154 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 8, 1890. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
SEASONABLE WORK in the GARDEN. 
Salvia splendens.—This subject proves pretty 
accommodating in the matter of temperature, so that if 
required early, it can be urged into bloom quickly by 
stove heat. Plants so treated, however, do not last 
well afterwards if placed in a greenhouse or other cool 
structure. This species is often excluded from the 
stove on account of the height it attains, but this can 
be remedied by striking cuttings late, using small 
pots, and afterwards feeding with liquid manure after 
the pots have become filled with roots. 
Epiphyllum truncatum.—The stock of plants 
may be introduced to the stove in batches from time 
to time, as they are likely to be wanted. See that the 
stems are perfectly free from mealy-bug before bringing 
them into bloom, as the pest would then spread 
rapidly and prove difficult to eradicate. Give them a 
dry, warm end of the house. 
Abutilons.—Flowers may be obtained from these 
all through the winter if introduced to heat. They 
are produced in succession from the axils of the leaves 
as the stem elongates. Young plants are the most 
suitable, because by spring, when they can be dispensed 
with, it will be found that they are getting too late to 
be easily accommodated in the matter of house room. 
Boule de Neige and some of the yellow varieties should 
certainly be included in the lot. 
Chrysanthemums.—As the new sorts come into 
bloom their qualities should be carefully noted, with a 
view to retain only those which suit the requirements 
of the establishment. It is well to grow useful sorts in 
some quantity where large numbers of cut flowers are 
required, as well as free-flowering bushy subjects for 
the decoration of the conservatory. A large number 
of sorts may be retained for the sake of variety, but it 
is well to remember that no more should be grown 
than can be accommodated without overcrowding. 
Carnations.—If not already done, the cuttings and 
layers of Souvenir de la Malmaison and other Carnations 
being grown in 60-size pots should be transferred to 
48-size, with a view of urging the plants into growth 
and bloom. For indoor work, Pride of Penshurst, 
The Bride, "Winter Cheer, and others will prove very 
valuable at a time when good flowers are comparatively 
scarce. They will stand a little heat when throwing 
up their flower stems, but the fact must not be over¬ 
looked that Carnations delight in an abundance of 
light, more especially in the-winter months, when 
they will require increased attention in this respect. 
Keep them near the glass, and give plenty of venti¬ 
lation on all favourable occasions. 
Peaches.—As the wood ripens up and the trees 
lose their leaves, the heat maybe turned off succession 
houses so as to allow the trees to go thoroughly to rest. 
Where the trees in the late houses still retain their 
foliage, artificial heat to encourage ripening will still be 
necessary. Examine the state of the borders, and if 
at all dry, give a thorough watering. Proceed with 
the cleaning and tying in succession houses. 
Figs.—The first crop, if wanted very early, should 
be taken from pot plants. A commencement may be 
made about the middle of this month. Make up a bed 
of leaves, or leaves mixed with stable manure, and 
stand the pots on the top of the bed so as to urge them 
gently into growth. As the heat declines to 65°, the 
pots may finally be plunged in the bed. At first a 
temperature of 50° by night, with a rise to 55° by day 
will be sufficient ; unless there be sunshine, when they 
may even be allowed to rise -higher. 
The Orchard House.—At present all trees grown 
in pots should be resting out of doors plunged in coco¬ 
nut fibre. The present is a good time to thoroughly 
cleanse all trees that were in any way affected with 
insects, including scale, during last summer. Use 
strong soapy water in sponging off the scale, and be 
careful not to injure the buds in doing so. The house 
itself may also be thoroughly cleansed and put in 
repair, including the tile or other edgings, and the 
walks, gravel or otherwise. 
Fruit Trees.—In the open ground, planting and 
root pruning should be prosecuted with vigour when 
the ground is not too wet. Should the latter be the 
case at any time, attention may be given to the 
thinning out of the heads of standard trees, removing 
dead wood and otherwise regulating the branches so as 
to admit sunlight and air. 
Roses.—A considerable amount of transplanting 
may be done at present before the leaves have 
completely dropped. Boot growth will be active for 
some time, and go far to re-establish the plants before 
winter sets in with severity. Standards that have 
been transplanted should have the soils made 
thoroughly firm about their roots, and then be securely 
staked. 
Roman Hyacinths.—Those who potted up a 
batch on their first arrival will be able to have them in 
bloom in a few days, provided the proper attention has 
been given. Introduce successional batches according 
to the quantity required, but before putting them in 
heat, make sure that the roots are well developed, and 
the crowns commencing to push. 
Deutzias, Lilacs, &c. — These and similar 
subjects are readily started into growth, provided a 
gentle hotbed of some fermenting material is made up 
in which to plunge them. 
«r 
Hardening Miscellany. 
The Mulberry. 
In the note on the New American Mulberry at p. 140, 
it is said that the Mulberry “succeeds under any 
ordinary treatment. ” Does it ? I saw over thirty years 
ago an old Mulberry tree in Yorkshire, which, in 
forming a new garden, was buried right up into the 
head of the tree. It evidently liked it, took a new 
lease of life, and is now a splendid sample of a tree on 
the lawn ; but though it produces plenty of fruits, 
they all drop off when red. I never saw a ripe berry 
on it —-Pourquoi ? In this instance, the Mulberry does 
not “succeed.” Is it too cold a latitude? It is true 
that in ordinary weather it is late in leafing, and late 
in casting its foliage, but last week’s frost fetched them 
all off hereabouts.— J. C., Leeds. [In the north of 
England the Mulberry requires a wall with a warm 
aspect, and even then the fruits will often drop before 
ripening if the roots are in a cold soil.—E d.] 
At page 140, you have an American note on the 
Mulberry, which I read as soon as I saw it, in the 
hope of finding some information as to pruning, but 
was disappointed. "Will any one who knows how, tell 
me how to proceed with a standard [rider] on a south 
wall, which, so far, I have trained as I train my wall 
Apples and Pears, but have never yet succeeded in 
fruiting it ? The stem is 5 ft., and the first branches have 
been trained down and down, until the shape is a large 
fan 9 ft. to 10 ft. across. It has grown well—been in 
its position five years now, and no breast wood has 
been allowed over 3 ins. to 6 ins. long—pinched to 
make spurs. The root run is into a well-trodden barn¬ 
yard ; it has never had any manure, and is as clean and 
healthy as a tree can be, but never fruits.— N. H. 
[Our correspondent can hardly improve his method of 
pinching and training, and if the situation is favourable, 
he need only have patience.— Ed.] 
The Right Compost for Tomatos. 
Is it not probable that we ourselves have to a large 
extent contributed to the development of the fungoid 
disease which attacks our Tomato plants ? The con¬ 
tinued applications of rich manure, either in a liquid 
form or otherwise, appears to me to be unsuitable to the 
development of that sturdy firm growth of wood so 
desirable in all fruit-bearing plants. Until this season 
I grew my plants in the usual rich compost, namely 
loam, well-decayed hot-bed manure, and sand, and also 
attended to feeding when the plants became pot-bound. 
Every season, however, at some stage of their growth, the 
plants were affected with the disease, and before its 
inroads could be checked, the crop was most dis¬ 
appointing. At the beginning of this season I was 
advised by a friend to try a fresh compost composed of 
good loam, and a moderate supply of Thomson’s Yine 
and Plant Manure, with just as much clean leaf-soil and 
sand as would make the whole when mixed light and 
porous ; and I must say the result of the change of 
the compost alone has been most gratifying. The 
plants have kept clear of the disease, and produced firm 
short-jointed wood, leaves of leathery texture, and a 
splendid crop of fine-flavoured fruit. Perhaps I maybe 
permitted to add that when giving my plants their final 
shift into 12-in. pots, I potted one plant for comparison 
into a compost similar to that which I used previous to 
this season, placed it in the same house, and gave it the 
same treatment; when the plants became pot-bound, 
and required feeding, I supplied liquid manure water to 
that one plant, while I gave to the others no other 
stimulant but the plant manure, and the result is that 
this one is the only plant I have had affected with 
disease. This to a certain extent confirms my idea that 
the most potent cause of Tomato disease is feeding with 
rich animal manures unsuited to the well-being of the 
plant’s constitution.— J. Charlton, Farnley Grove 
Gardens, Corbridgc-on-Tyne. [The Tomato is often too 
highly fed in gardens, and most often gets a great deal 
more moisture than it requires.— Ed.] 
The Winter Moth : Grease Eands. 
Will some reader of The Gardening "World kindly 
give me his experience respecting the width of greased 
paper bands for Apple trees, to prevent the grub 
ascending at this time of year ? "What thickness should 
the bands be, and what is the best kind of grease for 
the purpose ? I have had a number of trees done with 
brown paper bands about 3 ins. wide, making the 
grease band about 2 ins., and I have used cart grease, 
as I find that does not get hard. I am told that these 
bands are not wide enough, and that the grub will 
crawl over them. On examining them to-day I find 
several of them on the grease, but cannot tell if any 
have passed over or not. A little practical experience 
on the subject would greatly oblige. — K. TV., Oct. 29th. 
-- 
PLUMS FOR MARKET. 
By Me. J. Smith, Mentmore.* 
In the few practical remarks that I am about to make, it 
is not at all necessary for me to decide from what part 
of the globe we first obtained our cultivated Plums, 
whether from America, Asia Minor, or if they were 
found wild in Europe ; this can be best deteimined by 
our botanical friends. I consider the Plum next in 
importance to the Apple in a commercial point of view. 
In seasons of plenty they can be dried, in which state 
they will keep good for years. They can also be made 
into jam, which wall keep good for a considerable time. 
In growing for market, one of the first questions 
asked is, "What varieties would you recommend ? Now 
this is a very important point, for when you go into a 
nursery to purchase trees, you will find, as a rule, all 
varieties are charged the same price, except it be some 
new and untried variety, which may be charged a 
fancy price for a year or two. It is a well-inown fact 
to fruit growers that in certain localities, and on certain 
soils, one variety will flourish and bear abundant crops 
year by year, while other varieties will never grow 
enough fruit to repay for the first outlay. I may just 
give one well-known instance, to impress on growers 
the importance of this being well understood before 
recommending certain varieties for any given district 
or soil. At Sawbridgeworth, Messrs. Bivers have, as a 
rule, splendid crops of Bivers’ Prolific Plum ; in fact, 
that variety seems perfectly at home in the stony clay 
of that district. Here, in a chalky clay which suits 
many varieties admirably, Bivers’ Prolific grows freely, 
but seldom bears any fruit, although, as a rule, the 
trees flower freely. The question of selecting suitable 
varieties for any given district can only be learned by 
practical experience and observation. Growers of the 
Plum are aware that the number of varieties of the 
cultivated Plum is almost legion. I have just gone 
through one catalogue before me, and find no fewer 
than 237 varieties described, with a supplemental list 
of some 180 more, or in all, say, about 400 varieties. 
Now, this would plant about four acres of ground of one 
plant, or a tree of each variety. But would any grower 
who had any idea of making a profit be foolish enough 
to plant these, or even half this number ? It would be 
a far more profitable investment to plant only one 
variety on the four acres, but this I should by no means 
recommend. My idea of Plums for market is to find 
out five or six varieties that are known to succeed in 
the district, and plant only these. 
I have already remarked that certain varieties favour 
certain districts. Here the soil is a strong chalky 
clay, and the following varieties are grown by 
hundreds, and in the case of the Damson by the 
thousand : Green Gage, Jefferson, Mitchelson’s, 
Gisborne’s, Victoria, and Damsons. Victoria and 
Damsons are most grown. 
This place might well be termed the “Home of the 
Damson,” for many acres are planted, and during the 
fruit season from twenty-five to thirty tons per week 
of these are sent away from our railway station. The 
Damsons here sell for more money than any other 
A paper read at the Crystal Palace Conference of the British 
Fruit Growers' Association. 
