268 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 24, 1887. 
sloping each tree continually in the same direction. 
Where wall space is not available they may he planted 
in the open ground, and trained upon light espalier 
fencing, either uprightly or obliquely. I would here 
mention, that of all the forms of training, our ex¬ 
perience leads us to the conclusion that the single 
cordon, obliquely trained, is the most useful and 
easiest to manage, the oblique position giving a slight 
check to the flow of the sap, thus supplementing the 
efforts of the Quince or Paradise stock to induce early 
fruitfulness. 
Another neat and useful mode is that of forming 
arches over kitchen garden or other paths. For this 
provide a light wire arch, plant the trees on the outside, 
and train vertically until they meet at the top of the 
arch. These arches, when covered with fruit, have a 
most pleasing effect ; they admit sufficient sun to 
perfect the fruit, and at the same time form a pleasant 
shade to the path, as well as utilising space that would 
otherwise be lost. 
( To be continued.) 
-->X<-- 
Hardening §1iscellany. 
Early - forced Peach Trees Dropping 
their Buds.— The opinions and advice of practical 
writers in The Gardening World is invited as to the 
cause of and remedy for the above-mentioned evil. 
Our early house here is large, spacious, and modern, 
containing seven established trees, planted on a back 
wall and on a curved trellis in front. There is a border 
inside, 15 ft. wide, and the roots also have access to 
one outside, which is 15 ft. wide. The house in 
question has been forced to produce ripe Peaches early 
in May for the past ten or twelve years, with, I 
believe, very indifferent results through this persistent 
shedding of the flower-buds. Last spring—my first in 
charge here—the buds dropped largely, much to my 
alarm and anxiety ; but, withal, finished off a fair crop 
of good Peaches. I noticed that what fruit we did get 
was from the very base of the shoot, and frequently at 
the extreme point. I have examined the borders, and 
as far as twenty-five years’ experience goes, can find 
nothing the matter there, with the exception of a few 
suckers on two trees, which I carefully pared away ; 
otherwise there is any quantity of healthy fibrous 
roots. The growth made during the past season has 
been very satisfactory, a sample of which I send for the 
Editor’s inspection, together with a few decayed fallen 
buds. Some may blame insect pests as having some¬ 
thing to do with it ; but that cannot be the case, as 
red-spider, thrips, &c., are allowed no quarter. Even 
through such a dry summer as the last, our late house, 
similar in size to the early one—namely, 45 ft. by 
15 ft.—has always been a success, no buds dropping 
in this case. I should feel grateful if this subject were 
ventilated in your columns, as it would be instructive 
to myself, and possibly to others who may be in a like 
predicament, should light be thrown on this very 
important subject.— D. C., Wicklow. 
Pteris Claphamensis. —When this plant was 
brought on the table at the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s meeting, December 7th, when it was justly 
awarded a First Class Certificate, I had a notion that 
I had seen a similar plant somewhere. Afterwards, I 
remembered it was at Mr. James Naylor’s nursery at 
Harrow, where Ferns are extensively raised and 
admirably grown in quantity. I have since seen the 
plant again, and cannot help remarking on the singular 
fact of so curious a variety being raised at different 
places at about the same time, and that, too, from 
plants which had been in cultivation for many years 
without showing any inclination to sport or cross 
before. As suggested by Mr. Soper, it is apparently 
intermediate between Pteris serrulata and P. tremula. 
At Mr. Naylor’s also, there is a very elegant form of 
Pteris tremula, with elongated and drooping points to 
the fronds ; and a noble Fern, which the late Mr. Moore 
named P. tremula foliosa, was raised there it is supposed 
by a mingling of P. tremula and P. argentea. — J. O'B. 
Pelargonium lateripes. — The rapid strides 
made during the last ten years in the improvement of 
this section of the Pelargonium family, together with 
the high colours and fine trusses of flowers they are 
yielding to the hybridist, are cause for wonder to the 
ignorant in matters pertaining to floriculture. Really, 
a history or treatise on the Ivy-leaved Pelargonium 
from the earliest times— a.d. 1787—up to the present 
period would be read with interest by many in the 
columns of The Gardening World. It would be a 
means of enlightening many of the younger men in the 
craft as to the difficulties that have had to be overcome 
in the earlier part of the present decade in the pro¬ 
duction of such fine colours and forms—more especially 
in the doubles—from the older types that were known 
to the florist twenty-five years ago. — IV. G. 
A Variegated Lily in Winter. —We are so 
accustomed to regard Lilies, of all things, as deciduous, 
that we should little expect anything of a decorative 
nature from them in winter except they had been forced. 
Lilium candidum naturally throws up a great quantity 
of leaves in autumn, that last through the winter till 
the flower stems arise in spring ; and we were attracted 
by a bed of two variegated forms named L. c. aureo- 
marginatum and L. c. argenteo-striatum the other day, 
in the nurseries of Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, 
Kent. The leaves are strongly variegated with broad 
golden and silver longitudinal bands, and even 
at a considerable distance were sufficiently con¬ 
spicuous to attract notice. The golden hue was the 
most decided, so that those w r ho are fond of this useful 
free-flowering old Lily might enjoy a bed of it in winter 
for the foliage alone, to be succeeded in spring by its 
grand racemes of pure white flowers. 
The Cold Wave of December 19th, 1887. 
—A short-lived, sudden, and severe cold wave passed 
over us in the midlands on Monday evening. I looked 
at my thermometer at 6 p.ra., when it stood at 25.7°. 
I went again at 10 p.m., and it stood at 13.19°; but 
had been at 1.2.20° At 11.30 p.m. it had risen to 
17.15° ; and at 6 a m. on the 20th it stood at 33.1° ; 
and the thaw has been going on all day.— N. H. 
Pownall, Lenton Hall Gardens, Nottingham. 
The Nomenclature of Fruit Trees. —A 
correspondent last week (p. 217) pointed out the great 
importance of keeping correctly the names of fruit 
trees, and the difficulty experienced by many gardeners 
in doing so, and gave in detail a system likely to meet 
the purpose in view. I may say that I have followed 
exactly the same plan for many years without the loss 
of a single name, although now I could easily dispense 
with the labels, and am certain that I might now 
point to any particular tree by the aid of memory 
alone. But this would not do for anyone not having 
acquaintance with them, so every tree is labelled, as 
well as the name registered in a book for the purpose. 
Our trees are also in lines round the walks and squares 
of the kitchen garden, so that commencing at a par¬ 
ticular point, each line is- followed to the opposite 
point, or followed round to its commencement, and 
every new starting pointed out in the book. I find 
Yeats’ zinc labels answer the purpose in all respects, 
being written upon with a special fluid, which is quite 
indelible if care be taken that they are so fastened as to 
prevent their swinging by the wind, and the face 
rubbing against the branches. Those I use are known 
as No. 7, or the “Barron” specimen, but made with 
two holes instead of one. The copper fastening wire 
being put through both holes from one side, prevents 
the label moving upon the wire, and so wearing out 
the eyelet, as always happens with single-eyed labels. 
They are hung upon a forked spur, not on the branch 
itself, on the side of the tree nearest to the walk or 
alley, so that anyone can see the name without moving 
from the walk, and they can be fastened much tighter 
when placed upon the spur, as any damage done by 
getting overgrown is quite insignificant compared to 
what is very often done when they are placed upon a 
leading shoot. The size of label I mention, 2| ins. 
by l ins, I find large enough for mostly all names.— E. 
Stevens, Paston. 
Chrysanthemum, Emily Dale —I thank 
Mr. Molyneux for kindly replying to my query re 
Emily Dale. His opinion is clear and straightforward 
enough, namely, that Emily Dale and Golden Queen of 
England are too much alike to be grown as distinct 
varieties. On the other hand we have the National 
Chrysanthemum Society who say they are distinct, and 
I think the majority of growers will be inclined to 
follow the latter in their opinion. Mr. Molyneux 
allows there is a difference between the two, when he 
says they “ are not sufficiently distinct in character to 
be shown separately,” so that we have here the question 
of how much difference makes a distinction. The 
case he points out where he disqualified a stand of 
blooms was not really a question of whether Emily 
Dale and Golden Queen of England were distinct, 
because there he was satisfied that the one flower was 
a duplicate of the other. Had I to make a choice of 
growing one only of the two varieties, I would choose 
Emily Dale, for besides being much lighter in colour 
than Golden Queen of England, I find it comes with a 
fuller centre and makes a deeper flower. The National 
Chrysanthemum Society is doing such good work 
among the Chrysanthemums, that I think it is a great 
pity that their list of synonyms could not be taken as 
a guide by all judges at Chrysanthemum shows, as I 
think it is generally. But who will decide when doctors 
differ ? Are we to say the two varieties are distinct or 
that they are one and the same thing ?— A. W. I). 
A National Society and- its Work.— You 
say that yon differ from me as to the prospect of 
forming a new National Horticultura 1 Society in case 
the present one should come to an end. If it should 
collapse, I hope that you may not be mistaken, and 
that I may be ; but my remarks had reference to the 
suggestion that the new National Society should be 
developed out of the Chrysanthemum Society, and 
chiefly by getting up large general shows founded upon 
theirs. Now, of this, at least, I am quite certain, that 
no National Society can be formed in this manner, and 
that no one who looks to flower shows at all as being 
the important work of a National Horticultural Society 
will do much towards helping to form one. Before I 
can be satisfied of the possibility of forming a new 
National Society, I must be told what the plans of the 
proposers are for carrying on the really valuable work 
of the Horticultural Society, where they intend to 
establish their experimental garden or gardens when 
that at Chiswick is done away with, and also that they 
have a promise of substantial support from every 
county in England. I do not think that a new society 
would meet with much support here in the north of 
England, unless they can show that they are in a 
position to do the work that has been done at Chiswick 
in a far more efficient manner than it has been executed 
there ; and in the meantime it would, perhaps, be 
wiser in those who really have the welfare of horti¬ 
culture at heart to promote an enlarged and improved 
working of the present society, which is in a position 
to take the lead in horticultural matters throughout 
England, if only they would exert themselves to do 
so, instead of abusing it and trying to pull it to pieces 
under some crude vague hope that they could start a 
better one. — C. W. Strickland, Hildenley, 2Ialton. 
A Novel Method of getting Subscribers 
to a Flower Show occurred to Mr. G. A. Wilkes, 
chairman of the committee of a floral exhibition at 
Darlaston, in the Black Country, betwixt Birmingham 
and Wolverhampton. He felt that a large proportion 
of the poor people in the district would not only like 
to see the exhibition, but would also derive benefit from 
seeing what they might do with their own gardens in 
witnessing what others did in the same district; and 
although the society is a very young one—having held 
but two exhibitions—that of August last required the 
help of two sets of judges, so numerous were the 
exhibits in the vegetable and cut-flower classes by 
amateurs and cottagers. Mr. Wilkes had a parcel of 
cards printed, showing twenty-four spaces where a half¬ 
penny per week, for twenty-four weeks before the 
exhibition, could be entered as paid ; the full payment 
entitling each subscriber to visit the exhibition on both 
days, as out-door amusements were also provided, and 
fireworks each evening. Nearly £50 was realised in 
this way in 1886, and in August last £61 7s. was so 
obtained, but some paid one penny per week for twelve 
weeks, in place of the halfpenny for twenty-four weeks, 
and in addition, £7 6s. 10c?. was received by penny 
admissions from school children. The income of the 
society, from one source and another, was over £200. 
This district of the Black Country holds three exhibi¬ 
tions in the month of August, viz : at Bilston, Willen- 
hall, and Darlaston, all these places being scarcely 
more than two miles from each other, and all are great 
successes. Bilston is a big exhibition, a wonderful show 
for the Black Country, and quite Ail 60 are given in 
prizes ; it is the premier and senior society, with a 
thorough-going practical committee. Willenhall comes 
next, and is a most praiseworthy annual display, 
growing in popularity and extent, with good manage¬ 
ment ; Darlaston is travelling on safely, last year’s 
exhibits being far in excess of the previous year, but 
the surroundings of all these places would lead any 
person who may see the district at any time to suppose 
that a horticultural exhibition was out of the question. 
With hundreds of acres of pit-mounds, coalpits, iron 
works, and a thousand big chimneys constantly pouring 
forth volumes of smoke, horticulture has a poor look¬ 
out in the district, but it seems as though these diffi¬ 
culties made amateurs the more determined to overcome 
them, and they do so with hearty good will. These 
three exhibitions have done a wonderful lot of good in 
the district. — W. D. 
