126 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August B, 1874. 



competition by' Messrs. James Carter & Co., of London, and 

 Messrs. Charles Sliarpe & Co. , of Sleafor J. The .Judges awarded 

 a first prize to Messrs. Carter & Co., aad a second prize to 

 Messrs. Sharpe & Co. 



A HINT. 



1 AM a youug gardener though an old man. I have been 

 trying the last few years to learn gardening from books, and it 

 is a failure. One reason is, every man writes down only his 

 successes, which of course come out from the adaptation of 

 his system to the circumstances of his garden. Under different 

 circumstances the system, though correctly followed, fails. 

 Persons situated like myself want a chronicle of failures as 

 well as of successes, and, above all, the reason why. In my 

 own case I think the reason why I faD is that my garden is so 

 early. A warm south aspect on the slope of a hill brings fruit 

 trees kito bloom, and makes vegetables of all kinds two or three 

 weeks earlier than with my neighbours, and as a result the late 

 spring frosts destroy all the promise that was displayed. How 

 can I retard the blooming of nearly three hundred trees ? Is 

 it to be done by any method of pruning ? I have my place 

 beautiful with shrubs and flowers, and the kitchen garden is 

 fairly productive, but I cannot manage to get any outdoor 

 fruit except against a wall. I have put in bushes, pyramids, 

 and oordous, and at every purchase the nurseryman has assured 

 me tho trees would bring fruit enough the first year to pay 

 the cost. 



I do not know why I should bother you with this, but as I 

 was writing you it seemed to come from my pen of itself. I 

 daresay another gardener would succeed better, but my man 

 suits me in so many ways I must keep him, even though I lose 

 my fruit by it. Still, if you could give a hint how to keep 

 back by pruning or in any other way the blooming of my trees, 

 I think I should stand a better chance of ripening some fruit. 

 — J. W. Pewtrbss, 



ME. T. APPLEBY. 



On reading your account of the distressing circumstances 

 under which our valued old friend and instructor Mr. Appleby 

 is now placed, I forwarded at once, by your advice then ex- 

 pressed, a small contribution to his address. 



If a tithe of your readers who year after year have profited 

 by the practical cool horticultural wisdom of poor Appleby 

 would do the same, an amount might be contributed more 

 than necessary to stave oft the cruel distress of the present 

 moment until his expected relief becomes available. 



Mr. Appleby was, I believe, one of the first to encourage and 

 foster a higher moral tone amongst the young men placed 

 under or with him by his example, conversation, and instruc- 

 tion. Such things are now happily more common than they 

 were; but, doubtless, this consideration alone may influence 

 many a kind heart ia sending the sovereign or half-sovereign, 

 or the humbler half-crown, by both high and low, rich or poor, 

 of his old friends, readers, and approvers. 



Iq cases like the present, bis dat qui cito dat. Send off, 

 brother gardeners, your mite at once. — B. T. C. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



HABDY FBCIT GABDEN. 



We have just finished summer-pruning the pyramid and dwarf 

 fruit trees. Apple, Pear, and Cherry trees are exceedingly 

 healthy, and the crops of all three are fully up to the average. 

 As much cannot be said for the Plums ; the trees are bearing a 

 miserable crop, and have likewise suffered severely from the 

 attacks of aphis, and no variety seems to have escaped. Some 

 of the earliest Apples and Pears have been gathered. Early 

 Margaret, Irish Peach, and Rod Astrachan are the earliest. The 

 last-named is a fine-looking Apple, and would be selected as the 

 best by outward appearance ; it is, liovvever, somewhat too acid 

 to be classed as a dessert Apple. Of Pears, Doyenne d'Ete and 

 Jargonelle out of doors are ready for use. In the orchard house 

 Beurre GifEard has furnished some very fine fruit. This is a 

 most est elleut .summer Pear, ripening with Jargonelle or slightly 

 before that variety. We make either two or three gatherings of 

 Pears, which considerably prolongs the season of them. Were 

 the fruit all to be picked at once, such varieties as are named 

 above would not bo in use more than a week or ten days. 



Planted-out the young Strawberry plants which had been de- 

 tached from the parsnta a week before. When it is possible to 

 do so, the ground that is to receive the plants is not cropped 

 previously — not that it would be much harm in good deep loam, 



but in our dry gravelly soil a crop of early Potatoes or early 

 Peas thoroughly abstracts the moisture from the ground, and 

 unless we trench and manure heavily after the crops are taken 

 off, the Strawberry plants do not succeed to our satisfaction. 

 On the other hand, when the ground has lain fallow since the 

 spring months, it is in the very best condition to receive the 

 plants, and success is then a positive certainty. As usual, some 

 of the new sorts have been tried, but there is nothing which 

 comes up to our old standard varieties in the primary quality, 

 flavour. Auguste Nicaise, a seedling raised by Dr. Nioaise, is a 

 very free-bearing sort; the fruit, very large and even in size, is 

 the best that has been tried this year. Sir Joseph Paxton has 

 been exceedingly fine this season, but unfortunately it is one 

 that will not succeed in our soil, and being very subject to 

 mildew was discarded. At the great Exhibition held m Mr. 

 Quilter's grounds, Birmingham, all the prizes were awarded to it ; 

 the dish that was first being fine indeed. President and Keens' 

 Seedling are the sorts that succeed best with us in the dark- 

 coloured section. Again, in the light-coloured Pine-flavoured 

 section, one of the very best varieties. Dr. Hogg, also faile<l to 

 maintain its character, though those who have suitable soil to 

 grow it in place it at the head of the list. British Queen, con- 

 sidered by some more difficult to grow than the other, invariably 

 gives us a good crop of fine fruit. The plants are put out 2 feet 

 apart, except the small-growiug sorts, for which 20 inches each 

 way is sufficient. A small portion of rich loam is placed round 

 the roots of each plant, making it quite firm, and leaving a 

 slight depression around each plant for the purpose of retaining 

 the water if it is necessary to apply it artificially. Eed spider 

 had also attacked the leaves, to destroy which they were dipped 

 in a pail of water in which soft soap and tobacco had been dis- 

 solved. If Broccoli would succeed with us, the ground where 

 the Strawberry plants had grown would be planted with it, and 

 as this vegetable likes compact soil to root into, no digging ia 

 necessary ; the plants may be let into the ground with a crowbar, 



FBUIT .IND FOECINO HOUSES. 



Vineries. — It matters but little whether the season is wet or 

 dry, hot or cold, in our dry soil red spider will surely appear 

 in the vineries, and unless preventive measures are promptly 

 applied the leaves are destroyed before they have performed 

 their work. How to destroy the red spider without injuring the 

 leaves or disfiguring the fruit, is a question of considerable im- 

 portance. Syringing the leaves will destroy it, if the wateri s 

 applied with force and periodically. But then what about the 

 fruit 1 The beautiful bloom, which is the principal point in well- 

 grown Grapes, is quite destroyed, and the fruit is not fit to be 

 seen on an exhibition table, or on any other. Sulphur applied 

 to the hot-water pipes will destroy the red spider ; but hero 

 again there is considerable risk of the fruit becoming rusty, for 

 unless the fumes of the sulphur are moderately strong the pest 

 will not be killed. Another plan we have tried, and when it is 

 done by a careful person it is the most effective for the de- 

 struction of the spider, and for the preservation of the Grapes. 

 It must also be practised on the first appearance of red spider. 

 All leaves attacked are sponged over with water in which soft 

 soap has been dissolved, and if the insect has spread pretty 

 well over the house there is much difficulty in destroying it; 

 also keep from rubbing or letting water drop on the bunches 

 and so disfiguring them. Lateral growths have been freely pro- 

 duced, and we lilce to see these come pretty strong, as it is a 

 sure sign that the Vines are not overcropped. Of course they 

 are removed as soon as convenient. We are fortunately free 

 from one plague this season, and that not a small one — viz., 

 wasps and bluebottle flies. Various methods have been tried to 

 destroy them, and also to keep them from the bunches. The 

 bunches have been tied-up in paper and medicated bags ; brt 

 by far the best way, indeed there is none other satisfactory, ia 

 to keep the flies out of the house, and this can be easily done by 

 putting gauze over the ventilators. Placing the bunches in 

 bags effectually spoils their appearance. 



PI..iNT STOVE. 



Many of the occupants of this structure are much benefited if 

 they are removed to a cool house or even out of doors during the 

 mouths of July and August. If Ixoras and Gardenias are in- 

 fested with mealy bug place them in the greenhouse, where, if 

 they are thoroughly syringed twice daily, this pest will be 

 eradicated, and the plants will flower much more freely the 

 following season when they are allowed to ripen their wood in 

 an airy house. 



Bougainvillea glabra is classed as a stove climber, but when 

 well established the plants should be placed out of doors during 

 the months indicated, and be wintered in the greenhouse. It 

 may be said that a plant that will bear such treatment cannot 

 be considered a stove plant at all ; indeed, the only claim that 

 it has to be classed as such is, that the plant is improved by 

 being placed in heat in the early spring months. But many 

 other plants that are usually in the catalogues as greenhouse 

 subjects are better with the same treatment. Stitice Holfordii 

 is a very fine greenhouse plant, perhaps one of the best of the 

 Statice family, but we have not been able to grow it well with- 



