

II GAB M X E B V CHRONIC LE. 



•A 



tot 



n 



4 WW 



I 



ftf 



Of frllU 



abo* gr 



rtmov* 





ire traatflantatt n 

 the ciil of winter 



**da at tb#f*U ©f lb* »<* f > ' ice the Pf 

 Jm wot*, w «ite the format^ 



Tke rooU, dir <i in proportion to the 



tjoos of the Mrilii".?. n.aintam 



;t has b«en r marked that 

 with fcedliDgs not 





be rem..vcl every two years, and 

 distances, according heir growth 

 begin to form ou the upper part of 



brandies of the 



In 

 feet 



ref*int«l al 



until frni t »puw ~ 6 



the Ia*far, ' ^° j.rmcipa 



•torn ; the leading t ota are tlies left at great. 



faacib, and trauaplanting is no longer practised. 



mmim off the ranches of the Meiu up to tfX 

 from the ground, f spurs and some small branculets 

 onlrarel : .o crown * not allowed to commence 



below (he height or six feet, because, as 



lly stated, a \ roue seedling uly i amences 

 to Nar it>on that height. It is desirable that 

 lines s: Id be i • aring state as quickly as pos- 

 siUe. A . in; present time it is not unusual to se 



Pe»r trees beariM fruit in Uio eighth or ninth year 



Blovenly gard-ning, if indeed, sue" «.«»- - 

 ZardriiiiiR »t all ; and would never be permitted b> an^ 

 Se h ■ 'he leastl.ve for his garden, « the shadow 

 o? a claim to the qualifications of a gardener. One 

 might Just a?«n argue that, because .some parUcuar 

 man, who happens to be a gardener is * *rty unti dy 

 fellow, that filthiness is a natural result of his calling. 

 It has been urged by " J. R-" that because grafted 



* certain number of years old, are 



Lot so large as 



it. 



some private grounds with which he is acquainted, it 



has been 

 ences 



seed- 



plaots in a nursery, a - „„*wi ;« 



[ others of the same age not grafted in 



■ ' 'ed, i A 



mu^t follow that grafted plants will not grow so luxu- 

 riantly, or attain so large a », as plants raised from 

 seeds or layers. With a limited knowledge of the acts 

 of the ease there certainly appears a show of truth in 

 this mode of reasoning. But «J. II.' 9 ought to know 

 that the object of a nurseryman is not merely to grow 

 large plants, but als > to keep them ready for removal 

 without risk ; and that to effect this he frequently 

 transplants his saleable stock, thereby checking, of 

 cour* the growth of such plants, and preventing them 

 from keeping pace with others not so removed. The 



•eed. 



n 



Of their atrnce J • _ 



\ to varioof c*wm. The late Van Moi 



attributed it cl to iu »ive towing* in cons* 



ntrt i wh »e la»t g era i 1 ^ trees has 



arrived at a molt cii id state. This opinion is gene- 

 rally adopt. , a; oars to I supported by tl 



result* obtained. 



Others partly att ;ute this precocity to good mana; 

 meiit, ae rig to which the seedlings are raised 

 agree i' i the principles above | nted out. One of 



the principal came* is the biai &1 removal of the trees, 

 and a good system of pruning whereby the useless 



wood is r moved, and the force of vegetation concen- 

 ts tbs pari of the tree where fruit is mart hkeiy 



to be first prod 



After a needling hegins to show ;• fruit, it shoal 



not be rem jvc uutil wo can form a di me opinion of 



its production*. 



In a special article connected * h this s' ject we 

 til ; >ut the n earns to be taken fur fixing tho 



character of a new an I _; »od var , so as to j it 



• it of name. Hut it is necessary, in the 





early bearing is dii nee in the amount of a year's growth between 



two plants, the one thoroughly established, and the 

 other subject to frequent removals is, of course, great— 

 in an aggregate of years it is still more perceptible. 

 Then as to " J. Il.'s " presumed advantages of layered 

 plants over grafted ones, they are equally untenable 

 with those which he argues in favour of seedlings ; and 

 !es, layering as a mode of propagating the rarer 

 an<I better kinds of Rhododendrons has many practical 

 disadvai.ta s. In the first place you must have a 

 tolerahly large plant to operate upon, and, secondly, the 

 system admits only of very limited powers of increase. 

 up| e a handsome seedling variety is raised, from 

 u Inch it is desired to propagate, by layering you sacrifice 

 the original plant for the sake of obtaining, perhaps, half- 

 a-dozen small ones ; by grafting you secure a numerous 

 progeny without materially injuring the parent ;— for a 

 layer yon require a branch, for a graft a bud with an 

 inch of wood to it. In truth, layering the Rhododendron 

 as a means of propagation, when compared with grafting, 

 id very limited in its application, and possesses few 

 advantages. It is principally of use to private growers, 

 in cases where it is wished to secure tolerably large 



y fut 

 tlrst place, to state the characters by which promising 

 seedlings may be distin .sited from such as are un- plants of a particular kind; for the purposes of trade, or 



p 



iii» 



-/.*/ 





Jan. 21. 



P 



lliOM THINGS. 



. — ._y (\rrants and Gooseberries. — The pruning of 

 Currant and Gooseberry 1 -hes is seldom performed in 

 cottage garden*, the consequence of which is that 



every bosh in time becomes a mass of wood, pro- 

 acing a quantity of worthless fruit, without either 



size or flat ir. Tin's is to be easily remedied by 

 ptttla attention to nming the bushes in winter, and 



never allowing the 'ranches to be too crowded, or to 



interfere with one another. The shoots which spring 



op in the centre shonl 

 be cat away my 

 eloaelr, as well as t 

 small shoots on the 



■lain ram s, leav- 

 ing only one at their 

 Mats, which mmst be 

 shortened for about a 

 third of its length. If 

 this is done, the bush 

 will have the form 

 of a cop, with the 



bran ches ranged r u- 



lariy round the stem, 



as in the accompanying woodent Red ami white Currants 



require the same treatment, as they produce their fruit 

 on spurs in the way of the Gooseberry. The black 

 Currant must be managed differently, as it bears chiefly 

 on the shoots of the preceding year ; instead, therefore, 

 of spurring and otherwise shortening the branches, all 

 that is necessary is to thin them, and keep the busht 

 compact. 



for effecting an extensive and ready circulation of a 

 given plant, it is all but useless. 



A branch, the size of a moderate plant, and with 

 many flower buds, may be taken off as a layer, and such 

 is often done by others than private growers, with shy- 

 blooming kinds, such as many of the first hybrids from 

 the scarlet arboreum, and which " J. R." so warmh 

 eulogises. Nice compact plants of these, with flower 

 buds, are frequently and eagerly purchased, and chiefly 

 in consequence of their having such flower buds. In 

 the blooming season following, the purchaser has of 

 course a display of flower, not so, however, always in 

 the succeeding one. There are many very richly 

 coloured Rhododendrons, which are worthy of all 

 praise when they do condescend to exhibit a head of 

 flower ; but, from the rarity of such, they are not 

 desirable for introduction into general collections. 



Next week we shall have something to say on the 

 subject of seedling Rhododendrons. But in concluding 

 this paper we reiterate that for t^e general purposes of 

 propagating the finer or new kinds, grafting is in every 

 respect superior to layering. The former has many 

 advantages with scarcely a disadvantage ; the converse 

 of this applied to layering is the truth. Nor does 

 grafting, as " J. R ." insists, dwarf the Rhododendron 

 in any appreciable degree, if the operation is well per- 

 formed, and the stock judiciously chosen. Standish 

 and Noble. 



GRAFTED RHODODENDRONS. 



Thb health and vigour of a grafted Rhododendron, 

 ike those of every other grafted plant, will, of course, 

 deptnd very much upon the condition of the stock. It 



d be useless to expect a luxuriant head of foliage if 

 tiie stock is unhealthy and "hide-bound ;" and all care 

 wd attention in inducing it to become otherwise will be 

 wow* away. Large plants, not grafted, have frequently 

 some , foe* rincipal shoots in a stunted and inert 



Home Correspondence. 



Consumption of Fuel in the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Kew.— Messrs. John Weeks and Co. having written to 

 inform me that I have, though they candidly allow un- 

 intentionally, misquoted their words in my communica- 

 tion to the last number of the Chronicle, I find, to my 

 regret, that I have so done : or, rather, I misunderstood 

 the drift of the sentence in question. My words were 

 that Messrs. Weeks's object is to prove " the extraordi- 

 nary efficiency and economy of their heating apparatus," 

 and that " in their establishment at Chelsea it does more 

 work with one boiler than is done by 12 boilers in the 

 Great Palm-house at the Royal Gardens of Kew" 

 Messrs. Weeks' expression is " The extraordinary effi- 

 mmwwm. The ™k r^« \„ • * . "» ^^ cltBC 7 and econ °rav of the heating apparatus will nerhaiw 



plant. Ibis I boiler, and the work drm* hv 19 ^u. «*. *u. '^. 



•ondi 



. 5-3 . > "9 **wwagmg tnose \ 

 toy iDdSM new wood, to form 



the stock of a grafted 



plant 



wnto y the^»tock~li^Z S "u y f"* 8 "* * 8 rafted P'*ni, 

 b* been BkenT^AlSi to ' *" d U ' e treatmeiu 



•tf-rietU an, ""S^Ston.^' ™ d ° D °* 

 wort* .peeking «f. A few socket * . 

 •^wwnatly upon recently T*foL ^ c «t»u»ly 1WHBa 



cause 



at all 

 found 



t, wholly checks any wnaencv to m-*^«^ *v 



The condition which 4. R.» dLSbTj^rt 



a it ;:.' J l "" uw m uie slightest 



degree affect the rest of, and indeed the main, statements. 

 W. J. Hooker, R. B. G. Kew, Feb. 1 3. 



J^yHift Barron will kindly state what 

 kind of P,g it ; ,. which has proved so productive with 

 him through the winter months in a Pine stove, as is 

 men uoned a p. 86 he will greatly oblige A Subscriber. 

 Water Filter.- An effectual yet simple filter may be 

 made m a cistern of slate, or brick and cement bavin* 



!*ll a il?? rt,t, T aCr088 , U .' one of Aem, near the 



end where the water enters, being fixed with an aperture 

 of a few inches between its lower edge and the bottom 

 of the box, so that the water in filtering shall ^ |SJ£ 



The other partition should fit close to th 



hesk 

 v ov 



e first the water should enter by meaii^T ** 

 d stand high enough to flow through the 1^ 



^rtn^ 



the box, but its upper edge should be a few inch 

 than the top, in order that the water mayiW 

 The box will thus be divided into three coiuni"' 



I Tiff A f n a ♦?•*<-» ^ 4l-»rf-* iirn^/\«i c-l^^.»« 'si *m*< A — — 1 



tap, aiiv* c.anu «"o« ^uvugii iu nuff inrough the 

 compartment into the third, from which the cle ' 

 may be drawn off by means of a tap near the botto^ *?? 

 first and s cond compartments should be filled abcTti? 1 

 full with coarse charcoal, and over it a few inch* «# 

 finer size, and afterwards surfaced in the first co 

 ment with some clean shingle, always leaving (£i 

 enough for the ball ot the tap to work in. OveML 

 charcoal in the second compartment some perfJa! 

 clean sand should be laid nearly as high as the toorf 

 the division. This filter will occasionally fjLjJ 

 cleaning out and refilling with fresh materials, th« peJS 

 for which will be indicated by the water pas$intMnI|J 

 slowly through it than usual. If cheapness is moreal 

 object than durability a water-tight wooden cistern mi 

 be used ; but avoid lead linings, which are dangeraJ 

 W. Davidson, Landscape Gardener and Garden ArdL 

 tect, 37, Bloomslury Street. 



fruit trees 



Wash for Fruit Trees. — I have found the folio-wist 

 certain antidote for insects, or fungus, on Vines jL 



1 lb. sulphur, 2 lbs. soft soap, 1 g^ 

 tobacco water, and 2 gallons lime water ; mix. Topti* 

 over all the wood. W. Collins, M.R.C.S., LrewUtigni^ 



Consumption of Fuel in the Royal Botanic GardenSj A'ew.— n^ 

 the above head there appeared in your columns of last week i 

 statement by Sir "William J. Hooker contradicting thoweoa 

 tained in our advertisements of the 29th December and flfc 

 January last. Speaking of our advertisement, Sir Wiilit* 

 Hooker says it " is calculated to convey very erroneous notfc% 

 of the consumption of fuel in our Palm-house; and, if tn* 

 showing us to be guilty of a most extravagant and unjusttf 

 able use of the public money." In reply to this passage we shift 

 merely observe that on seeing the Gardeners 1 Chronicle of tb 

 10th inst., we immediately wrote to Sir William Hooker, saji^ 

 —"Whatever inaccuracies we may have been led into by 

 incorrect information, we shall feel it our duty to set right in tie 

 next publication of the Gardeners 7 Chronicle ; and we lose not i 

 moment in expressing our sincere regret that any statement of 

 ours could be considered as conveying a charge against the 

 management of the Koyal Gardens at Kew, or the administrate 

 of the funds devoted to' its support by the country," and that, had 

 we done so, or " intended anything of the kind, we knew well the 

 attempt could only recoil upon ourselves." It now rests withna 

 to show upon what grounds our statement of the consumption of 

 fuel at the Palm-house at Kew was made. With the view of 

 avoiding " enormous errors and miscalculations," with- which Sir 

 William Hooker charges us, we proceeded to the Palm-house at 

 Kew in December last, and there received from the two men whs 

 attend to the fires the items of the consumption of fuel as girei 

 in our advertisement. Our Mr. Weeks, as a practical man, we* 

 into the whole question of the heating of the Palm-house will 

 both of the men, and saw no reason for supposing the informttaa 

 they gave him to be incorrect. Upon that information car 

 calculation of the expense attending the consumption of fuel wsi 

 based. Our advertisement containing that calculation haying 

 appeared first in the Gardeners 1 Chronicle so far back as the 29th 

 December, and otherwise having been pretty extensively 

 circulated without its accuracy having been called in questia 

 until the 10th inst., we had till then believed that our statemert 

 was at least free from exaggeration, more particularly as til 

 information given us iu December would have warranted us ,m 

 making out a larger expenditure of fuel than we put down, bir 

 William Hooker's contradictions of our statements m J de,tn ** 

 sary that we should revisit the Palm-house, and therefore <m 

 Mr. Weeks, accompanied by another practical man, went uwre 

 on the 12th inst., when they obtained the following mformana 

 from the men who attend to the boilers in the Palni-nonse. iw 

 men said—" The house is heated by 12 boilers, six on each s«, 

 we bring every day from the depot eight truck or cartload* 

 fuel, each cart load contains nine sacks, all of which is i wnsnnji 

 during the 24 hours. The fuel consists of one half good cow, w 

 other half good coals." This statement is corroborative or uw 

 made to Mr. Weeks, 



simple calculation to 



of the mixed fuel consumed every 24 hours 



coke at about Is. 2d. per sack, and the coals at about is. w. k 



sack ; and at these prices, the mixed fuel would cost about u. «* 



per sack, which would make the daily consumption ot tw 



Is " This statement is corroborative oi u« 

 ;, in December last, and it requires but a very 

 o see that, according to it, there are 72 bk» 

 «^ n .n raA ii pvavv 24 hours. We estimate m 



heat the Palm-house amount to about 6/. 125. per day ^_ . 

 further told on the spot that this quantity of ™*}^J^ n 



hs onK 



and if we now asflumVthat" 72 sacks of mixed fuel, as sta 



.x. tA __ J: _~ ii.. -u~n«,.c ia Mrrt&L but that trials 



•ly SO, « 



for nearly six months each year; but, in our caicui»u^ 

 estimated the lamest expenditure of luel for four inontDflQjt 



528 

 264 







us by the men attending the boilers, is correct, but 

 sumption is limited to four months instead ot six, or n«w fl ^ 



would amount to ••' f "! 



If we then reduce the consumption for the next lour 

 months, say by one-third, we find the expenditure 



amounts to ./*' 



And say half that again for the four summer montns 



Making the annual consumption of fuel for heating ^ 



the Palm-house amount to # ^^ 



We have now stated where we obtained ourinformahon,^^ 

 we have made our calculations, and can only say, 1 1 g, 



guilty of "enormous errors and miscalculations, ^ { ^ 



William Hooker will think as we did, that it was > ^ tf m 

 we should have placed credence in the statements , ii ^ 



the spot by the very men who supply the nu nace k ^ 



fuel, who being perfect strangers to us, &*«. * nfornia Uon f 

 reason whatever in deceiving us wlt Vh« a Statement «»■ 

 two separate occasions. Sir William in »£ / re f e rring * 

 serves, " that the object of Me rs. Vi eeaa i v ^^ 

 our advertisement) is to prove the extraord ma J ^ ^ ^ 

 and economy of their heating apparatus, ami u , .^ m * 

 blishment at Chelsea, " it does more work witn on L lGar dei* 

 done by 12 boilers in the great Palm-house at "[^l^t*** 

 of Kew." This, we must respectfully observe , i* ^a ^ ^m* 

 our statement was, and we see no reason w . na "^ boi i er isd<*"| 

 that "the apparatus of Messrs. Weeks with one r Pa i m -lioa*». 

 about as much work as four boilers do in tnei^ ^ at ^ 

 and that « thft rn-eat Palm-house at Kew couia w f opijr 



uel of Us. 8d. per day ,» and we ^ W M^ 

 ««* w C m w , far wrong. Again, Sir Wilh^ expend ottf 

 will grant that they (meaning Messrs. v> e • / nurse ry «2 

 U 5 . 8d. per day during the winter months in" b stat*fl*r 

 blishment for fuel and labour." Now, we made no bi^ ^ ^m 

 We repeat that we heat the whole of our nun**/ than df;T 

 and that, in fuel and labour, we do not e^ d ™ the l2thj*g 

 per day. During our visit to the P^^italiily were ^ 

 we perceived that the 12 boilers, and tf ie> ^ 6Qtf . now ,^ 



supplied with fuel, only got the teyP^S'feai of P*1* t* 

 one boiler, circulating the water through W*> , ^ *£* 

 give us not less than 60° in any of our bouse» ^ Rnd W- % 

 hothouses will have a temperature of J* tw J* Hongi aske» n 

 William Hooker, in his concluding ob.^rvat *%Z+ 



business man like Mr. Weeks could havef WW * § >Ve ek»? 

 mous errors and miscalculations," and no 



and that " the 

 in labour an 



