402 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURK AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ May 25, 1876. 



The night temperature should not be higher than G0°. Rosea 

 that are produoed very early in the year in a high temperature 

 are not of good quality, the petals are usually very thin and 

 deficient in colour. When the young growths have advanced 

 a few inches if they are too thickly placed they may be thinned 

 cut, as crowded wood tends to produce small leaves and pro- 

 portionately sized flowers. 



If the plants are in vigorous growth and the flower buds are 

 formed, manure water should be applied to them. Cow manure 

 soaked in water and the water allowed to stand until it is 

 clear, is very good, but it must not be too strong; apply it 

 weak and often. A little guano or blood manure may be 

 sprinkled on the surface of the soil, the waterings will wash 

 it in. Manure water is excellent for promoting healthy growth, 

 which results in a deeper colour to both foliage and flowers. 

 Many varieties do not require flower-sticks, others do. Osiers 

 are as neat as anything, and they ought to be cut and suffi- 

 ciently dried so that they will not grow when the ends are 

 inserted in the pot. 



In all probability green fly will appear on the leaves, but 

 this must be destroyed at once by fumigation. MUdew must 

 also be watched for, and the aiieoted parts dusted with sulphur. 

 It is aleo very desirable to dew the plants overhead with a 

 fine syringe night and morning. If the tiny dewdrops hang 

 like beads to the edges of the leaves in the morning it is a 

 sign that the moisture in the atmosphere is suiEcient, and the 

 plants will be sure to thrive. 



Lists of Roses are so often given that it is almost unneces- 

 sary for me to give one, and the readers of the Journal will no 

 doubt look out for those sorts that are in the prize lists. The 

 Bourbon and Hybrid China Roses are not much grown in pots 

 now. Charles Lawson may yet be seen in collections, but 

 Coupe d'Hube and Paul Ricaut that used to be much grown 

 are thrown in the shade by the Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals. 

 A few of the best forcing Roses are, in Teas — Adam, Alba rosea. 

 Belle Lyonnaise, Cheshunt Hybrid, Devoniensis, HomCre, La 

 Boule d'Or, Madame Falcot, Madame Jules Margottin, Ma- 

 dame Willermoz, Marechal Niel, Marie Van Houtte, Niphetos, 

 President, Safrano, Souvenir d'un Ami, Vicomtesse de Cazes. 

 The best Hybrid Perpetuals are Alfred Colomb, Anna Alexieff, 

 Beauty of Waltham, Bessie Johnson, Coquette des Blanches, 

 Countess of Oxford, Duke of Edinburgh, Etienne Levet, General 

 Jacqueminot, John Hopper, Jules Margottin, La France, 

 Madame la Baronne de Rothschild, Madame Victor Verdier, 

 Madame Eugenie Verdier, Prince Camille de Rohan, Paul 

 Verdier, Princess Beatrice, Star of Waltham, Victor Verdier, 

 Princess Christian, and Marquise de Mortemart. — J. Douaus. 



SUMMEE PEUNING OP FRUIT TREES. 



PEAE, APPLE, CHEKRT, PLUM. 



The summer-pruning of fruit trees when well and timely 

 done promotes health, vigour, and fertility — it maintains a 

 just balance between wood growth and fruit growth, pro- 

 moting yet restricting such growth in the best and highest 

 degree. It prevents waste of vigour, devoting the precious sap 

 out of which every part of the tree is formed — stem, leaves, 

 buds, blossom, fruit — to the formation of a wood growth short- 

 jointed, sturdy, and robust, bristling with blossom buds. Thus 

 the growth is turned to its legitimate purpose, the produc- 

 tion of fruit of the highest excellence in the greatest possible 

 abundance in a given space. How is this done ? I have before 

 now tried to explain theprocess, but the inquiries of " F. J." 

 convince me that I must be more explicit. 



Let us begin at the beginning. All fruit trees have branches ; 

 let us take one of them and explain its treatment, and the 

 lesson will be applicable to the entire tree of whatever form it 

 may be. Now the branch has two distinct growths, the main 

 or leading shoot forming the branch itself, and the lateral or 

 side shoots forming the spurs. The annual elongation of the 

 leading shoot should not exceed 18 inches nor be much under 

 a foot according to the habit of the tree, very robust growth 

 reaching the maximum, slender growth being confined to the 

 minimum, or even within its limit. Neither of these lengths 

 consist of one clean shoot but of parts of two growths. The 

 first part or spring growth being pruned or pinched off at 

 6 or 9 inches ; and the second or midsummer growth, left to 

 grow unchecked till the beginning of September, is then 

 twisted at a point slightly beyond the prescribed length, and 

 the end left attached to the branch and hanging downwards 

 till it is removed in the winter pruning. 



What is our object in this part of the process ? Just this — 



to induce a prompt formation and an even distribution of 

 lateral growth or side shoots along the entire length of the 

 branch, to which end we pinch off the tip of the spring shoot, 

 and BO checking the upward flow of sap we divert it into other 

 channels, as is shown by the increasing size of each leaf and 

 the lateral bud at its base which so promptly follows the 

 pinching. But we do more than this, for we gain at least a 

 year in every season of growth, no mean result of our manipu- 

 lation being that we induce the tree to do the work of two 

 seasons in one ; and in the treatment of young trees we may 

 go even farther than this, and claim to effect the work of 

 several seasons in one by the rapid formation of fruiting buds 

 which we induce. 



In our treatment of the side shoots we proceed upon the 

 same principle, only with this advantage — that as each exten- 

 sion is limited to about an inch, often less, we are enabled to 

 effect a little more by proceeding in this way. When the 

 shoots are long enough to have become somewhat stout and 

 stable at the base they are shortened to one or two eyes, which 

 in a very favourable season push into growth so promptly that 

 the second growth may also be pinched in a similar manner, 

 and then the third shoots are left like the leading shoot till 

 September, and twisted downwards near the base. 



There are two points of importance here to which I wish to 

 draw especial attention. First, the young shoots are not 

 pinched till they are tolerably stout at the base, hasty and 

 indiscriminate pinching inducing a crowded, weakly, barren 

 growth, and totally defeating the object in view; but then I 

 much fear that those who do their work in such a heedless 

 fashion are a sort of purblind folk with no particular end or 

 aim in view ; they have been told that summer pinching is good 

 for the trees, and so they pinch and pinch, but injuriously. 



The other point is this — whether the second growth may be 

 pinched or left to grow unchecked till September, when it is 

 twisted downwards, must depend entirely upon the season 

 itself. With a very forward spring a third shoot becomes 

 really possible, and should certainly be had ; but in a late 

 season like the present it will be much wiser to rest content 

 with two distinct growths, pruning the first and twisting the 

 second, for if a third growth is encouraged this year the 

 result will probably be an abortive crop of weakly unripe 

 shoots which with the wood from which they spring would 

 have to be pruned entirely away, and thus instead of sturdy 

 well-ripened spurs bristling with plump buds, we should have 

 a lot of miserable stumps and destroy the work of an entire 

 season. 



These hints apply very generally and with considerable force 

 to the fruits enumerated at the head of this paper. They 

 should, however, be regarded as elastic, exceptional cases so 

 frequently arising whiuh must be treated solely upon their 

 own merits. The work is an interesting and withal a profit- 

 able one, and I am obliged to " F. J." for the opportunity he 

 has afforded me of entering more fully into its details. — 

 Edward LocKHnssT. 



THE METROPOLITAN FLORAL SOCIETY. 



As I have been aeked many questions relative to this Society 

 I may perhaps, as having been its Secretary during the few 

 years of its brief existence, interest not only those who have 

 aeked me about it, but others also, if I give a short account of 

 this latest and probably last attempt to encourage the growth 

 of florists' flowers in and around the metropolis. 



The Society was founded in 1870, and had for its object the 

 encouragement of those flowers popularly known as florists' 

 flowers — the Pansy, Tulip, Auricula, Pink, Carnation, Picotee, 

 Gladiolus, Hollyhock, and Ranunculus. Roses were excluded, 

 as it was considered to be so popular, so much a flower sui 

 generis, that it was well able to stand alone, receiving plenty 

 of encouragement, whereas the others were simply excluded 

 except from a few prizes at the Royal Horticultural Society. 

 It was not intended from the very first to hold separate or 

 distinct shows — that was felt to be impossible, but to avail 

 ourselves of the exhibitions already existing, and to offer suit- 

 able prizes at the Royal Horticultural Society and Crystal 

 Palace, while it was thought possible to induce the Directors 

 of the latter place to revive their autumn show if we gave a 

 considerable sum. Circulars were drawn up and an influential 

 committee appointed — by influential I mean men interested 

 in flowers and anxious to further our objects. We received in 

 subscriptions from forty-nine persons the sum of £69 Us., 

 but of these forty-nine persons there were only twenty who 



