238 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND GOTIAQE GARDENER. 
[ September 11,1884. 
and Worcester Pippin. In an orchard planted here three years ago 
some 300 trees, the following are bearing good crops this year: 
Granville, Worcester Pearmain, King of Pippins, Barnack Beauty, Lord 
Suffield, King Noble, and Dutch Mignonne. Of the above varieties I have 
planted one dozen each, and so far am well satisfied with the results. 
Being an Apple lover, I attended last year’s Apple congress and selected 
three for trial—Laxton’s British Queen, Queen Caroline, and Grenadier. 
The two latter I had from Mr. B unyard in fine young pyramids, and that 
gave me half a dozen Apples this year, which I look upon as a good omen 
of their free-bearing properties. 
Relative to Apple trees pruned and unpruned, looking through a 
noble duke’s place in the sunny south recently, I noticed all the Apple 
trees round the borders of the kitchen garden looking trim and tidy, but 
appleless, while an orchard close by, belonging to the place, but unpruned, 
having a capital crop. There is no doubt “ Thinker ” hits the nail on the 
head when he says, “Prune when young judiciously, but when old let 
them alone.”—E. Gilbert, Burghley, 
CACTUS DAHLIA CONSTANCE, 
Apropos of the reputed white Cactus Dahlia of which Mr. Welch 
inquires in the last issue of the Journal, I can assure him that it is a right 
good thing, and I hope if he has not seen good flowers of it he may yet 
live to behold them. It is difficult to be had in good form (indeed next 
to impossible) under ordinary treatment—namely, by striking cuttings in 
early spring and planting them out in due course, but cuttings which 
were rooted early in the present year in 2^-inch pots should, when 
bedding operations were completed, be shifted into 48’s and plunged in 
coal ashes for the remainder of the season. By the end of the year good 
tubers will be formed, and if duly attended to when planting time comes 
round they will invariably produce excellent flowers. The same remarks 
hold good of D. Juarezi.—E. J. C. 
A CORRESPONDENT writes During the early part of the first 
season I grew this good old variety, I, like Mr. Welch (page 214), was 
disappointed with it. It produced but few blooms during August, and 
these were not so white as anticipated and wished for. Later on, when 
the days and nights were colder, it flowered freely, and the colour was 
much nearer pure white than formerly. The blooms are double without 
being heavy, and they are in great request for church decoration. It is 
also much used in funeral wreaths and crosses, and very beautiful it 
proves when tastefully arranged with other white flowers and Fern fronds. 
The prettiest cross I have seen for some time was composed exclusively 
of Constance Dahlia blooms, white Japanese Anemones, and fronds of 
Maidenhair Fern.—W. I. M, 
OPEN AIR FLOWERS IN AUTUMN. 
In summer, when everything is growing luxuriantly and flowering 
profusely, it is unnecessary to attempt to prolong their beauty, but now 
much may be done to help the autumn flowers. “The beds have been 
fine, but they are over now,” is an expression often heard about this time 
of the year ; and although it may be correct to say they are over compared 
with what they may have been, it is yet far too early to allow them to be 
quite over. Whether, however, they may be bright again for long or 
dull and unattractive to the end rests, in a great measure, with those in 
barge. 
The more freely anything blooms in summer the more liable it is to 
collapse early in autumn, and if all the old flowers are allowed to remain 
on they will soon prevent others from forming. Indeed, there is no 
better way of making a plant cease flowering than to allow seed pods to 
form, and in many cases there is too little attention given to taking off 
the old blooms in time to prevent any check to successional flowers. At 
this season every bloom past its best should be picked off all plants 
required to bloom as far into the autumn as possible. This applies to 
Pelargoniums and everything in the flower garden, as well as to Dahlias, 
Sweet Peas, Stocks, Asters, Carnations, and, in short, everything disposed 
to wither yet desired to flower. With us open air flowers are of no 
consequence just now, but in October and November we cannot have too 
many of them, and year after year we prove that nothing causes the plants 
to be attractive longer than a constant system of timely gathering of the 
decaying flowers. Dead leaves, too, should have no quarter, as they 
retain damp and cause decay, and these we are particular in removing 
when going the weekly rounds of our flower beds and borders at the 
present time.—J. M. 
CULTURE OF LACHENALIAS. 
These rank among the most useful of dwarf flowering bulbous- 
roo ted plants, and being so well adapted for front rows in conservatory 
arrangements during the spring months, the wonder is they are not more 
extensively grown by those who have large demands for decorative 
plants ; their culture being so simple, too, should be a greater induce¬ 
ment to extend their numbers. To have them in the best possible con¬ 
dition doubtless the planting-out system as practised by Mr. Ware and 
others is the best, but in this way they would not prove so useful to many 
as in pots. Treated liberally very creditable examples can be grown in 
pots. Light is a very important factor in the well-doing of these plants, 
therefore from the first they should be kept as near the glass as possible 
and given plenty of air, as when drawn they do not prove so beautiful 
either in leaf or flower spike, neither do they last long in perfection. 
The time for potting varies according to the treatment they have 
received. When they show signs of growing is the time we pot our 
bulbs, and that is generally about the first week in September. Anyone 
not having seen to them should do so at once, as it not unfrequently 
happens they are left under stages in the greenhouse too long, thereby 
becoming unduly drawn. The soil we find best suited to these little bulbs 
is three parts good turfy loam to one of well-rotted cow manure, with a 
liberal addition of sand or road grit, a layer of manure also being spread 
over the crocks. Pots ranging in sizes from 4-inch to 6-inch are best 
suited to their culture, and the former is preferred with us. From five to 
eight bulbs are sufficient for each, and they should be quite covered 
with soil. Cold pits or frames are the best places to grow these in from 
now until there is danger of sharp frost, when they are better removed 
to a greenhouse shelf. Watering should be carefully attended to, never 
allowing them to become dry or very wet. 
There are several varieties in cultivation, those extensively grown 
being, however, limited in number. L. pendula and tricolor are good 
with red and yellow flowers; luteola is a good yellow variety; quad- 
ricolor is extremely pretty ; and Nelsoni is another handsome kind, but 
is difficult to obtain true, being so rare. After flowering they may be 
gradually dried off and the pots laid on their sides under a wall outdoors, 
or under the greenhouse stage, until the growing season again comes 
round.— Somersetshire Foreman. 
The different varieties of Lachenalias are very beautiful for the conser¬ 
vatory. The bulbs should be potted early in the autumn, as they commence 
to make growth early. Although not hardy, it is a great mistake to grow 
them where they are likely to receive much artificial warmth, as they 
utterly dislike being coddled. Place the bulbs about 2 inches apart in 
well-drained pots, the soil to consist of good fibry yellow loam. After 
they are potted place them in a cold frame until they commence to grow, 
when they should be arranged near the glass in a cool greenhouse. When 
in full growth they must receive copious supplies of water.—A. L. 
LIME AND CHALK. 
Will your versatile correspondent, “ A Thinker,” be good enough to 
state how he manages to make chalk out of lime, and if he can do this why 
he would be at the trouble of making it instead of using the lime for Peach 
tree borders ? What I deshe to know—and I think there may be others to 
whom the information may be useful—is the essential difference between 
lime and chalk, and also the different effects (if any) they have on the 
soil and on vegetation. I have seen lime recommended—indeed, have 
seen it used successfully on Vine and fruit-tree borders; but now we 
are distinctly informed that chalk is better. I have been told that lime 
cannot be converted into chalk, but that chalk can be made into lime, 
and is so made for applying to land. But why he at the expense of thus 
converting it if it is better in its normal state, as your correspondent 
suggests ? Any information on the subject will be valued by— 
A Learner. 
A DAY AT BEXLEY HEATH AND SWANLEY. 
“Would you like to have a run over to Bexley Heath and see 
Philip Ladds’ wonderful crops of Grapes and Tomatoes ? I promise you 
one of the finest sights you have ever beheld in the way of Grape and 
Tomato-growing.” This was the purport of a note which I received from 
a gardening friend a few days ago. Having heard so much of this vast 
establishment I naturally felt anxious to accept my friend’s invitation ; 
but owing to indisposition, the effects of the fierce heat of late, I knew it 
would be unwise to venture thither just then. A change to cooler 
weather having come, my friend put in his appearance with his horse 
and trap, and I gladly accepted his invitation to take a ride of some 
few miles across country to Bexley Heath. 
It is a very pleasant drive from the south-eastern suburbs of the 
metropolis, especially during the fruit season. This part of Kent abounds 
in fruit and vegetable gardens. Hundreds of acres of Strawberries are 
grown for supplying markets with fruit and the jam manufacturers for 
preserving. Tons of fruit are gathered and sent up from one farm alone 
daily. The varieties grown chiefly for this purpose are Sir Joseph 
Paxton and President. A plantation is not considered profitable after 
three years, as a rule, hence new plantations are constantly being formed 
to succeed the former. Raspberries, too, are grown to an enormous 
extent, some of the plantations being upwards of fifty acres. Carter’s 
Prolific is the principal variety grown, and it is a grand sight to see the 
immense stools with their short sturdy canes. The duration of a plantation 
varies from ten to fifteen years, according to soil, &c. No stakes are 
needed to support these sturdy canes ; indeed it would involve a heavy 
expenditure to supply the thousands of stools were such required. 
Red and Black Currants and Gooseberries also occupy a large share 
of the fruit-grower’s attention. These are generally grown in the large 
plantations of Apples, Pears, and Plums, thus occupying the space between 
the larger trees. Here and there, however, one may see them growing by 
themselves. The fruit farmer adopts a rather novel but simple plan in 
“ rooting-out ” bush fruit trees in an exhausted plantation. Wten he 
wishes to clear the land of these trees for another crop of a different 
nature he employs two men and a horse. Attached to the traces is a 
strong chain, which one of the men holds in his hand to bind round the 
stem tf tie tre’. When the chain is bound round, the other man causes 
