September 18, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
271 
about 350 blooms of beautiful Show and Fancy Pansies, and exanaples of a 
^rand strain of African Marigolds. Two Fancy Pansies, My Lady and 
Mrs. D. Lutz, were selected from the above for first-class certificates. 
To Mr. Lister, Kothesay, a certificate of merit was awarded for a grand 
lot of 150 blooms Show and Fancy Pansies ; and a like award to Mr. Cuth- 
bertson, "Rothesay, for a large collection of French, African, and Scotch 
Marigolds, the African being a fine strain. Mr. Sutherland, Lenzie, 
showed some fine Pansies and very good Asters. Messrs. Ireland & Thom¬ 
son, Edinburgh, two dozen bunches of extra fine single Begonia flowers, 
Messrs. Laing & Co., Forest Hall, also showing boxes of their grand single 
and double Begonias with plants of the same. These attracted much 
attention. 
MISCELLANEOUS EXHIBITS. 
Numerous collections and groups of plants were contributed by nursery 
men both in England and Scotland, and some of these were extremely 
beautiful, adding much to the attraction of the Show. Very prominent 
amongst the best were the following ;—A large group of foliage and flower¬ 
ing plants, including Ericas, Nepenthes, Ac., from Messrs. Ireland and 
Thomson ; a basket of a fine bronze purple-leaved Maple, Acer Hookeriana, 
from Messrs. Dickson & Co., Edinburgh ; a choice collection of Tuberous 
Begonias, both single and double, from Messrs. J. Laing & Co., Forest Hill, 
London ; a group of Crotons, Dracaenas, and flowering plants from Messrs. 
W. P. Laird it Sinclair, Dundee ; a collection of Zonal Pelargoniums and 
Tuberous Begonias from Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley ; a new Croton 
named Thynnei from Mr. E. Thynne, Glasgow, a variety with leaves 
12 to 14 inches long, and 3 to 4 inches broad, of a golden-yellow suffused with 
red and dark green blotches ; a group of fine-foliage and flowering plants 
from Messrs. Storrie & Murray, 96, Nethergate, Dundee ; a group of Ferns 
and fine-foliage plants from Messrs. W. P. Laird & Sinclair, Dundee ; col¬ 
lections of Apples and Pears, including some fine fruits, from Mr. T. Frost, 
Maidstone, Kent. 
Some fine samples of the Rousham Park Hero Onions were shown by Mr. 
H. Deverill, Banbury ; and Mr. J. Muir, Margam Park Garden.^, Taibach, 
South Wales, sent specimens of his new Vegetable Marrow, Pen-y-Byd, a 
flat solid fruit of medium size, and said to be of excellent quality. A certifi¬ 
cate was awared for this. 
At 1 P.M. on the opening day (Thursday) the Judges and exhibitors and 
visitors to the number of about seventy were entertained at luncheon in the 
Queen’s Hotel, Dundee, Provost Moncur presiding, supported by the Earl of 
Strathmore and Lord Kinnaird. Several appropriate toasts were proposed 
and responded to. Provost Moncur stated that the success of the Inter¬ 
national Show in 1876 had induced them to hold another, and it was hoped 
that in a few years they would be enabled to have a third still better than 
either of these. Mr. B. S. Williams, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Greene, and Mr. Browning 
replied for the Judges, and after some further toasts the company separated. 
The number of visitors to the Show was 21,000 on the three days. The 
total receipts were £627 from non-members, which we understand leaves a 
rather serious deficiency, though it is expected that with the members’ 
subscriptions all demands can be paid in full. 
Nectarines, and Apricots are alike good. All the young trees bear indi¬ 
cation of being very carefully trained and their wants attended to in a 
proper way and at the right time. The beds for everything in the nursery 
are 20 yards wide and many 100 yards in length ; between them are grass 
or gravel walks 6 feet or more in width, which are very convenient for 
working and inspecting the stock. 
Along each side of the principal walk in the nursery there is a wide 
bolder artistically planted with the best kinds of trees and shrubs ; many 
of these have grown into neat specimens, and intending planters can see 
at a glance what effects will be produced by the different kinds they may 
select from the nursery quarters. Amongst a fine collection of Cupressus, 
C. Lawsoniana erecta viridis is the most beautiful of all. It originated 
in this nursery, and should be in every collection of trees or shrubs. 
Abies are here in all their varieties. A. excelsa Gregoryana is worth 
noting as a singularly dwarf variety. Seedling Aucubas showed many 
signs of being improvements on the old A. japonica, being larger in 
foliage and beautifully marked. Everything in the way of rare Coniferte, 
choice shrubs, and deciduous trees which are worth growing may be seen 
here in quantity and in fine condition ; we never saw the foliage of these 
so rich-looking as here. The soil evidently suits them admirably, and 
they enjoy the decided advantage to all young trees of having a good 
beginning. 
Hardy flowers, Dahlias, and all the most useful plants required in 
gardens are produced in healthy quantities. The locality altogether is 
favourable to the full development and proper maturing of all kinds of 
vegetation, and in taking a last look at this fertile spot we could not 
refrain from congratulating the Messrs. Jefferies on the general excellency 
of their nursery. 
In the glass houses near the town we found large quantities of Tea 
Roses in pots equally as well grown as those in the open quarters. 
Besides these there is a general stock of plants such as are to be found 
in all good nurseries. In concluding this brief notice I have to thank 
one of the younger members of the firm for his courteous attention, and I 
cannot help expressing my gratification at meeting the senior partner, as 
his experiences cannot be spoken of without calling forth the deepest 
respect for a long life well spent in the best interests of horticul¬ 
ture.—M. M. 
Celandine. —Will “A Surgeon” kindly tell me whether Celandine, 
which he describes as a remedy for corns, is Chelidenium majus, a plant 
with an orange juice, sometimes called Blood wort, or Ranunculus 
Ficaria, which is like a small Buttercup ? Also, how the remedy is pre¬ 
pared 1 I take great interest in the use of herbs, and should like to 
know whether blossoms, leaves, or roots are used, and whether the common 
process of steeping in salad oil would make the tincture, or whether heat 
is required, simmering or boiling in lard or oil ? or if it is a known 
remedy which is to be had from a chemist?—A Heeb Lovee. 
MESSRS. JEFFERIES’ NURSERIES, CIRENCESTER. 
“Established 1795” is one of the intimations Messrs. Jefferies 
place on the covers of their seed, plant. Rose, and tree catalogues ; but this 
is not the only recommendation the firm possesses to engage the confi¬ 
dence of the public, as a walk through their nurseries reveals the fact 
that they are in possession of as tine stocks of plants as could be found 
in the country, and in several important instances we must own to never 
having seen a better class of nursery stock. This is prominently the 
case with Roses, fruit trees, and Conifers. The Roses are really magnifi¬ 
cent batches. At the London and other Rose shows in 1884, and long 
before that, the blooms from their nursery competing in imjiortant classes 
stood high in the prize lists, and in learning this from the reports in this 
Journal we resolved to see their place of production. Lengthy intro¬ 
ductory remarks to the nursery are not needed. It is well known in the 
West of England, and far beyond. Perhaps most of the fine bushes, trees, 
and shrubs which now adorn the Royal Gardens, Kew, were obtained 
from this nursery in 1844, but we question if ever there was a time when 
it contained better specimens than it does at the present time. Years 
ago the greater part of the ground devoted to the culture of outdoor 
plants was quite close to the town of Cirencester, but the town has been 
extending so much that little now remains excepting the numerous glass 
houses and the ground which immediately surrounds them ; but the main 
part of the nursery, many acres in extent, is now about three miles in 
the country, in an open sunny position, with soil of the finest description 
for Rose and tree culture. In going from the old nursery to this com¬ 
paratively new one there is a small nursery about half way, and some 
two or three acres in exlent, which is being solely devoted to Roses. 
Thousands of plants woiked on Briar cuttings about this time last 
year were bearing as many as five and six shoots from 3 to 5 feet in 
height, and they were so strong and prominent that the majority of them 
were staked up carefully to prevent breakage by the wind. Others on 
the Manetti were not quite so strong, and those on the seedling Briars 
were not quite so perfect as the first-named, as stock from seed are more 
liable to vary than those selected and propagated from cuttings, and it 
is these the Messrs. Jefferies are using largely. 
In the main nursery we find Roses, Roses everywhere in immense 
numbers, and budding going rapidly on by many hands. Dwarf bushes 
are the most numerous, but standards with clean stems and handsome 
heads are plentiful. The whole bears a decided stamp of great excel¬ 
lency. The varieties embrace every valuable kind in cultivation, new 
and old. 
Great attention is devoted to the fruit tree department, and satisfac¬ 
tory returns is the result. Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Peaches, 
__ HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Root-pruning .—Fibrous roots having well hold of the surface soil 
bring fruit ; tap roots running down into the subsoil bring wood at the 
expense of fruit—ergo, cut off the tap roots of your barren trees and 
they will be fruitful. To all earnest students of fruit culture we say. Get 
the foregoing sentence thoroughly into your minds, try to grasp its full 
significance, and at once apply it to practice, for now is the time to prune 
the roots of such fruit trees as by barrenness and extreme vigour of 
wood growth show plainly that they require it. First of all, consider 
well the age and size of such trees. Young trees 8 to 14 feet in height 
should have a trench opened 3 feet from the stem, half way round it 
and 2 feet deep. Use a sharp spade, cut clean through the roots as you 
proceed, and then work well under this semicircular portion of the soil 
containing the roots, and sever all downward roots till you reach a point 
just beyond the stem. You will then have pruned rather the larger half 
of the roots, which will suffice for this year, leaving the remainder to be 
treated in a precisely similar manner next September. Bearing in mind 
that barrenness and rampant growth often arise from too rich a soil, and 
in order to check an excessive reproduction of rootlets ram a hard mass 
of broken stones in the excavation beneath the ball, and fill up the side 
trench with soil that is only moderately rich, sound virgin loam beirg 
the very best for such a purpose. Once get the tree into full bearing 
and you can easily promote the full development of the fruit by a top¬ 
dressing of manure, or the use of liquid manure should it be necessary. 
Older trees often have the roots deep down in the subsoil, and then it is 
best to sink a trench 8 or 10 feet from the stem, and when the roots are 
reached to cautiously remove the soil between the trench and the stem, 
tracing every root and, so far as possible, lifting it, and subsequently 
spreading them carefully out in the soil near the surface. The outer 
roots only can be treated in this manner, those beneath the stem going 
downwards like tap roots must of course be severed. Do only half of 
the roots of the old trees now and leave the remainder till next year. 
