372 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
1 Jlay 3, 18SS. 
they should be spread out thinly in a cool airy sheil, or where partially 
shaded from full sun for a time until they become hard and dry. Injury 
to the bulbs often results from fully exposing them to the sun directly 
they are lifted from the ground. Allow them to dry and harden first, 
and then fully expose them to the sun. Before this is done they can be 
sorted, and the small bulbs, or “ seed ” as they arc called in the districts 
where Snowdrops are grown, can be planted again by the end of July 
or early the following month ; the sooner they are in the ground again 
the better. With the first rains that thoroughly moisten the soil they 
commence root activity. Very frequently a good season’s growth is 
spoiled by delay in planting until the season has too far advanced. 
Bed for Carnations (T. L. P .').—As the position on the south 
side of a wall will, perhaps, be hot and dry in the summer, you must 
provide a depth of at least 2 feet of good soil for the plants. It does 
Tiot follow that the present soil need be excavated to that depth, as it 
may probably suffice to clear out the stones and rubbish down to the 
heavy loam, then break this up well ani enrich it with manure, also 
spteading on a good thickness of manure before filling up with fresh 
compost. This should be 18 inches in depth. There is no better soil 
than turfy loam, inclining to heavy rather than light, that has been in 
a heap for six months or more, and perfectly free from wireworms that 
sire not infrequently present in loam recently dug from a pasture. To 
five barrowfuls of loam add one of decayed manure —that from a cow' 
stable preferably—dry enough to be broken into small particles for 
mixing, half a barrowful of wood ashes and the same of vegetable refuse, 
with an 8-inch potful of soot and the same quantity of bonemeal. Turn 
the whole a few times, or till the ingredients are uniformly incorporated. 
Provided the compost is neither very wet nor very dry when placed in 
the bed, and is pressed down rather firmly, it should grow Carnations 
well. It may be desirable to cover the surface of the bed between the 
plants 2 inc'ues thick with very short manure, or if you prefer something 
that may be deemed more presentable, with cocoa-nut fibre refuse. The 
sooner Carnations are planted the better, and they sho -Id be strong, and 
now established in pots for flowering well this year. They can then be 
planted without any material disturbance of the roots, and great care 
must be taken that the balls of soil from the pots are not by any means 
dry, neither excessively wet, when inserted. 
Plums not Setting- (Z). IFl).—The spur with the foliage and in¬ 
cipient fruits sent appears quite healthy, but only one out of the number 
of fruits apparently ready for swelling was set, and nothing could prevent 
the others falling. This may be either the result of a deficiency of 
pollen through, the cells not bursting, which is not uncommon, or of too 
much sun during the blossoming period. While a free circulation of dry 
air with sun for drying the pollen are essential for its liberation and dis¬ 
persion, we have often noticed that when the sun is very bright indeed 
and the air unusually dry, that Plums fail to set not only under glass 
but in the open. The petals of the flowers wither and fall too soon, and 
the embryo fruit is deprived of support at a critical time, collapse fol¬ 
lowing. The same result we have observed with Peaches under glass, 
and have known half of a tree to set and swell a full crop of fruit while 
the other half was almost barren, simply because one half of the tre3 
had a skiff from the syringe when the petals appeared to be turning 
limp under the influence of the sun while the spray was withheld from 
the other half where scarcely any fruit followed. It is only under ex¬ 
ceptional circumstances that it is necessary to supply moisture for supt- 
porting the blossoms, or for preventing an exhaustively dry atmosphere 
at the time indicated, but the necessity occasionally arises, and then 
when nothing is done moisture is extracted from the blossoms and embryo 
fruit more quickly than it is supplied by the roots of the trees, and the 
small check thus sustained affects the crops prejudicially and sometimes 
seriously. There is never such a good set and free swelling of fruit in 
gardens and orchards as when an occasional light warm shower falls, 
with sufficient intervals of sun for the bursting of the pollen cells for 
the purpose of fertilisation. This is quickly effected, and the soft genial 
atmosphere sustains the fruit then in formation, while an arid atmosphere 
deprives it of vitality. As during the blossoming of your trees you had 
“ splendid sunshine,” these remarks may not be inapplicable to your 
case. 
Clolre de Bljon Rose (./ R. G .').—The buds, shoots, and leaves 
sent indicate that the tree is in an enfeebled state, or, in other words, 
its sap is far too much subdivided through a number of small channels 
to exert sufficient force for the expansion of the buds. You do not say 
whether the tree is under glass or in the open-; however, wherever it may 
1x5 w’e should cut it severely back, probably to the extent of removing 
three-fourths of the growths, then, with the roots in good soil, and 
adequate moisture afforded, young growths would push strongly and 
long stout shoots ripen during the season for producing fine blooms 
another year. If some blooms are satisfactory now, or likely to be, the 
pruning of the parts bearing them can be deferred till after they are 
cut, then proceed in the manner advised in answer to another correspon¬ 
dent, who is in a similar difficulty to yourself, but with a Mar^chal Niel. 
You will observe in an article on two establishments at Swanley that 
the great grower of Rose blooms for market, Mr. Philip Ladds, cuts 
down the whole of the growths of his Mardchal Niel and 31oirede Dijon 
Roses in twenty houses as soon as the golden harvest is gathered, cover¬ 
ing the roofs with new growths annually. But no one can grow Roses 
euccessfully, no matter how good the soil and correct the pruning may 
be, if the growths are not kept scrupulously free from insects. In refer¬ 
ence to your observation that “ there is scarcely any green fly on 
the plant,” we have to say that there are more aphides on the leaves 
you have sent in a small box than we should permit on a very large 
plant or tree. It is true only a few of the insects are “ green ” and the 
majority are yet too young and small to be seen clearly at a glance, but 
they are there, and if your plant is large we venture to say it is infested 
with thousands of aphides, and the glutinous substance on the leaves 
that seals their pores is the result of them. The tree cannot thrive till 
it is thoroughly cleansed, and all such growths as those before us should 
be promptly cut off and burned. The information you received on heat¬ 
ing from our able coadjutor we know would be good. 
Making- Mushroom Spawn (J. Thorjk '').—It is easy enough to make 
Mushroom spawn bricks after seeing how the work is done, and watch¬ 
ing the process for a season, and not difficult to state the ingredients of 
which bricks are composed and the process generally, but not one person 
out of fifty would succeed in the first attempt by following printed 
instructions alone. An expert might publish the requisite details for 
making a pair of boots, but it does not follow that the instructions could 
be successfully carried out by a person who had never seen the work 
done. All makers of Mushroom spawn do not make bricks of exactly 
the same materials. The following particulars are given in the Cottage 
Gardeners' Dictionary —“ Mix three parts of horse dung without litter, 
two of cow dung, one of decayed tanner's barb, and one of sheep’s dung, 
and one of good loam, mix to the consistency of mortar, and mould in 
small frames like those used by brick-makers, 6 inches long, 4 broad, and 
2 deep. Three holes to be made half through the bricks, an inch apart, 
with a blunt dibble, for the reception of the spawn. They should be 
put on their edges on boards for the convenience of moving during 
fine days, as they must be made perfectly dry -when the spawn is 
inserted, which they often ajipear to be on the outside when they are far 
otherwise internally. Befure they are perfectly dry they require great 
care in handling and turning, from their aptitude to break ; but in 
about three weeks, if dry weather, they become quite firm. To pervade 
them with the spawn, a layer of fresh horse litter, which has laid n a 
heap to sweeten, as for a hotbed, must be formed, 6 inches thick, in a 
dry shed. On this a course of the bricks is to be laid, and their holes 
completely filled with spawn ; and, as the bricks are laid in rows upon 
each other, the upper side of each is to be scattered over with some of 
the same. The bricks are not placed so as to touch, so that the heat and 
steam of the dung may circulate equally and freely. The heap is to 
terminate with a single brick, and when completed covered with a layer, 
6 inches thick, of hot dung, to be reinforced with an additional 3 inches 
after a lapse of two weeks. The spawn will generally have thoroughly 
run through the bricks after another fortnight. If, however, upon 
examination, this is not found to be the case, they must remain for ten 
days longer. The bricks being allowed to dry for a few days before 
they are stored, will then keep for many years.’’ Lumps of spawn for 
insertion may be had from the best bricks obtainable ; it must be pressed 
firmly in, and may be plastered over with cowdung. Some persons pile 
the bricks on edge, so that they do not quite touch each other, in order 
that the heat from the manure can pass between them. You can now 
try your hand at the work, but it is possible you will have to try again 
before you succeed in your object. 
Marechal XTlel Rose Falling- (Z. 7/.). —Your Mar4chal Niel 
Rose tree that covers the roof of the greenhouse and gave 650 blooms 
last year is in a debilitated state. It has been exhausted by the burden, 
and in expecting 800 blooms this year you expected more than the tree 
could produce. Buds formed freely, as they often do on weakened 
trees, but they did not expand because of a lack of strength for their 
development. The condition of the buds, stems, and foliage sent all 
clearly indicate exhaustion, and your tree is in very much the condi¬ 
tion that a Vine would be in that had been allowed to grow with little 
or no pruning for two or three years, and to ripen as well as it could all 
the bunches that wtre produced. The crop in such a case would soon 
be worthless compared with that of a properly pruned and well 
managed Vine. You say you pruned your Rose seven weeks ago. That, 
according to the extent of the pruning, might be of some benefit, but 
the operation was performed months too late for the production of 
strong growths that can alone produce grand blooms. The proper time 
for pruning this Rose when it flowers under glass in the spring is as soon 
as the blooms are cut, and then t’<e pruning should be as severe as 
that applied to Vines in the autumn or early winter. If your tree were 
ours we should cut away nine-tenths, and perhaps nineteen-twentieths, 
of the growths now, then by syringing the stems and maintaining a close 
moist atmosphere, also giving probably much more warm liquid manure 
to the roots than you are in the habit of doing, we should force fresh 
shoots to push from the stems, and these growths -would be very different 
in character before the end of the season from the present W'eak shoots, and 
would yield much finer blooms in the spring than your tree in present 
state could possibly develope. Some persons cut back all the growths 
of Marechal Niel after flowering down to the base of the rafters, and. 
cover the roof during the season with vigorous growths that follow the 
pruning. These are not allowed to grow into a thicket, but are disposed 
so that the leaves can expand under the direct influence of light. The 
wood then ripens, and handsome blooms follow in abundance. Other 
growers cut back the branches to a few main stems, much in the way 
that Vines are spurred. Last spring we visited Cheshunt just after Mr. 
George Paul had pruned a Mar6chal Niel in a large house. Nothing 
-was left of the t rowths that had covered the roof, but a few strong 
naked branches 3 or 4 feet apart were all that remained, and these 
were slashed here and there with a knife to arrest the sap and force 
latent buds to start from the rod-like stems. With the roots in good 
soil the Mardchal may be prune ! to any e.xtent, and, as a rule, the more 
severe this is the greater is the vigour of the growths resulting. If you 
