806 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 22nd, 1885. 
expenditure by the sale of superfluous produce in the 
town a few miles distant. And so things are allowed 
to remain as they were, with this excellent result, 
that not only do the gardens and hothouses, which 
suffice for a trade of no mean dimensions, henceforth 
pay their own expenses, but show a considerable 
surplus besides to swell the already handsome wages 
of the canny Scotch foreman. [?] There is, however, 
one exception to the general satisfaction in the shape 
of the struggling local nurseryman, who soon finds 
ruin staring him in the face through being undersold 
in every department by this spurious, bounty-fed 
industry. What wonder if he is loud and bitter in 
execration of Dives for robbing, as he thinks, the 
poor man of his livelihood ? Far removed from the 
calm atmosphere of political economy, the working 
classes can never rid themselves of a sense of unfair¬ 
ness and indignant revengefulness at the sight of 
“ the aristocracy ” dipping its fingers into the chal¬ 
dron of commerce. As a practical result of this 
system, in Manchester and Liverpool, to take two out 
of a number of similar instances, the price of cut- 
flowers is permanently affected by the quantity daily 
brought in for sale from neighbouring country seats 
and disposed of at nominal rates. There is, indeed, 
one large town in the midlands where no florist’s 
business has been able to survive the competition of 
a certain noble duke, whose representatives are even 
wont to hawk button-hole flowers about the streets. 
But, much as we may deplore the suffocation of a 
thriving industry, it is impossible to deny the inde¬ 
feasible right of these “ good old English gentlemen” 
to turn their ancestral homes, if they so please, into 
sources of income; for, after all, the question of 
prestige concerns no one but themselves. They have, 
however, one distinctly unfair advantage in the race, 
if race it is to be. In the eyes of the law a private 
mansion is still supposed to be a “ pleasaunce,” 
where its owner can seek rest from the turmoil of 
business “ procul negotiis solutus omni fenore.” Thus 
it often happens that the park and gardens of some 
wealthy proprietors are, for rating purposes, assessed 
as pleasure grounds at a mere nominal value, while 
an acre or two of land, with a few thousand feet of 
glass, rented by one of his tenants, will be found 
valued at £200 or more per annum as a “ manufac¬ 
turing establishment,” though, if the truth were 
known, the landlord’s business as well as his premises 
is far larger and more remunerative. In the reform 
of local government, of which so much is expected, a 
readjustment of the principles of assessment may, 
perhaps, put these unevenly matched competitors 
once more on a fair level. 
Besides the rivalry in home trade, foreign importa¬ 
tions of cut-flowers reach formidable dimensions at 
certain seasons; almost daily, from Christmas to 
Easter, there are sales by auction in Covent Garden, 
at which Boses and Violets, Hyacinths, and Narcissi 
from the villages along the Riviera are poured into 
the market without stint; the quality is generally 
inferior, but just good enough to command a sale and 
oust much- of the English-grown produce. If the 
ghost of Protection, which seems as though it cannot 
be permanently laid, ever assumes bodily shape 
and re-enters the “region of practical politics,” it 
will find no unproductive luxury readier to hand 
and more suitable for taxation than these imported 
flowers, no industry more deserving of relief than 
English horticulture. For here is a case where self- 
protection, by the simple method of self-effacement 
in bad times, is impossible. Capital once invested in 
hothouses or bricks and mortar is sunk permanently, 
and cannot be reconverted except at a ruinous sacri¬ 
fice ; so that it behoves an intending investor to be 
specially wary about embarking upon an enterprize 
in which, whatever happens, he will be obliged to 
stick to the ship.— E. A. Arnold, in The Nineteenth 
Century. 
- g_. - s — 
A Steam Tree-felling Machine, exhibited at the 
Inventions Exhibition by Messrs. Bansome & Co., is a 
noteworthy example of the persistence with which the 
engineer now invades every province, even the most 
remote, of industry. Here is a complete set of 
apparatus, easily moved and managed by one horse 
and four men, and capable of cutting down a forest 
while the woodman is “ laying his axe to the root of 
the tree.” Several hundreds of these steam woodmen 
are, it is said, at work at the present moment in 
various parts of the world. 
SCOTTISH GARDENING. 
Summer Treatment of Fruit Trees {continued from 
p. 790).—Since I wrote the two previous papers on, 
this important subject, I have seen much to confirm 
my opinion that where trees are badly managed during 
the growing season it means, in a great measure, failure 
altogether. The tendency which most kinds of fruit 
trees have to overload themselves with growth during 
summer, and the indifference of some to this evil so 
patent to common sense, warrants me (at the risk 
of repeating myself) in giving a third paper on the 
summer management of fruit trees. The summer 
is now drawing to a close, and what has been left 
undone should be performed before it is too late. 
Some successful men advocate the principle of “ leav¬ 
ing all pruning alone till growth is ceasing, then make 
a general clearance of breast-wood, &c.” On old 
stunted trees of any class this signifies little ; but 
where trees are making abundant growth, and are 
expected to mature the same, and bear fruit the next 
season, due thinning, stopping, and training must 
have attention. 
By most practical men, special attention is given 
to Peaches and Nectarines during early summer and 
at this season. The brown bark and “ mealy” buds 
are looked for, and when such are visible, preparation 
for next year’s supply of fruit has been made. No 
attention during spring with protection or any other 
adjunct will compensate for the absence of ripe bear¬ 
ing wood and firm, well-developed fruit-buds in 
autumn. In addition to this, the foliage should 
be kept clean and healthy. Under such conditions, 
cultivators have the best of reason to anticipate 
tangible success. It is very common for successful 
men to advocate extension of growth, on Peach trees 
especially, and, I think, most people can sympathize 
with the advice which so many have given on this 
head ; but fruits, whether under glass or outside, have 
to be cultivated in variety as well as to realize a 
supply as early as possible, and as late as kinds to 
meet that requirement will allow, and I have never 
seen this achieved by cultivating a few large trees (on 
Pears and Apples I have seen the difficulty met by 
grafting a variety of kinds on one tree), but when one 
wishes to have a supply of Peaches and Nectarines 
from, say, May till November, large trees, except on 
unlimited space, will not meet the want. Besides, 
one likes variety, both for appearance and flavour. 
One redeeming qualification of orchard-houses is 
the continuous supply of a great variety of fruits, and 
one need not have the infliction of a glut at one time 
and scarcity at another. A careful examination of 
Peach trees, whether on walls or under glass protec¬ 
tion, should now be made, selecting the shoots which 
are likely to fruit best next season, as well as to main¬ 
tain the balance of the tree. Any growing outwards, 
or those with a tendency to grossness, should be 
removed if they can be spared, if not, the ill-placed 
ones should be bent in as closely as possible, and 
the gross ones stopped; and if the foliage of the 
latter is unnaturally gross too, the leaves may be cut 
in two. This practice I often follow with every 
advantage, and frequently sever such strong wood 
about half through at the base. The clean cut soon 
heals up, and the sap is thus diverted to less ductile 
channels. Hand-stopping with free-growing trees is 
a decided evil, causing the starting into growth of buds 
which should have remained dormant till next year. 
An evenly-grown tree should soon be of equidistant 
growth all over. The centres often lead off the 
growth, especially of young trees, and Peaches may 
be topped to cause emanation of shoots, which may 
be directed into the positions where they are to remain 
permanently. Abundance of room to prevent the 
leaves from crowding each other, and, should the 
weather be dry, so that the roots are being stinted, 
a good soaking will do them much good. 
Old trees bearing heavy crops may be much benefited 
by a good soaking of manure water, not at the collars 
of the trees only, but well out where the feeders are at 
work; their whereabouts should always be known. I 
think it of no advantage to have the roots rambling 
far from the tree. It is more manageable to have the 
soil filled with fibres and kept near home. Under such 
conditions one is not troubled by late, barren growth, 
and to insure this and get the tree to rest as early 
as possible, root pruning, as formerly recommended, 
should have judicious attention. To prepare Peaches 
for transplanting in October or November it is well 
to shorten back the gross roots and downward growing 
ones ; those cut will throw out plenty of fibre and lift 
with the greatest of ease, and be fit to bear a good 
crop next season. An old tree here in vigorous 
growth we cut in at the roots during July, prepara¬ 
tory for removal in autumn, under glass; growth 
seems to have stopped and the wood is getting hard 
and brown, promising a good crop for next season. 
There are few localities in the north or south where 
Peaches, cultivated outside, are altogether satisfactory, 
and in cold northern districts it is of 'great importance 
to keep the shoots close to the walls, securing the 
maturation of growth soundly and early. Fruit should 
be well exposed to sun and air, by pushing the leaves 
off them, from the beginning of their formation. 
Peaches are looked upon as among the most orna¬ 
mental of dessert dishes, and their value is much 
enhanced by high colour. This cannot be attained 
by shading and overcrowding the fruit. Flavour, like 
colour, is materially affected by overcropping and 
under-watering. If mildew shows itself, a good 
drenching (by the syringe or engine) of soapy water, 
in which sulphur is well mixed, will check the ravages 
of the pest. When trees are bearing fruit clean water 
may be syringed over the foliage, and sulphur dusted 
through a muslin bag over the mildewed foliage. Figs 
are grown only in sheltered districts in the north, and 
though they are met with in fair condition, in some 
parts they are barely worth the trouble of cultivating 
beyond the midlands of England except under glass. 
The greatest evil I meet with, in most parts, in 
dealing with Fig trees, is the keeping of them crowded 
in a manner which prevents access of sun and air. If 
the trees are trained to walls, the value of the latter is 
nil, because of the great amount of foliage which 
covers up the space; this evil of crowding is also 
observable under glass as well as on open walls. 
When the trees are planted so that their roots are 
confined to limited space, either by being built in or 
the ground prepared in a rocky form, so that they 
may produce abundance of fibre and not extend more 
than a few feet, much labour and barrenness is thus 
prevented, by the formation of short fruitful growths, 
and under such conditions manure water can be given 
freely, causing the growth of large fruit and very little 
wood. Root pruning can be done to Figs with great 
advantage during summer when there is much growth 
minus fruit. A large tree of Negro Largo we half-lifted 
at the end of June, cutting off its downward growing 
roots ; it has grown very little since, and the growths 
are short, hard, and becoming brown. The large sappy 
stems were nicked at equal distances (an old practice 
of ours) which caused them to start out into young 
growth ; they are now hard and fruitful looking. 
Though stopping can be done in the early part of the 
season, it is not wise to do it severely to vigorous 
trees, as it might cause the formation of fruit which 
should be the supply next year, but these would drop 
off during winter; now is a good time to practise 
stopping to induce ripening of wood.— M. T. 
- e_^ — 
SELECT HARDY PERENNIALS. 
{Continued fromp. 791.) 
Helenium pumilum.— This is a neat and attractive 
perennial, usually growing about 2 ft. high and pro¬ 
ducing an abundance of large, showy, bright yellow 
blossoms. It differs somewhat from the majority of 
the other species and forms, which are better suited 
for naturalizing or for shrubbery borders. The plant 
in question is one of the best of autumn flowers, and 
grows freely in most soils; it is also very easily 
increased by division. A better form of this plant 
received a First-Class Certificate at a recent meeting 
of the Royal Horticultural Society, when the original 
plant was also shown for comparison ; its superiority 
was very obvious, and was duly acknowledged. 
Helianthemum, or Rock Rose.— The Rock Roses 
are for the most part evergreen shrubs, forming 
compact cushions close upon the ground, which 
are covered for a considerable time with flowers in 
many shades of colour. They are best suited for a 
rockery, or, indeed, for any exposed or sunny spot, 
where they soon form spreading tufts. H. vulgare 
is found wild in many parts of Britain, and when in 
