214 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Dec. 6th, 1884. 
other purposes, it is also most suitably adapted, but 
best of all its uses is its adaptability for pot culture. 
Why such a deliciously fragrant midwinter-flowering 
plant as this is not put to better account is somewhat 
of a mystery, especially when we consider for a 
moment that fragrant flowers at Christmastide are 
generally conspicuous by their absence, and the few 
there are generally command such prices as to place 
them out of the reach of a great number of the 
gardening community. The delicious, and, I may add, 
almost unique fragrance, of “ The Winter Heliotrope'’ 
renders it a fitting associate of even the choicest 
plants and flowers, so much so that I venture to 
remark that its fragrant spikes of bloom would find a 
ready sale in Covent Garden and other markets, where 
fragrant flowers are always valued. 
Those who have a cold frame, or unheated house, 
may flower this plant to perfection, all that is needful 
being protection from frost and wet, which disfigures the 
blooms so much as to make them quite unfit for use. 
As a cool conservatory plant it is simply charming. 
Some few years ago I employed a few pots of it among 
other plants for conservatory decoration, and at first 
my employer was somewhat amused with the idea, 
which was novel at least to him; he soon discovered, 
however, that it was an indispensable plant for winter 
flowering, and a few well-flowered specimens were 
sufficient to scent a large house. For vase decoration 
it is equally, charming, indeed it is a welcome plant . 
anywhere when in flower ; and as the flower-spikes 
are now pushing forth it will be a simple matter to 
select the flowering crowns, placing from four to six 
in a pot according to the size of the latter, and 
putting them in a cold frame. One good watering at 
potting time will be ample for four or five days, and 
the water should be given in the earlier part of the 
day. 
The Edelweiss is one of those plants which after 
the lapse of a few years has emerged from obscurity 
into the hey-day of fashion, and has consequently 
been eagerly sought after. Though of easy cultivation 
it is seldom grown to perfection in English gardens- 
Strictly speaking it is a true perennial, and quite 
hardy, though the best results are obtained when it is 
treated as a biennial, by adopting the following 
system Sow the seeds in shallow pans in fine soil, 
consisting of equal parts of very sandy loam and 
peat, to which may be added finely pounded brick, or 
mortar rubbish, or sandstone. 
The seeds should be sown as soon as ripe, covering 
very lightly with fine sifted soil, a piece of glass thickly 
smeared with clay or paint will keep the soil of a 
uniform moisture. This is essential, seeing that 
frequent sprinklings while the seedlings are small 
often prove fatal to the whole; to have flowering 
plants next summer the seeds should be sown at once, 
and be grown on without any check as soon as they 
are large enough to handle. They prefer a fairly 
moist soil, and should be dotted in small groups or 
colonies to produce a good effect. Where plants 
already exist, they should be watched from time to 
time, and searches made for slugs, which have a great 
liking for it. Its other popular name is the Lion’s 
Foot, and its botanical name, Leontopodium alpinum. 
— E. J. 
-- 
ON SETTING PEACHES. 
The time is drawing near when cultivators of this 
much-valued fruit will frequently examine the swelling 
flower-buds. For many years I have had no difficulty 
in setting Peaches in January and February, and when 
I have been appealed to for an opinion as to the cause 
of the buds dropping, I have never attributed the evil 
to absence of sun, to then- being no bee-hives in the 
locality, or to the position or form of the structure, but 
to injudicious watering, not to applying too much—■ 
but to giving too little. 
It often happens that after the crop is gathered in 
summer, the trees get sundry washings, and are then 
kept cool and airy—perhaps at this period they may 
have plenty of moisture at their roots, and the surface 
may be examined to some depth and all appear right, 
but during the hot drying weather, the border may 
have been left alone, the good drainage helping to dry 
up the mass of soil among the roots. At the usual 
time the pruning is done, the trees washed and other¬ 
wise attended to with care. The usual soaking of 
tepid water is given; the syringe is carefully applied ; 
air and temperature indefatigably watched; all is 
done so well that a casual observer sees no reason to 
dread “bud dropping ” and a “ bad set.” Yet such 
occurs as in former years, and a small crop is the 
reward of so much expenditure of skill and labour. 
I have never been deceived when I went to the roots, 
not merely at the surface or at the collars of the trees, 
but to the extreme points, and there I found they were 
languishing in a dry, cracked soil. The roots nearer 
home are equal to maintaining the tolerably healthy 
growth of a tree, the tug of war is lower down at the 
extreme points—the roots here being unable to draw 
up any nutriment to support the flowers; a kind of 
paralysis sets in, and the results are too well-known to 
require further comment. 
At this time of the year, make certain that the 
roots are not suffering from, or are likely to suffer 
from, starvation at then - extreme points. If the roots 
are outside and away from the cramped and “ grandly 
made borders,” they may get nature’s supply of 
moisture, and be independent of man's help. On the 
other hand, we prefer the roots to be close at home, a 
mass of fibres in soil, firm as a rock, resting on good 
drainage, and all the requirements given, so that no 
portion of the roots will lack their requisite supply 
of moisture. Of the system of syringing Peach and 
other trees, when they are in flower, to aid setting, I 
have never disputed the merits, but having always got 
on well without the aid of the syringe—the practice 
so strongly advocated by some, has not been my 
practice. Once I saw very successful results from 
syringing a Peach-tree (newly lifted and transplanted) 
when in flower. The syringing was done to cause a 
vigorous growth of wood. The fruit set all over the 
old tree like clusters of filberts. I have known the 
syringing of Muscat Grapes to be done by cultivators 
as a matter of necessity, and this to my knowledge 
came down from father to son, the latter doing it 
because it was his father’s practice. — M. Temple, 
Carron House, Stirlingshire. 
MOSS ON ORCHARD TREES. 
While some think it wise to recommend the extension 
of fruit culture in country districts, I think it would 
be quite as much to our credit if we were first to treat 
those trees we have already planted, in a more credit¬ 
able manner. Doubtless but few except experienced 
gardeners are aware of the evil results of allowing the 
growth of lichens and moss on our Apple, Pear and 
other orchard fruit-trees, neither can the generality of 
orchard owners be aware of the simple and certain 
remedy that can be applied, or we should not see so 
many of them in such a sad condition. In the early 
part of last week we paid visits to some of our 
neighbours in this district, and which necessitated 
our making a circuit of about fifteen miles, and 
during the drive passed by many small orchards, not 
one of which could be said to be in a satisfactory 
condition, one and all of the trees, young and old, 
being literally coated with moss. 
When trees do not produce satisfactory crops of 
fruit we are apt to persuade ourselves that the soil is 
not suitable, and that the roots want lifting, but I 
venture to say that in every case I saw that day the 
evil was above ground, and the only evil was the 
moss. At one time I used to think that the moss did 
but little or no harm, but I am far from holding that 
opinion now, having had conclusive proof to the 
contrary, and that without going from home in search 
of it. In one part of our grounds, we have an Apple 
orchard, about an acre in extent, which has been 
planted about fifteen years. The trees made good 
progress for a tune, but eventually became infested 
with moss, and owing to the trees making but little 
growth, I determined first to destroy the moss on 
them, as if it did no harm, it could do no good. We 
first got some newly-slacked lime, then a large tub of 
water, into which we put a quantity of lime, and kept 
the whole well stirred with a birch broom, especially 
while it was being dipped from the tub to the gaiden 
engine, when it was again kept well stirred and 
applied in such a way as to put as much lime on the 
trees as possible; when dry the trees had the appear¬ 
ance of having been whitewashed. It is surprising 
what a lot of trees may be done in a few hours. 
It so happened that we were unable to complete the 
dressing of these trees, and about one-fifth of the whole 
were left, and still remain undressed, serving to show 
side by side the trees with moss on them, and those 
with clean bark, and the difference in the general 
health of the dressed trees,as compared with the others. 
The production of well-formed fruit and the abundant 
crops which the dressed trees yielded over those un¬ 
dressed would scarcely be credited, and I say, without 
hesitation, that many orchards I have seen lately 
could and would produce three times the crops they 
do, if they were but cleansed of moss. 
Another very simple method of destroying moss is 
to get well up into the trees with a ladder, while the 
trees are a little damp, and having some lime con¬ 
venient, to dust the branches with it. The fumes of 
sulphur, that is to say sulphur burned so that the 
fumes may pass amongst the branches will also destroy 
the moss, but it is not very pleasant for the operator 
if the wind shifts, and of all three methods I prefer the 
former.— C. Warden, Clarendon, Wilts. 
-— c—■ e — 
HARDY FRUIT CULTIVATION. 
Selection of Trees and Method of Planting.— 
Having given at p. 170 a list of the best and most 
profitable varieties of Apples to cultivate, I would now 
strongly advise those who contemplate planting, not 
to exercise false economy in what is perhaps the most 
important matter of all—the choice of trees. Let not 
those extremely cheap advertisements which too often 
deceive the unwary and inexperienced, influence any¬ 
one in their purchases. From such sources the 
veriest rubbish and the most spurious and worthless 
varieties are sometimes freely dispensed without any 
compunction or fear of detection, to the ultimate 
disappointment and disgust of the purchaser. 
Having ascertained who are the best and most 
reliable fruit-tree nurserymen, visit then- nursery and 
choose the trees yourself, selecting the very best you 
can lay hands on ; feeling assured that the little extra 
charge made for this privilege will eventually prove a 
wise and safe investment. If the intention be to 
plant tall standards, such only should be chosen as 
have strong, clean, straight, even stems surmounted 
by well-formed, thoroughly ripened, uniform heads, 
and supported by a mass of healthy fibrous roots. 
Planting. —Having already advocated the practice 
of allowing wide intervals between the trees so as to 
allow of the ground being cultivated, and small bush 
trees being grown between them, I would here say 
that a space of 24 ft. from each tree would be 
sufficient, except in naturally rich soils, where a space 
of 30 ft. would be preferable. At the former distance, 
seventy-five trees would be required to plant an acre, 
and at the latter distance, about fifty. Should the 
subsoil be porous, or the position and inclination of 
the ground such as will effectually prevent stagnation 
of water at the roots, no expensive preparation of 
drainage will be requisite, but where the subsoil is 
adhesive and very tenacious of moisture, not only 
should the land be thoroughly drained beforehand, 
but each tree should have a 12-in. layer of nibble, 
brickbats, gravel, or similar porous material, placed 
underneath them at a depth of 2-ft. from the surface. 
By returning the whole of the soil over this platform 
of rubble, the tree will be raised 12 ins. above the 
ordinary level and will be very beneficial in keeping 
the roots healthy in such positions. 
Supposing the situation and soil to be such as not 
to require this preparation, it will only be necessary to 
form circular holes for each tree, 6 ft. in diameter and 
1 ft. deep. The soil should be broken fine and left 
with a slight inclination from the centre to the outside 
of the holes. Unless the soil be poor it is better not 
to use any manure in planting them, but when found 
necessary it should be thoroughly decomposed and 
well incorporated with the soil. If the soil be strong 
and adhesive it will be greatly improved by the 
admixture of a portion of old mortar rubbish, lime 
scraps, burnt earth, or any similar materials, which 
will tend to keep it open. Care should be taken to 
make the soil sufficiently film underneath the trees, so 
as to prevent after-sinkage, and, at the same time, 
allow only just sufficient depth of soil above the 
roots, so that when finished it will be about an 
inch above them at the junction with the stem. The 
injured roots should be carefully primed and then 
