Angnst 23, 1877. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



149 



I have selected these few old hinds from a large number of 

 others, many rf which are of much excellence, as I have no 

 doubt that most gardeners will agree with me that it is far 

 better to grow a few sterling varieties well than to waste space 

 upon a Jot of second-rate sorts merely for the sake of saying 

 one ha9 them. Among new kinds I can epeak very highly of 

 Laxton's Traveller. The long, tapering, handsome, and highly 

 coloured fruit is most delicious in flavour, and so firm in tex- 

 ture as to well merit its name. Laxton's Exquisite, too, must 

 become a general favourite ; the fruit is globular in outline, 

 very bright in oolour, and of most delicious flavour. To these 

 two must be added The Countess, termed by the grower the 

 Strawberry of Strawberries. It has handsome fruit, in colour 

 a very dark crimson, which is all the more striking from a very 

 brilliant gloss upon its surface. So full of promise is the ripe 

 fruit that one is apt to regard its fine flavour quite as a matter 

 of course. I am very much mistaken if this trio of excellent 

 novelties does not become very popular. I tasted a good many 

 other new or but little known kinds, among others Marechal 

 MaoMahon, Htlene Gloede, Auguste Nicaise, and Marie 

 Nicaise, but none of them impressed me as being worthy of 

 a place in a selection of really choice kinds. 



For those who care for largo sensational fruit I may name 

 La Marguerite, Due de Malakoff, Helene Gloede, and Cocks- 

 comb, but it must not be forgotten that here we have size at 

 the expense of flavour. If a white sort is wanted we have 

 none better than Bicton Pine, an old but very good one. — 

 Edwakd Lcckhukst. 



TROP^EOLUM JARRATTI CULTURE. 



This is stronger in growth and has larger flowers than 

 T. trieolorum, the flowers of both being scarlet, yellow, and 

 black. Both are very neat twining plants, charming for cover- 

 ing trellises, which may be flat (in which form they form ad- 

 mirable floral screens) or globes ; the leafless top of a Larch 

 or Spruce tree when well covered haB a fine effect. 



The tubers require to be potted so soon as they begin grow- 

 ing, which is usually in August. They should have pots pro- 

 portionate to the size of the bulbs. Large bulbs require 8 or 

 9-inch pots, whilst a 7-inch pot will accommodate a medium- 

 sized bulb. I employ 9 inch pots, and have three bulbs in a 

 pot, having a Spines top for training the shoots to. The bulbs 

 are placed triangularly in the pot, leaving a clear space in the 

 centre for the introduction of the stem of the Spruce, which 

 clear of the pot will be 2J to 3 feet high, and half the height 

 in diameter at the base, running up to a point so as to form a 

 pyramid. I prefer this form because the plants take up less 

 room. 



Drainage is given to the extent of one-fourth the depth of 

 the pot, covering it about an inch deep with the rough of the 

 compost, which consists of equal parts of light turfy loam, 

 leaf soil, and sandy peat, and a sixth part of silver sand. Fill 

 the pots to within 2 inches of the rim, place the bulbs with 

 the growing side upwards upon a little silver Band, and surround 

 with the same material. Cover about an inch deep, the potting 

 being done moderately firm. It is well for the Boil to be in a 

 moist state, but not wet, when employed for pottirig, bo that 

 necessity for watering may not arise until growth takes place. 



The plants may be placed in any light airy cool house, and 

 as soon as the shoots are long enough training should com- 

 mence. The object should be to cover the trellis of whatever 

 form it may be equally in every part with flowering shoots. 

 Upon this depends in a great measure the beauty of the speci- 

 men, to secure which very frequent regulation of the shoots is 

 required, not leaving them until they become entangled, it 

 being difficult to disentangle them without much iojnry re- 

 sulting. 



Water should be given rather sparingly at first, avoiding at 

 all times making the soil sodden, and yet the plants must not 

 be allowed to Buffer by want of water. If water be given when 

 the soil is dry — a thorough supply — all will be well, making it 

 liberal when the plants are in full leafage and advancing for 

 flowering. "When the flowering is past the leaves will shortly 

 after turn yellow, wnen water should be gradually withheld, 

 discontinuing it when they are all in that state. The bulbs 

 after the stems are withered should be taken up and kept in a 

 cool dry place until potting time again arrives. 



They succeed admirably in a winter temperature from fire 

 heat of 40° to 45°. Aphis sometimes attacks them. It is best 

 destroyed by fumigation with tobacco, but it is necessary that 

 the foliage of the plants be dry and an overdose be not 



given, or the foliage is liable to suffer. If your correspondent 

 " T. S. M." follows out this practice he will succeed in grow- 

 ing this attractive twiner.— A. 



CUTTING DOWN VINES. 



Feom time' to time I have heard much about cutting down 

 old trees to renovate them, and occasionally I have seen some 

 wonderful effects from it in the orchard, &o., and it may be 

 interesting to some of your many readers to record a case that 

 occurred to a neighbour of mine, a market gardener, of sueoess 

 in cutting down Vines. Mealy bug unfortunately was intro- 

 duced into his vineries and caused him much labour and 

 anxiety, for he could not subdue the determined foe, and his 

 Grapes were in a great measure unsaleable. These Vines were 

 dressed by a powerful solution, which not only killed the bug 

 but prevented the Vines breaking freely, and the rods were 

 consequently cut down to the bottom of the rafters. New 

 Bhoots were soon produced, and two canes were trained up 

 from each old stem. These canes grew with great rapidity 

 and soon reached the top of the house — beautiful clean rods, 

 with foliage like leather that would have delighted any Grape- 

 grower, very unlike the puny-leaved rods which were cut down. 

 In the year following (1876) 60 lbs. weight of Grapea-were cut 

 from each Vine, or 30 lbs. off each of the young rods. I did 

 not at all approve of such heavy cropping thinking it must 

 injure the Vines, but on seeing them a few days ago I found 

 them bearing I believe even a heavier orop. 



I do not suppose that all old Vines treated so would show 

 similar results ; but where the soil is suitable, bunches turning 

 small and Vines showing signs of being worn out, it might be 

 worthy of consideration whether to make new borders and 

 replant with youDg Vines or to try the cutting-down system. No 

 doubt in the present case the odds were very much in favour 

 of the cutting-down system, and the owner could not have 

 hoped under the most favourable circumstances to have out 

 any such quantity from young Vines, and that without entail- 

 ing the heavy expense of making new borders. 



Another useful lesson may also be learned from the above 

 occurrence — namely, the danger of applying strong remedies 

 for destroying inseots on a large scale before first having tested 

 them on a single branch. I remember having read a few years 

 ago of the virtues of paraffin oil as an insect-destroyer, and 

 thought I would try it on a (ireen Gage Plum that was badly 

 infested with scale, when it killed the scale by killing the tree. 



I am well aware that the cutting-down of old Vines is not a 

 new idea, as I have seen it practised many years ago, and have 

 also seen the plan recommended in your Journal, yet the case 

 mentioned was suoh a marked success that 1 eould not resist 

 the temptation of putting it on record. — J. B. S. 



TRANSPLANTING TREES. 

 For some years I have adopted the plan I am to relate with 

 great success. Where there are large plantations to make it 

 is almost impossible to transplant all the trees in the months 

 of October and November (the only really good months for 

 transplanting) unless some different plan be used to that 

 commonly adopted. I became so tired of seeing men spending 

 two or three hours in digging up a tree — cutting off a large 

 number of small roots or fibres, on which the tree depended 

 for its growth — that I set to work to find out Borne quicker 

 method. I commenced by making some very strong three- 

 pronged forks, so strong as to admit of their being driven into 

 the ground with heavy wooden mallets. I used them thus : 

 Supposing you wish to operate on a Fir tree, say from 7 to 

 8 feet in height, a fork is driven in on each side of the tree ; 

 it is then moved backwards and forwards slightly and with- 

 drawn. These forks are then driven in again between the two 

 last cuts, and the tree is hoisted in the air, earth and fibrous 

 roots coming up together. Supposing the tree has long 

 straggling roots, it is necessary to cut them off at 4 or 5 feet 

 from the stem. It is eaBy to see the direction in which the 

 roots run durirg the time the tree is being suspended. To cut 

 these roots I had a saw made by Burgess & Key, consisting of 

 a stout stem 3 feet in length with a sickle-shaped saw at the 

 end. ThiB is thrust into ground, and the root is then cut off. 

 When the tree is free and suspended a strong square plate of 

 iron with rings at each corner is dragged under it, the tree is 

 tied to each ring, and horses draw it to its destination. I 

 moved eighty Fir trees last season. Every one has grown con- 

 siderably. If there are no straggling roots the time occupied 



