December 9, 1880. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER , 
535 
garden. Tbe Kleinias should be placed on a shelf in a warmer house, and watered 
to prevent their shrivelling. A warm greenhouse is suitable, and they may be 
afforded more heat as the spring approaches to encourage the growth of the 
plants and to afford cuttings. The leaves will also emit roots and form plants if 
very slightly inserted in sandy soil in August, or as soon as the leaves have 
attained their full size. This mode of increase is only necessary when a large 
number of plants are required, as ’in the London parks, where the system is 
adopted. 
Pruning Vines (X X).—If the young canes to which you refer are strong, 
well ripened, and have prominent buds they will no doubt fruit freely, but 
whether they will afford better results than the old rods would depend entirely on 
the condition of the Vines and laterals. If the old rods do not produce satis¬ 
factory crops by all means retain a portion at least of the young canes. If you 
leave these canes their entire length they may probably not produce strong 
laterals towards the base ; and the result would Ire, that although you obtained a 
good crop of fruit this year, the Vines would'not be satisfactory next year, as the 
lower portion of the roof would not be well covered, except—and this is a very 
important exception—you train up other young canes from the base for fruiting 
next year, removing those that have borne fruit entirely, or divesting the lower 
portion of the weak buds, the young canes being relied on for producing fruit 
along the bottom of the house. The ut>per portion of the roof would then be 
furnished with two-year-old rods, and the lower portion with one-year-old canes. 
Another plan is to shorten the young canes, leaving them about 4 feet long, and 
remove the spurs from the old rods to that height, and continue the practice 
until the roof is covered with young canes, the old rods being removed entirely 
in two or three years. You will thus renew the Vines without losing a crop. If 
the old rods bear fairly well this would be a good practice to adopt. 
The Mango and Custard Apple (C. B. A.). —The seeds might be sown 
now, but the young plants produced would be more likely to succeed if the 
sowing be deferred until earl 3 T in spring. The soil should consist of finely 
sifted light loam and silver sand, which may be placed either in pots or shallow 
pans, the latter being preferable. The drainage should occupy two-thirds of 
the pans, and these must be plunged in a hotbed under a propagating frame or 
bellglass, the seeds being slightly covered with the compost and gently watered 
with tepid water through a fine rose. If the seeds are good they will soon germi¬ 
nate, and when the young plants have attained a suitable size they must be 
carefully removed and potted singly in small pots, employing a richer soil, and 
placing them in the warmest portion of the stove, where they can be shaded 
until growing freely. The plants can afterwards be shifted as they increase in 
size. 
Various (Paddle). —-The Aloes you mention are quite distinct and very 
easily recognised, and to enable you to determine whether those in your pos¬ 
session are really Aloe distans or not we subjoin the following brief descriptions 
of the two species :—A. distans has thick fleshy leaves 2 inches broad at their 
base and 3 inches long, tapering to an acute point. They are rather distantly 
placed on the stem, as the name implies, are of a dark green colour, and have 
marginal rows of white spines about one-eighth of an inch long. A. mitneformis 
is much more compact in habit, the leaves being more closely set and less fleshy 
than those of A. distans. The leaves are 3 or 4 inches broad at the base, 4 to 
S inches long, tapering, and slightly hollowed on tbe upper surface. On the 
margin there are a few spines generally, but little more than one-sixteenth of an 
inch in length. Mesembryanthemum tigrinum is one of the most distinct and 
attractive in the genus as regards the foliage, and could not possibly be con¬ 
founded with such forms as M. deltoideum or any other species. It is most 
nearly allied to M. lupinum and M. felinum, but is very easily distinguished 
even from them. We are unable to recommend nurserymen who make a speciality 
of succulent plants ; those who have plants for sale should advertise them. 
The glands of Peach leaves are found near the base of the blade or on the 
petiole, being either slightly stalked or sunk in the substance of the leaf. The 
characters derived from the forms of these glands are employed in the classifi¬ 
cation of the Peaches. 
Chrysanthemum Sport (Chrysanthemum) .—The sport is a remarkable 
one, as having been produced by Dr. Sharpe. The flower is creamy with a sus¬ 
picion of pinlc on the reverse of the florets, which are broad and incurved at the 
tips like those of Mrs. George Itundle. In character the flower, however, re¬ 
sembles White Globe. The example before us is thin and flat, and if larger and 
fuller blooms cannot be obtained the variety will have little commercial value ; 
but we think with high culture much finer flowers may be produced. Grow 
some plants well next year, disbudding them early, and retaining about three 
flowers on each plant, and exhibit the blooms at some of the Chrysanthemum 
shows, and before the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Pruning Vines (B. E. W .).—We think the plan you suggest is the best 
under the circumstances. Train up a young cane from the base of each Tine, 
and allow it to have all the light possible next summer. As the spurs on the 
old rods are so far apart we should secure the laterals to the main rods, and 
shorten them to bold buds that will grow outwards from the rod, not inwards. 
The wood that is left must be ripe and firm. In the spring rub off the super¬ 
fluous growths when they are an inch long, or as soon as the bunches are 
perceived, leaving the more promising, which should be quite 15 inches apart. 
You will obtain more fruit by this mode than by close pruning, and in two 
years the old rods may be removed. If your Vines are free from insects do not 
peel the rods ; but you cannot err by washing them with a solution of soft soap 
or Gishurst compound at the strength of 5 or G ozs. to the gallon of water, 
applying it as hot as can be borne by the hand with an old spoke brush. Any 
loose bark that is displaced by the scrubbing may be removed, that is all. Your 
other question shall be answered next week, which will be in ample time for 
your purpose. 
Roman Hyacinths (W. 11 .).—They are of little value for forcing during 
a second season; they scarcely pay for the trouble. When carefully managed 
they only yield a small per-centage of flowers useful for cutting. To be of any 
use after flowering liberal applications of liquid manure must be given, and the 
foliage kept fresh as long as possible, and the pots then placed outside. When 
the foliage has died down all that is needed is to keep the bulbs moderately dry 
until the end of August or beginning of September. They can then be repotted 
and treated as new bulbs, or, better still, placed thickly together in pans pur¬ 
posely for affording small spikes for cutting. They can also be planted out of 
doors, but care is required in preparing the plants, which must not be planted 
before the end of March at the earliest. 
Market Prices (S. C .).—The extract you have sent and marked No. 1 is a 
copy of what appeared in the Times of the previous week; the other is from a 
penny daily paper. Both are glaringly inaccurate in several particulars, that 
must be obvious to any intelligent gardener. Cabbages are quoted from 2s. to 
4s. per dozen, which is 150 per cent, above their selling value, as hundreds of 
growers know to their cost. Asparagus at the time the reports appeared was 
not in the market at all. But we cannot afford space to dwell on all the in¬ 
accuracies in the extracts you have sent to us. The reports may have been 
correct at the time they were written, but they do not appear to have been 
altered with the change of seasons and of prices. You mention fruit, and 
especially Grapes. The prices quoted for several kinds of fruit are incorrect; 
for instance, Apples, Oranges, and Pine Apples—that is, accepting them without 
qualification. Grapes, which you specially mention, are 100 per cent, above the 
average prices that are given for the fruit, and it is the selling price in which 
you and our readers generally are interested. For extraordinary fine samples 
and for special purposes 10,s. or more per pound are very occasionally obtained 
for Grapes, just as some remarkable Apples have been sold this year for 5s. each ; 
but these prices do not represent the actual state of the markets. The prices of 
“large bunches” on which you ask for information probably represent some 
sensational exhibits which some tradesman has placed in his window, and to 
which he has attached a sensational price. You have good reason to be satisfied 
with the prices you have obtained, for they are Is. a pound more than one of 
the most celebrated of British Grape-growers has realised for his produce. 
Grapes are really selling from 6d. to 10$. per pound in Covent Garden, but the 
latter price is only obtained for special samples required for special purposes, 
the bulk of the produce being sold at from 2s. 6 d. to 7s. per pound, and of course 
purchased for less sums. Such lists as you have sent to us have evidently not 
been corrected for some time, and cannot fail to cause disappointment to those 
who have produce to sell. 
Names of Fruits (John Shepherd). —1, Warner's King ; 2, Winter Colman ; 
3, Red Ingestrie ; 4, Northern Greening ; 5, Cox’s Pomona. (T. S.). —1, Thomp¬ 
son's ; 2, Duchesse dAngouleme ; 3, General Todtleben ; 4, Beurrd Diel; 5 was 
quite rotten. The Apple is Golden Winter Pearmain. (II. P .).—Beurrii Diel, 
in excellent condition. 
Names of Plants (Tonbridge). —1, Platyloma rotundifolia; 2, Blechnum 
spicant; 3, specimen insufficient for identification, but it resembles Blechnum 
longifolium ; 4, Pteris umbrosa. (No Name). —1, Cyrtomium falcatum ; 2, Phle- 
bodium sporodocarpum ; 3, Adiantum hispidulum; 4, Blechnum brasiliense; 
5, Scolopendrium vulgare cristatum. 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
CLOVER AS A PREPARATORY CROP FOR WHEAT. 
The causes of the benefits to be derived from Clover as a pre¬ 
paratory crop for Wheat were formerly hidden in much obscurity, 
for although some of the best practical farmers found from 
experience much advantage in growing Clover previous to the 
Wheat crop, they were totally at a loss to account for it chemi¬ 
cally. In the year 18G8 Dr. Voelcker related his researches and 
experiments in a long and interesting essay upon the subject in 
the “ Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England,” and 
for the benefit of the home farmer we shall endeavour to lay be¬ 
fore him not only quotations from Dr. Voelcker, but also our 
opinions and experience. 
To have the full advantage of a Clover crop it should be grown 
alone. We refer particularly to the red-blossomed Broad Clover, 
because if grown with common Rye Grass or other Grasses we 
neutralise to a certain extent the benefits which would otherwise 
be obtained. It is also of so much importance to secure a regular 
plant of Clover that it is necessary to prepare the land and 
arrange the rotations of cropping for the purpose. It is well 
known that with few exceptions a full plant of Clover cannot be 
obtained by sowing it every four, five, or even six years—that is 
to say, once in every rotation ; but it is usual and advisable to 
alternate this crop with Beans, Peas, or other leguminous crops, 
it being a well-ascertained fact that these are a better preparation 
for the cereals than the ordinary lea ground after a hay crop com¬ 
posed of mixed Grasses, as nearly all of these extract from the land 
the important elements and manures required by the cereals. 
After we have obtained a regular plant of Broad Clover it is of 
great importance that the crop should be encouraged in growth as 
much as possible by manures, and also protected from unfair and 
injurious feeding by sheep. It is of consequence, too, that the 
autumn growth in the first year should be promoted as much as 
possible. This is not customary, for the Clover is generally sown 
in Lent corn ; but we prefer to have it in the Wheat, in order that 
it may grow more vigorously whilst the corn is maturing, and 
