December 26, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
259 
single flowers, but the double-flowered type was 
represented by Balsamaeflorum carneum, B. album, 
and B. aurem, all of which last a longer time in 
flower than the singles, and are valuable on that 
account where great stress is laid upon the duration 
of the flowers. 
Multicolor Type. 
Another group characterised by their much smaller 
flowers, is known as the Multicolor type, from one of 
the parents being of that name. The plants are 
dwarfer, more compact in habit and more floriferous 
—quite small plants often being wonderfully laden 
with bloom. The leaves are smaller, lanceolate and 
more of the Azalea type than those of the Java 
varieties. They are also more erect in habit, and 
the leaves longer in proportion to their width. The 
colours of the flowers even here are varied, and often 
characterised by bright, and sometimes of intense, 
shades of red or crimson. Other colours are rose, 
blush, pink, rose with a red throat, carmine, and 
yellow shaded with red in the throat. Thoughsmaller 
generally than those of the Java type, yet the flowers 
of some varieties are of wonderful size. They are 
useful for buttonhole and bouquet work in the cut 
state. 
, r „ 
ABOUT PEARS. 
(Continued front page 242 .) 
The great Pear tree at Garmouth has borne, as a 
single crop, the incredible number of 28,600 fruits. 
Multiply this by ten and you have the possible off¬ 
spring of this one tree for one year. This is taking 
for granted that they were all perfectly fertilized 
and all sown, a very unlikely circumstance indeed. 
I have tried to work out an average of the number of 
perfect seeds, but must confess I have failed to fix 
on one, as they vary so much in number. I was not 
satisfied at all, at any rate it would not be’more than 
one half the possible. 
France and the Channel Islands produce the best 
and largest Pears that come into the market. Jersey 
I believe has produced the largest Pears ever grown, 
they have been priced in Covent Garden at 15s. per 
dozen. One shilling each is not considered extra¬ 
ordinary by some growers ; in going through one of 
the Jersey strongholds in Pears, the proprietor 
pointed out to me several trees the fruit of which he 
counted as so many shillings. These large fruits are 
not profitable to grow, as to obtain them very few 
can be left on the trees. 
France undoubtedly has made great strides in the 
cultivation of the Pear, which is clearly shown by 
the many excellent varieties we have bearing French 
names. Amongst our continental brethren I think 
Belgium comes next. We have also many good 
Pears from America, and last but not least comes 
the British raisers, amongst whom must be men¬ 
tioned Thomas Andrew Knight and Thomas Rivers ; 
to these two gentlemen Pomological Science owes a 
heavy debt for many lessons. 
Now, coming to the more practical part of my 
paper, I intend to treat it under three headings: 
Propagation, Cultivation, and Varieties. 
Propagation. 
Pear trees can be increased in a variety of ways; the 
most important are grafting and budding. Increase 
from cuttings and layers is not generally adopted. 
Seed is largely sown to obtain stocks, on which to 
work improved and well-known varieties. Budding is 
most generally practised by the trade growers, as it 
possesses several distinct advantages. Especially is it 
suitable for propagating new varieties, as a plant can 
be obtained from every well-matured bud. It has 
also the advantage of being performed in the sum¬ 
mer, when other work is not so pressing, and if any 
fail to take they can be grafted in the following 
spring. The chief points to be observed in budding 
are to have the scions and stocks in good working 
order. In preparing the buds the wood should come 
out clean, without injuring the buds in the least. The 
bark of the stock must lift freely when the handle of 
the knife is inserted ; and the whole when bound up 
must be air-tight. 
Grafting is a very ready and sure method of pro¬ 
pagation, and ft is especially useful in renovating old 
trees or worthless varieties, which can be headed 
down and grafted with improved ones. There are 
several forms of grafting, but the one known as 
tongue grafting is the most suitable for young trees, 
and wedge grafting for old specimens, The essential 
points jr) grafting sire to get the cambium layers of 
the stock and scion together ; they must fit on one 
side of the stock at least, or no union will be formed. 
The cuts should be clean and bound up before they 
have time to dry. The graft should be kept moist 
and air-tight by some of the several waxes or clays 
until the union is formed. 
With this brief and incomplete reference to pro¬ 
pagation I dismiss the subject as time will not allow 
of my dealing more fully with it. 
The Question of Stocks. 
The most important question of stocks next demands 
attention, for they exercise a great influence on the 
trees worked upon them. Sufficient attention is not 
paid by all gardeners to the stocks on which their 
trees are worked, and serious mistakes sometimes 
follow, by trying to train a tree to a form for which 
the stock is not suited. These are not so varied as 
in the case of the Apple, the Quince (Cydonia vul¬ 
garis) and the common Pear being the only two used 
to any extent 
The Pear stock undoubtedly is the most natural 
for the Pear ; on it the tree attains the greatest size 
and age. It is therefore well adapted for orchard 
trees or where there is plenty of headroom, as it is a 
strong grower and capable of carrying a large tree. 
The object in using the Quince as a stock is to obtain 
a dwarfer and more fruitful growth, to have the roots 
nearer the surface, and therefore under control, and, 
as a rule, most varieties come to a bearing condition 
sooner on the Quince. The dwarf habit of this stock 
makes it suitable for trees which have to be planted 
in a limited space. Owing to its surface rooting habit 
it is well adapted for situations where the subsoil is 
unfavourable, as the roots of the Pear stock would 
enter the cold, damp subsoil and draw unsuitable 
nourishment for the tree. The Quince roots can 
easily be kept close to the surface, and therefore 
much warmer than those of the Pear stock, which 
will cause a better ripening of both fruit and wood. 
The fruit is often larger and higher coloured when 
grown on the Quince; this is partly caused by the 
check the sap receives on its down journey by coming 
in contact with the vessels of the Quince ; the same 
result can be obtained by ringing and ligatures. 
(To be continued.) 
DECORATIVE ROSES. 
We may, I think, without fear of contradiction, re¬ 
gard the Tea-scented Roses as the very best and most 
desirable for decorative purposes. They have certain 
characteristics which pre-eminently fit them for this 
purpose. They are of handsome appearance, and as 
decorative in autumn as in early summer ; they are 
of free growth ; they bloom freely ; and they can be 
depended upon. 
There is now a large group of Roses partaking of 
the type of Gloire de Dijon, that it is now customary 
to group together and designate Dijon or climbing 
Tea Roses. It is not too much to suppose they have 
sprung from the popular and favourite old “ Glory.” 
They givejus our finest pillar and climbing Roses ; 
they are varied in colour, though they lack the hues of 
bright scarlet and crimson found among the hybrid 
perpetuals. For covering walls in particular they 
are excellent, and, indeed, for all the uses to which 
climbing Roses can be put; and they also possess the 
important character of forming huge flowering 
shrubs and bushes, and can be most effectively used 
in shrubbery planting. 
These Roses are grown at Cheshunt on 
wired walls, and against these strong shoots 
can be laid in for covering in case of bad weather. 
These walls are composed of a central row of 
posts some 8 ft. out of the ground. Small 
cross-bars of iron about 2 ft. apart up these posts 
serve to spread two sets of wires, making a hollow 
wall up which Marechal Niel and other Noisettes, and 
Madame Berard, Gloire de Dijon and other strong 
growing Teas are trained, so as to make a double 
screen of Roses. In November a few straw-mats are 
covered over the top, and removed when it is safe to 
do so. They are also employed in spring to protect 
from night frosts after the Roses have broken into 
growth. 
For ordinary bush growth in gardens, the Tea- 
scented are preferable. They are our real autumnal 
Roses, and including as they do most of the light 
coloured ones, the yellow fawn-buff and the best 
whites are most effective, Some of the best are 
Marie Van Houtte, one of tha most useful of Teas ; 
Hoq. F-dith Gifford, fine ]a,te in the season; Jean 
Ducher, Madame Lambard, somewhat variable early 
iti the season ; Perle des Jardins, a full rich yellow 
Rose ; Souvenir de Gabrielle Drevet, Souvenir de 
Therese Levet, and Caroline Kuster. This does not 
exhaust the list, but I am giving the names of 
some of the most serviceable for the purpose we have 
in view. 
These Tea-scented Roses are on the whole much 
hardier than is generally supposed ; they will bear 
exposure to severe frost, and yet break into growth 
freely in spring and be in bloom by the middle of 
June; they will go on blooming until the end of 
October or even later if the weather keeps open. 
The superiority of Tea-scented Roses over most 
others employed for garden decoration becomes 
especially conspicuous late in the season, and this 
lies in what is generally regarded to be the greater 
ability of the Tea-scented varieties to resist the attacks 
of mildew and red rust, the latter pest especially being 
hardly ever found upon them ; and the full meaning 
and advantage of this all who have ever seen their 
Rose trees leafless, even as early as the middle of 
August through the ravages of these troublesome 
fungi, will readily appreciate.— R. D. 
SCOTTISH NOTES. 
Exchanging at the Term.— I read with much 
interest “ Diosma’s " comments on this subject in 
your issue for December 12th (p. 227), and entirely 
agree with him as to the rottenness of the system, 
for justice is not done to either master or man. 
Like “ Diosma,” I was second inside in one of the 
best places in the north of Scotland, and having been 
there two years, desired to improve my position. My 
master wrote on my behalf to an Edinburgh firm, 
and the reply he received was to the effect that 
was to send them my testimonials in advance, call 
at their place early on the term day, and they would 
see me all right. I followed their instructions with 
the result that I had to stand in their seed shop 
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., cold and wet, before I got 
any attention. They were all too busy to notice a 
poor journeyman with no influence at his back. I 
was struck with amazement at the number of young 
lads sent out to the best places in the country, while 
older and more experienced hands were left out in the 
cold, I know of two places where the gardeners had 
serious thoughts of sending back the lads which were 
sent to them,for fear of a wigging from their employers 
for engaging such young hands. Surely it would 
not be impossible for such an enlightened body of 
men as gardeners to devise a system which would 
enable them to get men by private arrangement, 
Gardeners would then know what they were getting, 
and the young men would know where they were 
going before leaving their old places. Such an ar¬ 
rangement would be infinitely preferable to the 
present one.— R. P. B. 
Exchanging at the Term.— I was very pleased 
to see in your issue of December 12th, a young man 
calling attention to the many disadvantages of the 
system which exists in Scotland by which young 
gardeners obtain situations. No doubt there is a 
great deal of room for improvement, and, as it is a 
matter of vital importance to masters as well as 
men, it might be beneficial to have both sides of the 
question fairly discussed to see if a more satisfactory 
arrangement cannot be come to. I was in Edin¬ 
burgh on the term day (and a most miserable day it 
was), and was in one seedsman’s shop for a consider¬ 
able time, and so had a good opportunity of seeing 
how matters stood. About half-past nine young men 
began to come in in a semi-drenched condition, and 
in a short time the shop was crammed, and there they 
had to stand waiting till their names were called to 
appear before some head gardener who was wanting 
a man. As far as I could gather from what I saw 
and overheard the whole system seemed to be a very 
one-sided one, altogether in favour of the employer. 
Should a young man have the audacity to make the 
slightest objection to the chief's terms he was coolly 
told if he was not pleased he must step aside as 
there were plenty more to be got, the result being 
that probably an inferior man obtained the situation. 
Thus it will be seen that though a man may have 
first-class testimonials they will count as nothing in 
his favour unless he is prepared to sink his own inde¬ 
pendence of mind and simply accept a place on terms 
laid down to him, whether suitable or not. I do not 
for a moment wish to encourage young men to be 
over-fastidious in their wants, but I do think that 
they should have a certain amount of consideration. 
I leave it for others to suggest what measures could 
be adopted that would be beneficial to both parties, 
and that before another term time comes round a 
more satisfactory arrangement will be in force is th<j 
Wish oi—Father Christmas , 
