844 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 30, 1892. 
painting the hot water pipes lightly with sulphur, or 
with less danger by plunging a bag of soot in the tank 
and occasionally syringing the plants with water 
taken therefrom. 
Maidenhair Ferns. — Those kinds which are 
stove temperature will naturally start into 
growth earlier than those kept in a greenhouse. The 
annual repotting of those which require it will there¬ 
fore have to be seen to before growth has taken 
place to any extent. Those kinds which are grown 
for the sake of cut fronds should also be divided at 
this time, as the pieces make better growth than if 
the whole piece was simply repotted and grown on 
again. 
Davallias — Plants of this class that require 
potting should be seen to before they start into 
growth. If it is desired to increase the stock, the 
rhizomes may be cut into pieces, preserving some 
roots if possible to each. In some cases it will be 
necessary to use pegs to fix the rhizomes on the soil, 
to prevent them rolling about, until young roots are 
produced. 
Dahlias. —Scarce or new varieties of which it is 
desired to increase the stock should be put into heat 
at once, to start them into growth in order to furnish 
cuttings. Some roots may also be damping badly 
and in danger of becoming lost. They may be saved 
in some instances by placing them in heat, and taking 
cuttings as soon as they have made about two joints. 
Such decaying tubers if left till the usual starting 
time often get lost beyond recovery, and it is there¬ 
fore advisable to start them early to save the variety. 
Pansies in Pots. — Those who grow Pansies for 
flowering in pots will do well to repot them when 
they commence to make growth. The cold weather 
for some time past has been against them, but with 
the advent of a milder temperature they will soon 
commence to grow. The long side shoots should be 
pegged down so as to cover the soil and pots. A 
cold frame is the best place for them, where they may 
receive plenty of air and be kept near the glass. 
Vines. —Where the early vines are now in flower 
the atmosphere of the house should be kept drier 
for a time until the young fruits are set. The evap¬ 
orating pans may be allowed to get dry, and in the 
middle of the day, when the atmosphere of the house 
and the pollen is quite dry, tap the rods in order to 
insure the distribution of the pollen and the setting 
of the fruit. On cold, windy, or frosty nights, the 
temperature of the house may be allowed to drop 
below the standard or maximum for the night, and 
raised early in the day, more especially when the 
light is good. 
Transplanting and Root Pruning of Fruit 
Trees.— This operation should have been completed 
in the autumn, but where through stress of other work, 
or the unsuitability of the weather and state of the 
ground.it has been neglected, no opportunity should 
be lost in getting arrears of that kind accomplished. 
In the case of young trees that are producing too 
much wood the mere lifting and transplanting of them 
will be quite sufficient. Any roots that dip perpen¬ 
dicularly into the soil should be cut away with a 
sharp knife, and those that dip diagonally and deeply 
into the ground should be lifted up near the surface. 
Old trees should not be wholly root pruned in one 
year, but only half, and the rest in the following 
autumn. 
Rockeries. —It is yet too early to do fresh 
planting to any extent, but where the formation of 
new rockeries or the extension of old ones is contem¬ 
plated the rough work can very conveniently be 
carried on now’. The soil should be got into 
position so that it may have time to settle before 
spring, and the rough stonework, even to the forma¬ 
tion of pockets for the reception of the plants, may be 
got ready before the planting time comes round. 
Compost for the various subjects to be planted 
should be got ready and kept in an open shed to 
prevent it getting too wet. 
SOCIETIES. 
Manchester Botanical and Horticultural. —In the 
sixty-fourth annual report of the council of this 
society presented to the Subscribers at the annual 
meeting on Wednesday, it is stated that as an illus¬ 
tration of the disastrous effects of the weather of 
1891 upon the financial position of the society, the 
receipts at the Whitsuntide exhibition were less than 
that received in 1890 by £420—and the receipts at 
the gates op the musical days were less than {he 
preceding year by £500. Another adverse influence 
—the epidemic of influenza—which was so painfully 
prevalent during the spring of the past year preven¬ 
ted a large number of subscribers from paying their 
subscriptions; consequently the council regret to 
have to report a decrease from this source of revenue 
to the extent of over /500. The council need hardly 
say that these unfavourable resuits have been and 
still are a source of anxiety, and they have to 
say (what has oeen said before) that it remains with 
the people of this city and the surrounding districts 
to determine whether they desire to perpetuate the 
musical features connected with the gardens. The 
council are most anxious to give the greatest amount 
of instruction and pleasure to the greatest number, 
and they trust that the public of Manchester and the 
surrounding districts will supply the means to bring 
about this result. 
The horticultural exhibitions held during the past 
year have been highly satisfactory. The display of 
hardy and other fruits held in October last showed 
clearly enough that Apples and Pears can be grown 
successfully in this country. The proceedings of the 
conference (over which the president of the society, 
the Earl of Derby, presided on the first day, and 
Alderman Sir James Whitehead on the second) have 
been published and distributed freely amongst far¬ 
mers, cottagers, and others. The council have much 
pleasure in acknowledging their indebtedness to the 
aboved-named gentlemen, and also to the authors of 
the papers whose names appear in the proceedings. 
In no way can the objects of the society be more 
efficiently accomplished than in becoming, as it 
were, a centre towards which horticultural know¬ 
ledge shall tend, and from which it may again be 
disseminated to fructify in a wider circle. The in¬ 
formation set forth in the proceedings is contributed 
by practical men and therefore quite reliable. 
Another feature in the society’s assistance to science 
is that of materials for botanical study, which is year 
by year becoming more sought after and enjoyed by 
an ever-increasing numbers of students and teachers. 
A considerable number of students from the School 
of Art have been at work in the gardens daily during 
the summer months, and the large number of 
applications for information and specimens from 
those interested in medical, commercial and 
economic pursuits, and manufacturers also, proves 
the value and extensive use of the society's gardens 
and collections to the people in general. The 
council have pleasure in stating that a closer con¬ 
nection has been formed between the botanical 
teaching at Owens College and the gardens. 
Referring to the provisional arrangements for the 
year, it will be seen that a new departure is recom¬ 
mended in connection with the Whitsuntide exhibi¬ 
tion. It it suggested that this exhibition shall 
consist of four specialities, namely, Roses, Rhodo¬ 
dendrons, Fruits, and Orchids ; these will be brought 
together in larger numbers than formerly, and in 
connection wdth the latter class of plants a confer¬ 
ence will be held and the proceedings published, thus 
giving information about a class of plants in which 
great public interest is taken. The council earn¬ 
estly appeal to all who are interested in this attrac¬ 
tive subject to assist them in carrying out this 
undertaking. 
The following are the provisional arrangements 
for 1892 :—Spring flower show at the Town Hall, 
March 15 and 16; spring flower show, at the Town 
Hall, April 26; special exhibition of Roses, Rhodo¬ 
dendrons, Fruits and Orchids will open at the 
Gardens, June 3 ; Orchid conference at Gardens, 
June 4; Rose show, at Gardens, July 16. In addi¬ 
tion a Chrysanthemum show will be held ; also the 
exhibitions of the National Auricula, Tulip, 
Carnation, and Pink Societies ; the time and place 
will in each case be duly announced. Musical days, 
Wednesdays and Saturdays during the months of 
June, July, August, and part of September. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners' Association. —The 
usual fortnightly meeting of this association took 
place on Wednesday of last week there being 
a numerous attendance of gardeners. The essay¬ 
ist for the evening was Mr. Alfred George, who 
was for many years head gardener at Lady Rolle’s 
beautiful place, Bicton, so famous for its avenue of 
Araucaria imbricata, and its equally well known 
arboretum. Mr. George took for his subject "The 
Cultivation of the Peach and the Nectarine, with 
hints on Pruning.” " It was difficult,” Mr. George 
Said, " to deal with {he subject in a short paper, and 
therefore three illustrations had been prepared. The 
first represented a tree as generally seen and pruned, 
and also a young tree from the nursery’ properly- 
trained to start with. Some people, anxious to see 
the young tree at the top of the wall or trellis, merely 
shortened the nursery’ shoots, which consequently 
broke near the tops of the branches. The second 
illustration also showed a. young tree from the nur¬ 
sery, but with the nursery shoots cut back much 
shorter, the breaking, as a consequence, taking place 
near the base. In training some young growth 
should always be kept at the base of the tree. Dis 
budding should generally be accomplished with the 
finger and thumb, though occasionally a knife is 
required, the operation being commenced from the 
tops of the branches. The disbudding should not be 
done all at once, but in three or four operations at 
intervals of about five or six days. The leaves on 
the leading shoots should be carefully preserved, as 
otherwise the fruit would not attain maturity. With 
respect to summer training, the young shoots should 
be given as much sun as possible. The third illus¬ 
tration showed how a tree should look after tfie spring 
pruning and training. It was a good thing to untie 
or un-nail all branches before or after Christmas and 
pull the whole tree away from the wall or trellis, 
keeping them in that position by means of stakes till 
the flower buds were nearly ready to burst open, 
when the branches should be restored to their proper 
place, shortening all the bearing wood back to a leaf 
bud. When putting the branches back the flower 
buds at the back of the shoots should be carefully 
rubbed off with the finger. When the tree is in 
flower a few soft feathers tied to a stick drawn gently 
up (not down) the branches on a sunny day, assisted 
the bursting of the anthers. If the tree was sup¬ 
ported by a trellis, a sharp rap of the fist on the 
branches was of advantage in distributing the pollen. 
Regarding root forming, when a young tree was 
making too strong growth, a circular trench from 
fifteen to eighteen inches deep should be dug about 
eighteen inches from the stem, the eftect of this being 
to check the growth and cause the wood to ripen 
better, as welljas inducing small fibrous roots close to 
the stem. Trees in good condition needed plenty of 
water. A spade should never be used near the tree. 
Peaches like a good mellow loam, old mortar rub¬ 
bish, or burnt rubbish, such as prunings and charred 
soil mixed with the loam. It was an advantage to 
give a good watering just before the flowers were 
about to open.” 
Sevenoaks Gardeners’ and Amateurs’ Society. —At 
the last fortnightly meeting of this society-, Mr. R. 
Edwards, gardener to Barclay Field, Esq., Beechy 
Lees, Otford, read an excellent paper on " The Cul¬ 
ture of Celery.” A discussion followed, which was 
full of interest, the greatest amount of interest being 
centred in the question how best to cope with the 
Celery maggot. The general opinion was that fre¬ 
quently dusting the plants with soot would help to 
keep the fly from depositing its eggs, and thereby 
mitigate the evil; but that once the plants are af¬ 
fected nothing short of picking off the parts so 
affected would be of any use. There was a com¬ 
petition amongst amateurs for a collection of seed 
Potatos. In offering prizes for such a competitior, 
the committee were actuated by a desire to induce 
amateurs to take more care in preparing seed for 
future crops, a point which is generally lost sight of. 
The result of their efforts were not very satisfactory 
however, as it only brought out one competitor, Mr. 
Wolfe, who showed nine sorts in excellent condition. 
Votes of thanks to the chairman, Mr. W. Read, and 
to Mr. Edwards for his practical paper, closed a very 
instructive meeting. Mr. A. Hoadley-, Kipping Park, 
will open a discussion on February 2nd, on " Pelar¬ 
goniums.” 
©bituan?. 
With sincere regret we have to record the death at 
1, Crescent Villas, Park Road, Clapham, on the 21st 
inst., of Mr. Robert John Parker, formerly of the 
Exotic Nursery’, Tooting, aged 64. For many years 
Mr. Parker was perhaps the best known and most 
successful grower and exhibitor of hardy plants in 
the metropolitan district, but for some ten years past 
had been living quietly in retirement; and never by 
any chance during that period having attended any 
of the regular metropolitan gatherings of horti¬ 
culturists, had become forgotten by all but his im¬ 
mediate personal acquaintances. He was, we believe, 
