332 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . [ October 13, 1881. 
season of the year. Cuttings may be taken now as follows :— 
Take the points of the shoots with three or four leaves attached, 
carefully remove the two lower ones, then cut the base of the 
cutting cleanly through the lower joint. Procure a number of 
2 -inch or thumb pots, fill one-third of their depth with broken 
potsherds, then fill the pots with a compost consisting of two- 
thirds of pounded brick or potsherds and one-third coarse sand. 
This being done, place a cutting firmly in the centre of each pot, 
afterwards giving a good watering, then place them on a shelf 
near the glass in a cool house. The cuttings must not be shaded, 
but fully exposed to the sun. Water must also be applied spar¬ 
ingly ; indeed, we seldom give any after the first application till 
they are rooted. 
The leaves taken oil should be fully exposed to the sun in order 
to evaporate as much of the superfluous sap as possible. After a 
few days’ exposure they should be laid on the surface of shallow 
pans previously filled with potsherds and coarse sand, and then 
placed on a shelf as advised for the cuttings. No water should be 
given unless they exhibit signs of shrivelling until they are rooted. 
As soon as the cuttings and leaves are rooted shift them on into 
4 and 5-inch pots, in a soil composed of one-third turfy loam and 
remainder old mortar, brick rubbish, and sand. Give a good 
watering, and place them on a shelf or stage near the glass, where 
they may remain till they flower. Like most succulent plants they 
require but little water, even during active growth, therefore a 
little discrimination should be exercised in its application. Care 
should also be taken not to overpot the plants at any period 
of their growth, otherwise they will not flower satisfactorily.— 
A Southern Gardener. 
FRUIT TREES CANKERING AND BEARING. 
Permit me to call the attention of some of the able and ex¬ 
perienced fruit-growers, who help to make “our Journal” such 
instructive and pleasant reading, that what is most needed to be 
told to fruit-planters is caution as to sorts of Apples and Pears 
that canker, and next to this the relative time required to bring 
the sorts into bearing after planting. Very much loss and dis¬ 
couragement ensues through ignorance on these points. We have 
abundance of sound guidance as to the qualities of these fruits, 
but next to nothing on these two subjects of cankering, and a 
long or short time of coming into bearing after planting. 
Irrespective of the cause of canker, of which much may be said 
of an instructive character, the fact that under precisely the same 
conditions of climate, soil, and aspect some very fine sorts canker 
to death, whilst others do not canker at all, speaks eloquently of 
the need of guidance to new planters. Again, whilst some Apples 
and Pears come to bearing freely in two, three, four, or five years, 
others do not do so for many years; and as I have said above, 
there is little or no guidance to be had in books or otherwise on 
these important points. 
Meantime, let me caution intending planters who have heavy 
loam or clayey loam soil having a tendency to hold water near 
the surface, though they may have heavy crops and very large 
fruit of some sorts, as I have during the last three years ; yet let 
them not plant such otherwise excellent fruits as Louise Bonne 
or Marie Louise Pears as pyramids, nor Cox’s Orange Pippin, 
Lord Burghley. or Bibston Pippin Apples, for canker will destroy 
them.—S. S. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS—OCTOBER. 
The present month is one in which all growers of florists’ 
flowers are preparing for the on-coming winter; for although 
the objects of their care are hardy that does not imply that they 
can stand any kind of treatment, and the fact of their being grown 
in pots takes away somewhat of that capability of standing all 
weathers which some of them possess. The Picotee, which will 
brave our hardest winters, as a bed of mine did that of 1880-81, 
when wintered in pots requires to be carefully watched lest what 
is called “spot ” makes its appearance amongst the collection. 
There is one enemy which is more injurious to all florists’ flowers 
than anything else, and that is damp, whether arising from de¬ 
fective drainage, the use of bad soil, or a damp atmosphere in the 
frame or pit where plants are wintered. We are subject to such 
vicissitudes of climate in the winter months that sometimes there 
is a tendency to excite plants into growth, which damp encou¬ 
rages ; and then frost or cold winds do the more damage. More¬ 
over, an overdamp soil rots the roots, and of course deprives the 
plant of its sources of strength. Therefore I would say to all 
growers of florists’ flowers, Above all things take care to guard 
against damp. 
Auriculas.— These may now be removed into their winter 
quarters— i.e., the frames are to be stood facing south instead, as 
they have been during the summer, facing north. Watering will 
have to be done more sparingly ; and where, as in several collec¬ 
tions in the north, glazed pots are used, they have the advantage 
of keeping the soil somewhat more moist, and thus of preventing 
the necessity of frequent waterings. The large outer leaves will 
gradually decay and should be taken off ; and by the time that 
top-dressing is needed (January) there ought to remain just 
simply a stout heart instead of the large plant there was in the 
summer. Slugs should be watched for and destroyed, ventilate 
as much as possible, and avoid coddling. As the nights become 
colder mats should be in readiness to place over the frames. 
The plants will stand much frost without injury, but later on it 
injures the bloom. 
Carnations and Picotees— Layers ought now to be taken 
off and potted. It is best to put them singly into small pots. 
The soil should be a light loam without any mixture of manure, 
as it is not well for them to be excited into growth, all that is 
required being that they should be kept in a healthy condition 
and fill the pots with roots. They should be kept close for a few 
days and then placed in a similar position to the Auriculas ; air 
to be admitted freely at all times when the weather is fine. Dead 
leaves should be taken off; and if green fly makes its appearance, 
as it is apt to do, they should be either brushed off or the frames 
must be fumigated. Where they are grown in beds, the plants 
may be placed out and secured by small sticks, as they are apt 
to be blown about by the winds and loosened. Wet then pene¬ 
trates the collar of the plant and does considerable damage. 
Pansies. —The same treatment applies to these. If grown in 
pots they should be wintered in small pots in a light but not too 
rich soil. Unlike the Carnation and Auricula, they are not at rest 
during the winter months, and their tender foliage is very enticing 
to slugs, which should be carefully guarded against, as should 
also the attacks of green fly. When grown in beds they should 
be secured by small sticks, and kept clear of weeds. 
Gladioli. —The smaller roots of these (seedlings and young 
corms of the named sorts) may now be lifted ; and as there is 
little chance of seed this year the flowering stems of the larger 
corms may be cut off, as it will hasten the ripening of the corms. 
The small bulbules, as the French call them, may be kept when 
sufficiently dry in paper bags with a little dry sand. Towards 
the end of the month many of the corms which flowered early will 
be sufficiently ripened to take up. They may be laid out to dry 
in a cool and airy situation, but not exposed to frost. When 
dry enough the spawn may be taken off and the roots dried and 
stored away. There is nothing better than the frame of which I 
gave a sketch in a former volume of the Journal. The names 
may be written on the corm, and thus all fear of wrong naming 
be avoided. 
Dahlias. —Towards the end of the month it will probably be 
necessary to lift the roots ; but it will depend much on the weather, 
for if hard frost does not occur they will go on maturing in the 
ground. When lifted they should be dried off carefully, if possible 
in a cool vinery, and then stowed away in a dry place free from 
frost. Single Dahlias, which are now so popular, may be treated 
in the same way. The recommendation to grow them from seed 
in the spring is desirable enough for large gardens ; but where 
space is a matter of moment it is better to grow a few named 
sorts, such as Paragon, Cervantesii, coccinea, &c., and start them 
again in the spring. 
Chrysanthemums. —These will now be coming on rapidly : 
the buds seem to be swelling fast and promise well. Where large 
flowers are desired disbudding has taken place, but where a 
goodly number of flowers is desired that may be dispensed with. 
A spoonful of Clay’s fertiliser on the surface of each pot will 
materially help them now. The plants may now be safely placed 
under shelter, and will cheer their cultivator during the otherwise 
(floriculturally) dreary month of November.—D., Deal. 
NEW STRAWBERRIES. 
The following amongst the recently introduced Strawberries 
tried at the Experimental Garden on fairly strong Strawberry 
soil have proved the most satisfactory—viz., Crown Prince of 
Germany (Goethe), ripe June 21st; Forman’s Excelsior (raised 
by Mr. Forman of Louth), and Seth Baydon (American), from 
Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, both ripe on the 15th June. These 
are all good growers, and produce fine handsome fruit of rich 
flavour and first-rate quality. Keens’ Seedling ripened on the 
13th June. McMahon is a free-bearing Strawberry of good size 
and high quality. Duncan (American), a useful early sort, 
