146 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 2, 1856. 
so, then I fear we must look to something even more 
mysterious than constitutional tendencies for a solution 
of the difficulty. 
In No. 390, on page 444 of the fifteenth volume, will 
be found a most interesting article from Mr. Robson, 
that so far confirms, at least, does not militate against, 
these views. 
In conclusion, I would state, that watering with lime- 
water, and syringing with lime and sulphur solution, 
mitigated the evil; and, when the exudations on the 
fruit were not very large, rubbing them off, and daubing 
the place with a powder of equal parts of sulphur and 
lime, would give you fruit with nothing worse to look at 
than a few healed scars. Of course, in making a change 
of plants in such circumstances, every particle of soil 
should be removed, and the whole place receive a 
thorough cleaning. R. Fish. 
CULTURE OF THE EXOTIC HEATHS. 
(Continued frum page 129.) 
Watering. — After having potted the plants as 
described in my last paper, the cultivator should 
perfectly understand the right method of watering his 
Heaths. I mentioned the necessity of leaving sufficient 
space below the level of the rim of each plant to hold 
enough water thoroughly to moisten the whole of the 
soil in each pot. The reason for this is obvious; for, 
if the pot will not hold enough water, the lower part of 
the soil, as well as the centre of the ball, will be left 
from time to time quite dry, and the consequence will 
be that the tender roots left without moisture will 
perish, the plant will turn yellow, the leaves will drop 
off, and the plant, after struggling for awhile, will die. 
To prevent this misfortune, the moment any appearance 
of the plant indicates a languishing condition the ball 
should be turned out and examined, and, if found to be 
dry in the lower strata of the soil, it should be placed 
in a vessel of water deep enough to cover and soak the 
ball thoroughly. Perhaps it may require three hours to 
accomplish this, or, if not very dry, less time might be 
sufficient. The Heath seldom requires watering over¬ 
head, more especially in winter; for if the branches and 
foliage are kept wet in the dark, cold days of that 
inclement season, such injudicious treatment will be 
sure to bring on mildew, an almost fatal disease ; there¬ 
fore by all means avoid wetting the foliage in winter, 
and in damp weather at all times of the year. The best 
time to water the plants during the warmer months of 
the year is in the evening; the water then will not 
evaporate, but sink down gradually to the roots, besides 
giving a cool atmosphere around the plants. The time 
for this evening watering will depend upon the state of 
the season. Our climate is so variable that sometimes 
winter lasts a considerable way into spring, and often 
intrenches as much on the autumn. The cultivator must 
exercise his judgment and discretion, and water accord¬ 
ingly. As an average it may be said that evening 
waterings may commence in April, and continue to the 
middle of September. The rest of the year the water 
should be given in the early part of the day. This 
applies with great force to such plants as are kept in 
frames or a pit through that season. In a dry, good 
greenhouse even it is desirable. By giving the necessary 
quantity of water during the dark, short days in the morn¬ 
ing, the moisture on the soil or ashes in the pits or stage 
of the greenhouse dries up before shutting-up time, and 
the air is not then so loaded with atmospheric moisture, 
as it would unavoidably be if the water was given in the 
after part of the day. 
Great care must be exercised that the plants are 
not watered too much. Of two evils this is the greatest; 
for, if the soil becomes thoroughly sodden with water, 
the roots all perish, and the plant dies suddenly, even 
when it is apparently in green, vigorous health. “ How 
is this to be known?” the amateur will inquire. Observa¬ 
tion gives that knowledge. If the surface of the soil 
continues wet, and becomes mossy, which it will in- I 
fallibly do, we may be certain there is something wrong 
at the root. An ignorant or thoughtless grower, seeing 
his plant drooping, supposes that it wants more water, 
and applies it with a diligent and heavy hand, thus render¬ 
ing matters ten times worse. With such mismanagement 
the plant is sure to perish. I have sometimes restored l 
a plant in such a state, when not too far gone, by turn¬ 
ing it out of the pot, allowing it to stand on the potting- 
bench for a few hours to dry, then reducing the ball, 
and repotting it in a smaller pot, with a more perfect 
drainage. Sometimes the drainage becomes choked, 
and then the superfluous water is retained in the pot. 
The remedy for this is to prepare some fresh drainage, 
pick out the old, replacing it with the new, and repotting 
the plant, watering in all these cases more carefully 
than before. 
It will be evident to the intelligent amateur that 
the watering of Heaths is rather a ticklish affair. He 
may give too little, or he may give too much. In 
general the plants themselves will indicate what they 
need; but they should never be allowed to flag, or the 
soil to become quite dry. When the free-growing kinds 
are in rapid growth, and the weather is very warm, they 
may require watering both morning and evening. I 
mean such species as Erica hyemalis, E. hybrida, E. 
Wilmoreana, E. Sindriana, all the varieties of E. vestita, 
and such-like, require more water than the slower- 
growing and more valuable species, as, for instance, 
E. aristata, E. aniens, E. densa, E. gemmifera, E. 
odora-rosea, E. taxifolia, and similar species. For these 
latter kinds less water is needful; yet sufficient must be 
given to thoroughly moisten the soil. 
To know when a Heath requires water the following 
indications must be attended to:—The surface of the 
soil should be dry; the weather should be dry also. 
If the pots are green on the outside, it is a sign that 
the soil inside is wet; also, if moss appears on the surface 
of the soil, it is an indication that the soil is in an un- 
genial state. In such cases the pots should be washed, 
the moss scraped off, and the surface of the soil stirred, 
to allow the extra moisture to evaporate. 
Heaths in large pots, which may, perhaps, he large, 
valuable specimens, require considerable judgment and 
experience to water them properly. The large body of 
the soil may be moist, even wet, and yet the surface may 
be dry. The large growers for exhibitions round London 
have studied this important point to a great extent. 
They can tell, by merely tapping the outside of the pots, 
whether they require water or not; also, by lifting up the 
pot, they can judge still further by its weight the state 
of the soil as to its dry or wet state. Wet soil, it is 
well known, is heavier than dry. 
I trust I have been sufficiently explicit and minute 
in the directions how to water Heaths, so that new be¬ 
ginners may perfectly understand this important point. 
I will just add, the New Holland genus, Epacris, re¬ 
quires nearly as much attention in watering as the 
Heath. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued .') 
FILBERT CULTURE. 
Certain districts, from time immemorial, have been 
famous for producing certain articles with a degree of 
excellence not expected elsewhere. We have heard of 
Cheshire and Stilton cheese, York and Hampshire 
hams, Ware and Kingston malt, and many other things 
in that way; and here, in our own more limited area 
