358 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ October 20 , wsi. 
roots. Pyramid Pears and Apples were also much damaged. Rasp¬ 
berry canes suffered considerably, and are broken off level to the 
wires to which they were secured. Much glass was broken, especially 
in those houses within a short distance of trees, the branches that 
were broken off being carried with the wind a considerable distance. 
Lettuces and other winter salads present a shattered appearance, the 
leaves being turned as black as if that been subjected to a severe 
frost. Parsley is much broken, and Broccoli and other winter vege¬ 
tables have suffered proportionately.” 
Mr. K. P. Brotherston, Tyninghame, East Lothian, writes— 
t; We have had a storm from the north this forenoon which, I am 
afraid, has destroyed all our garden flowers. Most of the fine trees 
near the house, as well as in other parts of the ground and woods, 
have been blown down to-day. I saw ten trees in as many minutes 
fall like a row of ninepins at the beginning of the storm, and similar 
destruction was going on over 2000 acres.” 
[Many letters reached us too late for insertion.] 
PEAR v. QUINCE STOCKS FOR PEARS. 
Your fruit jottings interest me, also the article on Pears on 
Pear stocks on page 329. 
In my case it was a great mistake to plant Pears on Quince 
stocks. For a few years the trees did well, and for their size bore 
fair crops of fruit; after about ten years the foliage became 
yellow in July, and the fruit small in size and poor in quality. 
To have autumn tints in July is not agreeable.' Pear trees on 
Pear stocks planted at the same time are still with green leaves, 
and have given quite as good crops in their early years as those 
on Quince : and it cannot be too widely known that by root- 
pruning, the Pear on Pear stock can be made to produce fruit as 
early as the Pear on Quince stock, and the Pear stock will out¬ 
last several generations of Quince stocks. My soil is stiff with 
clay subsoil. 
Has anyone noticed the early turning yellow of the foliage afler 
Pears have been about ten years on Quince stocks ?— Robert 
Warner, Broomfield. 
HARDY PLANTS—PROPAGATION. 
( Continued from page 330.) 
The preparation of the border and its management having 
been discussed, something may now be said about procuring the 
occupants. If you have the command of abundant means this is 
a very easy matter ; but we will suppose that you wish to fill the 
border as cheaply as possibly. In these circumstances the best 
plan is to order as many plants as you can afford about Christmas 
time or earlier. When they arrive do not place them in a cold 
frame, but give them a position in a house where they will grow 
gently. Some can be divided and potted singly ; those that are 
not in good order for dividing should be encouraged in growth 
till increase can be effected. Healthy sturdy plants will thus be 
obtained, and such can be placed out in the borders at any time, 
and they root in the soil at once. Some may be increased by 
cuttings, and it is surprising how a large border may be filled by 
judiciously economising a comparatively small purchase. Again, 
there are many plants which can be raised from seed, and in 
every case where this can be done it is best. Florists’ flowers are 
suitable for border cultivation, and I prefer obtaining plants of 
the best varieties as being the only certain mode of having them 
satisfactory. Antirrhinums or others that come quite fine from 
seed I raise myself. By exchanging with your friends you will 
also be able to add largely to the collection. In dividing plants 
care must be taken not to go to the extreme, as slow-growing 
plants take years to become good specimens when divided into 
very small pieces. Bulbous plants are most cheaply bought by 
the dozen or hundred. Some of them are expensive to buy even 
singly, but many fine bulbous plants can be bought cheaply. 
As many plants of each kind as are wanted to fill the border 
are propagated by division, by layers, or by cuttings during the 
autumn. A layer of old Mushroom-bed material is employed for 
the plants to form roots in. This causes a quick strong growth 
and a matted mass of roots to lift with. The other plants are 
then taken to the rubbish heap, and employed as manure when 
they are decomposed. Unless marks are placed over bulbous 
plants it is impossible to lift these, nor is it necessary. As the 
trenching proceeds just place them into the positions they occu¬ 
pied before dividing the clumps which may have become too 
large. Small sticks may be placed to show where these are as 
the work is proceeded with, but most of them will be either above 
ground or growing before the border is replanted in the spring. 
As to arranging the plants in the border, I prefer the mixed 
plan as being far more effective than any other. There are 
certain flowers which surpass others in general effectiveness in 
their several seasons, and these are planted prominently and in 
sufficient numbers to impart a decided character to the whole. 
If you wish the border to yield a successive display of flowers 
for the longest time possible you must plant for that purpose ; if 
for one season only, say spring or autumn, or both, without refe¬ 
rence to the summer months, then you must plant to get effect at 
these seasons. All our borders are effective during the autumn 
months ; two of them are kept to yield a succession of flowers 
throughout the whole season of flowers, one for autumn and 
spring, and another simply for late autumn. Our spring and 
autumn border is occupied with only free-flowering plants. In 
spring we have numbers of Crocus clumps in variety, Tulips, and 
the Polyanthus Narcissus, late Helleborus, large masses of Arabia 
albida, early Pansies, and plants of similar character. In autumn 
we have masses of Tritoma, Dahlias single and double, chiefly 
the single white, which is the best and most effective. Gladiolus 
brcnchleyensis, late Picotees, and Carnations white and scarlet, 
late Phloxes in three or four distinct colours, Salvia fulgens, and 
S. patens, early-flowering Chrysanthemums. Pentstemons, Pansies, 
Japanese Anemones, Aster bessarabicus and A. longifolius for- 
mosus, with Marigolds and (Enothera Lamarckiana. These are 
the chief plants employed, and the effect is grand. 
The borders at each side of the central kitchen garden path, 
which is the main one, have been widened to 13 feet each ; and in 
these, in addition to beds of Christmas Roses, Schizostylis coc- 
cinea, Lily of the Valley, some of the Narcissus family, and 
others for cut flowers, the majority of our herbaceous plants are 
grown. These borders form to me one of the most interesting 
features of the garden. We have several hundred distinct species 
of plants in them besides many varieties ; several kinds we find 
a difficulty to keep, and by these means and fresh sorts being 
annually added there are always a few changes amongst the occu¬ 
pants. I will describe in the next paper the plants employed for 
these borders and the style of planting.—R. P. Brotherston. 
GRAPES AT THE EDINBURGH SHOW. 
Allow me to add a very few words on this subject and then I 
leave it. in my last 1 accused your reporter of “ not giving a faith¬ 
ful account of what he saw,” and he has now furnished conclusive 
proof of this. He states this week, that “ the marks of syringing 
were so patent on the berries that these alone would have pre¬ 
vented them, if in other respects good, from taking a place as 
first-rate examples,” &c. Now here is a plain and specific enough 
statement, and yet except, perhaps, in the case of the Muscats, it 
is totally inaccurate. The Muscats were syringed once or twice 
during the season, and the bunch sent may have shown it in a 
very slight'way ; but in the case of the other seven kinds exhibited, 
never a drop of water touched the berries or the fruit from the 
time they were started until now, and your reporter did not see a 
vestige of what he says was “ so patent.” I will pay his expenses 
up and down to here if he can find one bunch of those seven 
showing a speck of injury from such a cause. Bunches are nearly 
all hanging yet and to be seen. This fact taken in conjunction 
with your own note on the Grapes sent to your office speaks for 
itself ; but when a man deliberately states that such and such 
things “ were patent,” which means more than usually apparent, 
but which never existed, what is one to think of his other 
assertions ?—J. Simpson, Wortley , Sheffield. 
WINTERING BEDDING PLANTS. 
In many cases the most tender bedding plants may not be so 
numerous as they were some years ago, but wherever there is a 
flower garden Pelargoniums and other plants requiring protection 
in winter are employed. These cause much work in propagating 
and hardening in spring, and they also require considerable atten¬ 
tion at the present time in storing them for the winter. Until 
there is danger of their being injured by frost all bedding plants 
should be as much exposed as possible. 
In autumn we have a decided objection to striking cuttings in 
bottom heat, or, indeed, in artificial heat of any kind, as it is a 
very bad start for them, especially where much heat cannot be 
supplied in winter. Every cutting that can be is rooted in the 
open air and wintered in a cool frame. Pelargonium cuttings are 
taken in August and inserted in pots or boxes placed in the open 
air fully exposed to the sun, and there they should remain until 
frost is approaching. In November they are placed in a vinery 
or other house where there is sufficient beat to keep frost out. 
Iresines and Mesembryanthemums require a li"le more heat in 
winter. At the present time we have ours stored on a shelf near 
the glass in an intermediate house, and as they were taken from 
