342 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 27, 1900. 
Sir Walter Scctt took an uncommon interest in 
landscape gardening. He also wrote a good deal on 
the subject. 
Chrysanthemum Society of America.— A fee of two 
dollars, 8s. 4d , is charged by the above society 
against exhibitors for every variety of seedling or 
other Chrysanthemum they enter for the purpose of 
an award. If our own N.C.S. charged eight pence 
for every variety they have to judge upon, it would 
fill many an odd corner of the exchequer — or pro¬ 
bably keep worthless varieties in regions where they 
would for ever blush unseen. They, however—the 
Americans—award a silver cup to the owner of the 
seedling which secures the highest number of points 
Roses Grown by Criminals. — The head of the 
House of Correction in Chicago believes that women 
of the slums sentenced to imprisonment for mis¬ 
demeanours may be civilised and reformed by being 
made to cultivate Roses. He is convinced that the 
tending of flowers will have a mollifying effect upon 
the spirit even of the most hardened of women ; 
though he has a misgiving that the flowers will be 
liable to suffer in the first instance. The flowers are 
to be sect to market ; and leaders of fashion in the 
prairie City promise to patronise the Roses so 
grown. America is nothing if not enterprising in 
new methods of dealing with criminals. 
The Late William Prentice—The friends of 
this gardener will be sorry to learn of his sudden 
death, of heart disease, at his residence, Blandford 
Road, Beckenham, on Tuesday night, the 9th inst. 
He was 62 years of age, and had a fainting fit from 
which he never rallied, but quietly passed away. He 
had held gardening appointments in Stafford and 
Sussex. Latterly he suffered from chronic nephritis., 
and was a candidate for election at the annual 
general meeting of the Gardeners Royal Benevolent 
Institution, on the 12th inst. He had contributed 
£11 12 s . to the Institution in June 1890 ; and though 
this was his first application for relief, 865 votes 
were recorded in his favour. 
The old trees and the new in the New Forest. — Mr. 
E. Stafford-Howard, Her Majesty's Commissioner of 
Woods, has repeatedly called to the notice of the 
Treasury, the condition of certain old woods in the 
New Forest. The old unenclosed woods of the New 
Forest, he reports, must inevitably perish and disap¬ 
pear altogether before many years have passed away. 
The New Forest Act passed twenty-two years ago 
(1877), prevents the enclosure of any of these old 
woods, whereby they might by natural regeneration 
become once again on an equal with their past value. 
In the meantime cattle and horses have full liberty 
to wander and destroy all the young growth of trees. 
The report deals exhaustively with the question, and 
is quickened in its appeal from the conception of the 
need for instant reform. 
- -fr*- 
A SUITABLE POSITION FOR FOR 
SYTHIA SUSPENSA. 
Amongst the numerous bushes which bloom 
before the leaves appear on the branches, perhaps no 
one is more worthy of consideration, as regards thp 
position in which it should be placed, than this grand 
early flowering subject. One sometimes sees it growing 
on wind-swept spots surrounded by deciduous shrubs 
like itself, where the bright blossoms suffered as 
much from the lack of suitable neighbours, as a 
contrast, as they do from the want of shelter. An 
ideal place in which its grand pendant yellow sprays, 
sweeping earthward, is seen to admirable advantage 
is a sloping bank facing southward, the groundwork 
being kept as short grass, with a surrounding of 
evergreen?, preferably Portugal Laurels to any 
others, allowing sufficient space between the two to 
show the sward. In such a spot this welcome 
harbinger of spring is indeed a “thing of beauty" 
when in bloom, and holds out much longer with this 
environment than if placed in meaner and more ex¬ 
posed quarters, and is perfect while it lasts. More¬ 
over, the sombre hues of the Laurels, if kept in good 
condition, even seem to have their attractions en¬ 
hanced by near approach to their charming neigh¬ 
bour. I fancy the bedraggled condition of Forsythia 
suspensa in unsuitable spots may have helped some 
people to ignore iis merits. Placed in quarters as 
above indicated it is undoubtedly one of the stateliest 
and most interesting shrubs which bloom in the 
spring.— J. McAm, Kingsburgh, Presionkirk, N.B. 
Jan. 22nd, 1900. 
-- 
THE PERENNIAL ASTER OR 
MICHAELMAS DAISY. 
Few plants cultivated in the flower garden can out¬ 
rival these when properly treated and a careful 
selection of varieties is made. For, during the clos¬ 
ing days of summer and autumn, when nearly all 
other flowering plants are past, these supply a 
wealth of lovely blossom. Far too often we see only 
a few of the more common varieties dotted about in 
flower borders, but to see them in their true beauty 
they should be massed together in a border. They 
generally succeed best on a site facing east. It will 
be necessary to pay due regard to their heights, 
arranging them so that the tallest and most vigorous 
growers form a background, and, of course, the 
dwarfer and weaker ones to the front, and the 
greater the depth the more pleasing wilt be the dis¬ 
play. The ground should be thoroughly trenched 
during winter and enriched with good farmyard 
manure, and liberal supplies of water given during 
dry weather. 
The selection of varieties is of the utmost import¬ 
ance, and, as I have had the opportunity of carefully 
observing, perhaps, one of 
tivated, I propose giving a 
sider the best :— 
Early Flowering. 
Aster acris, 2 ft. 
,, Cottage Maid, 3 ft. 
,, Robert Parker, 5^ It. 
,, Madonna, 3 ft. 
,, Nancy, 4 ft. 
,, Pygmalion, ij ft. 
,, Harpur Crewe, 4J 
ft. 
„ laevigatus, 2 ft. 
,, F. W. Burbidge, 
5 ft- 
,, T- Smith, 3 ft. 
,, Ulster Echo, 4 ft. 
,, Shortii, 3 ft. 
Medium Flowering. 
Aster Top Sawyer, 6 ft. 
,, spectabilis major, 
Xi ft. 
,, Candida, 5 ft. 
,, St. Brigid, 4 ft. 
,, asteroides, 6 ft. 
,, puniceus pulcherri- 
mus, 7 ft. 
,, laevis (Chapmani), 
5 ft- 
,, cordifolius majus, 3 
ft. 
,, arcturus, 4 ft. 
,, Walter B. Childs, 
6 ft. 
,, Councillor W. Wal¬ 
ters, 5 ft. 
,, Mai, 4J ft. 
,, Ella, 6 ft. 
,, John Wood, 6 ft. 
„ J. F. Raynor, 4 ft. 
,, pulchellus, 4 ft. 
the finest collections cul- 
list of fifty of what I con- 
Medium Flowering,.— 
Continued. 
Aster W. M. Bowman, 4 
ft. 
„ turbinellus albus, 4 
ft. 
,, Amellus major, 2J 
ft. 
,, Amellus Riverslea, 
. 2 ft. 
,, Amellus Stella, 2 ft. 
,, ericoides elegans, 3 
ft. 
,, versicolor Themis, 
ft- 
,, cordifolius Diana, 4 
ft. 
Late Flowering. 
Aster versicolor 4^ ft. 
,, turbinellus, 3 ft. 
,, White Spray, 3 ft. 
,, Margaret, 5 ft. 
,, Mrs. C. W. Earle, 
5 i ft. 
,, ericoides, 3 ft. 
,, Henryi, 2 it. 
Very Late Flowering. 
Aster Tradescanti, 3 ft. 
,, diffusus horizonta- 
lis, 4 ft. 
., diffusus pendulus, 
4 J 
,, grandiflorus, 2J ft. 
,, Coombe Ftshacre, 
3 ^ ft. 
,, trinervius, 2\ ft 
., Archer Hinds, 4 ft. 
A. E. Thatcher. 
THE USE AND ABUSE OE PRUNING. 
Although the pruning of fruit trees is a most im¬ 
portant, and, indeed, indispensable operation at 
some, if not all, periods of their life, yet, like so 
much else, it is very liable to abuse, and as much, if 
not mrre, harm than good is frequently done by the 
unskilful or indiscriminate use of the knife or saw. 
Many of those who pretend to understand pruning 
slash away at a tree in such a merciless and injudi¬ 
cious manner that the result would be much better 
if they would let it alone altogether. Jobbing gar¬ 
deners are sad offenders in this respect, and for my 
own part I would never let a man whom I did not 
know and could not trust touch a. fruit tree of any 
value in my own garden. In fact, if pruning cannot 
be dene skilfully, it had better be left alone 
altogether. Both judgment and experience are 
necessary to the proper pruning of a fruit tree; 
mere theory is of very little use. The various 
effects that pruning may have upon a tree are so 
many, and depend upon such niceties of conditions 
or circumstances that unless a man knows what he is 
about it is quite possible that he may bring about 
the very opposite effect to that he intended. Prun¬ 
ing is done not only to insure a well-formed tree, but 
with such opposite oojects as (1) to check over¬ 
luxuriance and promote the formation of fruit buds 
or spurs, and (2) to promote vigour of growth. Then 
again, it is useful to keep a tree within its allotted 
limits, and also to admit light and air to the fruiting 
branches, and so ensure their productiveness ; for one 
of the plainest axioms in fruit culture is that 
crowded growth never will or can be fruitful. — H. J. 
Hughes, Ash Wood, Whitchurch, Salop. 
--—*— - 
FREESIAS. 
In short articles appearing at intervals in gardening 
papers, on the Freesia, a most important item of 
information is almost in every case omitted, even by 
some eminent writers, namely, the ripening and 
storing of the bulbs. Notes on the above usually 
begin with the imported bulbs, and end with the 
plants coming into flower. We have had our pres¬ 
ent stock for six or eight years, and the plants make 
better flowering bulbs than when first imported, hav¬ 
ing any number to pick from when saving one’s own 
bulbs. But to the point. If the plants are not used 
for cutting purposes, the faded sprays should be 
picked off at once, as they seed freely and cause a 
heavy drain on ihe bulb's resources. In any case 
the plants should be well supplied with water after 
flowering, until the foliage shows the first strawy 
tint of colour. Then water sparingly until the leaves 
become quite dead, when the soil should be as dry as 
dust. 
We remove the pots to a dry loft for the summer 
months. They should by no means be left about 
under greenhouse stages and such-like places where 
moisture may reach them. Premature growth will 
begin, which simply spoils them. Stored away in 
this fashion, they turn out of the dry soil, at potting 
time, as fresh and plump as one could desire.— 
A. Dickson, The Gardens, Glenormiston, Innerleithen, 
N.B., 20 th January, 1900. 
-- 
SEED SOWING UNDER GLASS. 
The time of year has again reached us when the 
gardener, professional and amateur, must soon set 
about placing the seeds of various flowering and 
foliage plants in pots, pans, or boxes of prepared 
soil to suit their requirements. In the first place, 
let all pots and pans be thoroughly washed, if old, 
and soaked in water for twenty-four hours if new, 
this being absolutely necessary if success is to crown 
your effoits, specially the soaking of new pots, as it 
is surprising the amount of moisture they withdraw 
from the soil if not immersed beforehand, to the 
detriment of all seeds, and plants as well. Clean 
crocks should be always used. Such are easily 
washed by putting them in a quarter-inch sieve, well 
swilling them round several times in a large tub of 
water, and allowing them to dry before usiDg. 
Always place a layer of rougher material next the 
drainage, such as turfy loam, leaf-soil, or peat, which¬ 
ever kind is in use ; and in filling the pots, etc., the 
soil must be made fairly firm, and with quite an even 
surface. Especially is this the case with the most 
minute seeds, as Gloxinia, Begonia, Lobelia, 
Calceolaria, Streptocarpus, and many others, and 
little or no covering is required of those just named, 
the merest sprinkling of sand being sufficient until 
germination has taken place. The finer the seed, 
the finer the soil to sow and cover with, and it should 
be watered two hours previous to sowing. — J. Moyne, 
Bicton. 
— ' ■ »» -— 
MELONS. 
Seed should be sown the first week in February, in 
a bottom heat of 70°. Plant singly in small pots, 
in a compost of good fibrous loam. The seeds soon 
germinate, and the plants will be ready for planting 
out by the end of the month. Care should be taken 
to keep the plants as near the glass as possible to 
maintain sturdy, short-jointed growth. The pits, 
previous to planting, should be thoroughly cleaned, 
and a brisk temperature of 65° to 70° maintained. 
Some fresh turf may be laid grass downwards over 
the staging. The compost should consist of two- 
thirds loam (not very fibrous), one-third half-decayed 
horse manure rubbed through a sieve, and a small 
quantity of old mortar rubble. Well mix the com¬ 
post and make a small heap for each plant, press 
firm. When watering be careful not to wet the 
collar (bottom of stem) of the plant, as this is a very 
tender part with Melons. Pinch once or twice, re¬ 
moving weak growths. When a sufficient number 
of healthy pistillate flowers are open together they 
