288 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
never succeed as we do in hardy fruits without top- 
dressings. 
Side-root Culture. — We do not know whether our 
readers will understand this title, or its application, hut 
there being, as the lawyers say, no precedent, we have 
coined a phrase. We would fain have them dis¬ 
tinguish three characters of root, determinable by their 
position rather than any specific character; these are 
the surface fibres, the tap roots, and the side roots. 
Now these things have not been rendered sufficiently 
explicit hitherto; confusion has reigned in these matters, 
by no means agreeable to men of scientific acquire¬ 
ments, or even to practical men who love a definite 
notion. 
We have, for many years, had much success in Aspara¬ 
gus culture; and although venturing on the confines of 
Mr. Robson’s department for a moment, must beg to ob¬ 
serve that our favourite point of practice, has been high 
side-culture, or, as a wag once paraphrased it, “ feeding at 
the toe end.” This, as applied to fruits, deserves much 
consideration. The cases in which it may be practised 
with advantage, are chiefly those where the trees have 
originally been planted in soil too poor, or of bad texture ; 
it not being always expedient to root them up in cases 
of partial failure. A zone of new and fertile soil, within 
reach of the chief roots, will generally infuse vigour into 
the languishing system. Indeed, wearing-out or ex¬ 
hausted trees may get their lease renewed by these 
means alone. Bush fruit, too, especially gooseberries, 
the black currant, and the raspberry, are all benefited in 
their hour of need, by such means; and having operated 
thus in scores of cases, during the last twenty years 
especially, we can confidently recommend the practice. 
Surface operations. —These we consider more as mat¬ 
ters contributory to the decency and order of the garden, 
than as cultural operations ; they consist in our practice 
of hoeing deep), and sometimes, what is termed pointing 
in the rising weeds, but the latter not more than three 
inches in depth: a practice, by the way, we do not 
recommend, and is a forced affair when labour runs 
short. 
Where the garden consists of a sour and adhesive 
soil, forking about four inches deep may be practised 
with some benefit, as tending to facilitate the admission 
of the atmosphere, and by consequence to ameliorate. 
The platform mode, well carried out, will, however, 
obviate all this. 
Boot-pruning.' —So much has been said on this head, 
time after time, that we merely advert to it as a pi art of 
root culture. We like best to pierform it the moment 
the fruit is gathered; it may, however, be done any 
: time but during May and June, during which months 
we would forbear. Much latitude is thus given to this 
operation, inasmuch as both the condition of the sub- 
! jects, and the facilities of the cultivator, vary so much, 
j Somehow, expediency will be found to govern many 
i garden operations, in spite of the enunciation and 
recognition of principles; and, in this respect, horti¬ 
culture is by no means singular, for what is there of a 
sublunary character where mere expediency does not 
sometimes enter ? 
The readers of The Cottage Gardener, will do well 
to attend closely to the subject of root culture before the 
i ides of March. R. Errington. 
FEBRUARY NOTES FOR THE FLOWER 
GARDEN, 
Lhere was a letter the other day, asking how the 
j new (Euothera viparia, or prostrata, should be propa¬ 
gated, so as to have a good supipily of it ready for planting 
out early in May; and, being one of the newest of our 
bedders, it may be worth while to answer it thus promi¬ 
February 5. 
nently, for the sake of young beginners, and as a peg \ 
to hang a whole string of suggestions on about the pro¬ 
pagation of other things as well. 
I can well understand how this question has' arisen | 
so early. We have always said that May is the proper 
time to propagate the old (Enotliera macrocarpu, when 
the shoots in the open beds had grown to the length of 
three inches or so ; and last year I told how I got up a 
large number of the new one on a short notice at the 
very end of the spring. It was, therefore, very natural 
for a young beginner to suppose that the end of the 
spring was the best time to propagate all kinds of 
Enotheras that come from cuttings. Now, to let this 
idea make roots in the mind of even the humblest of 
our readers, would be far worse than that I should never 
root another Enotliera as long as I live. 
Every one who has the means of applying a little 1 
extra heat for all the soft-wooded plants that will be 
required for the beds this season— Enotliera among the 
rest—ought to do so as early in February as he can get 
the heat in working order; and Mr. Errington has 
spared me the trouble of explaining the working of a i 
dung-bed—the best heat of any for getting early cut¬ 
tings—by his late article on “ The Dung-bed.” Every 
week that passes this month without seeing the whole of 
this most useful tribe vigorously moving, is a dead loss j 
to the propagator. The first crop of cuttings should be 
ready for maldng by the beginning of March, no matter 
how humble the means may be. As to first-rate gar¬ 
deners, who require immense quantities, they have their 
second crop of many things well-rooted by this time. I j 
used to have them so, but this spring I must trust to the 
good-will of my old friends for all my propagation; and I 
may as well tell them at once that I shall require a good 
number of pfiants next May, to set off my pfiace, as I 
am to be honoured with some great visitors, who will 
be likely to say all sorts of things about me if I do not 
come up somewhat to the old mark. 
The Enotliera viparia may be put into a hotbed at 
once, and it will stand as much beat as Mr. Latter’s 
cucumbers, without being any the worse, but it will 
grow very weak, and so it will in the open ground at first 
going oft', yet no one need be afraid of it, let it grow 
ever so weak. Every top) will make a sure cutting, and 
two inches will be long enough at first; let these be put 
in just like so many verbena cuttings, or fuchsias, or 
indeed any other little soft cuttings, and in a smart 
cucumber heat they will root in ten days, and in ten 
more days their tops will be ready for another batch, 
and so on up to planting-out time—so much so, indeed, 
that from a single good pfiant of it five hundred young 
ones may be had between this time and the middle of 
May; but after having them we must keep in mind to 
pfiant them in very poor, light soil, otherwise they will 
disappoint us to a certainty. 
Those who grew it last year, and preserved their old 
plants, will be better off; and they need not disturb it 
before the middle of April, w r hen if it is taken up) and 
well divided at the roots, allowing every little bit to have 
a space of nine inches all round in the new arrange¬ 
ment, it will be in bloom by the end of May, and con¬ 
tinue so to the very end of October; or, if it should 
offer to grow tco much into leaf by a wet summer, run 
the spade under it on one side, and heave it up a little, 
so as to tear off a good portion of the roots ; or, in fact, 
root-pruning will settle it down to a most useful little 
edging for the rest of the season. The spade may thus 
be used any time in the growing season, not only for this 
but for many others, to subdue their p>ride, and bring 
them to do what we require of them. 
Although it is an easy way, and a very simple way 
too, to get a stock of the (Enotliera macrocarpa from 
May cuttings, it is not by any means the best way, as a 
whole season is lost before they flower, or, at any rate, 
