313 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 13, 1889. 
their flowers—will be seen in their usual fine form at the Drill Hall, 
Westminster, next Tuesday, but for several weeks yet these Slough 
Auriculas will be a lovely sight, and being generally late, will probably 
be better after Easter than before. There are all the fine old sorts, too 
numerous to mention, whilst many singularly beautiful seedlings are 
opening. Indeed we are told that Alpines have not by any means come 
to their best, and that the full glory of their charms have yet to bo 
exposed. Being so much more robust and so much more freely repro¬ 
ductive from seed of all the best forms of the parents than are the 
•stage or show varieties, no wonder Alpines are fast becoming the 
•favourite Auricula of the amateur. A visit to Slough just now will do 
much to stimulate admirers of Auriculas to undertake their culture, 
and to secure the essential appliances to that end.” 
FIG. 50. 
SPRING FLOWERS. 
Though somewhat later than usual this year, we have now abund¬ 
ance of the earliest hardy flowers. Foremost among them is the lovely 
Iris reticulata ; the rich violet purple of its flowers, combined with its 
fragrace, render it unique. It may be well grown in pots in a cold 
frame, or be given a warm sunny nook on the rockery or in the border, 
for, though choice, it is perfectly hardy. Then we have the Spring 
Snowflake (Leucojum vernum), a singularly beautiful, fragrant, and 
interesting flower, specially adapted for massing in the border or on the 
rockery, and being but a few inches high it may be naturalised on grass 
or in the woodland with very pleasing results ; and what more fitting 
companion for it than the Snowdrops, particularly the finer kinds, such 
as Imperati and Elwesi, and what a contrast are their large handsome 
buds to those of the ordinary form. How charming do the flowers of 
G. Elwesi appear in small vases ; a few of these, with Daffodils and 
their foliage, are always welcome and very enduring. Nor can we 
afford to overlook the extreme beauty of the hardy Cyclamen 
(C. vernum) and the forms of Atkinsi, which figure among the 
brightest bits of colour on the rockery at this seasor. Crocus is 
now adorn our grrden in gold, while, purple, blue, and beautifully 
striped flowers. They may be planted deeply in beds by themselves, 
the surface of which may be utilised for general bedding opera¬ 
tions in summer time. When well established Crocuses annually 
furnish a rich harvest of flowers not equalled by any other group of 
spring plants. 
Hepaticas in varying shades, including blue, lavender, lilac, and 
mauve, with pink and white, are now all aglow with flowers. These are 
easily grown, rather impatient of frequent removal, enjoy a quiet 
secluded spot sheltered from biting winds, and given a deep, rather rich, 
light sandy loam, are but little trouble afterwards. The earliest and 
most conspicuous of them is H. angulosa ; we have but few plants so 
really effective. 
The now admired and popular Chionodoxa Lucilire is in bloom, and 
is fully equal to all that has been said of it, for nothing that I know 
can compare with it for brilliancy when seen en masse. A bed con¬ 
taining several thousands was conspicuous last year at a distance of 
100 yards or more, and I am enjoying even a richer display this year. 
C. sardensis, though of a more intense blue, has smaller flowers, and is 
not so effective as the first named. Other flowers adapted for associa¬ 
tion with these are the well-known Scilla sibirica, of an intense gentian 
blue ; S. bifolia, neat and very early, with its light blue sprays of 
blossoms ; and S. bifolia maxima, the latter more vigorous and a much 
superior plant; the flowers, too, are of a deeper hue, and certainly very 
modest and effective are all these when seen in patches. There are also 
the Dog’s-tooth Violets (Erythroniums) bursting through the soil to 
expand their flowers quickly with warm sunny weather. And then 
the Daffodils, sturdy and enduring without doubt; they flower in 
spite of the weather. Such varieties as pallidus prsecox, obvallaris 
and Golden Spur have fully expanded flowers. The rapidity with 
which these grow is astonishing, and with Primroses, Polyanthuses, 
and bedding Violas to bear them company there will soon be quite a 
feast of flowers in the open ground.—J. H. E. 
PRUNING FRUIT TREES AFTER PLANTING. 
Although, as stated by Mr. Wright, I have not advised leaving the 
pruning of newly planted standard Apple trees till the second season 
after planting, I am still convinced that the practice is not so bad as 
some of the advocates of the other side wish us to suppose it is. Because 
the trees happen to be standards are we to assume that they are all fine 
tops with meagre roots ? When I have had to go to a fruit tree nursery¬ 
man for trees, I have never had the least difficulty in procuring good 
healthy and well-rooted trees with a well balanced top. I have proved 
beyond doubt that Apple and Pear trees can and do make abundance of 
roots the season after planting without much extension of young growth 
beyond leaves which form fruit buds on newly planted trees. As an 
illustration, whilst living at Holme Lacy the shifting of fruit trees was 
an annual occurrence, and on one occasion we had to take up some trees 
which had been removed the previous autumn. I was quite taken by 
surprise by the quantities of fresh roots they had made. As it was our 
practice to surround the roots with good loam when replanting, the roots 
had taken such a hold that it took four men to remove trees which one 
could do easily the previous season. 
Mr. Wright asks if, when I plant Rose3 and Currants with growths 
I feet long, I leave those shoots intact the tjrst season, and if not, why 
not ? As far as Currants are concerned I have never shifted any with 
young growths 4 feet long, but it is my practice when planting Roses 
to prune hard back, as these being easily excited there is no difficulty 
for them to make good healthy shoots ; but if Roses are planted late in 
spring the growth made is not nearly so good as when planted early in 
November. With young Currants it is the same. I prune hard back, 
knowing that I shall get healthy shoots from 18 inches to 2 feet in 
length, so as to form a framework for the bushes. Currants are such 
healthy rooters that there is no difficulty in the matter. With good 
healthy well formed fruiting bushes I have had plenty of fruit the 
following season by replanting carefully early in the autumn just as the 
leaves were falling, and without the shoots being pruned hard back. 
These trees hardly felt any check. With late planted trees the case was 
different; instead of the fruit maturing it dropped early in the season. 
If a Peach, Plum, or Apricot tree is shifted early in the season when the 
leaves are falling the result is the same, but if planted late little or no 
fruit follows. With October-planted Apple trees I have had good and 
strong growth by pruning early, but with trees planted late, or towards 
the end of February or early in March, the growth has been anything 
but satisfactory, and the second season pruned trees have taken the 
lead. There are thousands of trees planted late throughout the country. 
Will advocates of spring pruning give their views on waiting till the 
spring for the rising sap before pruning ? Some years since an article 
was published from me on pruning fruit trees, but subsequent experi¬ 
ence has altered my views. I there stated that established trees should 
be pruned at the fall of the leaf, and newly planted trees in February. 
That article brought Mr. Edward Luckhurst down on me. He said (I 
think Mr. Abbey is in error when he states that Mr. Luckhurst advised 
non-pruning) that the matter had been fully discussed in the Journal 
several years since, with the result that fruit trees break more strongly 
when pruned immediately after planting. That set me thinking, with 
the result that I pruned several early planted trees about a week after 
planting, and the growths made were earlier and more satisfactory than 
the late pruned trees. I should like the views of others on the follow- 
