794 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August IS, 1887. 
usually showy by the hairy barren pedicels of the 
inflorescence, which assumes a beautiful rosy red tint. 
The Stuartias are rare and beautiful shrubs belonging 
to the Tea family, and two out of the three known 
species are grown with much pride at Coolhurst. They 
are both North American species, one of which, S. vir- 
ginica, forms a large spreading bush with ascending 
or erect branches, bearing large white, blossoms some¬ 
what like a Rose, with a profusion of purple filaments. 
S. pentagyna is a smaller but healthier and more 
vigorous - looking bush, with larger, wholly white 
flowers, and larger and finer foliage. It is sometimes 
called Malachodendron ovatum, but differs from the 
true Stuartias merely in the fine styles, being free to the 
base instead of connate, and in the seeds being slightly 
winged. 
We regret that time did not admit of a more detailed 
and more extensive survey of the rarer and more 
interesting trees about the place, and which are all the 
more deserving of notice from their comparative old 
age- -- 
ESPALIER FRUIT TREES. 
Since dwarf fruit trees have been so much in 
fashion, the old espaliers have had to make room for 
their more modern rivals. It is not often that one 
sees fruit trees trained round the borders of kitchen 
gardens, and the greater portion of those now in 
existence are poor representations of well-managed 
espaliers. Where the kitchen garden has to play 
the part also of a pleasure garden in forming a 
resort for promenading, fruit trees well managed in 
the manner indicated do good service in shutting out 
the vegetable quarters, which cannot always be kept in 
the most sightly condition, and the small space which 
these dwarf-trained trees occupy is an argument in 
their favour. Economy of space is often of much 
moment, and the large quantity of finely-ripened Apples 
and some kinds of Pears, even in the north, which can 
be grown on espalier trees render them most serviceable 
adjuncts in places of limited extent. Cordon-trained 
fruit trees—single, double, or triple—are only espaliers 
of a more diminutive class, and without a doubt the 
finest of fruit has [been grown on this system. We 
could refer to several gardens where Apples are grown 
to such a size, and attain such excellence of colour, as 
to render them as binds scarcely recognisable. 
One of the greatest of evils attending the cultivation 
of espaliers is their tendency to go off by canker. It is 
more particularly to this disease we specially refer as 
being one by which many of the finest kinds of fruit 
trees are destroyed, and none are more liable than 
espaliers and trees which are curtailed in growth. We 
know that some say the remedy is in our own hands— 
allow the trees to grow on the extension system, and 
attain their natural dimensions and habit. These large 
trees, however, often become diseased, and fall, piece¬ 
meal, victims to canker, &c. Then there are many 
positions where trees over a certain size cannot be 
grown ; space and other circumstances do not allow 
trees over certain dimensions. Yet apart from these 
considerations, how interesting it is to have handsome 
and productive subjects under one’s entire control! But 
then there is this formidable canker, which too often 
defies the ardent lover of such dwarf-tree culture. 
Now, are we to let disease rob us of the pleasure of 
growing handsome fruit trees, which are so profitable 
and conducive to real enjoyment 1 
Notwithstanding all that has been said and written 
as to the cause of canker (ulcerated wounds, which eat 
through the bark and into the wood of trees), we 
believe it emanates chiefly from one or two causes—viz., 
vigorous, unripened growth, produced by the roots 
absorbing food and moisture which cannot be assimi¬ 
lated by the wood and foliage because of the orthodox 
annual or biennial pinning which the trees are subjected 
to. The overgorged tissues are then attacked by disease. 
Another cause is that the roots sometimes get into 
poisonous or inert subsoil, rendered unhealthy by the 
accumulation of stagnant moisture, which encases the 
roots and causes their death; or the absence of moisture, 
which engenders fungi and other diseases. If the trees 
are inclined to become gross by excessive nourishment, 
the simple remedy is to cut off the supplies, and the 
luxuriance will become modified ; reciprocity between 
roots and branches will become equal and healthy. 
‘We never could see the force of allowing any fruiting 
plants to make a quantity of growth not required, 
only to be cut away. A healthy tree on the dwarf 
system of culture should make abundance of healthy 
foliage, and have a strong tendency to form every bud 
into fruit-bearing ones. A tree whose roots are a mass 
of fibre, which cannot get downwards into bad sub-soil, 
and prevented by the firmness of the soil from sending 
out long thong-like branches, will invariably be in 
robust, health and in thorough fruitful condition ; and 
when such is the case nutriment may be given freely 
from the surface, which will encourage young rootlets 
to come upwards and be benefited by warmth and air. 
In certain healthy soils, roots may be found going 
down to a great depth, and not suffering in any form 
by being so far from the surface. These cases are 
exceptional soils, and positions being alike favourable 
to health. 
“Where dwarf trees have been planted in loose soils, 
with no obstruction to the descent of roots, and making 
much growth without fruiting, we would not hesitate 
a moment in stopping top growth by pinching, and 
when about to break out again, would cut all bottom 
roots clean away, ramming plenty of lime rubbish in 
the bottom. If that did not check the undesirable 
growth a second cutting might be made at one or two 
sides of the tree, till its behaviour indicated a less 
vigorous activity of the roots. Examination of a 
number of large trees and many small ones on the 
dwarf system, which have been served as above, and 
have got rid of their gross growth and freed from 
canker and rusty foliage, but, instead, have fine foliage 
and are loaded with fruit, supports a faith we have 
many years retained, that roots require manipulation 
in proportion to the branches. 
What applies to trees on the extension system of 
growth by reciprocity between root and branch, is also 
natural to dwarfed ones, especially espaliers and 
cordons. Continued pinching, as practised by some, 
to check top and root growth, does not meet the 
difficulty so effectually as reducing strong shoots, so 
that they may emit fibres a hundredfold. The present 
being the time to do the more important pruning of 
the trees, we would relate a case in point rather than 
advise an orthodox system. A garden of finely-trained 
espalier trees, which had been carefully tended by a 
painstaking old gardener, only had a yearly pruning. 
One of the reasons was that they produced fine growths, 
which were valued for stakes to pot plants. In course 
of time they began to resist the annual cutting by 
signs of canker and bareness ; but no help was given. 
They fell into the hands of a second practitioner, who 
pulled off every growth as it appeared, and this 
did not improve them ; but the soil and climate being 
of the best in England, the trees fruited fairly well, 
and maintained their vigour. A third cultivator had 
them in hand, whose practice was to moderately prune 
and thin during summer, doing the work about three 
or four times in the course of the season, and giving no 
check. The gross roots going downwards were cut off 
and mulching given. After the foliage had fallen in 
autumn a careful pruning was given, thinning out the 
crowded fruit-buds, and leaving nothing to die back, so 
that “snags” could not form. Healthy short growth 
followed, and abundance of fruit was annually gathered 
from these beautiful espaliers. It is many years since 
we saw these trees, but their appearance indicated a 
long life of great productiveness. These handsome 
espaliers, mostly choice Apples, impressed us so 
favourably, that we have always had much leaning 
towards this method of cultivating Apples and Pears 
where the latter ripen, as we know the system is 
profitable and ornamental.— Caledonian. 
-->X<—- 
GARDEN PLANTS ILLUSTRATED. 
Dispokttm Leschenaultianum. 
The bell-shaped flowers of this curious Lilywort are 
six-parted, white, and borne in two to five-flowered 
clusters in the axils of elliptic six to nine-ribbed leaves 
on erect stems, usually 15 ins. to 18 ins. in height 
when grown in pots. The flowers are succeeded by 
deep bluish black globular berries. It inhabits some 
parts of India, and again crops up in Ceylon at eleva¬ 
tions of from 4,000 ft. to 7,000 ft.— Botanical Magazine, 
t. 6935. 
Xanthorrh>ea Preissii. 
The Grass Gum Trees, as they are familiarly called, 
number about eleven species, all of which are peculiar 
to Australia. The one here noted is the fourth that 
has flowered at Kew, and all have been figured in the 
Botanical Magazine. The Xanthorrheeas are members 
of the Rush family, nearly allied to the Lilies, an 
X. Preissii has a tree-like stem, densely clothed at the 
apex with slender linear three or four-angled leaves. 
The robust flower-stem attains a height of 3 ft. to 8 ft., 
half of which is covered with a dense arrangement of 
its interesting though not very conspicuous flowers. 
The plant was received from the Australian Com¬ 
missioners of the Indo-Colonial Exhibition.— Botanical 
Magazine , t. 6933. 
Akistolochia ridicula. 
The curious-looking two-lobed limb of the perianth 
which is furnished with glandular hairs resembling 
the head-gear of a clown, has suggested the specific 
name of this Birthwort. It is a climbing shrub, 
belonging to the same section as the more familiar 
garden plant, A. trilobata, and sometimes doing duty 
for A. Ksempferi. The leaves are roundly kidney¬ 
shaped, reticulated and hairy. The flowers are solitary 
in the axils of the leaves, of a yellow ground colour, 
with brownish purple veins, and spotted on the limb ; 
the lower part is inflated, and the tube curved. Being 
a native of Brazil, it requires stove treatment. In¬ 
troduced by Mr. W. Bull.— Botanical Magazine, t. 6934. 
Pleurothallis insignis. 
Allied species of this genus are natives of Venezuela, 
at an altitude of 7,000 ft., and the present species, 
which appears like a giant form of P. glossopogon, is 
believed, but not definitely known, to come from 
Caraccas. The sepals are ovate at the base, yellow, 
with brownish purple spots, and produced in long tails 
resembling a Masdevallia; the petals are similarly 
elongated, but much narrower and paler in colour. 
The three-lobed labellum is furnished with hairs on 
the terminal lobe, from which it was first concluded 
to be P. glossopogon. For garden purposes it is far 
more conspicuous than the majority of the species.— 
Botanical Magazine, t. 6936. 
Hybrid Canxas. 
Some Cannas have been obtained as a result of 
hybridising C. Ehmannii with C. glauca. A reciprocal 
cross could not be obtained, on account, it would seem, 
of the imperfection of the pollen of C. Ehmannii. The 
flowers of C. Raphselis, one of these hybrids, are 
variously suffused with reddish crimson on a yellow 
ground with a rose margin ; while those of C. Thomasie 
are much paler, buff-yellow marked with red, and deep 
crimson at the base. Those of C. Clementis are dark 
crimson somewhat suffused with purple. The leaves of 
all are green banded with a darker colour, and the 
flowers erect, not drooping, as in C. Ehmannii.— 
Bulletino della R. Societd Toscana di Orticultura, 
April, 1887.__ 
Hardening 1[iscellany. 
Notes on Early Peaches.-1 have already 
referred, on more than one occasion, to the Waterloo 
Peach as being a first-rate early variety. This season, 
from trees planted outside on a south wall, we gathered 
our first ripe fruits on July 28th. It generally matures 
with us a few days earlier than the Alexander and the 
Amsden June, and grows larger. This year—un¬ 
doubtedly owing to the long-continued spell of hot dry 
weather we have experienced, and which, at present, 
seems likely to continue—the fruits have not swelled 
up to their usual size ; but, notwithstanding, are good 
in colour, juicy, and sweet. The trees, both outside 
and under glass, grow vigorously, and set plenty of 
fruit. We have again this year been gathering some 
capital fruits of it indoors, the heaviest turning the 
scale at half a pound. It ripens about five weeks 
earlier than Royal George and Grosse Mignonne, 
planted in the same house. Alexander is now (August 
3rd) ripe ; this variety, although, with us, not growing 
quite so large, nor ripening so early as the Waterloo, 
is, nevertheless, a grand early Peach. I have also this 
year grown it in pots indoors. The trees, being small, 
were only allowed to carry six fruits each ; these, 
however, swelled up to a good passable size, and were 
remarkably sweet, ripening over a fortnight before 
Hale’s Early. Amsden June, planted on the same 
wall as the Alexander, ripens with it, the fruit greatly 
resembling that of the latter. If there is any difference 
between the two, I believe the Amsden is slightly 
inferior, both in size and quality. Two other Peaches 
that we find succeed well under glass, and cannot well 
