330 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. \ October 13, 1881. 
narrow leave?, was prepared from a specimen furnished by Mr. 
Parker of Tooting, where D. speciosum and several other species 
thrive particularly well. 
RAITT’S STRAWBERRY BOXES. 
By the courtesy of Mr. Raitt, who wrote those admirable articles 
in the Journal on Strawberry culture, I have received a sample 
box such as he packs his fruit in, and it is evident, as he says, 
that the fruit will travel hundreds of miles in such carefully con¬ 
trived packages. However, the weight of woodwork is a little 
over a quarter of a hundredweight, and the nett weight of fruit 
it will contain only about a half hundredweight; the tare is 
therefore about 33 per cent, of the gross weight. This is a draw¬ 
back where horse carriage is concerned, although only a matter 
of a few shillings per ton by rail. The “ crate ” is 26 inches long, 
17 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. It holds three layers of little 
quart boxes without lids, the layers being separated by trays. 
It appears to be neat, compact, and admirable, not much more 
expensive than our punnet system, and certainly less likely to 
bruise the fruits. Has anyone else seen a better plan ? — 
Fragaria. 
HARDY PLANTS—PREPARING THE BORDERS. 
Borders of mixed hardy flowers are now becoming fashion¬ 
able, and there is much anxiety to obtain that practical know¬ 
ledge which is so essential to successful cultivation. I have made 
these borders and plants a part of ordinary garden work for 
several years back, and I think that the details of the manage¬ 
ment may be useful to many readers who may wish to grow the 
best hardy flowers. Be it understood, however, that I am not a 
very great admirer of this style of flower gardening. I occupy 
the position of a gardener whose aim it is to make the most of 
the gardens I have under my charge, and therefore try my utmost, 
as far as means permit, to make the gardens interesting, varied, 
and enjoyable. 
It used to be the invariable practice of garden'inc wT-’! ers w ^ en 
treating on the culture of a plant to begin by detailing its history 
from its selection as a cutting, the potsherds, washing the pots, 
the mode of using the potsherds as drainage, how to procure and 
prepare me soil, how to fill the pot with soil, and the exact depth, 
how to insert the cutting, and so on through every item of detail 
in the history of the plant. It was a good old system, and I will 
follow it in the present case, and tell in the first place about the 
border and how to prepare it, and on the foundation thus laid 
give as much practical information as I can. 
A truism in the pursuit of horticulture in all its branches is the 
impossibility of doing anything too well, provided the work is 
followed intelligently. This is as true in reference to the pre¬ 
paration of borders for the growth of these plants as to anything 
else. Therefore, if I had a border of bad soil, subsoil especially, to 
deal with, and could obtain means of doing so, I should remove 
much or all of what was really bad, and introduce good soil in 
its place. In the majority of cases such a proceeding would be 
impossible. A new Vine border is a difficult operation with 
many of us, and new flower borders are not to be thought of. I 
remember once commencing to renovate a border on which 
Cabbages would not thrive. Within easy wheeling distance was a 
large heap of decayed rubbish, quite beneath everyday attention. 
The border was trenched deeply, some of the worst of the soil 
removed, and the heap of rubbish made to fill the vacancy, where 
it proved of no slight benefit. Without the application of any 
manure Gladiolus attained to the height of 6 feet, while Del¬ 
phiniums became giants—over 9 feet high. 
Such measures, however, are not required everywhere. In 
ordinarily well-cultivated soils nothing more is necessary than a 
thick dressing of manure, 6 inches in thickness at least, then 
trenching the ground 2 feet deep. If the subsoil has not been 
cultivated do not turn it up to the surface, but mix manure with 
it and loosen the bottom. Many hardy plants, often the most 
effective, root deeply. The stronger growth of these will well 
repay the extra work. The manure I prefer is a mixture of 
material from the cowhouses and old hotbed manure. If possible 
have this work done in October. In spring, as soon as the ground 
is dry enough, spread 2 or 3 inches depth of light manure over the 
entire surface of the border, and point it in from 6 to 9 inches in 
depth. Any particular flowers, such as Phloxes, Dahlias, Holly¬ 
hocks, or Carnations, which 1 like to specially encourage, have in 
addition a compost of loam and manure, sometimes with chemical 
manure added, prepared for them. A spadeful of this compost 
is mixed in the border and the plants placed out in the position 
thus prepared. A border like the above I find suits plants very 
well for three years, at which time the whole border should be 
emptied and retrenched in the same manner as at first. Many 
plants require lifting every year, and some become too large if 
left over two years. The proper way to treat all such is to give 
them some fresh compost, as I have recommended for Phloxes, 
and replant the divided pieces in what is virtually fresh soil. If 
by any means the border cannot be retrenched at the time recom¬ 
mended, fresh soil will be required as a surfacing to at least the 
front of the border in order to keep the border up to the proper 
level, and also to keep the plants in robust health. But surface 
dressings are not so good as periodically trenching and manuring 
the ground. Annually pointing the soil is not good policy.—• 
R. P. Brotherston. 
SCRAPS ABOUT FRUIT. 
When I penned my last letter on this subject I never antici¬ 
pated such a general response. The letters published last week 
show in a marked manner how much latent practical knowledge 
there is on the subject of fruit, and not less clearly do they show 
that there is a generous disposition to advance what may be useful 
when it is known that a record of simple facts is acceptable. Is 
it possible that any one man could have written a page and a 
half on fruit, and embodied so much varied and practical in¬ 
formation as is contained in the isolated scraps that appeared in 
your last issue ? Several hints there recorded are of great value 
to me, as I doubt not they are to many others, and I shall look 
with interest for other odds and ends of fruit experiences that I 
am sure are too good to be lost. I intend ordering The Czar 
Plum, Cox’s Pomona, Ecklinville Seedling, and Wormsley Pippin 
Apples, and Baronne de Mello Pear.— A Country Surgeon. 
Jefferson Plum. —This Plum is known to a great number of 
people, but those that do not know it should plant it, and they 
will not be disappointed. The fruit is fine and of splendid quality. 
Worcester Pearmain Apple. — This will prove a good 
market variety, more particularly on account of its colour, as 
is everything almost in a market fruit. I know growers 
1 ~ T Ying it by the thousand, which is the best test of its 
who are pu*^. 
value. _ —"- 
„ , . •" + eur requiring only 
Three Good Dessert Apples.—A n attic. - A,,- bo . a n 0 j 
three varieties of dessert Apples should grow the folio,,.. 
them being heavy bearers and of good quality—Cox’s Ora^ & . 
Pippin, King of the Pippins, and Sturmer Pippin, the latter 
keeping until June. _ _ 
Gravenstein Apple. —Gardeners and amateurs who do not 
grow Gravenstein Apple should procure it this season. It is a 
splendid culinary Apple, and useful for dessert, the flavour being 
excellent. Its colour also is very telling on an exhibition table, 
and the tree is a good grower and bearer.— The Doctor’s 
Friend. _ _ 
King of the Pippins Apple. — As this is the time when 
many fruits may be gathered and tested and new kinds planted, 
I think your “ Scraps ” on fruits most valuable morsels, and they 
cannot fail to be highly instructive at the present time. To those 
in want of a good Apple I would like to recommend them King 
of the Pippins. Our varieties of Apples here are numerous, but 
we have none to equal this. I am not meaning this season alone, 
but am considering its conduct year after year. In the first 
place it never fails to bear a crop ; the fruit are always of a good 
size, very clean, and as a rule very beautiful. They may be 
gathered about this time, when they may be used in the kitchen 
or for dessert, and in any ordinary fruit-room they will remain 
sound and well flavoured for six months or so.—J. Muir. 
One of the most useful Apples is King of the Pippins Apple, 
the above. It is a certain cropper, but requires liberal treatment 
to bring the fruits to a good size and form strong wood for the 
succeeding year’s crop. It is useful both for dessert and kitchen 
use.—B. _ 
Warner’s King. —As a midwinter kind nothing need be 
desired better than this. All our trees are youDg. Some planted 
as maidens in the spring of 1880 are bearing a few fruits this 
year, and there is every promise of the whole of these trees 
bearing a small crop next year. We shall grow forty trees of this 
variety for affording the main winter supply of fruit. All the 
pruning it requires is to stop the ends of the main shoots in 
August and keep the side growths pinched in.—R. P. B. 
