. Remov- 

 ing tho shoots before they are well formed, or just when they 

 are composed of a few leave.':, is depriving the fruit of excel- 

 lent protection, as I find nothing saves the fruit so perfectly 

 from cold blasts and nipping spring frosts as being surrounded 

 or partially covered with leaves. 



"The first week in May is quite early enough to begin dis- 

 budding any tree out of doors, and at first only a few of the 

 shoots must be removed. In beginning it will be seen that 

 some of the young growths are goiuf; directly against tho wall. 

 Rub off every one of these, and at the same time remove all 

 thoae which are growing straight out from the wall. This will 

 leave the remaining growths arranged along each side of the 

 old wood. Leave them like this for ten days or a fortnight 

 IjDger, then go over thom again, and this time reduce tho 



