February il, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
15a 
maison. The latter on its own roots is especially valuable for affording 
a very long succession of blooms. 
Planting Koses. 
More than ordinary pains ought to be taken with the preparation of 
the sites for Roses. They will not take readily to lumpy or poor ground, 
and are almost certain to fail in the hot dry positions against walls and 
fences, unless the ground is made good to a considerable depth. In the 
open the least that can be done is to surround the roots with fresh 
compost, consisting say of two parts of fresh loam to one each of leaf 
soil and decayed manure. Fresh root fibres soon form in this, and in 
time these will find their way into the moderately rich garden soil 
surrounding them. 
Those laid in trenches in fine soil since may have already com¬ 
menced forming fresh root fibres, and the greatest care should be 
taken of these. The poor, dry soil .against walls and fences may 
well be completely removed to a depth and width of not less than 
18 inches, and be replaced with fresh moderately rich loamy compost, 
some of which can be found in most frame grounds. Dwarfs on 
the Manetti stock should always have the latter buried to its full 
depth. Exposed it is liable to become stunted and be killed by 
frosts ; buried, there is every prospect of the Rose rooting, and thus 
become independent of the Manetti stock. Standards must not be 
planted deeply, and the roots in this and every case ought to be lightly 
pruned where broken or bruised, and be spread out thinly and evenly 
in the congenial fresh soil. Mulch those in the open with strawy 
manure, but as this covering would be objected to near prominent walls 
and fences, the better plan in this case would be to thinly cover with 
Ivy, a few rooted plants being procured for this purpose. The pruning 
may be done now or deferred to the end of February.—W. I. 
CAMPANULA PYRAMIDALIS. 
The subject of the paper read at the last meeting of the Walkley 
(Sheffield) Floral and Horticultural Society was “ The Campanula 
pyramidalis,” by Mr. W. Redmill, who gave a brief but practical paper 
on the cultivation of this old-fashioned hardy perennial, which he said 
was worthy of cultivation as a pot plant for conservatory decoration. 
It is not grown by the amateur as it deserves to be, although its cultiva¬ 
tion is simple, and the plant bears abundance of flowers on stems about 
0 or 7 inches long, set at right angles to the main stem, which often 
reach with good cultivation to the height of G feet. The flowers are 
produced from the base upwards, and the whole stem when covered 
with bloom presents that beautiful pyramidal appearance that renders 
this Campanula so effective. There are two varieties, blue and white. 
The latter is the more valuable, as the separate flowers can be detached 
from the main stem and used in wreaths, &c. The blue variety is often 
of different shades, the best, however, being a rich sky blue, and very 
attractive. Good plants of both varieties associated together produce a 
beautiful effect when in full flower in August. 
There are two methods of raising plants—by seed and by side shoots. 
The latter method of course can only be practised by those who have 
old plants, or who can readily obtain cuttings. The best time for 
inserting cuttings is April, placing a number round the edges of 5-inch 
pots, using a compost of half leaf mould, half loam, and a little sand, 
and place the pots in a frame near the glass in a temperature of 
4.5° to 50°. 
Seed maybe sown at the same time, the middle of April, in a similar 
compost. Place a piece of glass over the pan until the seed germinates, 
which it will do in about fourteen days in a temperature of 55° to 60°. 
When large enough to move the seedlings will require pricking out in 
boxes, and keeping near the glass in a cool greenhouse until they are 
strong enough to be placed in a cold frame towards the end of May. 
Afterwards as they require it both seedlings and cuttings must be re¬ 
potted until they are in 6-inch pots, in which size they may flower. 
Some, however, place two or three in a 9-inch pot to obtain variety. 
Stopping is not essential, but by doing so the height of the plants can 
be reduced, and they are more useful for some purposes. 
The first week in October the plants having stood outside all the* 
summer may be placed in a ccld frame where they are not so likely to 
damp if afforded free ventilation in mild weather. They commence 
growing in February, and when they are fairly in action liquid manure 
made from soot and cow manure may be frequently given them until 
the flowers show their colour. Insects trouble them little, though in 
dry weather and with neglect in watering red spider will attack them. 
After the flower stems are cut down, and the plants kept in good 
condition throughout the winter, the young growths appear which serve 
for propagation, or if thinned and the plants repotted they will each 
throw up another flowering stem the following or second year after the 
last flowering. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
A. L. Rosseel, Tronchiennes, Ghent.— List of Ntio Chrysanthemums. 
Bruant, Poitiers, Vienne, Fi’ance.— LM of JVeio Plants. 
E. F. Such, Maidenhead, Berks.— Spring Catalogue of Seeds and 
Plants. 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley.— Illustrated Catalogue of Farm Seeds. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Apricots.— Trees of these against south walls are beautifully set 
with flower buds, and even those on south-west walls are more promis¬ 
ing than usual. At present there are no signs of any bud movement ; 
but Apricots are the first to flower, and a short spell of mild weather 
may soon stir them into activity. This being so, it is advisable to do 
all necessary work connected with them, and to be in readiness for any 
emergency. If the summer-stopping was well attended to there will 
be few or no long shoots to be cut from the trees ; but all leading 
growths laid in where wall space requires covering should be shortened, 
if strong, to about two-thirds of their length, but if weakly to half 
their length. The fruit is principally borne on short natural spurs, 
formed at the joints of strong growths of the preceding year and 
at the base of lateral growths freely shortened ; medium-sized to 
small shoots, formed last summer, also showing buds freely. Unless 
wood buds can be detected, those short spurs ought to be left their 
full length ; but shortening them to about 1 inch in length is advisable 
where the cut can be made at a joint where there is a wood bud as 
well as the side fruit buds showing. Long spurs ought to be kept 
down as much as possible in the first instance by attending closely to 
the shortening back, more especially of the stout lateral growths, and 
if the mischief is already done by gradually reducing them in number, 
and taking better care of the young shoots that follow. Not a few of 
them might be shortened to back growths or spurs. 
Young Apricot Tree.?. —In the majority of gardens where Apricots, 
are grown the life of the tree is short, Moorpark, which happens to 
be the most superior in point of quality, being particularly liable 
to lose branches in a wholesale manner. Wherever gumming takes 
place, and branches affected by it can be detected now, their loss is. 
inevitable. There is no remedy for gumming, and the best that can be 
done is to anticipate the loss of trees by planting young ones to take 
their place. This may be done any time during February, though the 
sooner they are obtained and planted the better. Those already estab¬ 
lished in the garden may be transplanted up to the time the buds are 
bursting. If large branches were lost last summer, or have to be cut 
out of trees now, it is not advisable to sacrifice the rest of the- 
branches ; but they may be trained in a more erect form, and young trees 
brought from less favoured positions and planted near them. In this 
manner little or no valuable wall space will be wasted, the young 
soon being large enough to supersede the now worthless older trees. 
Some of the most reliable varieties are Large Early, Royal, Hemskirke, 
and Shipley’s, while Moorpark ought to be grown on account of the 
high quality of its fruit. If a new well drained border is made for 
them, moderately strong loamy soil only is needed, manure causing the 
young trees to grow far too rankly. Where, however, holes are made- 
for them in old borders, much of the exhausted soil shou'd be replaced 
by a moderately rich loamy compost, three or four barrowloads at the 
least going to each tree. The contents of a garden smother or “burn 
bake ” freely mixed with the compost suits the roots of any kind of 
fruit tree, and is especially recommended for Apricots, as also is lime. 
Plant somewhat high, a low moist position being unfavourable for this 
choice fruit. 
Protecting Apricots.—I t is yet too early to cover Apricot trees— 
in fact the longer this is deferred, short of leaving advanced blossoms 
unprotected, the hardier and later will most probably be the flowers ; 
but if it is too early to cover, that is no reason why the coverings should 
not be in readiness for use, especially seeing how rapidly the trees 
sometimes expand their blossoms. Glass copings and blinds are particu¬ 
larly recommended for Apricot trees, no other fruit more requiring or 
better repaying for this care and outlay. Apricot trees ought always to 
be grouped together, and if given the hottest wall in the garden and 
further protected with glazed copings and blinds, failures to bear well 
will be few and far between. Most horticultural sundriesmen supply 
suitable material for making into blinds, that of a somewhat woolly 
nature being perhaps the best, though coarse meshed thick cotton blinds- 
are often effective and the cheapest. These need not reach down to the 
ground, being nearly or quite as effective when 18 inches or 2 feet off it 
may be attached to either glazed or wooden copings, and made either to 
run up and down, or open and close, by means of rings and lines. Light 
iron rods connected with the coping and let into the ground 2 feet clear 
of the wall would answer the double purpose of keeping the blinds in 
position well away from the trees, and also be convenient for the rings 
to run up and down on. The b’inds made to go with glazed copings 
usually run on rods under the glass, and are connected with a stout- 
wire strained near the ground. 
PLUiis. —Wall trees of these are treated very similarly to Apricots,, 
only they thrive well in much cooler positions. If they fail to bear well 
it is usually owing to either the loss of buls by birds or the destruction 
of the flowers by spring frosts. Good progress ought already to have 
been made with the pruning and nailing of the wall trees, the former 
