December. 12, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
447 
and the variety of opinions on the colours, shapes, &c., of Roses, 
it is no maryel that in choosing the best forty-eight kinds 
no unanimous opinion was come to. 
I am not quite sure what is meant by the best forty-eight 
Roses. I gather that the respective electors have voted for those 
varieties that grew and bloomed the best in their own neigh- 
bourhood, and not for the intrinsic merits of the blooms alone. 
Such voting, in my yery humble opinion, must always be 
unsatisfactory to the general world of rosarians, inasmuch as 
while a Rose may grow healthily and vigorously with A, it may 
barely be able to exist with B, and as a consequence receives A’s 
vote, whilst B gives his to one that does better with him. 
Under such circumstances we need scarcely wonder at the 
want of unanimity amongst the electors ; but taking the election 
as it is, possessing asit does the opinions of so many competent 
judges, and from such a variety of soils, &c., no one can doubt 
its value toa very large class of Rose-growers, and there are 
few lovers of the Rose who will not derive some information 
from the election and the discussion which it has brought 
about.—F. Boyes, Beverley. 
WOOD FENCES FOR FRUIT-GROWING. 
To secure the advantages of a wall for a reasonable length 
of time at a less cost is what we must aim at in the matter of 
wooden fences. To be secure against wind must be one con- 
sideration, and as durable a post as possible another. For a 
close fence posts ought neyer to be less than one-third their 
length in the ground; if less, unless stayed, the wind is 
certain to move them, Of English wood oak undoubtedly is 
the most durable, although sapling Oaks with ouly 1 or 2 inches 
of heart are certain to go at the surface the second year. The 
disadvantages of oak are its cost, its aptness to split whilst 
nailing, and its being too hard to drive a nail into when dry. 
Larch is by its toughness suitable for nailing ; and a post not 
overstripped from the heart of a Larch tree will stand at least 
for twenty years. A sapling Larch—but to a much less extent 
—has the same failings as has the sapling Oak, yet for gates 
and railings it will withstand the effects of the weather 
for many years. Sycamore is the least durable; and of 
hard woods beech is the next that will not stand being wet 
and dry for two seasons; whilst for any purpose constantly 
dry it is Gurable, and for any purpose always under water it 
is as durable as oak. Elm makes a fair post, whilst ash is 
little better than beech. 
In advising for the best fence for our purpose I will suppose 
that I have everything at my command. If the fence is to 
be 6 feet 8 inches I would haye larch posts 6 inches square. 
The portion below the surface might be left round, the better 
to afford a good charring, and then you have a small portion 
of charcoal for the roots of the trees for nothing. Failing 
larch I would procure a 7 by 24 inch red wood batten or 
Norway red wood scantling—perhaps the cheapest wood im- 
ported. I would fix my posts in the ground 8 feet apart, being 
careful whilst setting them to have a lath of the exact length 
to lie between post and post. I would haye them 8 feet to an 
eighth of an inch, and make sure of having them well firmed | 
at the bottom—this is the secret in setting firm posts. A 
piece of wood nailed across the bottom of each post would 
add much to their stability. I would then get a batten cut 
in the manner that the timber merchant would understand 
by five “rips,” “cuts” means cutting the deep way or into 
deals. Then each of these six laths I would cut diagonally. 
One of these laths I would nail level with the face of the 
post at each side, and nail the other within to leave a groove 
1% inch broad, and the thickness of the angle lath would 
secure their being 1 inch deep. 
Coping boards being desirable, the next task would be to fix 
a scantling along the top to secure them to. These scantlings 
would be from 25-feet battens one rip; this would leave them 
3} inches by 24} inches. These would reach three posts, and 
allow the wood being cut without waste. The posts being all 
fixed I would mark each post on the scantling with a pencil, 
and then notch them at the posts half through; and, this 
done, would nail them on the top of the posts, the face of the 
fence to be level with the inside of the groove on the posts. 
Being marked at the bottom and nailed on the top would 
secure each post being parallel. I would then stretch a line 
along the face of the posts just aboye the ground level and 
sight it, being particular at necessary intervals to raise it up 
straight. Marked from this line I would cut all the angle 
pieces forming the grooyes—that is, the ends that might be 
below the surface. I would next nail a piece of wood about 
2 inches thick close up under the angle beads to form a bearer 
for the boards; of less thickness it would be insufticient, as 
the weight of all the boards would rest upon it. I would next 
secure, at about 1s. 2d. per yard, tongued and grooved flooring 
deals in 16-feet lengths and 1} inch thick; seven-eighth-inch 
deals at about 2d. per yard less would soon have their grooves 
damaged. With a lath the length between each two posts I 
would mark the deals, then cut them, slide them down the 
grooves on the posts, making sure to have the tongued edge 
of the deals uppermost to prevent wet lodging. The advantage 
of this fence is, there will be no open joints for north winds to 
injure Peaches, &c., when in blossom ; let the sun be ever so hot 
the joints would always be close. Plain-edged deals would 
answer the same purpose, but the sun warping them they would 
not be so neat. By haying the bearing pieces carefully lined 
before fixing the joints of the deals would be straight from end 
to end. If done in the winter season the deals should be level 
with the top of the posts, then what they shrink in summer 
more than the depth of the notch of the scantling would be of 
no importance. 
The coping I would procure from 17 feet 11 by 3 inch deals 
two cuts, or I would have them broader if considered necessary. 
For each coping board I would haye three tail hinges with 
crooks, the latter being rabbeted into plates to admit their 
being screwed on to the top of the scantling; this would pre- 
vent the scantling being split, and the tail of the hinge being 
screwed across the coping board would strengthen it and also 
prevent it from splitting. Hinges and crooks would allow the 
coping to be slipped off when it was unnecessary ; in fact they 
might be used as shelving for, say, ten months in the year. 
An angle stay secured to each post by loop and staple, and 
staples rabbeted into plates the same as the crooks, and then 
securely screwed to the coping-boards, would be quite sufficient 
to secure them. The end of the stay to go up next the board 
would require to be bent, then a wood slot would make it all 
secure. 
To fix wires down the face of the posts is easy. Secure 
one end of the wire, wrap the other round a piece of round 
wood, and then stretch by getting hold of any of the posts, 
drive_a staple at each post, and in a few minutes the work is 
done. The posts for a very exposed place may be closer if 
preferred. Make certain at least once a year to coal-tar each 
post 6 inches above and below the surface: this will double 
their durability, One advantage of a wooden fence is its being 
easily removeable, and whilst quite as good much less expen- 
sive than a wall. I have done my best to contract my remarks 
and yet to allow them being understood, which it is not always 
easy when reading about anything that is not previously 
known.—J. WITHERSPOON, Chester'-le-Street. 
SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
THE monthly meeting was held on the 3rd inst. at 5,St. Andrew 
Square, Edinburgh. There was a large attendance of members. 
The President occupied the chair. After the election and nomi- 
nation of new members Mr. L. Dow read a paper on the kitchen 
garden, being the continuation of his former paper on this subject. 
He again urged upon the attention of young gardeners the great 
importance attaching to this part of their profession. The opera- 
tions of the kitchen garden he described in a clear and lucid 
manner, such as trenching, manuring, and cropping, and detailed 
his system of cultivating the Cauliflower, Pea, Carrot, and Turnip. 
The various difficulties attending the Carrot crop on many soils 
were referred to; but to remove these obstacles in a great measure 
he approved of deep trenching and deep manuring, a dry bog 
being the soil best adapted for the growing of this vegetable. 
Mr. Dow also spoke of the shaws of Swedish Turnip as being a 
good substitute for Seakale, and strongly recommended it as being 
more economically and easily managed. 
Mr. Robertson Munro next read a paper on “Hardy Spring 
Flowers,” which included all those flowering from January Ist to 
May ist. He spoke of the neglect by many gardeners of these 
beautiful flowers, and said that more time and interest spent upon 
some of the best kinds would well repay any extra labour given. 
It was one of the prettiest sights to see some of the rarer gems of 
this class of plants with their pure colours coming into flower 
when the ground was coated with snow and vegetation for the 
most part lying dormant. The cheery aspect they presented at 
this dull season was welcome to loyers of the beautiful. Mr. 
Munro then named the most popular kinds, and explained the 
treatment of those that required careful and particular cultivation. 
The following are some of the plants referred to—Helleborus 
sorts, Snowdrops, Iris reticulata, Cyclamen coum and _yarieties, 
Winter Aconites, Scillas, Siayrinchiums, Leucojums, Hepaticas, 
