THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 22. 
90 
and thick clay water being duly prepared in another 
vessel, the soap mixture is thickened with it until it 
produces a very thick daub when used with the 
brush. Before it is laid on tho trees, the operator 
carries a potful of urine from the cow-houses or 
elsewhere, and syringes every part of the tree with 
it, or at least syringes every portion before applying 
the thick mixture. A common painter’s brush will 
accomplish tho process, and it must be thoroughly 
rubbed into every crevice. It is a good plan to add 
a little fresh lime; such will leave a colour when dry, 
which will prove a tell-tale, and guide the brush a 
second time to till up those crevices which bad been 
missed in the first operation. This mixture will also 
destroy the scaly insect which so much infests the 
apple and the pear. It may be well here to mention, 
that a most respectable gentleman informed me that 
Dr. Darwin, of Shrewsbury (?), bad used urine alone 
for pears, and found it clear away everything, moss 
as well as iusects, and that his trees always grew 
with extraordinary vigour after the operation. 
Pruning. —We may here advert to the propriety of 
commencing pruning as soon as possible: the bene¬ 
fits of early pruning have been before pointed out. 
Little more can be said now, beyond pointing to the 
order in which it should be pursued. Our ordi¬ 
nary bush fruit, the raspberry, &c., may take the lead 
in autumn pruning; to which may be added the 
vine, where grown outdoors. Snowy or frosty weather 
may arrive shortly, and as this is generally a bar to 
ground-work, the common orchard pruning may be 
proceeded with, which in general consists in what 
we may term wholesale pruning, the knife being not 
unfrequently exchanged for the bill-book or saw. 
The details or maxims of such pruning will be found 
in back numbers, and there will be occasion to advert 
to them again shortly. To observe further on the 
general policies of pruning matters, we may say 
that, immediately on the heels of Christmas, what is 
termed “spring pruning” must commence. The 
pears, the plums, the cherries, the apricots, the 
peaches, and the nectarines, will sefon begin to act as 
harbingers of another spring, by an evident increase 
in the size and character of their buds. The stone- 
fruit here alluded to presents a difficulty in the way 
of autumn pruning; it is difficult in November or 
even December for flic most practised eye to distin¬ 
guish clearly between the wood-buds and the future 
blossom buds. This difficulty is greater with the 
young wood than with the old spurs; for let it be 
well remarked, that many pears, plums, Ac., in the 
event of the previous summer having afforded much 
solar light, form very nice blossom buds on the 
annual shoots; this is also partly dependent on 
habit. Among pears, the Marie Louise, the Passe 
Colmar, Ac., generally evince this disposition; but 
how seldom the Winter Neilis and the D'Areniburg 
section ! Again, iu cherries, the Morelia is notorious 
for this habit, but we may seldom find the same ten¬ 
dency in the Bigarrcau section. Amongst plums, 
too, the Black Damascus, the Precoce de Tours, Ac., 
exhibit a similar tendency; but we do not find the 
same disposition in the Greengage, the Golden-drop, 
Ac. Thus, it will be manifest to the veriest tyro, 
that a distinction thus founded arises; to say no¬ 
thing of the policy of prefering one piece of busi¬ 
ness to another during emergencies. 
We have said enough, now, to show what we did 
indeed principally intend at tho commencement of 
this paper, viz., that at this important period—which, 
although a period of comparative rest to the vegetable 
kingdom, is by no means so to the horticulturist—a 
i regular and systematic survey of gardening matters 
must take: place ; and that the amount of labour ne¬ 
cessary, together with the necessary anticipations 
concerning the weather, must be allowed to have 
their full weight in forming the resolves which should 
guide the series of operations during the dormant 
season. It need scarcely be urged, we presume, that 
the timing of business according to the weather is 
one of the great secrets of gardening. Who plants 
with a hot sun and a drying wind ? Who prefers 
digging when snow is on the ground? Who waits 
for a wet day to soil his celery, or to tic his endive? 
Let all young beginners well understand that the 
proper timing of business in horticulture is not 
only a matter conducive to the success of the opera¬ 
tion in question, but a great economizing of labour 
in the end. And herein is the point where expe¬ 
rience tells—where the old gardener frequently beats 
the young one. Amongst all the professions—al¬ 
though some of our friends who do not set foot in a 
garden once a month may smile—there is none that 
requires more forethought than gardening ; and we 
really do not see why one of these sons of the spade 
should not be as anxious and as much interested 
about his vines, pines, peaches, Ac., as the great 
diplomatist over his negotiations, on which the 
fate of empires is supposed to hang. 
R. Errington. 
THE ELOWEB-GAEDEN. 
At the close of my last communication, I inci¬ 
dentally named the white variety of the horse-shoe 
geranium; but a white scarlet geranium is too 
great a novelty to be passed over, as the first link 
in a shaded bed. This white geranium is nearly as 
old as any of the wild species, but is an accidental 
seedling, I believe. According to our present no¬ 
tions, the size and shape of this flower are not much 
to boast of, certainly, but they are pure white; 
therefore, like other plants which are not to our 
fancy, we must raise many seedlings of it to pro¬ 
cure improved forms. It seeds of itself, as freely as 
tho mignonette, and will soon procure us a new race 
for shading. I have it already in the honourable 
position of grandmamma, but the third generation 
have not yet hoisted their colours. 1 have two 
beautiful light coloured ones, however, from the 
second cross of it with Lucia rosea ; one of which is 
a fine soil cream colour, and a good house-plant, es¬ 
pecially in the spring and autumn. I have not the 
slightest doubt but we shall soon have pure white 
geraniums of tho scarlet breed, with trusses of 
bloom as large as any of the scarlets we now pos¬ 
sess, and fine-shaped flowers too; and not only that, 
but during the progress of our experiments in cross¬ 
ing, several useful shades will come on the stage, 
and thus realise the dreams of some of the don 
flower-gardeners for the last seven years. The 
greater the number of those who will engage in 
these experiments, and lend a helping hand, the 
sooner the desired result will be accomplished. But, 
in order that we may work in concert, 1 may as well 
give the properties of a flower of this class, so as to 
come within the requirements of tho flower-gar¬ 
dener. 
The true geraniums are hardy border plants, with 
regular flowers—that is, the fine petals which make 
up a single flower are all of one size and shape, so 
that when put together they form a cup, with the 
