54 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Sept. 27th, 1884. 
cultivation of the Hyacinth but little is necessary. 
The best time to pot is during October, but there is no 
reason why the bulbs should not be purchased as early 
as possible so as to get the best pick of them. What 
are known as 48 and 32-sized pots will be found quite 
large enough for Hyacinths ; the latter is the largest, 
and the biggest bulbs should be placed in them. If 
anyone has the materials out of which to mix a good 
Hyacinth compost, they can do it in this way : two- 
thirds good fibry loam, and the other third should 
consist of rotten dung and leaf-mould in equal parts, 
and a fair proportion of rough Bedfordshire sand. 
These should be well mixed together, and turned over 
a few times before using. If it is out of the power of 
an amateur to make this compost for himself, then let 
him apply to a dealer in garden composts, and he will 
supply him with what he requires. Drain the pots 
well in the usual manner, and then pot the bulbs, 
leaving nearly one-half of them exposed, press the soil 
firmly about them, andthatpartof the work is complete. 
Then stand the pots in a cold frame or under a wall, 
and cover them over to the depth of four inches with 
finely-sifted cinder ashes. Here they may remain for 
two months, the object being to induce the bulbs to 
root freely into the soil, and the weight of ashes at 
the top will keep the Hyacinths from being lifted up 
out of the soil—a frequent occurrence when there is 
nothing placed over them after being potted.— B. D. 
HARDY FRUIT CULTIVATION. 
September is generally considered to be rather an 
easy month with the fruit-grower, except that in it 
many of the non-keeping fruits require harvesting and 
marketing, operations which, in showery weather at 
least, cause him considerable trouble and anxiety. 
Instead, however, of this being comparatively a leisure 
month, it is, or should be, one of the keenest obser¬ 
vation and greatest activity; for on the judgment 
which he may exercise, and the exertions which he 
may put forth in this month depend, to a great extent, 
as far as human efforts can avail, the success or non- 
success of the following and future years’ crops. This 
is essentially the month of all months of the year 
when the critical eye of the fruit cultivator should 
carefully examine every tree, every branch, and almost 
every leaf and bud, so as to ascertain as accurately as 
possible their condition, and when found unsatisfac¬ 
tory, to immediately take such measures as will tend 
to rectify the existing evils. Boot-raising and root- 
pruning are the tw r o chief, as they are the two best 
remedies that can be applied for correcting many of 
the infirmities to which fruit-trees are liable. When 
fruit-trees are young they are too apt to produce ill- 
formed, gross shoots, which neither ripen perfectly 
nor develop their fruit buds, owing chiefly to the too 
free emission and extension of tap-roots. When roots 
descend into a cold, wet, ungenial soil, weak insipient 
shoots with yellow leaves are formed, from which no 
fruit can possibly be produced. 
When the stems and branches become enshrouded 
in moss and lichen, the root action is invariably 
sluggish and imperfect, and unless remedial measures 
be taken, the trees gradually, yet surely, succumb to 
these slow, stealthy enemies. When cankered and 
diseased branches are visible, they are more frequently 
the result of defective root action than from any other 
cause. To each of these evils the best, and to some 
of them the only effective remedies are root-raising 
and root-pruning, and the sooner these operations can 
be performed in the autumn, so much the sooner will 
the trees become healthy and fruitful. But root-raising 
and root-pruning would, if generally, judiciously, and 
periodically performed, at desirable intervals, soon 
be productive of such satisfactory results as would 
surprise even their most sanguine and devoted 
advocates. They would tend more than any other 
means that can be used to increase and cheapen the 
supplies of our hardy and most valuable fruits. 
WTiy then are not these operations more generally 
practised ? Simply because we are generally too 
indifferent to the condition of our fruit trees, or too 
careless and lazy to perform the requisite operations 
to improve their condition at the proper time, although 
we may be clearly convinced of their necessity and 
importance. Boot-raising and root-pruning, to be 
effectual and successful, must be performed sufficiently 
early in the autumn, so as to enable the trees to over¬ 
come the check, and become re-established by making 
new roots before the approach of winter. 
Some persons have contended that these measures 
are necessarily laborious and expensive, which i 3 
perfectly true, and so is the cultivation of every 
garden and field crop, some of which it is fully 
admitted do not give a profitable return. But the 
same cannot be said of our well-managed orchards. 
That they give a handsome profit for any reasonable 
expense incurred in their cultivation is abundantly 
manifest. Why then neglect altogether, or in¬ 
differently perform, those simple means, which when 
judiciously practised, have proved so advantageous, 
only because they are somewhat laborious. 
The chief results to be obtained from root-raising 
and root-pruning are to check exuberant growth ; to 
place the roots in a warmer and more favourable 
position: to increase the quantity of fibrous roots 
which are essentially the fruit producers : to supply 
the requisite quantity, quality, and appropriate land 
of food within a convenient and limited space round the 
tree; and last, though not least, to provide that con¬ 
sistency or mechanical condition of the soil which will 
be most likely to conduce to the health and fertility of 
the tree. Although these operations necessarily entail 
a considerable amount of labour, and are in this 
respect somewhat costly, on the other hand, if the 
increased quantity and improved quality of the fruit 
be taken into calculation, the results will be found 
exceedingly profitable and satisfactory. I would wish 
it to be thoroughly understood what is here meant by 
root-raising and root-pruning. Unfortunately these 
terms appear to be very widely and diversely construed 
by different practitioners, for while some evince the 
greatest caution in performing the work, carefully 
preserving every healthy root from injury, only 
removing such as are dead or diseased, and simply 
shortening the ends of those which are disposed to 
form tap-roots, others appear to think that the 
greater the mutilation, the greater the check to the 
sap, and in proportion to the check so will the crop of 
fruit be. 
Happily, however, the latter erroneous opinion is 
fast fading away, at least, amongst professional fruit¬ 
growers ; as to the farmer and the cottager, they have 
not yet (generally) recognized the fact, that their fruit 
trees require cultivation. It is sufficient for them to 
gather the miserable rubbish from the moss-clad half- 
starved trees planted by their forefathers in the lowest 
and most unsuitable positions, without a thought as 
to their condition or cultivation. It was my unfortu¬ 
nate lot, however, to witness, even, in some respects, 
a first-class garden, last autumn, this root mutilation 
in progress, with a; determination and energy worthy 
of a better cause. The free use of saw and knife is 
sometimes terrible to behold, but what would a society 
formed for the prevention of cruelty to vegetable life 
say to the free and indiscriminate use of the grub-axe, 
wielded with a strong and determined arm on roots 
4 in. in diameter within 3 ft. of the stem ? If the 
sonorous and lamentable w T ail given forth by the 
roots at each blow did not cause the hard heart of 
the operator to relent, they certainly did mine as I 
walked round the garden, and most surely the silent, 
sorrowful appearance of the trees themselves, this 
year, will penetrate even his. 
To the uninitiated I would say avoid giving a severe 
check to the tree in performing the operation ; aim at 
raising the roots as much as practicable, rather than 
in pruning them, except to remove injured and decayed 
ones, and in pruning off the extreme ends of such as 
are inclined to form tap, being assured that even with 
the greatest care some injury and sufficient check will 
accrue. Bather do one half the tree than the whole 
in one season, and commence the work at the 
extremity of the roots instead of cutting them off by 
digging a trench near the stem. Throw out the soil 
from the trench as the work proceeds, and tie the 
roots together, covering them up with mats to prevent 
injury. When this part of the operation is finished, 
means should be taken to prevent the roots from 
penetrating in future into the subsoil, either by a 
mixed layer of well-rammed chalk and fine ashes, or 
other equally suitable materials. In some cases, 
however, where the subsoil is hard and rocky, this 
precaution need not be taken. Over this it is always 
advisable to place a layer of stones or other suitable 
drainage, and in order to make this more permanent 
a layer of cinders and fine ashes should be placed over 
them and rammed quite firmly. Having ready at 
hand the new compost prepared according to the 
special requirements of the particular tree, let it be 
mixed or not, a3 convenient, with the best of the old 
soil previously thrown out. In replacing the soil it 
should never be forgotten that to succeed well all fruit 
trees require a firm soil; if, therefore, the natural soil 
be of a light or loose nature, it should not only be 
rammed firm, but such materials should be intermixed 
with it as will tend to consolidate, without making it 
at the same time too retentive of moisture. 
In respect to the soil for stone fruits, it is not 
advisable, except it be extremely poor, to introduce 
any kind oi manure ; instead of this, however, it is very 
essential that it contains a large percentage of cal¬ 
careous matter, but in respect to other kinds of fruit- 
trees, some manures may with advantage be used, but 
even to these, it is not well to introduce large quanti¬ 
ties, nor yet such as are of a very stimulating character 
or of short duration, but rather to use such as stimu¬ 
late moderately, and which are more permanent in 
their nature. Bones and charcoal are invaluable, as 
are old plaster and mortar rubbish mixed with small 
quantities of hair or shoddy. If the soil be naturally 
rich it is far preferable to attend carefully to its 
mechanical condition, using no manure, but mulch the 
surface with stable manure when the fruit is swelling. 
Whatever the nature of the soil may be, it must be 
firm and somewhat gritty, or otherwise intermixed 
with such substances as will afford considerable 
resistance to direct root-growth. By this means the 
tendency to form tap-roots is considerably lessened, 
and the necessity for frequent root cultivation par¬ 
tially obviated. In replacing the roots in the fresh soil, 
it is advisable for the sake of convenience and 
economy, to confine them to a somewhat limited 
space; they should therefore be laid in a circular 
form at a reasonable distance from and round the 
stem of the tree, rather than allow them to radiate 
in direct lines outwards. By so doing, the roots do not so 
soon grow out of bounds, nor interfere with the growth 
of other crops, while at the same time they receive 
fuller advantage from the soil especially prepared for 
them, and the successive operations at the roots can 
be performed with much less labour and less liability 
of injury. 
I have in writing this paper endeavoured to confine 
my remarks to root cultivation only, not because 
I believe it to be, as some do, the specific for all 
ills, but simply because I hold it to be, after a 
somewhat lengthy experience, and considerable prac¬ 
tice, a most important factor in successful fruit 
cultivation, and my chief reasons for attempting to 
direct special attention to it now is, first, because I 
think it is most essential that the w T ork should be 
performed in the early autumn months instead of mid¬ 
winter ; second, because the work is still very imper¬ 
fectly understood and improperly performed even by 
many professional men ; and lastly, because farmers 
and cottagers, wdro are large fruit growers, have but 
the most remote and indistinct idea of what it really 
means.— Scribo. 
AGAPANTHUS UMBELLATUS. 
This is a fine old border plant, known as the Blue 
African Lily, by no means uncommon, and yet it is 
doubtful if it is as well known to amateur gardeners 
as it deserves to be. I infer this from the fact that at 
the present time I have in my little fore-court garden 
a few large plants in pots, producing four and five fine 
trusses of bloom each; and passers-by stop, look on 
with undisguised admiration, and go on their way 
wondering what plant it is. In a few words, let me 
say to amateurs what I can about it. Of all flowering 
plants it is one of the very best to grow in pots for 
flowering in a fore-court garden, and for placing on 
the sides of steps leading up to an entrance. It is an 
evergreen perennial, and it throws up strong flowering 
stems, on the top of which is produced an umbel of 
from 50 to 100 blossoms, according to the strength 
of the plant. Then the flowers are blue, and we are 
short of blue flowers, and this colour is always accejit- 
able in the garden. Now, though the Agapanthus is 
classed among the hardy plants, it is not hardy in the 
sense that frost cannot harm it. I found to my 
sorrow it can harm them, during the severe winter of 
1880-81. The plants were in pots, and wintered in a 
