73 2 



N0V1MBER 12, 1898. 



PLU 



for North 



Cou 



If wall space can be set apart for plums, a crop can usually be secured 

 even at Alnwick. If space is limited, only the very best kinds should be 

 grown. We find Early Rivers useful on south walls, but it is very small 

 though a free cropper. Oullin's Golden Gage is an exceptionally usefu 



THE RAINFALL AND THE CROPS. • 



Having recently returned from a few days' holiday to the South of 

 England, part of which was spent at the great exhibition of British 

 grown fruit held at the Crystal Palace, and the remainder in visiting 

 some of the noted gardening establishments in the neighbourhood of 



kind; we gathered it on August 13 from a south wall, and as dessert London, I was much impressed by the great difference that at present 

 ruit is scarce at that date it is the more valuable. This variety will exists in regard to moisture and the state of vegetation in the district 



mentioned and in Scotland. In the former the ground at the time of my 

 visit was everywhere parched and hard for want of rain, and nearly all 

 kinds of vegetables were suffering severely, and much apprehension was 

 manifested by cultivators as to the winter supply of green stuff and root 



crop in about lour years if the young trees are lifted once. Some 

 varieties of plums will take double that time before a crop can be 

 secured. I would specially emphasise the importance of lifting young 



pin. trees after they have been planted three years if rhey grow very — ^~c^ rf -b^^r^^ftSJ 



strongly. The largest roots^should be cut off, and all the small fibrous ha( f a yery distresS ed appearance, while carrots and beetroot presented a 



™ 1 1 — * — * w - * most unusual sight at this season, the roots being small and the foliage 



drooping upon the soil, and it is doubtful whether heavy rains would 



Plum trees need much care in training during the first few years, so as benefit these to any great extent. In private gardens the spectacle was 



to have the main branches covered with fruit spurs. When cutting back not much better, for the crops mentioned were in many instances almost 



10 nave me niai " r s a failure, and the seed of spinach, turnips, and other autumn crops had 



the leading shoots at the winter pruning, it is a good practice not to fa;icd t0 ' germinatc> or the crops were very thin and weak. In this case 



cnes retained. The latter should be laid out carefully in healthy but 

 unmanured soil, otherwise extra strong shoots will again be produced. 



leave more than fifteen to eighteen inches of the last summer's growth, as 

 this will tend to force the back buds to form spurs. If a greater length 

 than this is left the back buds will not grow, and consequently the main 

 shoots will show blank spaces. It is always best to hasten slowly in 

 covering walls with plums. We have trained many fine young trees here 

 during the last sixteen years, and they continue to fruit on the lower 

 branches right back to the stock, nearly as well as on the upper branches, 

 where naturally the sap flows most freely. Aphides have done the trees 

 some damage this season, and both plums and peaches should be syringed 

 with safe insecticide before the flowers begin to open in spring, so as to 

 destroy the earliest breeding insects, and prevent much damage by them 

 during the flowering and setting time. 



The Victoria is our best cropping plum ; indeed, great care is neces- 

 sary to prevent over-cropping with this prolific variety when it has been 

 carefully planted in healthy soil and trained as described. The trees 

 here have cropped regularly for the last twelve years, and sometimes 

 carried heavy crops. To ensure a regular crop of high class fruit 

 annually we mulch with cow manure early in the spring and also use 

 artificial manure freely, affording abundance of water in dry seasons. 

 The Victoria is commonly used as a dessert plum, and the choicest fruit, 

 if carefully gathered, is of very good flavour, very little inferior to 

 Jefferson and Kirke's. When training the Victoria on walls it is impor- 

 tant to lay in young wood annually, as many of the spurs on the main 

 branches die out after maturing a heavy bunch of fruit, and leave spaces 

 with no spurs. Therefore the best-placed young shoots should be laid 

 in and shortened back at the winter pruning. This is done to a less 

 degree with other varieties, but these rarely produce such heavy crops as 

 the Victoria. 



We find the Jefferson plum a good regular cropper on south walls, 

 and about a fortnight later than Victoria. Kirke's is another that should 

 be grown where room can only be found for a few of the best. It rarely 

 fails to produce fruit We have some parts of our trees heavily cropped, 

 and other parts with scarcely any fruit this season ; but usually there is 

 a nice even lot of fruit. Lawson's Golden Gage is usually a good 

 cropper, but is not so this year. We have Green Gage on trial again, a 

 variety that crops well in some parts of Scotland. Then there is that 

 indispensable plum, Coe's Golden Drop, the latest dessert plum, but ore 

 always difficult to set well, even with every care. Perhaps some day a 

 Rivers or someone else may give us an improved free-setting Coe's. 

 This would be a great acquisition. 



There are large demands for plums throughout the autumn, and we feel 

 very keenly the lack of variety of fruit, so take the greatest possible care 

 to plant varieties that will give a succession over as long a season as pos- 

 sible ; these must also prove regular croppers. Many kinds will not 

 answer here, so we disregard them, and advise others to do likewise. I 

 have only noted those that have given the best results over many years' 

 trial, and this information to any person desiring to plant thus far north 

 is of value, for it is vexing after ten or more years' careful training to have to 

 discard a tree. In this cold district we also feel more than anyone the 

 necessity of having fruit trees true to name. 



Plums planted in orchards carry practically no fruit here this season, 

 but several varieties are generally worth planting, and Victoria stands 

 first, producing heavy crops most seasons. Monarch, Czar, and Prince 

 Englebert, with the damsons, yield heavy crops. We have some of the 

 Japanese plums on trial. In conclusion, I would not advise the planting 

 of Pond's Seedling and Magnum Eonum plums so far north as this, 

 unless in very favoured localities. 



Alnwick Castle Gardens. George Harris. 



Own Root Roses. — A simple way of propagating own root roses may be 

 practised during the next few weeks in the open. A sheltered border with a west 

 aspect siould by preference be chosen, and if the soil is light further preparation 

 is unnecessary. Select cuttings of moderate strength from well-ripened shoot; 

 from six to nine inches long, and if these are inserted firmly a good percentage 

 will form plants by the spring. In making the cuttings, the eyes or buds should 

 not be cut away from the end inserted in the border, as strong shoots may start 

 from these later on. After the site has been forked over and trodden firmly, the 

 quickest way of inserting a quantity of cuttings is to chop out a shallow trench 

 almost perpendicularly across one end, and lay the cuttings in about six inches 

 apart, treading the soil firmly against them, and continue in this way until all the 

 cuttings are inserted, the rows to be nine inches asunder. If a small quantity are 

 to be inserted, a dibber may be used instead. Many varieties of H.P. roses strfke 

 readily in this way, as also does the Crimson Rambler and most of the climbing 



the area of the crops being smaller, watering had to some extent kept 

 things going, but the supply of this in some places has failed, or only 

 sufficient could be allowed for the more pressing requirements of the 

 garden. Trees and shrubs have also suffered very much, and many of 

 the former, especially beeches, were almost leafless, while many of the 

 commoner shrubs in suburban gardens or in situations where the soil is 

 shallow were in such a flagged condition that it seemed doubtful whether 

 they can possibly recover. 



The contrast between this state of things and that obtaining in the 

 South-west of Scotland is a wide one. Here an abundance of rain has 

 fallen throughout the whole time that the drought has been most severely 

 felt in England, and as the weather has been exceptionally bright 

 and warm for this part of the country at this season growth has been 

 very rapid, and vegetables are very abundant and good in quality. At 

 this date (October 13) peas, beans, and marrows are giving good returns, 

 as sufficient frost to damage them has not been experienced. In the 

 flower garden begonias are flowering profusely, while dahlias and many 

 of the herbaceous plants have grown to an unusual height, and are 

 flowering with great freedom. As some among your numerous readers 

 are interested in the rainfall, I give below the records for the past three 

 months. The month of July was the driest of any summer month for the 

 past twenty years, as only '40 of an inch was registered. Between 

 August 1 and 12 4*20 inches fell, and on two occasions, the 5th and the 

 10th, over an inch was registered, the total for the month being 

 6*44 inches. September had twelve rainy days, which produced in the 

 aggregate 4*16 inches. The total rainfall during the nine months of the 

 year ending September 30 amounted to 25-9 inches, which is a little 



below the average of former years. 

 Galloway House Gardens, N.B. 



James Day. 



Erythrina cristi-galli. 



Seldom does one see this handsome plant, popularly known as the 

 Coral Tree, to such advantage as was the case of some specimens I re- 

 cently noted. They were conspicuous for their size, fine growth, and 

 gorgeous flowers, which were produced in great profusion. Although 

 generally treated as a half-hardy subject, it was interesting to find that in 

 the neighbourhood of Woking the species is perfectly hardy ; those seen 

 having withstood the winters of the past five years with no other protec- 

 tion than that afforded by a slight covering of coal ashes. When we re- 

 member this species is a native of Brazil, this is all the more remarkable^ 

 Its culture is of the easiest. To ensure strong growth and freedom of 

 flower a sunny position is requisite, as well as abundance of water during 

 the growing season. It is by no means particular as to soil, although 

 a strong loamy one is to be preferred. If desirable to increase stock, 

 cuttings of the young shoots will root readily, if taken in spring, 

 inserted in pots in sandy soil, and placed on a gentle bottom heat ; so 

 treated they will make fine plants the same season. The flowers are 

 borne on long terminal racemes, and are deep, dazzling scarlet in colour. 

 The leaflets are oval, glaucous green in colour, and the leaf stalks or 

 petioles are glandular and prickly. . , oc 



Erythrina cristi-galli was introduced from Brazil in i77?i andwas 

 described in the Bot. Map-, t. 2,161 ; by some authorities it is caiiea 

 Erythrina laurifolia. The species possesses several forms which are 

 sometimes seen in our gardens, all of which are well worth S r0 ™W-* r ° m 

 bably the finest is E. c.-g. ruberrima, with very large flowers of a brilliant 

 crimson colour, with a pleasing rose shade. Erythrina c.-g. ornata u « 

 very dark vermilion flowers, and is useful as a contrast. E. spectabilis is 

 exceedingly useful, its leaves being marked and splashed with ye 110 ?'™ 

 dering it a most conspicuous subject ; while E. c.-g. Cottyana has flowers 

 of a deep rich reddish shade. The species and its several forms are u 

 serving of more extended cultivation than at present afforclea ine, 

 their easy culture and free-flowering qualities entitle them to a pi* 

 every garden, flowering as they do late in the year. g 



Woking. 



Laxton's John Howard Pea.- 1 have grown T thl ^ n fi " c n " e d W uc Sons : it 



seasons, and without doubt it is one of the best of the Laxton introou ^ 

 has a strong branching habit, growing with me about four feet in heign , ^ of 

 ducing pods in pairs, well filled with about eight or n : ne peas of g°°*. of thc 



a distinct flavour from any other pea of the narrow type. It is **f*L 

 Ne Plus Ultra section, with short blunt-ended pods, and the seed peaf i 



m 



uch 



roses 



Drop 



resemble those of Ne Plus Ultra, 

 general favourite. 



J. L. P., Norfolk. 



In my opinion 



John Howard will become a 



