Febmary 3, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
85 
cut, from which in a short time issue quite a tuft or fringe of the 
small roots so much to be desired. Another reason why pruning is 
desirable, is that the roots are kept close round about the plant, so 
that when you apply the manure you have a tolerably good idea 
that your plant is getting the benefit of it. Therefore cut back all 
roots anything thicker than a little finger to about 5 or 6 inches 
long. Remove all bruised roots also, but preserve as many fibrous 
or hair-like roots as possible. Round about the collar of the plant, 
which may best be described as being where the roots end and the 
trunk begins, may generally be found some dormant eyes, little red 
lumps or round swellings in the bark, much as if a small pea were 
inserted under it. These must be cut clean away, or they will 
quickly develope into branches, or suckers as they are called. 
Caution.—Be sure before cutting away the eyes that they are not 
part of the bud which has been inserted in the plant. 
As each plant is prepared, place the roots in the hole, spreading 
them out as much as possible, cover them with a little of the finest 
soil, then throw on the coarser. When the hole is nearly full the 
earth must be made very firm, and I always use for this purpose an 
iron rammer, such as the gas and water people use for making good 
the roads after repairs, and I go round every plant with this until 
the soil is rammed down solid. A writer I noticed recently in the 
Gardeners' Chronicle advocated planting without stamping or 
ramming down the soil at all ; he left it to time and the winter 
weather to settle the soil round the roots. Well, all I can say to 
that is, th at Nature makes the soil firm, and I shall continue to 
imitate Nature until I can find a better teacher. The great objec¬ 
tion to a b ole full of loose soil is that water will most certainly 
collect there, and the roots will have a bad time of it. Anybody 
who doubts that the roots standing in water is not prejudicial, if 
there be anybody who does doubt it, may very easily resolve his 
doubts by placing the roots of a Rose tree in a tub of water for a 
few days, he will find that the ends of the roots turn back and 
decay. In planting, care must be taken not to plant too deep ; the 
nearer the surface the nearer the sun and the nearer the air. Canon 
Hole I think it is w r ho says, “ deep planting means disease, debility, 
and death,” and I believe he is quite right. In planting standards 
or half-standards let the roots be as near the surface as possible. On 
a light sandy soil, where the heat of the sun penetrates and dries the 
soil to a considerable depth, Roses may be planted deeper than on 
cold heavy clays ; but even on a light soil 1 should prefer shallow 
planting, and should endeavour to protect the roots from becoming 
too dry by means of mulching [see mulching]. In planting dwarfs 
or plants budded on or below the ground line, plant them so that 
the union of the stock and scion shall be just below the surface, 
say 1 or 2 inches. This applies to all ground-worked plants, either 
on the Manetti, seedling Briar, cutting Briar, or Grefferie. Standards 
and half-standards will require to be firmly staked and tied as soon 
as planted, for plants rocked to and fro in the wind do no good. 
Stakes cost a lot of money, especially long ones—another reason why 
we should grow dwarfs, stakes for which cost very little. All 
plants may have the shoots cut back to about 18 inches long when 
planted, which very much reduces the power of the wind over them 
and in the case of dwarfs obviates the necessity of stakes altogether 
at planting time, except in very exposed situations. Speaking of 
stakes, I find that ordinary thatch pegs, which may be purchased at 
any ironmonger’s for about Is. fid. per hundred, make capital stakes 
for dwarfs ; they look neat, are durable, pack close together when 
put away, and so take up very little room. 
When the planting is finished a good dressing of manure spread 
over the surface above the roots will benefit them, keeping off the 
frost, while the snow and rain will wash the nourishing substances 
through the soil down to where the roots are. Avoid having holes 
or inequalities in the ground, as the water will collect there and do 
the plants no good. 
If the weather should be very dry after planting, and the soil 
apparently so, do not go by the appearance of the surface, but dig 
a hole, and if it be really dry, it will be better to water the newly 
planted Roses. Give them a good soaking; slight dewings are no 
use at any time, and always appear to me to be something like 
giving a hungry man a small basin of thin soup and a toothpick, 
in place of a couple of pounds of rump steak and suitable 
accompaniments. 
WHEN TO PLANT ROSES. 
Roses may be safely planted any time between October and 
March, the earlier in the season after October the better, as they 
make roots, or at any rate prepare for doing so during the winter. 
If the operation be postponed until spring the plants have no time 
to establish themselves before they begin to grow, and if the season 
be dry after planting they will suffer much more than those planted 
in autumn. Another very great reason why plants should be 
obtained early is that the purchaser gets better plants, nurserymen 
naturally selecting the best plants for the first comers. Buyesr in 
the late spring time, sometimes in return for the same money that 
would in the autumn have brought them fine plants, receive what 
may be termed a fair sample of the “riddlins o’ creation,” together 
with a letter of apology, regretting “ that the plants are rather 
small,” and going on to say that “ all the best plants were sold 
before we had your kind order, &c.”— D. GilmOOR, JUN. 
(To be continued.) 
A WORD FOR PENZANCE BROCCOLI. 
In your issue of the Journal for December 23rd, page 557, a review 
of vegetables appeared from “ A Kitchen Gardener,” in which he states 
‘ that he never saw any good Broccoli connected with the name of 
Penzance.” That is rather a sweeping assertion to make in the face of 
the many hundreds of acres that are grown in this neighbourhood, and 
although “ A Kitchen Gardener ” may not have seen any, it does not 
follow that there are no good Broccoli to be seen. I can assure him 
there are plenty, a sample of which I forward for your inspection 
•(Penzance Early). Perhaps you will be kind enough to convey to 
“ A Kitchen Gardener ” your opinion as to their merits. I have seen 
better; the cold weather and the terrific gales we have had have not 
improved them. 
The season of Penzance earlies commence in December, and are 
succeeded by the second earlies and lates, which keep up an unbroken 
supply until May, and better Broccoli I never wish to see ; in fact 1 do 
not think it possible to see better than what I have seen here. A 
Kitchen Gardener” may not have hail the best strain, I do not suppose 
he had, but that would hardly justify his statement. Again, a different 
climate might make the change. I think that that might be a probable, 
if not the chief reason of his failure. I know from my own experiem e 
that many good Broccoli that I have seen do well in other parts of the 
country are here next to worthless ; so much so, that I now rely entirely 
upon the Penzance varieties to succeed Yeitch’s Autumn Broccoli to 
keep an unbroken supply, and which, I am happy to say, they do admir¬ 
ably. I find that the second early varieties give the best and hand¬ 
somest heads, but these are always good in all varieties, and if " A 
Kitchen Gardener” has still doubts on the subject, I should have 
pleasure in sending him a sample of our Broccoli for his inspection. 
Hy. Mount, Kingwainton, Penzance. 
[The Broccoli heads received are very good indeed ; close, firm, and 
well protected by incurving leaves. We have not seen better samples 
this year.] 
WATERTIGHT ASHPITS. 
I MUST imitate Mr. Bardney in adding to former notes. Mr. Bardney 
complains of my omissions. So far, however, I have not attemped to over¬ 
run discussion ; I anticipated it would be a loDg one, and I am content 
to proceed step by step. Until Mr. Bardney is more inclined to give 
the principle a trial I think so many details regarding our temperatures 
piping, &c., would be of no service generally. 
The note kindly forwarded by Mr. Horner will, I feel, sure, go far 
to satisfy all, as regards preservation at any rate. Nothing is proved 
against my theory by showing that red hot iron repels water. If the 
water is completely thrown off of course none remains to cause oxidation ; 
as hot iron also repels oxygen, no oxidation can occur. This point, then, 
is cleared up in my favour. Mr. Bardney, like Mr. Riddell, is very 
careful to mention a perfectly dry place in cooling, but water .must not 
be confounded with steam or vapour, which occupies space 1694 times 
greater than water itself, and is not so easily subject to repulsion by 
reason of a continuous supply, as none escapes at the bottom doors until 
draught is checked by opening the two furnace doors. 
It is not for me to deal in detail with pi’oblems intended for 
“Thinker,” but I think Mr. Bardney has not advanced far in 
his later note. With regard to labour and expense in constructing his 
ashpits to hold water, I may briefly give the items.of our first, which is 
very satisfactory. Coating of cement, bottom, sides, and end, level 
with ashpit doors, 4s. 6d., labour 2s., total 6s. 6d. 
The laws and force of atmospheric pressure must be left out of M r. 
Bardney’s calculations, who ought, with the same reason, to ask why 
more accidents occur in mines during such weather, seeing the average 
height of the clouds during winter is from 1300 to 1500 yards, and from 
3300 to 4400, and even more ; thus on a clear frosty night, as spoken of 
by Mr. Bardney, may assume we are atmospherically on equal terms 
w’ith a clear summer’s evening, the smoke ascending in an upright 
column. , . 
I trespass thus far for the purpose of pointing out two entirely 
opposite theories intended to agree. Mr. Riddell, in his last communi¬ 
cation, would have us believe that a boiler set and not in use would not 
oxidise rapidly enough, because it was in a perfectly dry place or free 
from the natural effects of oxygen attracted by damp, while Mr. 
Bardney goes so far as to suggest that the amount of aqueous vapour 
finding its way into the stokehole might be sufficient to impede 
draught. 
Regarding the danger of hot air 
imbibing moisture, I will beg to 
“ Engineer and Mechanic’s Ency- 
521, being one of several experi- 
quote the following extract from the 
clopaedia,” hy Mr. Luke Hebert, page ™--a — - - A - 
ments to extinguish fires, some extensive and well conducted ex¬ 
periments recently performed by Mr. \V aterhouse at. 1 leston in anca^ 
shire have shown that steam will speedily extinguish moderately small 
