THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 16 , 1886. 
310 
never get tired of. At the close of the long season 
during which they are plentiful out of doors, the 
limited supply available from indoor plants seems even 
more acceptable. 
To do full justice to Roses when grown under glass 
they should have a house to themselves ; yet there are 
many amateurs who have not the chance of so accom¬ 
modating them, and still none the less like to have the 
flowers. A good deal is said nowadays on the forcing 
of pot Roses ; but it is not at all calculated to help 
those who are wanting in experience in the matter— 
frequently the reverse. It generally follows that the 
hardier a plant is naturally the more necessity there is 
for its being carefully managed when subjected to heat, 
and Roses more than most plants exemplify this. The 
young leaves of Roses produced in even such amount of 
artificial heat as the plants will well do with, are tender 
to a degree, so much so that they will not bear the cold 
air coming in contact with them without their becoming 
a prey to mildew. 
Amateurs frequently have not more than one house 
to accommodate the many things that require heat to 
grow them. Stove plants of various kinds, Hyacinths, 
and other bulbs that have to be forced, hardy shrubs 
that are to be brought on, including Roses, which 
often come to grief through the effects of the air so per¬ 
sistently advised as necessary to admit even in the 
chilly winter time. Air is a subtle element that is not 
easily prevented from getting everywhere, and even in 
a well-constructed house it gets in at the doors, the 
laps of the glass, and at the ventilators, even when 
closed, in sufficient quantity for the requirements of 
plants of all kinds in a warm house in winter, if the 
house is such as will admit plenty of light, and the 
occupants are kept well up to the glass ; and where 
these essentials are not present, the admission of cold 
air is not the way to remedy the defect. Even later 
on, when well into March, when the sun gets powerful 
enough to run up the heat so as to require the venti¬ 
lators to be opened, this should be done at the top of the 
house alone, and that only to an extent that will let 
the superabundant heat out rather than admit much of 
the cold air. 
"When Roses are forced in a house where various other 
plants are grown, the Roses should be placed together 
at one end of the house, and when it becomes necessary 
to open the ventilators this should be done at the 
opposite end to that where the Roses stand. So sen¬ 
sitive are the young forced leaves of Roses, that half an 
hour’s subjection to cold air is quite enough to bring 
on an aggravated attack of mildew. Even when no air 
is given mildew often makes its appearance, but only 
in a mild form, such as can easily be dealt with by 
dusting with flour of sulphur. It is necessary to keep 
a constant look-out for the parasite, the presence of 
which, on its first appearance, after a little experience, 
is easily detected. When an odd leaflet or two here 
and there are slightly curled, it is nearly always a sure 
sign of the enemy’s presence, although it is more likely 
than not to escape the notice of anyone not intimately 
acquainted with this pest of the Rose forcer until it has 
so far done its destructive work as to cause the young 
leaves to fall off in quantity, when there is an end to 
the crop of flowers. 
Everyone who forces Roses should have one of the 
old-fashioned sulphur-puffs, which are vastly superior 
to all the newer contrivances that have appeared. I 
have thought it well to go so far into detail about 
mildew, with the most frequent cause of its appearance 
and the necessity for prompt measures to destroy it, as 
it is the cause more than all others through which those 
who have had little experience in Rose-forcing fail. 
The Teas are much the best for forcing, as they will 
not only produce flowers at a time in the winter when 
the hybrid perpetuals and others will not, but through 
their natural disposition to keep on blooming from all 
the growth they make, they give a succession of flowers. 
To enable them to do this, even when the plants are 
strong to begin with, they must be well and regularly 
supplied with sustenance, either through the appli¬ 
cation of surface dressings of concentrated manure, 
which gets washed down to the roots in the operation 
of watering, or by the use of manure-water frequently 
given, as upon the strength of the young growth that 
is being made depends the number and size of the 
flowers that are forthcoming. 
When Roses are brought on slowly in a house where 
no more warmth is maintained than is requisite to keep 
out frost, the leaves, as a matter of course, are much 
less tender and proportionately less sensitive to the 
effects of the cold external air coming in contact with 
them, and amateurs who have a greenhouse can grow 
Roses along with the ordinary occupants of the structure. 
In this case, also, the Roses should be kept by them¬ 
selves away from the influence of a current of air. 
Treated iu this manner, many of the hybrids will be 
found to answer well ; but although managed in this 
way Roses are much less subject to the attacks of 
mildew than when forced, still they are by no means 
exempt from it, and require to have a watchful eye 
kept on them.— T. Baines. 
-- 
Scottish Gardening. 
Winter Management of Fruit Trees.— 
Cherries. —There are many kinds of Cherries which 
do well in the northern districts, but which seldom 
have a trial; but where they have fair opportunities' 
for extending into healthy well-matured trees, with 
the roots firmly embedded in healthy soil (good loam 
mixed with lime rubbish is very suitable for them), and 
the necessary attention is given during the growing 
season, heavy crops of fruit may be gathered almost 
every season. We have seen the May Duke, Elton, 
and Black Tartarian fruit abundantly for many years 
in succession in districts cold and exposed. The trees 
were healthy and in fine condition at the roots. When 
root action is defective, stoneless fruits, which drop off 
in their early stages, are sure to follow. Cherries, like 
most stone fruits, are benefitted when a fair proportion 
of lime is a component part of the soil. When induced 
to root well to the surface, by mulching liberally with 
well rotted manure, the benefit to the fruit is soon ob¬ 
served, and the absence of dying shoots and gumming 
is almost certain. Trees with coarse unripened growth 
are sure to suffer from disease, and should have the 
proper remedy applied, viz., root-lifting; piecemeal 
with old trees may be the safest, doing a portion one 
season and the remainder a season or two afterwards. 
The present season should not pass without an 
attempt to improve the condition of the trees, if such 
is necessary, before growth begins to show itself is 
safest by inexperienced hands ; September is always 
safe. Many trees are ruined by allowing the branches 
to become crowded, barren wood being thus formed. 
Some object to the spur system of pruning Cherries, 
but when branches are of even growth and trained into 
position full length, they will be studded with spurs of 
natural formation all along the shoots which are always 
fruitful. We have seen standard trees (not in Scotland) 
allowed to make growth of this kind—the knife only 
used to thin wood of backward growth—and spurs form 
like clusters of nuts, succeeded by crops all that could 
be desired. During summer, on walls, the points of 
the young shoots growing from the main branches are 
pinched off when about 8 ins. or 9 ins. long. Later in 
the season, as growth is ceasing, these shoots are 
shortened further back to let in sun and air to ripen 
the wood ; and when the leaves are shed all that 
remains to be done is to cut these shoots back to two 
or three buds, cutting those which are growing out¬ 
ward clean off. If this is not already done, it may 
have attention as soon as possible. There is no necessity 
for allowing the spurs to grow long, appear coarse, and 
get away from the benefit of the -walls. Those close to 
the wall should be retained, and a careful use of the 
knife will always keep them within bounds. Spurs 
1 in. or 2 ins. long may always remain about the same, 
cut close to the bud, leaving nothing to form snags, 
which are always ruinous to the well-being of all trees. 
A system of training young shoots on one or both 
sides of main branches, cutting out a few yearly and 
introducing others to take their place is conducive 
of a reduction of labour, and trees managed on the 
spur system give very little trouble ; keeping the bark 
clean by brushing off scales with warm soapy water, 
and painting afterwards with Gishurst’s Compound at 
the strength advised is likely to meet all wants. "We 
train vertically, fan system, and horizontal, and all do 
equally well; the latter system causes the least expen¬ 
diture of labour, and a permanent branch to every two 
or three brick widths keeps the tree safe from crowding. 
Cherries are rery suitable for cordons, and to secure 
variety and prolong the season, the cordons have 
advantages where space is limited. 
Morello Cherries require a different system of 
pruning to the other kinds. They can be reduced to a 
system of spurring by checking the roots and causing 
short stiff growths, which do not require the use of 
the knife ; but as they are not easily checked, and 
bear fruit so well on the previous year’s wood, it 
answers well to thin the young growths weU out 
during summer, and at the present season there is 
little left to be cut out, except the dead wood which 
sometimes appears—especially on old trees—and the 
young wood left full length .is likely to bear fruit 
abundantly ; at their points the best fruiting buds 
are generally found. Morello Cherries often die off 
piecemeal, but when the roots are well up to the sur¬ 
face of the soil, kept free from stagnant moisture, and 
not allowed to make gross growth late in the season, 
there is little danger of cankered wood ; where such 
occurs let it be cut clean out, and part of the tree will 
have to be lifted and re-trained to fill up the space. 
Sometimes whole trees have to be untrained and tied 
afresh. 
Cherries are very impatient of being barked or cut¬ 
ting the wood by ties, and pressure on nails or wires. 
Wires on walls have advantages, but mischief is often 
done by allowing the wood to press against them. 
The matting, or whatever is used for tying, should 
have a twist to keep a clearance of the wires ; the 
latter should be close to the walls and loose enough just 
to let the ties be pushed between them. We mostly 
fix nails permanently and tie the main branches to 
them, and the young bearing wood is crossed slantingly 
between the branches ; this is a neat, simple, and 
economical method. On north walls Morello Cherries 
are generally grown, but we have seen them do well on 
every other aspect, especially on ends of houses, and 
in Scotland we have purchased them when grown with 
more sun than they generally get in gardens ; "the 
flavour was so much changed that the fruit could be 
used for dessert. Vermin (black fly especially) is 
often troublesome during summer. After the growths 
are thinned off, a basin of tobacco water carried round 
and the tops dipped in will destroy the Aphis ; we 
found this answer last year. In addition to the kinds 
already named, we have seen Bigarreau and White 
Heart do well on Scotch walls. 
East Lothian Stock.— Stocks are valued at aR 
times for decorative purposes, but when they can be had 
in flower during the wintei months and onwards to the 
end of spring they are doubly valued. For some years 
we have had these in very serviceable condition, and 
more manageable in Scotland than in England. In the 
south we have generally sown the seed during the latter 
part of February and early in March, but here in the 
north we sow in August, lift them during October, 
and pot them (with all the roots which they 
could carry) into good loam (such as old melon 
soil) mixed with a little sand, and keep them close iu 
frames till they start into growth. A little bottom 
heat is of much service for hastening root action, and 
forming flower buds. The quantity of cut flowers 
obtained with very little trouble in this way is 
enormous. The beautiful Wallflower-leaved variety is 
finer than any white kind we have seen, and it is a very 
manageable plant for the purpose of flowering from late 
winter to the end of spring. Our present stock were lifted 
late in October, and treated as already indicated, with 
the old flower stems cut off, and careful attention given 
them till the pots were well filled with roots ; and in a 
batch in an early peach house at work, most of the 
scarlet kinds are showing flower (a few were cut at the 
end of the year), and promise to be useful. A spurious 
lot the season before last were left where they had grown 
during the summer (among a young plantation of 
shrubs), and last spring they were huge masses of scarlet 
flowers for ten to twelve weeks, and really excellent for 
cutting as well as show. Stocks are generally done 
extra well in Scotland, but true East Lothians are 
difficult to procure. — M. T. 
-—- 
CURIOSITIES OF SEED-TESTING. 
In making tests of seeds the fact must not be lost 
sight of that the finest-looking seeds, and those which 
show the greatest proportion of living germs, may not 
be the most desirable for the field or garden. Much 
depends on the variety— the choicest strains of some 
kinds producing seeds of inferior appearance and 
vitality. 1 have made some progress, says Prof. Field 
in an American paper, towards ascertaining the best 
methods and the most favourable temperature for 
germinating seeds of Wheat and the Cucurbitacie. 
