498 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 27, 1877. 



penes; a sour Apple, thirty pence. A Thorn tree, seven pence 

 halfpenny. Every tree after that, four pence." 



The weight, says an American writer, affords the 



easiest test for the purity of guano. A bushel of pure Peru- 

 vian guano, according to moat authorities, should weigh al- 

 most exactly 70 lbs. If heavier than 73 lbs. it i3 adulterated 

 with clay, sand, marl, or some other impurity. 



The Prairie Farmer states that $2,500,000 worth of 



American dried fruits have been sold in Europe during the last 

 twelve monthB; also that Oiio has 381,000 acres of Apple 

 orchards, and raised this year 15,000,000 bushels of Apples. 



Some few months ago, says the Mercantile Gazette, a 



pathetic lamentation went the round of the press, emanating 

 from M. Piesse, in consequence of the Russo-Turkish war in- 

 terfering seriously with the manufacture of attar of Roses. 

 The la3t number of the Indian Agriculturist thus comments 

 upon it : — "M. Piesse, of the firm of Piesse & Lubin, the cele- 

 brated perfumers, writes quite romantically to the London 

 Times, ' Come, then, Western Australia ! come, then, Queens- 

 land ! come, then, Fiji! all the Roses you can grow will be a 

 welcome to British commerce. This article is worth alone 

 £SO,000 sterling per annum.' M. Piesse had evidently no 

 idea of the Neilgheries and the Roses that grow upon them. 

 Ootacamund and Oooncor should be in a position to supply 

 M. Piesse with a very large quantity of the article he needs. 

 The manufacture of attar of Roses is simple enough, and no 

 difficulty will be experienced by those who are inclined to try 

 it to get the necessary information. This source of industry 

 may prove the means of relieving many who are now suffering 

 from poverty on these hills." 



" Eeomegnar" sends us the following note of his ex- 

 perience on the question of loam versus peat foe Rhododen- 

 drons : — " In making some alterations we had to remove a 

 bed of large Rhododendrons. The bed had been excavated 

 3 feet deep, one half having been filled with peat, the other 

 loam. There was no comparison in their rootiDg. Those in 

 loam had balls as large as the body of a cart ; in the peat, on 

 the contrary, they were not a quarter the size, and you could 

 tell to a plant how far each kind of soil extended before the 

 shrubs were taken up." 



NOTES on VILLA and STJBUEBAN GARDENING. 



All work that has been advised in previous calendars and 

 not yet completed must be finished without further delay, for 

 with the ushering-in of the new year garden work and garden 

 cares commence afresh. In a very few weeks many operations 

 will be found pressing to be done at one time, consequently all 

 work that it is possible to do to facilitate work in the sprirjg 

 should be done at once. The wheeling of manure, the trench- 

 ing of ground and laying it in ridges for the frost to act upon it, 

 the pruning of all kinds of fruit trees, the sweeping and rolling 

 of lawns, and the turning of the borders under shrubs, all con- 

 stitute v,ork for the present time. Adapt the work, too, to the 

 weather, and both master and man will be benefited. For 

 instance, manure is best wheeled during frosty weather, for 

 then the paths are hard and firm. Trenching is brisk warm 

 work for cold dry days, and warm pleasant days are the moBt 

 profitable for pruning. After rain the roller will make the 

 greatest impression on lawns, aud is highly beneficial if an even 

 and thick sward is wished for. It is surprising how great are 

 the advantages of adapting the work to the weather — working 

 with the head as well as with the hands. 



Peaches and Nectarines on walls should be all unnailed and 

 the branches be secnred to stakes some distance from tap 

 walls, in order to retard the buds as much as is possible, for the 

 longer the expansion of the blossom can be retarded the grvater 

 is the chance of favourable weather during the setting period, 

 and of a good crop of fruit resulting. 



Apple and Pear trees, whether grown as bush or pyramid 

 trees or in the form of espaliers by the side of walks, &c, should 

 he carefully pruned and trained now. A judicious thinning of 

 the small weak wood is necessary, keeping the centre of the 

 tree, in the case of standards, open, so as to admit a free ourrent 

 of air through the trees. The pruning of all small fruits, Buch 

 as Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries, must not be delayed 

 after this time. Gooseberries and White and Red Currants 

 Bhould have their centres kept open by pruning all side shoots 

 nearly close to the main branches, removing also the points of 

 the principal or permanent portions of the bushes; but Black 

 Currants merely require an old Bhoot or so to be removed to 

 prevent overcrowding. Raspberries require to have the points 

 of the canes shortened, removing also the weakest of the super- 

 fluous canes. Some cultivators secure the canes to stakeB, 



others have a wire trellis to which they tie them out separately, 

 while some train them by what is known as the arch system — 

 that is, the points of the rods from one stool are secured to the 

 points of another, and by this means the growth is well exposed 

 to the light. All the modes of training alluded to answer well, 

 and that one may be adopted which is the most convenient. 

 Gather up all prunings, and those of the Apple and Pear may 

 be tied in bundles and be reserved for small flower sticks, 

 while the prunings of Gooseberries and such like should be 

 burnt, when not required to be made into cuttings. 



Shrubberies and pleasure grounds are now attractive where 

 Holly abounds. So numerous are Holly berries on eome trees 

 this season that they almost make the foliage look dull aud sickly 

 by contr&st. Jasminum nudiflorum just now clothes the walls 

 ol many a villa home with its clear yellow flowers, while the 

 Arbutus and Laurustinus are heavily laden with clusters of 

 white and graceful blooms, and Garrya elliptica is profuse with 

 its bold aud drooping catkins. All of the shrubs impart a 

 charm to an otherwise dull and dark month, and make us feel 

 that, after all, there is always something to admire in a well- 

 furnished garden be it ever so small. 



Vines in houses where there is not much artificial heat have 

 nearly shed their foliage. They are now ready for pruning, 

 dressing, and cleaning. The system of pruning most common 

 as yet is the spur system, aocording to which the laterals are 

 pruned back to within about two eyes of the main rod. Employ 

 a sharp knife for the work, and do not cut too close to the bud. 

 Wash the rods with soft soap and tobacco water, and they may 

 also be painted over with a mixture of sulphur, tobacco water, 

 and clay, as thrips and other insects may be lurking within the 

 crevices of the bark. All inBide borders will require a good 

 soaking of water, for though the tops are apparently dormant 

 the rootlets are active. It is well to remember that the finest 

 Grapes as a rule are grown where the rainfall is the heaviest. 



Bedding Geraniums require to be frequently looked over and 

 to have all decaying leaves removed. They must be watered 

 moderately, for nothing is gained by allowing them to become 

 dust-dry, more especially if a little fire heat is used. Cinerarias 

 and Calceolarias are growing well, and are as a rule strong and 

 healthy. They should be kept near the glass and liberally 

 supplied with water on fine mornings. Continue to bring in 

 fresh batches of bulbs, Spiraeas, Deutzias, Azaleas, Rhododen- 

 drons, Lilacs, Dielytras, Roses, &c, for forcing as wanted, and 

 other Roses in pots will reqnire pruning for later supplies. 

 Before pruning see that the Boil has become tolerably dry, then 

 with a sharp knife cut away all weak shoots. Place a strand of 

 cord round the rim of the pot, and bring gradually down suffi- 

 cient shoots to lay the foundation for a compact plant. The 

 shoots so tied down make more breaks than they otherwise 

 would do if left erect, and consequently will give a greater 

 supply of flowers. Do not attempt too high a temperature for 

 forcing the Rose; from 50° to 55° is ample. Syringe frequently, 

 and %s growth commences give more water. It is a very good 

 plan to prune some weeks previous to starting the plants into- 

 active growth. 



Leaves that have been collected and laid in a heap should be 

 mixed with some long and fresh stable manure for the purpose 

 of forming a hotbed for the raising of early frame Cucumbers, 

 the striking of numerous cuttings, and the raising of seeds 

 during the spring months. Directions for the makiDg of the 

 beds will be given in due time; for the present allow the 

 materials to ferment and sweeten. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



We have already given the various details of the work on the 

 open ground and on walls. There are, however, exceptional 

 conditions that must be taken into acoount, Buch as undertaking 

 the charge of a garden where the trees have for years been 

 neglected. It was our own experience to do this once, and we 

 found weeks of employment in thinning-out the wood where it 

 was too thick, taking care at the same time to leave a sufficient 

 number of fruit buds for acrop the following season. In pruning 

 standard trees the right principle is to thin-out the outer 

 branches liberally, so that the sunlight may play freely on the 

 fruit about the centre of the trees. Old and neglected trees 

 will have very few fruit buds near the centre ; they will nearly 

 all be found on the outer branches. When standard trees are 

 well managed from tbe first the inner branches will be furnished 

 with fruit buds, not to the same extent as those on the outer 

 side, but they will be evenly distributed over the trees, and the 

 branches will not be ao liable to break with their load of fruit 

 in seasonB of plenty. Neglected wall trees, especially Pears and 

 Apples trained on the espalier system, are most unsightly 

 objects. We have seen them with the spurs projecting nearly 

 half a yard from the main stems. Tbe best thing to do when 

 this is the case is to cut the spurs back rather closely. _ Such 

 > treatment may have the effect of very materially diminishing 



