December 4, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
215 
prevent the plants rooting too deeply ; also, when the 
time of removal arrives, to facilitate that operation. 
About 3 ins. or 4 ins. of good clear mould, without any 
admixture, is put in on the drainage material and the 
surface made even, in which the cuttings are inserted 
about 2 ins. or 3 ins. apart. 
In selecting the cuttings, care should be taken to use 
those only that are young and succulent, as these emit 
roots far more freely than those of more matured growth, 
and not only so, but produce the best and the most 
healthy plants. In fact, many failures, in my opinion, 
may be traced to the want of attention in this respect, • 
as when the cuttings becomes woolly in texture, the 
circulation of the sap is less free and vigorous, and not 
unfrequently the plants become sickly, and eventually 
die. 
With reference to the soil into which I put my cut¬ 
tings, I make sure that there are no worms or any other 
impediments to cause inconvenience after the cuttings 
are inserted ; and the plan that has been adopted by 
me for some years I find to be, although a simple one, 
a most admirable one. As a rule, when I am about 
to mix different soils, they are subjected to a cleansing 
process, viz., should I find in my leaf-mould, rotten 
manure or other soils, any worms, &c., I have it put 
into the fowl yard, and spread out thinly on a clean 
surface, and anon the chickens, and ducks too, are at 
work, and in a very short time divest the soil of every¬ 
thing that may infest it, both animal and vegetable, for 
I am of opinion that their sharp eyes even detect the 
seeds of weeds as well as all kinds of insects and their 
larvae. 1 am quite sure anyone who may try this 
remedy of annihilation— i.e., should they keep fowls 
—will free themselves from much annoyance, well 
knowing that their soils are then perfectly free from the 
many pests that they oftentimes contain ; and in the 
case of a bed of Calceolaria cuttings, it is a great 
satisfaction not to have them disturbed by being pulled 
out of the ground, as is often the case when there are 
worms in the bed. 
After the cuttings are put in a good watering is 
given, and the lights are kept close until the rooting 
process has commenced, at which time air is abundantly 
admitted ; and should the weather be favourable the 
lights are taken off altogether, as the more the young 
plants are exposed, the more healthy they are and the 
better plants they make. I have, sometimes, even 
allowed soil to become crusted by frost before putting 
on the lights, without sustaining the slightest injury, 
having constantly inured them to free air and low 
temperature, never closing the frames unless the frost 
is severe and continuous, when ample protection is 
afforded to repel it. 
The plants are not in any way excited, or encouraged 
to make winter growth, at all events only a very hardy 
slow growth, which induces sturdiness. By the middle 
of March or the beginning of April, according to the state 
of the weather, the plants may be carefully removed and 
planted about 6 ins. or 8 ins. apart on some narrow 
border, not too much exposed to the sun, in good free 
soil with a portion of leaf-mould forked into it ; after 
watering, the plants may be left to themselves until 
bedding-out time, giving them a copious supply of 
water should the weather be warm and dry. Between 
thirty and forty years I have planted from the 
striking bed direct to the beds and borders in the 
flower garden, in the month of April, and, although 
exposed to frost and even snow, the plants suffered no 
injury through having been hardened and acclima¬ 
tised. 
When the plants are treated in a more artificial 
manner, their constitution is, of necessity, impaired ; 
consequently, they are subject to disease and the attacks 
of green-fly, which render the plants not unfrequently 
positively valueless ; but, treated as I have stated, the 
plants are never or very rarely attacked, but are full of 
health and vigour. The dark-coloured varieties are 
not very extensively grown, however useful they may 
be ; but the yellow kinds cannot be dispensed with, 
for we have no substitute to take their place in the 
embellishment of the flower garden, that is so easy 
to manage, and, at the same time, so effective.— 
George Fry, Leivisham. 
The Kingston and Surbiton Chrysanthemum 
Society will hold its annual exhibition next year on 
November 8tli and 9tli. The annual dinner of this 
society was held last week at the Sun Hotel, the 
company present numbering about fifty. The Mayor 
of Kingston, who is president of the society, occupied 
the chair. 
Hardening ffoTES from 
•[Scotland. 
Pruning 1 Fruit Trees.— The defoliation of fruit¬ 
bearing trees by late storms of wind and rain has been 
somewhat speedily performed, and the leaves have been 
carried far beyond the trees on which they grew, thus 
verifying the words of the poet, “When chill Novem¬ 
ber’s surly blast laid fields and forests bare.” The fruit 
trees which are stripped are now ready for pruning, and 
with the exception of Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots 
and Figs—the latter are better protected with hay- 
bands, Fern, or a thatching of straw—we think it well 
to proceed with pruning as speedily as possible. Well- 
managed trees, however, do not require much of the 
knife at this season. If thinning and stopping has 
been duly attended to during the growing season, the 
chief use of the knife lies in regulating the shoots, 
shortening some and removing others which have fruited 
during the past season, and can now be spared. Strict 
attention should now be paid to the removal of “snags,” 
or any dead portions and outgrowing spurs on trained 
trees ; and where wires are used to fasten the shoots to 
instead of nails, &c., it is very necessary to examine 
the growths to see that they do not press against the 
metal; and while tying is being done, a twist to the 
string should be given to prevent the bark from being 
grazed and suffering ultimately from canker, as it 
assuredly will if allowed to rest against the wire. All 
ties which are tight to the bark should be removed, as 
the neglect of such amenities in ordinary practice is 
productive of much evil; and if there is a danger of 
canker from having to mutilate young growth—pro¬ 
bably unripened, which makes the case worse—we 
would find a remedy in root-pruning. 
Apples. —The judicious cultivator makes sure of 
securing a quantity of Apples every season (even when 
the general crop is scarce) by cultivating a number of 
kinds, and they must be very limited, which bear every 
year. In the north these will be found among Godlins, 
Lord Suffield, Stirling Castle and King of the Pippins, 
but some local kinds are quite as serviceable as these, 
and are never known to fail, but strangely are allowed 
to remain “ local.” It is the pruning of these we are 
now considering. Much ado is often made of “gross 
growth, ” but an end can always be put to this by the 
same attention to root manipulation, as is generally 
given to the branches. We believe in stiff bushes with 
branches which are not at the mercy of the elements, 
and every inch of wood should be studded with short 
stiff spurs. The] bush, whatever shape it might be, 
should not be a mass of crowded wood, like a shrub, 
but in a fruit-bearing and fruit-ripening condition from 
outside to centre. The ‘ 1 let alone ” system frequently 
allows abundance of fruit to grow all over the outside, 
but the inner portion of the trees are lost, as fruit 
cannot set and properly ripen when shut in from sun 
and air. This evil is often seen on pyramids, as well 
as on dwarf bushes and standard trees. It is now a 
good time to remove branches for the admission of 
air and light, but if the roots are placed within reach 
of rich soil, they will work so actively that all the 
thinning will be of no avail, and before another season 
has sped, the air and light passages will be closed up by 
gross young wood. The cutting-in of roots, ramming 
of firm material round them and underneath, will be 
conducive to the forming of fruit spurs. Orchards could 
often be improved by timely thinning out centres, and 
improving the quality and supply of fruit. While our 
orchards have yielded but scanty supplies this season, 
all the dwarf trees have been loaded ; the latter are 
trees from three years old to perhaps a century. The 
old trees, which do credit to their planter long since 
forgotten, are still in leaf, deep green with no growths, 
but clustered with prominent fruit buds. Some of 
them have little left of their stems but portions of the 
bark, but we are not disposed to remove such free- 
bearing rustics. Some of them are repaired with bark 
and wood from other trees to keep out rain and snow 
from their old trunks, but both foliage and roots are 
healthy. 
Tears are generally treated like Apples, and we do 
not know any reason why they should not be pruned 
on the same principle, and would add that the less 
mutilating of their growths the better for the free- 
bearing, health and longevity of the trees. It is often 
noticeable that fine old Jargonelles (sometimes other 
Pears) are seen on the ends of houses, and often on walls 
too, which bear freely every year ; little pruning is 
required, and the trees are always clothed with fine 
foliage. The reason may be found by examining the 
roots, which are bedded firmly on the foundations of 
the building — a mass of fibre which collects enough of 
nutriment to support the large crops which are gathered 
yearly, but cause no gross growth requiring to be cut off, 
which is a preventative of canker. Falling flowers, or 
newly set fruits — such as are often seen where roots 
pump up moisture late in the season — “dropping” 
when the fruiting time arrives is very general, and 
the “sharp frost” of such a date settles them. Where 
trees are in perfect health, growth of a minimum 
character, and buds matured early, they seldom pass a 
season without yielding good crops of fruit, and when 
canker appears, the mischief will be found at the roots, 
which are likely suffering from having run into unhealthy 
clay, perhaps inert, or poor sandy material which ha? 
no life-giving power in it. The judicious planter at 
this season (or any other) will make a selection of Pears, 
which will remunerate him for his trouble by their being 
suitable to the latitude or altitude in which the locality 
is placed. There are still a few kinds of Pears worth 
planting (apart from walls) in northern parts ; the old 
Hessel, Moorfowl Egg and several of this class are not 
to be despised. We know some proprietors who set 
much value on them.— M. T. 
-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
Some advice has been given recently about planting 
fruit trees, but there is another matter in connection 
with these that may advantageously receive attention 
now, namely, the pruning and training of established 
trees against walls, or as espaliers or cordons. It is a 
mistake to postpone work of this kind till spring, there 
is always ample to command attention then ; and those 
who make it a rule to push all the work forward that 
can be possibly executed at this time of the year, will 
reap the advantage of their forethought in the busy 
months of the year, and the garden will be proportion¬ 
ately the better for the attention that can then be 
granted it. If trees have been much neglected, they 
should be unfastened from the walls or the trellises to 
which they have been secured, as the branches can then 
be much better regulated from the base upwards ; this 
is the only way to render the tree well-proportioned and 
even. 
In nailing or tying in, again remember that the 
object is to cover as much space as convenient without 
crowding the growths, exposing all to light and air 
freely, and yet not wasting wall space by leaving large 
gaps uncovered. Do not have the shreds too tight, 
but allow sufficient length to permit the branches to ex¬ 
pand naturally, as if closely confined and firmly nailed 
to the walls much injury is often done. Train the 
branches according to the form adopted, but endeavour 
to have each as straight as possible, no matter in what 
direction they are taken, as this allows of the ready flow 
of the sap and prevents deformity of growth. 
If the trees have been infested with insects give a 
good cleansing with soft soap and water, or some 
insecticide ; also when the branches are removed from 
the wall the latter should receive a thorough dressing 
of hot lime-water. 
Pruning is often considered as a mysterious operation 
that can only be performed by professional gardeners, 
and some of the latter, probably, served to increase 
this feeling by the very elaborate directions given as to 
its performance. The simple fact is that hundreds of 
fruit trees in Great Britain are pruned too severely, 
and the injury done in this way is far greater than 
results from not pruning at all. When a tree of any 
kind is in good condition, not excessively vigorous or 
too weakly, scarcely any pruning is needed, and in 
most cases, trees in a free-bearing state are best left 
alone beyond removing straggling growths. When trees 
are very vigorous, pruning is useless as a means of 
inducing fruitfulness ; they must be lifted and not 
pruned as previously advised, and when unusually 
strong shoots appear on trees in a generally good 
fruitful condition, the best way is to cut them right 
out. In other respects, the chief object is to remove 
unripened, unfruitful wood, to concentrate the strength 
of the tree upon that which is in a suitable state to 
return the best results, and to preserve an even balance 
of growth, foliage and fruit. — Scolytus. 
