252 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 26. 1904. 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs, 
The time of year has arrived when those shrubs which are 
grown for the beauty of their coloured barks will have' to' be 
pruned, and as the ground is in excellent working condition it 
will be advisable to carry out the work without delay, for two 
reasons : those who' perform the operation can do' so with much 
greater ease and comfort., and consequently much more quickly, 
and little or no mes® will be made on the surrounding turf or 
where the shrubs may be growing. The best tool to' use is a. 
good sharp- knife so- that a clean cut can be made, taking care 
not to loosen any young plants at the root®. The 1 pruningsi of 
such as- Spiraea Douglasii make excellent light, stakes for plants, 
in pots, and if tied up in bundles and stored in a dry place will 
last a long time in a. suitable condition. If it is desired to 
increase the stock of such as Willows, Dogwoods, Sambuc-us, 
Spiraeas, etc., the stems- can be cut. into lengths and will root 
readily if inserted now in the open ground. It- cannot be tooi 
strongly impressed upon, tho-se who may not have had a. large 
experience with this mode of planting that to obtain, the finest, 
effects pruning must be thoroughly done. By this I mean the 
stems must be cut, off close to the base, so that the highly- 
coloured bark is obtained on the whole length of the shoot. I 
have seen many shrubs which are grown for their winter colour¬ 
ing only partially pruned, but, the results are anything but 
pleasing. 
. The same remarks- apply to shrubs in the- mixed border which 
may have become indifferent or unsightly in, appearance- owing 
to the want of proper pruning or other reasons. Many of 
these, if pruned hard, will be given new life and in time make 
good specimens. This- applies, of course, only to deciduous 
shrubs and otherwise than Conifers-, for these, if once they lose 
a limb, can never replace it and little can be- done to- improve 
their appearance. When the pruning is completed, the beds 
should be neatly forked o-ver, digging in, any decayed leave® or 
other refuse- which may be o-n. the -surface as 1 this will make 
good feeding material. If possible, a, top-dressing o-f loam 
should be given or any other suitable soil that, can be spared 
fo-r the purpose. 
Berberis japonica. —This handsome Barberry is n-o-w an 
attractive sight in the shrubbery owing to the great quantity of 
flower it produces- when -so many other shrubs- have not yet, 
commenced to- make visible signs- o-f growth. The foliage, which 
is a, foot or so in, length, is- pale green and furnished wit-h very 
sharp-, s-piny teeth, and when this -shrub- succeeds, well the 
leafage alone would make it a, conspicuous- object. Although 
considered by some to- be no-t, quite hardy e-nough fo-r this 
country, it has- received no injury with us in severe weather, 
providing so-me little attention is given a® to the position and 
soil when- planting. It thrives best in soil of a. rich loamy 
nature, which is; well drained, and protection, from cold, cutting 
winds is essential. 
The- flowers, produced in racemes from 4 in. to- 8 in. in 
length, thickly clustered together, are bell-shaped and de¬ 
liciously scented. If this shrub, shows; a, tendency to- become 
somewhat leggy this can .be remedied by pruning fairly hard 
back, and a,si a, rule it, forms a, spreading- dense bush between 
4 ft,, and 6 ft, in height, though probably it is much taller in 
favoured districts. 
Nuttallia cerasiformis — A s-omewhat neglected shrub-, but 
one that deserves inclusion in any collection, on. account, of itsi 
early flowering and the ease with which it, gro-ws in very poor 
soils where many other shrubs would fail. The individual 
flowers are- yellowish-green in colour, and produced in pendu¬ 
lous racemes s-0 thickly as to- cover the -st-ems. It forms a, 
dense bush fro-m 6 ft. to- 10 ft, in. height, and is easily pro¬ 
pagated by s-uokers, which appear freely. 
Erica carnea. —Whether planted at the edge of the 
shrubbery or in the rock garden- this dwarf Heath forms a 
mo-st pleasing sight during the early spring months, the deep 
pink flowers being produced in great quantity over a consider¬ 
able- period. As an edging for Rhododendron or similar beds 
it is not surpassed, and an occasional clip- with the shears will 
keep it dwarf and compact. Rhododendrons, Andromeda®, 
Azalea® and other peat-loving -subjects should now receive a 
goo-d top-dressing of this- material, o-r, failing peat, decayed 
leaves, will prove very beneficial, which should be strewed over 
the surface and not forked in. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenham Ho-us-ei Gardens, Elstree. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
The long-looke-d-for change- in -the weather has come at last, 
and during the past ten days- the rainfall ha® been very slight, 
consequently the ground is now in a splendid condition for 
working, and eveiy effort should be put forth to bring the work 
a® far as possible up- to date. Assuming -that the greater 
portion o-f the- vacant plots- have been dug or trenched, little 
difficulty will be- found in bringing the surface to- a suitable 
tilth, even, for -small -seed sowing. On s-tiff, stubborn soils 
advantage should be taken when the weather is quite diy in 
early morning pointing over the- surface to the depth of about- 
3 in-., when towards mid-day the free use o-f a wo-oden rake 
will render it all that can be desired. 
Potatos. — Good batches- o-f the earlier varieties s-ho-uld now 
be planted in, sheltered positions, and on cold, wet land time 
and material will be well s-pent if the tubers- are carefully em¬ 
bedded in some diy, soft compo-st. Old Mushroo-m-bed manure 
and half-de-oayed leaf-soil, with a dash of soot and lime added 
to- it, the whole- being thoroughly well mixed by turning it over 
three or four times before using, will not only assist in giving 
them a goo-d start, but the crop- will be much heavier and the 
produce much cleaner and more satisfactory. Early Potatos 
should be planted fairly deep, and overcrowding strictly 
avoided. Sharpe's; Victor, May Queen, Sir J. T. Llewellyn, 
Webb's Express-, and a, good typ-e o-f the old Ashleaf are all 
very des-irahle varieties for planting at -this- s-e-ason. Delay the 
planting o-f the main crop- for at least, another ten days- or a 
fortnight-, but see that the sets are all singly laid out, and affo-rd 
them a® much light and air as- possible so- that the yo-ung shoots 
are in a s-tout, -sturdy condition before- planting. 
Cucumbers. — Little difficulty will now be experienced in 
cultivating these on, ordinary well-made hotbeds-, but, like 
-everything e-lse, there- isi a, right, and wrong way, and extreme 
care should be taken to prepare the material well beforehand. 
Long stable litter and good leaves should be used in equal pro¬ 
portions-, put together in. a, heap and turned at least two or 
three times- before using, -when it s-ho-uld be put together in a 
good body in a, pleasing and workmanlike- manner and the 
frame place-d the-reo-n, at the same time thrusting in a, go-od 
stout, stick t-o- test the temperature. The compost should be 
prepared and placed in the- dry under cover a, few days- before 
required. Lo-am, leaf-soil and road sidings in equal propor¬ 
tions, to which -sho-uld be added b peck o-f finely crushed char¬ 
coal to- every two- barrowfuls, will make a, suitable mixture, but, 
o-n no- account, sho-uld this- be place-d in the frame till it- is quite 
certain the lre-at in the fermenting material is- well on the de¬ 
cline, and it is always- well even then to- place the compost in a 
ridge- in the centre, so that it- isi possible for the lre-at, should 
there be to-o much, to- escape without- burning the soil. After 
the whole is. nicely warmed, select the warmest part- of the day, 
plant, peg them down and nurse along carefully for a, few days. 
Fresh lining should be added asi required, and the lights- tho¬ 
roughly covered at- night. A little air should be given quite 
early in the nro-ming to prevent, burning, hut, syringe and shut 
up early in the afternoon. More seed sho-uld be- sown o-f s-uo- 
cession-al crops, also o-f Ridge or outdoor varieties. 
