580 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 21, 1894. 
FRUIT TREE BLOSSOM AND FOLIAGE. 
The diversity of form and colour among the flowers 
of our hardy fruit trees is much greater than a 
merely superficial observer might be willing to 
admit. The first harbingers of spring among fruit 
trees are Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines. As 
regards the two last named, the differences in colour 
and size of flowers among them is very noticeable, 
the small flowered ones being generally the deepest 
in colour, whilst the large flowered kinds, of which 
Dr. Hogg Peach and Sir C. Napier Nectarines may 
be instanced as examples, are much paler and more 
beautiful. We have sometimes thought that some 
of these might well be grown in pots, and used when 
in flower for conservatory decoration if dotted 
about among the permanent occupants of these 
structures would prove very effective. Pears and 
Cherries, although uniformly white in colour, 
present many variations in size and in the dis¬ 
positions of the flowers, as well as differences in 
habit and style of growth, but when we turn to 
Apples we find a great diversity in colour. For 
instance, we have side by side a Kerry Pippin and 
a Cornish Gilliflower—the latter almost pure white, 
the other heavily suffused with deep pink. 
Is there among our flowering trees a more beautiful 
object than a well flowered Apple, or one better 
adapted for interspersing among the shrubs of small 
gardens ? Considering their beauty when in flower 
it seems passing strange that so little use is made of 
them for this purpose. The only tangible excuse 
for it ever given to us is " Oh, those boys.” Well, 
we know something about them, and would like to 
see the police empowered to give them a sound 
thrashing on the spot when caught at their depreda¬ 
tions. This would give them a wholesome respect 
for the blue cloth, and go a long way to diminish the 
evil. But to return to the Apple blossom. What a 
profusion of bright pinks there is among them, the 
trees being now one mass of the loveliest rosettes 
imaginable, and capable of being made into some 
of the most beautiful decorations for dinner table or 
drawing room, either alone or in combination with 
other spring flowers. 
We have often suggested the use of fruit trees as 
desirable objects in the shrubberies of villa gardens, 
not alone for their flowers, but also for their foliage. 
Among Pears especially there are kinds the leaves of 
which assume rich yellow and crimson tints in the 
autumn, some even rivalling the Virginian Creeper 
and the Liquidamber. Unfortunately it seems to 
be the one object with many to shut out their 
neighbours as quickly as possible, so that large 
coarse-growing things, such as Sycamores, Planes, 
Poplars, etc., are planted, which soon accomplish 
the object and more too, for they overcrow'd the 
place and become unsightly. Sometimes, too, they 
are met with in suburban gardens, used as blinds to 
shut out the fruit gardens from view of the house_ 
the said fruit garden with the trees in bloom often¬ 
times being the most beautiful feature in it. We 
would not advocate the planting of many fruit trees 
in close proximity to the dwelling, but do think that 
a judicious use of t^hem in the shrubberies would in 
respect to decorative effect be advantageous. They 
might well replace in many instances the larger 
coarse-growing trees before mentioned, which are 
often out of place, and in conjunction with some of 
the smaller-growing flowering and foliage trees 
produce a much better and more lasting effect, and 
there would be the additional advantage in the 
increased production of fruit. 
The desperate attempts that are made to shut out 
our neighbours narrows the area of beauty, and 
curtails our own and their pleasure in the gardens 
and grounds belonging to each other. A few groups- 
or single trees placed so as to hide any unsightly 
object would be more satisfactory from an artistic 
point of view than the too general lines of trees 
planted to secure privacy, which they oftentimes do 
not do, but convert many places into dull dreary bits- 
of ground, destitute of cheerfulness and variety. A 
few standard or pyramidal fruit trees will often 
accomplish the desire aimed at, by waiting it may 
be a little longer; but when effected the result would 
be more lasting, and the blind formed would combine 
both beauty and utility.— B. 
Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Shrubs, by 
A. D. Webster. A valuable guide to planters of beautiful 
^ees and shrubs for the adornment of parks and gardens. 
Pi^e, 3S.; post free, 3s. 3d. Publisher, Gardening World, 
I, Clement’s Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
HERBS. 
However small the garden, the housewife w'ill 
consider it incomplete without a bed of herbs. 
Excepting Parsley, for which there is a greater and 
more constant demand than for others, it is best to 
grow them together either in short lines or patches. 
Most of those in common request will do in almost 
any soil. Tarragon is the one thing among them 
for which a light warm soil should if possible be 
provided. The presen.t month we consider the most 
suitable time to overhaul and replant where neces¬ 
sary. If looked to, yearly division of the roots and re¬ 
planting on fresh soil, will generally suffice. Nearly 
all can be raised from seeds and cuttings. Mint 
'ought always to be planted afresh yearly to secure a 
good crop. This is. best done by taking young 
growths when about 6in. in length, with a few roots 
to them, and dibbingthem singly in rows about 6in. 
apart each way. The growth of this on some soils 
when treated thus is surprising. 
Sweet Basil must be raised in heat yearly, and 
treated as an annual. Chervil, a favourite flavouring 
with some for salads, requires to be sown thinly, and 
to be sown three times in the year, in March, May and 
August, to secure a succession. Those herbs which 
are required to be dried for use during the winter 
should be cut just as they are coming into flower, and 
tied up into small bunches, placing them in an airy 
open shed. When thoroughly dried they may be 
preserved in open mouthed bottles ; this will retain 
more of the aromatic odours than if left exposed to 
the air.—A". 
■» 
French Beans. 
There are but few amongst our summer vegetables 
that are more appreciated than the Kidney Bean. 
It is a favourite with almost all, both rich and poor, 
and for this reason great efforts are made to have 
them as early as possible. Some, however, neglect 
to make a succession of sowings, so that long before 
the end of the season those from the early sowings 
have become exhausted, thus leaving a blank. In 
all well appointed gardens a regular supply should 
be kept up, and to attain this end sowings ought to 
be made every three weeks. The early sowings, 
unless in sheltered situations, will need protection 
from the late spring frosts, otherwise they will be 
cut down. There are various ways of accomplishing 
this. Some sow in pots and get the plants forward, 
and when all danger of frost is past plant them out 
in the open. Others sow them in the open ground, 
and cover the plants at night as soon as they are 
through the soil. In places where cold pits or 
frames are plentiful, there is no difficulty in obtain¬ 
ing a forward crop by their aid. 
There are some who have not any of these 
facilities at command, and are driven to adopt some 
other method, such as sowing at the foot of a south 
wall or fence. Whichever plan is adopted the seed 
ought now to be sown in order to get them forward. 
A sowing may also be made in the open ground in 
the southern part of the kingdom, even at the risk 
of their being cut down, as there would not be much 
loss if this should happen. For these very early 
sowings select some of the dwarfest kinds, as they 
produce pods much earlier than those of stronger 
growth, as they are more easily protected should 
there be danger of frost. For the main crop it is 
necessary to have good ground, and allow the plants 
plenty of room to develop themselves. If grown in 
a double row the two lines should be 9 in. apart 
and the plants in them i ft. from each other. The 
rows must also be a sufficient distance from each 
other to prevent overcrowding. The short kinds 
ought to be allowed 2 ft. 6 in. between the rows, and 
the stronger ones 3 ft. 
There is no crop when once established better 
able to take care of itself, at the same time none pay 
better for liberal treatment, for the better the 
tillage the more plentiful and larger the pods, there¬ 
fore all should strive to sow them on ground that is 
in good heart. The Runner Bean is even a greater 
favourite than the Dwarfs; this may easily be 
accounted for, as the pods are more fleshy, and the 
plants remain longer in bearing. Where it is difficult 
to obtain stakes, they may be grown on the dwarf 
system ; this is done by pinching the hearts out when 
they have grown a foot or eighteen inches high, thus 
causing them to branch instead of running up. 
Where stakes can be obtained they will doubtless 
pay for the extra cost and labour entailed, as the 
pods grow larger, and the plants last in bearing a 
considerably longer time. When grown without 
stakes they should be planted the same distance 
apart as recommended for dwarfs, but when it is 
intended to stake them the cultivation is quite 
different. 
With us two lines are made to form a row, these 
being put nine inches from each other, the plants 
in both being a foot apart. In this way there is 
ample room for them to grow and expand their 
large leaves. If more than one row is required they 
should be at least seven feet from each other, a 
dwarf crop of some kind being taken from between 
them before the Beans get too tall. When staking, 
this is done in such a maner that the sun and air may 
circulate freely between them, in this way better re¬ 
sults are obtained. It must, however, be borne in mind 
that as the plants grow they will need feeding, other¬ 
wise they will receive a check, so that the flowers 
will not set. Where the soil is not naturally rich, 
or has not been well cultivated, it will be well to 
take out a trench, as for Celery, but this should be 
two spits wide, for if the roots are confined in the 
narrow limits of one only a single spit wide, they 
will soon exhaust the manure put into it and cease 
to grow satisfactorily. If, however, a trench be taken 
out two spits wide and eighteen inches deep, and a 
foot of thoroughly decayed manure be put into the 
bottom, this will hold the moisture for the roots 
to feed upon, and they will be able to ramble in it 
during dry weather. Six inches of soil should be 
put on the top of the manure and the Beans planted 
as before recommended. 
When they have grown about a foot high stakes 
should be put to them and the sides of the rows 
afterwards mulched with rotten manure. The pods 
should be gathered whether they are required for 
use or not if the plants are to be kept in constant 
bearing, for if Beans are allowed to form in them 
and get old, these will need more support than 
double the quantity of young pods. About three 
sowings of Runners will be needed to keep up a 
a supply till the end of the season. One about the 
middle of May, a second early in June, and a 
third in July. This latter sowing should be made 
in a sheltered spot on account of the early autumn 
frosts .—Kitchen Gardener. 
-- 
TOMATO NOTES 
During the next month those who are going in for 
main crop Tomatos will be busy getting their plants 
into their fruiting quarters. Having experienced 
some adverses in Tomato culture, I would like, 
before it is too late, to offer a word of w'arning to 
those who are newly acquainted with this crop, and 
their name is legion every season. To begin with 
planting, I am sure that if we could bring ourselves 
to give them more room the results will be infinitely 
better. What a tremendous gross subject the plant 
is when well grown and needful room is given to it. 
I argue in favour of more room, because I do not 
believe in removing but very little of the foliage at 
any time, but if you plant as close as a foot apart, 
that must be done, and very severely, in order to get 
the fruit ripened. No one, I think, will contend 
that a Tomato plant when setting, swelling and 
ripening its fruits is benefited by having its big lusty 
leaves cut back to two or three joints, therefore I 
say give them 18 m. on each side of the stems, so 
that the leaves can perform their proper functions. 
Again, if you plant a Tomato in a great depth of 
soil, say in an open bed, my experience is that both 
roots and tops will soon be found where they are not 
wanted. The best crop I ever saw w'as on plants 
whose roots were confined to a space 10 in. or 12 in. 
in width, and about the same in depth. Another 
point is that the Tomato requires high feeding from 
the day the first ripe fruits are cut. I had last year 
tw’o dozen plants on one side of a small house with 
the roots confined to a small space, and they were 
given well diluted cow manure every time they were 
watered at all, and the yield of the plants averaged 
from to lb. to 12 lb., each on a length of about 
5 ft. of stem. Never aim at rushing the plants ; a 
short, firm, sturdy growth is much preferable to 
that of a soft, long-jointed character that is sure to 
follow on too great haste in sending them on their 
journey in an atmosphere that would suit a Cucum¬ 
ber, but certainly not a Tomato.— J. G. Pettingey 
Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
