286 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
Decemoer 29, 1900. 
PARSNIP FRITTERS. 
Boil four good-sized Parsnips, and mash in cream; 
add three well-beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of 
silted flour, a piece of butter the size of an egg, one 
teacupful of milk, and season with salt and pepper 
to taste. Drop on a hot buttered griddle aud bake 
as pancakes. Serve hot with syrup or sauce. 
A FERTILE APRICOT TREE. 
In the year 1838 an Apricot tree in the gardens of 
Arundel Castle, covering about one thousand super¬ 
ficial feet of wall, bore 3,852 ripe fruits. The unripe 
fruit gathered for tarts numbered 13,885. It would 
be interesting to know if a similar record to this can 
be found in more recent years.— W.B G. 
COLTSFOOT WINE. 
We have Parsley and Vegetable Marrow jelly ; and 
lately Loganberry jam with other additions to our 
list of fruit preserves. Then the list of wines that 
the vegetables and fruits of the garden yield is un¬ 
limited and is continually tieiDg increased. It 
already includes Black Currant wine, Gooseberry 
wine, Grape wine, Parsnip wine, Elderberry wine, 
and so oa ad infinitum. And now we have a recipe 
from the Irish Farming World on how to use the 
flowers of the Coltsfoot that are so abundant all 
over the land in early spring. The recipe runs— 
“ Pour six gallons of boiling water upon two pecks of 
flowers, let them stand two hours, drain off, and to 
every gallon aid three lb. raw sugar, one Lemon, one 
Orange, quarter oz. ginger. Boil all together one 
hour ; add, when cool enough, a little yeast. Chop 
half a pound raisins to every gallon, put them into a 
cask, and when the liquor has worked enough pour 
it upon them ; let it stand until settled, then bung 
it up. Bottle in three aonths with a little brandy.” 
NOTES ON PRUNING. 
Now that the pruning knives and secateurs are being 
brought out, the subject of pruning is seen to be in 
the gardener’s mind. Young trees are largely 
planted too, and how to treat these should be well 
considered. Bush and pyramid trained trees are 
much in demand, more so than they used to be. 
When young trees in either of these forms are 
planted, the leading and main lateral shoots should 
be headed well back to lay a stout centre. In the 
after growth they will also require to be repeatedly 
kept shortened in order to secure thickened and 
fruitful wood. The position of the buds should be 
studied when pruning. Prune to a bud that points 
upward, or in ’the same direction as the shoot that 
is being pruned. Avoid as much as possible leaving 
two buds facing each other, even though they are on 
opposite shoots. When such buds grow out their 
twigs shall either cross or grow too close for each 
other's good. Keep the centres of all trees as open 
and free to air, sunshine, and rain as the nature of 
circumstances will allow. The early prunings when 
the tree is young are more for the purpose of getting 
a good form and structural foundation laid. When 
the tree has put on the mould that a good tree 
should have, the pruning goes more on double lines 
after that. The first is for fruit, and the second to 
keep the tree symmetrical, according to rule and 
reason. Once a tree has become fruitful, it is 
generally an easy matter to keep it in that state. Its 
vigour goes to the swelling of fruits and prevents 
unnecessary luxuriance of wood growth. The 
shoots that are made are firm and set with fruit 
bads, and so the fruitful trees remain fruitful. It is 
therefore well worth while to take pains with a 
young tree to start with. Do the planting carefully 
and according to the rules which experience has 
directed ; but do not neglect the roots. Top dress 
them and encourage fibrous roots to keep near the 
surface. It is only by the fibrous root system that the 
fertility of the tree can be maintained ; the great, 
thick roots are mere water pipes that rush up weak 
sap for the formation of gross, instead of fertile 
wood. One cannot but regard a fruit tree as a 
complete entity. No one will succeed in fruit 
culture who has not a sympathy and some amount of 
knowledge about the working of roots, stems, and 
leaves. 
So it comes that having got a well balanced tree, 
the needs in the way of pruning are principally the 
shortening of the outer shoots, the spurring-in of 
lateral", and the cutting away of old or of weak 
wood. The roots should be so treated that good 
wood becomes a habit of growth. The best time to 
prune Apples, Pears, and Plums, is soon after the 
leaves have fallen. Peaches, Apricots, and Figs are 
usually left till the turn of the year. If root pruning 
is required, October is a good season to effect this 
operation. When it is necessary to check over 
luxuriance, a tree requires to be root pruned. This, 
however, should be done with caution, and not in the 
harsh way performed by some growers. We have 
seen trees so crippled that it took them a whole 
season to recover. Gooseberries and Currants may 
now be pruned ; Raspberries should always have the 
old canes removed so soou as the crop is past for the 
year. — P. 
-- 
LEGAL NOTES. 
The Trade Poisons Bill. 
In our notice of the above in last week’s issue the 
fouith line beginning : *• The Bill seeks to make it 
lawful for all chemhts "—should read : " The Bill 
seeks to make it lawful fcr all dealers, including 
chemists to sell poisons,” and so on. 
READ THIS. 
A weekly award of 5s. will be made by the pro¬ 
prietors of The Gardening World, to the person 
who sends the most interesting or valuable item of 
news upon passing events likely to interest horticult¬ 
urists at large ; hints containing suggestive facts of 
practical interest to gardeners or growers of plants, 
fruits, or flowers; successful methods of propagating 
plants usually considered difficult ; or any other 
tohic coming within the sphere of gardening proper. 
The articles in question should not exceed 250 words, 
and should be marked " Competition.” The address 
of the winner will be published. The Editor's 
judgment must be considered final. The communi¬ 
cations for each week should be posted not later 
than Monday night. 
The prize last week was awarded to Mr. W. N 
Waite, Southfields, for his article on •• Asparagus 
Beds,” p. 262. 
Several very useful and seasonable articles of a 
high order of merit have overstepped the limits 
available for securing the prize. 
--— 5 --— 
QllGSTlOnS ADD ARStUeRS. 
.*« Will our friends who send usnews.apers be so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged by their so doing. 
Protecting Tea Roses in Winter.— W. D.: You 
may at once get material ready for protecting your 
Tea Roses, but we should advise you not to give 
any protection until the state of the weather makes 
it necessary. Newly planted Roses are more liable 
to be injured at the ground line by hard frost than 
those thatare established. It is a good plan to draw 
several inches of the soil against the crown of the plant 
and leave it thus till all danger of hard frost is 
over. To provide against hard frost get ready 
some bracken or green Spruce branches. The latter 
retain their leaves for a considerable time in winter 
and afford a great amount of protection. They could 
be stuck into the ground or around the bushes, or if 
frozen hard, then lay the green branches against 
the plants, securing the whole with matting or twine. 
Less work than this would be entailed by laying 
dry bracken amongst the branches of the Roses. 
The latter should always be left uncovered during 
spells of open weather to keep them as hardy as 
possible. 
China Roses for a Hedge on a Terrace.— 
G. C. M. : For a pleasing light coloured hedge you 
could not do better than plant the common Monthly 
Rose, which has blush or blush-pink flowers pro¬ 
duced in great profusion both during summer and 
autumn. Laurette Messimy is also a vigorous 
grower, producing bright rose flowers shaded with 
coppery yellow. Madame Eugene Resal is a seed¬ 
ling from the previous one and surpasses it, if any¬ 
thing, for its free-flowering propensities. It is also 
a strong grower, and bears red flowers varying to a 
paler hue, and more or less tinted with orange- 
yellow. Should you prefer a dark Rose to either of 
the above you could not do better than get Cramosie 
Superieure (also spelt Cramoisi Superieur) which 
has very rich velvety-crimson flowers, freely pro¬ 
duced. The lighter colours are most effective in the 
dusk of the evening, but the crimson is striking in 
s inshine. Plant the bushes sufficiently close to touch 
one another when moderate growth has been made, 
and trim the hedge with a knife merely cutting in the 
Ions shoots to regulate the hedge. 
Primula Sieboldi in tfie open.— T. W.: The old 
or common form at least is hardy, and most of the 
others would also stand without protection. As the 
rhizomes and roots are situated near the surface a 
good plan would be to top dress them with leaf 
mould fairly well decayed so as to form less induce¬ 
ment to the birds to scatter them about over the 
place. The leaf mould will be of great service in 
spring when we are likely to get dry and parching 
cold east winds. 
Temperature for Freesias — Enquirer : It is quite 
a mistake to keep them too close and warm as it 
draws up the foliage and stems weakly. A night 
temperature of 450, rising to 50° during the day will 
be quite sufficient. Place the pots on a shelf in some 
vinery or other house kept at the temperature 
stated. Being close to the glass will tend to keep 
the plants dwarf and sturdy with good substance in 
the foliage. Keep the soil always moderately moist 
but not sodden. It will depend on the weather as 
to the amount of water they will require, but keep 
your eye always upon them. 
Clematis Juckmannii for Pillars on the Lawn.— 
T. Andrews : To insure good growth and plenty of 
bloom you should prepare positions for the plants at 
any time during winter but the sooner the better, as 
the soil will get settled. Circular holes, 3 ft. or 4 ft. 
in diameter, may be taken out where you intend to 
plant. Chose positions that are na.urally well 
drained or failing that make sure that superfluous 
water will pass away so as not to drown the soil in 
winter. The holes should be 2 ft. deep, or even 
deeper, if necessary, to put in brick rubble for drain¬ 
age. Loosen up the bottom. If the s oil is poor, 
then get some light sandy loam or mix it with sand 
so that it may be porous and rich. Fill in with this 
and allow it to settle. The Clematis maybe planted 
at the end of March or in April. Do not use 
iron pillars as they get heated with the sun in sum¬ 
mer and kill the plants. Wooden pillars are better ; 
and you will get finer effects by having some cross 
pieces of wood at the top so that you can fix half a 
dozen wires to them taking the latter to the ground 
where they may be fastened to strong pegs in the 
soil. Tie the young shoots to these till they get to 
the top of the wires after which they will take care 
of themselves. Mulch the beds in winter. 
Single and Double Blooms on a Chrysanthe¬ 
mum. — John Colley : You did not state which of the 
blooms is the ordinary form on the plant, but we 
should take it that the single crimson one with two 
or three rows of crimson rays is the type, and that 
the double flower represents the sport. The double 
one represents a Japanese variety with crimson 
florets more or less tinted and tipped with yellow, 
and has a few unchanged florets in the centre like 
those of the single variety. Chrysanthemums are 
very erratic and occasionally behave in the way you 
mention. As far as we remember, the old variety 
Bertier Rendatler, used to produce several blooms 
from the same head like the one you mention. 
Madame Carnot frequently produces a number of 
small heads at the base of the big bloom, after the 
fashion of the old Hen-and-Chickens Daisy. You 
may be able to fix the sport just in the same way as 
sports of a new colour are fixed. The plan is to 
mark the shoot that bore the sport; then cut off the 
blooms and encourage the stems to grow and throw 
out side shoots. Take these off as cuttings, and 
grow them as plants co flower next autumD, when 
you will be able to see whether the sport is fixed or 
not. Side shoots do not make good cuttings as a 
rule, but in trying to fix a sport you will have to be 
contented with them the first year. Cuttings may 
also be taken from the base of the stem that bore 
the double flowers, but they are less certain to give 
double flowers, if any single ones were on them. 
Names of Plants —H. J .: 1, Quercus Ilex; 2, 
Berberis Aquifolium ; 3, Bromus brizaeformis ; 4, 
Antennaria margaritacea ; 5. Amobium alatum ; 6, 
Rhodaothe Manglesii— T. B.\ 1, Odontoglossum 
andersonianum; 2, Maxillaria punctata; 3, Oncidium 
varicosum; 4, Cypripedium Godefroyae.— A. G. B. : 
1, Onychium japonicum; 2, Pteris quadriaurita 
argyrea; 3, Adiantum formosum; 4, Adiantum 
trapeziforme Santae Catherinae; 5, Polystichura 
vestitum; 6, Hemionitis palmata. — J. Reid ; 
1, Sibthorpia europaea variegata ; 2, Othoana 
crassifolia ; 3, Aloe mitraeformis; 4, Oxalis 
corniculaia rubra ; 5, Echeveria retusa ; 6, Sedum 
rupestre; 7, Sedum sarmentosum variegatum. 
— D. C. : Pelargonium Radula ; 2, Pelargonium 
tomentosum ; 3, Myrtus communis.— A. K. : 1, 
Eranthemum nervosum ; 2, Begonia incarnata 
insignis.— C. Dixon ; It is a stranger and will have to 
be flowered before it can be determined .—Country 
Reader-. 1, Golden Feather or the Golden Fevertew 
(Chrysanthemum Parthenium aureum, often named 
Matricaria Parthenium aureum in gardens) ; 2, The 
Navel wort (Cotyledon Umbilicus.) 
Communications Received. — S. C.—Ore.—L. 
Farmar.—R. F.—A. L.—M. D.—C. Macquarie.—R. 
M.—A. C.—W. D.—Alex. D.—A. J. B.—A.M'K — 
H. L. 
—-—I—- 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Dobbie & Co , Rothesay, Scotland.—Dobbies’ Cata¬ 
logue and Competitors' Guide, 34th Annual Edition. 
Otto Putz, Erfurt, Germany.—Annual Trade 
Seed List. 
