864 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 25, 1883. 
sufficient, and when sharp firing has to be resorted to it will be required 
more frequently. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Fruit Tree Planting. — The Stations. —The preparation of the 
stations was explained in our last calendar. Let nothing induce you to 
plant in poor or shallow soil without such preparation. Our advice is 
not lightly given, and we have had full experience of soils—good, bad, 
and indifferent. Gardens wherein deep stations cannot be made advan¬ 
tageously are indeed few and far between. They are, however, occasion¬ 
ally to be met with, as for example at Newlands near Faversham, where 
there is only 14 inches of soil upon chalk, and upon the same formation 
beds of gravel upon chalk, with a poor thin surfacing of soil. Dwarf 
bushes and pyramids come into bearing quickly in such shallow soil, and 
yield excellent fruit for a few years ; but the existence of trees uuder 
such trying conditions is a brief one, and it is best to resort to heavy 
surface dressings after planting. 
The Time for Planting. —Under favourable conditions of soil and 
weather fruit trees may be planted from the beginning of November till 
the end of February ; but experience has shown repeatedly that early 
planting in November answers best. The soil has time to settle and 
consolidate about the roots before spring ; the healing of root wounds 
also makes considerable progress during winter ; rootlets an inch or two 
long are frequently made before Christmas, and are rapidly spreading in 
the soil in spring by the time the stored-up sap is exhausted by new 
growth, which then sustains no check, for its demands upon the roots for 
food are promptly met and thoroughly sustained. 
The Trees. —Plant no sickly or weakly trees. Avoid cheap offers of 
fruit trees; all hardy fruits of the best sorts may be obtained at most 
reasonable rates from our leading nurserymen, by whom due care is 
devoted to the production of healthy vigorous trees, named correctly, 
lifted and packed in the best manner, and despatched with promptitude. 
Unpack the trees immediately after they are received from the nursery, 
and if they cannot be planted, then bed them carefully in trenches, 
covering every root with soil, and if the weather is frosty shake a little 
litter over the soil. See that this is well done. We have in the pressure 
of a busy planting season had trees left in such trenches several weeks, 
which when taken out for planting had many roots dry and shrivelled, 
simply because due care was not taken to pack fine soil well about them. 
The trees lived, but none of them grew freely till the second year ; a 
season’s growth was lost—no light matter in fruit culture. 
The Planting. —Before planting cut off all damaged roots, spread 
out the remainder at full length, work the soil thoroughly in among them, 
cover the top roots to a depth of 6 inches—not more, very deep planting 
often proves fatal, especially to Cherries—tread the soil firmly over the 
roots. Shorten the branches or stem to the bud from which new growth 
is required next spring, fasten the tree securely to wall, fence, or stake ; 
attach a label to it bearing the name and date of planting, and spread 
a mulching of litter upon the surface. All this must be done at the 
time of planting and not afterwards, for every detail is to be regarded 
as indispensable. Enter also the position of each tree upon a plan of the 
garden, with its name and date of planting, and thus be prepared for 
any subsequent loss of labels. 
Form of the Trees. —For walls : Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Figs, 
and Morello Cherries, all fan-trained, 15 to 20 feet apart, according to 
height of wall ; Pears, Plums, and Cherries, single cordons 18 inches 
apart, or palmette verriers 15 to 20 feet apart. In all small gardens 
preference should be given to cordons for earliness and certainty of 
fruiting and variety of fruit. All large gardens should also have a 
considerable prop >rtion of cordons. Espaliers : cordons or palmette 
verriers. Pyramids, 10 feet apart, are suitable either for garden or 
orchard. Bushes answer well when pruning is not understood ; the only 
care required is to keep the centres open and the branches thinned— 
distance apart 20 feet. Standards should be 30 feet apart. 
Fruit Lists for Market.— These lists contain all the most popular 
sorts of the Kentish fruit plantations, and the greater part of them are 
mentioned in Mr. Whitehead’s “ Hints on Vegetable and Fruit Farming,” 
publi-hed last year under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural Society. 
Dessert Apples. —Mr. Gladstone, Red Joanneting, Early Straw berry, 
Kerry Pippin, Worcester Pearmain, Red Astrachan, Devonshire Quarren- 
den, Ribston Pippin, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Court of Wick, King of the 
Pippins, Claygate Pearmain, Adam’s Pearmain, and Sturmer Pippin. 
Kitchen Apples. — Early Julien, Duchess of Oldenburg, Keswick 
Codlin, Mank’s Codlin, Lord Suffield, Stirling Castle, Cellini, Wormsley 
Pippin, Ecklinville Seedling, New Hawthornden, Loddington, Warner’s 
King, Blenheim Pippin, Golden Noble, Lord Derby, Winter Queening, 
Grenadier, Dumelow’s Seedling, Norfolk Beefing, Gooseberry. 
Pears. — Summer Doyennd, Lammas, Windsor, Caillot Rosat, Bel- 
lissime d’Automne, Williams’ Bon Chretien, Yat, Autumn Bergamot, 
Hessle, Marie Louise, Beurrd Clairgeau, Eyewood, Louise Bonne of 
Jersey, Comte de Flandre, Beurre Bose, Beurre de Capiaumont, Rondelet, 
Catillac, Bishop’s Thumb, Broompark, Winter Nelis. 
Plums — Early Rivers, Diamond, Blue Prolific, Perdrigon Violet 
B&tif, Early Orleans, Corse’s Nota Bene, Dauphine, Belgian Purple, 
Washington, Prince of Wales, Victoria, Prince Euglebert, Pond’s Seed¬ 
ling, Coe’s Golden Drop, and Belle de Septembre. 
Damsons .—Cluster and Prune. 
Cherries. —Early Purple Gean, Early Rivers, Adam’s Crown Heart, 
Elton, White Heart, Waterloo, Black Heart, May Duke, Black Eagle, 
Flemish, Kentish, and Bigarreau. 
Nuts .—Pearson’s Prolific, Kentish Cob. 
Gooseberries. — Whitesmith, Early Sulphur, Crown Bob, Warrington, 
Lancashire Lad, Red Rifleman, Golden Drop, and Monarch. Preference 
is usually given to the first four for planting by the acre. 
Currants. — Red Scotch, Red Dutch, Raby Castle, Black Naples, 
Baldwin’s Black, and Lee’s Prolific Black. In deep, cool, rich so’.l 
Black Currants are the most profitable of all market fruits. 
Raspberries. —Prince of Wales, Fastolff, Red Antwerp, and Carter’s 
Prolific. 
Strawberries. —Keen’s Seedling, Princess Alice Maud, Refresher, Dr. 
Hogg, La Grosse Sucree, Elton Pine, Eleanor, Comte de Paris, and Sir 
Joseph Paxton. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Begonia scmpcrflorens grandijlora. —Plants that are root-bound 
and have been flowering for some time should have a little arti¬ 
ficial manure applied to the surface, which will assist them to make 
growth and continue flowering. Damp is the greatest enemy of these 
plants, and the flowers and foliage soon suffer if kept in a close 
moist atmosphere. A temperature of 60° at night will suit them, with 
an atmosphere as dry as it is possible. The last batch of plants raised 
from seed will now be well established in 3-inch pots, and should be 
dwarf and stiff if they have been kept near to the glass on a shelf, with 
ventilation when the weather is favourable. A portion may be at once 
transferred into 5-inch pots, and the others will be most useful for fur¬ 
nishing purposes in the size pots they now occupy. It is surprising what 
beautiful little plants can be grown in this size, and produce a large 
quantity of bloom if properly looked atter and supplied with an artificial 
manure occasionally. This is one of the best Begonias that can be grown 
for winter. 
Tydceas and Gesneras. —If properly attended to these should be strong 
and giving every promise of a fine display of flowers shortly, especially the 
earlier-flowering varieties. The latter are attractive plants for table 
decoration; their beautiful foliage is very striking and effective, inde¬ 
pendent of their large spikes of flowers. Keep the plants as near to the glass as 
possible or they will become drawn, and then much of their beauty 
is lost. They delight at this season of the year in a rather warm dry 
atmosphere. Where much moisture is used when mixed with other 
plants they are liable to damp, or if the syringe is used near them their 
foliage becomes spotted and injured. Have these plants as much as 
possible by themselves, where water can be kept from their foliage. 
Their pots will be well filled with roots by this time, and weak stimu¬ 
lants should be given when they require water; that made from cow 
manure or clear soot water will be found very good, especially the 
latter. 
Mignonette. —A few standards trained upon trellises may now be 
allowed to come into bloom, and another batch may be pinched over and 
tied down for the purpose of forming a succession. Later plants must 
have all flowers removed as soon as they can be seen, and encouraged in 
every way until the trellises are well filled with young growing shoots. 
These plants will now be growing rapidly, and must have the lightest 
position that can be accorded them. Our latest batches, all in 6-inch 
pots, are still in frames and as close to the glass as we can arrange them. 
They will remain in these positions until we are compelled to remove them 
to he safe from frost. Mignonette should never in any stage of growth 
suffer by the want of water; if allowed through carelessness to become 
dry once or twice the whole work of a season is thrown away, for when 
once the wood becomes hard and the foliage brown from this cause no after 
treatment can restore them. 
Lily of the Valley. —These flowers are always appreciated, and where 
plants were assisted early to make their growth indoors under the influence 
of warmth, light, and air, they will now be thoroughly ripened and ready 
f.ir starting. Plants prepared for eariy floweiing soon produce their flower 
spikes if plunged into brisk bottom heat and the crowns shaded from light. 
To succeed home-grown plants single crowns are the best, and these for 
early flowering should be laid in pans or boxes amongst leaf soil or cocoa- 
nut fibre: for later flowering they can be placed thickly together in 
5 and 6-inch pots. Early in the season they throw up their spikes rather 
irregularly; but when started in boxes and pans they can he drawn out as 
they cpme into flower, and vases filled or pots made up with them. The 
crowns of these should also he covered and plunged if possible in the; 
propagating or any other close frame. Later in the season this close con¬ 
finement is not necessary. 
HIVE-CONSTRUCTION, HONEY-PRODUCING, AND 
PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT OF BEES.—No. 6. 
{Continued from page 315.) 
Floorboard , &c. —This is 30 inches long and 19 wide, and is made 
of inch pine, with end pieces 2 inches wide running across the grain,, 
tongued and grooved, and further secured by five 3^-inch nails at 
each end. Unless the wood is of good quality and well seasoned it 
has a tendency to sag a little in the centre owing to the length of the 
floorboard, so we set a loose leg resting on a brick on the ground 
under each, and this keeps all close up. It works on inclined runners. 
