THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 11, 1860. 
and aides with a thin layer of long moss—sphagnum uncliopped 
is the best. This moss is to prevent the compost from dropping 
through the bars of the basket, and also to keep in moisture. 
Upon the moss place a layer of the compost; after that take 
the plant out of the old basket or pot and examine the roo s 
and leaves, cutting off all the dead ones from the former, and 
cleansing the latter from dirt and insects; also, removing s 
much of the old compost as you can without injuring the roots. 
Perhaps this old compost may be in lumps dry and hard, and 
the living roots are so firmly attached to them that to remove 
them from the lumps in that state would simply be impossib e 
without breaking, and, consequently, destroying them. In such 
a case place the ball in warm water for a sufficient time to 
thoroughly soak through and soften the clods, then set the plant 
to dry, and when in the right state the old lumps may be 
removed easily enough from amongst the roots without injuring 
or breaking them. Having accomplished this point, then place 
the plant in the centre of the basket and fill in the compost a 1 
round it till the basket is full, keeping the pseudo-bulbs clear 
above the soil. That being done, then place the basket with the 
plant in it on a large pot, take the syringe with the coarsest 
rose fixed on it, fill the syringe with tepid water, and, holding 
the end pretty close to the soil, force the vtater strongly through 
the rose on to the soil, going round the basket all the while. 
This watering in this manner will settle the compost effectually, 
and will leave the surface smooth and even. Then with a pair 
of scissors trim off any loose pieces of moss that may have pro¬ 
truded tlmough the bottom or sides. This gives a neat finished 
appearance, always desirable to any plants. 
Young plants of such as eventually require baskets may, whilst 
they are small, be advantageously placed on blocks of wood; 
and when such have made pseudo-bulbs that are likely to flower, 
they may for a year or two be placed in a proportionate-sized 
basket without being taken off the log. The plant will grow 
much better than if it was torn off the block at once on trans¬ 
ferring it to the basket. As the block will in time decay, the 
plant can then be easily detached from it when it needs a new 
basket, and will have done much better with the log in the 
basket than without it. T. Appleby. 
(To he continued .) 
CAMELLIA FLOWER-BUDS FALLING. 
MINERAL OIL AS A BEMEDY AGAINST SCALE. 
I HAVE taken a great amount of trouble with my Camellia • 
during the last twelve months. They were repotted in the spring, 
put into heat, during which they made excellent growth, were put 
under an awning through the summer, which, considering th 
unfortunate season, was unnecessary as a protection from th 
sun, yet it prevented them from getting too much wet, and they 
were carefully watched so as not to become too dry. The plants 
were healthy and the buds well formed when put into the con¬ 
servatory six weeks ago, so that I anticipated a beautiful show 
of flowers. The buds, however, have been gradually dropping 
off, even after they had become a good size and otherwise 
appeared healthy. Can you tell me the reason of this?— 
J. Green. 
[We think from your description that the roots had been 
allowed to get too dry after they were housed. Sometimes the 
same effect is produced from deficient drainage, and the soil 
getting sodden and sour ; but we can hardly imagine that cas • 
would be yours after fresh potting in spring. All Camellias in 
pots flower best when the roots fill the pots, and never know 
what it is to be dry after the buds are formed. We have had n > 
experience of mineral oil, which you say is recommended for 
destroying the scale. All such remedies require to be used with 
care. We have no doubt that it would kill the scale. Mineral 
oil is only another name for impure naptha.] 
Berkies and no Fruit.— A gentleman had employed 
a tailor named Berry, and upon the succession of the son of the 
latter to the business the bill was presented for immediate pay¬ 
ment. With a look of amazement he dismissed the knight of the 
goose with the following impromptu:—“ Why what a mull, 
Berry! you’ve sent in your bill,Berry, before it was due, Berry ; 
your father, the elder Berry, would not have been such a goose, 
Berry. You need not look so black, Berry; for I don’t care a 
straw, Berry'.” 
FLOWERS WHICH ESPECIALLY FAILED IN 
STAFFORDSHIRE LAST SEASON. 
Sweet Peas, no bloom at all. Gladioli, very partial bloom, 
and the colours much less vivid. Hibiscus africanus, no bloom. 
Verbenas, miserable. Geraniums, miserable. Annuals, in general, 
very bad. Roses, first blooms very good; autumnal blooms 
failures. 
The gem of my garden, Clematis lanuginosa, was entirely cut 
down by the winter, but vegetated again very strongly, and 
bloomed profusely on a south wall in September, preserving its 
thick beautiful petals in full bloom for at least a month. 
Mr. Beaton’s Calystegia pubescens simplex has been much 
admired as a climber. It is extraordinary the distance it will 
run in one season, and its continuous bloom makes it very 
valuable. 
Of all the Roses with me, the Gloire de Dijon is the most 
beautiful and the most useful—the first to commence blooming 
and the last to cease. 
A small single Dahlia, Dahlia globulosus, is greatly admired 
by the ladies. It is admirable for a bouquet. I procure the seed 
from Mr. Thompson, of Ipswich. If I am not quite correct in 
the spelling of its name, it is quite near enough to identify it.— 
Cottage Gardener’s Friend. 
FAILURE OF PEACHES AND NECTARINES. 
In No. 614, page 209, of The Cottage Gardener, will be 
found a report of the failure of Peaches and Nectarines at this 
place. For the information of such of your readers as may not 
possess that Number, it may be as well to preface the subject of 
this paper with the particulars of the report referred to, which I 
will do as briefly as may be. The Peach-border here is about 
220 feet long by 16 feet wide ; the soil from this was removed 
in 1851 to the depth of 2| feet, and being drained throughout 
was replaced with the top spit of a good loamy pasture in 
November of that year; this having been previously dug up 
and laid in ridges in August, the trees were planted that autumn 
18 feet apart, the wall being 9 feet high. These did remarkably 
well until this summer, having completely covered the wall, and 
scarcely showing a diseased leaf until this season. This spring 
they broke well, had a fine bloom, and presented their usual 
healthy appearance until the shoots had grown two or three 
inches, when they began to lose their foliage and fruit, the sap 
exuding from the branches, and by July most of them were bare 
of foliage ; at which time I referred the particulars to the Editors 
of The Cottage Gardener, at the same time soliciting their 
opinion and advice. They kindly replied as follows :—That two 
causes had contributed to the failure of my trees : First, the frost 
of October, 1859; and secondly, that the roots had penetrated the 
subsoil (this being mostly red clay), and this perfectly coincided 
with my own opinion, as previously expressed to my worthy 
employer. The first cause I believe to be correct; the second 
partly wrong, as I shall presently show. Their advice how to 
restore my trees I am sorry I have not had the opportunity of 
putting into practice, as the majority of the trees have gradually 
ceased to exist: consequently their entire removal has become a 
matter of necessity. The Peaches were the first that failed, the 
Nectarines being not quite so bad. 
The best mode of cultivating wall fruit being now the order 
of the day, I will, for the double purpose of imparting and 
gaining information, relate in what state I have found this border 
(as this bears upon the Editors’ reply to my query), what I 
have done, and what is intended to be done. In order not to 
occupy more of your valuable space than is absolutely necessary 
I will be as explicit as the subject matter will allow. 
First, the border. This I found to be mostly in very good 
condition, to the full depth of the border, considering th 
heavy nature of the soil. Some portion of it was rather wet and 
tenacious, which I attribute to the following circumstances:— 
The time taken to complete the border in 1851 was about a 
month, with the labour I had at command, and during that 
time we had several showery days; and although I was very 
careful not to replace the soil upon those days, or to put any 
in that might be considered unfit from wet—that is, upon 
ordinary soils, yet upon this I believe every layer showed the 
state in which it was replaced, thus proving the great necessity 
of accomplishing such work only in dry weather, especially with 
soil of the above description. This brings me to the roots. 
These I found had not penetrated the subsoil: consequently this 
