228 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 24,18S7. 
mature portion of tlie tree. The final thinning should not be done till 
after the fruit has stoned, and by the general condition of the trees. 
Let this be your guide as to the quantity to remain after the stoning 
process. See that they receive plenty of stimulant in the way of mulching"; 
liquid manure and an occasional supply of soot water will improve the 
foliage, working upon it like magic. All laterals should be taken off 
and the trees examined often. This is the way to keep Peaches always 
in a presentable condition. When tbe fruits commence colouring 
water should be gradually diminished, but after the fruit has all been 
gathered keep the trees well syringed. The sorts I would recommend 
arc good and few—Alexandra, Early Alfred, A Bee, Grosse Mignonne, 
Royal George, Barrington, Walburton Admirable, Salwey. Nectarines 
—Elruge, Lord Napier, Violette TIStive, Pine Apple, Victoria. These 
are all good and useful varieties. I had a good crop of Sea Eagle last 
season, fine and handsome fruit, but in flavour very inferior.—W. A. 
Cook. Holme Wooti. 
PLANTING AND CUTTING BOX EDGING. 
To my mind there is no edging for walks, particularly in the 
kitchen garden, so suitable as Box, although some object to it on 
account of its harbouring slugs, which it does if allowed to grow 
wild, as is somet imes the case. In some gardens it is allowed to attain a 
height of 101 inches and half as much through ; but if managed, in 
a proper manner nothing makes so neat an edging. It has the ad¬ 
vantage over edging tdes of its natural green colour, which har¬ 
monises well with its surroundings, be they gravel on the paths or 
the crops within the quarters. It certainly requires a good deal of 
time to keep it in order, but if well and properly planted to 
commence with it need not be objectionable on that account. 
Where Box is used March is as good as any time for planting it. 
There is a right and a wrong way, even in planting an edging of 
Box. If treated as follows it will be found to give satisfaction. I 
find that a little time spent upon it in the first instance is well re¬ 
paid in after years. 
Let us suppose, then, that a walk is to be made in the kitchen 
garden running alongside the border next the wall, and conse¬ 
quently parallel with it. The first thing to be done is to fix upon a 
certain level at a given distance from the wall, according to the 
width of the border, which varies according to circumstances. 
Whatever width the border is to be, the farthest end of it must be the 
same distance from the wall as the end near at hand, and the same 
level must be maintained with the aid of the square edge and spirit 
livol by taking a certain course of bricks in the wallas a guide. At 
each end from this the same level should be found in the position 
where the Box is to be planted from the wall by the instruments 
named. If the border is to have a fall from the wall to the path 
this must be decided upon, and noted at each end. In most cases 
this is neither necessary nor wise, because complications may occur in 
the intersection of the cross walks. The levels at the extreme ends 
having been decided upon, the intermediate ones are easily obtained 
with the use of T rods. The opposite edge of the Box in the same 
walk must be of the same level, no matter the width of the path ; 
then proceed to dig the ground to the depth of a foot where the 
Box is to be planted, breaking the soil well and rejecting any stones 
which may come in the way. If the soil is of a loose character 
tread it firmly and rake it smoothly. 
Now stretch a line in the exact position in which the edging is 
to stand, and with a clean sharp-edged spade chop out a trench close 
to the line about 6 inches deep in a perpendicular manner. This 
should be done carefully, because much depends upon it whether the 
Box will be planted in a straight line or not ; therefore, any pains 
bestowed on freeing the soil from stones is well rewarded. Whore 
the land is of a stony character it is a good plan to sift the soil 
forming the edge. If the trench has been carefully cut the line 
will no longer be of service to the planter. 
The next thing to be done is to prepare the Box for planting. 
Pull it into pieces ; every piece with a root attached to it will 
. grow. It should be cut into uniform lengths of about 4 inches, 
and care should be taken to keep the top level. If it is flat all 
the better for the planter, as it lies closer to the trench. With the 
l ight hand place the Box in position, and while the left hand holds 
it there, with the right one place a little soil over the roots. If the 
operator kneels on the right knee the left foot is conveniently 
placed to keep the soil firm on the roots, as the left foot moves 
along in the trench as the planter goes. The trench should then 
he filled up to the proper level, and trodden very firmly ; this tends 
to keep the Box straight. Some may think these details needless, 
out I have found them important, and I have tried various ways. 
fv®,Pj°P er me tAod of keeping the edgings in good order when 
established requires much attention. If well managed at the end 
ot eight years it should not be much larger than when planted. To 
keep it thus dwarf it will require an annual clipping, an operation 
which should be done early in April ; this I consider the best time, 
all things considered. Some do not cut the Box until July. This 
is rather late, because the growth made after the clipping is not 
sufficiently hard to stand severe frost the following winter. The 
consequence is the young points of the growth are damaged, which 
gives to the edge an unsightly brown appearance during the dull 
days of winter, and at a time when the edgings of paths should 
look their best, when they are supposed to be green. If allowed to 
go two or three years without cutting it gets bare at the base, and 
the wood becomes hard. It is then more difficult to cut, and takes 
longer to get green again, as the old wood does not break so freely 
into growth as the younger shoots do. Some cut their Box 
with a scythe, commencing on one side and returning on the other ; 
but this is not a good way, not equal to the one I will describe. 
First stretch a line close to the Box at a given height from the 
ground, say from 24 inches to 3 inches, then with a pair of hedge 
shears cut off the top down to the line. Upon the flat top thus 
formed fix the line straight from end to end, pulling it tight ; then 
with a pair of shears, such as are used for shearing sheep, cut the 
Box on one side in a slanting direction from the line to the gravel. 
Repeat this operation on the other side, and the result will be a 
wedge-shaped edging at the end of eight or ten years 2^ inches 
wide and 3 inches high. This I consider the best way in which 
to trim edgings of Box.—E. Molyneux. 
rating greenhouses in nurseries and 
MARKET GARDENS. 
A DEC'isiOX of great importance to market gardeners and 
nurserynien was arrived at in the Queen’s Bench Division of the 
Supreme Court of Judicature on Saturday last, the 19th inst. by 
Mr. Justice Day and Mr. Justice Wills. In 1885 we published the 
following reply to a correspondent,|“ L. B.” 
You ask if it is “ customary or right to assess nurserymen’s greenhous r s 
for the poor rates.” We suspect it has become largely “ customary ” by 
many nurserymen paying the rates, but the “ right ” to claim them is another 
matter. Lord Kenyon decided there is no more right to assess the green¬ 
house of a nurt-eryman than the stall of a cobbler, because both are equally 
necessary for obtaining a livelihood. This is an important question that 
should be tested in a supreme court, and the case for nurserymen appears 
good, though obviously no individual can he expected to act alone, but by a 
combination of effort the cost would be scarcely felt, while the gain might 
he great and permanent. 
Mr. G. Purser of ‘Worthing has, with the co operation of 
friends, “ tested the matter in a supreme court,’’ and merits the 
thanks of commercial horticulturists. We do not anticipate that 
the decision in question will affect the position of private in¬ 
dividuals who merely sell the surplus produce of their gardens ; 
but the course of growers of plants and garden produce as a means 
of livelihood is now rendered clear, and it will be their own fault 
if they submit to the full rating as imposed by local assessors or 
surveyors. We take the following abridged report of this import¬ 
ant test case from the Times :— 
PURSER V. THE WORTHING LOCAL BOARD. 
This case rais d the question whether glass houses and greenhouses in 
which fruit, flowers, and vegetables are grown for market are to be rated at 
their full rateable value, or only at one-fourth value by virtue of sub-sec. 
1 (b) of sec. 211 of the Public Health Acl, 1875, which provides, inter alia, 
that “ market-gardens or nursery-grounds ” shall be assess d in respect of 
or.e-fourth part only 7 of the nett annual value. The special case found that 
George Purser, the app llant, was a grower of fruit, vegetables, and flowers 
carrying on business at Worthing and describing himself as a “ market 
gardener and nuiseryman,” and that he was the occupier of a piece of laud 
of about one acre one rood upon which were sixteen glass houses or gretn- 
Ijou-es of various sizes, used by the appellant for the purpose of growing 
Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Grapes, flowers, &c., in the course of his business. 
The appellant had been rated at the full rateable value in respect of this 
property under the description of “ greenhouses.” 
Mr. Arthur Charles, Q 0. (with him Mr. Forest Fulton and Mr. A. 
Glen), appeared for the appellant, and, having stated the point, was stopped 
by the Court. 
Mr. Lumley Smith, Q.C. (with him Mr. English Harrison and Mr. 
Bartley Dennies), for the Local Board, contended this was in no sense either 
a market-garden or a nursery-ground. This was a new industry which was 
developing extensively on the South Coast, where in many places acres of 
ground were covered with glaes houses in which plants were not grown in 
the ordinary sense, but merely put in to be forced. The appellant’s premises 
were covered in this way, with t.he exception of a few yards of ground, for 
which he was not rated. All the greenhouses rated had brick walls, and 
were attached to the soil as much as any other house is. The plants, though 
in some cases they drew part of their nourishment from the ground, were 
mainly nourished within the houses by artificial water and artificial heat, 
audin three of the houses the entire soil was artificial. [Mr. Justice Wills. 
—There may be artificial soil in an open market-garden.] [Mr. Justice 
Day.—Is a mere forcing frame rateable?] Yes, if it rests on brickwork. 
[Mr. Smith cited as analogous cases, “ South Wales Railway Company v. 
Swansea Local Board ” (4 “E. and B.,” 189), “Newport Dock Company v. 
^Newport Local Board” (2 ‘ B. and S.,” 708), and “The Queen v. Midland 
Railway Company” (“ L R.” 10, Q.B., 789.)] 
Mr. Justice Day said he did not doubt for a moment that this ground 
