18 G 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 6,1884. 
utterly opposed to my own experience. It runs, “ Marechal Kiel and the 
Banksiaus require similar treatment, both flowering at every joint through¬ 
out the strong growths formed during the previous summer.” Marechal 
Kiel certainly does flower at every joint of these long strong growths, but 
most growers, 1 fancy, would prefer its waiting to put forth its shoots till 
later. It is all too prone to start, and the pruning helps this forward ; hut 
as regards the Banksians I can only ask myself, Is it possible that in 
different localities they shou'd act so differently ? I have never seen 
a Banksia Rose bloom on the joints of these long vigorous shoots ; quite 
the reverse. It is essentially on the small growth no larger than a crow- 
quill that the Banksia blooms at every joint. Never have I seen a bloom 
on one of these 8 or 10-feet shoots of the previous year, unless it may 
be on small shoots of six or eight joints growing from them, and this 
smaller growth not of the present year. The paragraph continues, “ Thin 
out these growths and all spray.” Now, if by “ spray ” is meant the 
small shoots from 1 to 2 feet long, these are the very shoots I should 
preserve if I wanted my Banksia to bloom. If a Banksian, white or 
yellow (the latter is the stronger), be planted in good soil, say against 
a house, it will probably run up some 14 or 20 feet high before any flower 
is seen. If it be liberally treated to the knife it will be many years before 
a flower is seen ; but if allowed to have its own way, if the “ sp?ay ” be 
only dealt with so as to allow sufficient circulation of air, there will then 
be abundance of bloom, provided the tree and the knife are almost 
strangers. A Banksia likes to grow somewhat wildly, and where room 
can be spired it well repays having its own way and plenty of space.— 
Y. B. A. Z. 
[The writer of the controverted sentence does not say gross unripened 
shoots of BanksiaDs will flower, but with him all firm strong growths 
from 1 yard to 2 yards in length produce strong trusses at every joint. 
Spray will flower, but he prefers cutting this away in order to secure 
abundance of stronger wood, which, well ripened, enables him to cut 
ba'-ketfuls of better blooms.] 
“ I PRUNED my Roses early (March 3rd) last year, and never had 
better blooms in spite of the severe snowstorm and bitter weather which 
set in immediately after. This year, again, I have now (February 29th) 
finished pruning in sheltered situations, and I fully believe that our 
Rose trees suffer less from being pruned than they would do if allowed 
to weaken themselves too long by such luxuriant growth as mild seasons 
induce. In pruning early care must be taken not to cut back too hard. 
Ro.-es in exposed places and newly planted trees are better left another 
two or three weeks.—A. M. B.” 
PROTECTING THE FLOWERS OF FRUIT TREES. 
The time being at hand for taking action in this matter, a few 
remarks respecting the next best material to glass for this purpose, 
and the manner of applying it, may be acceptable to some readers. 
To these I would say, Obtain No 5 hexagon shading, which is made 
in widths of 54 inches and 100 inches to suit high and low walls, 
and which is the best and most lasting material that I am acquainted 
with for this purpose. Having obtained the desired number of 
yards for covering the respective lengths of wall, divide it by 10 feet, 
marking the lengths from top to bottom on the entire piece with 
a straight-edge and piece of charcoal as the measuring is proceeded 
with, commencing at 24 feet from the end, and over each mark thus 
made sew a piece of strong inch-wide tape the same length as the 
width of the shading. In these (commencing at the bottom and 
finishing at the top) with needle and thread securely fasten the 
nece sary number of three-quarter-inch brass rings 1 foot apart, and 
the use of which will be explained presently. This done, stitch a 
ring on to each bottom end of the cloth, and another 2| feet along 
the bottom from these, after which one should be sewn on every 
5 feet the entire length of the cloth, and the latter is then ready for 
securing to the woodwork, and with the erection of which we shall 
at once proceed. 
The first step to be taken in this direction is to obtain the neces¬ 
sary number of poles from the woodman. These should be about 
3 inches thick at the top and 4 or 5 inches at the bottom, and suffi¬ 
ciently long (measuring from the top of the cornice or projecting 
course of brick) to allow' of 10 or 12 inches of the thick end being 
let into the ground 18 inches or 2 feet from the base of the wall, 
the first and last poles being plac ?d in 24 feet from the end of the 
wall, and all the others at 5 feet from pole to pole, and secured at 
the tip with scr.ws to forked holdfasts driven into the wall three 
courses below the coping, and projecting therefrom 5 or 6 inches. 
But before putting up the poles the tops of the latter should have a 
p ece half an inch thick and 3 inches long cut off the inner side with 
the saw, so that they may rest steadily against the projecting brick, 
; nd the same depth and 1 inch thick should be cut off the outer side, 
on which side is screwed a stout strip of iron, rounded on the outside, 
12 inches long, the top 24 inches (above the top of the pole) being 
made with a should r, and to take a nut and washer. Between 
he top 3 inches oi the strap (which is an inch wide and level with 
he top of the pole) and the latter is a space of 1 inch for the 
eceptiun of strips of deal board 3 inches wide, 1 inch thick, and 
from 15 to 20 feet long, and halved about 3 inches at the ends for 
screwing together. 
These strips, to which the cloth is to be fastened with small 
tin-tacks, should be furnished with pulleys—first at 24 feet from 
the end, and afterwards 10 feet apart, and between them a hook 
should be screwed on to the board and furnished with a loop for 
securing the cloth when raised. When the cloth is being put up 
pass a piece of sash-line (in length a few feet more than twice. the 
width of the cloth) over each pulley and through the series of rings 
previously mentioned, fastening it to the bottom one, thus completing 
the mode of raising and lowering the cloth. When the latter is 
down means must be provided for securing it in that position during 
the night. This may be done by driving a hook well into the wall 
at each end of the cloth, and as far down as the latter will reach, 
and one into each pole sufficiently low to secure the rings with which 
the bottom of the cloth is furnished to. The next and last step to 
be taken in this operation is to place wide boards, having square 
ends and a piece nailed across one end to overlap the joints, and in 
the centre of which boards and 5 feet apart holes have been pre¬ 
viously made for the bolts attached to the top of the poles to go 
through, on top of the projecting course of bricks and the strips of 
board supporting the cloth, ihen apply the w T asher and nut, and the 
erection of a substantial fruit-blossom protection, which is easily 
put up and taken down, is completed, and which, if put aw r ay and 
kept dry when not in use, will.do good service for fifteen or twenty 
years.—H. D. W. 
HARDY PLANT SYNONYMS. 
I THINK that “ Practical ” has misunderstood my motive in giving 
a list of synonyms. Having for some time kept a list of the different 
names under which common plants are received for my own especial 
benefit, it occuned to me that if published, and properly supplemented 
by those having more experience in hardy plant nomenclature, it might 
prove useful, and, indeed, be the dawn of a new confidence between 
buyer and seller, and also those wishing to exchange. I aimed at no 
more than running the pseudo names under one standard heading, 
taking the foremost establishment for my pattern. How Achillea 
serrata can be confounded with A. Ptarmica I will leave “Practical” 
to follow up, as I have tried and failed. But as regards Campanula 
lamiifolia and C. alliarisefolia, I fear “ Practical ” does not know the 
cultivated plants under these names. I have always followed Decandolle 
where it was possible, and I find that even in a wild state, and although 
he describes them both in his “ Prodromus,” he says in a footnote that 
they are probably the same. 
Then as to the Androsaces, A. coronopifolia (Andr.) we know as the 
old garden name for A. lactiflora (Fisch), which I find to be the same as 
A. septentrionalis for all garden purposes, after cultivating the plant 
for some years. The extreme varieties are distinct enough, but in about 
a dozen plants from different localities I convinced myself of a gradual 
change into one another. If “ Practical ” explains the difference between 
the Campanulas and the Androsaces he will, I am sure, receive the 
thanks of all.— Specialist. 
GLAZED FLOWER POTS. 
At page 143 of the Journal, Feb. 21st, Mr. Henderson, after reading 
Mr. Thomson’s interesting article (page 101) on glazed flower pots, sug¬ 
gests painting ordinary pots. About ten years ago I wanted to have the 
conservatory in extra good condition for a particular occasion. So, not 
having any of the fine glazed pots, I had them all painted with red 
enamel as near the shade of the pots as possible. They looked very well, 
and the plants grew well in them ; but—and this is my reason for penning 
these remarks—before the season was over the paint gave way and the 
lime began to show through the pots, much disfiguring them, so that I 
was glad when the last traces of the paint were scrubbed off. I had 
some hundreds done, large and small, and the result was such that I did 
not again try to imitate the glazed pot.—G. R. 
PIEPATICAS. 
The various plants constituting tins genus, or rather section 
of the genus Anemone, as it is now considered, are some of the 
brightest and best of our early spring flowers, and have many 
and varied claims on the interest of all lovers of hardy plants, 
coming into bloom as they do with the Snowdrop and the 
Winter Aconite, and giving bright promise of that wealth of 
floral beauty which the later months bring to our gardens. 
This section, which is well marked, contains four so-called 
species, which are all now in cultivation—viz., H. acutiloba, 
H. americana, H. angulosa, and H. triloba; the two latter 
being much more generally known and cultivated than the 
former, H. triloba especially, with its numerous varieties. All 
of them are of easy culture and require no special position, 
being almost equally at home amidst the smoke and dust of a 
London garden or in the pure air of a country village. They 
thrive best, however, in a cool rich stiff loam, although not by 
