Jannary 15, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



51 



enongh for exhibition. But tliat a Tea Rose, even in tlie 

 highest perfection, shouUl have a double exhibition value 

 assigned to it, or, as Mr. Camm says, two points to the others' 

 one, would be to give a sort of mathematical precision to 

 Rose-judging which it is not susceptible of. The science of 

 judging Roses has not yet become a deductive science ; it is 

 still an empiricism, and it will be some time before absolute 

 certainty is arrived at in all its aspects. 



It is quite consistent with fairness that the judges should 

 not pass unnoticed the arrangement and symmetry of the 

 whole stand, comparing such with its competitors; but in my 

 opinion distribution of colour should have precedence over 

 uniformity of size. Artistic taste is not always satisfied with 

 seeing the most charming of flowers set-up like a squad of 

 volunteers at drill. I am one of a very few, perhaps, entirely 

 at issue wich the present mode of exhibiting Roses, but to 

 enter upon this question now would be too great a digression. 



I wish to add one remark on size. Granted, however, that 

 large Roses are desirable, they are always admired and some- 

 times wondered at ; but it should be remembered that there 

 are yet very few varieties naturally large with all the perfection 

 of Charles Lefebvre, Baroness de Rothschild, Marechal Niel, 

 and Marquise de Castellane. There are undoubtedly many 

 large Roses in cultivation, and even monstrosities, but most 

 of them are either flat, unsymmetrical, coarse in petal, de- 

 ficient in colour, or otherwise objectionable ; while there is a 

 multitude of others of surpassing excellence, which, though 

 not naturally so large as the kinds named above, neverthe- 

 less form the body of every Rose exhibition. To set-up a 

 fictitious standard of size, thereby inciting amateurs and 

 exhibitors to aim at producing abnormal flowers, to over- 

 stimulate and kill thek plants, inducing hypertrophy and a 

 moiety of the plagues of Egypt among them, cannot tend to 

 a healthy promotion of Rose culture. — A. H. Kent. 



WINTEE-DRESS TOUB FRUIT TREES. 



This is no advertisement. I have nothing to sell. I merely 

 wish to point out what a vast deal of time, anxiety, and per- 

 haps fruit (if the midsummer frosts do not come again) can be 

 saved by timely attention to the trees in wmter. I suppose no 

 good gardener now believes in late pruning; all should be 

 finished at the first opportunity after the principal leaves 

 have fallen, and most of it ought to be done before that 

 time. The worst time is undoubtedly just when the buds are 

 swelling. 



As soon as the pruning is finished no time should be lost in 

 taking care of the fruit buds that remain. Bullfinches I see 

 are getting more numerous than ever ; they will soon make an 

 onslaught on the Cherries and Plums if left to themselves. 

 Eggs of aphides may be seen clustered round the buds of Peach 

 and other trees in the most sheltered positions ; and red 

 spider, if not seen now, will soon make its appearance when 

 the trees begin to grow. Now is the time to battle against all 

 these enemies with a chance of victory. Leave it till the spring 

 when the buds are beginning to swell, if the bullfinches have 

 left any, and probably you may not get rid of your small 

 tormentors all the summer, certainly not till your trees are 

 damaged more or less. The insects will seem to be in the 

 buds as they open, and will grow faster than the buds ; the 

 young leaves will be crippled and curled, and form a com- 

 fortable home from whicla you can scarcely dislodge them 

 without removing or damaging some of the leaves, and the 

 consequence will be that the best part of the spring will be 

 past before you get a healthy shoot. If after that your wood 

 ripens in autumn, you are fortunate. 



There are many mixtures recommended for dressing fruit 

 trees, some of which kill the insects, some lull the trees, and 

 others kill both if used as directed by the vendors. The 

 following is the best I have tried ; it can be made by anyone, 

 is quite harmless, and as far as my experience goes, bii'ds will 

 not touch it. The ingredients are a quarter-peck or more of 

 quite fresh quicklime, a pint of sulphur, and 1;} lb. soft soap. 

 Choose lime that weighs very lightly, dip a few of the lumps 

 in or sprinkle with water (hot water is the quickest in action), 

 and place in a bucket or other vessel ; sprinkle a little of the 

 sulphur thinly over it, then add more lime just damp enough 

 to slack, and more sulphur on the top of it, repeating this tQl 

 all the sulphur is used. When the lime is slacked it will be 

 seen that the sulphur is quite tlissolved, and is scarcely visible, 

 except in the darker colour it has given to the lime. The 

 quantity of lime used is not important, so long as there is 



sufficient to dissolve the sulphur. The soft soap should^be 

 dissolved separately, aud afterwards mixed with the lime and 

 sulphur, and sufficient water added to make three gallons in 

 all. If the mixture is not thick enough to apply with a brush, 

 clay or more lime may bo added ; if the glaring white is ob- 

 jected to, mix soot with it. If mixed in the way I have described 

 aud applied in dry weather, no amount of rain will wash it oft ; 

 but if hme is used that has been some time exposed to the air, 

 the sulphur will not properly dissolve, aud the first shower 

 will wash all away. 



It is necessary to caution my readers against dissolving the 

 sulphur in a house containing plants in a growing state, the 

 gas emitted will burn up every leaf just as completely as if 

 tire had been used. I have, however, never found trees injured 

 from being painted with this mixture ; it is only the sulphurous' 

 gas that is dangerous, and that, probably, would not injure 

 plants in a dormant state. — W. Tailoe. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN.— No. 4. 



In this paper I purpose making a few remarks upon the 

 extent of kitchen-garden ground likely to be required among 

 those for whom I write. There may be a difficulty in laying 

 down a rule for one and all, but I doubt not that I shall be 

 able to say sufficient to afford some guide to those who may 

 require a few hints. 



One of the first considerations is the number of persons to 

 be supplied from the garden, and next is the style of living, 

 which varies considerably according to the company entertained 

 and parties given. There is a great difference, too, in indivi- 

 duals as regards the consumption of vegetables, for while 

 some families require a large quantity others consume com- 

 paratively little. Of fruits of different kinds I believe the 

 consumption is more equal, for there are few, if any, who do 

 not like to have all the fruit that can be grown in gardens such 

 as I am writing about, especially of Gooseberries, Currants, 

 Raspberries, &c. Again, some persons have a fancy for par- 

 ticular vegetables. Asparagus or Sea-kale for instance ; and if 

 forced supplies of these are required from Christmas onwards, 

 much more space will be needed for their cultivation than if 

 they were only to be used at their natural season. In fact 

 the vegetable luxuries indulged in, and the length of time 

 during which they are required, will be some guide to the 

 extent of ground needed for their growth. One or two other 

 things must be taken into consideration. For instance, some 

 soils are not so fertile as others, aud will not produce the same 

 quantity on a given space or of such good quality ; this, how- 

 ever, I do not think a very great difficulty, as soils can be much 

 improved and made more productive by a judicious system of 

 cultivation. 



Before settling upon the extent of the garden proper it 

 should be ascertained whether the coarsest of the vegetables, 

 as the main crops of Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, and the like, 

 are to be grown in an outside slip of ground or in a field ; 

 many proprietors of smaU gardens either do that or purchase 

 such supplies, so that this makes a material difference in the 

 size of the garden to be formed. I am no advocate for en- 

 closing more ground than is required, rather would I err the 

 other way, for it is a question in many places when such is 

 the case whether, under good management, a smaller garden 

 would not supply everything required, and a large garden not 

 fully cropped looks anything but well ; besides, it oft'ers an in- 

 ducement to crop the spare ground with something that may 

 prejudicially affect its fertihty. For instance, I have known 

 more than one garden where the vacant ground has been planted 

 with forest trees, such as Chestnuts, Ash, Beech, and Oak, and 

 almost every particle of nutriment taken out of it. When 

 this ground is again wanted for vegetables they are found not 

 to thrive satisfactorily, the mistake is discovered, and much 

 time and expense incurred in restoring fertility 



Mr. C. Mcintosh, when writing on the subject years ago, states 

 that to every four grown-up persons a rood of ground should 

 be allotted, and so far as my experience goes I have no reason 

 to doubt his estimate ; therefore a garden enclosing an acre 

 of ground may be set-up as one of very fair size for an amateur. 

 Of course the extent may be less or greater as circumstances 

 dictate, but I am not calculating that all gentlemen would 

 wish to indulge in every garden luxury provided in families of 

 rank; but in an acre of ground one might have his little green- 

 house and vinery, a small pit and frames, and if Potatoes aud 

 some other common vegetables are provided elsewhere, there 

 will be employment for one active man constantly, with perhaps 



