44 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Jannary 16, 1868. 



tionand perfecting of this modem system ofprnning; and surely 

 neither M. Baltet nor onr correspondent will be inclined to 

 dispute the interpretation given of the cordon by the authorities 

 we have quoted, and by whom the term was defined and made 

 use of before either ef them could have_ given much or any 

 heed to the subject. 



We hold, therefore, that a cordon is a simple branch close- 

 pruned or spurred, and not a tree, except when that tree con- 

 sists of one simple branch only, and then it is a cordon simple, 

 and not simply a cordon. 



We will shortly furnish iUustrations of the various forms of 

 trees trained on the cordon principle.] 



YUCCAS AND THEIK PROPAGATION. 



I HAD lent me the other evening the last July number of 

 The JocRNAii of Horticulture. Mr. Kobson's remarks on 

 Yuccas (page 57), recalled to my recollection some experiments 

 relative to these plants, which were carried out here about 

 eight years ago. Having had no opportunity of seeing any 

 subsequent number of the Journal, I am at a loss to know if 

 any additional remarks have appeared in reference to their 

 propagation. As the results of those experiments, together 

 with my subsequent experience, do not correspond with Mr. 

 Eobson's assertion that "the Yuccas increase but slowly," I 

 send you some particulars respecting the experiments and the 

 results. 



On each side of a long terrace walk there stood a row of 

 overgi-own, large-headed Yucca plants. Although some of 

 them produced flower spikes almost every year, yet from 

 having become top-heavy they never looked neat. Some were 

 kent one way, others another, and some were propped-up. At 

 last they became unmanageable, and were condemned, the 

 stems being sawn through just above the surface of the soil. 

 They were then planted, some with the stems entire, others 

 with the stems shortened. The operation was similar to 

 planting a post for a gate, a good ramming included. 



The object of this experiment was to ascertain if the plants 

 would grow in that state, and, if they grew, to see if they 

 would flower more regularly. If those two points could be 

 gained we hoped to succeed in forming dwarf, compact bushes 

 of Yuccas, with a dozen or more spikes of bloom on each. 

 For some time the plants were sorry-looking, and some of 

 them were soon dressed in mourning. An occasional sneer 

 was indulged in when the operation was going on ; but now 

 the laugh was outright. Nevertheless, some of them grew, 

 others died, I fear from over-ramming, or careless ramming, 

 which bruised the bark of the stems and caused them to 

 rot. Those, however, that grew have not flowered as was 

 expected. Since then we have put in heads of plants with 

 naked stems more carefully, and they seldom fail to grow. 

 The roots come out thickly all over the stem. Those that 

 were planted so that the shoots which formed the head came 

 in contact with the soO, in two years furnished a good supply 

 of young plants. Some plants rooted in this way are now 

 3 feet high. In two or three years they will have an appear- 

 ance which I consider far more effective than that which they 

 will present after they have flowered, and have become large- 

 Leaded and top-heavy. 



" How do you manage to obtain so many young Yucca plants ?" 

 said a nurseryman to me one day, " I find them very slow." 



1 then related to him the following experiment, which proved 

 them not so slow of propagation as it would appear they are 

 generally imagined to be. 



In digging-up the roots of the plants we had sawn off, it oc- 

 curred to me that they were likely to sprout if lightly covered 

 with BoU. I had, therefore, all the roots of the size of one's 

 finger, or larger, collected, cut into lengths of 3 or 4 inches, 

 and placed in a border, covering them with jast sufficient soil 

 to hide them. This was done in the month of May. My ex- 

 pectations were more than realised, for I had two and some- 

 times three shoots on a bit of root. We have had an abun- 

 dance of Yuccas ever since. Some plants thus raised are now 



2 feet high to the tips of the leaves. Even some of the very 

 small bits that were thrown away grew, although several of 

 them were fully exposed. Any one having an old Yucca plant 

 can, by digging around it, and taking some of its largest roots, 

 soon secure a supply of young plants. 



The Yuccas treated as above were plants of Y. gloriosa ; but 

 I have two or three other sorts, and I found them quite as 

 easy to propagate iu this way. I advise those who try this 



mode of propagation to place a few twigs over the roots when 

 planted to prevent these being disturbed. — H. Mills, Eny^, 

 Pcnnju. 



REVIEW. 



The Gardener's Almanack, and Poultnj-Kccpcr'/ and Apiarian's 



Calendar for the Year 1S68. Edited by G. W. Johnson, 



E. Hewitt, and T. W. Woodbury. Jocr.siL of Hokticul- 



ICEE Office, 171, Fleet Street. 



In this Almanack we have a great desideratum supplied, 

 which is none the less valuable for its combining so much that 

 is useful to the confraternity of gardeners, poultry-keepers, and 

 bee-keepers, who are very often " iresjuncti in vno." Here, under 

 the same cover, and for the moderate price of one shilling, 

 each and all will find much valuable information special to 

 then- separate hobbies, besides the usual information given in 

 all good almanacks perhaps fuller than usual. 



The " Gardening " calendar (if it may be so called), supplies 

 an essay every month on such subjects as the following : — 

 " Vines in pots," " Fuchsias," " The Oleander," " Potting 

 and Kopotting," "Melons," " Vines in a Greenhouse," "Pelar- 

 gonium Cuttings," " Clerodendrons," " Koses in Pots," &c. 

 There are also "Lists of Flowers for Amateurs," the best ol 

 each kind, with descriptions. 



Then there is an essay on " Poultry-Keeping," by Mr. Hewitt, 

 with remarks on " Prevalent Faults at Poultry Exhibitions," 

 followed up by an admirably arranged table for memoranda for 

 every day in the year. Here at a glance the poultry housewife 

 can see what kind of fowl has been sat, on what number and 

 kind of eggs, date of hatching, number of chicks, and how 

 many reared, with a daily list of eggs laid by any and every 

 variety of fowl. The ai-rangement is completeness and per- 

 fection itself. 



In the Bee-keeping department we have a Calendar of 

 Operations for every month in the year, with a blank page for 

 each month of the busy season for the jotting-down of memo- 

 randa. The calendar is moat complete and most carefully 

 written. Whoever foUows its instructions with docility can 

 hardly fail of success. It is specially designed for the scien- 

 tific bee-keeper, as we might expect from the pen of Mr. Wood- 

 bury, the first apiarian of the day ; but there is matter of 

 profitable instruction for all — learned or unlearned. There 

 are capital illustrations of the bottle feeder and of the mode 

 of securing and fitting combs to the frame bar. — B. & W. 



METEOROLOGICAL NOTES AT LINTON PARK, 



ICENT, 1807. 



Rain in 

 iuchea. 



J.anuary 3.05 



Februai^ 1-53 



M.arch 8-42 . 



AprU 1-67 



May 2.85 



Jime 0.85 



July 4.53 



August 1-55 



September 1.43 



October ^.65 



November 1.26 



December 2.42 



No. of No. ofJroUji 



rainy days. 



.... 18 



.... 17 



.... 23 



.... 18 



.... 11 



9 



.... 11) 



.... 10 



.... 12 



.... 16 



days. 

 21 



5 

 23 



3 



5 



18 



1 



7 

 10 

 19 



Total 2G71 176 94 



The greatest faU of rain in one day was on July 26th, when 

 1.51 inch fell. The greatest number of consecutive dry days 

 occurred from the 19th of June to the 2nd of July, and also 

 fi-om the 2nd to the 14th of November, both twelve clear days. 



The hottest day was August 14th, thermometer 90'. 



The coldest day was January 5th, thermometer 10". 



The readings of the barometer taken at noon each day, 

 and, consequently, not likely to be either extreme, were as 

 follows : — 



Maximum, 30.42 inches, on March 2nd. 



Minimum, 28.23 inches, on January 8th. 



The winds, as taken at noon show during the year, 

 E, thirteen days; S.E., 24; S., 80 ; S.W., 72; W., 46; 

 N.W., 27 ; N.,Oi) ; N.E., 43 ; and two not determined. _ 



As compared with former years, the rainfall of 1S67 is about 

 half an inch above the average of the preceding twelve years, 

 and the number of rainy days nine in excess. The winds from 

 S., and S.W., have been more prevalent, especially those from 

 the S., while the days on which it blew from N.E. were much 



