300 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 10, 1891. 
great profusion. They are popular in proportion to 
their hardiness, neatness and profusion of bloom. 
P. floribunda. —This is at once the most popular 
and most generally cultivated. It is a native of the 
United States, and perfectly hardy in Britain. Either 
in beds, shrubbery borders, or as an isolated specimen 
on the lawn it is equally worthy of cultivation. Small 
plants flower quite freely, and are often lifted, potted 
up and placed in greenhouses to give variety in spring. 
They should not be subjected to much forcing. The 
leaves are ovate or oblong-lanceolate, finely serrulate on 
the margin, leathery and smooth or nearly so. The 
flowers are moderate in size, but produced very profusely 
in terminal panicles. Small growers might use it to 
advantage in their greenhouses, where it would come 
into bloom before the plants out-of-doors. 
P. japonica. —The leaves of this species are ob- 
lanceolate, serrulate, dark green, glossy, and rather 
crowded in groups at the end of the short annual 
growths. The habit is dwarf, close, and bushy, and 
the plant is therefore of neater growth than the last 
named, and suitable for making dwarf beds by them- 
sflves or as edgings for taller-growing shrubs. It comes 
from Japan, is quite hardy, and very ornamental when 
in bloom, with its terminal panicles of drooping flowers. 
P. FORMOSA. —In the more favoured parts of the 
south and south-west of Britain this plant is hardy, 
an l also succeeds well in the Channel Islands. It may 
bj described as the showiest of all the species in 
reference to the size of its glossy, dark green leaves, 
and large porcelain-white flowers in terminal panicles. 
The leaves are lanceolate-elliptic, serrulate, and long- 
pointed. It is a native of the Sikkim Himalayas, at 
elevations of 8,000 ft. to 10,000 ft., and was introduced 
as recently as 1881. Except in the more favoured parts 
of this country it should be planted out in a conserva¬ 
tory or greenhouse,where it will prove very ornamental. 
P. nitida. —The leaves of this evergreen shrub are 
elliptic, leathery, shining, revolute at the edge, entire, 
and 2 ins. to 2 h ins. long. The flowers are produced 
from March to May in axillary clusters, and differ from 
those already mentioned in being white, red or purple, 
and fragrant. It has a synonym in Andromeda eoriacea, 
but it is by no means common. 
P. ovalifolia. —The leaves of this Himalayan species 
vary considerably in size and, to a certain extent, in 
outline, according to the conditions under which it is 
grown, or the locality from whence it comes. It may 
be described as a small tree, attaining a height of 20 ft. 
to 40 ft.; but is only half hardy in this country. The 
flowers are flesh-coloured, and produced in racemes, 
terminating the short axillary shoots. The leaves are 
ovate or oval, entire, but cordate at the base, where 
they assume a broad form. Sometimes they are elon¬ 
gated, and from 6 ins. to 8 ins. long by li in. to ins. 
broad. It should be planted out in a conservatory. 
P. yillosa. —From structural and general ap¬ 
pearance this is evidently very closely allied to P. 
ovalifolia, and is a native of the Sikkim Himalayas at 
an altitude of 10,000 ft. The leaves are similar in 
shape to those of P. ovalifolia, but have a rusty hue on 
the under-side. The flowers are produced in racemes 
terminating the short side shoots. 
P. philyreaifolia. —The leaves of this species are 
narrow and oblong, or broader and oval, revolute at 
the edge, and obsoletely serrulate. The flowers are 
large, moderately plentiful in the axils of the leaves 
towards the apex of the shoots. The plant forms a 
dwarf bush about 1 ft. to 2 ft. high, and not being 
quite hardy requires the shelter of a greenhouse. It is 
a native of Florida. 
P. MARIANA. —The large flowers of this species are 
produced in the axils of the upper leaves, which are 
oval and entire. It is a native of North America, from 
whence it was introduced in 1736, and flowers in May 
and June. Unlike those of the other species the leaves 
are deciduous. 
P. cubensis. —At first sight this appears like a 
magnified form of P. japonica, as the leaves are 
lanceolate, and 3 ins. to 5 ins. long ; but they are 
revolute at the edge, and entire. The large flowers are 
produced in long axillary racemes. It does not appear 
to have been introduced, and is a native of Cuba. 
P. mexicana.—T he leaves of this species are more 
scattered than in most of the above, with clusters of 
flowers in the axils of the lanceolate, long-pointed leaves, 
all along the shoots. It is a native of Mexico, and not 
particularly ornamental. 
P. lacustris. —The native home of this species is 
Cuba, but it has not been introduced. The leaves are 
obovate, entire, leathery, revolute at the margins, and 
moderate in size, as are the axillary flowers. 
RENOVATING ORCHARDS. 
(Concluded fromp. 284,). 
One of the most remarkable instances of improving 
fruit trees not on grass that has come under my notice 
was in the garden of Mr. Edmund Tonks, a gentleman 
of great scientific attainments and practical skill 
in "Warwickshire. He planted an extensive collection 
some years ago, but the trees appeared to become old 
prematurely, growth practically ceased, the stems were 
as if devoured by canker, and the fruit "was worthless. 
The soil was heavy, and as was subsequently found out, 
poor, or in other words, contained little of the manurial 
essentials for maintaining a healthy growth. Having 
ascertained what the soil lacked, and what Apples 
needed, the necessary ingredients were obtained and 
applied. These were superphosphate of lime, twelve 
parts (or pounds) ; nitrate of potash (saltpetre), ten ; 
chloride of sodium (common salt), four ; sulphate of 
magnesia, two ; sulphate of iron, one ; and sulphate 
of lime (gypsum), eight. These were well mixed in 
the proportions named, and applied to the soil yearly 
at the rate of £ lb. to the square yard. Improvement 
wa3 soon manifest, and when I saw the trees at least 
10,000 canker wounds were healed, and not one could 
be found in which the disease was active, yet nothing 
had been applied to the branches. In that case canker 
was the result of starvation, and with proper food the 
trees were restored to health and usefulness. The 
above may be said to be a complete manure for Apples, 
but as the majority of soils are not lacking in all the 
essentials, what may be called simpler applications 
usually do great good. The liquid manures above 
alluded to contain most of what is required, and in 
their absence a mixture of six parts (or pounds) of 
superphosphate of lime, three of muriate of potash, 
and two of sulphate of ammonia, applied at the 
above rate will generally improve enfeebled trees, 
as also will guano guaranteed to contain not less than 
8 per cent, of ammonia, and 20 per cent, of phosphates. 
All chemical manures used as top-dressings should be 
applied not later than February ; sprinkled on the 
land in late spring or summer they do little good, as 
they are apt to remain undissolved for a very long 
time, and therefore cannot be taken up by the roots. 
If used in solution they act quickly. For enfeebled 
fruit trees a pound of guano may be dissolved in ten 
gallons of water, or the same quantity of the “simple 
mixture ” above mentioned, either of which, applied in 
winter, will be bound to do good if it reach the roots. 
It may be mentioned that the strength named is twice 
what suffices for general garden crops other than trees. 
A peck of poultry or pigeon manure dissolved in twenty 
gallons of water is also excellent for debilitated trees. 
A farmer of my acquaintance gives a water-cartful of 
stable drainage to a favourite Apple tree every year 
when it is swelling its blossom buds, and it seldom 
fails to reward him with £5 or £6 worth of fruit, 
“leaving a profit,” he said, “greater than he could 
obtain from an acre of Wheat.” If he applied the 
liquid earlier it would do just as much good, possibly 
more, but given much later would be much less 
■ effectual. The tree is on grass, and the variety' is 
Gascoigne’s Scarlet Seedling. 
Something must be said on pruning in the renovation 
of enfeebled orchard trees. The interior of many 
trees is just a thicket of useless growths, fruit being 
produced on what is termed the outside of the trees 
only, where the leaves are exposed to the light and air ; 
indeed, it cannot be produced under any other con¬ 
ditions. The aim, then, of the improver should be to 
invigorate those outside growths, which, perhaps, do 
not extend more than 1 in. or 2 ins. a year. They 
must not be shortened or materially thinned out, but 
the pruning must be confined to the removal of the 
useless shoots and small branches that start from 
the larger arms of the tree, and push upwards in their 
endeavour to reach the light. They bear nothing but 
leaves, and it is not in the power of man to make them 
do anything else ; but what they do is this : they 
divert the sap from the fruit-bearing parts, and to that 
extent deprive them of the support they need for 
making them stronger and more productive. The 
crowd of growths in the centres of old trees where no 
sun and little light can reach may be likened to robbers, 
and should be cleared out. Shortening them will not 
suffice, but may make matters worse ; they should be 
cut or sawn off close to the large branches from which 
they spring, and the wounds pared smooth with a sharp 
instrument. The sap will then flow direct to the fruitful 
parts, and these will be strengthened accordingly. If 
the soil is enriched, the growths will be still further 
strengthened, and must be trusted to find themselves 
room on the outsides of trees ; at least when these 
stand, as they should, distinctly apart from each other. 
It will be seen that the method of renovation ad¬ 
vocated resolves itself into this—giving the famine- 
stricken trees the food they so urgently need, and 
clearing the way for its distribution through the stems 
to the spur and fruit-bearing parts that are exposed to 
the direct action of light and air ; but in removing the 
obstructive growths from the interior of trees, what may 
be termed a small matter of very great importance, 
must not be overlooked, or the trees will soon be 
choked worse than ever. In the spring following the 
pruning, which cannot be done too soon, clusters 
of young shoots may push from the main stems from 
which the useless parts have been cut. Obviously if 
these are allowed to extend they first divert the sap 
from where it is required for fruit production, and 
subsequently and soon fill up the trees with another 
horde of robbers. Nothing is more easy than to 
prevent this, and nothing more certain than that it has 
not been prevented in the case of thousands of trees, 
and the pruning has consequently been proclaimed as 
having done no good. Of course it has not under the 
circumstances, but that is the direct result of either 
thoughtlessness or negligence. "What ought to be done 
is thi3—when the young spring growths referred to are 
an inch or two long, an active man should rub every 
one of them out by the socket, going over the tree two 
or three times if needed. Cutting them off is of no use. 
The work is quickly done, and is absolutely necessary 
if the pruning is to be effectual. 
Cleansing old and neglected fruit trees is a necessary 
operation in their regeneration. Not the stems alone, 
but the branchlets and fruiting spurs may be thickly 
covered with moss and lichens. The incrustations 
should be scraped from accessible parts, and then lime- 
washed, and where the scraping cannot be done, as in 
the most important parts—among and around the 
fruiting spurs, these should be thickly dusted with 
freshly slaked lime on a still day, when every tree is 
dripping with wet, such as after a mist or fog. It is easily 
and quickly done. Send a man with a scuttle of lime on 
his arm up a ladder that reaches well above the tree. Let 
him dash the lime about in all directions, under and 
above the branches, sparing it not, yet letting every 
handful tell, and if he does his work well, the trees 
when dry will be as white as if covered with hoar frost, 
and the moss will vanish, leaving the wood perfectly 
clean. Nor should the lime that falls on the ground 
be considered as wasted. It will do great good. There 
can be no really healthy trees without lime in the soil, 
and there is seldom any in that of the old orchards, 
except on the limestone formation, and often not 
enough there in the upper layer of soil, for it has 
either been washed down by the rains or extracted 
by the trees during their long occupation of the 
ground. The application of lime in the manner 
advised is unquestionably highly beneficial to moss¬ 
laden fruit trees. 
Insects when present must be extirpated. One of 
the worst of these is the woolly aphis or American 
blight, which often crowds into every crevice, punctures 
the bark, and does incalculable injury. It may be 
destroyed with a solution made by dissolving 2 ozs. or 
3 ozs. of soft-soap and a walnut-sized lump of soda in a 
gallon of boiling water, and while hot stirring in 
violently half a gill of petroleum, such as is burned in 
lamps. It should be brushed well into insect-filled 
crevices, stirring the mixture as the work proceeds, 
and some may be syringed with advantage all over the 
trees. Fruit trees syringed every winter with this 
mixture are usually kept free from moss and insects on 
the stems, though some may attack the leaves in 
summer. Pure petroleum has beeD advised for fruit 
trees, and though in some cases it may not have done 
harm, in others it has proved fatal to the trees. It is 
wasteful and foolish to resort to dangerously strong 
remedies when weaker and quite safe applications are 
effectual. 
The subject of Benovating fruit trees is a great one, 
and unquestionably important. It cannot be usefully 
treated in a few words ; therefore, at the risk of being 
tedious, I have felt it undesirable to skim over the 
surface, and have endeavoured to describe in plain 
language methods which have proved successful in 
accomplishing the object in view. Bnt while many 
old orchards may be, and should be, greatly improved, 
I am convinced that the fruit of the future that will 
command attention in our markets will be the produce 
of vigorous young trees not planted in or on the sites 
of old plantations, either of fruit or of forest trees, but 
in fertile soil (not in damp valleys), such as is capable 
of growing first-class crops of Wheat, Clover, and 
Potatos. Let all who have old orchards make the 
best of them by all means, but also let all who can 
do so plant young trees. 
