406 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 24, 1894.- 
cultivated. The trees are planted from ten to twelve 
yards apart in order that they may not shade the 
ground too much. In this manner they have been 
allowed to grow for generations with but little atten¬ 
tion ; therefore most of the orchards have a 
neglected appearance. Tenants, ha\-ing no security 
of tenure, do not care to plant young trees themselves, 
and the landlords not meeting their views with 
regard to compensation, the orchards have fallen 
into a state of dilapidation and decay. The conse¬ 
quence is, that during a good season, where the 
trees have not gone too far, there is a superabund¬ 
ance of small fruit, which is of but little value, 
while in a bad season there is none at all. When 
going through an orchard, thirty-six acres in extent, 
in the West of England, with a friend last autumn, 
I was surprised at seeing the miserable state of the 
trees. I asked him how it was that there had not 
been any young ones planted. His reply was, " The 
landlord will not do it, and I do not intend to, for 
maybe as soon as the trees are grown up I should 
have to leave.” This state of things ought not to 
exist. The law should be so altered that the tenant 
should have security for his outlay ; but while the 
state of the law is such that the landlord can claim 
all, the occupier will not risk his capital. In starting 
trees of this description care must be taken not to 
overcrowd the shoots, otherwise before they are old 
they will become one thicket of small wood. Little 
pruning is needed by trees of this kind after they 
are in a bearing condition, for the wood made is 
usually short-jointed and covered with fruit spurs. 
Shoots or branches that cross each other should be 
thinned out, and if the trees show signs of exhaus¬ 
tion the ground should have a liberal dressing of 
well-decayed manure in the autumn, so that the rains 
may wash it down to the roots. With this we will 
leave the Apple and Pear, and turn our attention to 
the Peach and Nectarine. 
Peach trees, as we all know, are not grown in the 
open in this country as bushes or pyramids, though 
they are grown at some places in that shape in 
orchard houses. As this is not a comraon occur¬ 
rence, we will proceed to detail the mode of pruning 
of trained trees. These are usually procured from 
the nursery started in that shape, and may' be 
had in various sizes. For my part I like those of 
one year’s training best, as they, being more supple, 
are better under command. After planting, which 
should be done if possible not later than the first 
week in November, the trees should remain till the 
sap begins to move in spring before pruning. The 
shoots should then be cut rather hard back so that 
a sufficient number of young growths may be made 
to furnish the wall properly. This done, it is 
seldom that Peach trees require the use of the knife 
afterwards, except it be to remove the points of 
strong shoots, or to take out over-crow'ded w'ood, for 
most of the pruning may be done with the finger and 
thumb. Having been successful with the tree the 
first season, it having made shoots about 3 ft. long, 
what are w^e to do with them ? Simply cut all those 
back that are trained below an angle of 45° to a 
triple bud on the upper side of the shoot, and all 
those above that angle to a similar bud on the 
underside. The length of shoot left must in a great 
measure depend on how the wood is ripened; if 
well matured, then about 2 ft. may be left, but if 
only moderately firm the shoots should be cut 
shorter. 
Peaches are pruned in summer by the process 
known as disbudding ; that is the young shoots are 
removed early in the season, before they attain a 
great size. This is an operation requiring much 
judgment, for, on its skilful performance, to a great 
extent depends the well-being of the trees. If done 
in a haphazard manner w-e may expect to find the 
tree in that nondescript shape we sometimes see on a 
farmer's or cottager’s wall. In removing the young 
shoots let it be thoroughly understood that those left 
are to form the shoots we wish to retain for fruiting 
the following season, and no more should be allowed 
to remain than are actually wanted for that purpose. 
A shoot between two and three feet long may have 
three or even four young growths left on it, but these 
should be so distributed that they are equidistant 
from each other. One should be at the point, 
another a foot down on the lower side of the shoot, 
while a third should be left on the upper side tw'o 
feet from the top, and if the growth of the previous 
year is more than two feet long, a fourth should be 
as near the bottom of it as possible on the under 
side. It will be readily understood that these are 
fruit bearing shoots, so that in addition to having to 
support the young growths they have to supply the 
fruit with nourishment. For this reason, the trees 
will require good feeding with liquid manure during 
the time the crop is swelling, and to keep the whole 
in a flourishing state must be supplied with fresh 
soil at the roots from time to time. 
Plums and Apricots are two kinds of fruits of such 
sterling w'orth that W'e cannot pass over them 
unnoticed though our time is short. One of the 
greatest mistakes in pruning either of those is to 
allow the shoot to grow too strong in summer, then 
to cut them off in winter. It is better by far to pinch 
the shoots early in the season to prevent undue 
luxuriance than to cut them oflf in winter and cause 
gumming. The aim of the cultivator of these fruits 
should be to get short, well-ripened svood, and for 
this purpose the trees should have their roots kept 
near to the surface. 
Cherries in like manner should not be pruned till 
the severe weather in winter is over for the frost 
often destroys the shoots, especially if gumming sets 
in after pruning. The aim of all fruitgrowers should 
be not only to produce a supply of the best samples 
of that most useful commodity, but to keep the trees 
in that healthy flourishing state whereby alone the 
best results are possible, for without healthy trees, 
one is unable to obtain fine fruit. As this can only 
be accomplished by a thorough knowledge of their 
management, let us for the benefit of the community 
at large, give our attention to the close study of this 
all important subject, with a desire to not only 
advance our own knowledge, but to assist others 
who may be less fortunately placed ; and with this 
end in view, I must ask you to kindly help in for¬ 
warding the science of producing those necessaries 
of life in their best and cheapest forms.— H. C. 
Princep, Buxted Park. 
- ^ - 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, 
The undermentioned subjects made their appear¬ 
ance at the Meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society', on the 13th inst., and were accorded 
awards according to merit. 
Rhododendron multicolor Mrs. He-^l.— Al¬ 
though R. multicolor has been used as one of the 
parents in the production of the hybrid greenhouse 
Rhododendrons of the Javan section, the forms most 
closely related to it have never been very popular 
on account of the relatively small size of the flowers. 
Here we have a variety with large flowers produced 
on plants that are much dwarfer than the hybrid 
Javan Rhododendrons usually are. The small 
leaves are oblanceolate and of a shining green hue. 
The flowers are funnel-shaped, short, wide and 
white, or merely tinted with the faintest blush. The 
anthers are orange coloured. On the contrary, the 
varieties of R. multicolor have as a rule very dark 
red or crimson flowers. A First-class Certificate 
was accorded it when exhibited by Messrs J. Veitch 
& Sons, Chelsea. 
Prunus Persica magnifica.— There are already 
double white, rose and crimson forms of the 
Peach in cultivation, though less often seen than 
might be desirable. Their flowers may by some be 
considered somewhat compact and lumpy. Such is 
not the case with the variety under notice, a double 
form more recently introduced from Japan. The 
flowers are of a rich crimson with numerous petals, 
the outer of which are the larger, gradually 
decreasing in size towards the centre. The latter 
is occupied by a moderately large number of white 
stamens with yellow anthers. Seeing that This is 
the case it would seem possible to raise numerous 
improved forms. A First-class Certificate was 
accorded it when exhibited by Messrs J. Veitch & 
Sons. 
Amaryllis Major Wilson. —The flowers of this 
new variety are of the first magnitude, with a very 
short tube and a widely expanded lamina. The 
segments are very broad, much imbricated, and of a 
brilliant crimson-scarlet, netted with deeper veins. 
There is a bold, greenish white star occupying the 
base of the flower, and extending nearly half way 
down the segments. Messrs J. Veitch & Sons were 
the exhibitors, and it received an Award of Merit. 
P.AVONIA intermedia kermesina.— The leaves of 
this showy stove plant are oblong, serrate, and of a 
shining green. The clusters of flowers are sur¬ 
rounded by numerous bracts, forming as it were an 
outer calyx, of linear, deep crimson-red segments, 
upon which the whole beauty of the plant depends. 
The true calyx is five-lobed, covered with downy 
hairs and of a slaty black. The petals are similar 
in colour, e'ect and closely surrounding the mass of 
stamens, which project an inch beyond the flower. 
A First-class Certificate was accorded it when 
shown by Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (gardener, 
Mr. Bain). Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Senecio gr.andifolius. — This is the correct name 
of an old garden plant formerly used for subtropical 
gardening, and best known under the name of S. 
Ghiesbreghtii. The leaves are oblong, irregularly 
toothed, downy beneath with a brownish felt, and 
under favourable conditions attain imposing and 
massive dimensions. The inflorescence consists of 
a huge corymbose or flat headed panicle of small 
flower heads having bright yellow rays. To see it 
in its finest and boldest form, it should be grown to 
large size. A large specimen was exhibited by Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart, when a First-class 
Certificate was awarded it. 
Camellia Exquisite.— A pot plant of this 
variety, about 3 ft. high, was exhibited by Messrs 
Wm. Paul & Son. The flowers were of great size 
with regularly imbricated petals of a beautiful rosy 
pink, often irregularly splashed with white. A 
First-class Certificate was accorded the variety. 
Dracaena Princess May. —This new variety is of 
medium growth and admirably adapted for table 
decoration, for which its graceful contour admirably 
fits it. The leaves are narrow, very’ closely set upon 
the stem, slightly arched, and most brilliantly 
coloured The general colour is olive green with 
broad bands of crimson on the edges of the leaves 
and the whole of the point is of the same rich and 
attractive hue. The general appearance of the plant 
will be conceivable, when it is stated to be raised 
from the same cross as Mrs. Laird, Miss Glendinning, 
General Wolseley, A. Laing and others, all of which 
are dwarf, neat and graceful in habit with narrow 
leaves. An Award of !Merit was accorded it when 
exhibited by Messrs B. S. Williams & Son. Upper 
Holloway. 
Strain of Primulas. —An Award of Merit was 
accorded a fine strain of Primula sinensis e.xhibited 
by Messrs H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. The 
plants were mostly’ of large size, with strong, 
vigorous foliage, and in most cases large flowers in 
various shades of white, rose, pink, purple-blue, and 
crimson. 
Strain of Cyclamens. —A group of Cyclamen 
persicum, mostly if not all of the strain known in 
gardens as Giganteum, was exhibited by Mr. John 
May, Gordon Nursery’, Twickenham, and w’as 
accorded an Award of IMerit. The white, rose and 
crimson varieties, especially the first named, were 
very effective, and conspicuous. The broad 
segments of the flowers in this strain give the 
blooms a massive appearance. 
--S*- 
THE ONION CROP IN 
SCOTLAND. 
The Onion crop was exceptionally fine last 
season in many northern gardens—but strange to 
relate bad keeping of the bulbs has been very prevalent. 
There are few of the large Onions which are so 
attractive on exhibition tables during the autumn 
months which can be kept in good condition after 
the New. Year. Those of medium growth, when 
thoroughly ripened, are most suitable for supplies, to 
last till the end of spring, and it is well to depend on 
these ior the main crop. 
While Cranston’s Excelsior is the leading Onion 
for exhibition purposes, it’s keeping qualities are not 
equal to Brown Globe, Veitch’s Main Crop, and 
Bedfordshire Champion. 
The period for Onion sowing is at hand, and the 
ground should now be in good order ; but on damp 
soils it is beconing a common practice to prepare 
the ground by trenching, and to sow the seed on 
the same day, or as soon after as possible. The 
competing Onions are already sown, and judging 
from the labour bestowed on them one might 
suppose that there was an item of truth in what an 
enthusiast once suggested—that each bulb costs 
about a guinea. I generally trust to autumn sown 
crops for bulbs of goodly size, to last till the end of 
the year. These are transplanted early in October, 
which practice renders them hardy, also damp and 
frost resisting, and I think the bulbs (if not larger) 
are of finer form.— Stirling. 
