August 18, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
161 
trees should be restricted within certain limits, with concrete foundations 
to keep the strong roots from striking down into the cold subsoil, the 
result of which would be the formation of soft, unripened wood. 
Without these restrictions root-pruning is often resorted to, a process 
in which all the strong roots are cut back, if possible, to a point, where 
other smaller roots diverge, and replacing the old removed soil with 
good turf or liberal dressing of leaf mould. It is not wise to place fresh 
manure around roots which have been pruned or cut back, decay often 
resulting, instead of healing over, and throwing out young rootlets. 
The Importance of Good Drainage. 
There is still another source of difficulty in connection with our 
subject. We may have the best soil, trees, and other surroundings 
eminently fitted to produce good fruit, but unless the land is well 
drained, naturally or artificially, and consequently sufficiently porous 
to permit of the surplus water passing away, we must ever remember 
that if the earth is full of water it is practically sealed against air, and 
without air roots of fruit trees cannot flourish. The sun’s rays falling 
upon wet, undrained land, only promotes evaporation, whereas when it 
passes away by filtration warm air is being drawn after it, aerating the 
land, imparting required elements to the roots, and in turn to the trees 
or plants. Because of this principle cold retentive clay lands are seldom 
recommended, for ic is calculated that if one pint of water is evaporated 
from 100 lbs. of soil it is left 10° colder than if it had passed away by 
filtration in the cultivation of any crops. At the other extreme, sand is 
a great encourager of roots, but unless well supplied with other matter 
it fails to sustain the plants growing upon it. Therefore I would 
recommend a good deep loamy soil, resting on a gravelly subsoil, or 
when clay forms the subsoil, that it be efficiently drained ; for fruit 
trees these drains should be about feet deep, from 6 to 8 yards 
apart. These drains are laid with a slight fall towards the lowest part 
of the land, where a cross main drain receives the surplus water from 
each of the others, carrying it away into some recognised outfall. I 
have incidentally mentioned this, because without proper drainage the 
land is unable to yield her increase in the locality where, for various 
causes, it is found convenient and necessary to form and plant anything 
in the vegetable world which demands these conditions, and without the 
knowledge of the existing state of surroundings it is comparatively 
useless attempting to produce first-class fruits or vegetables for com¬ 
petition with other countries and for general consumption. The yearly 
loss and disappointments from these causes stamps the system as foolish, 
and calls for a firm, steady, and determined effort to expose it, that 
generations to follow may have resources to which we at present are 
largely strangers, and much too dependent on foreign supplies. What I 
have already stated bears directly on root-action. 
Drainage promotes a healthy aerated condition of soil. This, in turn, 
allows the free development of roots without which the formation of 
stem, branch, flower, fruit and seeds are impossible. Ask the Orchid 
grower the secret of success, watch him as he keenly observes and 
scrutinises his fresh importation of valuable plants ; a sign of new roots 
inspires hope, knowing without their aid all the manure, water, and 
attention he can give will be absolutely in vain. Note the difference 
in the quality and texture of the flower when borne on plants well 
rooted, or otherwise; The flowers on the strong healthy plants are 
perfect in their shape and their colours are more intense. These remarks 
hold good throughout the floral world. Good soil rightly applied and 
containing the necessary elements of nourishment, promotes a healthy 
rootage. This, sustained by attention and a knowledge of the various 
requirements of each class of plants, gives that satisfactory hue to 
plants which denotes the capacity of the cultivator and the grip he has 
of the subject grown. 
My paper would be incomplete if I omitted to mention the assist¬ 
ance of the sun. Without its light and heat, drainage, soils, water, air, 
and attention, could not perfect the great majority of the world’s 
productions. This is intensely verified in our early forcing work, there 
being no comparison in the quality, for instance, between early forced 
Potatoes, French Beans, and Rhubarb with those vegetables when 
grown under ordinary conditions with ample sun and air. The sun’s 
light and heat afford the necessary elements for the successful building 
up of those constituents that add firmness and stability to these 
productions, and to flowers the brightness and solidness so much admired, 
though it is almost noticeable that the sun also has the power to abstract, 
when long exposed to it, these same colours, driving us to take refuge 
from its direct rays under various kinds of shadings. These shadings 
enable us to prolong our flowering periods with plants grown under 
glass without undue exhaustion to the plants. In addition to this 
reason, outdoor flowers are assisted to greater perfection by this aid 
by preserving the earlier opened petals until the whole flower is in 
fnll bloom, as, for instance, those two favourites of the exhibition 
table—Roses and Dahlias. 
Improving Soils. 
I have endeavoured to make it plain in the foregoing remarks that 
the whole question of successful culture lies in a comprehensive 
knowledge of the position, with regard to the land, its nature and 
formation, whether effectually drained or otherwise. Without this 
knowledge much labour will be wasted, disappointments abound 
instead of successes. Let us bear in mind that soils are open to 
improvement. It is for us to apply the proper elements in which to 
plant and grow the numberless beauties by which a beneficent Creator 
has surrounded us. The possibilities of success are constantly brought 
home to us by those who ardently set themselves to win, by studying 
the requirements of their special productions. Where one man has 
triumphed, it is possible for others to succeed. A studious mind soon 
gains an insight to Nature’s demands, and will quickly mark the fact 
that tender seedlings do not need the heavy manuriai applications 
prescribed for full bearing fruit trees, or even the somewhat strong 
doses directed to those plants which have attained full size, and 
continue root-bound for years, yet flower freely. 
Seedlings and cuttings must be encouraged to first form abundant 
roots in open material such as sand, peat, leaf mould, or other kindred 
matter, until the plants have grown considerably, and demand stronger 
food to bring themselves to perfection, whether as a foliage, flowering, 
or fruiting plant. This fact I would emphasise as strongly as possible, 
because there are many persons who think that given manure and enough 
of it, success must be assured, and delight to tell how many tins of 
someone’s patent they have used during a season ; but, sad to say, their 
plants are no recommendation to the means used, because of the ill- 
advised use of strong manures before the plants are capable of assimilat¬ 
ing it, the soil being frequently surfeited by over-doses, to water-logged, 
undrained soil. The pots, too, are green and slimy, as if the owners 
were determined to exclude all air. Success, under such management, 
must not be expected ; rather let us delight in treating our plants more 
in accordance with the fact that they are living organisms, prepared to 
amply repay every little thoughtful attention, filling the hearts and lives 
of all who attend and admire them with pride and delight. 
THE HAYES CAKNATIONS. 
One is inclined to envy the treat which “ Wanderer,” who writes so 
sympathetically of the Hayes Carnations (page 124), must have had on 
the occasion of his visit, and to make a resolve to take the first oppor¬ 
tunity to go on pilgrimage to Kent. Thanks to the liberality of Mr. 
Smith, I am able to see something of his really grand Carnations in our 
own garden, as I have this year several border beds filled with them. It 
is the simple truth that these border varieties mark quite a new 
departure in Carnations. Not only are the individual blooms of first 
quality ; they are also, many of them, very large, even larger than the 
roughest giants of the older race with their yielding calyces ; the 
colours also are distinct and novel. 
” Wanderer,” I am sure, will excuse me if I make note of two 
important characteristics of these Carnations which render them of 
priceless value to gardeners. I refer to the vigorous constitution of the 
plants and to their exceedingly floriferous habit, the latter itself a 
precious boon. Let me take the yellow sorts as an example. Corunna 
has here grown to a height of 4 feet; one of the plants has seven 
flower stems, and the ” grass ” is proportionately strong and vigorous. 
Then there are apricot-coloured varieties with nine and ten flowering 
shoots, and bearing flowers which render the growth of Mrs. Reynolds 
Hole a superfluity. Eight to a dozen shoots appear to be the normal 
average number. 
In the case of older kinds I thought it well to thin to a reasonable 
number, as the plants were too crowded. It will emphasise what I have 
said as to the robust growth and profuse flowering qualities of these 
newer sorts when it is explained that they were received from Mr. Bliok 
as rooted layers in the middle of November. I may add that they are 
well adapted for pot culture for flowering in early summer.— 
R. P. Brotherston. 
A STEAM LAWN MOWER. 
To many readers a steam lawn mower will doubtless be a novelty, 
but a Journal representative had the pleasure of examining one, and 
seeing it work at the Lord’s Cricket ground, St. John’s Wood, last 
week. The engine and boiler are fitted over the machine, and we 
understand may be fitted to existing lawn mowers when desired. The 
inventor, Mr. J. Sumner, Leyland, claims that steam can be raised in 
ten minutes from cold water, and judging from the one seen the machine 
is very easy and inexpensive to work, costing, it is said, only Id. per 
hour. The following particulars regarding this novel and useful piece 
of mechanism may be of interest:— 
“ The boiler is multitubular, containing sixty-six copper tubes and a 
copper fire-box, and the shell is made of mild steel and tested by 
hydraulic pressure to 300 lbs., the safety valve is set to 150 lbs., and the 
working pressure at 140. The steam pressure is regulated by a steam 
diaphragm, which automatically controls the supply of oil to the burner, 
and by this means the steam is maintained at a uniform pressure while 
the engine is working ; and, should the attendant leave the machine for 
any purpose while the lamp is burning, the diaphragm will not allow 
the steam to attain more than the set pressure, so that all possible 
danger of an explosion is removed. The water is fed to the boiler by a 
brass force-pump, and is first passed through a heater, and delivered to 
the boiler at a temperature of about 180°. Steam is generated in the 
boiler by the use of common lamp oil (petroleum) as fuel, which is 
burnt in the fire-box of the boiler by a burner similar to the burner on 
a naphtha lamp. The oil is carried in a specially constructed reservoir 
at the top of the chimney, and is led to the burner by a small tube 
down the side of the chimney and boiler. The water is carried in a 
cylinder between the shafts of the machine.” 
The Stott Distributor Company, Barton House, Manchester, has 
taken the agency for this steam lawn mower. 
