Kay 28, 1891, ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
423 
^ith the fine healthy appearance of a clump of Anemone nemorosa 
n.-pl. on a rockery in full sun. I have always grown mine in partial 
shade, but the plant grown in the sun and which came from my 
•garden looked much finer, and the foliage had the firm “ feel 
■which is noticeable in Adiantums grown well exposed to the light, 
^f course there are many modifying circumstances which must be 
taken into account ; but all these things lead one to hesitate to say 
that a plant will not do in certain soil or certain positions, and, 
tnce versa^ that the same plant will do well in certain conditions. 
Soil, atmosphere, climate, and general surroundings must be taken 
into account. The mention of Primulas in this connection reminds 
■nie of a fine line of young plants of P. cortusoides amoena I saw in 
a garden the other day. The plants were seedlings and were 
remarkably vigorous and healthy. Especially noticeable, too, was 
the variation in shade of colour; some were pale in colour and some 
deep. The seed was from the typicil plant, and the flowers pro- 
‘duced showed how comparatively easily the results shown in the 
fine varieties known as P. Sieboldi have been produced. 
I had intended to speak of other plants as web, but my 
pen seems to have run too freely, and some additional notes, 
including some of the Tulip species, must be left to another time. 
Anemones, too, claim some space to themselves, but like many 
■other stars in the galaxy of the glory of the garden, their praise 
enust be left meanwhile.—S. Aknott. 
HARDY FRUIT. 
tA prize Essay read at a meeting of the Cardiff Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society.] 
( Continued from page 390.) 
The Plum. 
It is a long way from the Sloe (P. communis) to the delicious fiuits 
so well known to gardeners, yet this is the first of the family. The 
multiplication of new varieties began very early, and the origin of many 
is lost in antiquity. It is grafted upon stocks raised from stones of the 
common varieties and called the free stock, and sometimes up in the 
Brussels stocks or St. Julian Plum, and sometimes on Prunus myroba- 
lana, described by Linnaeus as a separate spec'es, and known in the trade 
as the Cherry Plum, and native of Canada. The free stock, however, is 
universally used in preference to any other, and is raised and prepared 
for grafting in the same way as the Apple and Pear stocks. The methods 
of grafting and budding are identical. 
It is chiefly as an orchard tree that we find the Plum cultivate!. 
Beyond forming the head of the standards in the same way as we do the 
Apple little pruning is necessary. Suckers which the Plum throws 
with more freedom than any other tree should be removed. It is also 
•cultivated as a wall fruit, and generally occupies those of an eastern 
•aspect. 
Soma of the varieties of the Plum, notably the Damson and Green 
Gage, have features so individually characteristic as to be recognised at 
a glance. The Damson is value! by the poor for its abundance as much 
as the Green Gage is for its delicious flavour by the rich. The Damson 
is one of the most profitable, growing as it does in almost any soil, often 
bringing enormous crops later than any other Plum. 
A limestone soil is the most suitable, and the trees should be planted 
in a sheltered part, for the blossoms of the Plum are very fragile and 
easily destroye! by spring frosts. Trench 2 feet deep and plant the 
standards 15 feet apart when the land settles, and as soon as the 
leaves fall if possible. There are vast numbers of varieties, but, I think, 
the following list includes the best. If I were forced to select one only 
I should take the Victoria as being the most reliable and u=efu'. 
Dessert—Transparent Green Gage, Golden Drop, Reine Claude, Wash¬ 
ington, Blue Imp6ratrice, Goliath, Jefferson. Culinary—Early Prolific, 
Victoria, Orleans, Pond’s Seedling, Crittenden’s Prolific, Prune Damsons. 
The Cherry. 
The stocks employed for this fruit are the Cherry its“lf from the 
stones, and Cerasus Mahaleb for a dwarfing stock. The latter is a native 
of Southern Europe, and is remarkable for the fragrance of its flowers. 
It is also the best stock for the prevention of what is known as gumming, 
or Cherry canker, as it might be called, a disease which is almost 
unavoidable, no matter what the stock may be. 
The Cherry is a most delicious fruit, and wi 1 do in almost any soil, 
but a good depth of loam suits it best. Shelter is necessary, as the 
blossoms are liable to be cut off by spring frosts. It is cuhivafe! as 
standard^, bushes, and on walls ; and were it not for the hard and fast 
rule which the title of this paper compelled me to draw, I should have 
referred to wall culture of the Cherry, especially the Morello. As 
standards in orchards it is not frequently seen, but it is grown largely 
in some districts. Isola'^ed trees suffer through the depredations of 
birds, which are especially fond of Cherries. It requires much patience 
to prevent their taking the entire crop in isolated cases. Cherries do 
not like the knife, but, like the other fruit trees treated of previously, it 
must be pruned hard back at first to secure a good-shaped head, after 
which the less pruning the better, and what little is necessary might 
be done during the summer. Standards need 20 feet between them. 
Bush fruit in the garden 10 to 15 feet, these latter might be protected by 
netting. It is a fruit that bears with commendable certainty, though 
from the causes stated it is not very profitable. 
The old and well-known White Heart is superseded by the following 
varieties, which are suitable either for standards or bushes :—Early 
Duke, Late Duke, Black Tartarian, Kentish, Elton, Amber Gean, and 
Bigarreau. 
Root-pruning. 
It will be seen that I have not advised much pruning in the fore¬ 
going remarks on fruit trees, relying more upon judicious thinning 
after the foundation of the trees was laid, and allowing the trees to 
extend naturally ; by so doing we obviate to an extent root-pruning, 
which may be called a necessary evil. But if found necessary it should 
be done when the leaves are falling, as the roots have then a longer 
time before them for healing before they are called into action by the 
arrival of spring. Masses of fibrous roots need pruning as much as 
long and barren ones. In our rather ungenial climate there is not 
sufficient heat to render fertile the growth made, especially in wet and 
sunless seasons. After such seasons it is advisable to root-prune those 
trees that have a mop of roots, which under generous treatment pour 
such a flood of sap in the branches that, although pruning and thinning 
may be done on the most approved lines, yet continue to make such 
rapid growth without forming fruit buds are long jointed and should 
have their roots restricted. 
It is a good plan when planting fruit trees of any description to 
place a broad flagstone at 2 feit, or at most 3 feet, below the surface 
underneath the tree, so that if root-pruning become necessary it can 
be more effectually done without disturbing ihe tree too much by 
tunnelling underneath. It is a simple operation, and merely consists in 
cutting off the fringe of roo's that extend beyond a certain circle, say 
from 3 to 5 feet, from the base of the tree according to its age, working 
under the ball as far as possible. Young trees that it is desirable to 
hasten into fertility can be lifted entirely. Old trees, on the other hand, 
which may have formed long and bare roots penetrating the subsoil 
would need great care in root-pruning. It is dangerous work in such 
cases—indeed, if it was in a very bad state it would be best to do only 
half one season and the other half the next. When well and carefully 
done it results in a lasting state of fruiHulness. The best way is to open 
a trench at least 8 feet from the base, searching carefully for the roots, 
which when found should be lifted, torn ends cut smooth, and relaid in 
fresh material within a foot of the surface, and give a coat of manure as 
a mulch. It often happens that owing to so severe a check the growth 
made the season after is of a very weak and puny nature ; the second 
season should bring good strong short-jointed shoots, which if attended 
to on the lines lai 1 down for the Apple, and not upon the old system of 
chopping it all off, w’ould result in a good crop the third year. Three 
years seems a long time to wait for a reward, but it is not much in the 
life of a fruit tree, and everyone who engages in fruit culture will have 
to practise patience, especially in th's island of ours, with its cloudy 
skies and absence of long-continued sunshine which other countries 
enjoy. 
Insect Enemies. 
Before I proceed to the Currants, Gooseberries, Raspberries and 
Strawberries, it would perhaps be best to tlevote a few lines to the 
above subject, which do so much injury to our fruits, and which ought 
to be taken into consideration. The Gooseberry is sometimes attacked 
by a caterpillar (Nematus Grossularia) ; a dusting with hellebore powder 
■will be useful if shaken over the bushes before the fruit has reached the 
picking stage. It is considered poisonous, and should not remain on the 
fruit. Currants are generally pretty free from insects. Sometimes 
black fly will appear on the shoots of the Cherry and Plum. Either 
pinch the points right away or syringe with Gishurst compound if 
badly attacked. 
Red spider will attack anything in hot seasons. For the spider 
nothing is better than a good syringing with Gishurst. Some prefer 
using suiphur mixed with water, but as Gishurst contains sulphur in 
the best form I recommend it before sulphur. A mixtu-e of softsoap 
and petroleum with warm water is cheaper, and is best applied with 
the gartlen engine. It will also do much to get ri! of American bl'ght 
on Apple trees. On small trees in nurseries they usually pamt the 
young trees with Fir tree oil or paraffin to get rid of it. But do what we 
will, we always have the American blight with us. 
Of late we have heard much of the ravages of the winter moth 
(Cheimatobia brumata), but we have not se^n it down here in South 
Wales yet, at least I have not. Some time ago, Mr. J. Wright, in order 
to emphasise the importance which attaches to the ravages of this pest, 
described in an article written May 15th, 1890, what he saw of it, and 
in one part says :—“ In some places they were an inch thick, and 
caution was necessary in passing along to get a firm foothold amongst 
them—neither on forest or frait trees, or on Hawthorn hedges was a 
green leaf to be seen.” It was a part of Sussex of which Mr. Wright 
wrote. It is to be hoped that such a terrible scourge will not invade 
our district. The remedies adopted to battle with this moth (it passes 
into a caterpillar after laying its eggs while a moth) have been rather 
dishearfening reading. 
Grease bands are used to prevent the passage of the moth up the 
stem, these needing constant watching. By removing the ends of shoots 
we can also destroy eggs already there. Then comes the work of spraying 
the trees with a s.ilution of Paris green. It is a sickening story. But 
as this paper is on hardy fruit I cjuld not but mention such a terrible 
evil, knowing that it is no exaggeration by the source from whence it 
came. I need hardly say the culture of hardy fru't under such con¬ 
ditions, were it likely to become annual for a few years, would put an 
end to all hopes of successful fiuit culture here or anywhere else. 
