April 16, 1885, ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
803 
Water ranks next in importance, as if the soil is tolerably 
open in character abundant supplies will be required from April 
to October, after which time it must be applied with a more 
sparing hand, the soil being allowed to become dry, but not dust 
dry, before it is applied. If drought is carried to extremes 
during the win'er months the trees cast their leaves prematurely, 
thus weakening the trees considerably. The Orange being an 
evergreen, leaves should remain on the trees at least two seasons. 
In one of the most noted gardens in the kingdom this drying-otf 
process was at one time carried so much to the extreme that 
when the plants were placed in their growing quarters in the 
month of April they resembled deciduous trees, and the flowers 
were consequently very scanty and fruits few. 
As to heat the Orange is very accommodating, but I think it 
is better not to expose it to any frost, although it may endure a 
few degrees with apparent impunity, whilst in a high and 
moist heat they luxuriate. Those who possess only one glass 
structure should give their Orange trees the lightest and 
warmest position, and a good syringing about five o’clock on 
summer evenings will benefit them exceedingly. Fruit grown 
under these conditions are generally ripe the following spring, but 
if it were convenient to keep them in a high temperature during 
autumn and the beginning of winter, they will be ripe much 
earlier, and will be of better quality than those ripened in a low 
temperature. 
Cleanliness is important. Dirty foliage of any kind utterly 
destroys the beauty of plants, and of Oranges and Camellias in 
particular. Frequent syringings will do much to keep them 
clean, but an occasional sponging is absolutely necessary; nor is 
it wise to delay this operation too long, even under the idea of 
economising labour. For the black fungus incidental to them, 
brown scale, woolly scale, and mealy bug, a solution of Gishurst 
or softsoap and water will suffice if the leaves and shoots are 
carefully cleaned with a sponge. 
If the trees are kept in a greenhouse during the winter close 
to the glass, and water is carefully given as previously advised, 
they will have all the rest that is necessary for them. 
As regards potting, &c., the soil used here is composed of 
two-thirds fibry loam, one-sixth charcoal, and one-sixth dry 
cow manure. Two of our largest trees were put into tubs 2 feet 
square on the 25th July, 1878, and the above mixture was used. 
Nothing more has been done to them from that day to this. 
They receive an occasional sprinkling on the surface of artificial 
manure, and sometimes a watering with weak stableyard manure. 
They produce abundant crops of blossom and fine luscious fruits. 
Citrus japonica was placed into G-inch pots three years ago, and 
in these they still remain and annually produce one to two dozen 
fruits. It is almost needless to say that the drainage should be 
made as perfect as possible at the time of tubbing or potting. 
My Orange trees have to conform to the requirements of the 
other occupants of the house in the matter of temperature. 
During the months of May, June, and July they have a tem¬ 
perature of 80° to 90° with sun heat during the day, and about 
G5° at night time; for the remaining months of the year they 
have ordinary greenhouse treatment. 
In conclusion, permit me to say to the inexperienced, Expose 
your healthy Orange trees to the direct solar rays, and if they 
are sickly throw some slight shade over them when the sun is 
very bright and hot as required until they have recovered their 
natural health. Be careful with the watering at such times 
Shake out and repot only when the soil has become exhausted, 
sour, and inert, or the drainage stopped.— Hortulanus. 
[Accompanying these notes were some beautiful sprays of 
Orange blossom, the leaves and flowers proving by their healthy 
appearance the excellence of the culture the plants receive.] 
HORTICULTURE. 
Horticulture is the employment of many, and so also is it the 
enjoyment of many. I propose now to take the amateur view of the 
subject. My contention is this—that horticulture has an elevating 
tendency. The striving after the better in whatever field entails a 
greater elevation of thought and feeling. There is a fascination in 
horticulture which its votaries find hard to throw off. There is always 
something to strive after. No one recognises—for it is far from the 
fact—that we have reached the ultimate success we continually strive 
after ; perfection is never attained, and we cannot but recognise that 
year by year we go forward we gain one step in the improvement of 
our different strains of flowers, fruit, and vegetables. I am simply 
an amateur vegetable grower ; I claim no higher niche ; but still my 
cry is the same as Tennyson’s lunatic “ Excelsior.” Higher we can 
go, and higher we must go, if we wish to keep up with our co¬ 
temporaries. It is a small idea to many men that we should wish to 
grow better vegetables than others, that we should wish on the same 
ground to grow double the crops of our predecessors. So be it. Let 
our aim be, say I, to strive after a perfection we cannot ever attain 
perhaps, but on which road we may erect a forepost, and, beyond, our 
successors will do their best to plant their stations. I claim for 
horticulture an encouragement, a kindness, an equality, a fraternity, 
for which no republicanism has an equal. “ Egalite, Fraternite ” 
has no attraction for the gardener. 
All gardeners whether gentle or simple are pleased to put them¬ 
selves on one equal to learn in sweet converse together of the things 
they love. Brotherly love together nowhere attains its highest alli- 
tude as amongst horticulturists. We are all learners in Nature’s vast 
realm. Where e!so—in what way of life—would a poor ignorant 
striver after the highest (in vegetable culture) obtain such kindness, 
such encouragement as I have done from gardeners who have dis¬ 
tinguished themselves as foremost men ? As a very young beginner 
I found Mr. Earley ever ready to teach me by letters the time to 
write which he could ill spare, and later our worthy Editor has in his 
correspondents’ columns an ever-ready word of kindness for the 
learner. Such men as Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Pitcher of Crix Park (a man 
little known perhaps, but through modesty alone), and others of high 
standing I have ever found ready to pour out their wealth of ex¬ 
perience for me and such as me. All honour, say I, to horticulture, 
for in no other walk could we obtain such kindness and help. As 
I trust our Editor will admit this I must not say a word about him ; 
but I know what a helpful hand he has and how kind. 
How ready do we find a brother horticulturist to endeavour to 
supply our wants in anything we have run short of, or to offer for our 
trial some novelty we have not and of which he has little enough. 
This readiness to give is general amongst gardeners, and bespeaks a 
generous nature. Again, who so read}'- to show you their charges, to 
satisfy your every inquiry, as gardeners generally, which gives them 
warrant to claim politeness as their own V I know no class amongst 
whom there are so many self-taught men—men whose education when 
young boys was practically nil, and who have by their own exertions 
in their few hours of rest gained for themselves a very fair know¬ 
ledge of geometry, Latin, and history, with a sound basis of English 
grammar. I alluded above to our Editor’s correspondents’ column, 
and my reason was this. I was once talking with one of these self- 
taught men—one who is one of Nature’s gentlemen—and he asked 
what part of our Journal I liked best. I could not answer off-hand, 
but said I liked the articles on vegetables best, because I understood 
them, whilst much was above my head. He then said that he con¬ 
sidered the correspondents’ columns far the best—that he had learnt 
more from them than elsewhere, and that if his time was so occupied 
that he could not go through the whole paper he went through the 
correspondents’ columns alone. 
Horticulture gives us health, and if our time were otherwise un¬ 
employed it gives us occupation and an interest, for if once we enter 
into it the deeper do we desire to go. We cannot—like the gambler 
his cards—resist its fascination ; but whereas he lowers his every 
power and thought by his pursuit, we strengthen and elevate our¬ 
selves by ours. 
The agricultural labourer who cannot amuse himself and frequents 
the public-house would more surely be kept away by encouraging 
and implanting a love of horticulture in him. Let our country clergy¬ 
men work that out. 
And now if I have not already trespassed too far I must arrest 
my errant pen.—H. S. Easty. 
PROPAGATING TUBEROUS BEGONIAS. 
Nothing probably in connection with plant culture is calculated 
to hold forth such hopes for so lengthened a period and to prove so 
generally interesting as that of raising plants from seeds, and 
especially of fine hybridised strains of choice florist’s flowers. The 
tuberous-rooted Begonias are fast growing in public favour, and will 
become one of the standard summer bedding plants of the future. 
Already many fine strains of these are being annually offered to the 
public, and few plants are more easily managed or adapt themselves 
to a greater variety of circumstances. For suspending in baskets 
what can vie with the variety known as Paeonifeflora, which is aglow 
with flowers for several months in the ornamental rockwork in the 
conservatory ? Allowing them to ramble at will they have a most 
pleasing effect, while as summer bedding plants they are unique, pro¬ 
ducing from amidst abundant and sturdy foliage large and well- 
formed flowers, from the most brilliant crimson to the softest and 
most pleasing combinations of rose, flesh, pink, salmon, and white. 
The seeds of these Begonias are particularly minute, and much 
care is needed when making sowings of them. The most suitable 
soil or mixture of soils is leaf mould, loam, and peat in about equal 
parts, with a liberal addition of sharp sandy grit. The pots or pans 
should be well drained and filled with the soil to within half, an inch 
of the rim of the pot, making it moderately firm, after which level 
