424 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 28, 1891 
Canker. 
This disease has long engaged the attention of practical men, and 
the conclusion they arrive at is that it is caused by, and is the result of 
the: roots foraging in the cold and unsuitable’subsoil. But is this the 
primary cause? I think no^. There is no doubt, however, that subsoil 
rooting does accelerate canker. Apple trees are predisposed to canker, 
and why ? Because, in my humble opinion, of the intervention of the 
mechanical and tedious process of grafting, more so than in budding. 
The few opportunities which have been mine of observing and of 
inquiries which I have been in the habit of making, certainly go to 
prove that canker is due to grafting, as I have come across no instance 
wdiere seedlings were affected by the disease or of trees that were said 
to be from cuttings being affected thereby. If the process of grafting 
be.the primary cause of canker, then it points out that a’l grafts should 
be inserted on the stock as low down as possible, in order to give the 
trees a chance to get on their own roots. We do this with Roses, why 
not with the more valuable fruit trees ? Budded trees are not so liable 
to canker as the grafted trees, because the union is more effectual, and 
they should be preferred. I have carefully pared away at apparently 
healthy young trees which I have destroyed by so doing, in order to see 
if the union was perfect at the point of junction of stock and scion, and 
1 have invariably come to the line of separation, which was evident by 
discoloration, in some cases more marked than in others, and which 
evidently was the seat of decay, to show itself hereafter as canker. 
Canker may be retarded, however, by selecting scions and stocks which 
shall be more alike in size. It certainly does seem unnatural to allow 
one half of the cambium of the scion to rest upon the central wood of 
the stock, the union in such cases is not so perfect as it should be. 
I certainly think we are not at the bottom of this question yet; it is 
a wide one, and deserves attention at the hands of experienced men, 
who are certainly on the right track when they agree as to the effect of 
subsoil on the disease. It is certainly the best to keep the roots of fruit 
trees out of the subsoil, as the food they would be likely to get from 
such a source would not be likely to benefit the trees by reason of its 
remoteness from the beneficial influence of the sun and air. 
Soil and Aspect. 
We often read articles on this subject in the gardening papers. They 
all pretty well agree that the most favourable site either for an orchard 
or garden is one facing south with shelter from the prevailing westerly 
winds and from the biting easterly wind. Of the latter I think we have 
had the advice well rubbed in this winter. But as a rule the position of 
the orchard or the garden in a large private place is subordinate to the 
position of the house, the extent of the grounds, and the fancy of the 
proprietor, while for smaller places choice is out of the question 
altogether. 
There is the garden ; it may be in a low and damp position, one of 
the very worst of sites for fruit tress, or it may be unduly shaded by 
large trees, which must not be cut down, which if allowed a free root 
run (and it is diflScult in many instances to prevent this) would rob the 
garden of its fertility. This is of course an extreme case. But it is 
often met with, and is one of the many obstacles which defeat the best 
efforts of many a hard-working gardener. 
Then again we are advised, and truly so, that a good depth, say from 
2 to 3 feet, of good loam is the best of soils. But how often do we get 
such a paradise for fruit trees ? The fact is we have to do the best we 
can with the soil whatever its quality may be, and we know that the 
Apple and Pear, Cherry and Plum, will succeed in almost any soil, but of 
course doing best in the soil advised. We may be able to improve the 
s*:aple by occasional loads of loam, and by the addition of lime for stone 
fruit, and with manure for all, and this is about the mest we can do. 
Certainly, if we wish to encourage fruit culture by the many, we ought 
not to discourage intending planters by laying down hard and fast lines 
a? to site and soil. 
A few words as to subsoil. I saw it advised the other day in a 
gardening paper, that in cases where there was an unsuitable subsoil it 
should be removed, and suitable material put in its place. I fail to see 
the utility of such advice, which to my thinking is so delightfully vague 
as to be scarcely w’orth noticing. If fruit tree culture wo'n’t pay with¬ 
out removing the subsoil I feel pretty certain it wo’n’t with it. I 
would say by all means ascertain the nature of the subsoil, so that you 
would know how much upper soil, of what quality and staple your trees 
would have to rely upon. If the subsoil is clay, plant high and 
drain. If of bard reck, do not plant at all; but if of soft rock, sand¬ 
stone, or shale, you may plant and not trouble about draining. If chalky 
it is good for stone fruit, and a portion of such subsoil would not be 
amiss if inixed with the upper soil when trenching. Marl is also a good 
subsoil ; it contains lime, and is considered warm. Generally speaking, 
gardeners do not rely so much upon the nature of the subsoil as they do 
upon skilful management in planting and pruning, but they alwavs 
ascertain its nature as a guide to cultivation. 
(To be continued.) 
Celeriac. —Although not greatly in demand, there is no good 
reason why it should not be more grown and used than is the case 
generally in this country. Large or fully grown roots, properly cooked 
and served, please some tastes as a vegetable, while some use it in 
salads, though more often than not it is utilised for flavouring soups 
only. If either of the newer French varieties, notably the Apple- 
rooted and large Paris have been raised, these may well be preferred to 
the much inferior ordinary form. In any case the seedlings should at 
once be pricked out and otherwise prepared for the open ground piuch. 
in the same way as ordinary Celery. Being cultivated for the roots only, 
planting on the surface answers best, this crop forming a good succession, 
to early Cauliflowers.—W. 
English Chrysanthemums. 
Some months ago you admitted to your columns the conclusions: 
at which I had arrived concerning the relative merits of the leading- 
Chrysanthemum novelties sent to this country from Francey. 
America, and Japan. The results of my experimental culture 
were, it may be remembered, varied, but one conclusion remained,^ 
very definitely in my mind, and that was that a very liberal 
discount must be allowed from the highly coloured descriptions- 
which generally accompany these novelties, especially those 
received from our neighbours across the Channel. It is very 
disappointing and a considerable waste of time and space to find 
after a couple of seasons’ trial, that some novelty, heralded with 
vigorous blowing of the advertising trumpet, is, after all, but an* 
impostor, deserving residence only on the rubbish heap. So it 
came to pass that the one conclusion to which I have referred led 
to the further one, that it would be highly desirable, if it were 
possible, to raise one’s own seedlings and novelties. And the first- 
attempt in this direction has proved that the attainment of this- 
result is not only possible but comparatively easy. Indeed,! see 
no reason why any amateur like myself, with reasonable facilities,, 
should not be the creator of his own new varieties, and 
thus add a very interesting element to the ordinary culture of the- 
flower. 
It has been stated that in order to sufficiently ripen the seed 
of the Chrysanthemum in this country the ovules must be im¬ 
pregnated and the seed procured in October. This I have found 
to be quite unnecessary. It must be admitted that the late- 
winter afforded a test not likely to be exceeded in severity. My 
operations commenced after the November shows were over, ex¬ 
tending from about the 20th of that month to the same time iik 
December. The result has been that in due time I obtained a 
certain quantity of sufficiently ripened seed. This was sowed on. 
the 5th of March last, and I have now some forty-five promising 
looking seedlings already, showing that they include several 
distinct varieties. But for an accident which took place shortly 
after Christmas I should have had a very much larger quantity of 
seed. However, the simple fact that English seedlings can be- 
obtained without any of the supposed difficulties is proved beyond 
doubt. What may be the value of the result in the present- 
instance has yet to be seen, and, owing to the lateness of the 
sowing, it may need a second season to prove some of the varieties. 
But there ought to be some novelties of value amongst the seed¬ 
lings, if one may draw conclusions from the parent varieties, which 
were E. Molyneux, Boule d’Or, Sunset, George Maclure, Puritan,. 
Condor, and H. Elliot. 
I may say of George Maclure that it is one of the most 
floiiferous varieties in existence. One plant which flowered well 
in November has ever since thrown out lateral flowers in pro¬ 
fusion, and some of these fully 6 inches in diameter. I expect 
much from this variety hereafter.— Charles E. Shea. 
[A bloom sent with our correspondent’s interesting letter shows, 
the variety to be Japanese, similar in colour to Edouard Audiguier, 
but with more substantial florets. Its character could not be seen 
to advantage, however, as the bloom had been subjected to both, 
snow and frost.] 
CURRENT NOTES. 
Fruit Prospect?. 
The remarks of Mr. Wright under the heading “Blossoming 
Time ” were so pertinent and timely that they well repay a very 
careful perusal. Fruit and its production has been one of his life¬ 
long studies, and aU that he writes thereon is full of truth. 
Much that he says on pp. 379 and 380 contains matter that is as 
applicable to fruit culture under glass as outdoors, and in fact 
contains the gist of the whole question of successful fruit cultiva¬ 
tion. The formation of fruitful wood moderate quantities of 
