Deoember 17, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
537 
as a fact, that Apple?, Pears, and Melons become highly flavoured with 
tar if any is kept in a fruit room or frame, even if the tar itself never 
touches the fruit. I have seen a vessel of tar placed in a Melon frame as 
an experiment in destroying red spider. It was only in one night, and 
besides injuring the foliage of the plants, some fruits approaching ripeness 
that were subsequently sent to the dessert table of the owner of them 
were returned to the gardener as “ tasting of tar.” They were un- 
mistakeably tar-flavoured. It is a fact also that a large quantity of Apples 
aD j . ara h_ a ve been spoiled in flavour by tar having been incautiously 
used in a fruit room, though not a speck of it touched any of the fruit. 
The effluvium was simply absorbed, just as it would be absorbed by butter 
if tar were placed in a dairy. Tar is dangerous in plant houses also. A 
grower of Pelargoniums for market tarrd the stages in a large house, and 
arranging plants on them too sqon hundreds were ruined. Considering 
these circumstances, I certainly think tar is best kept outside any 
structures in which plants or fruit are kept; and if I may be allowed to 
do so I would suggest that a ripe Peach be placed under a large flower 
pot with a saucer of tar for a night, and the flavour of the fruit be tried 
before placing a pail of tar in a Peach house to exclude wasps. 
On the page last quoted Mr. Williamson refers to me as having “ very 
lightly touched ” on the subject of what may be termed half-pruning 
Vines in the autumn. I touched lightly, because I know from experience 
that all readers do not alike comprehend what writers intend to convey, 
and I did not wish to encourage any reckless slashing. On some Vines, 
and especially where the growths are much crowded, the leaves near the 
base of the laterals are next to worthless as assimilators and storers of 
nutriment, and to cut back the laterals too early to such so-called leaves 
would probably be a mistake; but in the case of well-developed and in 
every respect perfect leaves, I am of opinion it is quite safe to shorten 
the laterals just before the foliage commences changing, provided four are 
left on each lateral. After the leaves change it is doubtful if they store 
up much more food ; and it is also a question if the removal of a number 
of them checks root-action to the prejudice of strong established Vines. 
I have tried the plan carefully for several years, first limiting it to one Vine 
the crops on which warranted an extension of the practice. I know also 
the plan is systematically adopted by one of the most famed Grape- 
growers in England, who has a brilliant record in exhibiting; al-o in a 
celebrated garden where Grapes are not grown for showing; but the 
crops are undeniably fine, and the gardener is admittedly one of the most 
able of the craft which he adorns. Still, though I and others have found 
the practice good, I do not advise its indiscriminate adoption, and regard¬ 
less of the actual condition of the foliage, but would rather counsel others 
to do what I did myself—proceed cautiously and experimentally, then 
extend or stop procedure according to the results achieved. 
I think the food stored by the leaves in the upper parts of Vine 
laterals does not benefit the lower buds which we rely on for future crops 
of Grapes, but is cut away. We want more nutriment storing by the 
lower leaves, and these should at no time be shaded, overcrowded, or 
weakened in their functions by the foliage above. Mr. Williamson’s 
friend no doubt pruned his Vines too closely, and possibly too early in the 
season, and in that case would be certain to defeat his object. 
A VERY useful hint is given on page 525 on forcing Seakale by 
covering the crowns with soil dug from between the rows and filling the 
trenches thus made with fermenting materials. Persons who are content 
to wait for “Kale” may have produce of the first size and finest quality 
without any artificial heat. Plant sets, with growths starting, a foot 
apart in two rows in rich deep soil in March, then have a space of feet 
and plant two more rows, and so on. If well tended very fine crowns will 
form during the summer, and these covered 7 or 8 inches deep with soil 
dug from between the twin rows early in the spring push through it, 
giving finer produce than can be had in any other way, and of a quality 
that cannot be surpassed. As hundreds of persons refrain from growing 
Seakale because they possess no means of forcing it artificially, this simple 
method is worth thinking about; and the more so since the Kale is ready 
between the seasons of winter Greens and early Peas. Large quantities 
of Seakale are grown in the manner described by a few individuals, but 
the practice is by no means so common as its merits deserve. The lighter 
the soil the better, and it should only be placed on the crowns when in a 
dry, free, workable state. The Kale is ready for cutting immediately the 
growths are seen pushiog through the soil. 
Another good hint was recorded a little time ago on growing 
Tuberoses in a very simple manner. It appears Mr. Bell of Strathfieldsaye 
keeps the bulbs in paper bags till May, then plants them in good soil in 
the open garden, takes up the plants and pots them in the autumn, and 
they afford flowers plentifully under glass in the winter. It is to be 
remembered that Strathfieldsaye is in the south of England, and it is not 
to be expected that similar results are attainable everywhere ; yet the 
experience reminds me that years ago Tuberoses were started in pots 
towards the end of March or the beginning of April, grown under glass 
and prepared for planting out in June in clumps of three or five in mixed 
borders, and they flowered freely towards the end of summer many mile3 
north of Hampshire. I have seen scores of them, but no one appears to 
have thought of lifting and potting those that were late. They would, of 
course, be later still by not planting till May, and then in the open 
ground like Potatoes, and the plan that appears to be so successful with 
Mr. Bell is certainly worth trying* by others who covet these delightful 
flowers. 
Evidence appears to be conflicting as to the hardiness and usefulness 
of the American novelty, the White Plume Celery, that needs no earthing. 
I have been so many times disappointed with sensational introductions 
that this variety has, as adjudicators of exhibited articles not good enough 
for approval euphemistically say, been “ passed.” I havenot grown it nor 
seen it, and, with all due respect to those who praise it, shall stubbornly 
refuse to admit its equality with the old-fashioned Celery of British 
gardens until I have proof of its virtues. It may be said there is no 
“reason” in this decision ; probably there may not be, but I presume a 
parson has a right to be incredulous, and even stubborn if he likes. 
I HAVE had occasion before to say that Mr. Iggulden is a “ tough 
customer.” When he gets anything into his head it appears a fixture. 
He stands to his guns on the question of what he believes the error of 
exhibiting late Grapes till the Chrysanthemum show season. In that case 
he would exclude collections of Grapes from shows until then, and then 
admit all the varieties ; but 1 suppose he knows that all of them are not 
in the best condition even in November. His instance of a gardener 
showing several varieties so well in August with the approval of his 
employer, simply shows the gardener does his duty in endeavouring to 
merit that approval ; and then he somewhat strangely asks what is to 
prevent others doing the same without the approval of those who employ 
them? The answer is obvious—their disapproval. That is quite sufficient. 
He need have no fear that if owners of vineries constructed for the pur¬ 
pose desire Grapes after November they will not have them. The truth 
is that since the exhibition of a few of the long-keeping varieties of 
Grapes before November a greatly increased number have been provided 
long after then, otherwise the prices for them in the first three months of 
the year would increase instead of diminish. A good many Black Ham- 
burghs and Muscats are shown before they are even presentable, but that 
is no reason they should not be exhibited when they are. The whole 
question turns on the stipulations of schedules. Make these clear and 
contentions will vanish. For instance, take the Madresfield Court out of 
the Any other (than Black Hamburgh) variety class, 'and assign it a 
class to itself, and there will be little left to grumble about; and it is 
observable that persons who are in the habit of winning first prizes with 
six or eight varieties of Grapes in August or September do not complain. 
The condition that three bunches of Grapes shall form a dish is to say 
what hundreds feel—absurd. In that I agree with our reformer; and 
also that a good judge would not award a prize to unripe fruit if there 
were ripe fruit in the same class, and otherwise good ; but there is a good 
deal of “ripe ” fruit staged that represents, if it represents anything, the 
reverse of good culture, and mo3t good judges recognise the evidence of 
superior cultivation, which exhibitions are supposed to promote. 
Mr. Ward refers to my test example of judging, in which an uneven 
stand of Chrysanthemum blooms examined individually merited two 
points more than those more even in size in another stand. The same 
relative differences in Pears and Apples would have afforded an equally 
good example. Your correspondent does not say he would have awarded 
the first prize to the stand in which the blooms were determined after 
close examination to be two points inferior to the others, but observes I 
“ allow nothing for evenness.” Granted. The question is, permit me to 
say, not what either I or he would do in such a case, but what would be 
right to do under such circumstances ? This is an important matter, and, 
with the object of testing the point I will submit that as a matter of 
principle everything staged should be judged on its individual merits, and 
that the general evenness of a number of blooms or dishes of fruit in 
which some varieties, even when perfect, are naturally smaller than the 
others, should only turn the scale when the points of merit, deduced after 
critical examination, are equal, it being understood that every quality is 
taken into consideration in the individual inspection, and that the character 
of each variety when fully developed is kept distinctly in mind. I think 
it is time some general understanding was arrived at on this question for 
the guidance of both exhibitors and judges, as it is clear some adjudi¬ 
cators attach more importance to the general evenness of collections than 
others do who found their awards on the merits of the individual examples 
in the collection, and thus exhibitors are often in doubt as to “ what to 
be at.”—A Thinker. 
ROOT PROPAGATION OF BOUVARDIAS. 
This is one of the most popular autumn and winter-flowering plants 
in cultivation. It is a profuse bloomer, and can be had in flower during 
five or six of the dullest months in the year. For cut blooms, or for plant 
decoration, it has few equals at this season, when flowers are in great 
demand in most establishments. All the varieties are easily propagated 
and cultivated. When well grown many of them will produce corymbs 
of flowers almost as large as Lilies, which stand for a longtime on the 
plant and in a cut state before decaying. 
They are propagated from cuttings of the plant and division (or cut¬ 
tings) of the roots. 1 prefer the latter system, as the plants raised in 
this way grow more strongly, and are not so liable to flower prematurely 
as those struck from cuttings in the ordinary way. To obtain plants with 
strong well-ripened flowering shoots by the autumn the cuttings should 
be inserted by the end of February or the beginning of March. The 
compost we use for the cuttings consists of loam, leaf mould, and silver 
sand in equal parts, passed through a fine sieve, and thoroughly incorpo¬ 
rated. In making the cuttings the soil is shook clear from the roots of 
the old plants, which are small and wiry; they are then cut in lengths of 
not more than half an inch. These are sown thickly in well-drained pots, 
