May 7, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
859 
Hot-water Heating. 
I am glad “ Heating Reformer ” agrees with me as to the 
advisability of having the flow pipes near the walls and the return 
near the centre of the house, but am sorry I cannot endorse his 
recommendation of pipes at intervals of 2 feet over a Vine or 
Reach border. I consider they should be not less than 4 nor more 
than ^ 6 feet apart. The less the borders are artificially—within 
certain healthy limits—dried, and the more uniform the moisture of 
the surface of the borders, the better it will be for the Vines and 
the Peach trees. Red spider is encouraged by the overheating of 
the pipes, and not by the particular situation of the pipes, and no 
arrangement of hot-water pipes will prevent spider if the atmo¬ 
spheric conditions in other respects are congenial for its produc¬ 
tion. I saw a vinery in 1872 that w'as heated in the manner 
advocated by “ Heating Reformer,” and they were the poorest 
examples of Vines I have ever seen. 
Setting Reaches. 
The discussion going on is an old one, but it will bear repetition. 
I believe Messrs. John Miller and John Simpson were the chief if 
not original exponents of the syringing sys'^em many years ago. 
I have seen the enormous “ sets ” of fruit by Mr. Miller by means 
of the syringe ; better could not be desired. Whether one system 
is better than the other I do not presume to say, but in mild 
genial weather I do not hesitate to use the syringe, and in cold 
variable weather in January I prefer to trust my reputation to the 
camel’s hair pencil, when trees and Peach houses are very limited 
in number, and the heating apparatus not sufficient to guarantee a 
suitable temperature for the “syringe” system. I know Mr. 
Miller reads the Journal, does he continue to use the syringe ? 
Heating by Steam. 
Mr. Dean’s note on the above is interesting, and further par¬ 
ticulars would be very welcome. For some years I have thought 
it practicable to heat greenhouses by steam and to light the 
dwelling house, stables, and offices by electricity, produced by the 
same power; but the cost of “plant” has always been the 
stumblingblock. Now that greenhouses are so heated, perhaps 
the day is not far distant when our most enterprising hot-water 
engineers will produce the machinery for the double purposes of 
lighting and heating.— Hugh Dale. 
DOUBLE ANNUAL POPPIES. 
Those who have not grown this annual should do so during the 
coming season. Two colours, scarlet and white, are especially 
noteworthy. Not only do they make a grand display during the 
summer in the herbaceous border, but they are useful for cutting 
where distinct colours are required. In a cut state these double 
Poppies perhaps show to the best advantage placed singly in 
specimen glasses. Like all the Poppy section they are best placed 
in water at once before the pores are sealed by the sap from the 
flower stalk ; in this way they last much longer than if the wounded 
part is exposed for a time. Although rose and lilac can be had, I 
think there is none to equal scarlet and white. 
The height attained when the p'ants are strongly grown, as 
they should be to give the best results, is about 4 feer, and stiff 
soil suits them much better than a light peaty one. Poppies like 
manure, and pay for the outlay, not only in more and finer flowers, 
but by the improved appearance of the foliage. Culture is a 
simple matter ; one point especially should have attention—do not 
crowd the plants; if so, failure must follow. Each should stand 
almost clear of its neighbour, then success is assured. Sow half a 
dozen seeds at once in a space of about 1 square foot, and cover 
with fine soil. It is useless to transplant these Poppies, as they 
cannot bear the roots being disturbed, no matter how carefully it 
is done. Except in exposed positions the plants need no support, 
being strong enough to stand erect without assistance. If they 
require any place a stout stake in the centre of the group, loosely 
securing the plants to it. When the plants are about 1 foot high, 
if the weather be hot and dry, several thorough soakings of water 
at the roots will assist the growth considerably. We arrange the 
two colours alternately at the back of the border, but this is a 
matter for individual choice.—E. Molyneux. 
FRUIT PROSPECTS. 
The prospect of a heavy crop of all kinds of hardy fruit is 
decidedly good. If there is any cause to be doubtful of the results 
it is the superabundance of flowers, as I have noticed when we 
have previously been favoured with so much bloom that th's is 
aveakly, sets badly, and is liable to fall off wholesale. Apricots 
had a very rough time of it when in flower, especially the more 
forward trees, but there is yet a good sprinkling of fruit swelling, 
some, however, being fully three weeks ahead of the re'st, so long 
did the flowering period last. Plums also flowered or are flowering 
grandly. The best trees against walls were lightly protected with 
doubled fish netting, and apparently we shall be well repaid for 
this timely attention, a good set being effected, and that too in 
spite of frequent frosts and much cold weather. Much, however, 
depends upon the weather experienced during the next month. 
Plums frequently failing to swell in a cold sunless May. Trees on 
late walls and in the open are flowering strongly, bullfinches 
having been prevented from spoiling our prospects. Peaches are 
scarcely so forward as Plums, but they have flowered better than 
usual, and I have every confidence in the crop being heavy. Pears 
are a glorious sight, the Jargonelle being particularly beautiful. 
In many instances the flowers are somewhat weak, but the more 
forward hold on well. Apples come on very slowly, but there will 
be abundance of bloom. 
There is much aphis on the buds, and insect-eating birds are 
damaging many of the flower buds trying to get at the fly. Goose¬ 
berries promise to be unusually abundant, but the? e is much red 
spider on the foliage, April showers being badly missed. Currants 
and Raspberries are much as usual, while Strawberries were never 
more promising. Noble is opening its flowers rapidly on raised 
borders, and these we are protecting as much as possible from 
frosts. I shall be very agreeably surprised if there are many 
Filberts, as these flowered early, and had a bad time of it.— 
W. Iggulden, Somerset. _ 
On the 25th of April I visited a number of orchards on the 
Clyde in the neighbourhood of Carluke and Crossford, where 
there is more shelter than here, consequently the trees are further 
advanced. No signs of injury from frost could be detected, and 
the blossom is profuse on bushes as well as on trees, favourable 
weather being all that is necessary. Raspberries are grown exten¬ 
sively along the Clydeside ; all are in good order so far as could be 
seen, but previous to digging and dressing a critic might have 
viewed them in a different light, as unmistakeable signs of full- 
grown weeds were easily detected ; and the practice of allowing the 
beds of the last crop of Strawberries to be so overgrown with rank 
weeds cannot be profitable. It is much easier and a great deal 
more profitable to kill weeds in their youthful stage than when 
fully matured and seeded several times over. 
Digging in Gooseberry plantations has been wisely abandoned 
for some years, and I am sure the same would hold good with 
Raspberries. One plantation of Gooseberries was pointed out to 
me where many blanks were caused by the fungi from the roots of 
Apple trees allowed to remain in the ground instead of being 
grubbed out. From ten to fifteen years elapse after the tree has 
been removed before the fungi appear. Sawdust has similar 
results, and with me is so mischievous that I cannot but condemn 
its use, however valuable fertilising agents may be mixed with it. 
Here several large plantations of the Brown Beurre Pear were, 
after a few years’ vigorous growth, in a dying state, while other 
varieties of Pears appeared healthy. Had the proprietor of these 
plantations been wich me I would have asked for an examination of 
the roots, and I think the subsoil would have shown sand and rubble 
stones containing much iron. One large orchard had its trees all 
polled and regrafted, tar being used instead of grafting mixtures. 
It is to be hoped that fruit growers will come to see the folly of 
growing such crops of weeds for such sorry crops of Strawberries, 
and that the soil upon which they intend to plant will receive a 
thorough scientific investigation before risking expensive planta¬ 
tions.—W. T., Lanarkshire. 
OLIVIAS, CALADIUMS, AND BEGONIVS 
AT FOREST HILL. 
Mr. John Laing is a very old florist, and not only determines 
as if instinctively the merits of new flowers and plants, but 
appreciates their capacity for improvement. He has raised new 
and superior forms of most kinds of florists’ flowers during the 
last half century, and if he should happen to be able to continue 
his work for another similar period there is no telling what he 
would accomplish. But if he does not, what then ? He has a son, 
and England and America know it. Yea, he has two, one the 
traveller, the other the home avorker, both equally diligent and 
helpful to the respected head, and therefore the Laing dynasty in 
the kingdom of Flora is not likely to be soon extinct. Able and 
enterprising, the Laings have made a great business. They are 
sometimes said to have made the Begonia what it is to-day ; but 
one of those individuals who seem to be born to dispute every 
proposition said the other day they had done nothing of the kind, 
