380 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Februaby 3. 
])lanting a number of fine Narcissi at tlie end of a 
Hyacinth bod. During tbe season the Hyacinths were 
splendid, but not a flower or a leaf of the Narcissi ap- 
jjeared; and tbe conclusion arrived at was, that by some 
means they had been diseased or destroyed. What was 
our surprise, on forking up and labelling the Hyacinths, 
to find the roots of Narcissus quite firm, and very greatly 
j increased in size! We cannot speak of their after his- 
i tory; tlie facts of their increased size, without having 
shown growth above ground, are true. How such a 
result came about we confess we cannot unravel. Sorry 
should we be to advise any one to trust to such an 
unusual circumstance; and still as little inclined should 
we be to build a theory on a few of such facts. 
Leaving, then, the total disleafing of Turnips in 
autumn to stand or fall, as it stands the test of more 
extended experience, we may safely conclude, in the 
meantime, that when we wish to increase size, or hus¬ 
band vital energies in roots, stems, or buds, or to obtain 
fresh and vigorous growth, the time and the circum¬ 
stances in which, for these purposes, w'e arrest the reci¬ 
procal action of roots and branches, must form a matter 
of primary importance. Keeping in view what we have 
said of the Turnip, we will give a few simple illustra¬ 
tions of what we mean. 
Suppose a Peach tree, at the end of September, bas a 
good many laterals, and that the young shoots are yet 
growing vigorously. In a case of excessive growth we 
might think of looking at the roots, but at present we 
deem removing the laterals and pinching the points of 
the young shoots sufficient; and in another fortnight 
we may shorten the young shoots. Now, here the 
reciprocity is arrested, but not all at once; the extra 
resources of tbe roots are thrown into the shoots, and, 
as sun and air play more freely upon them, the con¬ 
sequences are firmer wood and plumper buds. Had 
this operation been performed, as here stated, six weeks 
earlier, many,of the buds you wished to keep would 
have burst into laterals. 
Again, suppose a young Vine, that you wish to provide 
with vigorous fruitful wood for next season. For this 
purpose we encourage every green leaf, and laterals 
too, as many as we can find room for, and thus increase 
the root action; but as tlie wood hardens, and autumn 
comes, we remove gradually the laterals until they are 
all gone, and very likely, during October, we shorten 
the main shoot. Now, we do all this for two reasons ; 
first, because the young leaves formed late throw off 
more than they assimilate; secondly, though a slight 
I check be given to the roots, yet the increased action 
previously at work will, before it is exhausted, give an 
extra supply to the wood and buds we have left. 
Then, again, a beautiful little Pine tree, a Picea Pin- 
sappo, for instance. It is very healtby, but bushy, and 
thick as a crow’s nest; a small bird can hardly get into 
it, but the tree will not mount up at all. Take your 
knife, and (say in April) thin out a great many of the 
interior twigs, and the nourishment they stole from the 
roots will be thrown into the ascending axis of growth. 
In the case of an evergreen bush of large size, which 
you wish to transplant some two months hence; and 
you aro well aware that many roots will be injured; 
prune in the top in proportion now; if done in autumn 
it would have been better still; but, if mild weather 
continues, it is worth while doing now, as, even in very 
severe weather, facts would seem to indicate tliat there 
is, especially with such plants, a flow of their juices. 
Now, here the diminished head becomes surcharged with 
juice, and then, when you transplant, this surcharging 
with resources finds a vent in the causing new roots to 
be formed. We think Mr. Beaton first called prominent 
attention to this principle in transplanting. 
Lastly, under ordinary circumstances, none have more 
condemned than we have the practice of mowing or cut¬ 
ting off the leaves of strawberries in autumn after they 
had ceased bearing; and just because, on all firm, loamy, 
or clayey soils, it requires a green leaf for the whole of 
the summer, and plenty of light on it, too, to mature 
fruit-buds for the following season. But in warm 
places, and in light soil, we have seen great success 
under very different treatment. The leaves became 
spotted in duly, and browned by August; and when 
thus left, the next year’s flowers were few and puny. 
In such cases, the long-stalked brown foliage was no 
great ornament; but when cut away as sooir as the fruit 
was gathered, the ground forked, and plentifully watered, 
new foliage shortly appeared, which was short-legged, ' 
kept green the whole of the autumn and most of the 
winter, and yielded crops that, for fineness, could not be 
mentioned with the poor produce from the unpruned 
rows. Even this may show our sticklers for “princi¬ 
ples ” that there are such things as exceptions to rules. 
As bearing on the same point, but in another direc¬ 
tion, we may mention, that the great proportion of ! 
strawberries in pots for foi'cing, at ’Lrentham and Chats- 
worth, are rising two year’s old, many of them having 
been forced last year. F. 
The interest which the study and cultivation of fruits 
have of late excited, and the importance with which 
they are likely to be regarded, induce ns to give the 
subject all that consideration and prominence which we 
usually do to matters which concern the extension or 
improvement of rural aflairs generally. There can be 
no doubt that this is a subject which has of late years j 
been too much lost sight of; and particularly since the j 
duty of 4s. per bushel on foreign fruit has been removed, 
the growers seem to have thought that it is one which 
does not concern them. We shall now lay before our 
readers a sketch of this branch of rural economy, and 
see how far they are acting with a due consideration of 
their own interests in neglecting it. Gur observations 
will be directed to the great orchard districts of Kent, 
which will furnish good evidence, however, equally 
applicable to other parts of the country. 
It is upwards of three hundred years since Richard 
Harris, “ the king’s fruiterer,” planted his orchard, called 
“ The Brennet,” at ’Lenham, in Kent. This was not, as 
some say, the first orchard ever planted in Kent; neither 
