December 6, 1364. J 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



449 



to obtain fresh wood. I toot the idea from hearing about 

 SI. Grin's work, as I said, bat had never seen his trees till 

 this year. They therefore differ from my own, and are 

 very beautiful specimens of Peach training. I doubt if any 

 one has ever seen finer in every way than those in the public 

 gardens under 31. Grin's charge. They were perfect in form, 

 either as horizontal or oblique cordons, healthy, and very 

 fruitful. 



M. Grin, however, pinches during the summer to two 

 leaves, and obtains very fine bearing shoots quite close to 

 the branch. This is closer pruning than my own. But the 

 dominant idea is similar, and it will be at once evident that 

 this " close pruning " is the very thing we require for 

 orchard-house trees. In fact, no other can be practised, 

 and I may be allowed to say, that in my opinion, it is far 

 superior to the practice founded on disbudding. I hope to 

 show this more fully at some future date. In practice 

 orchard-house pruners have long ago dismissed "long 

 pruning, or disbudding," as out of place. There is no room 

 for the one, nor is the other needed, if we concentrate the 

 action of the sap by a better and a more natural plan. 



In the open air, by merely being careful to cut away fore- | 

 rights, and to tie in those shoots which are unruly (I do I 

 not, but it may also be done with much advantage), there is 

 no reason why Peach trees should not bear as well on this 

 plan, as they do in orchard-houses. The intelligent gar- 

 dener of a friend, by merely adopting this plan after having 

 seen my own trees, has obtained remarkable crops. In 

 our gardens being satisfied with leaving one fine Peach for 

 every 9 square inches, the crops every year are nearly always 

 the same. In the house we take about double. I beg here 

 to endorse what that " great gardener, Mr. Rivers," (as 

 that worthy writer, " R. P.," calls him), says about not ex- 

 pecting continuous and heavy crops from trees in orchard- 

 houses. They will bear fast enough if required ; but no 

 tree can stand this demand on its vitality. If we had 

 Houses in which to rest our trees — say every third year, this 

 might be done. 



Returning to the gaidens at Chartres, we witnessed many 

 fine specimens of Pear and Apple trees trained to horizontal 

 wires in various handsome forms. Some Vines closely 

 pinched in were also very promising. There is another idea 

 to work out. As these matters have a direct bearing on the 

 orchard-house question, which has now become so interest- 

 ing, such remarks may prove useful. 



Amateurs may be assured that the progress of these 

 houses is watched with interest abroad. In those mar- 

 vellous c lim ates what might not a Rivers effect ! Prejudice 

 and a fear of outlay alone keeps cultivators on the Continent 

 from producing fruit rivalling that of tropical regions. I 

 nave heard most of the objections raised by foreigners to 

 this, but they have but little weight. Nevertheless, appli- 

 ances to lessen the evil effects of abrupt atmospherical 

 changes, are now recommended in the best works. Tiffany 

 screens will soon be general, temporary glazed coverings 

 have always been used, and what are orchard-houses but 

 these ideas elaborated ? — T. Colliugs Bkehatjt, Richmond 

 Souse, Guernsey. 



following : — " The Vines were grown throughout in the tem- 

 perature of a cool vinery, which was kept somewhat close 

 while they were setting. There was no bottom heat, and 

 not a root left the pots. The latter were full of roots when 

 first introduced, the plants having been grown from eyes in pots 

 last year. — Wh. Paul, Nurseries, Waltham Cross."^ 



VEXES in pots in an OECHAED -HOUSE. 



I wish Mr. TV Paul would inform your readers whether 

 the Grapes which he so usefully tested in an orchard-house, 

 were confined in pots, and whether the house was heated. 



I have always found it difficult to grow Grapes in pots in 

 an unheated house. The Vine has naturally long rambling 

 roots, and however careful one may be in giving good drain- 

 age, and having a light soil, yet the Vine, unless assisted by 

 bottom heat, is so slow in fully occupying the soil, that this 

 becomes compressed and soddened by the necessary water- 

 ing. In the open ground Vines seem comparatively indif- 

 ferent to soil and drainage. I have just had to dig up some 

 St. Peter's planted in the border of an orchard-house near a 

 stove about four years ago. Several large roots, leaving the 

 well-made inside border and the warmth of the stove, made 

 direct for the outside garden ground, which was soddened 

 by drip from the roof. The Vines ripened, however, capital 

 crops. — S. B. 



[In reply to the above, Mr. Paul has obliged us with the 



GEOWING- CEETAIN ALPINES IX 1LASSES. 



Mr. Abbey really makes my mouth quite water. He talks 

 of " beds of plants " looking "lovely" and "beautiful" — 

 of plants we unlucky amateur gardeners can hardly meet 

 with, and still less grow when we have them. Fancy " beds " 

 of Linnaea borealis, Primula nivalis and cortusoides, Silene 

 acaulis, Soldanella alpina, Cortusa Matthioli, and double 

 red Primroses ! Will Mr. Abbey tell us how we are to have 

 beds of such delightful little rarities, and in what county he 

 has seen them ? Pray give a place to this note if you have 

 room, that brother amateurs may state their experience. — 

 A. R. 



["A. R." has drawn on Ms own imagination, and then 

 placed the results to my account. He says I talk of " beds 

 of plants " looking " lovely and beautiful." Now it does 

 so happen that the words "lovely and beautiful" are not 

 used by me at all in speaking of the beds of plants named 

 by "A. R. ;" but " fine beds " in relation to Soldanella 

 alpina, "neat mass" as regards Silene acaulis, and "pret- 

 tier bed " in respect to double red Primroses. It so happens, 

 also, that the plants named can be grown successfully in 

 our climate (and what is it we cannot grow in England ?) 

 and may be had for the purpose named either by purchase 

 or otherwise ; that purpose being the cultivation of them in 

 quantity, so as to show them in large or small masses, in 

 places where they would be more appreciated because more 

 seen than they are now in some out-of-the-way corner, where 

 they are stifled for want of fresh air, and their beauties 

 hidden. 



Now as to the how and where. 



The first plant named by " A. R." is Linnaea borealis, a 

 dwarf trailing alpine allied to the Honeysuckle, with pink 

 and white fragrant bells or trumpets. He can procure this 

 for 9<Z. or Is. from several of the nurserymen who advertise 

 in our columns ; and if he like to give an order for a hundred 

 or thousand he can have them, I have no doubt, within twelve 

 months ; or if he likes to go to one nursery they will show 

 him " lovely and beautiful," not beds, but masses of this, 

 and many rare though curious and charming alpines from 

 every region of the globe, besides many other little rarities. 

 I will suppose that "A. R." has this plant in sufficient 

 quantity to form a bed; if not, it will not cost much to- 

 obtain sufficient plants, and he may raise the bed consider- 

 ably with rock stones, and fill in the interstices with sandy- 

 loam and peat, mixed with one-half of small stones. On,. 

 this place a layer of the compost about 3 inches thick, and 

 set the plants in it, so that they may cover the surface, and 

 if they are of the size of many that I have seen it will not 

 take many to do so. This mode of planting may be carried 

 out now, and it will be found a much better plan for one- 

 half the alpines than keeping them coddled in close frames. 

 The plants will not need anything all the winter through ; 

 and if the bed is a permanency it must not only be elevated, 

 but the soil should be drained, and neither allowed to 

 become very dry in summer nor baked by strong sun. Some 

 slight protection, as a little moss, should therefore be given, 

 and if the plant in question does not receive the sun from 

 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. after May it will bloom most of the sum- 

 mer. I did not say that Linnaea borealis made a " lovely 

 or beautiful bed," because I knew it bloomed quite late 

 enough to be employed for spring gardening; but I have 

 seen it occasionally bloom early, and in a mass too, and on 

 that account it had a place. Por such a purpose it should 

 be grown in shallow pots or pans well drained, in the com- 

 post already named, and be plunged in the beds during the 

 period of bloom only, and when that is passed be placed in 

 an east border. 



Soldanella alpina, Primula nivalis, and P. cortusoides may 

 be had for making fine beds, and Cortusa Matthioli also if 

 the plants to do it are at command, and they can be had at 

 any of the leading London or provincial nurseries for a mere 



