May 10,1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 379 
measuring 2 feet lcrng by 1 foot wide for the sides of each station, 
and these little square frames without a bottom or top are laid 
upon the soil of a Peach border and filled with compost from the 
large heap made here every year, consisting of garden refuse, coal 
ashes, lime, and stable manure thoroughly mixed. In this the 
plants are placed as early in March or April as is safe, one plant 
to each station. They have the tops nipped off at about a foot 
high ; and subsequently in summer, when they become large plants 
in full bearing, much pruning of lateral growth and thinning of 
foliage becomes requisite, for they invariably become rampant 
and spread beyond the bounds assigned them if not kept well in 
hand. The growth is supported on a rough trellis of stakes, which 
is soon hid from sight by the sturdy growth and dense green 
foliage. Six feet in height and the same in width is the size to 
which they are allowed to grow, and to which they are of necessity, 
or rather by preference, kept; for when they become laden with 
heavy clusters of fruit they are an extraordinary and pleasant 
sight, the superabundant crop often affording us the pleasure of 
assisting a neighbour or friend, as well as keeping all home re¬ 
quirements thoroughly supplied. At first two plants were put in 
each station, but that was discontinued when it was found how 
superior in size and abundance the crop of a single plant was. 
A thorough soaking of water containing artificial manure is given 
daily when the plants are in full bearing to perfect the fruit and 
to promote lateral growth for successional fruit. 
I omato culture in the open air I have long discontinued, for 
although it is occasionally successful, yet it is so speculative a 
matter as to be always avoided if possible. How this may be 
done by resorting to pot plants has been shown, and, failing any 
convenience for them, excellent crops may be had in an ordinary 
garden frame, only taking care to avoid the too common fault of 
crowding. One good plant well developed, with a full play of 
light and air among its branches, is infinitely preferable to half a 
dozen crowded together and spoiling each other.— Edward 
Luckhorst. 
AURICULAS AT SOUTH KENSINGTON. 
I have perused with much interest the remarks of your corre¬ 
spondent “ D., Beal" (page 359), on this subject, and there is one 
point which he mentions with which I do most thoroughly agree, 
I allude to the classes for four and two plants, dissimilar, where 
we find growers with, perhaps, a thousand Auriculas entering the 
lists against young enthusiasts whose whole stock may not exceed 
fifty plants. I trust the remarks in question will have a salutary 
effect; for if rising fanciers, and there are many such, know that 
these are the competitors with whom they will have to cross 
swords at future exhibitions they will ponder long before entering 
a contest where their chance of success is reduced to a minimum. 
But I go further. I observe in your report of the Exhibition 
(page 340) that one exhibitor took the whole batch of prizes— 
twelve in all—in the two classes for single specimen Alpines with 
gold centres and with white or cream centres. I suppose the 
Society’s rules are elastic enough to permit this, but at the same 
time I cannot help expressing a very strong opinion that there is 
room for an alteration in this respect. If the aim of the Society 
is to encourage the love of the Auricula among amateurs and 
persons other than trade growers, I do urge that it is simply a 
reductio ad absurdum to have a rule which will allow of one 
exhibitor sweeping the entire board ; but, on the contrary, if only 
those are invited who have collections of thousands of plants the 
sooner this position is clearly defined the better for all concerned. 
I may add that I am not yet an exhibitor, and write in no vindic¬ 
tive spirit. My only desire in this, as in other matters relating to 
horticulture, is to see every exhibitor to get what he has a right 
to expect, viz.— Fair Play, Wimbledon. 
CANKER IN FRUIT TREES. 
I STATED in my letter of the 19th inst. “ that some kinds of 
Plums, Apples, and Pears do not canker almost anywhere, but 
unfortunately I know of very few varieties of which this can be 
said.” At your request I name the few varieties that I have 
found to resist canker even after such seasons as 1879-80, 1880-81, 
1881-82, and upon such samples of the London clay where 
Wellington Apple, Jargonelle Pear, and Victoria Plum were very 
much crippled. 
Apples Free from Cankci —Dutch Mignonne, Tower of Glamis, 
and Keswick Codlin. 
Pears — Pitmaston Duchess, Williams’ Bon Chretien, and 
Du rondeau. 
Plums —Kirke’s, Rivers' Early Prolific, and Belgian Purple. 
I may add, I did not find that Plums suffered nearly so much 
from the three hard winters with wet summers as they did from 
the salt-laden gale of the 27th of April, 1882. They have not yet 
quite got over that where they were exposed to it in the open 
ground. On a wall with a north-east aspect, and thus sheltered 
from the gale, the trees are full of blossom, but in the open there 
is little or no blossom, but many dead branches.— Canker. 
LEAF SOIL. 
Referring to Mr. Wright’s article on “ Leaf Soil,” permit me 
to say I have been employing it without admixture with any other 
material for the past few seasons for growing various plants. 
This year it is being employed very extensively. Most of our 
bedding plants are being grown in it whether in pots or planted 
out. Seedlings of Asters, Stocks, and other flowers, Vegetable 
Marrows, &c., are raised in it. Our Celery is pricked out on a 
top layer of leaf soil, with a base one of horse droppings. The 
best Seakale we have ever had was forced this season in a mixture 
of horse droppings and leaf soil. Many hundreds are forced. 
Arums in simple leaf soil have done as well as those in soil and 
manure. Some of the best Leeks (show) I have seen were grown 
in pure leaf soil. We are trying a few Auriculas, and intend 
to make experiments with other plants.—B. 
Readers of the Journal of Horticulture are much indebted 
to Mr. Wright for his excellent paper on leaf soil. The correct¬ 
ness of his conclusions I can substantiate, having seen very 
satisfactory results follow the use of such soil as is recommended. 
It is some eight years since, when on a visit to “ Single-handed,” 
I noticed the extra vigour of many different kinds of stove and 
greenhouse plants growing in apparently common leaf soil. As 
this substance does not usually produce the best results I made 
some remark to that effect. I was then told that the soil was 
not ordinary leaf mould, but had been procured from a wood, and 
that it was opeD, sweet, and spongy. Because of this the roots 
of plants took readily to it, multiplied exceedingly, and evidently 
found food enough to produce such growth as is not often seen. 
The individual referred to specially recommended it for Ferns, 
and for such it is undoubtedly well suited. Should this catch 
the eye of “ Single-handed,” perhaps he may be induced to tell 
us something about the compost he used, and what plants it 
suited best. 
In conclusion, will you allow me to mention that as a reader 
of nearly all the gardening papers, I enjoy the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture the best of all ? As a gardener’s paper it is undoubtedly 
of acknowledged value and usefulness. The science that appears in 
its pages is of a kind that ordinary gardeners can understand and 
turn to account, and not as much above their comprehension as 
the trifles some deal in are below their notice. Round this 
district the articles which appear in the Journal from the pens 
of writers whose signatures are “ familiar in our mouths as house¬ 
hold words ” are much appreciated. Their papers are almost 
certain to be out of the ordinary beaten track. Far too many 
tell us over and over again what we are familiar with, and in 
consequence of this, instead of looking to the titles of papers and 
reading those which are most attractive first, the signatures are 
looked for, and the articles of the most original writers are 
“ devoured with the greed of a wolf,” as a friend of mine in Wales 
expressed it recently in a letter to me.—A Fifeshire Gardener. 
ROSES ON THEIR OWN ROOTS. 
While not claiming to be an exhibitor of the Rose, or a great 
rosarian, I should like to give my experience for what it is worth. 
For the past few years I have, on a small scale, struck and grown 
Roses on their own roots with good results. I cannot agree with 
“A. F. M.” (page 338) that Roses raised from cuttings make little 
or no growth the first year, for the finest blooms I had last season 
were from cuttings struck the previous autumn. Some of the 
plants were planted out, while others were potted in 32-size pots 
and plunged. Those that were planted out have now been lifted 
and replanted where they are to remain, and look everything that 
can be desired. They made growths varying in height up to 
4 feet, according to the variety ; those that were in pots were cut 
back and are nearly in bloom. One plant of Dr. Andry has 
eleven buds now expanding, and the blooms promise to be very 
fine. They occupy the same pots they were plunged in. I have 
not tried the particular varieties mentioned by “A. F. M.” All 
that I have tried have done well. My experience being limited 
with Roses worked on stocks other than the common Briar as 
standards or half-standards, I will not attempt to argue on the 
question of stocks, but I think standard Roses should be found 
