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JOUBNAL OF EOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER, 



( January 22, 1874. 



when a plant is forced into an extra luxuriant and abnormal 

 growth in its early stages, that it is at the sacrifice of its 

 permanent welfare. We prefer a more steady, sturdy growth 

 at the beginning — a sound foundation, and in this I think we 

 are wise; I have certainly seen finer, better, and more really 

 sound and healthy large specimens of both Camellias and 

 Azaleas in England than came under my notice " over the 

 water." StUl, the young stuff of our continental neighbours 

 grows with marvellous freedom, and their larger plants are 

 wonderfully healthy, so that what we regard as plethora here 

 is not so to the same extent there. 



There is no doubt that the Belgians treat the Camellia 

 generously. We may think they err on the side of Uberal 

 diet, but they think we err on the other side — starvation. 

 Possibly the true line is the old one, a medium between the 

 two extremes. There is very little doubt but that thousands 

 of Camellias have been starved out of existence by being con- 

 fined in a bare larder — a poverty-stricken soO — and having in- 

 sufficient supplies of water. The Belgians water copiously, and 

 occasionally (about once a- week the grower told me), give weak 

 cow-dung water, but their main dependance is on a full and 

 free — almost lavish — supply of the pure element. With good 

 drainage it is surprising the amount of water the Camellia will 

 not only endure but delight in. The fleshy rootlets can brook 

 no drought — not much more than can those of the Hyacinth ; 

 and if these rootlets are once permitted to shrivel, the emis- 

 sion of fresh ones is slow and stubborn work and, in the 

 meantime, the plant loses health not easy to regain. Than a 

 healthy Camellia nothing is much easier to keep healthy ; than 

 a sickly one few things are less easy to cure. But the Belgians 

 have a leaf eoU which we have not, or at any rate which is not 

 common amongst us. In this the Camellia roots with extra- 

 ordinary freedom, and it is thus endued, especially in its young 

 state, with a remarkable hue of health. The leaf soil, it is 

 evident, contains food in plenty, and easily digestible to the 

 young plant ; its lasting nutrition is another matter, and the 

 point is open to conjecture. The plants, however, are mostly 

 young when distributed, and the amateur purchaser is too 

 often mortified to watch them change from ivy green to the 

 unwelcome tint of waning health. PlantB such as those re- 

 ferred to are coming over to England in large numbers, and will 

 be killed by hundreds, but their owners part with them hardly. 



I have letters on this point pressing for information. 

 This must be my reply to them ; These foreign Camellias will 

 not stand a dry greenhouse shelf at once, and the soil not 

 watered until the pot rings to the knuckles. Stand them on 

 the floor for a time, and keep it moist. Water freely and 

 syringe frequently for a week or two, adapting them to their 

 changed circumstances by easy gradations. Let them remain 

 in the same [soil until they have made their fresh growth. 

 There would seem to be, in the minds of many, an irresistible 

 propensity to pick away the soil from a plant the moment it 

 comes from any nursery. There is a vague notion that it is 

 not right and they must " give it fresh." This, in nine eases 

 out of ten, is a mistake. One check at a time is enough. Do 

 not, therefore, be in haste to add to a change of temperature 

 and atmosphere a change of soil, and run the risk of giving 

 wor?e than you take away into the bargain. The older a man 

 grows, and the more experience he has, the more will he be 

 disposed to repose confidence in a trusty man, and such are all 

 our nurserymen of reputation. Trust their soil, then, and 

 give it at least a few weeks' grace, and it will be better for 

 seller's fame, buyer's temper, and the plant's health. I must, 

 however, defer a notice of fifty thousand Gloxinias in bloom 

 and an acre of Azaleas for another paper. — J. Weight. 



KEEPING FETJITS. 



To grow good fruit requires a thorough knowledge of the 

 subject, both as regards the pruning, pinching, and training of 

 the branches, and the management of the roots. If the latter 

 are in unsuitable soil, or that which has not been properly 

 cultivated, or if the soil has been overdosed with rich manures, 

 success is very uncertain. But the subject of this paper is not 

 to show how to grow good fruit, but to give a few hints to 

 amateurs and others as to the best way to preserve it in good 

 condition. 



It ought to be the aim of all cultivators of fruit to continue 

 the supply of it for as long a period as possible. Gooseberries, 

 Strawberries, Cherries, Easpberries, and all similar small fruits 

 can have their season prolonged by planting in different situa- 

 tions ; or if this is not possible, a selection should be made of 



sorts that ripen at different periods. For instance : If early, 

 midseason, and late Gooseberries are planted in a position 

 fully exposed to the sun there will be a succession of fruit ; 

 the early varieties will be gathered before the late sorts come 

 in ; but if in addition to this a few bushes of some late variety 

 that hangs well, such as the Warrington, can be planted under 

 a north wall, a further advantage will be gained. Red and 

 ■^Tiite Currants may be grown as bushes in the kitchen gar- 

 den, and Morello Cherries as pyramids ; but the same fruits 

 do remarkably weU, and the fruit hangs much longer on the 

 trees, if they are planted against a wall facing the north. In 

 warm seasons some of the choicer fruits will ripen well on a. 

 north wall, in some instances exceedingly fine Apricots have 

 been gathered from such a position. Of course it would not 

 do to plant there for a certain crop of this fruit. 



Besides planting in early and late positions, it is often neces- 

 sary to have recourse to nets to protect the fruit from the 

 depredations of birds and wasps. Haythorn's hexagon net& 

 are the best I am acquainted with for protecting fruit from 

 wasps ; but nets with close meshes are a necessary evil, and 

 should not be kept on the trees longer than they are required 

 to protect the fruit, as they prevent sun and air from gaining 

 access to the trees at a time when these agents are most 

 required to ripen the wood and the fruit buds for next season. 

 If there is no danger of wasps attacking the fruit, old herring 

 nets are the cheapest and best protection from birds. The 

 nets should be raised above the bushes or trees by means of 

 sticks with a fork at one end, and made secure at the sur- 

 face of the ground by means of pegs. Even with all these 

 precautions blackbirds and thrushes, allured by the tempting 

 dainties, will make desperate efforts to get inside ; they will 

 run and fly all round the nets, looking for an aperture large 

 enough to admit them. If any of the old nets which have 

 been in use require mending it ought to be seen to now, and 

 if new ones are required they should be ordered. All such 

 repairs are best done at a time when work is slack. 



Keeping Apples and Pears in the Fruit-room. — These fruits 

 cannot be kept in good condition for a lengthened period if 



Fig. 1. — Interior View. 



there is no rightly-constructed room in which to store them - 

 but besides this, the manner and time of picking the fruit are 

 of primary importance. Apples should not be gathered before 

 they are ripe, which can be ascertained hj cutting one of the- 

 fruits, and if the seeds are of a light-brown colour the fruit 

 may be gathered ; if at the same time it does not part readily 

 from the tree only a portion should be gathered, the remaining 

 portion being left a week or ten days longer. Pears require 

 much more judgment as to the best time to gather them. They 

 should be taken at different degrees of ripeness ; three gather- 

 ings may be made from one tree at intervals of a week or 

 more, as the case may be, and there are some varieties which 

 if allowed to remain on the trees until nearly ripe are worth- 

 less, such as Williams's Bon ChrOtien, Beurru d'Amaulis, and 

 Fondante d'Automne. Even Pears that ripen in midwinter 

 are best gathered successionally. Then all fruits intended to 

 keep must be gathered carefuUy. A basket should be used to 

 the handle of which a hook is attached to hang it on the tree, 

 BO that the person gathering the fruit may use botk hands. 



