526 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 20, 1883. 
been carefully done, so that the extra expense of doing the work well 
at the time is really a saving in the end. Shrubs sent from nurseries 
by rail are sure to have much of the soil shaken from the roots in 
course of transit. I have seen planting so mismanaged that these 
roots were huddled round the ball and the soil roughly firmed round 
them. The best way is to dig a hole large enough t© allow all the 
roots to be extended at full length, then place some light material 
over these and all round the ball as well. Leaf soil is one of the best 
materials for this purpose, f prefer in most cases not to mix the 
natural soil with any leaf soil that may be thus employed. Its main 
use is in causing the plants to form young roots quickly, and this is best 
attained by a good dressing placed next to the older roots. The soil when 
filled in must be firmly trodden down, always taking care not to press 
on the ball. A stick, or if necessary two or three sticks, should be 
tfsed in supporting each shrub as planting is finished. 
When the shrubs are merely for screens or divisions there is no 
necessity for ei.her digging or trenching the ground. A setting of 
green grass is much to be preferred to bare soil. If the grass cannot 
be kept cut as often as is wished, it does not look so untidy at the 
worst as badly kept shrubbery beds. The way we proceed in planting 
shrubberies on grass is to first take the turf off each place in which 
a shrub is to be planted, then the soil is taken out to about a foot 
in depth, and that below is loosened ; the roots are spread out in the 
same way, and the planting otherwise managed as noted above for 
planting in dry beds, only the hole in this case is made larger than 
the roots extend, an average of 9 inches all round being allowed. 
The turf is laid back into its place as planting proceeds. As giving 
an idea of the quantity of soil introduced, I may instance that one 
with a ball, say 18 inches across, and roots extending 2^ feet in all, 
would require from one to two barrcwloads. In watering it is much 
better to give more than is required early in the year, when it may be 
wanted to start root-action, than to wait till the condition of the 
shrubs shows that water is needed in order to keep them alive. 
Some notes on transplanting large shrubs must be left till another 
opportunity.—B. 
BENTON’S MONARCH LEEK. 
Having seen the above-named Leek grown at Lees this year, and 
admired it very much, I venture to think a short description of it might 
be of some interest to Leek-growers in general. I understand that this 
is the fourth year since it was raised by Mr. Renton, the present 
gardener at Lees. It is a cross between the Rouen and Carentan Leeks, 
both very good in their way. Its leading features are quick growth, length 
of white, and splendid flavour. It also stands the winter well, and is 
unsurpassed in this district as an exhibition variety, and has to my 
knowledge taken twenty-nine prizes on the borders this year. It has 
gamed the attention of many of the best Leek-growers in the country, 
who are unanimous in their opinion that it is a capital exhibition as well as 
culinary Leek. Besides-being grown on the borders, it has been tested 
in Fife, the Lothians, and elsewhere, with the same good results. I have 
this year seen it grown with Henry’s Prize, Ayton Castle Giant, and 
Lyon Leeks, all having the same advantages, and Renton’s Monarch far 
outgrew all the others, and was also better in flavour.—A Berwickshire 
Leek-Grower. 
OUR ORCHARDS AND PARAFFIN. 
DESTROYING SCALE AND AMERICAN BLIGHT. 
Seeing your correspondent’s article on page 483 entitled “ Our 
Orchards and Paraffin,” I wish to draw your attention to a bad case of 
American blight, moss, brown and mussel scale that I had to deal with. 
While serving as foreman in a large fruit establishment I was instructed 
to have all the trees that were subject to blight dressed with palm oil, 
which was done in March before the buds started. A few had been 
done the previous year to try the experiment, and it had turned out 
satisfactory, as in this case neither blight nor moss appeared while I was 
there. Turning this to account when filling a similar position where 
blight, moss, and scale flourished in an orchard house 300 feet long and 
20 feet in width, and where it was the rule to have five or six men 
employed for weeks in scrubbing and painting the trees and waging war 
against these intruders, I mentioned what had come under my notice, 
and received full liberty to act as I thought best. 
Procuring a half cask of colza oil from the butler, mixing with this a 
fourth of paraffin, adding a little soot and sulphur, and with a good 
staff of hands soon had them finished. With all other compositions it 
is necessary to move the scale from their position, and in that case 
hundreds of young ones are set at liberty and can be seen running about. 
It_ is not necessary in this case to remove them—paint over all. The oil 
will penetrate the hard scale and destroy all life, and if removed in a 
few days all will be seen to be dried and hard. There are two things 
greatly in the favour of oil. First, it will be seen quite wet for a week 
or two, it is neither inclined to evaporate nor to dry in the wood, and it 
will remain damp for months. No scale nor larvse can exist under such 
circumstances. Secondly, it is not injurious to fruit or wood buds. If 
any of your readers would like to try the experiment I would advise 
them to “taste and try before they buy, ’ and not endanger their crop 
and trees rather than wait one year longer. I might say the worst cases 
occurred on Pear, Plum, and Cherry trees.—A Foreman. 
NOTES FROM THE NORTH. 
Cypripediums. —C. punctatum violaceum and C. Maulei are two 
very distinct forms of C. insigne, and probably the most effective 
and useful Ladies’ Slippers known for all decorative purposes. 
At all events, out of about thirty sorts cultivated here I would 
select them if restricted to two, or perhaps C. Spicerianum and 
0. p. violaceum, for it is the best of the two first named, it.being 
altogether a more robust plant. The flowers are decidedly 
larger than those of C. Maulei, the foliage broader and sUffer, 
the upper sepal considerably broader, more heavily and distinctly 
spotted, the margin of white wider, and the sepal does not reflex 
so much at its base as it does in C. Maulei. There are over 
twenty plants of these two varieties in blcom here just now, and 
for effect I do not think any other Ladies’ Slippers could surpass 
them. 0. Haynaldianum is in the style of 0. Lowii and looks 
like a variety of it. It has more colour in its petals than 
0. Lowii, bears three to four blooms on a stem, and lasts quite 
as long in bloom as does 0. Lowii. It does best in the East 
Indian house, and is well worthy of a place in all selections. 
0. insigne Chantinii and 0. punctatum violaceum are 
synonymous. Another pretty and distinct variety is C. alba 
marginata, having a band of white all round the upper petal, but 
no spotting on the upper part of the white as C. Maulei and 
C. punctatum violaceum have. 
Impatiens Sultani .—All who possess a hothouse that is kept 
at from 55° to 60° at this season of the year should grow a few 
plants of this lovely Balsam. It is one of the most easily 
propagated and cultivated of plants, and certainly one of the 
most brilliant and continuous bloomers. Seedlings seem to 
make the best plants, and self-sown ones can be had wherever 
a plant is flowered. It does not promise to be a useful plant 
either for room-decoi-ation or cutting, as the blooms soon drop, 
and it does not thrive in a dry dusty room ; but for hothouse 
show it is most effective, and will grow to 3 feet in diameter in 
an 8-incli pot. 
Chrysanthemum Scaur Melanie .—This is one of the most useful 
Chrysanthemums for general decoration and for cut flowers. 
Your correspondent, Mr. Bardney, sent me some cuttings of it in 
spring, and I find it of very dwarf sturdy habit, can he grown 
into a shapely dwarf bush without any twisting and torturing, 
retains its foliage well, produces a great profusion of small and 
pure white flowers that are most useful for cutting. It cannot 
be too strongly recommended for all ordinary decorative 
purposes. 
Wintering Tuberous Begonias .— I have observed that some 
have recommended that these be wintered in a rather dry 
condition. My experience in wintering them by the thousand 
is that they come into growth far more vigorously in spring 
if kept quite moist the whole winter, and the method adopted 
is to pack them in barrels in moist soil. Not one in a hundred 
goes wrong.—D. Thomson, Drumlanrig. 
ECONOMY IN STOKING. 
Either Mr. Young did not read my letter carefully or he has failed 
to understand the plan. He says “‘Dugald’ would have a boiler that 
would not require an ashpit door ; but if the flues are sharp and there is 
no ashpit door, it is difficult to regulate the fire with the damper alone.” 
If he had read the remainder of the sentence in my first letter he would 
see that the want of ashpit doors is rather more than provided for. I 
mean the “ large outside doors over the front of the fireplace,” to cover 
ashpit openings and all. To start the fire, or during hard firing, I 
would leave one of these open, at other times I would keep them 
closed. If Mr. Young can see how cold air could rush through closed 
iron doors and force out the smoke directly against the current of 
air drawn in to feed the fire, he can see what I cannot. “ If boilers are 
properly set and stoked one furnace door is sufficient.” Certainly there 
is no gainsaying that, but then there may be improvements even yet. 
Flint locks were “ sufficient ” once, and plenty of good shooting has been 
done with muzzle-loaders, but both are now almost superseded. 
If a flue is constructed as it ought to be, and well built with brickwork, 
there is no danger in its use. Good plants and fruit were grown with 
flues before pipes were employed. A flue taken from the top of a boiler 
is quite different from a flue having a fire in the end of it, and the flames 
full length along the inside. A flue from a boiler is just one with the 
dangerous end left out. 
A great part of a gentleman’s garden is only an expensive luxury, 
and anything to reduce that expense must be not only for the good of 
our employers, but for the good of horticulture as well. The coal bill is 
a formidable item which could often be considerably reduced, and I think 
progress in that direction can only be made by first properly consuming 
