March 29, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
471 
of a plant in a pot, forgetting altogether that the action 
of the air in the soil is most necessary.” 
Again, on composts and manures suitable for Vines, 
Mr. Thomson says: “The reason why many Vines have 
failed to be fruitful in a few years after they were 
planted, must be sought for in the absurd materials used 
in making up the borders. Not content with mixing 
large quantities of crude farm-yard manure with the 
soil, recourse was had to the slaughter-house, and even 
the knacker’s yard, as if Vines were carnivorous 
animals. Until within a recent date, there was not the 
choice of manures that there is now, and the farm-yard 
was all but the only resource. 
“ It is of great importance that nothing should be 
added to the soil of a Vine border, which, after the 
plant food it contains has been absorbed, leaves a 
residuum of inert humus, which shuts up the pores of 
the soil, hinders the healthy action of the atmosphere, 
and retains an excess of water like a sponge, in time 
rendering the borders what gardeners justly term sour. 
This farm-yard manure at its best does. There is the 
additional danger of horse-dung breeding fungi. 
“If Vine roots are not confined by bricks and 
mortar to such a border as I have indicated, they escape 
from it to the border that was not prepared for them, 
and sometimes thrive better in the latter than in the 
former. 
“Another mistake that, up to the present date, is 
not uncommon, is that of mixing J-in. bones in Vine 
borders. They are of little or no value. I have seen 
them as whole as when mixed with the soil, after being 
thirty years in it, and not a root near them. Bones 
are an excellent element in a manure for Vines or any 
other fruit-bearing plant, but they should be ground 
as fine as possible. In this state they form a consider¬ 
able portion of the manure I feel bound to recommend.” 
Another common error is the practice of cropping 
Vine borders, and we are glad to see that Mr. Thomson 
enters a vigorous protest against such folly. He 
says “ The roots rob the soil of the food intended for 
the Vines, and, even worse than this, keep off the 
genial heat of the sun. I called at a fine garden down 
the Clyde last autumn. The gardener took me into a 
range of vineries, and remarked that of late years the 
Vines had yielded very inferior Grapes. I replied 
that little else could be expected, seeing the enormous 
crop of plants on the border up to the vinery front 
sashes. First a row of single Dahlias 3 ft. high, then 
came Perilla nankinensis, Stocks, Pelargoniums, &c. 
The gardener said his view was the same as mine with 
regard to the cause of the injury to the Vines, and he 
had often pointed it our to Mrs. —■— ; but she said she 
could not bear to see naked borders, at the same time 
she expected good Grapes. This is one of the many 
difficulties gardeners have to contend with.” 
-**<■- 
IVY-LEAVED PELARGONIUMS. 
Amongst the improvement of other plants this last few 
years, it is gratifying to note that this useful class has 
not been forgotten by the hybridiser. They are largely 
grown, and well do they deserve extensive cultivation. 
In a cut state the flowers are very useful, and last a 
considerable length of time if placed in water. They 
lend themselves to a great many ways of training by 
which their beauty is shown. For covering pillars they 
are found to be telling plants, and where they can get 
plenty of light, they give the best results. They can 
be grown to a large size, by training the shoots thinly 
over a wire trellis. The best results are obtained by 
striking the cuttings in September, and potting them 
off in spring into 3-in. pots, amongst good loam, bone 
dust and sand. Pot firmly and place them where they 
can enjoy a temperature of 60° by night, fully exposed 
to the light, it being of the greatest importance for 
their well-being. The leathery texture of their leaves 
enables them to bear the full sunshine without the use 
of shading. ' As soon as the roots have touched the sides 
of 3-in. pots, they will require to be moved into 6-in. 
ones, using the same compost as before mentioned. 
Pot firmly, and keep the plants close up to the glass ; 
water carefully till the roots take to the new compost. 
In a short time they may be placed in a cooler structure 
where they can get more air. They will require 
stopping so as to have a nice shapely plant, and a few 
stakes will be required to tie the shoots to them. When 
they commence to flower they should be placed in the 
conservatory, where they will continue to flower for a 
considerable length of time ; an occasional dose of liquid 
manure will greatly assist them. Some of the best are 
Alice Crousse, Cuvier, Berthelot, Galilee, Jeanne Gillet, 
M.urillo, Robert Owen, Lang Son, Madame Thibaut, 
and Michelet.— TV. Angus, Dumfriesshire. 
MR. FAIRGRIEVE OF DUNKELD 
ON THE CULTIVATION OP HARDY 
STONE FRUITS. 
(Concluded from p. 458 ). 
To obtain early fruitfulness, I think the fan-shaped 
trees as suitable as any, for by careful management 
the tree can be equally distributed all over the wall and 
a uniform flow of sap obtained. This applies to all 
stone fruit alike. If left to their own will they would 
grow straight or perpendicular, and, of course, the sap 
would flow accordingly : all the life of the tree would 
be at the top. I do not quite approve of horizontal 
training, but like the branches to diverge out gradually 
to three or four different points or degrees of the circle 
on the right and left sides of each tree, and as the tree 
grows and requires it; thus utilising the flow of sap 
and economising the force of the tree, as well as giving 
every opportunity of breathing power. This will no 
doubt increase the size of the fruit and mprove the 
flavour. One exception to this form of training I 
might mention in reference to Peaches and Nectarines 
only—that very shy sorts might be trained right to 
the highest point of the wall, and thence slope down¬ 
wards. This has a wonderful effect on the fruitfulness 
of some sorts. Lastly, on this point I beg to say that 
I would recommend a limited number of shoots, thus 
preserving the power of the tree, and dispensing with 
much summer work and nearly all winter pruning. 
Disbudding. 
At the conference held at Dunkeld, and in the report 
of the same, I made special reference to disbudding as 
being of great importance. Generally speaking, two 
shoots are quite enough to be left on the growth of the 
previous year, but, of course, there are exceptions to 
this. While young trees are being formed, due care 
must be given to the balancing of the tree and distri¬ 
buting evenly and uniformly the principal branches 
over the wall. In this case the budding must be sub¬ 
servient to the formation of the tree. Another 
exception is, if there are only two or three young 
shoots, then they may all be left. Rampant sorts 
may perhaps be another exception, bat I prefer not to 
grow such. The time of disbudding depends on the 
variety. For example, the proportion of earliness 
between an early Peach being ripe is not exemplified 
by the young shoots, but the contrary. This Peach 
comes into flower long before it is fit for disbudding ; 
so that it would be highly improper to disbud it when 
in flower. On the other hand, Chancellor Peach and 
Yiolette Hative Nectarine are fit for disbudding before 
the blooms are expanded. This shows the risk there 
would be to disbud the former at the same time as the 
latter, and the great loss it would be of expended 
energy to the tree ; in fact, it would rob the tree, and 
impoverish it for nothing. It is highly judicious that 
the tree should be disbudded at different periods to 
prevent a check, and in the case of weak or less robust 
varieties it is necessary they should be closely watched 
after being disbudded, in case of an attack of red- 
spider, which would be exceedingly dangerous at this 
time, there being so little foliage for the pest to prey 
upon. I am not now quite so favourable to pinching 
as I used to be ; still, if the gardener understands the 
proper time for it to be done, it is of considerable 
importance. It ought to be done when the tree has 
ceased to assimilate food, or exactly when it shows signs 
of beginning to ripen its wood. When done at this 
time it assists the ripening of the buds for the coming 
year : if done before the period mentioned it creates a 
strong tendency to young growth, which, of course, 
almost ruins the tree. 
Keeping Trees Clean. 
Cleanliness, which is of great importance, must be 
specially attended to. Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums 
are especially prone to collect dirt from numerous 
sources : the blazing glare of a fierce sun brings from 
the foliage a solution which gathers from every shower 
and moist atmosphere dust that is carried by wind, &c. ; 
and while the foliage is damp everything passing in the 
insect world is liable to adhere to it. Some of the 
following enemies will probably be the result if the trees 
are not attended to in the way of cleanliness :—Aphis, 
brown and white scale (perhaps someone may think 
scale is not destructive out of doors ; I assure you it is, 
and if not attended to will destroy the fruitfulness of 
the trees), thrip, red-spider, yellows (sometimes known 
as jaundice), sunstroke, root gout, fungus, blister, 
mildew (a fatal foe, and quite worthy of the best skill), 
ants, snails, slaters or wood lice, and many other 
insects. I tried many insecticides, but to no purpose, 
until at last I was successful in compounding a pre¬ 
paration of my own which answered the purpose 
remarkably well, and which I continue to use regularly 
when required. Syringing the trees with soft water 
occasionally is very beneficial towards cleansing them, 
but not if it is a cold night. 
Protection. 
Many of you have seen the shades used by me, and I 
consider them very suitable for protecting trees, as they 
can be put up quickly and at little cost. The other 
makeshifts, such as herring-nets, spruce branches, straw 
ropes, &c., I do not recommend. 
General Observations. 
As I am afraid I am trespassing on your time, I will 
close with a few remarks. Cropping should not be too 
heavy, as it injures the tree for the following year. 
For example, twelve good peaches are preferable to 
twenty-four inferior ones, and you cannot have a heavy 
crop and keep the tree in good condition. Again, 
fruit should only be left where it has sufficient space to 
swell; and with this end in view thinning should not 
take place till the fruit is thoroughly stoned. After 
stoning, and before colouring, is a good time to water 
plentifully, and also to rake the border smooth in order 
that the heat may be reflected back on the fruit; indeed, 
I quite think it would be worth while to cover the 
ground under the fruit with slates or any material that 
would send back the heat among the leaves and foliage. 
To have a green crop at this season above the roots 
would be very bad, not only for the amount of strength 
it would deprive the ground of, but the more vital effect 
it would have of excluding the sun’s rays from pene¬ 
trating to the roots ; also increasing moisture, and 
preventing the reflection of the heat of the sun from 
being conveyed to the grateful foliage and fruit. I may 
here say that 1 know of no better method of finding 
whether a Peach or Nectarine tree is in good health than 
by carefully looking over the entire plant, and ascer¬ 
taining how it has stood the winter. If you notice a 
quantity of the young wood frosted back, you may 
conclude that your management is at fault: either the 
roots are going wrong, or the foliage is crowded and did 
not get sufficient light to ripen it for the winter. IVhen 
flowers come in an aborted form be sure there is some¬ 
thing very wrong ; I have noticed that when the tree or 
trees have too much foliage, the flowers come half-bloom 
and half-leaf. I might make many more observations 
if time permitted. I may say in regard to varieties, 
that I refer you to the report of the Dunkeld Con¬ 
ference. 
Conclusion. 
In conclusion, I would say, by way of encouragement, 
I know well how ceaseless is the constant care and 
attention required in fruit growing, and the anxiety 
connected with it from month to month, week to 
week, and day to day ; also the hosts of enemies we 
have to contend with—a dull, leaden, sunless sky, low 
readings of the thermometer in summer, and certain 
frosty nights when the trees are in bloom, besides many 
others. Yet, with a keen and quick eye, ready to 
decide, the mind always on the alert, and the head 
clear to detect and remedy anything wrong, success is 
certain to crown the efforts made, and the reward is a 
good return of splendid luscious fruit, which will grace 
our employers’ tables as well as the garden walls. 
After all, the greatest reward is the approval of your 
own conscience, knowing that you have done your very 
best in the sphere to which you have been called. 
--• 
ORCHIDS AT ST. ALBANS. 
Those who have visited Mr. Sander’s great Orchid 
establishment in the summer time, have doubtless seen 
his aquatic house well furnished with Nymphieas, &c., 
in the centre tanks from end to end ; but on the 
occasion of my visit on March 13th, I was much struck 
with the vigorous plants which were growing in baskets 
suspended over the water. A big batch of Oncidium 
ampliatum majus in rude health, throwing up a forest 
of flower spikes, was a remarkable sight. Here, too, 
Dendrobium Dearei and Cattleya superba luxuriate, 
as well as Phajus tuberculosus, P. Humblotii, and 
Spathoglottis Kimballiana. Thousands of plants of 
Miltonia vexillaria in another house are in the finest 
condition, many of them coming into bud. 
A very fine form of Odontoglossum excellens was in 
flower in one of the cool houses, while elsewhere a 
batch of Ionopsis paniculata attracted attention ; a 
very dark form of Warscewiczella vellata, freely flowered, 
was conspicuous, and several strong plants of Cypripe- 
dium Elliottianum alongside of C. Rothschildianum 
prove not only how distinct they are, but also what 
fine additions they are to this popular class of plants.— 
Visitor. 
