80 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 28, 1875. 



np with tying or nailing, and one reason why time sbonld be 

 taken by the forelock ia, that it is not possible to do it either in 

 wet or cold weather. Men cannot stand on a ladder or at the 

 base of a wall and drive nails if they are shivering with cold ; 

 they should in cold weather have diggini; or trenching to go to 

 before breakfast in the morning or towards dusk in the evening. 

 We have known men nailing Morello Cherries behind a north 

 wall, and cut their fingers nearly to the bone, and not know of 

 the accident until they saw the blood streaming from the wound. 

 We are now getting more into summer pruning for fruit trees, 

 and there is no reason if time can be spared why much of the 

 nailing should not be done in the autumn. It is simply bad 

 management to lay-in a large quantity of young wood in the 

 summer months, to cut it out in winter; if no more young wood 

 is laid-in than is required for the purposes of fruit-bearing (and 

 not a single shoot more ought to be laid-in than, with a system 

 of summer pruning carried out as it ought to be), the labour 

 required now would be a mere tithe of what is in too many 

 instances required. 



Peach trees ought to be taken down from the walls eveiy 

 year, and if necessary the branches should be washed, and if 

 the old nails are used again they ought to be roasted first. 

 New shreds should be used, and it is very often necessary to 

 cut out a few of the lowest branches and bring down some of 

 the others in their place. A tree is generally furnished with 

 five or seven main branches; these ought to be iiailed-in first, 

 the smaller and fruit-bearing branches being regularly disposed 

 between. Plum, Apricot, and Cherry trees are usually trained 

 in the same way, but it is not at all necessary to undo the 

 fastenings of them. We have seen Pear trees trained in many 

 different ways ; but where there is a fancy for variety, the best 

 is the oblique cordon single or double. If single, the trees to be 

 planted 18 inches apart; if double, 3 feet, trained at an angle 

 of 45°. For high walls and large gardens where a supply of 

 first-class fruit is the main object, plant your trees 20 or 24 feet 

 apart, one main branch to be trained vertically, side branches 

 being trained 9 inches apart; the side growths will not start 

 exactly opposite to each other, but they must be brought oppo- 

 site before taking a horizontal position. The severe weather 

 early in the month prevented planting; all ours was finished 

 last week. The trees had been carefully lifted in the nursery, 

 and were a mass of healthy fibrous roots, the main roots not 

 having received any injury. The trees were selected in the 

 nursery, not because they were the beat-looking trees, but 

 because they had been transplanted the previous season. Hand- 

 some healthy-looking trees might have been purchased at a 

 cheaper rate, but when sent home the roots would have pre- 

 sented a very different appearance. If large trees are bought, 

 stipulate that they have been transplanted the previous season. 

 Each tree had a barrowful of decayed fibrous loam placed round 

 the roots. 



Just a word about planting wall trees. The main stem should 

 not be quite close to the wall, but about 3 inches from it. Do 

 not nail or prune the tree Jiutil the buds are uumistakeably 

 swelling. 



FOKCING HOUSES. 



Early Vineries. — The first house has broken regularly, and 

 the shoots are very strong. The night temperature is now 65°. 

 Our plan is to water the borders thoroughly about four or five 

 times. The second watering has been given, about as much 

 haying been applied as would cover the ground to the depth of 

 2 incbes. The young shoots are being pinched two leaves 

 beyond the fruit and carefully tied-down to the wires. The 

 tying must be done with great care, as it is always the strongest 

 and best growths that are most likely to snap. Such a variety 

 as Golden Champion can only be trusted in the most careful 

 hands. One growth only should be trained from each spur, 

 and the spurs should not be closer to each other than 15 inches, 

 BO that it is frequently necessary to thin the buds out on young 

 wood, but managing so that the growths are as nearly opposite 

 to each other as possible. We shut-up early, and admit air at 

 the apex of the roof the first thing in the morning in fine 

 weather. 



Ciicumher Bb!(se.— Half of the plants failed entirely this 

 winter, the other portion planted with Blue Gown is now doing 

 well. During the last four or five years the same stock has been 

 kept true by striking cuttings, but in time the constitution fails 

 and must be re-invigorated by raising seedlings. The plants 

 from seeds sown in December have been grown-on in pots near 

 the glass, and have been planted-out in good condition. The 

 variety is Tender and True. The night temperature is kept at 

 1)5°, but a margin is allowed of 3° or 4° either way according 

 to the weather. Sowed Melons, Tomatoes, and Capsicums in 

 bottom heat in the Cucumber house. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



The Peach and Nectarine trees have been removed into the 

 house. They have been plunged over the rims of the pots out 

 of doors since early in October. The fruit buds are very promi- 

 nent and thickly studded over the young wood. We have always 

 advocated removing the trees out of doors ; and as a proof that 



they receive no injury thereby but are benefited by it, the roots 

 work up into the rich top-dressing, and if not taken out of the 

 material before March they form a network of roots in the fibre 

 over the pot. Other growers in this district leave their trees 

 out later — in fact till just before the blossoms open : this is to 

 keep the trees as late as possible, so that the flowers may not be 

 injured by spring frosts. We are not very particular about this, 

 as the house is heated, and, the pipes being connected to a 

 boiler that is always at work, the expense for fuel Is a mere 

 trifle. We have also found that brown scale does not like ex- 

 posure to the winter frosts, and that the trees are comparatively 

 free from insect pests under the treatment. The trees have now 

 to be looked over and any dead or superfluous branches cut off. 

 The pots do not require water for ten days or so after being 

 brought in, and afterwards water must be carefully applied until 

 the trees start into growth. Strawberries on the shelves require 

 but little water ; looking over them once in a week is sufficient. 

 As we do not wish the trees to flower early, all the ventilators 

 are opened in the daytime but shut at night, as, even though 

 there may be no signs of frost at dusk, a change sometimes 

 occurs in the night, as it did on Tuesday, when a sadden change 

 caused the thermometer to fall to 29°. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The question was put to us by an ardent amateur, " How must 

 I do to have my Camellias in flower early ? " He had been 

 forcing them in heat, and the result was that the buds, instead 

 of swelling more rapidly as he very naturally expected, began 

 to drop off. Now, to have Camellias in flower before Christmas 

 the plants must be placed in heat, say in April, to make their 

 wood, and kept there until the buds are set, when they may 

 again be removed to the greenhouse. The most useful plants 

 to continue the supply of flowers at this time are Cyclamens, 

 Cinerarias, and Chinese Primroses (Primula sinensis). They 

 will continue to flower all through the winter months. The 

 Cyclamens must be carefully attended to, aa damp affects the 

 leaves and flowers in all sorts of weather. Damp round the 

 necks of Primulas must be checked with lime dust as soon aa 

 perceived. Our Cinerarias are grown for decorative purposes 

 only. Those who are cultivating for exhibition must now be 

 very attentive to their plants. Every alternate watering should 

 be with weak liquid-manure water. The plants must be close 

 to the glass where the air from the ventilators plays freely 

 amongst the leaves. The shoots must be carefully tied out to a 

 wire fastened to the rim of the pot, or to neat sticks. As our 

 forced flowers have not come in yet, the above with the perpe- 

 tual-flowering Carnations are exceedingly useful. Of course 

 Epacrises and winter-flowering Heaths furnish their quota. — 

 J. Douglas. 



PROVINCIAL HORTICULTUEAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Secretaries will obUge us by informing us o! the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle. — Sprinq Seed Guide, 



Dicksons & Co., 1, Waterloo Place, fedinburgh. — Descriptive 

 Catalogue of Select Fruit Trees, dc. 



W. Barron & Sons, IG, Market Street, Nottingham. — Vegetahle, 

 Agricultural, and Flower Seeds, it-c. 



Bruuniug & Co., 1, Market Place, Great Yarmouth. — Illus- 

 trative and Descriptive Seed Catalogue. 



G. C. Short, Market Place, Stokesley. — Descriptive Catalogue 

 of Choice Seeds. 



' B. R. Davis, Middle Street, TeovU. — Illustrated Catalogue of 

 Vegetable and other Seeds. 



E. P. Dixon, 57, Queen Street, Hull. — Descriptive Catalogue 

 of Seeds. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to " The Publisher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will wi'ite privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so aubjeots them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Books (A. C. Strain). — There is no publication on Auriculas with coloured 

 plates. The gentleman you came has not published any work on floriculture. 

 (F. J.). — " The Hamty-book of the Flower Garden" is published by Messrs, 

 Blackwood. {Amatfitr). — For common llowers. vegetables, Ac, " The Garden 

 Manual." If you enclose twenty post-oflice stamps with your address you 

 can have it post free from our office. [E. 3. D.). — Lindley's " Flora Medica " 

 gives such information as you need. Longman & Co. are the publishers. 

 Price la«. 



Apple Trees Cankeued (T. Williams). — The roots of yoor young trees 

 have reached the red >andy ironstone subsoil, and the soil above boinj; heavy 

 is retentive of water — both circumstances productive of canker. Cut away 

 the roots that have descended, and slightly top-dress the surface over the 

 roots with manure every sprin;; to induce the roots to keep near the siuface. 



