48 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 23, 1860. 
roots will bring them into bearing in a couple of years ; but there 
is a danger, if the spurs were at all stunted, that a number of 
years will elapse before the trees are again in fruitful vigour ; 
so much so, that having root-pruned old trees severely that had 
become unfruitful, from their roots getting deep into clay, and 
producing a forest of Willow shoots in consequence, I would, 
had I such a case again, either remove the wood of the tree by 
some of the above modes a season or two before performing the 
operation, or I would at once clear out and replant afresh. The 
trees being old and strong, I killed one in the process of cure, 
and several years elapsed before the others got into a fruitful 
state again. I believe I rather overdid it, and gave too great a 
check to the gnarled spurs. Some of the trees, however, have 
fruited splendidly since, which, without the hard treatment, I 
believe would havo been guiltless of a blossom or a fruit, except 
in some very exposed points. 
I mention the above case for the consideration of readers and 
coadjutors. There is no necessity for planting Pear trees for 
grandchildren or even children now. They may be full of fruit 
two or three years after planting, if the roots are kept shallow ; 
and for many years after that they are easy to keep under com¬ 
mand, if the tap roots are prevented getting down. And what is 
wanted in vigour is supplied from top dressings ; and extra vigour 
is guarded against by pruning the roots as well as the tops ac¬ 
cording to requirements; and the effects will be seen in beneficial 
results in the second season if the operations are done in winter 
and spring, or in the first season if done early in autumn; but 
the same good results will but follow from cutting the roots of 
very old trees that have been unaccustomed to such management. 
Some of the roots of the old trees referred to were as thick as 
my arm, went down as straight as a liue from near the collar of 
the tree, through brickbats, &c., and I do not know how deep 
into very fine, first-rate brick-clay; and no wonder they pro¬ 
duced a forest of long Willow shoots. In the case of our cor¬ 
respondent, if the same vigour is at all perceptible, I would not 
hesitate a moment either to lift and replant, or root-prune freely; 
but the roots that go straight down into the clay are the fellows 
that must be got rid of—the mere cutting of the others, if the tap¬ 
roots are left, will be attended with little benefit. If there are 
fruit-buds formed, the operation, if performed early, will not at all 
injure the crop the following year, as the roots will commence 
immediately to make fresh fibres. If no fruit-buds are formed, 
the check at the roots and rubbing off a number of the smaller 
buds will cause them to form fruit-buds next summer. 
If there is nothing of this vigorous growth—if the trees, in fact, 
make little wood, thin out the spurs, and give a top dressing of 
leaf mould or very rotten dung. I think, however, that it is 
most likely the roots are getting info the clay subsoil, and then, 
unless in excessively hot summers following each other, farewell 
to fruit worth eating. 
As to the scale, you might use Gishurst Compound, four ounces 
to the gallon, and enough of clay added to make a good paint, 
cover all over with a brush once or twice during the winter. 
Clay, sulphur, and soot made into a paint will also smother 
them up, and the rains will eventually wash the paint away. 
Eor such things, we find clay paint itself almost as good as the 
most learned and crack-named compositions ; but doctors would 
get little credit for the efficacy of their drugs if the generality of 
their patients knew bow simple and every-day-like were the ele¬ 
ments of which they were composed. We shall be glad to hear 
what you do, and how you succeed with the Pear trees. These 
matters are of great importance to our readers. This last 
season has been a bad one for good fruit, but several had 
thanked me for advising them to replant trees that had been in 
the ground eight or ten years. In every case there were strong 
f ap roots going down perpendicularly ; and the quantity of crude, 
watery sap thus supplied was so great, that trees against com¬ 
mon walls had no chance of getting it by means of sunlight so 
thoroughly organised as to be available for fruit-buds. Let the 
sap of the tree be more oxygenated by its food being absorbed 
nearer the surface of the soil, and the tree and the sun will have 
less to do to secure the perfect formation of fruit-buds. Arrest 
mere rampant w*ood growth, and the tree will put out its efforts 
in fruit growth. R. Fish. 
Cabbage a^d Caterpillars.— E. F. Tragardk writes 
to the American Gardeners' Monthly —“A few seeds of common 
Hemp Scattered among Cabbage plants will protect them from the 
caterpillar. Haifa dozen seeds arc sufficient for an acre.” 
NEW OR RARE PLANTS. 
Yucca caxaliculata {Channel-leaved Adams' Needle). 
Probably a Mexican plant. Flowers sulphur-coloured. In a 
cool greenhouse it blooms in summer .—{Botanical Magazine, 
t. 5201.) 
Catasetuai atratum {DarTc-flowered Catasetum). 
Imported from Brazil by Messrs. Lodiges. Blooms in May. 
Flowers deep green, striped with purplish brown. — {Hid., 
t. 5202.) 
Beschorkebia yuccoides {Yucca-leaved Beschorneria). 
Bloomed by Mr. Wilson Saunders, and raised from seed given 
by Lord Uchester. Flowers yellow and green tinged with red ; 
scape of a deep coral red.— {Ibid, t. 5203.) 
Psammisia penduliplora {Bendulous-flowered Bsammisia). 
' Called also Thibaudia penduliflora. Native of the mountains 
of Caraccas. Flowers scarlet tipped with green. Requires a 
warm greenhouse.— {Ibid, t. 5204.) 
Crinuji giganteum {Large-flotoered Cape-Coast Lily). 
It has been called an Amaryllis, with the specific names 
gigantea, ornata, Candida, and latifolia. Native of the coast of 
tropical western Africa. Flowers white.— {Ibid, t. 5205.) 
CROPS NEAR FROME, SOMERSET—THE 
FLUKE POTATO. 
The old adage that “without a summer there can be no 
harvest ” has been refuted this year ; for, although it is generally 
admitted that there has been no summer, yet there has been a 
harvest. And taking into consideration the unusual quantity of 
rain that fell, with the number of days it rained and the absence 
of sunshine, it has been a matter of surprise to many that the 
harvest has been anything like an average one; still, I believe, 
it is very little, if any, below the average, and, moreover, has 
been housed in tolerable condition. 
There is one circumstance to be taken into consideration as 
being conducive to the present favourable result— i. e., the cold¬ 
ness of the soil. If we had had warm sunshine at intervals with 
the vast quantity of rain we have had, it is very probable the 
harvest would have had a different termination, as the straw 
would have been much longer and much weaker, and more liable 
to be beaten down with the storms that fell during the latter part 
of July and August. Had it been so, with the continuance of 
wet and warm sunshine, it would very soon have sprouted in the 
ear, as is too often the case. But the season was cold, and after 
May vegetation was of very slow growth, consequently the straw 
was short and strong; and from my own personal observation, 
and from information received from various parts of the country, 
there appeared to be less Wheat laid with the storms and less 
sprouted than in the average of seasons. 
The grain crops appear to have stood the past season the best 
of all. The hay crops have been very light on cold wet land. 
Swedes and Mangold Wurtzel are small on the best of land. The 
grass for miles together in many places I have seen is a mere 
nothing; and farmers and others are serving out hay from their 
small, and, in the majority of instances, badly made ricks a month 
earlier than usual. Good useful hay is now £7 per ton, and 
very scarce. 
I will take this opportunity of saying a few words on the 
Potato crop, as most ot them are lifted by this time. I made a 
few remarks some time ago bearing upon the organisation of a 
few individuals in different parts of the country, to test the 
different kinds of Potatoes now in general use, and any others 
that may come into use, on a much larger scale than is done at 
the present day. Doubtless many will say, “It is quite unneces¬ 
sary, we can try our own without any fuss ;” and there the trial 
too often ends. But to set your readers thinking on the subject, 
I will state a few r facts that have come under my own notice. 
Most of your oldest readers will w T ell recollect the diversity of 
opinions that have been given respecting the Fluke, and yet each 
one may be true. I purchased a few about six years ago, and 
they produced such a crop as is seldom seen ; and the consequence 
was, that nearly every garden in the village had its bed of Flukes. 
And I planted the same quantity of ground, and some in the 
same^beds, but all in the same aspect, the sun being off it before 
ten o clock. The soil was a good yellow loam, with a sandy clay 
subsoil. My crop was much about the same, and with the same 
success I planted the same strip four successive years. 
