238 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 22, 1883. 
on storing matter, and the consequence is a strong growth the 
year following. This applies much more to young than to old 
trees, however. But following a wet late summer and autumn 
the growth is much less, simply because the store of organised 
mafeiial is small. In the case of matured trees something very 
different happens. A fine summer and autumn is then followed, 
not by an extra growth, but by an abundant crop of fruit, whether 
of Pears, Acoins, Cones, or Chestnuts matters not. This crop 
absorbs what the leaves elaborate, and the annual deposit of wood 
is small. But a spring frost may interfere, and then a thick layer 
of wood results. So after a dull wet year the crop of fruit may be 
small or nothing, and then the timber formed may be actually 
greater than after a good summer. The subject is complicated, 
so much so that the reading of the meteorological characters of 
bygone seasons by measuring the thickness cf annual timber rings 
is sure to lead to error ; not that any particular ring may not 
indicate the nature of the season in which it was made, but it may 
indicate something else. 
Aeration of Soils. —Is Mr. Taylor at page 191 altogether 
consistent 1 At one place he speaks of the advantage to the soil 
of aeration, and shows how best to secure it—namely, by the 
supply of abundance of water to soil “ thoroughly drained.” 
But he seems to think that this aeration is not necessary in flower 
pots; for them he would, under certain conditions, deprive of 
drainage altogether ! Is he not also wrong in saying that the sell 
in pots is too much aerated 1 Is he not putting the saddle on the 
wrong horse ? Bather is it not too rapid evaporation that dots 
the mischief ? And is it not that we seek to check when we 
plunge in shade our pots ? With nearly everything Mr. Taylor 
says we agree, but on the above points are sceptical. 
The Potato Fungus. —In Mr. Bravender’s report at page 191 
there is a statement that seems to require explanation. Plentiful 
manuring, according to him, secures a greater “ margin of profit,” 
because it secures a larger crop ; but such Potatoes, though sound, 
have “ the mycelium of the fungus largely developed in them,” 
and are therefore unfit for seed. Only sound (or good) Potatoes 
are referred to, for there is “no objection to this”-— i.c., a heavy 
crop—“ if the produce is to be consumed,” and, of course, men do 
not consume diseased Potatoes. As really good seed cannot be 
produced except in the way Mr. Bravender condemns, it is 
possible his remarks may mislead. Deterioration, swift and sure, 
will certainly follow the adoption of his method of raising seed. 
In fact, such practices alone make change of seed so necessary. 
Highly nitrogenous manure certainly tends to produce disease by 
causing a too luxuriant top growth : the same thing causes a 
reduction of the crop. The application of proper mineral manures 
tends to the vigorous increase of crop without unduly forcing the 
tops ; and to disease-resisting varieties kept in the best vigour by 
the proper application'of manures we look for full crops of sound 
Potatoes in future. 
Time to Plant Potatoes. —Unlike the rest of your corre¬ 
spondents I have found that it is good to plant late Potatoes before 
the midseastn ones. The reason for this is that such as Victorias 
and Magnum Bonums come up a certain time after they aie planted, 
and always slowly. Planted at the end of March or beginning of 
April they come up at the end of May ; planted at the end of 
April they do not come up till June, and so some weeks of grow'ing 
weather is lost. Midseason varieties planted at the end of March 
are up by the end of April or beginning of May, and are almost 
certain to be cut down by frost ; planted towards the end of April 
they come up a month afterwards after the frosts are generally gone. 
Climate must determine the best time to plant, but I fear valuable 
time is sometimes lost by delaying the planting of late Potatoes, 
which come up slowly, until early kinds are planted, which come 
up rapidly.— Single-handed. 
BULBS UNDER TREES. 
Underneath a belt of large trees here the soil is crowded 
with bulbs. The trees, principally Beech and Elm, which are 
growing cn the east side of our lawn, were probably planted as a 
screen from the cutting east winds. Through these trees a gravel 
walk winds its way, on each side of which the display of violet 
Crocuses now ana for a month hence, especially when the sun 
shines, is a sight not readily forgotten. These bulbs predominate ; 
but besides these there are interspersed yellow' and w hite Crocuses, 
also Snowdrops and Narcissuses in variety. They require no 
attention, and receive none in any shape or form. As to when 
they'were first planted I have no means of ascertaining, but in all 
probability nearly half a century ago, and judging by their 
appearance they have not been disturbed during that time. That 
such bulbs will do well under trees ample proof is afforded here, 
and they ought to be planted in such positions in thousands.— 
J. Richardson, Calverton Hall. 
PRUNING ROSES. 
The result of the mild winter and severe spring is now con¬ 
spicuous amongst Roses of all kinds, and everybody is asking 
about pruning. The temperature ranged from 40° to 50° on every day 
in January and February, while the nights were correspondingly 
warm. The rainfall was also excessive, the total amount during 
the period named being nearly 6 inches in Surrey. Roses made 
growths from 2 to 3 inches long under those circumstances, 
many of them forming flower buds, w'hich might be easily per¬ 
ceived by pressure with the finger and thumb, such sorts as 
Madame Victor Verdier, Pierre Notting, and other dark varieties 
being the most prominent in this respect. Pruning away these 
growths is looked upon by some persons as detrimental to the 
future prosperity of the plant, while others are over-anxious, and 
prune very early. Where this has been done, we fear it has 
caused the bottom buds to start and hence sustain injury by the 
severe frosts. Late pruning is thus the safest plan to adopt in 
our fitful climate. 
As soon as mild weather returns we advise that all collections, 
especially in the south, be pruned without delay. Notwithstanding 
that young growths have issued not only from the extreme point 
but to some considerable distance down the stems, there will on 
examination be found almost at the base of last year’s growth 
some three or four dormant buds. All Hybrid Perpetuals should 
be now cut back to a prominent out-looking bud, the weak growths 
being entirely removed with the object of producing an open and 
well-balanced head of strong wood, while this in turn produces 
strong growths and fine flowers. The prominent buds of some 
varieties are easily distinguished, but with Baronne de Rothschild 
and that class of rigid growers they are not so readily perceived, 
and in these cases the strongest bud must be found and cut back 
to, whether it appears high or low on the shoot. The more we 
use the secateurs the better we like them for pruning Roses. The 
cut made by them is perhaps not so cleanly done as with the more 
ancient pruning knife, but the work is completed more expe¬ 
ditiously, and we have not found any harm accrue from the use of 
the former. The pruning of Hybrid Perpetuals, whether as 
standards or dwarfs, differs so little, that what is advised for one 
applies to the other ; only in the case of dwarfs, if a bank or bed 
is required to be covered, some of the strongest branches if cut 
back below the growth may be pegged dowh. We have seen some 
very good and early blooms produced from these. 
After pruning we dug the ground. This gives a neatness which 
is acceptable after the unattractive appearance of a rosery during 
the winter months. 
Teas and Noisettes are not as a rule cut back so hard as Hybrid 
Perpetuals, and in the case of Gloire de Dijon and such-like strong 
growers the weak and dead wood only requires removing and the 
points of the shoots shortened, but they will have to be pruned 
closer than usual this spring. Nearly all the Hybrid Chinas, 
Bourbons, Ayrshires, Banksians, evergreens, a9 well as the better 
known Hybrid Perpetuals, Teas, and Noisettes, are suitable for 
walls and trellises. The majority of these ordinarily require but 
little pruning, merely the old, decayed, and weak wood being 
taken out and the extreme point of the shoots removed. Any 
young shoots made during the previous year from the base of the 
plant must be encouraged, and the older shoots cut away to make 
room for them. By attention periodically to this the base of the 
wall is prevented from becoming bare.—J. W. Moorman. 
CLIMBERS, OR ROOF-COVERING PLANTS. 
CLEMATIS INDIVISA. 
It is a question if so little has been written on any other plant 
of equal merit as of this beautiful greenhouse climber or roof 
plant. Of late years the attention that has been given, and 
worthily, to the ever-increasing and increasing beautiful garden 
varieties of Clematises would appear to have resulted in the 
claims of this most attractive species being almost entirely over¬ 
looked. It is questionable if there is any plant more effective 
and that will command more general admiration at this season of 
the year than Ckmatis indivisa as seen with its festoons of white 
flowers hanging from the roof of a greenhouse or conservatory. 
The plant grows freely and rapidly in a border of peat and loam, 
and also succeeds well and flowers profusely in pots. Its adapt¬ 
ability for pot culture we never saw so forcibly exemplified as in 
Messrs. W. Paul & Sons’ nurseries at Waltham Cross. Numbers 
of plants in?5-inch pots were laden with white star-like flowers so 
