CONTEMPORARY WRITINGS. 
287 
extent absent, it is recommended that fruit 
borders should be made in the first place the 
full width of fifteen feet, and that this fifteen 
feet should for the sake of elucidation be 
divided into three imaginary strips of five 
feet wide each, numbered 1, 2, and 3, be- 
ginning with that nearest the wall. Then 
No. 1, or that part where the trees are 
planted, must never be cropped, but kept 
occasionally forked up and pulverized ; Nos. 
2 and 3 are to be cropped at first ; but in 
the course of a few years, when it is seen that 
the soil is becoming altered, and the trees are 
too much stimulated, the soil of No. 2 is to 
be entirely removed, down to the bottom of 
the border, and replaced by fresh maiden soil ; 
No. 3 is to be trenched ; and the opportunity 
embraced of cutting back any large coarse 
roots that may have formed. In a few years, 
when the symptoms return, remove the soil 
from the space No. 3 entirely as before ; 
turn the soil of No. 2 over into No. 3, and 
fill up No. 2 again with fresh soil. Between 
the trees, spaces of No. 1, five feet or 
more in extent, may be taken out in the same 
way, and filled up again with fresh soil. In 
this way the advantages of root pruning are 
combined with securing the presence of healthy 
fresh soil for the roots to a very great extent ; 
while the ordinary cropping of the border is 
but little interfered with. 
Fuchsia corymbiflora. — This species may 
be grown so as to form very handsome standard 
plants ; and the following course of treatment 
is recommended for this end : — Sow the seeds 
at the end of February or beginning of March, 
and place them in a hot-bed. When the 
seedlings have grown two inches high, pot 
them singly into small three-inch pots, and 
plunge them in a gentle bottom heat. Repot 
them several times during their growth, so 
that tbey do not get pot-bound ; and finally 
put them into eleven or twelve-inch pots, 
using a rough open compost of two parts 
fibrous peat soil, two parts coarse mellow 
loam, one part lumps of charcoal, one part 
silver sand ; when finally potted, plunge them 
in a forcing pit to cause them to grow rapidly. 
All the lateral shoots must be removed until 
the desired height is attained ; they must then 
be topped to induce them to form a head : 
when the lateral shoots resulting from the 
stopping are a few inches long, they must be 
topped, to produce other shoots, so as to form 
a profusely branched standard. After this 
they must be removed to a warm greenhouse, 
or stove conservatory, where they will bloom 
luxuriantly for a long time, and assume quite 
a pendulous habit. By this treatment, they 
become fine blooming plants by August, from 
seeds sown in February. They make fine 
standards the second year, if the branches 
forming the head are shortened back to an eye 
or two after the first year's growth, and the 
plants are provided with fresh compost, and 
grown in a warm greenhouse, without bottom 
heat. 
Scarlet Pelargoniums for winter 
flowering. — Some of the dwarf free flower- 
ing scarlet pelargoniums, such as the Huntsman, 
General Tom Thumb, &c, form objects of 
great beauty for ornamenting the greenhouse 
or conservatory during winter. Good plants 
for this purpose may be had by taking off 
cuttings in March or the beginning of April, 
or selecting at that time some of the best 
dwarf plants rooted in autumn, and kept 
through the winter in store pots. In either 
case, get them potted as soon as possible in 
three-inch pots, in rich loamy soil. When 
they are well rooted in these pots, shift them 
into eight-inch pots, in similar compost, well 
drained : then plunge the pots in an open 
place, either in the soil, or in beds of coal- 
ashes, which are preferable. During summer, 
give the pots an occasional turn to prevent the 
roots from getting fixed and strong outside the 
pots, and top the shoots to produce bushy 
plants ; this latter must be done frequently at 
the early part of the season, but less fre- 
quently towards the end of summer ; the bloom 
buds, however, are to be constantly removed 
if they appear, until about the end of August 
or beginning of September. In October, 
before they are injured by frost, they must be 
taken up, the pots washed and cleaned, and 
the plants then removed to the greenhouse or 
conservatory : they will then be more or less 
in bloom, and a supply of flowers will come 
on in rotation. 
Trop^eolums, mixed. — Some account has 
recently been given of an accidental mixture 
of two kinds of tropasolum in one pot. This 
mixture consisted of T. brachyceras, and T. 
tricolor, which were growing and producing 
these blossoms intermingled. The writer 
adds: — "I could not help entertaining the 
idea, that if a combination of colours in the 
flower garden is so pleasing to the eye, there 
would be much wisdom in obtaining this plea- 
sure from plants in pots. A fine specimen of 
a tropasolum, combining the rich colour of 
Troyxzolum tricolor, with the yellow of T. 
brachyceras, and the soft coelestial blue of T. 
coeruleum, would have a very pleasing effect." 
This hint is worth bearing in mind. 
Epig^ea repens. — This beautiful little 
plant, the May-flower of the Nova Scotians, 
is generally found to be difficult of cultivation. 
This arises, in most cases, from ignorance or 
forgetfulness of its habits. The secret of 
cultivating it successfully consists in keeping 
within the range of its roots a constant supply 
of water, for it is a swamp plant. Potted in 
