34 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jaly 13, 1871. 



Just SO in the case of a Cauliflower, even though in this ease 

 it is the massive incipient flower we eat. If we wished a 

 Cauliflower plant to produce its button of a base, and bloom 

 and seed as soon as possible, we would treat it on the solid hard 

 principle, jast as some do who never find any difiiculty in secur- 

 ing a saucepan or pot large enough to get a head of Cauliflower 

 into it — not that we are lovers of huge heads, we like them the 

 size of two folded fists, though fine, white, compact heads, 

 uniform all over, from 12 and more inches in diameter, are not 

 by any means to be despised where there are children round the 

 board. But to get heads of such a size we must think nothing 

 of button heads, and early blooming and seeding, farther than 

 to avoid them. We must try by surface-stirring, mulching, 

 manure-watering, &c., to bring the plant to a good size before 

 the base of the bloom-head is formed, and then we may expect 

 a large symmetrical head to come from a strong well-developed 

 plant. 



Several times when we have been anxious to secure even a 

 few early Peas and garden Beans, we have acted on the solid 

 comparatively starving system. When we wished to have large 

 gatherings though later, we stirred the soil, &c., to encourage 

 growth before the blooms and buda appeared. We have rows 

 of Peas just now quite strong enough not to need any encourage- 

 ment to growth, as less of vigour in the growth would render 

 them less liable to the attacks of mildew, which would be very 

 apt to appear if the earth underneath the roots were be- 

 coming dry whilst there were so many showers. The only 

 signs of mildew we see at present among all our thick plantings, 

 ifcc, is on a row of late Peas, a few inches in height. The 

 ground was well prepared, and we should thick there was no 

 stagnant moisture, but a number of the leaflets are affected. 

 We have strewed over them a little lime and soot ; a little 

 sulphur might have been added. Both sulphur and lime, when 

 the latter is at all fresh, are great enemies to all kinds of 

 mildew. 



As Peas have been abundant, we have let our Asparagus all 

 grow for a fortnight, it having yielded wonderfully this season, 

 all the more desirable, as spring vegetibles were scarce. We 

 could still, if we wished, gather sprouts of the Asparagus Kale, 

 and the little shoots are exceedingly sweet, but as Cabbages, 

 Cauliflowers, and Peas h»ve been plentiful, there is little use 

 for them now. We lately alluded to the summer management 

 of Asparagus and Sea-kale. 



FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENTS. 



Were it not like harping at one time too much on one string 

 we might have gone to any length for illustrations of the im- 

 portance of heeping the soil open, and heeping the soil com- 

 pressed, just in proportion as the object aimed at was free 

 growth or free fruiting. A young fruit tree planted in the 

 ground need not be planted very firmly at first, as free growth 

 is wanted. The same rule holds good in the case of a fruiting 

 plant in a pot, but when we wish to secure abundance of 

 healthy flower-buds, we cannot make the potting too firm. As 

 it is not too late to give young fruii trees in pots their last pot- 

 ting if deemed necessary, the soil round the ball can scarcely 

 be made too firm. To prevent cracking on the surface, and 

 allow the free passage of water, the surface may be left loose to 

 the depth of half an inch or so. With such a prioked-over 

 surface to secure these objects, the soil in Peach houses where 

 the trees are established can hardly be too consolidated. The 

 digging or forking them over deeply is worse than labour 

 thrown away. The same principle applies to all dwarf fruit 

 trees out of doors. To keep them fruitful in little space, the 

 ground about them must be firm ; but it may often be neces- 

 sary to prick over the surface soil with the points of a fork, and 

 even to mulch, to allow water to enter, for if the soil is much 

 drier above, the roots in self defence will go downwards after 

 moisture, and the deeper they go the less likelihood will there 

 be for wood and buds being thoroughly matured. This, too, 

 explains what has seemed to be a mystery to many of our 

 readers, how a Peach, an Apricot, or a Pear will often fruit 

 much better against the wall of a cottage, with a hard or pitched 

 path over the roots, than on the wall of a gentleman's garden, 

 with a rich border in front of it. It is not the position, but 

 it is the digging and constant cropping of the border that do the 

 mischief. Either the roots are encouraged to grow too freely, 

 or forced, to escape the digging, to go deeper down, and in 

 either case the wood produced is apt to be spongy and less 

 matured than in the case of a tree forced to make shorter and 

 stumpier wood, and therefore better ripened, and more able to 

 withstand the severest frosts. The tree against the cottage 

 wall, when fully established, may go on bearing for years, pro- 



ducing its stumpy well-ripened wood without receiving assist- 

 ance at the roots, even though mostly covered by a pitched 

 pebble or a hard gravel walk ; but if the wood should begin to 

 show signs of weakness it will be strengthened by loosening 

 the surface in places, and supplying the soil with manure- 

 waterings. Much of the mystery would be removed if the 

 simple fact were clearly noted and understood, that where free 

 early blooming and fruiting are the chief objects, then much 

 will depend on having roots near the surface, and in a compact 

 firm soil. Years ago we were much struck with the diflerence 

 in the appearance of fruit trees planted widely apart in lines in 

 a large orchard. Part of the orchard, after a few years, had been 

 laid down in grass, and part was yearly cropped between the 

 trees with Potatoes, Turnips, Cabbageworts, &c. In the latter 

 part the trees grew far more freely and luxuriantly, but they 

 did not fruit in proportion to those that had the grass pas- 

 turage over the roots. We did not see then, as we think we 

 see now, that the greeter fruitfulness was mainly owing to the 

 lessened luxuriance, and that again was chiefly owing to the 

 greater compactness of the soil from not being stirred up 

 at all. 



Something would be gained were it clearly understood that 

 free rooting in open soil, though tending to luxuriance of growth, 

 does not equally tend to early and abundant blooming and fruit- 

 bearing. As a case in point, it is time to prepare Strawberry 

 runners for forcing. The mode adopted is of less consequence, 

 and free rooting may be encouraged at first in loose soil, but 

 during the bright days of autumn the soil can hardly be too 

 much consolidited, so as to secure the greatest amount of fer- 

 tility next spring. The compactness of the soil by the resist- 

 ance given forces the roots to divide into countless numbers of 

 small healthy fibres instead of a less number of larger rootlets 

 and larger-mouthed spongelets. 



In the ornamental department the same rule holds good. 

 To make young plants grow freely they need not be potted 

 firmly. For free blooming the reverse should be the ease. In 

 all hair-rooted plants, as Heaths and Rhododendrons, this is 

 highly necessary ; but, as stated the other week, when such 

 plants in pots are set out of doors the pots should be protected 

 from extreme heat and cold. Where flowering shrubs and trees 

 are established, the less they are dug about the better. A 

 slight surface-stirring and even mulching, are different affairs 

 altogether. The same principle is of importance in the case 

 of shrubs, &c., at all tender. It is wise, by elevated planting 

 and compact soil, to be satisfied with less luxuriance of growth, 

 so as to secure the ripening of the wood. 



Besides routine as adverted to lately, and getting on with 

 fresh arrangements, we pricked-off and potted Primulas, Poin- 

 settias. Euphorbias, Justicias, Eranthemums, &c., keeping the 

 latter in rather small pots for securing abundance of bloom in 

 little space. When our window gardeners keep their plants in 

 pots we advise them to have more plants and smallish pots for 

 securing the greatest amount of continuous bloom. We shall 

 presently pot a lot of Geraniums, &o., left over from bedding. 

 Part we shall put under glass to give us neat flowering plants 

 for the autumn, part we shall place out of doors and nip ofi 

 all flowers, so as to bloom them in winter.— R. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



* „ * We request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By doing so they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, <£c., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 

 We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the same 

 sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on Poultry 

 and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them answered 

 promptly and conveniently, but ^vrite them on separate 

 communications. Also never to send more than two or 

 three questions at once. 

 N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Grapes Diseased (Bfriram).— They are severely ulcerated, or, as gar- 

 deners term the disease, " spotted." The roots being outside the house 

 probably causes the disease. They do not supply a sufBciency of sap to 

 maintain healthy growth. MuIchinR over the border, and watering 

 with tepid weak liquid manure might check the disease. 

 Roses (Patelin). — The two are diiforent. 



Rose Princess Christian (G. C).— It died in my garden in the 

 spring. Last year was too trying for infants. I thought it a promising 



