THE 



GARDENERS 



MAGAZINE. 



SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1898. 



NOTES OF THE WEEK. 



WALL COPINGS. 



to blooming, the leaves have to perform their allotted task of recon- 

 structing a bulb, they do this under serious disadvantages if rain and 

 cloud deprive them even of the already scanty share of sunlight available. 

 They very probably, however, adapt themselves to circumstances to a 

 THERE is usually some amount of discussion at this season of the certain extent by prolonging the period of maturation, which is un- 

 vear on the question of the utility of movable wall copings in the cultiva- doubtedly effected far more quickly on the native hillside, where the 

 tion of the peach, the nectarine, and some other of the hardy fruits that burnin S sun and sou together hasten the work immensely. Nature, 

 receive the shelter of walls and are especially liable to injury from spring indeed, is very prompt m her work in such climates as bulbs affect ; and 

 frosts. In the course of these discussions the most diverse views are J ust as rapidly as the ripening is effected and the foliage burnt 

 expressed, some cultivators regarding them as quite unnecessary, while U P b Y the sunbeams, so, when the. rainy period sets in, the reawakening 

 others consider them as essential to the production of abundant crops, takes P^ce with startling suddenness and a wealth of gorgeous bloom is 

 and those who have had but little experience must have some difficulty speedily outspread where but a week or so previously was a dry and arid 



in reconciling the different opinions. Those who are well versed in 



desert. It is, indeed, curious to contrast in some cases the natural with 



the practical work of the garden and are in a position to take a broad the artificial conditions of growth. Take our tulips. We prepare t 

 view of th e question at issue experience no such difficulty, as they know soil most carefully,'and in well-made beds hardly a stone will be found 

 perfectly well that the differences in opinion arise chiefly from the diverse the aim being to give the delicate roots every chance to penetrate the 

 character of the conditions that obtain in the various districts ; and they soil. The surface is carefully tilled and levelled, and all is as tidy and 

 know also that the value of the discussions is materially reduced by the trim as possible. If drought prevail water is supplied, &c, &c. Take 

 failure of those who take part in them to explain the climatic and other now another picture. An exposed stony hillside in Asia Minor, the soil, 

 conditions that obtain in the district in which they have obtained their such as it is, a loose, rubbly mass of fragments of rock and general 

 experience. In districts specially favourable to the peach and nectarine debris, here and there a few sparse bushes of some stunted prickly vege- 

 there can be no manner of doubt that excellent crops may be obtained in tation, and the only trace of man a barely visible foot-track here and 

 most years from trees that receive no other protection than is afforded by there, while the whole is bathed in sunshine and roofed in with azure of 

 two thicknesses of old fish nets suspended in front of them. When on the mediterranean purity. But what is that mass of scarlet yonder on 

 the other hand there is a difficulty in obtaining wellr-ipened wood, or the hill flank ? A dense bed of tulips in perfection. Crowded together 

 where the trees are exposed to the full effects of the easterly winds, or over many square yards of space are hundreds of brilliant blooms. Try 

 to a humid atmosphere during the spring months, portable copings will be to dig some up, and the soil is so hard that the wonder grows upon one 

 of immense assistance to the trees. There is no garden in the United how bulbs can possibly be formed under such conditions ; and yet the 

 Kingdom where a coping projecting from one to two feet from the wall blooms are splendid, and the whole mass transferred to one of our parks 

 would not be of assistance, but with so much work to be accomplished in would lose nothing, as far as massing and glowing colour are concerned, 

 proportion to the labour available, the gardener has to forego everything by comparison with its pampered kinsmen of our most up-to-date 

 from which .1 well-marked advantage cannot be derived, therefore catalogues. All .this, of course, shows us the wonderful adaptability of 

 copings are seldom employed excepting in cases where they are known plants, but, none the less, is it advisable to study their natural require- 

 to be absolutely necessary, and not always in these. The utility of the ments to the utmost, especially as some are not so amenable as others, 

 coping consists chiefly in its keeping the flowers, leaves, and young and some altogether refuse to be revolutionised, and will either have 

 fruits dry, and thereby lessening the risk of their being injured by frost, their full share of sunshine, like "H. H. D'.'s " cyclamen, or perish in 

 as when dry both foliage and fruits are able to resist the effects of frosts default 

 that would seriously injure them when saturated with moisture. Copings 

 of either wood, or wood and glass, will serve the purpose of keeping the 

 trees dry, but the latter are decidedly the best, and with nets or canvas 



GARDENERS' ORPHANS. 



The progress made by the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund during 



suspended from a wire fixed near the lower edge form as perfect a the ten years that have elapsed since its foundation has been sufficiently 



protection as we can hope to have. The glass copings possess the substantial to justify the feeling of "pride and satisfaction " to which the 



advantage that while affording the most ample protection they do not executive gave expression in the report presented to the annual meeting 



deprive the growth at the upper part of the wall of any appreciable held on the 18th inst. The charity, as briefly stated, has become firmly 



amount of light. The length of time the copings should remain in established among the gardening institutions ; it has lassisted a large 



position can only be satisfactorily determined by local conditions, number of orphan children, and it has invested a reserve fund, which if 



Speaking generally, they should be removed immediately the trees can not particularly large is sufficient to show that both officers and members 



be fully exposed without risk of injury from frost ; but there are gardens of committee have fully appreciated their responsibilities and also the 



m which they may with advantage be allowed to remain throughout the necessity of economy in the administration of the funds. These are 



year. Whenever the rainfall is considerably above the average or where matters on which the members have good cause for congratulating 



the atmosphere is highly charged with humidity the wall copings may be themselves, and it is satisfactory to observe that the guardians of 



allowed to remain, and in several Irish gardens where peach culture was the children are grateful for the assistance rendered them, and that 



considered impossible heavy crops are now annually obtained by adopting several of the horticultural societies have shown how substantial is the 



the simple expedient of leaving the copings over the trees throughout aid these associations are able to give to the charity. On the other hand 



the year, the change having been brought about by the valuable aid we regret to learn both from the report and balance-sheet that the 



rendered by the copings during the autumn when the ripening of th 

 wood is in progress. Equally satisfactory results would undoubtedly 



•low from the adoption of this practice in many gardens on the western 

 coast of England. 



receipts have not been so satisfactory as could be desired, and more 



form 



RIPENING OF BULBS. 



the amount required for the payment of the pensions to the children. 

 The card collection was even less satisfactory, for notwithstanding the 

 large number of cards sent out, the aggregate amount derived from them 

 was £33 plus a few shillings. The amount derived from these sources 

 is wholly inadequate, and indicates that the gardeners of the United 

 Kingdom do not sufficiently appreciate the value of the chanty or 

 their responsibilities in the matter. The fund was established in the 



benefit 



H T-J TV ) » 



of b * h * remarks in our last issue with reference to the necessity 



. right sunshine for the proper ripening of bulbs are very much to the 

 PO'nt, and it is doubtless, as he assumes, "the one great element of 

 uccess ' for many species. We have, indeed, only to glance at the 

 ^"natal conditions of the native habitats of most of our favourite bulbs to 



e a once that they are the evolutionary outcome of long, hot, dry , . , . , 



asons, characterised by next to no rainfall at all, and an average daily the fund would extend more widely amongst gardeners of the United 

 rmw.ro...-,... ......... Kingdom. We fear that the majority of gardeners do not appreciate the 



temll k 1 • * — — «J — ~— — « «« " fact that it is within their power to materially assist in the good work 



rauy baking hot day after day, and at the depth of a few inches lie the without unduly taxing their resources, with a moderate degree of effort 



Sherwood 



r 



mperature high enough to parch into nothingness the great bulk of 

 vegetation. During those dry seasons the surface of the soil is 



libs. , , } ~'»*" uay, dim iii me ucjiiu ui it lew incnes 



^iMm^ 7 ^ bbly ' St ° ny Soi1 ' and certainl y subjected 



to a 



on their part Very few, we venture to suggest, are so placed that they 



tatpletTthl^ ,SUCh COnditions > especially as many bulbs flower and 

 Dttest s 6 reSt ° f their annual c y cle of °P erat >ons long before our 



Sets in ; and ohvinn<;1v wlipn dnrinc the r\f^r\f\t\ cnKcAnnpnt 



In this country we cannot collect a few shillings, and many might help to augment the list 



shed 



direction, we would direct attention to the fact that last year fifty-five 

 new subscribers were obtained in the neighbourhood of Southampton by 



. m 



