December 14, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
235 
only insect pest that we can eradicate and thoroughly 
get rid of. Red-spider, thrips, aphis, and nearly all 
the scale insects breed in summer, and, I believe, their 
ova will survive through any winter, but this is not 
the case with mealy-bug.— IV. B. G. 
Sea Buckthorn. 
The dark olive-green of the upper side of the leaves of 
Hippophre rhamuoides, alternating with the scaly 
and silvery underside when gently agitated by the 
wind, needs only to be seen in an appropriate situation 
to be admired. It should be planted in association 
with water, either salt or fresh, and thrives admirably 
on the margins of a pond or lake, both in France as 
well as in this country. It is indigenous to our eastern 
and southern coasts, in close proximity to the sea. In 
one locality on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight, 
where the soft oozy clay keeps slipping down into the 
sea, it grows in great abundance, forming dense bushes 
about 4 ft. to 6 ft. in height. The flowers are dioecious, 
that is, are produced by separate plants, and both 
must therefore be grown in proximity if fruit is 
expected. The lower part of the perianth swells, 
becomes fleshy and rounded, at length ripening to a 
bright orange, and is filled with a copious acid juice. 
In this form they resemble a true berry, but their 
origin is, of course, entirely different. Ripening takes 
place in September, and the fruit generally hangs on 
the bushes until spring. After the fall of the leaf they 
produce a very curious and ornamental effect, owing to 
their great number. 
The Hardiness of Chrysanthemums. 
A great outcry was made in the autumn of 1888 about 
the destruction caused to Chrysanthemums by a few 
degrees of frost. This was about the 3rd of October, 
while the plants were still in bud, and some growers 
were said to have lost about half of their stock. It 
might have been owing to the late cold summer, and 
the green unripened state of the wood. The curious 
fact remains that a cultivator of our acquaintance had 
his plants similarly exposed, and on seeing the tips 
of the shoots drooping with the frost he syringed 
them with water, with the result that the latter also 
froze upon them. Notwithstanding all this the shoots 
assumed their natural position during the day, and not 
only suffered no harm, but the same cultivator had 
Chrysanthemums up till January, and was a successful 
exhibitor at the National Chrysanthemum Society’s 
mid-winter exhibition. Pompons in the open air, 
within the influence of the smoke of the metropolis, 
are now in a sorry plight since the recent frost and 
snowstorm, but westward some specimens of the large- 
flowering kinds, such as Fair Maid of Guernsey, 
Madame C. Audiguier, M. Feral, Gloriosum, and 
others, look somewhat broken down and weather beaten, 
but beyond this the blooms are wonderfully fresh, 
showing incontestably that the Chrysanthemum is 
wonderfully hard}', and more so than it generally gets 
credit for.— F. K. 
Carnation, Winter Cheer. 
This Tree Carnation forms dense-habited plants, with 
branching stems varying from 18 ins. to 2 ft. in height. 
The leaves are rather broad, vigorous, and glaucous. 
The large, brilliant red flowers are fully double and 
freely produced, with broad petals, shallowly toothed 
at the margin. Some plants of it in pots were shown 
at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on Tuesday last, by 
Messrs. J. Yoitch &; Sons, Chelsea, and an Award of 
Merit was accorded the variety. 
Girtford Giant Runner Bean. 
In addition to the great cropping qualities of this Bean, 
and the enormous size of its pods, it has the merit of 
being one of the longest bearers of its class. At 
Dunster, Somerset, in the garden of a Mr. Wake, a 
saddler there, a splendid dish of this runner was picked 
on November 26th. This shortens the time between 
the last runners and the first Peas very considerably.— 
Devoniensis. 
Mr. Wilson’s Plant Protectors. 
In the Gardening World of 22nd October, 1887, 
P - 124, you noticed a new shelter for plants, an osier 
hen coop covered with green scrim, which I then 
expected would prove a very useful, easily moveable 
protector. The late severe frost, following mild weather, 
with no protecting snow, has given good means of 
testing the hardiness of plants, and the efficiency of pro¬ 
tectors. Our coops have proved most useful; among the 
plants sheltered is a clump of the large-flowered, pure 
white Christmas Rose, and the flowers have been finer 
than we ever before had them. A New Zealand Fern 
seems quite happy under its coop. I believe that many 
plants considered only half hardy will stand the weather 
with this protection.— George F. Wilson , Heather Bank, 
Weybridge Heath. 
Preserving 1 Calceolarias During Winter. 
On p. 219 “Gillie Callum ” gives your readers his 
experience on this subject; but while his system is no 
doubt a successful one, I venture to say that the rather 
elaborate protection during winter is quite unnecessary. 
Calceolarias are, perhaps, the most easily wintered 
bedding plants in cultivation, and if the cuttings are not 
coddled at the time of striking they will stand frost— 
and sharp frost, too—without injury. The system I 
adopt is as follows :—I put in the bottom of the frame 
some 4 ins. of well-rotted manure, and on this a few 
inches of cutting-soil, loam, leaf-soil and sand in equal 
parts, with a 4-in. layer of sand on the top. I keep 
the frame close and shaded for a few days, and then 
leave the lights off altogether, except during frost or 
heavy rains. Under this treatment I find that the 
closing of the light is sufficient protection from as much 
as 8 or 10” frost, while even in the most severe weather 
I rarely use more than a single mat over the glass, and 
I may say I never have a damp or frozen cutting. In 
gardens at present too much assistance is the exception, 
not the rule, and. I think we should make a special 
study of how to avoid unnecessary labour.— Stafford. 
--- 
ON THE DWARFING- OF TREES 
BY THE CHINESE AND JAPANESE. 
The system of culture carried on by the above nations, 
in connection with the dwarfing of fruit, forest and 
ornamental trees, is a very old one, and in' the case of 
the Chinese at least must date from a remote period, 
although the origin of the practice seems to be lost. 
The oldest specimens of Chinese porcelain bear repre¬ 
sentations of the same dwarf trees that are grown and 
admired by the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire at 
the present day. 
The method of procedure is to remove a ring of bark 
from a branch which is to be transformed into a pigmy 
tree, and then cover this part over with a mixture of 
clay and earth to induce the formation of roots. Large 
branches, such as those of Elm and Mitchellia, are 
covered with straw or other material to retain the 
moisture. The clay alone is sufficient for Oranges and 
Peaches. These branches are fit for removal in vary¬ 
ing periods of time from six weeks to three months, 
and before they are severed the tips of the shoots and 
part of the foliage and buds are removed. The next 
process is to bend and twist the branches by means of 
wires, and the now rooted portions are placed in small 
earthenware pots that are filled with alluvial clay. 
This kind of soil is very durable, but it affords only 
sufficient nutriment to keep the trees alive. 
Everything, both quantity and quality of soil, a 
regulated allowance of water, and a due amount of 
sunshine and shade are taken into account in the 
training of their cherished pigmies, which they call Koo- 
Shoo or ancient trees. The roots are not only confined 
in earthenware pots, from which they cannot escape, 
but those that make their appearance on the surface 
are cut or charred to check their natural vigour. 
Growth becomes more and more stunted, and the leaves 
smaller, until there is a sort of dead balance between 
roots and leaves, and the future annual increments to 
the plants are hardly perceptible. 
The process of making a tree look aged in this way 
is accomplished in two or three years in some cases ; 
but it varies with the nature of the subject operated 
upon, and ten or twenty years are required by some. 
Amongst fruit trees the Plum is most admired by the 
Chinese, and about seventy years ago the best specimens 
were obtained from the Province of Fo-kein. The 
branches were twisted and contorted into various 
fantastic forms, and ants were enticed to eat out the 
heart wood of the trunkby placing sugar in holes to 
entice them there. The Elm was more quickly and 
easily managed, and was consequently cheap ; while 
large sums were readily given for the hollow and con¬ 
torted Plum trees. 
Specimens of Japanese culture of the above nature 
occasionally reach this country in the shape of Ficus, 
Euphorbia, and Pinus parviflora. A large number of 
specimens of various subjects from Japan might have 
been seen in the horticultural section of the inter¬ 
national Exhibition at Paris during last summer. 
Cycas revoluta seems to be a great favourite with the 
Japanese for dwarfing, judging from the number of 
specimens shown. One plant had 14 ins. of a stem 
with four branches from the base, and was evidently 
very old. The tuft of leaves on the top was small, or 
even diminutive, in comparison with what the same 
trunk would develop in our hothouses. Conifers also 
corno in for a large share of attention, including Pinus 
sylvestris, P. Peuce, P. parviflora, Juniperus chinensis, 
Thuya obtusa breviramea, Podocarpus macrophylla, 
and P. nageia rotundifolia. The last mentioned was 
beautifully variegated with cream, and the tips of the 
shoots and leaves of P. macrophylla were white. Both 
of these ranged from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high, and were a 3 
ornamental as any. Some of these plants were finding 
their way into the shops of the florists, who asked 
rather fancy prices for their goods. A tree of Pinus 
parviflora about 15 ins. high was priced at 500 francs. 
Another in the exhibition was only 18 ins. high, but 
had a contorted trunk about 3 ins. in diameter, and 
must be very old, for this is naturally a very small tree. 
It is evidently the favourite species for this system of 
culture. 
Our readers and gardeners generally are apt to com¬ 
plain of long unpronounceable scientific names, but they 
may rest thankful that their lot has not been cast in 
Japan, for assuredly their popular names are jaw¬ 
breakers. The long-winded Trachelospermum jasmin- 
oides of our greenhouses is known in Japan as the 
Hatsuyukikatsura. Nandina domestiea is the Shiromi- 
yakkonanten or Maidananten. The Trachelospermum, 
owing to its habit, readily conforms to this method of 
treatment, but the leaves, instead of measuring 2 ins. 
or 3 ins. in length, are only J in. to £ in. long, thus 
mutely testifying to the effect of the stunting and 
starvation method of culture to which they are sub¬ 
jected. Damnacanthus indicus, a spiny shrub with a 
creamy variegation, owing to its naturally dwarf habit, 
appeared much more natural than many of the subjects 
grown, and although grown in a pot about 7| ins. in 
diameter, stood about 18 ins. high, forming a bush 
very similar to Carissa grandiflora. Its popular name, 
Hatsuyukiaridoshi, is doubtless appreciated by the 
Japanese, as is that of Aspidium lepidocaulon— i.e., 
Drizurushida. Few Palms seem to be grown, but we 
noticed Trachycarpus excelsa. In a glasshouse, shaded 
with bamboo mats, were ring and lozenge-shaped 
devices covered with soil and planted with Davallias. 
Withal, then, the Chinese and Japanese taste for 
dwarfing their ornamental plants is quite different from 
ours, because when we in this country admire or culti¬ 
vate a dwarf subject for the sake of the small space it 
occupies, we like it to be naturally dwarf and healthy 
in appearance, in opposition to a stunted and artificially 
produced dwarfness. 
--- 
Gardehers’ Improyeiekt Societies. 
*** We should be greatly obliged if Secretaries of 
Gardeners’ Improvement Societies would favour us with 
brief notices of the papers read and business done at 
their respective regular meetings. Such reports should 
reach the office not later than Tuesday. 
Ealing. 
At the usual weekly meeting of this society, held on the 
4th inst., Mr. A. Wright, of The Gardens, Devonhurst, 
Chiswick, presiding, Mr. A. Dean, of Bedfont, read a 
paper on “ Vegetables for exhibition.” In discoursing 
upon this topic, Mr. Dean laid great stress upon the 
symmetry, evenness, firmness and quality of the 
various productions which were destined to occupy a 
place on the exhibition table. He asserted that there 
was more “beauty” in vegetables than was generally 
conceded, and that the enormous number of varieties 
was a proof not only of merit and excellence, but of the 
great strides which were being made towards perfection 
in this matter. On the other hand, he strongly 
deprecated mere size being aimed at, and instanced a 
recent exhibit of Onions, 12 bulbs, weighing rather more 
than 30 lbs. Mr. Dean dealt at some length with the 
sorts and sizes of vegetables, suitable to the employers 
as well as the exhibition requirements ; and in 
treating them alphabetically and separately, divulged 
a good deal of knowledge of a valuable and practical 
character. Two fine specimens of Brussels Sprouts, 
apparently growing most luxuriantly in 4J-in. 
pots, came in for a large share of attention, 
he strongly contending that they—the individual 
sprouts— were too large tor a delicate lady’s mouth. This 
able and interesting lecture was brought to a close by 
a recapitulation of the principal points, the lecturer 
