

tii i: < vitDKNi rs 



CLlItOXICLl 



[Fjeb. in 



r» tl 



10 suni*^ 

 alio r ei 



ir remarks on f r lead timber 



tin* ♦) from bot 



few sticks of 





ly e*pow 

 arks *»n (p 

 (P ) The proposal to "M**" * 

 lOodOikt - « • w with "worthier I d u 



Srder t be Utter, in worthy of * r«ct- f . 



Turn an i ir vou » n ** "» ,h,, K J ,uil ' 



lite ^ but be wurtd th«t if the . reoi e furat 



adoot iie •!»«?**' n the will fro hum themselves 



^buiI offer, but rnd no merchants such j when u leetssary f « « 



a few examples will show. 



are tired, a. what dried, and the lateral branches 

 avc el suffered by carriage from place to place. 

 2 V the lanta that I. s the nursery as pjramida 

 are been depr. of their lower lateral members, 



which are Mi»|i .table to the formation ot a regular 



W Scheie case* cutting down is the beat mode of treat. 

 \ • tree, whether it be in the shape of a pyramid 



u 



recourse 

 dispensed 



fool j as t« accept it. 



Ptgf I <ettles Mr. Lipscombe's caae, for though Mr. 

 Kenned v may have u failed to bring any spec c charge 

 afainst Mr. Lipecombe," (p. * the ver scanty know- 

 bdgf f the Commissioners has detected enough to juatify 

 h it decision. 



of r>a t »• h woe L — each 



Com!* 



7 appears t a eee of patchwork- 



liooer giving bij own ini ' -»sie says " the 



management as torn very ! od b n dictated 



by ski .an judgment." live line** lower down 



another lisap rotes of what he coot- V*a violation 

 of goo* i mu;*guncut One says it is m a question of 

 contr stay (we an* not told between whom, certainly 

 no one amide the *\ f< nstscotif verts the matter 

 to what ex i it i rwood may safely be grown in 



j tatfofi* »ther is of • ion that any " chan 



of injur ti the trod net; n of a second crop shou 



be ear* Ily aTOided, vl i chance it ap ir* has been 



nred by the care of sttrv< j ors " who* management 



baa for a lon^ tioie been dictated by skill, energy, and 

 judgmc; ' * 



TUB 



THE 



PRUNING OF I RUITTKEKS DURING 

 Fll YEAR I'll l PLANTS 



(o rule is without its exception; and the writer of 



art bis subject jo a l*t«.- anmber of the 



•* Revue llort ' is in my 0] wrong, when he 



lay* it down as a general rule that every tree which has 

 been transplanl ught to be cut down to the h ht of 

 a foot, or a littl more above the level i the m il. Such 

 treatment is sty good in some cases but in other-. 

 It seem* to me to be very k in two cases, via, :- 



1. When the trees, alter be ini taken from a nur 



have been long 



for sale ; for then their roots 



In N inber, 1851,a nursery waa aestrojeu, uut »u uic 

 plant* in it, g I and bad, were replanted ; both plans, 



I cutting down and not cutting down, were tried, and 

 the resuita obtained by the latter mode of treatment 

 w< s follows :— The worst plants were not cut down 

 until the mouth of March in this year, and their 

 renewed growth was directly proportional to the mode 

 iu winch they were taken up, and ot the state of vitality 

 of their roots id they disappoint the hopes which 



had been ei rt: led of them. 



The go ramids taken up with care were re- 



planted with all necessary precaution. In March, 1852, 

 the were not cut down but pruued one-fifth shorter 

 than they were In re. The flowers which appeared the 

 first year were taken off, in order that the fruit might not 

 absorb the sap which should be expended in the elonga- 

 tion of the wood. In 1853 these pyramids were pruned 

 just as if they had been of old standing, and they pro- 

 duced a certain quantity of fruit. These trees are now 

 in as sat lory a state as pos-ib e. It is true that 



only the fruit on the vigorous branches has been kept, 

 ami that, as in 1852, all the flowers on the more feeble 

 branch have been destroyed. By this means, and by 

 pinching in April, May, Ju , and July, the equilibrium 



f the sap has been maintained, and a perfect harmony 

 has been established in the wood of the trees. 



It did not apiear prudent to delay the pinching until 

 August, as advised by II. Jusaiaume ; by this time the 



igorousbudshave gained so much on the more feeble on < s 

 that it ia too late to establish the equilibrium, which 

 the development of Strong puts has destroyed. 



The best plan to be followed by those who intend to 





the neighbouring nurseries, and to plant them frota*! 

 month of November with the necessary p r * -*• 

 which are but too often overlooked. Thus if a it ^ 

 to be replaced, the old soil should be removed and a 

 soil rich in humus should be substituted. If at the £* 

 of plantation the ground is very dry, it is advisable, wU 

 the plant is well in its place at the proper depth, to *|W 

 the earth at the foot of the tree from a pot with at^. 

 the roots will thus be consolidated, and will strike b^,* 



winter. 



In November, 1852, some fan-trained Pear trees, mj 

 not less thau 5 yards in extent, were also trans-pU^ 

 at the same place— Petit Bourg. Treated as aba* 

 they recovered perfectly, and this year fruit has be* 

 kept on the stronger branches ; the quantity exceed 

 all expectation. The trees were, it is true, transplant 

 with the greatest care, and then all the roots weretai* 

 up for a yard and a half at least from the stem. 



The same plan was followed on an occasion when* 

 old orchard (Nurmandie) was destroyed ; the trees fn* 

 it were transplanted here and there in the kitdn 

 garden, and they have yielded excellent fruit. 



The pyramids which were not cut down yielded ft* 

 year as many as eight Pears each, of good quality. 

 Amongst them were some Duchesses (d'Angoulei* 

 which were not les9 than a foot in circumference, md 

 to all appearance the next gathering will be much mon 



abundant. 



These facts lead to the conclusion that cutting don 



is not indispensable, and that it is not wise incon. 



siderately to sacrifice that which is useful, and son 



lefer, for perhaps four years, the production of the met* 



of enjoyment. 



I am aware that the necessity for cutting downi 

 attributed to the horizontal position which the latent 

 branches of the bottom of the pyramid must be cob- 

 polled to take, in spite of their tendency to grow upward 

 But this necessity is by no means so obvious when it is 

 remembered that there are many trees which, withog 

 being cut down, have their branches brought from i 

 vertical to a horizontal position by the weight of their 

 fruit. So much is this the case in many instances that 

 the branches have either to be propped up from below 

 or tied hack from above. E. Bardon. in Revue Hortiak 



— 



II v attent i was lately directed • ) an advertisement 



of Messrs. John Wee ka A Co. , i n th e Ot i rdaitrs 'Chi i icle 

 for Saturd iy, Jan. 27, last page (and probably it exists 

 in pri ouani bers), which is calculated to convey very 

 erroneous not o« of the consumption of fuel in our 



1. THK UOUIBI AND FITS AT XBSSBS. W 



MMsflQTO (TINT tl --. to ••* ... #f . 



rtiri *t fat of surface covered 



s r«at gg expo«aU to the at iuo» phen* 



I «Mfth of p*p* heitthowh 



I ml coastuoatl in -*i hours during the wii 



C0NSIMPT10N OF FUEL INT THK ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW. 



Palm-house : and, if true, showing us to be guilty of a I r*t.., s .» and that, in their establishment at Cheta, 





most extravagant and unjustifiable use of the public 



money. 



The object of Messrs. Weeks is to prove " the extra- 

 ordinary efficiency and economy of their heating appa- 



2. 



" it does more work with one boiler than is done by 

 boilers in the great Palm-house at the Royal Gardens 

 of Kew." Then he proceeds to draw the following 



comparison : — 













• • 



. i . 





t * * 



... 



• • • 



• •i 



1,000 feet 



1.5,480 

 16,000 



6.000 



•r 



, — - 



P* r d*v 8 sacks of coke. 



The boifer nqoirt* attea only onre In 12 m, and Mion but for one hour ; thus occupying a 

 man but for two liou the -l, at a coat of nay Sd. per day. 



It should here be observed that, in the above 

 calculations — inaccurate as we know them to be 

 as c< nia Kew — the ditfsrence in height between 



Weeks' small greenhouses and pits ami 



feet of elevation of the Palm -house, along 



wivfi the tropical heat of the latter as compared 



« temperature of the houses in the 



nursery >» the King's Road, are facts altogether un- 



19 



M 



the 



M 



Allowing then, for 



The winter (six) months, at 5/. 6s. per diem 

 Summer months (six), say one halt 



with *he 



Cost for" the whole year 



Taking Messrs. Weeks' mode on the same 



principle :— 



Six winter months, at 14a. 8d. per day £133 

 Ditto summer 66 10 



THE GREAT PALM HOUSE, KEW, 



Measures in length 355 feet (we reckon 3^2 feet) 



Superficial feet of surface covered .- ••• ••• ■£»£ 



Surface of glass exposed to the atmosphere co 4 ?' 2 ? ^ i 7 ' 



Lem*thcf pipe to heat the whole 15,000 feet— we say 17,158 feet, besides 



1076 feet of tank . 



Fuel c sumed In 84 hours during the winter months, being two parts 



c ke ami one p coal, at a cost of U. 16a. per day ... ... ... ... 7j £"" i„ 



The toilers, 12 in number, occupy the whole attention of two men daily, at a cost say of 10s. per <ttj. 



the Palm-house can in no way be calculated to 

 more than 300J. a year. Thus, then, say 



Fuel... ••• ... ••• ••• ••• ••• £300 



2 stokers ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 91 



Night attendant for eight months 32 



• • • 



• •• 



* • i 



£067 

 483 10 



1450 10 



avenfl 



* tt 











notice 



Then follows \fe^ most astounding assertion :— "It 

 rani r s from the u>regt>in^ statements that the apparatus 

 of Messrs Weeks, with oi*j boiler, is toing about as 

 much work ad four boilers do in the Palm-house ; and 

 that with Hum >r, at most, four fa tern, auch as Messrs. 

 Weeks now have in use in their nursery, the great 

 Palm-house could he heated at a coat, in fuel and la »ur, 

 of 14*. W. per day, effecting a eaving say of 1» hi. 

 per annum H ! ! 



It is difficult t know the exact data on which Meears. 



W eeks found their calculations. We will grant that 

 they expend only Us. 8d. pet day during the winter 

 Months, e their nursery establishment, for fad and 



labour. Tkey cannot suppose that if it coats us <• :>L 6s. 



per diem for the winter monthV as they express it, 

 the same expenditure should go on throug ut tl year. 



■ 199 10 

 £1251 



• • • 





 

 





 

 



By this calculation we are placed in a worse plight 

 than by Messrs. Weeks' showing, to the amount of 156/. ; 



i* he reckons our loss in fuel and wages at 1095Z. only. 

 But let us come to facts. 



Actual I ost of Fuel akd Laboub at Kew. 



The average yearly cost of fuel for the whole esta- 

 blishment tor the last six years is £756 



Coat in 18-16 and 1847, before the Palm-house fires 

 were lighted, average for two years 394 











Leaving for the Palm-house 



Total cost of Palm-house for fuel and labour... £423 



Can Mr. Weeks be serious in saying that we could, l» 

 adopting his principle of heating, save 1095Z. per annflB 



out of 423/. 1 



I am far from wishing it to be understood th»t *® 

 the experience we have now acquired we should n ot w 

 able, had we another such structure to erect, to con J* 

 several grave errors, and to economise our fuel ; W 

 how a business man like Mr. Weeks could have fanw 

 into such enormous errors and miscalculations as webAl* 

 here endeavoured to rectify, and how he can tax • 



nana 



with such a gross misapplication of public money 



suppose 



opposite character in his calculations, and in favour* 

 his own case, the fact might turn out, after all, to n 



cf 



that economy was more practised and paid attenflv^ 



Home Correspondence. 



I nkr Figs.— Lut September, having a number of 

 Fig plants in pots showing a quantity or fruit, I deter 

 mi d to try whether tin w mid continue to grow and 

 ripen through the autumn and winter. With that view, 

 1 introduced one plant in a 9-inch pot into an old Pine 

 Stove ; here the fruit continued to grow and swell fre- 

 and about the middle of November I gathered the first 

 mature fruit, which was beautifully ripened and of ex- 

 cellent quality. During ] eeinber and January I 

 obtained abundance of nice fruit, and now, IVb. 5, the 

 little plant has some J00 upon it, in various stages of 

 growth. For nearly three months it has been standing 

 in a dark cormr of an old Pine stove, confined in a 

 mall pot, an in a humid atmosphere, with little air 

 ^circuimtancea all against the free and full develop- 

 meat .> r audi a plan t as the Fig b, a ud during all that 

 it Has borne a succession »f uUm fruit Vhere a 



££*■%{• ? ? ° ted t0 i th * cuU ^°« of the F^ i„ 

 wrn^r with, of comrae, the essential « wementa of 



light, heat, and air, I am fully satisfied from the above 



experiment that the Fig will be found one of *~ £-• 



winter fruit* we have. W. Bamm, Simgktm, , 



£362 



But since 1846 and 1J547 the number of fires in the 



garden has increased considerably, in consequence of ... „. v AW M . ^.„*v.^..« v * —. v „ „,„„ mmm v „ v M _. 



new structures, additional dwelling-houses, the Museum, estabHshme^ntln ^ W.J* 3^ 



and hres in the Herbarium roo ms and Library ; so that ' Di dor, Royal Gardens, Kew, Feb. 7. 



by « J. R." as to the grafting of Rhododendrons, «J 

 be considered as set at rest by the valuable P raC ^L 



;. Staudish and Noble; butj«f 





ia — ^ j / i n i to Rose 



I^ast autumn I 

 The leaves 



saw two small collection of Roses iu pots. 



and shoots of one collection were covered with mildew : 

 those of the other were green, healthy, and entirely free 

 from that pest. How can this difference be accounted 

 for ? In this way I think. Both collections were 

 plunged— but the mildewed plants merely to the rims of 

 the pots, leaving the surface of the soil in which they 

 were growing, wholly exposed, and they were frequently 

 allowed to get very dry at root. The other collection 

 was not only plunged, but the pote were covered with a 

 couple of inches of rotten manure, which preserved 

 the roots cool and moist. Beyond the simple precaution 

 of securing a constant supply of moisture to the roots 

 of the plants, all other circumstances were equal. The 

 differei a in the appearance of the plants was very 

 great indeed. That excessive drought is often produc- 

 tive of mildew there is much evidence to prove. Many 

 of your readers will recollect Mr. Knight* paper de- 

 tailing his experiment with late Peas. It bears imme- 

 diately on the point in question, and will be found in his 

 " Physiological Papers G. W. Z. 





observations of Messrs. oiauui&ii anu iwwv > ~-_vj 

 will much oblige me if you will insert a P^Vj 

 respecting the « best mode and season for grafting 

 have found the operation very uncertain. * ^ 

 Messrs. S. and N. would do this, and I ani sure t*7 

 would confer a favour on many working g ar ^ enerS ; ^ 

 their communication the other wee* 'they say the sA 

 for grafting were separated into " single eyes. _* 

 scarcely understand the meaning of this in a *^JL 

 dendron. I presume they do not graft the end o* 

 shoot with the leaves. Any information will <NW 

 Linda. m \* 



ingle variety; mine is I ><"*" 



Sweet Scented Camellia (see p. 70) — Mr. 



' 



Rhododendrvm 



The questions propounded 



many other Camellias which I possess. 1* » ^ 

 brilliant rose colour. I have another Camellia wfl 

 a more perfect flower in shape, equally douUe, ** 

 a more beautiful colour, to my fancy, which ^ *** 

 but very slightly. Violet. 

 The Weather, Feb. 3, 1855. 



dpi 



morning 



$0& 



















