370 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 10, 1894* 
suppressed. Transplantation is effected every year, 
into rich soil : at the end of six years, pretty 
specimens of dwarf Retinosporas are thus obtained ; 
the specimens which bear six or seven varieties are 
very choice. 
Layering in the open air is employed for the 
Acers; the most varied species are thus united upon 
one stock, such an example carries as many as 
twenty different kinds of foliage. Dwarf Bamboos 
are an article not less important in Japanese com¬ 
mercial horticulture. When the shoots commence 
to develop, and as the stems measure about yj in. in 
circumference, and 5 ft. high, the bark is removed in 
small pieces. A month later, the stem is bound and 
bent in a zig-zag fashion; three months after, when the 
lateral shoots are sufficiently strong, the stems are 
all banded with gum at every 10 in., then they are 
potted in sand without any manure, and water is 
given in abundance. In Way or June every year, the 
strong shoots are cut, and after three years the 
branches and the leaves present yellow and green 
tints, with the most beautiful effect. 
-- -mf - 
ROOT ACTION: ITS EFFECTS ON 
VEGETATION. 
(Concluded from p. 358.) 
Turning my remarks more strictly tc our garden 
work, let me notice the difference in the quality of our 
small out-door fruits when grown with a view to fibrous 
root encouragement. True it is that some people 
possess plantations of small fruit trees the conditions 
of which may aptly be described in the Words of 
Tennyson’s “ Brook” : — 
With many a fairy foreland set 
With willow-weed and mallow— 
For men may come and men may go. 
But I go on for ever. 
They will almost dare to contend that those 
neglected-looking trees of theirs are the most profit¬ 
able, yet I cannot reasonably believe such to be the 
case. Fruit trees are somewhat like people, they 
generally respond more kindly and profitably to 
generous treatment, and on the behalf of the trees 
and for the digestion of those people who are 
fortunate .enough to be present at fruit gathering 
time, I recommend that you occasionally fork round 
your fruit trees, adding at the same time either a good 
dressing of manure or lime. These, given alter¬ 
nately every two or three years, will ensure healthy, 
strong trees, with heavy crops of fine, plump fruit, 
without any exception to variety—putting in a saving 
clause for the Raspberry, which will do far better 
without the forking, because of its large surface 
rooting capacity. The Raspberry is very impatient 
under that treatment, the canes, by constant mutila¬ 
tion of their roots, gradually weaken consequently 
becoming unfruitful. An annual top dressing of 
manure or other refuse will both encourage root- 
action and protection from extremes of temperature ; 
and in passing I would suggest to those who have 
any old orchard trees of Apples, Pears, Plums, or 
Damsons, just to try the treatment recommended for 
the Raspberry, and mark its results, for as if endowed 
with sensibility, young roots will soon be found 
revelling amidst the new material, with the certain 
result of more nutriment being conveyed to the cane, 
enabling it to produce young and sturdy wood, with 
a sufficiency of healthy foliage to' assimilate the raw 
material with the necessary vigour to carry the crop 
of fruit to maturity, with the probability that with 
this increased vigour the canes will not be so liable 
to disease. The Strawberry is a surface-rooting 
plant also, and those growers whose quarters are 
well-mulched before the advent of frosts and cutting 
winds will be repaid their energy and forethought 
with superior returns throughout the fruiting season. 
Thus far the cultivation of ordinary outside fruits 
only have been passed under review, but it is equally 
necessary that the more important kinds, such as 
The Vine, Peach, and Nectarine, 
should receive every consideration to help and 
encourage those trees to produce abundant rootage 
to empower them to yield year by year large, 
luscious, and finely-coloured fruit. It is often 
recommended that these indoor grown trees should 
be restricted within certain limits, with concrete 
foundations to keep the strong roots from striking 
down into the cold subsoil, the result of which would 
be the formation of soft, unripened wood ; without 
these restrictions root pruning is often resorted to. 
a process in which all the strong roots are cut back, 
if possible, to a point where other smaller roots 
diverge. The old removed soil is replaced with good 
turf or a liberal dressing of leaf mould. It is not 
wise to place fresh manure around roots which have 
been pruned or cut back, decay often resulting, 
instead of healing over, and throwing out young 
rootlets. There is still another source of difficulty 
in connection with our subject. We may have the 
best soil, trees, and other surroundings eminently 
fitted to produce good fruit, but unless the land is 
well drained, naturally or artificially, and conse¬ 
quently sufficiently porous to permit of the surplus 
water passing away, we must ever remember that if 
the earth is full of water it is practically sealed 
against air, and without air roots of fruit trees 
cannot flourish. The sun’s rays falling upon wet 
undrained land only promote evaporation, whereas 
when it passes away by filtration warm air is being 
drawn after it, aerating the land, imparting required 
elements to the roots, and in turn to the trees or 
plants. Because of this principle cold retentive 
clay lands are seldom recommended, for it is calcu¬ 
lated that if one pint of water is evaporated from 
loolb. of soil it is left 10 degrees colder than if it had 
passed away by filtration in the cultivation of any 
crops. At the other extreme, sand is a great 
encourager of roots, but unless well supplied with 
other matter it fails to sustain the plants growing 
upon it. Therefore we would recommend a good 
deep, loamy soil, resting on a gravelly subsoil; or 
when clay forms the subsoil., that it be sufficiently 
drained ; for fruit trees these drains should be about 
feet deep, and'from six yards to eight yards apart. 
These drains are laid with a slight fall towards the 
lowest part of the land, where a cross main drain 
receives the surplus water from each of the others, 
carrying it away into some recognised outfall, I 
have incidentally mentioned this because without 
proper drainage the land is unable to yield her 
increase in the locality where for various causes it is 
found convenient and necessary to form and plant 
anything in the vegetable world which demands these 
conditions, and without the kno wledge of the existing 
state of surroundings it is comparatively useless 
attempting to plant orchards for the production of 
first-class fruits or vegetables for competition with 
other countries and for general consumption. The 
yearly loss and disappointments from these causes 
stamps the system as foolish, and calls for a firm, 
steady, and determined effort to expose it, that 
generations to follow may have resources to which 
we at present are largely strangers, and much too 
dependent on foreign supplies. What I have already 
stated bears directly oa root-action. 
The Importance of Drainage. 
Drainage promotes a healthy aerated condition of 
soil. This, in turn, allows the free development of 
roots without which the formation of stem, branch, 
flower, fruit, and seeds are impossible. Ask the 
Orchid grower the secret of success, watch him as 
he keenly observes and scrutinises his fresh importa¬ 
tion of valuable plants ; a sign of new roots inspires 
hope, knowing without their aid all the manure, 
water, and attention he can give will be absolutely 
in vain. Note the difference in the quality and 
texture of the flower when borne on plants well 
rooted, or otherwise. The flowers on the strong 
healthy plants are perfect in their shape and their 
colours are more intense. These remarks hold good 
throughout the floral world. Good soil, rightly 
applied, and containing the necessary elements of 
nourishment, promotes a healthy development of 
roots. This sustained by attention and a knowledge 
of the various requirements of each class of plants, 
gives that satisfactory hue to plants which denotes 
the capacity of the cultivator, and the grip he has 
of the subject grown. My«paper would be incom¬ 
plete if I omitted to mention the assistance of the 
sun. Without its light and heat, drainage, soils, 
water, and air, and attention, could not perfect the 
great majority of the world’s productions. This is 
intensely verified in our early forcing wmrk, there 
being no comparison in the quality, for instance, 
between early forced potatoes, French beans, and 
rhubarb with those vegetables when grown under 
ordinary conditions, with ample sun and air. The sun’s 
light and heat afford the necessary agencies for the 
successful building up of those constituents that add 
firmness and stability to these productions, and to 
flowers the brightness and solidness so much admired, 
though it is almost noticeable that the sun also has 
the power to abstract when long exposed to it these 
same colours, driving us to take refuge from its 
direct rays under various kinds of shadings ; these 
shadings enable us to prolong our flowering periods 
with plants grown under glass without undue ex¬ 
haustion to the plants. In addition to this reason, 
outdoor flowers are assisted to greater perfection by 
this aid by preserving the earlier opened petals 
until the whole flower is in full bloom, as for instance, 
those two favourites of the exhibition table, Roses 
and Dahlias. I have endeavoured to make it plain 
in the foregoing remarks that the whole question of 
successful culture lies in a comprehensive knowledge 
of the position, with regard to the land, its nature 
and formation, whether effectually drained or other¬ 
wise. Without this knowledge much labour will be 
wasted; disappointments abound instead of successes. 
Let us bear in mind that 
Soils are Open to Improvement; 
it is for us tc apply the proper materials in which to 
plant and grow the numberless beauties by which a 
beneficent Creator has surrounded us. The possi¬ 
bilities of success are constantly brought home to us 
by those who ardently set themselves to win, by 
studying the requirements of their special produc¬ 
tions. Where one man has triumphed, it is possible 
for others to succeed. A studious mind soon gains 
an insight to Nature’s demands, and will quickly 
mark the fact that tender seedlings do not need the 
heavy manurial applications prescribed for full 
bearing fruit trees, or even the somewhat strong 
doses directed to those plants which have attained 
full size, and continue pot-bound for years, yet 
flower freely. Seedlings, cuttings, and many other 
tender subjects must be encouraged to first form 
abundant roots in open material such as sand, peat, 
leaf-mould, or other kindred matter, until the plants 
have grown considerably, and demand stronger food 
to bring themselves to perfection, whether as a 
foliage, flowering, or fruiting plant. This fact I 
would emphasise strongly because there are many 
who still think that to give manure and enough 
of it, success must he assured, and delight to 
tell how many tins of Clay’s or Standen’s or some 
other maker’s patent they have used during a season; 
but, sad to say, their plants are no recommendation 
to the means used, because of the ill-advised use of 
strong manures before the plants are capable of 
assimilating them, the soil being frequently surfeited 
by overdoses, to w^ater-logged undrained soil ; the 
pots, too, are green and slimy, as if the owners were 
determined to exclude all air. Success, under such 
management, must not be expected; rather let us 
delight in treating our plants more in accordance 
with the fact that they are living organisms, pre¬ 
pared to amply repay every little thoughtful atten¬ 
tion, filling the hearts and lives of all who attend 
and admire them with pride and delight. 
-- 
SALVIA LEUCANTHA. 
The flowers of this Salvia are white, as the name 
indicates, but the beauty of the plant from a de¬ 
corative point of view depends altogether upon 
different circumstances. The plant usually stands 
about 18 in. high, or may reach 2 ft. when large 
specimens are encouraged by liberal treatment. The 
oblong-lanceolate leaves are of a dark green and 
wrinkled, reminding one very much of Buddleia 
globosa on a reduced scale. In this respect the 
plant differs considerably from its congeners, and is 
therefore productive of variety by the foliage alone. 
The flowers are comparatively small and incon¬ 
spicuous, adding little to the appearance of the 
plant, especially from the fact that they soon fall 
and are not productive of effect by aggregation as in 
the case of many garden subjects whose flowers are 
rendered highly conspicuous on account of their 
numbers in a given space. Notwithstanding all this, 
the plants have a beauty of their own. The calyx 
persists after the fall of the corolla, and that, as 
well as the stems, are densely covered with white 
hairs, giving them a cottony appearance, while a 
large number of the hairs, particularly where exposed, 
become of a violet-purple tint that is very attractive 
in proportion to the extent of the development of 
that hue. Doubtless, good exposure to light has 
much to do with it. The species was introduced 
from Mexico in 1847, and is of shrubby habit, but is 
perfectly at home in a greenhouse all the winter, as 
may be seen in No. 4 at Kew. A figure of the plant 
is given in the Botanical 'Magazine, t. 4318. 
