362 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 19, 1861. 
agreeable to the feet as rice-kept gravel. Pruned Laurels and 
other shrubs, and thinned where getting too thick, even though 
good plants have to be removed ; as it is better to have one very 
nice plant with room to extend itself freely, than two plants 
injuring and spoiling each other. 
In the kitchen garden turned over ground previously ridged 
up, that it may be more perfectly sweetened and dried for 
planting and seed-sowing. Owing to the continued rains on 
heavy ground, found that some seeds, as Peas and Beans, were 
rotting in the ground, owing to the surface getting so caked as 
to keep out a sufficiency of air ; broke the surface slightly with 
the prongs of a fork, and sowed some boxes under glass to 
furnish plants to fill up with if necessary. In stiff, cold soils, 
and in such seasons as this, it would be advisable to sow r under 
glass for a row or two of the best Marrow Peas , such as Veitch’s 
Perfection, Ne Plus Ultra, &c. They will come all the sooner 
in consequence, and will escape being injured in the soil by the 
small black yellow-bellied slugs, that even after this winter are 
more than usually numerous, and which nothing but trapping 
and picking seems sufficient to kill. Piniahed root-pruning 
some Pears and Apples which had better been done at the end 
of October, but which will answer the purpose well enough, 
putting a little fresh soil firmly round the roots, and mulching 
the surface with a little rotten dung. I find that Peach trees 
are not only much injured, but that where exposed almost every 
fruit-bud has shrivelled and dropped. Apricots nearly as bad. 
On a small piece of wall covered with old sashes, the buds of the 
Peaches and the wood are sound and right enough ; showing what 
even a little protection, if comparative dryness is secured, w ill do. 
In the greenhouse and pits more water has been wunted in 
the sunny days, as want of water will cause Azaleas and 
Camellias to drop their buds; and in the case of soft-wooded 
plants, the leaves will not only be apt to suffer, but the least 
langour thus produced gives a nice opportunity for the attacks 
of insects. Want of water in sunny days is just as injurious as 
having the soil in pots saturated with water in cold, dull weather. 
Even when the leaves show r a little sign of flagging in sunny days 
do not water unless you satisfy yourself that the soil is dry. 
Often in sudden extremes from cloud to sun, that distressed 
appearance will manifest itself when the soil is moist enough. 
Watering under such circumstances will not lessen the evil, and 
if dull days follow, the extra moisture, if there is the slightest 
defect in drainage, will induce a plethoric, gouty habit. Under 
■such circumstances a slight shading and a gentle sprinkling of 
the plants with the syringe, and damping the shelves and stages 
of the house, will be the best remedy. Avoid, however, damping 
under such circumstances the leaves of florists’ Pelargoniums. 
These leaves should always be dry before the sun shines upon 
them. 
Turned out a quantity of young Brilliant Geraniums, &c., that 
had been potted separately in 60-pots in a bed of rich soil, 
chiefly leaf mould, in an earth pit, to be covered for a short time 
with spare sashes, placing the plants from 3 inches to 4 inches 
apart. Moved a quantity of Calceolarias from a cold pit where 
they were struck as thick as they could stand into air earth-pit 
border. This pit was much soaked. About a couple of inches 
of the top soil were removed, and mixed with about 3 inches 
of hot half rotten leaves, followed directly with 21, inches 
of sandy loam and rotten leaf mould. -This gave a nice 
genial soil at once to start in, and here the Calceolarias were 
planted out about 3 inches apart, to give them room to be 
stiff plants before May. If very strong and likely to injure 
themselves, they will be thinned again. These always do far 
better than when coddled in pots. These will have glass for a 
few days, and bo succeeded with straw hurdles, and then hurdles 
of branches thick enough to keep out some cold, and thin 
enough to let the sun through. Kept taking off cuttings as they 
could be got, placing them in a mild bottom heat, and from a 
foot to 18 inches from the glass, so as to avoid the necessity 
of shading. 
The friend who inquired about Cineraria maritima will, if 
the plants were cut down, be now in a position to propagate 
wholesale. The tops of the plant require time and care to pro¬ 
pagate. When cut down almost close to the ground a great 
many shoots will come from the stem, and chiefly in the way of 
suckers. These are firm, and almost free from the soft \\ oolly 
nature of the top shoots ; and if taken off when about 2 inches 
long, and cut across at the bottom, and inserted in sand soil, 
and placed in a sweet bottom heat, will generally be roo ed in 
about ten days, and these for edgings make far better , Jants 
than older or larger ones. We have had some fine massive 
edgings by leaving the plants out all winter, and cutting them 
down to the ground in spring, and giving these young shoots 
a thinning after they pushed. The plant is quite hardy, or at 
least as hardy as a Laurel. We generally take some up, but we 
neglected to do so this season, and feared we should be done 
for; but when the severe frost was over we lifted a lot and put 
them thickly into large pots, and, after a few days in a cold pit, 
placed them in a frame plunged in tree leaves having a little 
heat; and though some have gone, the greater proportion have 
pushed from the crown of the roots and are now furnishing us 
with cuttings, though not in such quantity as they might have 
done if kept in a cold pit in winter. We took our cuttings last 
year from plants that stood out all the winter; and though, 
therefore, w r e did not get them until April, they were quite in time 
enough for being planted out in the middle of May. 
The ground being still so wet, sowed some Turnip and Onions 
under protection, also Radishes. Divarf Kidney Beans in boxes 
to be transplanted. After this they will do very well in a frame, 
with a bottom heat of from 60° to 70°, and a top heat of from 
50° to 55°, and a rise from sunshine. It is better to grow them 
thus than in houses shaded by things above them; the higher 
temperature they receive there and the shade together render 
them from weakness liable to be attacked by all sorts of insects, 
which will find their way to other things beside the Beans. We 
hardly ever have an insect on them when grown in pits or 
frames. One thing—the syringe can be more freely used. If 
grown in pots, larger pots may now be used, and much richer 
compost. In dull weather in winter we prefer smaller pots and 
lighter compost. Removed Strawberries finished fruiting, intro¬ 
duced more from mild frame heat, and watered with manure 
water those showing and swelling. Regulated Vines, potted 
Geraniums and Fuchsias, and stirred the soil in which Cucum¬ 
bers are planted, watering that soil only to the extent that we 
judge the roots have gone ; and picked out the tubers and fresh 
potted Achimenes, using light sandy loam enriched with a little 
peat, leaf mould, and old dried cowdung, &c.—R. F. 
MULBERRY TREE AGAINST A WALL. 
In the winter of 1854 I planted a Mulberry tree on a south 
aspect against a wall 7 feet high. It now covers nearly the space 
I can allow it—viz., 12 feet in length and 7 feet high, and last 
year produced a few berries, and shoots of from 12 inches to 
20 inches long. How and when should it be pruned ? Woidd 
root-pruning be of use, to reduce the strength of the shoots, and 
bring it into a bearing state ? and at what season should it be 
done ?— Oyerdessel. 
[We should root-prune directly, trying to get at a tap root; 
then -we should cut out some main branches altogether, and lay 
in the young shoots nearly their full length reversed—that is, 
trained back towards the stem ; and then, though that may not 
give more fruit this season, you will be likely to have plenty on 
short spurs in 1862.] 
ARRANGEMENT OF CROCUSES. 
SAXIFRAGA OPPOSITIFOLIA—AGATHJEA CCELESTIS — ABABIS 
YARIEGATA. 
The Crocuses in my private garden, and in the Ex¬ 
perimental Garden at this moment, could not possibl}', 
I should think, be excelled anywhere for effect; and they 
are all in rows—not as beds,but in broad bands,round beds, 
and along the sides of straight walks and curved walks. 
Five years back the way these Crocuses were planted, 
how the colours were arranged, and the names of the 
kinds were published in The Cottage Gardener. The 
bulbs were planted singly at 4 inches apart, and now the 
rows are full, and average 9 inches across the mass of 
flowers. But double rows are put round some of the 
beds at the Experimental facing the drawing-room. In 
some beds an early and a late kind of Crocus are in 
separate rows, or rings, to lengthen the season ; in some 
two kinds to bloom in contrast, and purple and yellow, 
white and purple ; and some for combination, as light 
lilac, streaked lilac, on a white ground, as Sir Walter 
Scott, and pure white, and, to my eye, this is the most 
