November 1, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
137 
NEPENTHES BURKEI. 
The pitchers of this species are nearly cylindrical, 
strongly constricted in the middle, but most inflated in 
the lower part, and of a light green, blotched with 
crimson, chiefly in the upper part. It is remarkable 
for being entirely without wings, the latter being indi¬ 
cated by a faint rim near the top. The annulus or 
collar is narrow, slightly undulated at the margin near 
the top, furnished with numerous transverse, crimson 
ridges, the hollows between being yellow. The pitcher, 
as a whole, measures from 6 ins. to 8 ins., and the 
leaves are linear and proportionately much narrower 
than in most other species. It is an introduction from 
the Philippine Islands, and was first described about 
twelve months ago. There are already some fine 
varieties of it in cultivation, to wit, N. B. superba, 
characterised by its stouter, darker-coloured pitchers, 
but more especially by the much greater breadth of its 
- richly-coloured annulus, and by the latter being more 
undulated. Another dark variety is N. B. excellens, 
having a much undulated crimson annulus, with black 
ridges. A peculiarity of the variety is that the annulus 
clasps the stalk of the pitcher, and so holds itself 
upright even when filled with water. It received an 
Award of Merit from the Eoyal Horticultural Society 
on the 12th of August last. A similar award was made 
to N. B. prolifica at the same time and place. The 
varietal name refers to the great number of pitchers 
produced even by a small plant. The pitchers are 
oblong-cylindrical, and only show a tendency to become 
constricted in the middle when they attain their full 
size. They are, however, much smaller than any of the 
above mentioned, only measuring from 3 ins. to 44 ins., 
exclusive of the lid, and are light green, blotched with 
pale crimson on the upper part. We are indebted to 
Messrs. Yeitch & Sons, Chelsea, for the opportunity of 
illustrating the typical form, round which the above- 
mentioned varieties already cluster. 
-- 
PLANTING FRUIT TREES. 
When fruit trees come to hand which may have been 
ordered some time ago, no time should be lost in having 
them carefully unpacked, and if the roots seem dry, the 
trees should be immersed in a tank of water for a few 
hours ; but if they seem all right, a dip in water or a 
slight syringing will be all that is necessary. The 
latter may seem trifling, but it is refreshing, and any¬ 
thing and everything ought to be done to refresh newly 
lifted trees ; in fact, in the case of trees from a distance, 
this forms the keynote to success. These preliminaries 
being done, planting may be proceeded with, and all 
trees not within working grasp should be carefully 
“heeled” in till time permits, or it may even be till 
the weather permits. The trees should be conveyed 
under cover to their respective sites, and for this 
purpose there is nothing better than ordinary bass 
mats—they are light, and have the advantage of being 
very comeatable. 
In planting, the depth of the root must be observed, 
and that and the ground well scanned will make the 
planter decide as to the quantity of soil to place in the 
pit before any attempt is made to plant the tree. The 
soil put under should never be of a rich nature, as that 
encourages the roots downwards, and it should be beat 
quite hard to prevent subsidence. This done, the tree 
may be brought forward, and the roots spread out 
equally all round, giving the points of them an upward 
inclination ; soil being placed a little higher under 
their extremities will procure this. Never should the 
roots of any fruit tree be laid with an incline to the 
bottom of the pit, as these are usually too much inclined 
to seek their way down, and more especially so if the 
surface does not get properly attended to with top- 
dressings, &c. This proneness should receive primary 
consideration at the hands of every cultivator, and thus 
it is most important to aim at a preventive measure. 
When all the roots are equally disposed, the soil 
must be put about them in such a manner that they 
will not be displaced. Nor should this be laid down 
lumpy, but gradually spread in neat layers, packing all 
moderately firm as the work proceeds, taking care that 
no stone or hard substance be placed against the roots, 
as this might bruise or mutilate the bark of these, 
perhaps causing that portion to decay, which might in 
turn produce fungoid growth and other evils, prejudicial 
to their future success. This just reminds me of 
another little matter, i.e., mutilated roots before they 
are unpacked. It sometimes occurs that roots are 
broken or mutilated in transit, or it may be, cut with 
the spade in lifting. Where such is observed, all should 
be cut clean, and at any rate all gross roots should be 
shortened before planting, thus encouraging numerous 
small rootlets to take the place of each gross root. 
Frequently trees will come to hand with gross roots 
pointing downwards. These should be laid out flat or 
cut clean away, as if left in that position they will soon 
prove themselves “ daylight robbers.” 
I am of opinion that the majority of fruit trees are 
planted too deeply, thus depriving them of the benefit 
of the sun’s rays, placing them beyond the reach of 
stimulants, and rendering them a ready prey to canker 
and other similar evils. Unquestionably trees planted 
in positions exposed to high winds must be staked, 
thereby preventing oscillation, yet the roots need 
not necessarily be made proof against this with deep 
planting, but may quite as easily be kept in rigid 
position by duly disposing the roots, and so tying them 
to the soil as it were all round, quite near the surface. 
In due course, as growth advances and the plants become 
hearty, the roots will spread correspondingly, and so 
anchor the tree. Nor is this the only means of securing 
trees against winds ; the mass of fibre, when all is 
right, holds together a mass of soil so solid and heavy 
that they may withstand the violence of any storm. 
Trees that are periodically root pruned may to the 
uninitiated seem liable to oscillation, but even this is 
not the case, as the mass of fibre held by the trees 
gives a security against wind far beyond anything that 
might be supposed. Where standard trees require 
staking, by no means should stakes be driven in close 
to the stem, as this not only inj ures the stem itself, but 
the roots also are liable to serious injury. Nor is this 
all; stakes driven in as described rarely prevent oscilla - 
tion, at least, not to trees of any size. The system of 
driving in three stakes obliquely, at equal distances all 
round the tree, from which wires are strained and fixed 
round a padded portion of the stem a little above the 
middle of the height of the tree, as I have previously 
described in these columns—is of all others the most 
secure. This method, although quite practicable on 
small trees, is in a measure not so necessary, as an 
ordinary stake will keep a tree with a small head quite 
rigid. Where the single stem is commendable it ought 
in every case to be planted with the tree—not driven 
in after planting—and if the stem is tied thereto (with 
of course a pad to prevent chafing), it must not be tied 
too tightly ; in other words, it must be allowed a little 
freedom so as it may not prevent the plant sinking a 
little, or to be more explicit, settling with the soil. 
Trees on walls or espaliers should not be tied as 
planting proceeds for the same reason ; and thus in 
place of doing so, it is much better to sling all the 
shoots or branches in bundles, or tie each of them 
separately, quite loosely. 
This all done, the next consideration is the mulching ; 
a thing of primary consideration with all newly planted 
trees. This may be of stable litter, or litter mixed 
with leaves, or the latter by themselves. Straw by 
itself is good, but apt to blow about. Spent hot-bed, 
or Mushroom-bed manure is light, flaky, and open, and 
therefore forms an excellent mulching material, in fact, 
Nepenthes Burkei. 
