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March 5> l8 9 8 * 



P tnnus Trees —The precocious horse-chestnut tree in the Champs 

 TW °p,rk will not hlootn on March 20 this year, however often it may have 

 ElySeeS ', 'hat date previously, or it is now dead, much to the regret of 

 " 0W We understand that the huge rose tree at Hildesheim is in a bad way, 



I^lTdecav that comes with old age is apparent, and is, in this case, assisted by 

 for the Herr WaMheim, of the Hanover Botanic Gardens, has been 



a fung° m . the Iife of th i s patriarchal rose, but it is questionable 



devising me<iiis w 



whether success will attend his efforts. 



Roval Gardeners' Orphan Fund.— The first meeting of the committee 



f this charity for the current financial year, was held cn February 25, when Mr. 

 William Marshall was unanimously re-elected chairman of the committee. The 

 ardians of the children elected at the annual general meeting were severally 

 a" ointed, these being in most cases the mothers of the children. Authority was 

 Sen to draw cheques in payment of their pensions from the date of election. 

 Several special donations were reported by the secretary, among them being the 



ollowing : Mr. M. Todd, Edinburgh, sale of flowers, ^30 10s. ; Mr. H. J. Jones, 

 Lewisham, collecting box during the chrysanthemum season, £14 3 s - id- 5 Mr. J. 

 Gammie, £$ Ss. ; Mr. H. Eckford, Wem, sale .of flowers, £2 ; and Mr. A. G. 

 Weeks and Mr. Marks, 10s. each from boxes. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



141 



Old Herbals and 



Works 



interest even though many of them are not remarkable for their present day 

 utility. Such books are now eagerly sought after, indeed the collecting of them 

 has assumed the proportions of a miniature mania, and the leading dealers in old 

 books are doing their best to meet the demand. On March 23 Messrs. Sotheby, 

 Wilkinson, and Hodge will offer an extraordinary collection of herbals, chiefly 



The first lot of all is an important and interesting 



printed before the years 1 500. 

 French MS. of the fifteenth century, with the title 



Le Livres des Simples 



Medecines," &c, with many hundred coloured drawings of plants, &c. There are 



result i. ft contriDuted £300 and the Corporation ^650. The 



Fski ILTrf ii ° f WatCr ' £ome ei 8 ht acres in extent ' A su gges»cm by the 

 receive! T J* the loCal museum m the forest should be enlarged has 

 workup C ™ Sldeiadon from the committee, who report that the cost of the 

 of thinrin T ^ /j2S °' The P r °P° saI wil1 be further considered. The sale 

 were/i'iS i g u yW amounted to ^ 6 43 9d. The keepers' wages 

 ^4,coo ItouldhT 1 6 !ab0Urers ' wa e es £*><*S- The committee recommend that 

 »he coming year t0 ^ ° f the comnlittee to meet the expenses of 



Mr.^Sbv? 1 ^^ Soclet y— At the meeting of this society on the 27th ult., 



dating Them / r ^ ° f biS paper ° D " FibreS and the Plants Pro " 



interesUne exhv. 8 partlcularl y wilh flax, hemp, and cotton. Several 



of fl« 7nd T handed round » deluding a piece of mummy cloth made 



Nations were 2 - ab ° Ut three thousand y ears old - Th e following 



P«*nted u IT A finC s P ecimen ° f the Rhododendron argenteum, 

 •Pcciosum lc ?\ t ewa11 ' of Gatcshcad-on-Tyne ; and tubers of Nelumbium 



* meeting Y«T ^ W * °' Baker > curator of ° xford Botanic Gardens. 

 ^Pollen grains. ° D Salurda y next lher * will be a microscopic exhibition 



Modern Raspberry Culture. 



Fkw ruits in their season are more appreciated than raspberries, and 

 given good culture few are more profitable. The plants, however, are too 

 often starved by being allowed to occupy the same place for many years 

 with little or no assistance in the shape of manure. But it is not always 

 manure they need, but rather new soil, new site, and the removal of old 

 worn-out stools. I have seen raspberry canes in gardens bearing as poor 

 fruit as those produced in a wild state. Fortunately, of late years there 

 has been a much greater interest taken in fruit culture, largely due to the 

 spirited policy of the GARDENERS' Magazine, and though raspberries 

 have been referred to, there is still rocm for improved culture, and no 

 need for great outlay. With more attention there will be better results, 

 for a poor plant will take up as much room as a good one, and there is 

 no question as to which pays the best. Few plants exhaust the soil sooner 

 than the raspberry, owing to the rapid spread of its roots and the suckers 

 it produces all round. Too often these strong canes are cut away, leav- 

 ing the poor weak canes to bear the fruit. Overcrowding of canes is 

 another source of weakness. Last summer I visited a garden where the 

 owner told me his raspberries were a failure, and certainly they appeared 

 as bad as could be, but here the plants had occupied the same position 

 for at least a quarter of a century, and, of course, they and the soil were 

 thoroughly worn out ; the canes produced were like straws ; the grow-.h 

 of healthy canes should be as thick as one's thumb. 



With respect to raspberry culture, I have no new system to detail 

 beyond remarking that raspberries should be grown for a much shorter 

 time in the same place or soil than is generally the case. Our fruit 



trees occupy the land a long time, but we must 

 strawberries and 



one hundred and forty-nine lots of books relating to gardening, flowers, &c, and 

 many are very rare. There is a fine copy of the beautiful volume dedicated to 

 Marguerite de Valois, 11 Des Fleurs ou sont contenuz plusieurs secretes de 

 Medecine," 1581, and also a fine copy of Mollet's " Le Jardin de Plaisir 

 Stockholm, 1651, one of the rarest works on the subject. ■ 



The Kew Guild held its annual general meeting on February 24 under the 

 presidency of Mr. G. Nicholson, A.L.S. Old Kewites were fairly well repre- 

 sented, and the lady gardeners were present. The report and balance-sheet were 

 read and adopted, the latter showing the guild to have a substantial balance in 

 hand in addition to the Thomson legacy now invested. In the report the com- 

 mittee recommended an alteration of Rule 2, allowing membership to all holding 

 responsible positions in the establishment. This met with some opposition, as it 

 was pointed out that stokers, carpenters, blacksmiths, gangers, &c, all held re- 

 sponsible positions, but the guild was not instituted to include them A hurriedly- 

 drawn up amendment to the report, put with a view of altering the wording rather 

 than the spirit of the committee's recommendation, was rejected because it failed 

 to exclude the constables. Several interesting letters from old Kewites was read, 

 and the committee and officers were re elected. Annual meetings generally con- 

 sist largely of votes of thanks, but the Kew Guild has advanced ideas on this 

 point, so only one vote was passed — and that unanimously to the chairman. 



Epping Forest.— The committee responsible for the management of 

 Epping Forest have presented their report for the past year to the Corporation of 

 the City of London, and this shows that every part of this magnificent open space 

 has received attention from the committee and Mr. McKenzie, the able superinten- 

 dent. It is stated that a large area of the forest has been judiciously thinned in 

 order to encourage the growth of young and promising trees— namely, oaks, 

 beeches, and hollies— and with a view, also, of making the beauties of the domain 

 more accessible. The portions thus dealt with include Theydon Coppice, St. 

 Thomas's Quarters, Honey Lane Quarters, Loughton Forest, Whitehouse Plain, 

 Lord's Bushes, and Walthamstow Forest. The committee also report that they 

 have made an inspection of other portions of the forest where thinning is required, 

 and instructions have been issued for the carrying out of the work during the pre- 

 sent winter. In order to hide from view brick walls and other enclosures which some 

 do not improve the appearance of the forest in places, the planting of small clumps 

 ot trees has been carried on. Planting of a similar nature has been done on a 

 portion of Wanstead Flats. At the desire of the inhabitants of the locality a 

 portion of Bell Common has been planted with an avenue of trees in commemora- 



known »£V*i Jubilee ' The di ^ in g out ° f a lar B e P iece of swampy land 

 Levi TV A haS been accom P lished at a cost of £t 9 m 9 to which the 



deal differently with 

 raspberries, and a new plantation for the latter say 

 every half-dozen years will give splendid results. The old system of 

 planting under trees is objectionable, for though the plants will give a 

 fair return if not too shaded we can now produce better late fruit by 

 planting later varieties, and giving them a north border, and if possible, 

 a moist soil for the latest crops. Many growers advise trenching 

 before planting ; indeed, I have seen this done to a depth of two to 

 three feet, but so much depends upon the soil, and in our poor thin 

 soil we only dig in a liberal quantity of manure, and then plant. If we 

 trenched deeply we should place the good soil out of the reach of the 

 roots, and add to the cost of labour. On the other hand, some soils 

 would benefit by deep trenching, and the incorporation of any material 

 that would enrich it. Position counts for a good deal, as a dry sloping 

 bank is bad, and a wet place in some out-of-the-way corner is equally so. 

 To do the plants justice, an open position, such as will grow other fruit 

 well, is the best, and I fail to see why deep trenching is so often advised, 

 for the raspberry is essentially surface-rooting. The soil k most suitable 

 is a holding loam, as it will produce the finest fruits, but not so early as a 

 lighter soil on which by manuring I have grown good crops. 



Planting is best done early in October, as then there is new root 

 action before winter. If the room can be afforded avoid crowding in any 

 way Many large market growers adopt an excellent plan, and allow a 

 wide space between the rows of plants by putting rows of strawberries, 

 &c, between. I advise at least six feet between the rows, two feet 

 between the plants, and not more than three canes to a stool ; grown thus 

 there are better canes and finer fruit. There are other methods, such as 

 planting against fences or as espaliers, but although this latter is advan- 

 tageous in many respects, it does not produce the same weight of fruit as 

 others. In the open, the three canes per stool should be strong enough 

 to bear their own weight, and need but slight support when in a fruiting 

 condition. Planting may be done as late as March with success, but the 

 earlier date is best. The growth must be prepared in advance, so that it 

 does not sink, and usually in October it is in a workable condition. Firm 

 planting is essential, and the canes should be secured from vigorous 

 stools, and not worn-out plantations ; and to obtain them from as different 

 a soil 'as possible. In soils that are poor, plant a vigorous grower like 

 Superlative, and there will be better results. 



well in better soil, but even then avoid crowding, as this is fatal to success. 

 The usual method after planting is to cut down the canes about halfway, 



cut less but it should be borne in mind the first season's growth 

 .„ust be giveA to the plant to make roots and produce fruiting canes for 

 another year, and there must be no fruit allowed the first season We 

 cut down to within six inches of the soil early in March and only allow 

 one or two at most of the suckers to furnish canes next season \\ hen 



the stools are at their best, never dlow m ore 

 •n ^ omni 0 fi-„;t rVmvri ne is often allowed in summer instead or 



5ta£ B££W?SS canes, after the fruit is cleared should 

 ITcrtlv&vltonce as this allows the new growth space and light to 



ma^ ^wfh Su? winter pruning is necessary under these cond, 

 mature gro^tn h ^ M or ju§t fore new gf h 



^Ma^ifbesCas if, cut too wO*jmA TsTegaTd^he 



The medium growers do 



m 



tions, m 

 commences 



fnllowq the canes die down beyond their cut portion. As regards tne 



heigMo cane? left * pruning, Lch depends upon 



& - - * r — * p eeding is an important item, tor 



stables can be obtained so mucn a" 

 There is a great drain on the roots m light soils during dry seasons and 

 a mulch of cow manure is excellent early in the spring, followed by anothet 



- The K't 

 ing such kinds as Belle de Fontenay and October Yellow the two best 



autumn fruiters ; these, like the other yar.et.es, repay good cu u , t ut 

 they must be cut down to the ground m the spring as the fruit is pro- 

 duced on the new growths, though not so freely as the summer varieties 

 Forlmmer frultin! Superlative is one of the best ; Hornet is good as also 

 is Baumforth's Seedling, while a good white variety is Magnum Bonum. 

 Svon Gardens. °- WYTHK - - 



