JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
I 
June 14, 1883. ] 
493 
each thinks their own method is the best. Many layer into the 
fruiting pots at once, thinking it saves time and gives equally 
good results as by layering in small pots and repotting. There is 
not the least doubt but that time is saved, but I do not like the 
system, and prefer layering in small pots. Some, where pots are 
scarce, layer the runners on square pieces of turf, and it is a very 
good plan, especially for amateurs, when they wish to make a new 
plantation. Often they wait until the runners are rooted in the 
ground before they are planted out, and of course they receive a 
check. Under this system a season is almost lost, whereas on 
pieces of turf (about 4 inches square by 2 inches deep) they do 
not feel the check, and, if planted early, produce a good crop of 
fruit the following season. 
The best time to layer the runners for forcing is as soon as they 
are procurable. The soil employed for layering the runners into 
is the same (except being a little finer) as is used when repotting 
them into their fruiting pots, and consists of four parts strong 
loam and one part of cow or horse manure. Place a good piece 
of rough soil in the bottom of the pot, over that a sprinkling of 
soot, to keep worms out of the pots. Press the soil firm, place 
the layers on the surface and well peg them down, stopping the 
shoot beyond the layer. Keep them well sprinkled eveiy evening 
if the weather is dry, when they will soon be well rooted. They 
may then be severed from the parent plant, and about a week 
afterwards will be well established, and should then be trans¬ 
ferred into 5-inch for the earliest, and 6-inch pots for the main 
batch. Arrange them on boards or bricks in the full sun, the 
runners being pinched off as soon as they appear, and water 
liberally supplied. When the pots are filled with roots, and the 
plants look as if a little stimulant would be beneficial, give a little 
soot water, which is better than exciting manure. 
About the last week in October place the plants in their winter 
quarters. Some growers plunge them to the rim of the pot in 
ashes in the open air, others place them on shelves in well- 
ventilated houses ; but I think as good a system as any is to 
plunge them to the rim of the pots in cold frames, the lights to 
be removed on all favourable occasions. They should never be 
allowed to suffer by want of water. The principal requirement 
for Strawberries in pots for forcing, is to have the pots filled with 
roots and well-ripened healthy crowns ; but of course other cul¬ 
tural details must be attended to.— A. Young. 
COMING FLOWER SHOWS. 
Thk following are the dates upon which the principal horticultural 
exhibitions and meetings of June and July will be held, of which we 
have received schedules, and Secretaries of other Societies will oblige 
by forwarding schedules to us of any shows not noticed in this 
list:— 
JUNE. 
Thursday, 14 th, —South Essex, Knotts Green, Leyton. 
Tuesday, 19 th .—Leeds (three days), Worcester (three days). 
Tuesday, 26 th .—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees at 
11 A.M., and Pelargonium Show, South Kensington ; Diss. 
Wednesday, 27th .—Cardiff Rose Show ; Croydon (Roses) ; Royal Botanic 
Society’* Erening F8te. 
Thursday, 28 th .—National Rose Society’s Show, Southampton ; Richmond. 
Friday, 29 th. —Canterbury (Roses). 
Saturday, 30 th. —Reigate (Roses) ; West Kent; Bromley. 
JULY. 
Tuesday, 3 rd. —National Rose Society’s Show, South Kensington. 
Wednesday, 4th. —Wimbledon ; Teddington ; Norwood. 
Thursday, tlh. —Bath (Roses) ; Kingston ; Farningham ; Highgate: Hitchin 
(Roses). 
Friday, 5th .—Sutton (Roses). 
Saturday, 7th.— Chiswick, Crystal Palace (Roses) ; Brockliam (Roses). 
Tuesday, 10 th .—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees at 
11 A M. Oxford and Wirral Rose Shows. 
Wednesday, IRA.—Royal Caledonian Society’s Show, Edinburgh. Hull Show 
(three days); Ealing. 
Thursday, 12th. —National Rose Society’s Show, Sheffield : Nuneaton : Brain¬ 
tree. 
Friday, 13 th .—Ludlow (Roses). 
Tuesday, 17 th .—Leek (Roses). 
Wednesday, 18/A.—Nottingham Floral Fete (two days). Darlington (Roses). 
Thursday, 19 th .—Evening Fete at Chiswick ; Aberdeen ; Helensburgh (Roses). 
Tuesday, 24 th .—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committee* at 
11 A.M. ; Carnation and Picotee Show, South Kensington. 
Wednesday, 25th .—Colnbrook. 
Thursday, 2 5th, —Eastbourne. 
AUGUST. 
Saturday, 4th .—Southampton (two days, or three including Sunday) ; Liver¬ 
pool (two days, or three including Sunday). 
Wednesday, 15 th. —Sutton. 
Friday, 31*(.—Crystal Palace National Dahlia Show and Fruit (two days). 
Hollies Losing their Leaves— When Hollies lose tbeir leaves 
in large numbers just as their young leaves expand, the chances are 
ten to one that drought in the soil as well as in the air is the cause. 
Plants may be quite healthy and strong, but no robust health will do 
instead of water in such seasons as we are now experiencing. The 
rainfall has, in many districts, been much under the average for many 
months past. When the soil is full of roots it is, unless in damp 
spots, so dry that plants which have had leaves evaporating water 
all through the spring—and all evergreens have—are certain to suffer, 
on dry soils especially, if they are thin. Hollies that drop their 
leaves bodily are in great want of water, and the only effectual help 
that can be given is to prick up the surface soil, make rims to prevent 
the water running away, and to give at least a foot of water, to be 
repeated a few days after, and then a thick mulching to prevent the 
applied water being evaporated.—S. 
HOME-GROWN LILY OF THE VALLEY FOR 
FORCING. 
There seems to be some misunderstanding about the culture 
of Lily of the Valley, as noted in a short communication to the 
Journal a few weeks ago. I will as shortly as possible note the 
main points of cultivation. Single crowns are not employed. 
Clumps are lifted out of the garden from those under culture for 
producing an out-of-door supply of flowers. The clumps are 
grown in four-line beds planted a foot apart each way. These 
when potted are flowered as a late batch and brought on earlier 
the following season. By placing lights over the beds at the time 
the young growths begin pushing, and keeping them there until 
summer weather prevails, the crowns are plumped up earlier and 
are more suited for forcing. However, these clumps are never 
employed for our ordinary supply of plants. These are grown 
year after year in pots, and that is the only way a natural-looking 
potful can be produced. Foliage and flowers are obtained to the 
very edge of the pot, and the results are quite as good at Christ¬ 
mas as we have seen with imported stuff in February. It must 
be fully understood that the plants must be carefully grown after 
the bloom is over. It may be added that clumps are taken up 
and potted at any time when they are wanted, say in March as 
a rule, and those in pots are generally repotted after the season’s 
bloom is over.—R. T. 
RAISING STOCKS AND BUDDING ROSES. 
I AM desirous of trying the budding and grafting of Roses on 
the Manetti and seedling Briar stocks, but am ignorant as to the 
time when the different stocks should be planted, the time for 
budding, how to bud, graft, &c. I wish to see the subject fully 
treated. I have recently started to get the Journal, and have 
found it answer my purpose much better than all the others that 
I have tried, so you will see that I do not know whether the 
propagation of Roses has been treated on lately or not; if not 
perhaps you might find space in it to give an article on this very 
interesting subject. I found in the articles that appeared in the 
spring anent fruit-tree grafting all that could be desired-—plain 
and practical, and think you would find that this subject I ask for 
would be highly appreciated by hundreds besides myself who 
cannot buy all the Roses they want, and therefore wish to propa¬ 
gate some themselves.— An Ayrshire Amateur. 
We readily comply with this request, as we have the satisfac¬ 
tion of knowing we have hundreds of readers who have not seen 
the following article written by Mr. W. Farren of Cambridge, 
first published by us nearly ten years ago. We do not think that 
this subject has ever been more fully and clearly treated, nor do 
we think it could be made more plain than in this admirable 
article entitled— 
“HOW TO GROW A ROSE.” 
Pray don’t think me vain. I know but little, but would impart 
that little to my fellow lovers of the Rose ; and ere I begin I wil 
beg of old practised hands to pass this article by, for I fear—nay, 
know—they will find nothing new here. I write this for the 
beginner, as there always are and must be beginners ; else—but I 
wo’n’t moralise. Neither am I purposing to say how to raise new 
varieties edged and flaked like Carnations and Picotees, nor how 
to grow black Roses by buddiDg on the Black Currant, nor how 
to grow bright sky-blue Roses by putting cobalt or sulphate of 
copper in their drinking water ; for 
« Thus the craftsman thinks to grace the Rose— 
Plucks a mould flower 
For his gold flower, 
Uses fine things that efface the Rose ; ’’ 
but to make the most of what we have. 
“ First catch your hare ” is a good old maxim, and “ First get 
some cuttings or plants of Manetti ” will be found an indispen¬ 
sable one to growing Roses on the Manetti stock. And having 
done so, select good medium-sized, well-ripened shoots of the 
