December 14, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



503 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day 

 of 



Month 



Day 



of 

 Week. 



DECEMBER 14—20, 1876. 



Average 



Temperature near 



London. 



Snn 

 Rises. 



Snn 



Sets. 



Moon 

 Kises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 

 before 

 Snn. 



Day 



of 



Year 









Day. 



Night. 



Mean. 







h. m. 







m. a. 





14 



TH 



Prince Consort died, 1861. 



46.9 



84.8 



40 6 



8 2 



8 49 



7 18 



2 14 



28 



4 51 



349 



15 



F 





47.0 



336 



40.3 



8 2 



3 49 



8 25 



2 55 



O 



4 22 



850 



16 



S 





46.5 



32.9 



39.7 



8 3 



3 49 



9 20 



3 49 



2 



3 58 



351 



17 



SDH 



S SONDAI IN ADVEHT. 



45.9 



S4.0 



39.9 



8 4 



3 49 



10 1 



4 53 



3 



3 23 



852 



18 



M 





45.8 



3S.7 



89.7 



8 5 



8 50 



10 30 



6 5 



4 



2 53 



853 



19 



To 





45.4 



82 5 



89.5 



8 6 



3 50 



10 51 



7 18 



5 



2 23 



854 



20 



W 





44.1 



83.6 



88.9 



8 6 



3 50 



11 7 



8 31 



6 



1 53 



355 



From observations taken near London daring forty-three years 



the average day temperature 



of the week is 45.9'; and its night temperature 



88.6'. 











PRUNING VINES. 



fc HERE are more Vines pruned in December 

 and January than during all the other months 

 of the year put together. Amateurs with 

 one or two vineries have mostly cut all their 

 Grapes by this time, and all Vine wood of 

 any importance should have been ripe some 

 time previous to this. When the wood is 

 thoroughly ripe and the leaves off there is 

 nothing to be gained by delaying pruning, 

 and the sooner this operation is performed 

 and the Vines cleaned the better. To the experienced Vine- 

 pruning is a simple-enough matter, but even amongst 

 professional gardeners it is considered very particular 

 work, and in many places pruning the Vines is about the 

 only work the head gardener will not entrust to his fore- 

 man or any subordinate. Admitting that Vine-pruning is 

 of so much importance, amateurs must surely often have 

 much difficulty in performing it properly, and a few words 

 of advice -on this subject may be of help to many about 

 " time. I will, therefore, briefly give a few practical 



this 



hints to render the practice as simple as possible 



In the first place, do not think of pruning until all the 

 leaves have fallen of their own accord. Do not pull them 

 off or attempt to cut away the branches when they are 

 green. In some cases the base of the shoot will be quite 

 hard and brown when the point is green. In Muscats 

 especially this is often the case, and very often such 

 shoots will not ripen up to the point, particularly so far 

 on in the season as this. I have seen a good many Vines 

 pruned in this state, but I cannot remember much evil 

 resulting from it ; and if the wood is thoroughly well 

 ripened at the base a small green point here and there 

 need not be looked on as harmful. • Young Vines in 

 robust health should be closely pruned ; but in every 

 instance it is always safest to leave two eyes on each 

 spur, because one may get rubbed off, and when there 

 is not another to take its place there is a blank left in 

 the rod, as well as a loss of fruit. 



Old Vines which do not start into growth freely should 

 always have about four eyes or buds left on each spur, 

 as those furthest out are always sure to start if the back 

 eyes do not, and when they do the front buds can be 

 rubbed off ; so that the spurs are kept shorter than they 

 otherwise would be. 



Young canes planted in spring must be shortened-back 

 to about 2 feet from the ground. Those planted last 

 year, and which have made strong growth this season, 

 will be capable of bearing a few bunches nest year, and 

 with this intention from 5 to 7 feet of main cane must be 

 left to each root. 



Vines which have been planted for several years and 

 are in fruiting condition part of the way up but not quite 

 to the top will have one leading cane at the top. This 

 must not be left too long, or the rods will be long and 

 small instead of being thick and substantial, as is gene- 

 rally the case when only from 3 to 4 feet of young wood 

 is left at the point each season. 



No. 820.— Vol. XXXI., New Series 



Vines in pots do not generally need much pruning, but 

 when they do throw out small shoots these must all be 

 cut off before the Vines are either used for planting or 

 fruiting. In all cases pruning should be done with a 

 very sharp knife, and the shoots must not be broken, 

 split, or twisted, but cut clean through, and in doiDg this 

 care must be taken not to rub off the buds, which is very 

 easily done. 



Many people think it is not worth while UBing anything 

 to prevent bleeding after the Vines have been pruned, 

 but this is a mistake, as they often lose much strength 

 through bleeding, but sometimes not so much at the 

 time of pruning as when they begin growing, and the cuts 

 should all be dressed with Thomson's styptic. — Vnis. 



DECIDUOUS TREES AND SHRUBS.— No. 5. 



Standard Shrubs. — Some shrubs when old are too 

 spreading or straggling in growth to be admissible in 

 geometrical, and especially in small, gardens. Many, 

 especially evergreens, have been found to form compact 

 ornamental heads trained up with straight stems. The 

 utility of these miniature trees in small gardens is at 

 once apparent, and they are very appropriate in formally- 

 arranged gardens. Planted in borders of low-growing 

 shrubs these standard forms occurring at suitable inter- 

 vals are very effective, and at the back of borders of 

 flowering plants much of the monotonous flatness may 

 be relieved by their introduction. 



The number of deciduous shrubs suitable for standards 

 is small. The finest and at the same time one of the 

 hardiest of all variegated shrubs is the variegated Dogwood 

 (Cornus mascula variegata), which succeeds admirably in 

 moist soil. Cotoneaster Simmondsii is usually considered- 

 evergreen, but with me loses its leaves in winter. It is 

 very handsome, its large orange-yellow berries are bright 

 in early winter onwards, and it is very hardy, doing well 

 in any light soil. 



Cytisus elongatus, falcatus, nigricans, and sessilifolius, 

 all with yellow flowers in early summer, do well in fight 

 soils, and being very beautiful deserve a place in every 

 garden. Genista purgans, also with yellow flowers, is very 

 attractive. Brooms make pretty standards, especially the 

 Spanish (Spartium junceum), yellow; and Portugal (Ge- 

 nista multiflora), white. Forsythia viridissima has very 

 handsome yellow flowers, which come before the leaves, 

 and is very hardy ; and Lilacs, especially the Persian (Sy- 

 ringa persica), are very fine ; and few subjects appear to 

 greater advantage than flowering Currants (Ribes san- 

 guineum var. album, aureum, and atro-sanguineum). 



Weeping Trees. — These are becoming somewhat too 

 common in gardens and ornamental grounds, though 

 there is no denying their appropriateness for cemeteries, 

 and for variety their forms occurring among other trees 

 are pleasing. They never appear to such advantage as 

 when planted upon grass. Ash (Fraxinus excelsior pen- 

 dula) is a fine well-known tree for arbours, the gold- 

 barked Weeping Ash (F. excelsior pendula aurea) being 

 very distinct and exceedingly ornamental. 



No. 1472.— Vol. LVI„ Old Seete 



