372 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
above the highest blossom or level with it, the shoots at the 
base, 15 to 18 inches asunder, providing for the due furnish¬ 
ing of the tree, the branches of which are from 12 to 
15 inches apart. As before stated, there is no check to the 
system of the plant, as would be the case were growth 
allowed to be made and afterwards removed ; but the nutri¬ 
tious elements are reserved for the present crop, and the pro¬ 
duction of those only for future use. 
Similar remarks apply to Vines. No cultivator would tole¬ 
rate longer growth of the shoots than is necessary to ascertain 
the fruitful and best breaks, for every growth in the shoot that 
must come away takes from the vigour of that retained. It is 
so with Roses. Weakly buds are removed, so that the more 
promising shall have the support the weak growths would if 
retained appropriate, and the same principle applies to every 
plant or tree the flowers or fruit of which are desired of the 
highest excellence. To effect superior results concentration 
must be made of the supporting elements upon the object in 
view ; the full forces of the plant must be exerted in ab¬ 
stracting food from the soil, and assimilating the same by the 
full exposure of the foliage to light and air. — G. Abbey. 
ASTERS, MARIGOLDS, AND VERBENAS. 
These are flowers which I highly esteem, and I would not like 
to be without a representative collection of them. The culture of 
each is by no means difficult, and they are certain to repay any 
care bestowed on them. The two first-named receive exactly the 
same treatment. We sow the seeds not earlier than the middle 
of April in cold brick frames, allowing a light for each sort of 
Aster grown, the spaces being marked off with a stick, and the 
seeds sown thinly between these marked lines. The young seed¬ 
lings have thus plenty of room for development. Any rich light 
soil may be employed ; a thin layer of old Mushroom bed manure 
placed in the bottom of the bed being a suitable foundation, and 
the seeds merely require covering with some of the sifted soil. 
Mats thrown over the light to afford shade is all that is necessary 
until the seedlings are through the soil, when ventilation must be 
attended to and the mats dispensed with. A wet day towards 
the end of May is chosen on which to transplant the seedlings in 
their permanent positions, care being exercised to save as many 
roots as possible. A mixture of soil and water about the con¬ 
sistency of paint is prepared, and the roots of the plants are 
drawn through this. If the weather is dry shallow drills are 
drawn and water is run down each ; this keeps any dry surface 
soil from falling into the holes made by the dibber. The mud 
paint keeps the roots fresh whilst the plants are becoming esta¬ 
blished. If a little old dung can be placed over the beds there 
will be no necessity for supplying water more than once or twice. 
I find such a mulching of the greatest advantage to many plants. 
Our Aster ground is always deeply trenched and well manured in 
the early part of winter. The distance from row to row should 
be 15 inches, and between the plants from 9 to 12 inches. 
I only grow four varieties—viz., Betteridge’s Quilled, Victoria, 
reflexed ; Truffaut’s Paeony-flowered, sent to me this season as the 
best incurved variety; and the Dwarf Chrysanthemum-flowered 
Aster. In staking short stout sticks are inserted along each row, 
to which a strong string is fastened ; the plants are secured by a 
single tie to the string. The quilled varieties are the only ones 
which as a rule require any support. Where extra fine flowers 
are desired it will be well to limit the number of flowers to half 
a dozen on each plant, removing all the side buds. Not only the 
colours of the flowers but the florets themselves are so much 
injured by a shower that it is necessary to cover with glass those 
blooms intended for exhibition. This is easily accomplished by 
placing sashes over the beds, but the best results may be obtained 
with wide-mouthed tumblers one above each of the finest blooms. 
It is also necessary to shade them from the sun. Asters amply 
repay for “ dressing ; ” in fact, a very good but rough flower has no 
chance beside a smaller one which has been dressed. The same 
remark applies to African and French Marigolds. These require 
a larger amount of space for development than Asters—about 
24 inches by 18 being close enough. It is somewhat difficult to 
obtain a good strain of these, consequently when such has been 
secured some of the best flowers should be preserved for seed. 
1 always grow named Verbenas. They may be cultivated 
either in beds or in pots; if in beds a rich soil with mulchings 
of decayed dung are needed to induce Verbenas to make strong 
healthy growth. I have never had them do well except under 
the above conditions. Plants from cuttings struck about the 
middle of April are the best for placing out towards the end of 
May. They may be planted a foot apart, or 2 feet if the plants 
can be allowed time to cover the ground. If they are making about 
five young growths when planted out it will only be necessary to 
thin out the side growths if they are likely to become crowded. 
Flowers for exhibition should be covered each with a small square 
of glass painted with milk and whiting to shade them from sun. 
Cuttings for stock plants to stand the winter should be inserted 
in a cold frame not later than the second week in August. One 
plant of each sort is quite sufficient to keep, and during winter 
they should be slowly growing. In pots for flowering they are 
sometimes unsatisfactory. What they require is a very rich open 
soil, the pots to be not larger than 6 or 7 inches in diameter, and 
the plants thrive in a similar temperature to that required by 
Fuchsias. Mildew and green fly must never be allowed to increase, 
as both are certain to destroy the plants in a very short time. 
Liquid manure is very necessary. To those who have not grown 
Verbenas a dozen or two of the best kinds would prove welcome. 
I occasionally send for a few per post to nurserymen who make 
these a speciality, and would, advise those desirous of growing 
them to do the same.—R. P. Brotiierston. 
FRUIT TREES GROWN ON “NATURE'S PLAN,” 
MR. SIMPSON’S EXPLANATIONS. 
It is agreeable to know that Mr. Simpson admits the review to 
which he refers is “ fair and impartial.” The explanation he has 
tendered relative to the non-engraving of the “ extension ” Peach 
tree planted in 1866 is perfectly satisfactory, but that he should 
regard such a tree as grown on “Nature’s plan” is not a little 
extraordinary. 
To state that the tree he has described on page 354 “belies” 
the results that have been attributed as the ultimate outcome of 
“ Nature’s plan ” is applying a strong term to support an argu¬ 
ment that is obviously founded on false premises. If your corre¬ 
spondent seriously thinks that horticultural readers will regard a 
tree that has been planted fifteen years, and until two years ago 
has been restricted in growth, a fair type of “Nature’s plan,” he 
does not pay a high compliment to their judgment. The tree is 
32 feet wide, which means the branches are 16 feet long—a lateral 
extension that has been reached in fifteen years. It would be a 
wonder indeed if an “extension” tree thus restricted had branches 
naked at the base. 
Mr. Simpson has certainly weakened his case by adducing such 
a tree as that (which is no doubt good in itself and all that Mr. 
Fowler has said of it) as a “ living contradiction ” of the operation 
of a law of Nature according to which trees in a natural state 
become, when of matured age, destitute of foliage at the base of 
the branches. Most boys in their bird-nesting days know that 
such was the case then as it is the case now, and will continue 
as long as trees are permitted to attain maturity without being 
checked by accident or restricted by artificial means. 
As Mr. Simpson has submitted an example of what he terms 
the “ extension ” system, it will be fair to allude to some examples 
of Peach culture on what he would term the “ restrictive ” plan 
—trees that have been regularly and systematically pruned. The 
writer has planted and trained a Peach tree that attained a lateral 
extension of 60 feet. The branches of this pruned tree were 30 feet 
long, and were produced in rather less time than that in which 
those of the “extension” tree referred to grew 16 feet. A tree, 
not planted by the writer, but by a gardener from whom he gained 
valuable lessons in Peach culture, proved on measurement to have 
a spread of 90 feet. The particulars of these trees are known 
by the Editor. Thus we have “ extension ” (non-pruned) and 
“restriction” (pruned) trees side by side, and we arrive at the 
amusing result that trees have been grown on the latter system 
with a lateral spread twice as great as the tree adduced as a type 
of the former. There is evidently a mistake somewhere : it is 
easy to point out. Mr. Simpson’s tree is a mixing-up of restriction 
and extension ; and although it may be a most excellent specimen, 
to regard it as grown on “ Nature’s plan ” is a self-evident fallacy. 
Our author’s remarks on Vines call for no comment. A method 
which in Mr. Simpson’s hands may prove successful might be a 
failure if followed by others who do not so well comprehend it. 
Your correspondent wishes it to be known that he “does not 
condemn pruning.” That is quite clear. No one on reading his 
book can accuse him of doing so. There is sufficient of condem¬ 
nation in it without that, tempered, however, and hedged by 
qualifications in such a manner that he has no right to complain 
if doubts are left on the minds of readers as to the precise nature 
of the lessons he seeks to inculcate.— Your Reviewer. 
Look after the Grubs. —In his amusing and practical paper 
in the “ Rosarian’s Year Book for 1881,” my excellent friend the 
