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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 26, 1858. 
THE CHRISTMAS WEATHER AT NORWICH. 
Perhaps the weather at Christmas, just passed, was the 
most remarkable on record for mildness—not only in this 
part of the country, but throughout Britain. IVe may have 
known it as mild at this season; but the most remarkable 
| feature was the absence of frost, which usually occurs about 
the middle or the end of October, and puts an end to the gaiety 
of our flowers. Instead of empty flower-beds, or withered 
stems, our gardens have been, more or less, furnished with 
flowers, even exotics in bloom, until they were checked by the 
frost on “ New Year’s-day.” This rare fact is so well known, 
that we need hardly mention it, nor name the various plants 
that were in bloom ; for they range from the common Daisy 
to the tender Ageratum of Mexico, and scarlet Geraniums 
from the “ Cape.” There were, likewise, straggling Potato 
stems about one foot high ; which were amongst the first to 
feel the effects of frost. We mention this, in order to notice 
that the Potato seems to be as tender as it was when first 
introduced; and that this is contrary to the rather too- 
easily-received theory of tender plants becoming acclimated. 
This, however, is apart from our subject; and wliat we have 
said has more reference to plants that w'ere previously in 
blossom, than to those which were at rest during the early 
part of the winter. The mild weather had little influence 
on these, except such as usually blossom in fine autumns; 
| even the Christmas Rose, with us, was hardly before its 
time; we have probably seen it as forward amongst the 
1 snow. Nor had it any influence on the yellow Aconite and 
Snowdrops, the earliest of spring flowers. We have the 
same to say concerning the buds of fruit trees : and though 
there were instances of Raspberries being ripe at Christmas, 
these were only the last of the crops of autumn kinds. 
There were abundance of Haws, Acorns, and berries sup¬ 
plying food for birds, which is vulgarly supposed to prognos¬ 
ticate a severe winter: but this has not been realised yet; 
and on Christmas-day the thermometer stood at 5Q°, at two 
o’clock, in the shade. Then we observed gnats dancing in the 
sun-beams, liive-bees, large flies, and smaller insects abroad; 
and we caught a fine specimen of the harmless reptile, the 
slowworm, basking in the sun, while listening to the song 
of the thrush, and of various smaller birds, mingled with the 
plaintive cooing of the wood-pigeon. The shrill notes of the 
partridge brought to mind reminiscences of boyhood, proving 
how much we are governed by early impressions, and in¬ 
fluenced by associations.—J. Wighton. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
FIG TREES AND THEIR SUCKERS. 
“ In the gardens here, there are two fine Fig trees, appa¬ 
rently twenty -five or thirty years old ; large and luxuriant in 
growth; both growing in the open air, and against a south 
wall. One, a very large green and black (or brown), fruit; 
| the other, green and white. They produce a great deal of 
fruit; but not many ripen—perhaps not more than two or 
three dozen on each tree ; and many of these are partly eaten 
by bees or birds before they are ripe. We were told by a 
friend, who had spent some time in Kent, that ‘ there the 
suckers, which arise from the roots of the Fig trees, are never 
cut away, or removed; and in due course become as fruit- 
yielding as the parent tree.’ Acting on this advice, w T e have 
| allowed the suckers to have their own way the last three 
years, and there was much fruit formed on them; but very 
little indeed came to perfection. At this time they are covered 
with young Figs; but I begin to think that the quantity of 
leaves and young wood tells against the perfecting and ripen - 
! ing of the fruit. Should we remove all the suckers, or thin 
them out ? If they are to be removed, when is the right 
time to do it ? Should the earth be drawn away, so as to 
take them off as closely as possible to the roots ? or will it do 
| to cut them just at, or below, the surface?”—W. C., Black 
Rock , near Dublin. 
[Here is another illustration of doctoring by rule of thumb. 
The treatment of Fig trees, which succeeds in Kent, or Kelso, 
may ruin another Fig tree in the next parish, or county; or 
even in the same garden, or orchard. The Fig tree, among 
fruit trees, is like the Cactus among pot plants; and, as com¬ 
pared with other trees, it should be treated as a common—the 
commonest—window Cactus. From the tale of the “friend, 
who spent some time in Kent,” it would appear that the 
Kentish treatment of Figs is of the very best; as, no matter 
when or how the trees begin to make suckers, those suckers 
“in due course become as fruit-yielding as the parent tree 
therefore, the more suckers, the more Figs. But to allow 
suckers on Fig trees, in Dublin or Dundee, the trees ought to 
be in the same condition as these Kentish trees. Suckers 
come from two causes; but say, from three causes— habit 
being the third cause. The Raspberry gives a good idea of 
suckers coming, because it is the nature of the plant to pro¬ 
duce them; but on other fruit trees suckers come—first, from 
over-luxuriance in the roots; and secondly, because the head 
of the tree is so far hide-bound, or stinted, that the supply of 
sap, from the most ordinary style of roots, cannot find out¬ 
lets to take it so fast as it comes from the roots; it, therefore, 
bursts at the bottom into suckers. And if the roots are very 
strong, or too strong, for that particular tree, the suckers will 
soon make them much stronger, and soon cause barrenness, 
from over-luxuriance. That is exactly the stage into which 
these trees, near Dublin, are now entering : in a few more 
years they will produce no fruit. Such as it is, the roots are 
too strong by far; and the system of allowing the suckers, in¬ 
creases the strength year by year. The Kentish trees, referred 
to by the said “friend,” had their roots barely strong enough 
to nourish the trees and the crops; but they were pro¬ 
pagated in the slovenly school, from which all suckers take 
their rise ; and, therefore, they, too, must throw up suckers, 
if only to show the school. But the roots do not answer to 
this extra demand; and the suckers in due course become 
as fruitful as the stunted parent tree. Unless a Fig tree is 
in very stunted growth, it will not produce good fruit; and 
when it is in that state, suckers are not only not unwelcome, 
but often a benefit, to cover the lower and naked branches 
of the old tree; which covering “in due course” will be as 
fruitful as the extremities of the old framework of the tree. 
The rule by which to know if it is right to leave suckers on a 
Fig tree is this, and it will hold good from Dublin to Da¬ 
mascus. When the young growth of the current season, 
beyond the middle of the large branches , is more than six 
inches long at Michaelmas, it is most dangerous to allow one 
sucker to remain next year. When that growth is not over 
four inches long, you may try the effect of three or four 
suckers ; but unless they turn fruitful in “ due course,” or in 
the second season, depend upon it, the roots are too strong 
yet for suckers, and you must remove the whole of them—not 
by pulling them up, or twisting them about, or by hacking 
them with a spade, or pick; but get carefully under them, 
and then begin, from beloio , with a strong priming chisel 
and mallet, and cut them off with an inch of the old bark 
all round them; so that no more of them can ever come from 
the very same parts. Besides that unsuckering, next April 
the Dublin Figs ought to have two-thirds of the largest roots 
cut back, close to where they come from. In the drawing 
sent, the suckers appear to cover the lower half of the wall, 
lik e a huge Raspberry bank: therefore, two-thirds of the 
roots are not too much to take away, to begin with. The 
soil is too good, too free, and too deep, for them, and the 
three must be reduced to one-tliird sooner or later ; but for 
the next year or two, the loss of suckers and roots may be 
sufficient. Fig trees, however, should not be able to make 
one sucker in a generation, no matter how strong the roots 
might be; nor would they, if the cuttings were disbudded 
like Gooseberry cuttings. They should be nursed in very 
generous soil, and not allowed to fruit for the fust four years. 
After that they should be merely kept alive, and no more; but 
annual lifting is better than very poor soil, or root-pruning.] 
HARDINESS OF CHAMiEROPS EXCELSA. 
“ May I beg the favour of your informing me whether the 
Chamoerops excelsa (Fortune’s hardy Palm), is really hardy or 
not ? A few remarks on its soil, treatment, and habit of 
growth, also, would much oblige.”— Caroline. 
[The Chusan Palm, or Fortune’s hardy Pahn {Cham cer ops 
1 excelsa ), has not yet been killed, or hurt, out of doors by 
