JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ November 9, 1871. 



than that of Fontaineblean ; consequently I did not see many 

 of his new varieties. One I did see, which struck me as being 

 very fine — Pliffibus, very brilliant in colour, and with a fine spike. 

 Beatrix will also, if I mistake not, be an addition to our white 

 flowers, which La Candour of 1869 certainly was not ; while 

 Madame Desportes, our very finest white, seems to be of a very 

 delicate constitution. I have lost this season all I had of it, 

 and Mr. Banks tells me he has great difiicnlty in keeping it. 



As several have asked for my opinion of the older varieties, 

 I here give the result of my observations, regarding them in 

 ihe light of flowers that I should wish to set up in a stand, 

 possessing most of the qualities required in exhibition flowers : 



Adolphe Brongniart Imperatrice Eugenie Marcclial Yaillant 

 Adanson James Yeitcb Marie Dumortier 



Armide Lacepude Marie Stnart 



Delicatissimnm Lady Franklin Meyerbeer 



Dr. Lindley Legouve Micbel Ange 



Etendard Le Titien MoUcre 



EugL-ne Scribe Madame Desportes Princess Marie de 



Enrydice Madame Dombrain Cambridge 



Fulton Madame Furtado Eeine Victoria 



Homere Shakespeare Sir William Hooker 



Schiller Ulysse Yirgile 



Thomas Methven Madame Yilmorin 



The judgment of French growers must difier from ours in 

 some way, for I find amongst others Bernard de Jussieu de- 

 scribed in the most glowing terms as a remarkable plant, and 

 Semiramis declared to be without a rival. Now, neither of 

 these is in my opinion a show flower ; yet when I saw Semi- 

 ramis first at Sonchet's I thought it truly unrivalled, and never 

 was I more disappointed than when it bloomed with me. All 

 who have bloomed it seem to agree in their opinion of its 

 demerits. The above is the result of my experience ; and if 

 there be anything which I have omitted that my correspondents 

 have desired to know about, I shall be glad to supply the 

 omission. — D., Deal. 



FRUIT TREE PLANTING AND CULTURE. 



If in the following notes a tendency to repeat former state- 

 ments is observable in some instances, it is because experience 

 has shown them to be sound, and that the principles they em- 

 body are highly important and very necessary to Buooess in 

 fruit-tree culture. 



Too much stress can hardly be laid upon the importance of 

 securing a thoroughly prepared station for a fruit tree before 

 planting it, but first of all the necessary drainage of the land 

 should be attended to. Nothing can be more annoying than to 

 be unable to take advantage of a few days' favourable weather 

 for planting, owing to many of the holes being fall of water, 

 which there is no prospect of getting rid of for some time to 

 come. When it can be done, the stations should all be made 

 before there is much danger of rain. The trees should be 

 ordered early in October, so as to secure good plants, and be 

 had from the nursery early in November. Never saffer the 

 packages to remain a moment longer than is necessary in the 

 hands of those to whom they are entrusted, during their transit 

 from the nursery to the garden, but secure them as quickly as 

 possible. Unpack, examine, and check oiJ each tree, passing 

 it on for planting or laying-in at once. Of course it is in every 

 way more advantageous if the trees can be planted as they 

 arrive from the nursery, but when this cannot be done the 

 roots of the trees should be laid-in in soil temporarily, ready for 

 planting upon the first favourable opportunity, which must be 

 carefully watched for and taken advantage of. Mulching, 

 staking, and naming should closely follow the planting, or, to 

 be more correct, a label bearing the name should be found 

 on the station when the tree is taken to be planted, for, to save 

 time, the position of each tree should be decided upon before 

 the planting begins. In addition to labelling the trees, a 

 ground plan of the garden or orchard should be made, and the 

 position of each fruit tree marked upon it with its name, as 

 then no confusion can arise from the loss of labels. 



Some time ago in a paper on this subject I strongly advocated 

 the heading-back of young fruit trees at the time of planting. 

 The soundness of my remarks was questioned by some at the 

 time, but I am glad to say that a more extended practice and 

 close observation since then, have confirmed the truth of what 

 I then advanced. I know it requires some confidence and a 

 thorough knowledge of fruit-tree culture to prompt one to cut 

 a fine young tree of 5 or 6 feet in height, with a bushy head of 

 stout vigorous wood, down to a mere bare stump at the time of 

 planting, but I think the result need never be feared if the 



tree is healthy, planted in a thoroughly prepared station, and 

 cared for as it ought to be. I have hitherto advocated the 

 planting of " maiden " trees, but experience has taught me 

 that it is far better to plant larger trees whieh have already 

 undergone a year or two of training in a good nursery. When 

 such trees are received from the nursery, each must be pruned 

 as it may appear to require. No set rule can fairly be applied 

 to a number of trees. Take, for instance, a number of such 

 trees as a respectable nurseryman will send out as fine, vigorous, 

 selected pyramids ; the majority of them will be tolerably well 

 furnished with shoots from the base upwards. The pruning of 

 such trees consists simply in thinning and shortening the young 

 wood. But there will also be some healthy enough and in full 

 but misplaced vigour, that must at once be shorn of all their 

 beauty by shortening the stems to about 18 inches from the 

 base. Of a number of Apple, Pear, Plum, and Cherry trees, 

 the stems of which were then nearly an inch in diameter, so 

 pruned when planted last autumn, not one has failed to make 

 a fine growth, averaging about eight fully-developed shoots a 

 yard long upon each plant. One, a New Hawthornden Apple, 

 has twelve stout shoots, each from 3 to 4 feet long. In doing 

 this I consider I have laid the foundations of some handsome 

 pyramids, for it is well known how highly important it is to 

 secure and afterwards maintain an equal distribution of vigour 

 in a fruit tree, and it is almost entirely owing to this principle 

 not being fully recognised or practised, that they so frequently 

 assume an appearance totally void of symmetry, and not nearly 

 so productive as a well-trained handsome tree. I would not 

 advocate symmetry at the expense of utility, nor need I do so, 

 for the two things are so thoroughly compatible that they can 

 invariably be united, whatever may be the variety so treated. 

 It is well to allude to this, as I have noticed in several instances 

 a tendency to carry the pinching and dwarfing of such trees to 

 a hurtful excess. It is well ever to practise and advocate a 

 vigorous use of the pruning knife, but such practice must 

 always be tempered with judgment and prudence, and due care 

 must be taken that the full free flow of sap is not interfered with. 

 Let it not be supposed by beginners that after a fruit tree is 

 planted no further care is required. It must be closely watched 

 as the bads swell in spring, especially in such a one as we ex- 

 perienced this year, when blight and caterpillars abounded. I 

 have no faith in the sensational fruiting of newly-planted 

 fruit trees ; rather let us strive to promote the greatest possible 

 vigour both in root and branch, taking care to guard every 

 shoot from being broken by strong wind, and only checking 

 the too-vigorous growth of the highest branches by pinching. 

 Thus the first year is altogether devoted to establishing the 

 tree in its permanent position ; then in following seasons, as the 

 tree gains size and strength, its fruiting properties may be 

 suiJered gradually to develope until it becomes one of the most 

 useful and attractive objects in a garden. — Edwakd LtjCKHTjESi. 



SEDUM FABARIA OR SPECTABILE. 

 I QUITE agree with all that Mr. Record has said (see page 234) 

 concerning this Sedum as a bedding plant. When visiting the 

 well-arranged flower garden at Hampton Court in September 

 last, I was highly gratified to notice the pre-eminent position it 

 occupies there, planted in masses, in the large, square, old 

 Dutch style of beds, where it is seen to the greatest advantage 

 — so much so, that those who may only have seen single plants 

 can form but a remote idea of its true merits. Apart from the 

 httle skill required to grow it at any season of the year, and 

 the small amount of labour involved in securing from it a 

 beautiful display of autumn flowers, it offers the advantages of 

 growing and blooming well under large spreading Yew trees, 

 where we often see some of the choicest succulents dwindling. 

 For such places nothing is more suitable than Sedum specta- 

 bile. Its glow of rosy purple flowers harmonises well with the 

 dark Yews, and affords an amount of colour not to be obtained 

 from other sources. Its lateness in flowering I consider no 

 objection, as even when not in flower it has an excellent effect. 

 Though there are many other Sedums of good quality, this may 

 be considered the best for bedding where not classed with some 

 of the stronger subjects. In my opinion it is too tall for its 

 place on the rockwork at Battersea, for which some of the 

 dwarfer species are better adapted. I believe Mr. Donald has 

 bedded-out Sedum Fabaria at Hampton Court in former years 

 with the same satisfactory results. — J. M. 



Sedum Facaeia forms a good addition to our bedding plants 

 here, and I consider it is a very useful and beautiful autumn- 



