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JOUENAL OP HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 26, 1869. 



secure a larger number of leaves, or the organs of digestion, 

 shall I not very materially add to the vitality and vigour of 

 the tree at perhaps the most critical period of its existence ? 

 The results in practice have invariably proved this reasoning 

 to be sound. The action of a tree is very evenly balanced, and 

 the roots will increase in proportion to the quantity of foliage. 



To return, however, to espaliers. Loudon observes, in his 

 " Encyclopsdia of Gardening," " that they are chiefly valuable 

 for their general effect ; for, the borders being usually dug, 

 their smaller roots are prevented from establishing themselves 

 close under the surface, and the trees in consequence seldom 

 bear well." As a practical refutation of this dictum, I will 

 offer a short notice of the fine espaliers at the Earl of Eomney's, 

 amongst which some of my earliest gardening days were passed. 



These trees were planted by my father about twenty years 

 ago, and they have been in his hands ever since. They were 

 "maidens" at the time of planting, and it is probably in a 

 great measure owing to this that the trees generally are so 

 healthy, but very few exhibiting any signs of canker ; thus 

 proving the truth of the remark, that young trees should never 

 he planted in a poor or shallow soil, for as Emerson, the Ame- 

 rican essayist, observes in a chapter on Power, " A good tree 

 that agrees with the soil will grow in spite of blight, or bug, or 

 pruning, or neglect, by night or day, in all weathers and all 

 treatments." And here it must be admitted that but few trees 

 have the advantage of such a soil as that at The Mote — a rich 

 loam of an average depth of 3 feet, resting on a substatum of 

 ehattery rock. The trees are planted about 12 feet from the sides 

 of the walks, and a narrow pathway about 18 inches wide runs 

 parallel with and close to the front of the trees. The borders 

 are cropped either with Strawberries or some dwarf-growing 

 vegetables. The horizontal branches are supported by a line of 

 stout wooden stakes 4 feet 6 inches high, and a strip of narrow 

 scantling nailed to the tops of the stakes gives an appearance 

 of neatness and finish to the whole. The lines of espaliers 

 running parallel to each other on either side of the road which 

 passes through the centre of the garden (a distance of 154 yardsl, 

 form a pleasing and interesting sight, as nearly the whole of the 

 trees are in perfect health, and are very prolific, in spite of 

 that supposed hindrance to fruitfulness — the constant digging 

 and cropping of the soil close to them. The hue of espaliers is 

 continued round most of the quarters of the garden. 



In looking over such an extensive collection of fruit trees 

 one cannot fail to remark the great differences which exist 

 between them as regards their habit of growth. Some of the 

 trees are close and compact, with their neat spurs crowded with 

 blossom buds, while others are so full of lusty vigour, that 

 were it not that a continuous lateral extension is permitted, 

 the sublaterals, or spurs, would probably hardly be so fruitful 

 as they are in reality. The most diflicult kind in this respect 

 is the Blenheim Pippin, of which there is here the finest speci- 

 men as an espalier 1 have ever met with ; its limbs have a 

 spread of upwards of .50 feet. Another rampant-growing, but 

 most excellent kind under this or any other method of culture, 

 isHanwell Souring, a fine specimen of which, extending 30 feet, 

 produced 4 bushels of fine fruit last season. Dumelow's Seed- 

 ling, or Wellington, extending 45 feet, is rather rampant, but 

 produces fruit freely. Bedfordshire Foundling, 45 feet, is a 

 valuable kind, of great merit, producing heavy crops. Alfris- 

 ton is another excellent kitchen Apple, and although of strong 

 growth it is not so rampant as some. The largest tree of it 

 measures about 36 feet in length. It is a heavy cropper, and 

 the good-keeping qualities of its large fruit add very much to 

 its value. 



Amongst other trees worthy of note, as being fine specimens, 

 I may instance a Cheshire Damson of upwards of 40 feet. 

 This generally carries a heavy crop, and its fruit is much 

 valued. An Orleans Plum, 36 feet, and a Coe's Late Bed 

 Plum, are both very fruitful ; the Late Red is much esteemed 

 ,for its lateness. Of other kinds of Apples which may be selected 

 as forming healthy fruitful trees as espaliers, are Manks 

 Codlin, very prolific, forming bloom buds quickly; Fearn's 

 Pippin ; Scarlet Nonpareil, of which there is a pretty specimen, 

 25 feet long— it is very compact in its habit of growth, and 

 forms a good espalier ; Margil, which produces bloom buds 

 freely, and bears heavy crops of fruit of the highest excellence ; 

 Early Nonpareil; Gloria Mundi, a heavy cropper, and some of 

 the fruit of last season weighed 23 ounces ; Calville Malingre, 

 of a particularly close habit, a useful kitchen Apple ; Kirke's 

 Iiord Nelson; Tower of Glammis ; Eymer; Hoary Morning; 

 Dutch Mignonne ; Hawthornden ; Winter Hawthornden ; Kes- 

 ^ck Codlin ; Kerry Pippin, a most valuable dessert Apple ; 



Gooseberry Pippin; Red Astraohan; Cellini; and Golden 

 Harvey. A few of these trees are on the English Paradise 

 stock, but most of them are on the Crab. 



As regards the treatment to which the trees are subjected, it 

 may be useful to state, that no growth beyond three or four 

 eyes is ever allowed on the spurs, and although this entails a 

 vast amount of labour in the constant pinching or pruning 

 continued throughout the growing season, yet an ample reward 

 is gained in the abundance of blossom buds formed by the 

 trees under this treatment. Another advantage attendant on 

 this constant summer pruning, is the perfect exposure of the 

 fruit to the action of the sun and air. As the fruit is swelling, 

 it is carefully inspected, and if considered necessary a slight 

 thinning is given, so as to avoid over-crowding. 



By this constant manipulation of the wood during its growth, 

 the winter-pruning is reduced to a minimum. It principally 

 consists in shortening or thinning-out any spurs which may 

 have encroached too much upon their neighbours. When the 

 trees are quite clear of leaves, they are well dusted on a damp 

 day with quicklime ; this process is very simple, and serves to 

 keep the trees free from lichens, it has also a very beneficial 

 effect upon the bark. 



In a future paper I shall offer a few notes on fruit culture in 

 our Kentish orchards, or, as they are called hereabouts, fruit 

 " plantations." — Edwaed Luckhurst, Egerton House Gardens, 

 Kent. 



CULTUEE OF POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. 



It may not, perhaps, be altogether unseasonable to offer a 

 few remarks on this most useful, I may say indispensable, 

 winter-decorative plant, seeing that the present is about the 

 time to set to work with the view of forming a stock for next 

 winter's display. These remarks will apply more particularly 

 to the large class of plant-growers, whose chief aim is to pro- 

 duce a useful stock of plants of various heights for home 

 decoration, and under circumstances not specially adapted to 

 produce plants of a high standard of excellence. An enthusi- 

 astic cultivator once told me that he would not give a rush for 

 plants with heads of a less size than a full-sized soup plate (I 

 never saw his plants), and he somewhat grandiloquently set up 

 as the standard size a barrow wheel. 1 regret I did not acquire 

 his notions of standard height, or he might have given a flower 

 stake or organ pipe, or something equally striking. 



Light and well-heated structures are necessary to grow the 

 Poinsettia to perfection, but the absence of this kind of plant 

 house need not altogether exclude this plant from the collection ; 

 modest in size it may be, yet beautiful and most useful for 

 many forms of house and room decoration. 



The absence of Poinsettias from many gardens is ascribed 

 to not having heat enough. In scores of cases the plea is just. 

 It requires heat, but yet will give a good return under a lower 

 scale of temperature than it is popularly credited with. Any- 

 one who can command a minimum house temperature of 55° 

 (an occasional fall of 5° below this is not fatal), from September 

 to March, need not despair of its cultivation. This, with the 

 common adjuncts of Cucumber and Melon frames, are the aids 

 with which I produce an annual supply of plants from 2 inches 

 to 2 feet in height, in numbers sufficient to give a brilliant 

 show during the winter months. 



My stock plants for propagation numbered two, each about 

 a foot in height. One of these I cut into pieces of one or 

 two eyes each, and put tliem in sand and plunged them in a 

 brisk heat in a Cucumber frame. The other I potted and 

 placed in the same frame just as it was. The top eyes speedily 

 broke, and when the shoots were from 2 to 3 inches long they 

 were taken ofi' with a sharp knife, and put in sand under a hand- 

 glass, and so on with the rest of the shoots, which broke out 

 down the stem ; all were taken off, put in the centre of thumb 

 pots, and struck quickly. The plants were shifted into 5-inch 

 pots, grown in the same frames, and in June the tops were taken 

 off and struck in a similar manner. Some of them were again 

 topped and struck in August. Thus four dozen plants were 

 obtained, differing in height, every one of which bloomed in 

 the winter. The number might easily have been increased, 

 but in proportion to the number of times which the plants are 

 stopped is the decrease in the size of the bracts. My experience, 

 then, is that the quickest and safest mode of increasing stock 

 is to pot the old plants entire and strike from the young wood, 

 in preference to cutting up the stems into eyes and cuttings 

 and striking from the old wood, as is often recommended. 



A brisk bottom heat of from 90° to 100°, and a top heat of 



