251 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ November, 
the blossoms. The fruit usually hangs thickly all up the branches, which at an 
early age are well furnished with fruit-bearing spurs. Of late years the trees in 
the market gardens about London have suffered considerably from the dying-off 
of large branches, but the cause of this malady has not been ascertained. It may 
possibly be due to exhaustion, owing to the excessive crops it produces.—T. Moore. 
WINTERING TIIE CALCEOLARIA. 
M ^^ANY gardeners, as well as amateurs, are giving up the culture of these 
plants for bedding purposes, on account of their dying-off during the hot 
summer months. On the other hand, I have been told, both this and the past 
summer, by visitors that have called here, that they have been surprised 
to see that we had scarcely any dying off, either in the beds or ribbon-borders. We 
have one ribbon-border, 150 ft. long, in which the fourth row is C. viscosissimci; 
another border, 90 ft. long, in which the third row is C. aurea jiorilnuicla , besides 
those in the beds; and of all these, not more than twenty plants have died off 
since they were planted. This, I believe, is in a great measure owing to the 
treatment they receive during the winter months. Instead of being coddled up 
in pots, they are never put into one, but early in October a frame, 10 in. high at 
the back and 6 in. in front, is set on an open piece of ground, and filled in the 
following manner :—2 in. of coal-ashes are put in the bottom, trodden quite firmly, 
and well watered ; the frame is then filled with the soil for the cuttings, half of 
which should be light loam, the other half road-grit, the two being well mixed 
together, and filled in to within about 1 in. of the top, the remaining space to the 
top of the boards being filled up with white pit-sand, well beaten down with the 
back of a spade, and well watered. 
The next day it will be in good order for the cuttings, which should be put 
in with a dibble, 2 in. or 3 in. apart, and well watered to settle them. They will 
require no more attention for a few weeks, when it will be requisite to put a 
common frame over them, the lights of which may remain on the whole of the 
winter. Should severe winter frost set in, a mat, or some other covering, should 
be put over them. Hand-glasses, if more convenient, will do just as well. The 
* 
summer treatment I hope to explain on some future occasion.— William Plester, 
Elsenham Hall Gardens. 
THE CULTURE OF ORCHARD TREES. 
Trenching the Ground. 
T is usually in deep water that we find the largest fish ; and shallow cul¬ 
ture seldom carries much profit. One of the rules for a West-country 
plougliing-matcli was worded thus :—“ The furrow to be not more than 
four inches deep,” but one of the Judges had it altered to “ not less ” than 
four inches deep. This shows what was the general custom of Devon ploughmen 
not moro than 20 years ago, and it needs no witchcraft to prophesy what would 
inevitably be the result. Be this as it may, this celebrated cider county was, 
