August 22nd, 1885, 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
807 
flower on the side of a hill is as conspicuous as the 
single Marsh Marigold in the meadows or marshy 
ground. It grows abundantly in the neighbourhood 
of Box Hill and Mieklehatn Downs in Surrey, and 
in the latter place I have seen it abundantly asso¬ 
ciated with Sedum acre. There are single and double 
forms which embrace white, yellow, red, copper, 
orange, and rose, their trailing tufts forming pretty 
objects when in flower. 
Helianthus. —These constitute a valuable and 
highly attractive group of autumn-flowering peren¬ 
nials, remarkable for their large and conspicuous 
blossoms. They are of an eminently decorative 
character as border perennials, and among the most 
useful in their season as cut-flowers. They are all 
perfectly hardy, and grow freely in any ordinary 
garden soils. The showiest and best are H. multi- 
florus, the single perennial Sunflower, which grows 
from 3 ft. to 4 ft. high, producing large golden 
blossoms from midsummer till quite late in autumn. 
These are about 3 ins. or 4 ins. across, and are very 
effective when seen in large specimens or in masses. 
There is a major form of this plant larger than the 
type, also a double form equally free and showy, and 
similar in height and general appearance. 
The largest flowered plant of the group, however, is 
to be found in H. multiflorus maximus, which attains 
such proportions as to have been compared to the 
annual species as regards its height and immense 
flowers. In favourable seasons it will grow fully 
6 ft. or 7 ft. high, and when properly placed forms a 
conspicuous plant in the border. For elegance and 
graceful appearance generally, H. orgyalis is the best, 
and is well suited for isolated positions on the lawn or 
similar places. It grows from 6 ft. to 8 ft. high, and is 
thickly set with linear recurved leaves, which have a 
very pleasing effect. In flower, however, it is one of 
the least showy, but on account of its extreme grace¬ 
fulness it is a very desirable plant. From the perennial 
sunflowers we must pass to the 
Hellebores, or Christmas Roses, one at least of 
which is an indispensable plant, in that it produces 
quantities of white flowers in the open ground at a 
time when flowers are greatly in request, and when 
the demand greatly exceeds the supply; thus it is that 
a plant once so common in large clumps in country 
cottage gardens has become comparatively rare. It 
may frequently have been seen as much as 3 ft. across, 
and I have seen even larger clumps than these, from 
which it has been possible to take bushels of flowers 
in a season. I remember, too, some giants of which 
Latimer Clark, Esq., of Sydenham, was possessed a 
few years ago, and proud he was of them, for he had 
not one such specimen, but many, and annually in 
flower they were in themselves a feature ; the same 
gentleman had also a very fine specimen of the giant 
Hellebore, H. altifolius, syn. H. maximus. 
At this season of the year there is little to be done 
with these plants, but during the hot summer months 
they should be heavily mulched, and a sharp look out 
for seeds be kept. These, it may be well to remark, 
are a considerable time in arriving at maturity, and 
when sown they are a long time in vegetating; they 
may be sown as soon as ripe, either in pots or pans of 
sandy loam, or on a shady border in the open ground, 
according to the quantity at disposal. Being, as I 
have said, a considerable time in germinating, I have 
found it expedient to cover the soil in which they are 
sown, provided they are in the open, with slates or 
similar things, thus keeping the soil uniformly moist; 
it also acts as a preventive against the interference of 
birds, and prevents heavy rains washing the soil from 
the seeds; the plants, however, are now annually 
imported in such quantities and at so cheap a rate as 
to make seed of the ordinary kinds of little value. On 
a more seasonable day, I will, with your permission, 
say a few words on Hellebores generally.— J. 
Fence Posts. —A writer in The Blaine Farmer thus 
expresses himself in regard to setting fence posts : — 
It has commonly been stated that posts set top end in 
the ground would last longer than when set with the 
butt end down. We recently had occasion to remove 
a fence which had been set eighteen years, and to our 
surprise the posts set top down were still sound and 
strong, while many of those set the reverse were 
rotted entirely off. We have before found evidences 
of the greater durability of posts set in this way. 
If general experience corroborates our own, it is a 
matter well worthy of wide attention. 
A KENTISH FRUIT FARM. 
Mr. Walter Kruse, Yew Tree Farm, Leeds, near 
Maidstone, is of opinion (says a writer in The Field) 
that it is injurious to soft as well as hard fruit to dig 
in any shape or form—in other words, that root 
growth should not be interfered with, but, on the 
other hand, should be encouraged as far as possible. 
The nearer the roots are to the surface, the better can 
they take advantage of the upper and more nutritive 
soil; and by refraining from anything but the most 
superficial culture the feeders of the tree are left to 
multiply, to interlace, and extend as far as the capa¬ 
bilities of the plant will admit; while, by the undis¬ 
turbed formation of fine fibrous growths, innumerable 
feeders to the sustenance and health of the tree are 
produced. Practically, the only implements used on 
the farm are the common garden hoe and the pruning 
knife. The former is used unsparingly when required, 
the latter with moderation, as Mr. Kruse believes that 
to get a large crop of fruit there must be plenty of 
wood for it to hang upon. It is evident, if the roots 
are not to be broken and torn by digging, that manure 
must either be applied in a liquid form or in the 
shape of top-dressing. The latter course is adopted, 
and on this important head of fertilizers we may 
briefly recapitulate what Mr. Kruse’s method is in 
this respect. Mr. Kruse’s opinion is that fruit-growers 
are inclined to overlook the pressing necessity of 
keeping up a good and sufficient amount of phosphates 
in the soil. The necessity of an abundant supply of 
nitrogen is fully recognized on all hands ; but phos¬ 
phates are more particularly taken up in the formation 
of the fruit itself, and hence the importance of their 
presence in force. As everybody knews, good farm¬ 
yard manure supplies nearly every constituent 
necessary for repairing the exhaustion consequent on 
cropping; but the supply of this valuable agent is 
necessarily limited in extent. Mr. Kruse, therefore, 
relies very largely on bones, crushed to quarter-inch 
size, for giving the necessary phosphates to the soil; 
while nitrogen is supplied by flock dust, skin waste, 
soot, or Peruvian guano. The yearly expenditure for 
manure comes to from £10 to £13 an acre. The 
manure is simply placed upon the surface, and is 
readily absorbed. 
Visiting Mr. Kruse lately -we found him with a corps 
of women and girls among the Strawberries, and 
picking was proceeding at the rate of half a ton a 
day. The Strawberries are planted between young 
standard Apples, Pears, Gooseberries, &c. Last year, 
had they been put in continuous rows, occupying the 
whole of the ground, from 2 acres to 2| acres would 
have been covered. In the winter, however, a large 
number of the plants were grubbed up from the shorter 
intervals between the young trees, so that the present 
growth of Strawberries only represents, as nearly as 
possible, 2 acres. 
In the season of 1884, a favourable one for 
this luscious berry, Mr. Kruse raised five tons ; on 
a less area, and with a less favourable season, the 
yield will be over this quantity. The grower claims 
that this result must be owing to the mode of cultiva¬ 
tion, and especially in view of the fact that this is the 
third year of the plants, Strawberries bearing best in 
their second year. It may be argued from this that 
under the system adopted the fertility of the land 
improves. It may be stated that these Strawberries 
are grown on what was formerly Hop land ; it is 
exposed, and has beneath it a porous hassock ; yet, 
although rain has been much needed at a critical 
time in the development of the fruit, this seems to 
point to the conclusion that, the surface only being 
scratched as it were, and the soil not broken up 
for more than an inch or so, evaporation is compara¬ 
tively slight, with the result that in dry seasons the 
reserve of moisture in the soil does not easily become 
exhausted, and there is a practical immunity from 
anything like a serious drought. Of the twenty-four 
varieties of Strawberries on the place, this year’s 
growth confirms the view that for market purposes the 
Sir Joseph Paxton is the most profitable. An examina¬ 
tion of the fruit showed that it was of large size and 
brilliant colour, while the gastronomic test revealed 
that the flavour was quite equal to the appearance. 
The Strawberries were treated this year as last, 
chiefly with nitrate of soda and bone dust, which is 
found to give results far superior to the best Peruvian 
guano. 
Leaving the Strawberry patch, and passing in 
among the standard trees, with the luxuriant under¬ 
crop of bush fruit, we meet at every step favourable 
results. Take the Black Currants, for instance. 
This fruit is, generally speaking, a light and patchy 
crop this year; but Mr. Kruse’s trees are well loaded 
(although not so heavily as last year), and are bearing 
better than any others on this favoured slope. The 
figures for the three previous years with regard to 
this crop will bear repeating. Under the old system, 
in the first year of Mr. Kruse’s purchase, the crop was 
150 half-sieves ; in the second year (under the new 
system), after removing a number of trees to make 
room for standard Apples and Pears, the crop reached 
200 half-sieves; in the third year (1884), after 
thinning out the bushes one-half, the yield was 
203 half-sieves ; this year, when the general average 
yield is taken into consideration, what may be really 
regarded as a further advance has taken place, 
although there will not be any increase in the yield, 
but rather a decrease. 
We found the Gooseberries, too, a very fine crop, 
some of the bushes being quite a spectacle, and this 
notwithstanding the late frost, which caused such 
havoc in the district. Red Currants, again, were 
abundant, hanging in thick clusters. The young 
standards, too, which comprise many varieties of 
Apples, and particularly Pears, which are not gene¬ 
rally cultivated, and which are on their trial, were 
well loaded with fruit, the remarkable prolificness in 
such young trees noted last year being repeated in 
many instances in the present season. Damsons, 
again, were a good show, although there is a general 
complaint that Damson trees, which suffered badly 
from the green-fly last year, are bearing very shyly. 
Altogether, results seem to completely sustain Mr. 
Kruse’s contention and belief, that surface culture— 
at any rate, under certain conditions—is true economy. 
It should be added, lest anyone should be misled, 
that the results named have been obtained only in 
connection with constant and intelligent supervision. 
It may be that the system, perfunctorily carried out, 
would result in measurable failure, if not in a com¬ 
plete fiasco. 
—— 
PROPAGATING SUCCULENTS. 
Many of the fine succulent plants which are 
used for carpet-bedding may be raised from seed, 
others are easily increased by offsets, and some 
may be propagated from leaves. Those that are to 
be propagated from seed or leaves should now have 
immediate attention. The seed may be sown in 
shallow pans, which should be well drained, and then 
filled up to the rims with light sandy soil, using a 
little that has been sifted through a fine sieve for the 
surface ; the seed may also have a slight covering of 
fine soil. After the seed has been sown the pans may 
be placed on a shelf in the propagating house, and 
should only be kept just moist enough for the seeds to 
germinate. As soon as the plants are large enough to 
handle they should be pricked off, and may be kept 
on a shelf in an intermediate house through the winter. 
Propagating from Leaves.— Theleavesmust be taken 
off close to the stem of the plants, and this must be 
done carefully so as to secure the bud, which will be 
in the base of the leaf-stalk. After the leaves are taken 
off they should be exposed to the sun until they are 
dried up at the base ; they may then be laid on pans 
or boxes of sand and placed on a shelf in a close pro¬ 
pagating house. If the house is kept close, and there 
is a little atmospheric moisture, they will not require 
any water until after they begin to root, and then it 
should only be given very sparingly. Some kinds may 
also be propagated from cuttings, and these should be 
dried at the base before being put in, and will require 
but very little water during the winter. 
— g — 
Trimming his Neighbour’s Nut-tree.— At Epsom 
recently, William Miles was summoned before the 
magistrates for doing wilful damage by cutting a Nut- 
tree at Heathcote, Epsom, the property of a man 
named Spencer. The defendant said the tree over¬ 
hung a path at the back of his house to such an 
extent that people, especially females, could not get to 
the back door without getting wet in rainy weather. 
As the prosecutor would not cut the branches back he 
took the matter in his own hands. The magistrates 
considered that the defendant had a right to keep his 
path clear, and dismissed the case. 
