THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 19, 1861. 
371 
is used to stir the soil the younger and best-placed roots are 
necessarily cut and injured. 
The same principles of culture should bo adopted for the 
roots of wall trees, only the concrete should be formed and laid 
so as slope from the wall; and at the side of the concrete furthest 
from the wall there should be a good drain to carry clear off the 
superfluous water. If the above described operations are care¬ 
fully carried out the results will be healthy roots, and, con¬ 
sequently, healthy branches, which will bear good fruit in due 
season. * 
Much has been written on root pruning, and, no doubt, 
when trees are unfruitful through excessive free growth, the 
cutting off a portion of the roots will check that growth and 
induce fertility; but such pruning is, it must be allowed, 
working in the dark. It would answer better and be more certain 
in its effect if the tree was entirely replanted. The roots could 
then be properly pruned to a less or more extent, according as 
they required so operating upon. 
There is only one way in which trees may be unfruitful, and 
yet the roots may be in a healthy condition—and that is when 
they are too thick on the ground or too full of branches. The 
remedy in such a case is palpable : Let the trees be judiciously 
thinned, and also the branches, so as to admit the sun and air, and 
then the trees will be as fruitful as could be wished. I conclude 
my papers on the roots by repeating my maxim, Take care of 
the roots and the tops will take care of themselves.—T. Appleby. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Fruit Committee. —A meeting of the Fruit Committee was 
held on Tuesday, the 12th inst. Mr. James Fraser in the chair. 
The following presentations for the experimental crops at the 
Garden were announced :— 
Messrs. Wrench & Sons, London Bridge—A collection of ten 
varieties of Pea*. 
Messrs. Nutting & Sons, 60, Barbican—Collections of Lettuce, 
Celery, and Beets. 
Messrs. Minier, Nash, & Nash, 60, Strand—Collections of 
Broccoli, Lettuce, Celery, Beets, and Kidney Beans. 
Messrs. Charlwood & Cummins, Covent Garden—Collections 
of Lettuce, Celery, and Beet. 
Mr. Yeitch, jun., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea—Collections 
of Lettuce, Beets, and Celery. 
Two Seedling Apples were sent by Mr. J. J. Foster, of 
Edgeware, neither of which appeared to possess any remarkable 
merit. Mr. B. W. Caut, of Colchester, sent a Seedling Apple, 
which is of small size, oblate, and perfectly green, but becoming 
of a yellowish tinge as it ripens. Of those exhibited, only three 
or four were ripe even at this late season, all the others being 
quite green, hard, and acid, looking as if they would keep for 
months to come. When ripe, this is a fine Apple ; but the 
Committee deferred judgment upon it till next Meeting, the 
remaining fruit in the meantime being sent to the fruit-room at 
Chiswick. 
Mr. Laxton, of Stamford, sent a dish of Stamford Pippin, 
which unfortunately had been in contact with some substance 
which destroyed the flavour. 
Mr. Cunningham, gardener to the Bishop of London, Fulham, 
sent a nice collection of Apples, remarkably well kept, and 
which consisted of ten distinct varieties; for these he was 
awarded a Certificate of Commendation. 
Mr. Culverwell, of Thorpe Perron, sent a small bunch of an 
oval black Grape, grown in a pot. The bunch was in fine 
condition, the berries being quite plump, and the stalk and 
pedicels being as fresh and green as those of early Grapes. The 
sort came from the south of France, and bears some resemblance 
to Catalanesia vera, but it was impossible to say that it was 
identical without closer comparison. At all events it is a most 
delicious and very valuable Grape. 
Mr. Melville, of Dalmeny Park, sent specimens of his Fear¬ 
nought Cabbage, respecting which a report of the Sub-committee 
appointed at last Meeting was also read. It was awarded a 
First-class Certificate. His Sprouting Cabbage was again sub¬ 
mitted to the Sub-committee. 
Mr. Spencer, of Bowood, sent a bundle of grafts of Bowood 
Muscat Yine to be distributed among the Committee, and for 
which a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Spencer. 
Mr. Fraser, of Lee Bridge Road Nursery, exhibited scions of 
Pear trees, which had become quite black in consequence of the 
severity of the past winter. 
Floral Committee. —The signs of the return of the floral 
season at the Meeting of this Committee, held on the 12th inst., 
were somewhat cheering to those who have been for months 
seeing and hearing of lo*ses and crosses in their own and their 
neighbours’ gardens ; and though, owing to the severity of the 
winter, the signs were somewhat more scant than would other¬ 
wise have been the case, yet they gave evidence that gardeners 
have not been quite “ froze up.” 
An interesting discussion arose on a sprig or two of a Rho¬ 
dodendron, a cross between atro-virens and ciliatum, which i3 
said to be very hardy, forming a neat dwarf bush, with blossoms 
about the size of an Azalea, and said to be good for forcing. 
The plant had been forwarded for the previous Committee 
Meeting, but had arrived too late. The discussion on it was 
interesting, not so much on account of the plant itself as to 
the object of awarding the honorary certificates, it being thought 
by som'e that the Committee was too liberal in the matter, and 
that they ought to be awarded only for fine thing*. This, 
however, is a mistaken notion, I beg to submit, and so was 
regarded by the majority. Tli*re can be, of course, in one sense 
no sort of comparison between, we will say, a magnificent new 
Lrelia or Yanda, a small variegated plant for edging, and a new 
green-edged Auricula ; but in their way each may be as deserving 
as the other. The Lidia has been obtained at great expense 
and trouble; the bedding plant will be grown by thousands 
where only one of the Orchid is ; and the Auricula may be the 
result of the most careful hybridising and the most watchful 
attendance; and whenever any new thing is really good for 
the purpose for which it is grown, it ought to be so treated. 
From Osborne there were sent a few pips of a Pink, a cross 
between the common Dianthus sinensis and Heddewigii. From 
Barleston Hall Gardens came a box of an old but neglected 
plant, one of the prettiest and earliest of all spring-flowering 
plants for rockwork —Saxifiraga oppositifolia major . 1 he object 
in sending it was to draw attention to it, and so to bring it into 
cultivation again. It was accompanied by an interesting account 
of the extensive manner in which it was used. Mr. Bull, 
F.R.H.S., sent some plants of a new variegated plant for edging 
—Agathcea caslestis. For this a First-class Certificate was 
awarded. It is dwarf and compact in habit, and is said to 
have a neat, small, blue flower. From Messrs. E. G. Hender¬ 
son & Son came a collection of Cyclamens, varieties of persicum, 
and various other ornamental plants; and when some fine- 
foliaged plants were introduced from the Society’s garden, the 
room looked very well. By-the-by, it is utterly unsuited for 
a Committee-room, the same inconvenience being experienced as 
in a school-room with folding-doors—the noise of the talking 
being quite confusing. It was wretchedly cold, moreover. 
At the close of the proceedings a very interesting paper was 
read by Mr. W. Paul, of the Cheshunt Nurseries, Waltham 
Cross, on the various varieties of Taxus baccata (the common 
Yew), accompanied by a collection of pots of the different 
varieties. These Mr. Paul divided into four sections : 1, spread¬ 
ing habit; 2, pyramidal; 3, weeping ; 4, variegated foliage. 
The thanks of the Committee were given to Mr. Paul, the paper 
ordered to be printed in the “Proceedings” of the Society, and 
a Special Certificate awarded for the collection. D. 
On Friday last Her Majesty, accompanied by their Royal 
Highnesses Princesses Alice and Beatrice, honoured the new 
Gardens of the Society at Kensington Gore with a visit, and 
inspected the progress of the works. The Members of Council 
who received her Majesty were H.R.R. the Prince Consort, 
President of the Society, Mr. Dilke, Mr. II. T. Hope, Mr. Henry 
Pownall, and Mr. John Clutton. Mr. Sydney Smirke, the 
architect, Mr. Nesfield, the designer of the Gardens, and Mr. 
Kelk, the contractor for the work, were in attendance to explain 
the details of the operations. 
Show of Hyacinths. —Messrs. Cutbush <fc Son’s grand 
annual Hyacinth Show is now in its full beauty, and may be 
visited any day during the week. Next week we shall supply 
a few notes upon the best and most attractive flowers. 
