September 17, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
239 
one side of a tree ; spur formation, fruit production with corre¬ 
sponding fibrous roots on the other—the latter the natural outcome 
of rational pruning. This, it was stated, “ consists in disbudding 
and thinning to prevent overcrowding instead of shortening 
branches, yet letting the roots extend to create it ; encouraging the 
roots of weakly trees and shortening the branches to promote 
necessary vigour ; but when trees grow too luxuriantly in summer 
cutting back the shoots in winter is simply followed by more and 
stronger growths. It is a case of man fighting against Nature, and 
the combat may go on for a generation, Nature inevitably winning 
in forcing growth. If man must conquer he must use his brains 
and change his tactics. The branches of a strong-rooted tree, if 
kept thin and not shortened, will in time counteract the root 
power, form blossom buds and bear fruit, weather permitting ; but 
if for special reasons the growth must be arrested and restricted 
within certain bounds, the roots must be shortened to a greater 
extent than the branches, especially strong roots that strike deep 
down in the subsoil ; then with otherwise good cultural attention, 
trees hitherto practically barren will produce valuable crops of fruit.” 
Mr. Wright spoke for about an hour to a highly attentive audience. 
At the close of the lecture Mr. Read of Oatlands Park said 
that by a change in the system of pruning of the trees in his 
charge, and especially root-pruning and adding chalk to the lime¬ 
less soil, much larger crops of finer fruit were had than the trees 
had ever borne before. 
Mr. A. H. Pearson said he could follow what he had heard and 
seen, because he had been taught fruit culture in continental 
schools of horticulture, and he was sure that the principles 
advocated that day were sound. He was glad to have heard them 
expounded, and should like to have hold of the diagrams. 
Mr. Ivatt, a fruit grower in Cambridgeshire, spoke of the great 
advantage he had found in attending to fruit trees and bushes in 
summer, keeping them open. The cost was trifling and the practice 
remunerative, for it gave him finer fruits than he could otherwise 
obtain, and he had no difficulty in selling it at the best market prices. 
Mr. Udale wished to know if root-pruning could not be over¬ 
done and trees injured by it. Mr. Roupell wished to know the 
best time for a root-pruning, and Mr. Rivers said when new roots 
were produced as they were by the process we should remember 
the old had exhausted the soil in which the new were formed, and 
fresh soil should be added for giving them the requisite food for 
promoting and sustaining healthy growth. 
Mr. Wright, in reply to the questions and comments, adduced 
examples of success through following the methods advised. In 
reply to Mr. Read, he said fruitfulness could be induced when there 
was space for extension and thinly disposed growths without root- 
pruning, but more quickly by its aid. In answer to Mr. Udale, he 
said undoubtedly ti'ees could be injured by excessive root-pruning ; 
he had seen them killed, but that was butchering, not intelligent 
pruning. Mr. Roupell was told the best time for root-pruning 
was early in the autumn when the leaves were changing, and the 
descending current of sap would cause the smoothly cut ends to 
callus in a few weeks. He also said Mr. Rivers’ remark on giving 
fresh soil was important, and ought not to be forgotten. Votes 
of thanks to the lecturers and the Chairman brought the proceed¬ 
ings to a close. 
THE SHOWING OF SPRING ONIONS. 
Now that the shows of the year are nearly over we may reasonably 
talk over the points of interest which have struck us in our various 
experiences, either as exhibitjrs, judges, or on-lookers. One matter 
which, as a judge at more than one show this year, has attracted my 
attention is the present-day manner of setting up spring Onions. It is 
not unusual now to find Onions set up as spring Onions as large as any 
of the autumn-sown ones. To the casual observer this will appear 
strange, especially when contrasted with the rank and file of the other 
exhibits in the same class. To the initiated it is not strange, because 
they know that these very large Onions were raised under glass, some 
very early in the year, and moved on and on by degrees until they were 
finally planted out in the open ground, all this being done specially for 
exhibition purposes. It must be, however, plain to the meanest under¬ 
standing that all this is not exactly right, or why is there such a 
wonderful difference between these bulbs and those others, which, of 
course, were sown in the ordinary manner in the open ground, and at 
the ordinary time of the year ? That is the point I desire to bring out. 
As a first thought it might be suggested that the Judges ought to dis¬ 
qualify these immense bulbs on the ground that such could not be 
produced from a spring sowing ; but then the Judges are tied down by 
the schedules, and as these schedules say “ Six Spring Onions ” or 
“ Twelve Spring Onions,” and the Judges know that these have been, 
or can be, produced by sowing under glass in the current season, though 
sown in the late winter or very early spring, they cannot conscientiously 
disqualify, though they may feel that it is a very elastic reading of the 
schedule, and that the exhibitor who has read his schedule simply and 
literally is severely handicapped thereby. 
What is the remedy for this ? It is for the compilers of schedules to 
say. It is clearly a hardship on the man who has read and interpreted 
his schedule according to the simple and literal meaning of the words, 
and has acted thereon, to see his honest productions set aside for those 
which he knows have been produced by sowing under glass as soon as 
the year came in, or very soon after, and shifted by degrees until they 
are being planted out, or ready for it, almost at the time his are being 
sown in the open ground. Will the difficulty be met by the addition 
to the item in the schedule, “ Six or twelve spring Onions, to be sown 
in the open,” berng added thereto? 
I should like the opinions of others who may have been interested 
in this matter, either as on-lookers, exhibitors, or judges. The most 
conspicuous example of this way of showing was at Shrewsbury, and 
Mr. Muir of Margam, Mr. Ward of Longford and myself discussed the 
point, as well as our duties and the time permitted, but not having 
an opportunity to talk it out and arrive at some conclusion, I thought 
I would open the subject here, by permission of the Editor, and see if 
something could not be done to put the honest and literal reader of the 
schedule on a more equitable footing with his more elastic-minded and 
forward neighbour. It may be urged that judges would be perfectly 
justified in disqualifying these very large bulbs, inasmuch as that they 
are not spring Onions at all, being sown before the calendarial spring 
(March 21st), but then the feeling is that this would be as arbitrary an 
interpretation of the schedule as the other is an elastic one. Clearly 
there is a want of fairness and equity in the present way of showing, but 
how to remedy the matter is somewhat difficult.—N. H. POWNALL, 
Lento/t Hall Gardens , Nottingham. 
APPLE BENONI. 
Last week reference was made to this pleasant September Apple, 
and we now give an illustration of one of the fruits that was grtwn on 
FIG. 43.— APPLE BENONI. 
a pyramid tree at Chiswick. The crop was one of the best, and the tree 
is one of the healthiest growers in the collection, being upright in habit, 
and hence well suited to borders in gardens. Mr. Barron regarded it as 
one of the best varieties for following the summer Apples such as Mr. 
Gladstone, Red Astrachan, and others, and preceding the regular autumn 
Apples. The quality of the Chiswick fruit was good, pleasant, and 
refreshing, but we have tasted fruits richer from Sawbridgewortb, while 
in Kent we have heard the variety is not regarded as superior. Soils- 
and circumstance have their influence on fruits; but, generally speaking, 
noni may be regarded as a September Apple well worth growing. 
FAVOURITE FLOWER BEDS. 
I herewith send a few combinations which have struck me as 
being novel and effective. Two years ago I saw a particularly effective 
arrangement, composed of strong flowering plants of Veronica Ander- 
soniana variegata intermixed with Lobelia cardinalis. The bed was 
isolated, and there was nothing to interfere with the beautiful soft blue 
of the Veronica, and the deep dark crimson spikes of the Lobelia, the 
creamy white and green foliage of the first-named plants providing a 
harmonious undergrowth. 
Last year one of the prettiest mixtures I noted was a combination of 
yellow and white Chrysanthemum coronarium 11.-pi. in front of a 
cottage. I pirated the idea, and this season have a long background of 
these planted alternate’y. The combination in most, or perhaps all 
instances, where white and yellow are employed is of great beauty. 
An exceedingly soft and harmonious flower bed of the present year 
is composed of a large central block of a dwarf Ageratum planted 
alternately with the rosy flowered Crystal Palace Gem Pelargonium. 
This is a combination, as most flower gardeners will notice, of rose, soft 
