678 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 2S, 1893. 
loss through frost is not more than 3 per cent. Let this, therefore, 
suffice as to the wisdom of giving manure as a mulch. Now, in regard 
to giving it in the autumn as a food. “W. R. Raillem” asserts that 
some good will be done by the rain permeating the manure, but not 
much. I maintain that a vast amount of good is the result, so much so, 
that I find no difficulty in maintaining the fertility of the soil to as 
high a state as is desirable by following the practice, because it is always 
advisable to give extra stimulants in the way of liquid and artificial 
manures during the growing and flowering periods. If, then, the matter 
is satisfactory from both points of view, why incur the labour of giving 
a rough mulch, which requires removal in spring, so that manure may 
be applied 1 The only advantage to be gained is a slight economy in the 
matter of manure. This is of little consequence in our own case, as 
we have unlimited supplies of manure, but labour is a matter for far 
greater consideration. 
I will not, however, rely entirely upon my own experience in this 
matter, so I search to see what that successful rosarian the Dean of 
Rochester has to say upon the subject. In his “ Book About Roses ” 
(page 65) I find this significant passage : “ The season when manure is 
applied is also a material circumstance. I have made many experi¬ 
ments, but I have come back to the plan which I adopted first of all, 
and I believe it to be the best—namely, to give the Rose trees a liberal 
stratum of farmyard manure in November, leaving it as a protection as 
well as a fertiliser through the winter months, and digging it in in 
March.” 
“ W. R. Raillem’s” graphic description of the difficulties attending the 
simple practice of forking manure into Rose beds at springtime are 
rather imaginary than real. Three inches of manure put on during 
autumn or winter would by the action of rain and frost be reduced to 
little more than half that thickness when the time for forking over the 
beds arrived. A good workman would accomplish the task quite easily, 
without injuriously affecting the surface roots, and would have sufficient 
common sense to remove any very rough portions which could not be 
easily forked in. I am not one of those gardeners who are afraid to 
touch a root, as I consider the little damage done to them in the opera¬ 
tion of forking in manure is altogether overbalanced by the great benefit 
both soil and roots derive from the admission of sunlight and air. This 
is the everyday teaching of both science and practice. I have now to 
deal with the concluding portion of “ W. R. Raillem’s ” criticisms, in 
which he clearly shows that his knowledge of trees and their habits is so 
superficial as to proclaim its own weakness, otherwise the remark that 
the “ great bulk of leaves fall in ten days or a fortnight ” would scarcely 
have crept into print, because the time during which the bulk of leaves 
fail depends upon how great a variety of trees a garden contains, and 
the amount of wind or frosts which we experienced during the autumn. 
We have numbers of Sycamore trees which cast their leaves in shoals by 
the end of September or early in October. By the middle of November 
Oak and Beech are doing the same thing, and between these two dates 
they are continually falling in fluctuating numbers. 
To a rosarian who is lord of his own domain it perhaps matters but little 
when the leaves are swept up, but how many head gardeners would keep 
their positions if they acted on this principle, just at the time when 
large house parties are the order of the day ? But even if through the 
tolerance of their employers they managed to do this the green slimy 
condition of the walks, which would be the inevitable result, would 
require more expenditure to put them right again than would be 
incurred in daily sweeping.—A Lover of Roses. 
NOTES ON PEARS. 
A very interesting communication was that by Mr. Abbey on 
Fertilising Pears,” page 506. For many years past I have devoted 
some attention to the question Mr. Abbey brings forward, and with the 
greatest possible good. Especially have I found it so on our arch of 
espalier-trained trees, which is about 120 yards long, nearly all the trees 
being over forty years old. I commenced the operation through 
observing the great scarcity of bees in some seasons over others whilst 
the trees were in blossom, and after the fruit was set the great number 
of deformed fruit which were to be found on these old trees. 
I had considered the free-setting qualities of some varieties to others, 
and came to the conclusion that much might be done in assisting ferti¬ 
lisation ; but the camel-hair brush was too tedious a practice on these 
old trees, and to limit the time to the lowest possible minimum a rabbit’s 
tail was procured, tied to the end of a long stick, and the work was 
speedily performed, with such good results that I have followed the 
practice now for the past seven years. To enter into details on the 
varieties would only be to make a repetition of most of those which 
Mr. Abbey has enumerated. One more word to say that with us Beurr4 
Diel, planted against a south wall in soil 2 feet from the solid clay, is 
of very good flavour ; but if Mr. Abbey could (and I know of no one 
more qualified to give an opinion, judging from the active researches in 
which he is always engaged) tell me why Beurr^ Diels crack in wet 
weather as well as dry I should esteem it a great favour, for we suffer 
from this evil to a great extent with our bush trees of this variety. 
Never has the lesson of gathering Pears at intervals been placed 
before us with such a certain measure of success, and to keep up a good 
supply it cannot be ignored. We commenced with Citron des Carmes, 
which was almost useless. Williams’ Bon Chretien and Jargonelle were 
good, but soon over. Beurr4 d’Amanlis was conspicuous by splendid 
fruit, and the quality really good. I join hands with “ Northerner ” 
(page 495) in praise of Pitmaston Duchess. It has cropped well, been 
of good flavour, and so far from using it for stewing, regret was expressed 
when they were not forthcoming any longer for dessert. Clou Mor^eau 
we are now using, and it is superior in flavour to those of former years. 
Doyenn^ du Comice has been good in every way, a point in its favour, 
having at the recent Liverpool Show the first and second prizes awarded 
to it for a single dish of ripe Pears. Easter Beurr6 and Beurr^ Ranee are 
keeping well, the latter coming good in certain seasons. I agree as to 
the worthlessness of Beurre Clairgeau and Beurr6 Bose for dessert. 
When well grown they are handsome fruits, but we only use them 
for stewing. Prince Consort I have once remarked upon in the Journal. 
The tree is a good grower and cropper with us, fruit of large size, pale 
russet and green spots, a grand keeper, and the most juicy Pear in 
cultivation. It is the one of all others for invalids, not being too sweet 
as in such varieties as Fondante d’Automne, or with the musky aroma of 
Nec Plus Meuris. In this precarious season there has not been a fault to 
be found with it.—R. P. R. 
JUDGING AT EDINBURGH. 
In answer to Mr. Robert Laird (page 530), I have to say—1, Regard¬ 
ing the appointment of an expert officially. The fact is that an 
“ expert ” did point the four stands in question ; not only so, but in my 
hearing Mr. Laird gave the expert instructions to proceed, as he was 
doing, in the pointing of the blooms, and to hand him the results 
after he had finished. The figures as appearing at page 503 were 
presented to the Secretary, and I also was presented with the same 
figures in the handwriting of the genGeman who pointed the stands, 
the document containing the said results being now in my possession, 
with the signature of the expert subscribed. Will you be surprised 
that I inferred that the said expert had an official standing ? If I was 
mistaken in drawing this inference, I beg to express my regret, and 
accept Mr. Laird’s denial on this head. 
2, Regarding the second denial of Mr. Laird, I am much surprised 
to learn that he denies the acknowledgement of the misjudgment. I 
am strong in the recollection of his explicit statement of the error in 
the judgment, and immediately on his acknowledgement of the error I 
requested him to send the fact to the Press, but this he refused to do. 
It is only right to say here that the acknowledgement was verbal. 
I had a communication from the Secretary, dated the 21st of 
November, stating that they (the Committee) “ have no power to ask the 
Judges to show how they arrive at their conclusion in any case of 
dispute.” There was no reference whatever in this communication from 
the Secretary as to any confidence being reposed in the skill atnd 
integrity of the Judges, which he seems to indicate was part of the 
contents of the said communication to protestors.— William Rushton, 
Cochno Gardens, Diintocher. 
[We believe our correspondent wrote in good faith. He did not, it 
would appear, discriminate between the private and official capacities 
of some of the officials of the Show. He is not to be blamed for the 
step he took under the circumstances, as he was not the cause of the 
misunderstanding and disquietude. The “expert” informs us that 
if he had pointed the blooms the first day the points would have 
differed still more widely from the official awards. He was desired, but 
not officially appointed, to examine the collections.] 
Grafting Chrysanthemums. 
Experiments in grafting the Chrysanthemums on stocks of 
Anthemis frutescens have been highly successful in various localities 
this year. According to the “ Garden and Forest,” a specimen of the 
variety Val d’Andorre, exhibited at Brussels last month, measured 
9 feet in diameter and bore 783 flowers. Other.grafted varieties did not 
make such large bushes, but bore numerous flowers of great size and of 
unusually deep colours. 
^Mrs. James Carter. 
The value of this small flowered Japanese variety for decoration in 
a cut state is becoming more apparent, judging by the number of it 
seen in bouquets, baskets, vases, sprays, and fan-covered decorations 
at shows. The small thread-like florets, creamy white in colour, asso¬ 
ciate so well with other flowers other than Chrysanthemums. When the 
plants are cultivated to produce an abundance of blossoms in prefertnee 
to fewer but.larger specimens many of them are not more than 2 inches 
in diameter, which renders them all the more suitable for the form of 
decorative use to which they can be applied. 
