February 9, 1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Ill 
A plan ]Mr. Murray has adopted for several yeai-s is to plant 
young trees in any open space that can be spared for the purpose, 
giving them good soil to grow them in for two or three years before 
transplanting them where they are to remain, making good sized 
pits and putting about 14 inches thick of road metal in the bottom, 
making the surface of the metal smooth with lime rubbish before 
putting therein the necessary com[)lement of soil in which to plant 
the trees. This, Mr. Murray says, he finds to be much better than 
flagstones or concrete. Standards, p}Tamids, and espalier fruit 
trees are treated in the same manner before they bear well, and as 
the result of this treatment the fruit is improved in size and 
quality where there is a very bad cold clay subsoil. The trees, too, 
are the picture of health during the summer and autumn months, 
the foliage being quite free from blight, and ripens quite differently 
from that of trees having their roots down in bad soil. The leaves 
fall naturally, whereas trees that are in bad condition keep green 
until they are forced off by the frost, showing that the wood is not 
ripe and a bad prospect for a crop of fruit the following year. 
The subject of root-pruning, lifting, and transplanting fruit 
trees with a view to promoting fertility, and afterwards maintaining 
the said trees in a fruitful condition, is not exhausted yet, and its 
importance in a commercial point of view is sufficient reason for 
the matter treated of being discussed for the benefit of all fruit 
growers. In support of this assertion I will quote ]\Ir. Murray’s 
own word-s, which afford conclusive evidence on this point. He 
says, “ Just take into consideration the great number of fruit trees 
that is pruned and nailed from 5 'ear to year that never yield a 
shillingsworth of fruit in return. This happens more frequently in 
districts having a bad wet subsoil adding, “ I know many large 
gardens in which this state of things is allowed to go on from year 
to year, expecting a crop of fruit without ever making any effort to 
get the trees in a bearing state, they very likely being in the 
same positions in which they were planted as maiden trees.” Un¬ 
fortunately, Mr. Murray’s experience in this respect coincides Muth 
that of many other gardeners similarly situated. 
As soon as the crops have been taken in the autumn is un¬ 
doubtedly the best time to operate on fruit trees which exhibit 
signs of exhaustion, or, worse still, have annually failed to yield 
satisfactory results ; nevertheless, we unhesitatingly recommend 
everyone having trees in the undesirable condition just referred to 
to set about the work of restoring or promoting fruitfulness in the 
trees in the manner indicated as soon as possible, so as to get the 
operation completed before the sap rises. In the case of old stunted 
trees, root them out and consign them to the fire heap, planting in 
their stead young healthy trees. Should the prepared soil in which 
the trees are transplanted be moderately dry, and in the absence of 
rain at the time the work is being done, give sufficient water to each 
tree to settle the soil about the roots. Such trees planted as indi¬ 
cated, provided they are afterwards treated with ordinary skill in 
the way of disbudding, pinching, and training the shoots, giving 
liberal supplies of water at the roots during a dry summer and 
keeping the foliage free from the attacks of red spider and aphis, 
seldom fail to yield good crops of fruit of first-rate quality. Such 
at any rate is the experience of Mr. David Murray, and no doubt 
of many other gardeners who have adopted a like method of pro¬ 
cedure, including—H. W. Ward. 
CULTIVATION OF THE CROTON. 
1A paper read by Mr. W. W. Pettijrrew before the Yonntr Men’s Mutual Improvement 
Society, Castle Gardens Cardiff-] 
Amongst ornamental fine-foliaged stove plants the Croton stands 
in the first rank for the rich colour and gracefulness of its leaves. Most 
varieties differ so much in habit as to make them well adapted to be 
grown in great numbers together without looking in the least mono¬ 
tonous. Indeed to grow them to anything like perfection they should 
have a house to themselves. Few plants are more beautiful when well 
grown than a collection of Crotons when the sun is shining upon them. 
The large dark-red foliage of Baron James de llothschild. the rich 
golden bronze of Queen Victoria, and the large golden-blotchcd le<aves 
of Jlorti, blended with the pale yellow and green foliage of varieg.atus, 
and the stiffness of these taken off by the graceful drooping foliage of 
such varieties as interruptus, interruptus aureus, linearis, Weismanni, 
Cyrus, chelsoni, aureo-punctatus, Princess of Wales, elegantissimus, 
Warreni, and many others, is a sight to ba remembered by all interested 
in the cultivation of fine-foliaged plants. 
The Croton belongs to the natural order of Euphorbiacem, and is 
a native of the East and West Indies, South America, and several other 
places. It was introduced into Britain during the last century, but 
since then the varieties—thanks to the energy of hybridisers—have 
increased to hundreds. The culture of the Croton is comparatively 
easy, yet it is seldom seen in its best condition. It is now nearly 
eighteen months since I was entrusted with the management of the 
Croton house here, and since then I have endeavoured most carefully to 
carry out the instructions I received, and note the treatment which 
suited the pl.ants best, and everything I mention in this paper regard¬ 
ing their culture is from my own experience. 
To perpetuate a varietj" of any plant it must be propagated by 
cuttings, buds, or grafts, as those raised from the seed rarely come true. 
As a proof of this I may mention that I have at present six seedling 
Crotons, from 4 to 5 inches high, raised from one of the narrow-leaved 
varieties, and not one resembles the parent plant, and no two of them 
are alike. They differ much in the colour and shape of their leaves, 
and also in the habit of their growth. Some have narrow leaves of 
different shades of colour, while others have broad green loaves with 
no signs of variegation whatever. 
Crotons can be propagated at almost any season by inserting strong 
cuttings of half-ripened wood in small pots in a soil or composition 
made of equal parts of loam, loaf mould, and silver sand, and plunged 
in a gentle bottom heat until they are rooted. During this stage the cut¬ 
tings should be dewed over the foliage with a fine-rose watering pot every 
day to keep the leaves fresh and to prevent red spider attacking them. 
AVhen the cuttings are sufficiently rooted, which will take from three 
to six weeks according to the season, they are shifted into pots a size 
larger, using the following compost—three parts good fibry loam, one of 
peat, one of leaf mould, a eood sprinkling of Thomson’s Vine and plant 
manure, and about a third of the whole of sharp river sand, which will 
keep the compost fresh and porous. The plants are then placed in the 
stove close to the glass, where they will receive as much light and 
sunshine as possible. As the plants increase in size they are shifted 
into larger pots, always using the same compost as that just mentioned. 
Great care must be exercised in watering the plants. The soil should 
never be allowed to become too dry or too wet and sodden, or the roots 
will be injured and decay, and the plants will suffer in consequence. 
The roots of the Croton are soft and spongy, and are therefore liable to 
damp off if the soil becomes wet and sour on the one hand, or too dry 
on the other. Great care and attention should therefore be paid to 
watering at the proper time and in sufficient quantity to keep the 
plants in a healthy growing state. 
It has been truly said that one of the secrets of success in the culti¬ 
vation of any plant is the frequent and judicious application of manure. 
This is especially so with regard to the Croton. The great amount of 
foliage which a large and healthy plant has to noirrish soon extracts all 
fertility from the soil in which it is potted. It is quite different with 
plants growing in the open air. The soil in which they are growing is 
always receiving, more or less, natural manures from the rain, for rain 
and snow never fall to the earth without carrying fertilisers with them. 
As a matter of course plants grown under glass receive none of these, 
consequently if they are to be grown successfully manures must be 
applied artificially, and in greater quantities to large plants that have 
filled their pots with roots and are growing vigorously, than to those 
whose growth is at a temporary standstill. The fertilisers applied to 
the Crotons here are Thomson's Vine and plant manure, liquid cow 
manure, and soot. The first of these is used as a surface dressing, and 
the soot and cow manure are mixed together and used when watering. 
Crotons are subject to the attacks of several insect pests, but the 
worst I think is red spider. If once this has possession of any plant its 
health is ruined in a short time, and the leaves fall off one by one, com¬ 
pletely disfiguring it if the spider is not checked at once. The yellow 
varieties I find are more subject to its attacks than any of the others. 
The best plan is to give the plants a thorough, and individual, syringing 
as soon as the pest appears and wash it clean off. But prevention is 
better than cure, and I think if the syringe was used judiciously every 
day red spider would be kept under. 
Thrips are also great enemies to the Ci-oton ; if once they get on a 
plant the leaves are soon disfigured and ruined, no matter how excellent 
the treatment may have been. A sharp look out should bo kept at all 
times for this pest, for, unlike red spider, its effects on the plant are not 
seen all at once, and it is only by close investigation that its presence is 
discovered in its early stage of development. To get rid of thrips we 
have two methods—the first is by fumigating the house with tobacco 
paper, and the other by syringing the plants with a decoction made from 
tobacco paper mixed in water. The first of these methods is the easiest 
though the least effective in getting rid of the pest, and the most 
detrimental to the health of the plants. Many of the thrips fall off the 
plants and bury themselves in the soil, and remain comparatively 
uninjured, and by-and-by t’ney ascend the plants again. The smoke is 
detrimental to the Croton to a certain degree, as I find after the house 
has been fumigated three times in succession to kill the thrips that many 
of the leaves fall. Therefore syringing is the most effectual in killing 
these pests, and it is not in the least injurious to the plants. The only 
objection to syringing is that it entails a great amount of labour in 
carrying the plants outside to the open air, and shifting heavy plants 
loosens the stakes and makes them a little unshapely for the time. 
Small plants are dipped in the tobacco juice decoction without any 
trouble. 
Scale is another pest which sometimes infests Crotons, but it is easily 
killed by syringing with a little petroleum mixed in water and kept in 
perpetual motion while being applied to the plant. Mealy bug can be 
destroyed in the same way. 
I have said nothing in this paper about draining, potting, stopping 
the shoots to make well-furnished bushy plants, or about best, moisture, 
and the ventilation of the house. The pots here are thoroughly cleaned 
and well drained for all plants that have to be grpwn for any length of 
time in them, and in potting the plants are placed a little lower than 
hey were in their previous pots to cover the top of the ball. The soil 
t pressed firmly down, and when finished sufficient space is left at the 
isp of the pot for watering. The plants are trained with as few stakes 
