March 8,188?. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
169 
the greatest amount of sunshine and air possible, without which the 
wood cannot ripen. 
Now we come to our illustrations, and I wish to impress on my 
readers that these are not in any sense intended to be works of art, 
neither do they illustrate the habit or growth of any variety of 
Rose that I know. They are simply intended to instruct the 
beginner in certain points, and if they enable me to do that satis¬ 
factorily I shall be perfectly satisfied, and I trust my readers will 
be no less so. Fig. 27 shows a plant of vigorous growth as received 
from the nursery, except that I have made the central root longer 
than roots usually are on young plants. My object is to show how 
such roots, when they do occur, should be shortened. The root in 
question requires to be cut off clean at the mark x. The same 
marks apply to the branches, which are to be pruned to those points. 
It will be seen that the central shoot has been left longer than those 
at each side. Had this plant been a variety of smaller growth, the 
central shoot would require to be cut back as short as the other two. 
Fig. 28 shows the same plant a year older. The root, where cut, 
has thrown out a quantity of fibrous rootlets. The branches show 
where they were cut back to last season, and we can see the growth 
made since. Above that, growing out at the points A I have shown 
the summer or later growths. The crosses again show where the 
plant is to be pruned to. These two figures and these remarks 
explain the system of short or close pruning as applied to dwarf or 
ground plants. This system is the most successful where fine 
blooms and large healthy foliage are desired. 
I have shown the buds on the illustrations. It will be seen on 
fig. 27 that I left two buds on each of the side shoots, and five on 
the central shoot. This is plenty, in my opinion, to leave on an 
ordinary plant of vigorous growth. The robust and small growers 
will not require to have more than two buds on each shoot; more 
may be left on in all cases if desired, and in that case I shall have 
something to say under the head of disbudding, in reference to 
their after removal.—D. Gilmour, jun. 
(To be continued.) 
DEEPLY PLANTED FRUIT TREES. 
Many fruit trees suffer more from being too deeply planted than 
from any other cause. They will grow, often bloom, and bear some 
fruit, but they are never healthy, and only thin crops are produced. 
Much of the fruit falls before it is well formed, and that which ripens 
is far from being perfect in size and flavour. I once had a young Peach 
tree that was planted in a very deep loam. It succeeded well for a 
time, and then began to fail. I was puzzled as to the cause, and lifted 
it, when we found that the roots were a very long way from the surface. 
•It was replanted in another place where the soil was very shallow, and 
in three years afterwards it was a finer tree than at any previous time. 
Since then we have been working to get the roots of all our fruit trees 
nearer the surface, and the results are highly satisfactory. 
Where trees have been planted for some time, and have their roots 
deep in the soil, it may not be convenient or desirable to lift the trees 
on purpose to place the roots nearer the surface ; nor do I recommend 
this practice, as there is another way of doing it which is equally 
effective, and consists of moving away a quantity of the surface soil 
until the roots are reached. If a space 2 or 3 yards in length and width 
is cleared from each tree, and the soil taken away until the roots can be 
seen on the surface, the matter will have been accomplished, as the 
roots will be in a position to receive the benefit of the sun and atmo¬ 
sphere, and the trees will be as satisfactory as any which have been 
planted upon the surface. Top-dressings or mulchings are easily applied 
then, and if watering has to be done the recess formed by taking away 
the surface soil forms an admirable receptacle for it. 
Many trees that are planted near the surface become in time deeply 
rooted, as the favourite plan of surface-dressing is not always taken 
advantage of by them, and very often repeated dressings are applied 
until the roots are far from the surface. But in such cases I recommend 
the removal of the top-dressings, and take them away to such an extent 
that the roots will at once appear near *he surfaee. Almost every 
healthy fruitful tree has its roots close to the surface, and the conditions 
under which these luxuriate should be closely followed in trying to 
bring sickly trees into good health.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
SPIRAEA JAPONIC!. 
The light feathery sprays of this deservedly popular flower are 
always in great request during the spring months. No matter what 
kind of floral arrangements have to be carried out, a few pieces of 
Spiraea are always a welcome addition, and so suitable are they for 
imparting lightness and finish when used with good taste, that they 
may fairly claim to “ hold the field” in that direction. The leaves 
are also most useful for mixing with cut flowers at a time of the 
year when well ripened Fern fronds are not very plentiful. It is 
no wonder, then, that a plant possessing so many good qualities 
should be generally grown and admired; and although it is one 
of the easiest plants to grow moderately well, yet I am convinced 
that a little more attention bestowed on several important details 
of its culture would doubly repay the extra trouble by the superi 
ority of the plants over those grown under ordinary conditions. 
I intend, therefore, to describe how the best plants I have seen 
were grown. 
The two cardinal points to be observed in the management of 
these plants are—(1) to start with large well ripened crowns ; (2) 
to give an abundance of water and stimulating food during the 
growing season. Where they are grown in quantities the plants 
will by this time be in various stages of development. Those that 
have just started into active growth will be at the right stage to 
receive the full benefit of special attention, provided the crowns 
were, when potted prominent and well ripened. I have found 
from experience it is better not to subject them to a high night 
temperature, one ranging between 55° and 60°, according to the 
weather, is the most suitable, but they will enjoy a rise of 15° to 20° 
in the daytime during bright weather, with an abundance of air 
and plenty of atmospheric moisture. No structures are more suited 
to their growth than vineries, from the time they are started till 
the gradual development of the Vine foliage necessitates the 
removal of the plants to houses that were started later. 
Watering, as I have before stated, is a most important operation 
in the cultivation of these moisture-loving Spiraeas, and no ordinary 
methods of performing it are sufficient to produce the best results. 
When they have started into active growth they should receive a 
good soaking once or twice daily, according to the weather, and by 
the time the flower spikes are seen pushing up amongst the foliage 
the pots will be crammed with roots. Then unremitting attention 
in supplying water, and constant feeding with liquid manure, must 
be the order of the day. Do not allow them to become in the least 
dry at the roots, but give water to prevent their getting dry. I 
have frequently watered plants four times a day in bright weather, 
but if saucers are placed under them it will save labour in watering ; 
though care should be taken that the water does not remain in the 
saucers long enough to become sour, which would only happen in 
dull weather, or many of the bottom roots might be killed. Liquid 
manure should be given at one watering every alternate day, and I 
have found nothing better for the purpose than that made fiom 
cow manure, with the addition of a little soot. 
As soon as the plants have flowered, those that have been forced 
early should be placed in cold frames to harden, but later in the 
season they can all be placed in the open air, where they should 
still be kept well supplied with water at the roots. When the 
flowering period of the whole stock that have been grown in pots is 
over, they should be planted out in ground specially prepared for 
their reception, by having it deeply dug, well manured, and worked 
into good friable condition. A border at the foot of a wall is a 
capital place for them, as theyare less liable to be injured by spring 
frosts in such a position. Before planting, the clumps should be 
divided into pieces of various sizes, according to the size of the pots 
in which they are found most useful, making allowance for the size 
the pieces will grow to before being lifted. It is important to have 
them of the right size when potted, because if they have to be 
divided it spoils the shape of the plants, and sometimes results in 
the flower spikes withering before they begin to expand. Small 
pieces with two or three crowns at planting time will make nice 
clumps for use in 4-inch pots when the time for lifting arrives, 
which should be about eighteen months from the time of planting. 
Those that are flowered in pots should have one season’s rest before 
being used in that way again. In planting, the crowns should be 
left slightly above the soil, so as to be exposed to the ripening in¬ 
fluence of sun and air. Deep planting will never give satisfactory 
results with this plant. Neither should they be planted closely 
together, as they require plenty of room for their foliage to develope 
in order to produce good crowns. The best time for potting 
the clumps is November (when the foliage is dying down), using a 
compost of good loam three parts, and one of well-decayed manure. 
They can then be placed in cold pits, or plunged in ashes till wanted 
for starting into growth in a gentle heat, but home-grown Spiraeas 
do not start readily into growth if taken into heat before the latter 
part of December. The above remarks may contain nothing new 
or startling, but they are intended to serve as guides along a well- 
tried path, which, if followed with care and attention, will lead to 
success in the cultivation of this popular favourite.—H. Dunkin. 
VIOLETS IN WINTER. 
On page 127 “ J. L. B.” is not too loud in his praises of the above, 
for certainly they deserve to be grown more extensively for winter 
flowering. Not only may they he grown in frames, but in pots success¬ 
fully, and when grown in pots they are useful for house decorating. I 
have found Marie Louise and Neapolitan the two most useful varieties 
for frame and pot culture. Unexceptionable good plants may be ob¬ 
tained by lifting the runners, which are planted with the parent plant 
