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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ September 4, 1890. 
Crete, the lime teing slaked and the whole formed into a mortar-like 
consistence, laying it 4 inches thick and treading it firm. Wide and 
deep borders are a mistake. The width of the trellis the trees are to cover 
is quite wide enough for any fruit tree border. To begin with one- 
third the width of the trellis is quite sufficient. Drains with proper 
fall and outlet are essential. They should be laid so as to run the water 
clear of the bottom of the border or the surface of the concrete. Nine 
to 12 inches thickness of drainage is necessary. The best we find is 
formed of 9 inches of brickbats or other rough material, the roughest at 
the bottom, and dwindling to road metal size at the top, finishing with 
3 inches thickness of old mortar rubbish, freed of pieces of wood and 
old laths. So formed the drainage will keep sound for an indefinite 
period. Twenty-four inches depth of soil is ample. It might be higher 
at first to allow for settling, but if in good working condition and put 
together rather firm, settling will not materially affect the depth. The 
best varieties for very early forcing are Alexander and Waterloo, the latter 
the higher coloured and heavier fruit. Hale’s Early, Early Alfred, 
Royal George, and Grosse Mignonne are free bearers, and if given proper 
exposure to light are good in colour, finishing well in every respect. 
The light coloured Peaches, such as Early Rivers and Noblesse, are not 
so much appreciated, but there is nothing to equal them in quality. Of 
Nectarines, Lord Napier is the largest and best of the earlies. Hunt’s 
Tawny colours well, but is small; the quality i3 very good. Elruge ' 
attains a good size, when the fruit is well thinned, and it colours finely 
under proper exposure.—I. 
SEASONABLE HINTS ON FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Auriculas .—There can be little doubt, I think, that a cold and moist 
season is favourable for the Auricula. Where the collection is protected 
from heavy drenching rains the plants are not stimulated so much, 
and there is not so great a tendency to throw up autumn blooms, a 
catastrophe the grower always likes to avoid, as his prospects of a good 
spring bloom is thereby destroyed, the plant that has flowered in the 
autumn never doing much in the spring. The plants now require 
simply looking over carefully, all dead leaves to be removed or taken away, 
and if by any chance there has been a drip on the frames, and thereby 
the soil in any of the pots has become soddened, they must be removed 
to another frame where they will be free from it. Should the surface 
of any of the soil have become green or hard it must be gently moved 
with a blunt piece of stick. Where ofEsets have been taken pre¬ 
viously they may now be placed into small pots, as thereby their growth 
in f o flowering plants will be accelerated. It is probable some of the 
plants may have suffered from black rot. Where this is the case the 
best hope of the grower is on offsets. Of late my mind hi s been much 
exercised as to the age of Auricula plants. Has any grower ever noted 
how long-lived an individual plant of any variety is ? I have noted in 
some of the species of Primulas, even in our common wild Primrose, 
that the plants do die off, and their place is occupied by self-sown 
seedlings. 13 this the case with the florists’Auricula ? and if so may 
not the rot, which as far as my experience goes attacks onlv the larger 
plants, be the natural way in which the old plants commit ihe happy 
dispatch, and make way for their children? Perhaps Mr. Horner will 
tell us what his experience is. I only put forward a suggestion, and am 
anxious really for information. If it be not so how is this plague to be 
avoided ? By the end of this month (September) the plants will have to 
be moved to their summer quarters facing the south, and it will there¬ 
fore be necessary as soon as possible to clean fresh putty and glaze the 
frames, so as to secure the plants from drip during the winter, when it 
is much more injurious to them, as the wet pots are apt to become 
frozen. Water will be given more sparingly as the days become 
shorter and the power of the sun less. It is not well to water all the 
plants at one time, as some will require it oftener than others, owing to 
the condition of the roots, and the grower must be guided by his own 
judgment as to when it is to be given. 
Carnations and Picotees .—This has been undoubtedly a very 
indifferent year for these beautiful flowers, and even where growers 
have the advantage of a house they have complained, and where culti¬ 
vation is carried on out of doors either in the open ground or iD pots, 
the cold wet weather has been very trying, and I imagine that this will 
extend to the layering. The “ grass ” is somewhat tough and hard owing 
to the long cold, and it is not likely that they will emit roots so freely 
as when the grass is in a more healthy condition. Towards the end of 
the month it will be necessary to take off all the layers that are rooted, 
and place them either singly or in pans in small pots where the method 
of growing them in pots is adopted, or plant them out in beds where they 
are so grown, where plants are in beds or borders, and used only for 
decorative purposes, for which 1 do not think the florists’ varieties are 
adapted. If there is no increase required they may be left alone to 
form large “ stools,” which will always give an abundance of flowers, 
the flowering stems having been cut off. The strong growing seifs and 
yellows are the greatest favourites, and form pretty and interesting 
clumps, which the more delicately marked and refined Picotees fail to 
do, and one has only to see how the old Cloves are left in many a 
cottage garden to see how admirably they succeed when let alone. 
Gladioli —There is little to be done now but enjoying the results of 
previous work, and if they have been properly staked and tied they will 
require but little more unless the grower be ambitious to exhibit, when 
they will need to be shaded. There is no doubt that a moist cool 
season such as we have had suits them, and should it be succeeded by a 
dry autumn the corms ought to lift well and be of good size. If seed is 
required it would be well to cross the varieties, and no flower is more easily 
operated upon, but it will be well to fertilise only one or two flowers, 
on a spike and pull all the rest off. Where seed is not required the 
flowering part of the plant should be cut away, so as to allow all the 
vigour to be thrown into the corm -in fact leaving it to perform only one 
operation at a time. We shall require a diy autumn, as the corms are 
pretty sure to be full of water after such a season as we have ex¬ 
perienced. 
Pansies .—It will now be time to pot these, and it is only in this; 
way that we are able to grow them in this part of England. I always 
plant mine out after they have finished flowering, and at this time take 
them up and divide them, putting them into small pots, and so keep¬ 
ing them through the winter. Where cuttings have been taken they 
may be potted in like manner, placed in a cold frame, kept close for 
a few days, and then given all the air possible. They should be kept 
moderately moist, but damp should be guarded against. The simpler 
the soil the better, as it is not desirable to stimulate growth so much as-- 
to promote root-action during the winter. 
Roses .—It goes rather against the grain, even for an old-fashioned 
florist, to class the Rose amongst florists’ flowers, but I suppose we must 
do so. Notwithstanding all the wet we have had, it has been so far a 
fine time for autumnal blooms, though it seems hard to class August 
amongst the autumn months. We have had splendid weather for Hybrid 
Perpetuals, and I have seen as fine blooms as are often seen in the full 
height of the season ; and how lovely the Teas are 1 and what an unfailing- 
supply of beautiful blooms they give 1 There is not much that they 
require now save forethought for the time that is coming. If any 
alterations are to be made in the Rose garden they ought now to be^ 
planned, so that when the time comes they may be carried out without 
delay. Some growers recommend—and I have tried it for the last two 
years—to treat them as we do Raspberries—cutout all the wood that, 
has bloomed, and which would have to be cut away in spring, so as to- 
allow a free current of air and plenty of sunlight to get access to the 
plant and so ripen the wood. This saves, too, the work in spring, when 
there is so much to occupy our thought and time. When the new 
shoots of the year are very long they should be topped, and a stake put 
to them, so that they are not “ wobbled” about by the wind. Now will 
come the time, too, when the result of notes taken during the summer 
will bear fruit in orders to “ the trade,” so that next month they will see. 
the arrival of the packages which so delight the grower with fond antici¬ 
pations of future pleasure.—D., Deal. 
NOTES ON STRAWBERRIES AND PEACHES. 
Loxford Hall. 
This appears to be a good late variety as far as cropping and flavour 
are concerned, but its pale colour is objectionable on the dessert table- 
I have seen this year several good dishes of fruit, but none good in 
colour. 
Waterloo. 
At the late Southampton Show, held on August 2nd, an excellent 
dish of this Strawberry was exhibited, thus proving its value as a lata 
sort, as Strawberries at that date so far south of England are rather rare. 
Its flavour too is pleasing ; the growth is good, although runners are; 
not freely produced, as in some varieties. 
Sir Joseph Paxton. 
In recent issues of the Journal I was pleased to see this variety scs 
highly spjken of. It is good in all seasons, and the best wet weather 
variety we have. The flesh being fine it is less affected by rains than 
most others. The Captain p)ssesses this quality also, but as this is a. 
shy bearer it will not be nearly so largely grown as Sir J. Paxton. This, 
latter variety —“ Joes ” as they are called by the market men—is exten¬ 
sively cultivated in Hampshire for supplying the London, Manchester,. 
Birmingham, and Glasgow markets. Several hundred acres of it are 
grown ; indeed with the exception of a few Noble and Alice Maud, which 
are planted for earliness, “ Joes ” form the entire crop. When I say that 
as many as sixty tons have been sent away from Botley Station in one 
clay it will give an idea of the numbers cultivated. The travelling 
qualities of Sir Joseph is improved by gathering the fruit just before 
it ripens. This is found the best plan, as in warm weather the fruit 
“colours up” during the journey. A little more than the ordinary 
distance of 2 feet is required in planting, as in suitable soil the growth 
is robust. Early planting of the runners is a decided gain. The best 
plants are those which have been layered into 3-inch pots at the begin¬ 
ning of July, and planted before they become root - bound. The. 
difference between early planting, say in August, and that of deferring 
it until March will be seen in the crop produced tbe following season.. 
In this district (Hampshire) fruit of this variety is ready to be gathered 
in quantity about the 10th of June. 
Strawberry Runners. 
When runners are obtained from a distance, some perhaps having 
but few roots, the best plan is to establish them in 3-inch pots in a com¬ 
post of loam and horse manure, about half cf each, standing them in a 
cold frame, which should be shaded from bright sun for a few days. 
Directly the pots are full of roots plant out. By the little extra atten¬ 
tion much time is gained. If the loits arrive in a dry state they should 
be placed in w ater for_a few hours ; and if the soil be moist, as it ought 
