THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 351 



shrivelling. The Yallota is an evergreen ; therefore, to compel it to shed its leaves 

 is the reverse of good treatment, and cannot be done without inflicting a terrible 

 injury upon it. 



Winter Management or Peach and Nectarine Tbebs. — Amateur Fruit- 

 Orower. — The peach and nectarine trees ought not to be pruned and nailed in 

 until the early part of next spring. Tlie hrancbes should, however, be unnailed at 

 once, tied in bundles, and be either fastened to the wall or secured to stakes at a 

 distance of a foot or so from. it. The great value and importance of unnailing 

 these trees is not well understood, oi' the system would be more generally adopted. 

 It should be borne in mind that the greatest enemy the trees have to contend with 

 is spring frost. Therefore, the more we can retard the expansion of the flowers, the 

 less likelihood will there be of their being injured. That unnailing the branches 

 and fastening them at a short distance from the wall does retard the flowers, there 

 can be no doubt ; and a moment's thought will show us that branches of trees at a 

 few inches from the wall will not be influenced so much by a few hours' bright sun- 

 shine during the winter months as otliers fastened close to it. The branches are 

 not only much warmer during the time they are under the influence of the sun, but 

 they are exposed to the heat which is absorbed by the wall, and then given ofi" as 

 the atmosphere cools. It simply amounts to this, that the cooler the branches are 

 kept, the longer the flowers are before opening, and, as every week makes a differ- 

 ence in the severity of the weather, the less likelihood is there of their being injured 

 by frost. Where labour is scarce, and as there is always more work to be done in 

 the spring than time can be spared to do properly, the trees may be pruned and 

 dressed at once, and then fastened loosely to the wall, as suggested above. Very 

 little can be said about pruning peach and. nectarine trees beyond what is already 

 known : therefore it is only necessary to suggest that all weak and badly-ripened 

 shoots should be removed altogether, or be cut back to one or two eyes. It is a 

 very common practice to cut very strong-growing shoots back to two or three huds 

 which, instead of mending matters, only makes them worse, by encouraging the 

 production of wood of even greater vigour. Strong shoots should be laid in nearly 

 their whole length, or be removed altogether. Thin out the wood, to allow of plenty 

 of room for the young shoots next season, and, as far as practicable, leave only that 

 which is thoroughly well ripened. Abstain from encouraging spurs on peach and 

 nectarine trees, because, if a good crop of fruit cannot be had from trees the wood 

 of which is trained in the old-fashioned way, it is very certain that it cannot be 

 had from trees treated on the spur system. 



Libonia floribunda. — O. M. 8. — This beautiful free-flowering greenhouse 

 plant is by no means new, yet it is not very extensively cultivated. It partakes 

 somewhat of the character of that once-popular plant, Cuphea, platycentra, for both 

 the habit of plant and shape of flowers are similar. Its numerous flowers are diffused 

 over the whole of the plant, which at this period of the year gives it a very strikin" 

 and pleasing effect, if intermixed with other flowering plants. It is very easv to 

 propagate and grow. Cuttings of the young wood should be inserted early in" the 

 spring, and treated in the same way as you would the ordinary kinds of soft- 

 wooded plants, the pot being plunged in a nice bottom-heat. The plant, being 

 very compact and short-jointed, does not need after it is potted to be so frequently 

 stopped ; the main point is to get the lower part of the plant well furnished with 

 branches in its first growth. It is in the earlier stages only that the stopping of 

 shoots is essential. It will thrive in good rich loamy soil, and may stand out of 

 doors with the majority of greenhouse plants during the summer months. In 

 common with many other winter flowering plants (as for example, the Poinsettia), the 

 Libonia loses its leaves if kept too cold in October and November. The leaves may 

 not fall at the time, but afterwards, when the plant is in flower, it will be found 

 that many of the leaves are dead. Excess of damp, or too low a temperature ia 

 winter, will very much mar the beauty of this useful plant. 



Planting Fruit Trees. — Amateur. — Planting fruit-trees ought to he com- 

 pleted by the end of November. The trees ought not to be planted when the 

 ground is frozen, because the surface-soil which has been well pulverized by the 

 action of the weather is the best for filling in about the roots. Besides it is not 

 desirable to oool the e irth by means of frozen soil, which in all probability will not 

 ho thoroughly thawed before the spring, when the roots ought to be in full activity. 

 If the trees come to hand just as a frost has set in, place them in an outhouse 



November. 



