10 
TH E G AR,DEXING W0RLD 
Sept. G, 1.884. 
FRUITS. 
Feu it Culture. —We take the following in¬ 
structive remarks from a paper read last spring by 
Dr. Robertson, of Errol, before the Perthshire 
Society of Natural Science :—Having shown to what 
size fruit can be grown, allow me to give some of 
my fellow-amateurs a few hints about how to grow 
them. And, first, as to pruning, a good deal depends 
on this. Don’t have too many branches on your 
trees, and have them as open in the centre as pos¬ 
sible to allow sun and air to all the fruit, as this is 
the secret of colour and flavour. Root-pruning is 
also sometimes as necessary as branch or spur 
pruning. I know some gardeners in the Carse of 
Gowrie, noted for their success in fruit-growing, 
who lift their trees, when not too large, every third 
or fourth year. When they get too healthy, and 
grow all to leaves and branches, this checks the 
growth, and makes thenugrow fruit buds instead. 
For the benefit of those who may have some old 
trees in their gardens or orchards that are some¬ 
what barren, let me tell you the following which 
will explain what root-pruning does. When but a 
very young lad, I recollect hearing my father, who 
was a keen amateur gardener like myself, talking 
with a working man who had a small orchard 
attached to his garden, which bore no fruit. This 
was too much dor a working-man—to pay a rent for 
which he had no recompense. He, therefore, im¬ 
plored his landlord, who was a farmer, to allow him 
to dig them out, as potatos and cabbages would be 
better than no fruit; but, as the farmer was only a 
tenant, this leave he could not grant,. Well, the 
man thought he would try another plan. He dug 
deeply round the roots of ail the trees, breaking all 
the long bare thongs—the tent-poles, as some call 
them—and felt perfectly sure that, so soon as the 
leaves were on, the first good breeze would blow 
everyone out. Well, what do you think was the 
result ? Next autumn the whole trees were so 
laden with fruit, that all the ropes, and props, and 
sticks that could be had were in requisition to keep 
them from being split up with the weight. Now 
this was the result of root-pruning, although the 
man at the time did not know the good he was 
doing; neither did I when I heard the story first, 
but I know it now, and tell it for the benefit of 
others. 
Manuring .—-I now pass on to another part, and 
tbD, perhaps, is the most important of all — -viz., 
manuring. In fact, this is the secret of big goose¬ 
berries, big apples, big pears, big fruit of all kinds. 
Let me give you a case in point. A few months 
ago I was passing along George Street, in this 
famous old city, when my attention was arrested by 
an enormous cauliflower in a seed-shop window, 
but judge of my astonishment when I read the 
nane of the grower, a great friend of my own in 
the teaching profession, and that same cauliflower 
plant was raised from seed in the spring, got from 
that same shop by your humble servant. A few 
weeks after this I happened to call on my suburban 
friend when his day’s work was over, and found 
him carrying from a barrel sunk outside his pigstye 
the liquid manure to his cauliflowers. “ Well done,” 
I exclaimed; “ that’s the secret of your big cauli¬ 
flower.” It is the chief secret, also, of big fruit as 
well. Now I think that no one need be ashamed to 
do what this suburban dominie was doing ; he w r as 
only obeying the good old injunction to gather up 
the fragments that nothing be lost. But I have 
not yet finished with this secret of success. Let me 
tell you not to lose a drop of your soapsuds, as it 
is an excellent manure. In our washing-house at 
Errol the “ suds ” are collected in a barrel, and when 
cold they are carried to my trees, bushes, and vines. 
I have also all my dunghill drained, so that no 
stagnant water is present, being unhealthy; and 
this is collected in a barrel outside, and afterwards 
changed into beautiful flowers and fruit. Re¬ 
member, Nature is a splendid economiser, if man¬ 
kind would only study her laws and assist her. 
Near to a great many cottages in the country I see 
pigstyes and very dirty surroundings, and the good 
liquid manure running all to waste, which, if care¬ 
fully economised, would do a world of good by 
growing, apples ftsbig a? turnips, and oanliflowv* 
heads that would fill a washing-pot. Is it not 
something worth knowing that by a little attention 
to a few sanitary rules, what would produce deadly 
and infectious diseases, may be made to produce 
life-sustaining food and lovely flowers. You thus 
see that nothing need be lost, not even the smoke 
of your chimneys, which is just the product of the 
sun’s rays of past ages. A'ou cam change it back 
into lovely flowers and foliage, or ferns as before, 
for your coals are but, geologists tell us, fossilised 
plants, so by using your soot you can change them 
back into plants again. Horticulturists tell us that 
there is nothing better for roses than sooty water ; 
so keep all your soot, tie it in a thin bag, and put 
it in a barrel of soft water; let it stand for some 
time, and afterwards carry it to your trees and 
bushes. It is said there is nothing enriches the 
quality and colour of roses so much as sooty water. 
Just fancy a beautiful white rose improved by 
black, sooty water! But so it is. 
The Culture of Strawberries. —Those who have 
not already made their annual planting of straw¬ 
berries, either of “ forced plants ” or rooted runners, 
should not defer the operation any longer, because 
the earlier in autumn the plants become established 
in their permanent quarters the better will be the 
results the following season. Of course, where 
forced plants ” were to be had, plantations were 
made in early summer, aud these plants will not 
only have thoroughly established themselves in their 
allotted quarters, but in some eases they will now be 
ripening a crop of fruit, between which and the 
ground a little clean straw should be placed to 
prevent the fruit being injured through damp and 
grit. But, assuming that plants forced in February, 
March, April, or May, are not within the reach of 
everyone, we would urge that, as some of the beds 
should be renewed every year, the strongest rooted 
runners that can be had should be planted forth¬ 
with in liberally manured and well-dug ground. 
Let the rows be two feet apart, and the plants be 
put in at an equal distance asunder in the lines. In 
our opinion the best way to plant rooted runners is 
to draw the line where the plants are to be set and 
with a rake or draw-hoe draw the soil to the line on 
either side so as to form raised drills, on which the 
young plants can be set in patches of .three at two 
feet apart, triangular; press the soil firmly about 
the roots when planting, and give water if necessary 
to settle the soil, subsequently treading the earth 
around and between the plants to make it firm and 
nearly level with that between the rows. Thus 
planted, the “ crowns ” are not so liable to get buried 
or to suffer from excessive damp during the winter 
and spring months as they would if otherwise 
planted. A surface dressing of a couple of inches 
thick of short dung should then be laid on and the 
work is completed. The only attention required 
between the planting and the gathering of the fruit 
at the end of the following June is to keep the 
plants free from weeds, and, as above stated, to 
place a little clean straw or litter about the plants 
as soon as the fruits commence colouring to keep 
them clean. Also see to the immediate removal of 
any runners which the plants may happen to send 
out during the interval from planting time to the 
end of October. Of varieties, Yicomtesse Hericart 
de Thury, Keens’ Seedling-, Sir Charles Napier, Sir 
Joseph Paxton, President, and British Queen, may 
be mentioned as everything that can be desired in 
strawberries, and by way of extending the supply 
of these luscious fruits as much as possible, Eltou 
Pine, Oxonian, and the little alpine variety may be 
added to the list. 
Peach and Nectarine leaves curling.— The 
leaves on the peach and nectarine trees iu my 
Orchard house, have developed very indifferently 
this year, a great many of them being crumpled, and 
the points and edges hc-e a singed appearance. I 
should be glad to know the cause. The house is a 
sunny one—a three-quarter span, with ventilation 
at the top and in front, but not at the back, which 
is a wall. In the spring, I mulched the borders with 
dung and I have given the house every attention, so 
that I am at a loss to understand the cause, unless 
it may be that the fogs which we had when the 
young leaves wore forming injured them,—F, 
FLOWERS. 
Bedding Plants : Autumn Propagation. — At 
the present time the necessity of increasing the 
stock of the various kinds and varieties of bedding 
plants that will be required for the embellishment 
of the flower-garden next year forces itself upon us. 
The first of these that demand immediate atten¬ 
tion, are all the sections of bedding Pelargoniums, 
as much, perhaps, with a view to improving the 
appearance of the beds, by cutting the masses of 
plants into shape in taking off the c-uttings, as to 
increase their numbers. For a number of years we 
have propagated all Pelargoniums in boxes, except 
the bicolor and tricolor sections, (the cuttings of 
which are inserted singly in 3 inch pots). To 
economise space, the boxes should be made of uni¬ 
form size, about 2 feet 6 inches long, 9 inches wide, 
and 5 inches deep, with a few holes in the bottom 
for drainage, which should be covered with large 
pieces of crocks and then a layer of Daves. The 
boxes should then be filled with any waste pot¬ 
ting compost that may be at hand, and be pressed 
firmly down with the back of the spade; then sur¬ 
face the whole with sand, and they will be ready for 
the cuttings, 40 or 50 of which (according to then- 
size) will be sufficient for each box. Assuming that 
those engaged in the work of taking off the cuttings 
have a clear idea of the numbers required of the re¬ 
spective varieties before beginning the work, the 
cuttings as taken off the individual beds should be 
put down in scores, and the numbers be recorded 
for future reference. 
Making due allowance for any mishaps that may 
occur during the interval from August to May, the 
cuttings, if spread in the sun for a few hours before 
being- put in the boxes to consolidate their tissues, 
will be less liable to suffer from damp than if they 
are inserted in the soil when full of sap as taken 
from the plants. They can be inserted in the boxes 
just as they were taken off, as trimming of any 
kind is unnecessary, and time so occupied is tim :■ 
wasted. The boxes should then be placed in a 
sunny situation on strips of wood, and the cuttings 
be damped overhead with the syringe every bright 
afternoon. Those in pots can be placed in a similar 
position and be treated in the same way. In the 
event of heavy and continuous rains ensuing, it will 
be advisable to place some old sashes over the cut¬ 
tings to prevent them suffering from excessive 
damp ; and they should be put under the protection 
of pits or frames before frosts set in. Cuttings of 
Alternantheras, Mesembryanthemums, Lobelias, 
Ageratums (of which the Tom Thumb variety is the 
best). Verbenas, &c., should be inserted in 6 inch 
pots (about 30 cuttings having a c-ouple of joints, 
and the lower pair of leaves removed with a sharp 
knife will be sufficient for each pot), and stood in a 
close frame, shaded from bright sunshine until 
rooted, when the shading should be discontinued, 
and the plants be gradually hardened off, and sub¬ 
sequently put out of the reach of frost — the Alter¬ 
nantheras into a warm greenhouse, or pit. 
Celosia pyramidalis coccinea. — • This useful 
and very effective winter and spring decorative 
plant, the scarlet plumes of which are very telling 
when intermixed with dwarf flowering plants of 
such things as Deutzia gracilis, and Browallia 
elata, may, like the latter plant, be had in flower 
all the year round by sowing- a pinch of seed in 
January,and again in August or September, in a pan 
properly crocked and filled to within half-an-incli of 
the rim with light soil. This should be made firm 
by pressing it together with the hand before sowing- 
the seeds, which should then be covered lightly with 
fine sandy soil, and watered through a fine rose be¬ 
fore being placed in heat to germinate. As soon as 
the seedlings appear through the soil, the pan con¬ 
taining them should be placed forthwith ou a shelf 
near the glass, to prevent them from being drawn 
and as soon as the little plants are large enough to 
handle, they should he pricked out in well-drained 
boxes or pans about 2 inches from plant to plant in 
soil consisting of three parts of light sandy loam 
and one of leaf-soil. There will afterwards lift with 
