THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE, 



April 6, 1912. 



rockwork, where its roots can strike hack- 

 waS^ inti the cool, moist soil behind the 

 .tones, while its foliage and flowers enjoy 

 the fullest amount of sunshine possible, that 

 the rock cress is seen at its best. Here it 

 hangs its dense mat of leafage hidden dur- 

 ing the spring by a prodigal display of blos- 

 som delightful in its shades of purple, 

 lavender or soft pink. Sometimes after a 

 succession of hard frosts, alternating with 



less pinching to induce them to assume vne 

 desired form. Bush plants should be 

 stopped when small, and then alloAved to 

 assume their natural habit, which will be 

 that of a drooping nature. 



When the plants have filled the 48 s pots 

 with roots they should be shifted into 

 others two or three sizes larger, according 

 to their strength and the variety grown. 

 To produce specimen plants in one season 



succession of hard frosts, alternating wiiu r jr constant attcn- 



^"^h^ ?,"Mt'riTts w n" t,.on Must .be |iven ; they »ust not receive 



sorry appearance, but the plant has won- 

 derful recuperative powers, and, with the 

 advent of more genial weather, soon com- 

 mences to furnish its leafless shoots with 

 green, to be followed later on by a profuse, 

 though somewhat retarded, flower display. 



Wyndham Fitzhkrbert. 



bloom 



FUCHSIAS. 



When well grown there are but few, if 

 any, greenhouse plants more useful than 

 fuchsias, and certainly none that make a 

 finer display when in hloom. Whether 

 grown as standards, pyramids, bushes, 

 trained up pillars, under tlie rafters, or in 

 hanging baskets they are charming sub- 

 jects. They are also most useful for out- 

 door decorations, for nothing has a more 

 pleasing effect than a fine bed of fuchsias 

 carpeted with some low-growing plant that 

 harmonises with the colour of the flowers 

 above. The cultiv-ation of these plants is 

 so simple that no one who has the con- 

 venience to grow them sihould be without 

 a few. 



Propagation is effected either by seeds or 

 cuttings, but the latter is the mast general 

 method adopted, particularly where it is 

 necessary to have a number of one variety- 

 Cuttings of the young shoots may be in- 

 serted in la light sandy soil, and placed in 

 heat, either in the autumn or spring, but 

 those who are desirous of obtaining fine 

 specimens in one season should take the 

 points of the young shoots in September. 

 If these are inserted in such numbers as 

 are required in six-inch pots, which should 

 be plunged in a slight hotbed, they will 

 readily take root. Those, however, who 

 only need small plants would do well to 

 root the cuttings in spring. Seeds may 

 also be sown at that tune. 



Autumn^-ooted cuttings should be potted 

 as soon as ready, and the plants ought to 

 be grown in gentle heat through the win- 

 ter. It is not advisable to have the tem- 

 perature too high, or the growth made there is no difficulty, 

 would be spindly ; from 50 to 55 degrees 

 ample. By the middle of February the 



grown plants of this size from cuttings in- 

 serted in September, by the end of the fol- 

 lowing May and had them in full bloom 

 from June 'until the end of September. 

 When potting do not ram the soil very 

 firm especially if the loam be of a heavy 

 texture, for even though it is made light 

 by the addition of leaf-soil and decayed 

 manure, it has a tendency to ibecome too 

 solid when rammed hard. As the plants 

 proceed in growth a neat stake should be 

 put to the central shoot for support, and 

 the side growth should be looped up to 

 this to prevent them from being snapped 

 off by their weight, and to assist in regu- 

 lating the distance between them. 



Fuchsias are gross feeders, and they will 

 need artificial manure ; we have found no^ 

 thing better than dried blood. This is 

 easily applied, either as liquid manure or 

 in the powdered state; if the former, all 

 one has to do is to put a handful into 

 the watering-pot, fill, and then stir up with 

 a stick. By the latter end of April or early 

 in May the plants should he large enough 

 for their final shift, land will require pots 

 of the size of 8's or 6's. After the final 

 potting they ishould be re-staked', using 

 neat bamboo rods from six to seven feet or 

 more in length, according to the height 

 they will in all probability attain ; at the 

 same time care should be taken to loop up 

 the side shoots to the main stem. 



If the fuchsias are intended for furnish- 

 ing flower beds, they should he stood out 

 of'cloors towards the end of May, choosing 

 a sheltered position so as to avoid their 

 being hroken hy high winds, which are 

 usually very prevalent about the first week 

 in June. Such plants as these make a fine 

 show in large beds when planted a sufficient 

 distance apart to show themselves to ad- 



Tlie groundwork should be such 

 as toTiarmonise with the colour of the 



For growing under the rafters of houses 

 there is no variety that makes such a fine 

 show as Olympia. When liberally treate« 

 this is a perfect mass of flowers hanging 

 from the root in a most graceful manner. 

 The long salmon-pink tubes and scarlet 

 corolla produce a charming effect. Blush- 

 ing Bride and General Grenfell are aleo 

 useful for this purpose. Of course, there 

 are many others, and each season we find 

 new (additions to the long list of varieties 

 already in culture, 

 le i:uLuiiig.> cix^ As hasket plants fuchsias are most &uit- 

 We have"^ often able, and when employed in this manner it 



■ /* ii I _j 1 ^_ _ _ 



time LllC r^^^u...^ 



vantage. 



plants will require a sunt into s, lor ii 

 they have received proper attention, they 

 should he about a foot high by this time ; 

 a hundred plants of this size do not take 

 up much room, but after potting the space 



they will occupy will be much greater; _ 

 therefore preparations must be made ac- such as Ballet Uirl iierlmer 

 cordingly. When repotted return the plants ^ nv^f^,. 

 to the same temperature as that they pre- 

 viously had that there may be no check. 

 It should now be determined whether the 

 plants are to be grown as standards, 

 pyramids, hushes, as pillar plants, for grow- 

 ing up rafters, or for baskets. If the for- 

 mer, keep them to a single stem until the 

 desired height is attained, then pinch out 

 the points of the shoots to induce lateral 

 growths, which operation should be re- 

 peated as fresh growth is made. Pyramids 

 are formed by stopping the leading shoot 

 so as to induce side growths to be made, 

 and these, all but the leading one, should 

 again be pinched until the desired shape is 

 a 1 1 a i n ed , whe n st opp i ng sh ou 1 d eea s e . 

 Some varieties make much better pyramids 

 than others, being more dense in th* ir 



L4, O U V-» 1-1. *- V* *- M-AA — - — — ' — ' , , — _ — 



flowers. If the fuchsias are self-coloured 



We have planted 



large beds of Blushing Bride carpeted Avith 

 pink ivy-leaved geraniums, which had a 

 charming effect; Merinka, with a ground- 

 work of fibrous begonias; Lustre, with 

 Royal Sovereign violas ; and Charming with 

 a groundwork of white heliotropes. The 

 single varieties are most suitable for bed- 

 ding, though some of the double forms 



' " - Kind, and 



Frau Emma Topfer do well. 



For specimens the plants should on no 

 account be overcrowded even when in a 

 young state, as their heauty would be 

 spoiled if once they hecome drawn to one 

 side. They ought to be turned round occa- 

 sionally so that all sides may receive a 

 due share of light. Pinching should cease 

 as soon as the plants have attained the de- 

 sired proportions in order that the growth 

 made afterwards may assume a natural 



habit of growth, and such will require far 



IlitfJlt LXXC gTHOOful — * j_ ciy X 



show ' themselves to advantage if .allowed 

 to extend freely. It is difficult to grow fine 

 specimens of such varieties as Phenomenal 

 as this has a strong rampant growth, but 

 the large showy flowers well repay the cul- 

 tivator for the extra pains necKled to grow 

 it to perfection. Champion of the World 

 ie .c\an n.nnther of this class. 



is preferable to root the cuttings in spring. 

 After growing them in pots until they are 

 a foot or fifteen inches high transfer them 

 to the baskets in which they are intended 

 to bloom. The number of plants required 

 to fill a basket must in a measure depend 

 on the size of the basket; it is, however, 

 well to plant sufficient to produce a good 

 effect . 



Tlhough I have only dealt with young 

 plants, there is no reason why older ones 

 could not be grown with a like success, but 

 as far as my experience goes young plants 

 are far less trouble, and give a greater 

 wealth of bloom for the labour bestowed on 

 them, and, except in the case of pillar or 

 roof plants, which are usually planted out, 

 they retain their flowers much longer. 

 Young plants take up but little iroom; 

 one oo'uld put five hundred in a two-light 

 pit or frame until potted a second time. 



H. C. Prinsep. 



PROGRESS IN APPLE 



BREEDING. 



A bulletin received from the Director of 

 the Dominion Experimental Farms, Ot- 

 tawa, Canada, is of much interest as show- 

 ing what may be accomplished in tn® 

 breeding of apples for a cold climate. When 

 the experimental farms were estabhshed in 

 Canada one was located in each of the 

 then organised provinces of the Dommion 

 This resulted in one being established ir 

 Manitoba, and another in the North-ffest 

 Territories. At that time no app es oi 

 merit were known to be sufficiently haray 

 to admit of their successful cultivation m 

 the North-west plains country. ^"j 

 suggestion of Messrs. Budd and tibb, oi 

 Iowa and Quebec respectively, who haU a 

 short time previously mad© a JO^^^^J 

 through Russia, attention was turnea w 

 the steppe country of Russia for primary 

 forms of the apple, with which to com- 

 mence the work of raising varieties tiiai, 

 while of good quality, would be adaptea w 

 the climatic conditions that obtain m 

 North-west Territories. In the result tae 

 crab known as Pyrus baccata was ""porw , 

 and seedlings raised from it, and as ^ 

 after as possible crosses were made wi 

 the hardiest apples and the cultivated crao^ 

 The crosses were numerous, and t"^^, .^^ 

 remarkably successful in securing ^V^^'^ 

 The trees came into bearing ^ariy, . 

 some twenty varieties have been 

 and named, and distributed to settle 



The fruit 



throughout the provinces 

 Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. j 

 of P. baccata have a diameter ot a" 

 half an inch, and many of the crossbreeu» 

 of the first generation have fruits t^^J . ^_ 

 twelve or fourteen times their ^ . Bjjj 

 Crosses were made with Prunus pr""'' 

 and cultivated apples, and some oi 

 have borne fruits that were two 1"^" ^ 

 diameter . The flesh of this race ot ny " 

 is mostly fine grained, juicy, with tra 

 astringencv. No crossbreeds have ^^^.^^^ 

 been produced that can be inc'uaeu ^^^^ 

 the dessert varieties, but it is hopt 

 will be evolved in due course. 



