70 
THE GABDENING WOBLD 
September 29, 1888. 
Apples and Plums as two acres of the ordinary farm 
orchard, and enough bush fruits to pay all rent and 
expenses, and will he protected from all injury from 
stock and game, for without such protection it is 
useless to plant. 
Sorts of Trees to Grow—The Plum. 
In my own district the plum is the most valuable fruit 
I have, and it is not difficult to explain the reason of 
this superiority. The Plum, according to an analysis 
drawn out by Mr. Edmund Tonks, of Birmingham, 
contains:— 
59'21 potash 15 TO phosphorus 
10'00 lime 3'83 sulphur 
5'46 magnesia 2'36 silicon. 
3'20 iron 
All of which constituents are largely present in my soil. 
It is one of the most valuable fruits of our domestic 
economy, it makes a delicious and nutritious preserve, 
and during the months of July, August, September, 
October, and even in November, it may be present 
daily on the dinner table either cooked or uncooked. 
I believe that certain classes of the Germans almost 
exist on the fruit, such are its nourishing qualities. 
The sort which I plant the most extensively is the 
Early Rivers or Early Prolific ; this was raised by my 
father some fifty years since, and in the most disastrous 
seasons I have never known it completely to fail. I 
believe this immunity to be owing to the fact that from 
its precocity (as I have known the whole crop gathered 
by the 5th August) the tree has time to recover its 
strength in the period of nearly eight months which 
elapses between the gathering and, next season’s bloom¬ 
ing. The density of the fruit is very great, as it weighs 
70 lbs. to the bushel. This is against the producer, 
and it ought to be sold by weight. I believe that as a 
dried fruit it will fully equal the dried French Plums. 
Close to the gathering of the Early Prolific I have the 
Czar, a large purple-blue Plum of abundant fertility ; 
then the Sultan, and at the end of September Prince 
Englebert and Pond’s Seedling; and beginning of 
October the Monarch, Archduke, and Grand Duke. I 
have discarded the Diamond, Reine Claude de Bavay, 
Reine Claude d’Oullins, and Belgian Purple, as too 
uncertain for market Plums. For the farm orchard the 
interval between the Sultan and Pond’s Seedling should 
be filled up by the Victoria, Greengage, Gisborne’s, and 
the Pershore, all of which are well-known market 
Plums, and are equally suitable for cooking, preserving, 
and drying, and I hope one day to see the grocers’ shops 
continually supplied with these Plums of British manu¬ 
facture. The Cluster Damson, well known for its 
enormous fertility; the Prune and Shropshire Damsons 
are also very important fruits which should find a place. 
The sort of tree to be planted should be what are 
usually called two or three years unpruned standards, 
the younger the better, as the transplanting causes 
little injury to young trees. I may here mention that 
the Early Rivers does not prosper in my soil when 
grafted on the Mussel stock. The future health of a 
plantation depends very much on the stocks used, and 
it is therefore necessary to bo particular on this head. 
( To be continued.) 
-- 
NOTES ON RASPBERRIES. 
This exceptionally wet season following the drought 
of last summer did not enhance the prospects of obtain¬ 
ing a good crop of this favourite fruit, the canes for the 
most part being weak and sparse, while the continued 
rainfall prevented the fruit being gathered in good 
condition, and what was picked lacked flavour, at the 
same time being so soft that it did not travel well. 
The rainfall, however, has been the means of giving 
us a plentiful supply of strong canes for next season, 
and no time should be lost in cutting out the old and 
weakly ones, so that the sun and air may ripen up 
those intended for fruiting next season. Tie the canes 
to their supports, but do not top them, that is better 
performed later on ; hoe the plantation through, and 
should there be a superabundance of weeds, rake them 
off and remove them to the rubbish heap. It is a bad 
practice to dig among Raspberries, as by so doing many 
roots are disturbed, if not actually destroyed ; after 
cleaning give them a good mulching of well-rotted 
manure, the autumn rains will wash the nutriment 
down to the roots, and it will prove a subsequent pro¬ 
tection from frost. 
If the formation of a new plantation is intended, the 
site should now be trenched, working in plenty of 
manure ; the ground will settle down before planting in 
a month or so. The Raspberry delights in a cool 
situation, though at the same time they must not be 
encumbered by overhanging trees, which would be 
detrimental to them, both root and branch. Rasp¬ 
berries may be planted about 2 ft. apart in rows, 
trained to strained wires, or be put out in rows 4 ft. 
apart, allowing 3 ft. between the hills, and about four 
canes being tied to a good stout stake.— George Potts, 
Junr , 
-- 
DAHLIAS AT SALISBURY. 
The Salisbury Nurseries of Messrs. Keynes, ‘Williams 
& Co. are as widely famed for Dahlias as they are for 
Roses and pot Vines. A few days ago I paid a special 
visit for the purpose of taking notes concerning those 
varieties which have done best this unpropitious 
season, thinking thereby that information of much 
value might be obtained, and that it might be accept¬ 
able to amateurs and private growers generally. The 
present year has been such a trying one for Dahlias, 
that it may be asserted with something like confidence 
that those which have given the best results as regards 
floriferousness, or quantity of bloom, will be found the 
most satisfactory in any season, be their characteristics 
what they may. Of show varieties, the following merit 
special notice, viz., Hon. Mrs. Percy Wyndham, yellow 
ground, edged with rosy purple, very pleasing in 
colour, of fine form and well up in the centre ; Henry 
Walton, yellow ground, deeply edged with vermilion, 
quite distinct from all others ; Crimson King, this is 
one of last year’s introductions, and may already be 
said to have established a good reputation, colour deep 
crimson-scarlet, well-built flower and good habit; 
Nellie Tranter is also a new one of last year, and must 
be noted as one of the best medium-sized yellow seifs 
we have, and almost the equal of Mrs. Gladstone, a 
variety so well known to specialists, and which has 
proved one of the most reliable this season ; Prince 
Bismarck, of rather pleasing colour, puce, shot with 
purple, good size, and excellent form ; Robina, deep 
rose, shaded and veined, and of good bright colour ; 
Burgundy, a well-known sort, and looks like maintain¬ 
ing a position in the front rank for a considerable time 
to come, colour rich dark puce, shot and diffused with 
light purple-maroon, with good form, centre and 
substance ; Seraph must be noted as rather backward 
this season, but at the time of my visit there were 
some good substantial blooms, colour blush, well up in 
the centre, and a fine bold flower suitable for a prize 
stand; Hon. Sidney Herbert, rich shaded crimson, 
very free ; Mrs. Doods, blush centre, outer petals light 
lilac, very pretty. 
Concerning fancy varieties, the following were 
conspicuous: Hercules, yellow, striped and speckled 
with crimson ; Rebecca, lilac, striped with crimson, 
good flower; James O’Brien, yellow with crimson 
stripes ; Prince Henry, lilac, with purple stripes, and 
quite distinct ; Hugh Austin, orange-scarlet, striped 
with dark red ; Rev. J. B. M. Camm, yellow, flaked with 
red, of fine form and good centre ; Duchess of Albany ; 
Gaiety, certainly a very attractive flower, yellow 
striped with red ; General Gordon, yellow, striped with 
scarlet; George Barnes, rich lilac, striped with crimson ; 
Henry Eckford, yellow, striped with scarlet, good 
flower. 
Of Pompons, mention must be made of Royalty, light 
orange ; Mabel, lilac ; Little Duchess, white ; Gem, 
scarlet ; Flora Macdonald, primrose, good flower and 
rather large ; White Aster, probably the best free- 
flowering white variety we have ; Fashion, orange ; 
Lady Blanche, very good white, but difficult To keep 
through the winter ; and Rougier Chauviere, light 
blush. Cactus Dahlias are now very fashionable, and 
for decorative purposes no other section will be found 
so useful, so that it is quite likely they will hold their 
own for a considerable time to come, provided raisers 
of new varieties do not exceed the present size of bloom. 
There appears to be a tendency to go in the direction of 
large flowers, but that, I think, would be a mistake if 
carried too far, and would detract greatly from their 
value for cutting and mixing with other flowers. One of 
the best of this season will be found in Lady Marsham, 
a new variety sent out by Messrs. Cannell, colour deep 
salmon, and certainly an acquisition. Henry Patrick, 
white, is a decided improvement on Constance, a variety 
well known ; Mrs. Hawkins, light yellow, is also very 
good, and the same remark applies to Juarezii and 
Empress of India. Zulu is a dark variety and very 
appropriately named, distinct from all others. 
Some idea may be formed of the number of plants 
grown at these nurseries when it is stated that two 
acres are devoted to their culture; they are planted at a 
distance of 6 ft. between the rows and 4 ft in the rows. 
•The raising of new varieties is quite a specialty at this 
establishment, and certainly I should say that it is 
work which must be interesting and instructive, as well 
as a fruitful source of pleasure and disappointment. 
I may mention that 100,000 seedlings are raised 
annually, from this number about fifty of the best are 
selected the first year, these in their turn being reduced 
to something like twelve the second year, and are put 
in commerce the following year ; add to this the fact 
that each one sent out is supposed to be distinct or an 
advance on existing varieties, and it will at once be 
seen that the work is extremely hazardous, and requires 
to be carried out with exceptional skill where a high 
reputation has to be maintained. 
Among the new varieties noted at the time of my 
visit were Matthew Cambell (Fancy), fine, bold hand¬ 
some flower of good shape, well up in the centre, very 
evenly marked ; colour buff, splashed with crimson ; 
this variety was certificated recently at the Crystal 
Palace. Panthea, a decorative variety, and Little Ethel 
(Pompon) received similar honours at the same time. 
A few other equally good varieties were also seen, but as 
they were only numbered and not named, details can 
hardly be entered into further than to say they will 
doubtless be heard of again in due season.— J. Horsefield, 
Heytesbury. . 
-->Z<-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
♦ 
* 
Carnations. 
Such as are intended for wintering in frames should be 
lifted without delay, and potted up or planted out as 
the case may be. Those intending to force plants, or 
grow them on in a greenhouse in order to have their 
flowers earlier, should select strong and healthy speci¬ 
mens when those plants whose shoots were layered are 
lifted. The best results are, of course, obtained from 
good crowns, so that the grower may be guided accord¬ 
ingly in his selection of plants for pot work. It is 
useless to spend time over weak and worthless specimens. 
Now is a good time to see whether any seed has been 
produced, especially in the case of flowers that were 
manipulated or fertilised with the view of obtaining 
new and improved kinds. After it becomes black and 
firm, the sooner it is gathered the better, before it gets 
rotted and spoiled by the rains and heavy dews that 
occur at night. Seedling Carnations, and also such 
sorts as are plentiful and hardy, may be planted out in 
well-prepared beds where they are to bloom. Deaths 
may occur during the winter, but this is unavoidable, 
as there are generally individual plants of weak con¬ 
stitution that succumb during severe winters when 
unusually wet, or when frost and thaw are frequent. 
Repairing the Greenhouse. 
Preparations must now be made for having all tender 
plants housed that are now in the open air, as we may 
after this expect bad weather at any time, and the 
occurrence of a frosty night when little expected may 
necessitate the sudden removal indoors of Pelargoniums, 
Heaths, Fuchsias, Trumpet Lilies (Richardia africana), 
and succulents which the amateur has used for various 
decorative purposes out of doors during the summer. 
Before doing so, however, it is necessary to see that 
everything is sound and in good working order. All 
broken glass should be repaired, and the flues or other 
heating apparatus seen to before it becomes necessary 
to light fires in case of frost—the house, in fact, should 
be put in order for the winter. If the house is heated 
with a boiler and hot-water pipes see that the joints 
are sound, and all the flues properly cleaned out. 
"Where a brick flue is the means of heating employed 
it should be opened at intervals and thoroughly swept 
out. After replacing and cementing the covers allow 
the cement a little while to set, and then light a 
quantity of straw, wood shavings or other loose 
material to create a smoke, in order to detect whether 
there are cracks in the flue by which sulphureous fumes 
or other noxious gases could enter the house and injure 
the plants. Thoroughly wash the glass and woodwork 
inside and out, not only for appearance sake, but to 
remove insects or their eggs. 
Choice Bulbs for Autumn Planting. 
Few fail to admire bulbous plants when they come into 
flower in spring ; but there are those who object to the 
blanks they create when the leaves die down early in 
summer. This may easily be avoided by judicious 
planting. All the stronger-growing kinds may with 
propriety be planted in the herbaceous border, between 
the other subjects occupying lines, and planted at 
regular distances apart, so that when they die down 
their absence will not be noticed owing to the growth 
of the regular occupants of the border. The front line 
or two may be planted with such things as Scilla bifolia, 
. b. alba, S. sibirica, Crocuses, varieties of C. vernus, 
