278 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ December, 
altogether the opposite of that, and I have the variety true, because the plants 
came to me direct from Mr. J. Clarke. My soil is a dark loam, on the gravel, 
inclined to get close and sticky in wet weather, and to bake a little in dry weather, 
but the Pink grows with great vigour, branching freely, and flowering porfusely. 
The last-named quality is one of its chief charms, and established tufts of it 
throw a great number of flowers. 
Everyone who sees it begs a plant, and I find it easy to propagate in two ways— 
by cuttings put in in July, when it has done flowering, and by division of the 
roots in autumn. When it is in flower, I draw some fine soil up round the stem, 
and this induces the side-shoots to send forth roots, and so fine young plants are 
formed by the autumn. In July, I put some pipings into an ordinary cutting- 
bed, and there they strike freely, without the necessity for putting hand-lights 
over them. Mr. Clarke did good service to floriculture when he raised and sent 
out this superb Pink.—E. Dean, Ealing. 
THE EOOT-PRUNING OF FKUIT-TEEES. 
^P^ISAPPEEHENSION in regard to operating on the roots of fruit-trees, 
when in an unfruitful condition, is notoriously prevalent. The general 
cause of barrenness is that too much sap is drawn up by the roots into 
the branches, preventing the fruit-buds, if any are formed at all, from 
going to rest at the proper time, so that they do not get matured and otherwise 
prepared to produce a crop of fruit. 
This is what generally leads to cutting the roots. Some of the other causes of 
failure are found in the want of root-action, or in the absence of sufficient warmth. 
.We sometimes read that a trench should be taken out all round the roots, and every 
one cut clean off within a few feet of the trunk of the tree, the trench being then 
filled up with loam and manure well mixed. Such a practice is inconsistent with 
common-sense. Though the cutting may in some cases give a check to the trees, 
sufficient to cover long watery growths with short fruit-bearing spurs, the consti¬ 
tution of the whole tree is materially affected, even if it does not become bark- 
bound or acquire the germs of canker. Whenever the roots recover themselves 
after the severe shock of being thus rudely cut, they ramify freely into the rich 
mixture, and away they go right through it, again drawing more sap into the 
trees than can be turned to fruitful account. Though practical men are in general 
acquainted with these facts, somehow or other the knowledge does not extend 
far among the inexperienced, as the mutilating practice has many supporters. 
When a tree is making undesirable growth, the first thing to ascertain is, if 
there are any tap-roots, and to see if these are growing away do^vn into subsoil 
far from the influence of sun and air. If so, and if the tree is a young one, it 
• may be taken up carefully and replanted in fresh loam, or at least in soil in which 
no tree-roots have previously grown. Any roots which have run far out of bounds, 
and are free from fibres, may 'be shortened ; a quantity of stones or lime-rubbish 
may be rammed firmly under the ball, with a few inches of soil next' the roots, 
