November 26. 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
967 
which we often get in early autumn. The depth to which the 
trees ought to be planted should be just below the union ol 
the stock and graft. Then the stock would be able to root right 
up to the graft, and be of much service to the tree in after 
years. He next touched upon root-pruning as being the best 
method of checking strong-growing trees, which require to be 
kept under proper control. The safest way to begin opera¬ 
tions is by digging a trench 2 ft. away from the trunk of the 
tree, and, say, 2 ft. or 2g ft. deep, doing one-half way round 
the tree the first year and the remaining half the next year. 
In proceeding, remove the soil carefully from between the 
roots, after which sever all the roots which have made their 
way into the subsoil, and refill with plenty of fresh soil and 
any other refuse which will help to produce larger and cleaner 
fruit. Mr. Neal next spoke upon the different methods of 
pruning the various forms of fruit trees ; he also impressed 
upon his hearers the great advantage gained in keeping them 
well ojDen, so as to admit plenty of light and air through the 
tree, to enable the wood to get well ripened. He gave some 
capital recipes for checking such pests as American blight, 
Codlin Moth, Green Fly, Lichen growing on the trees, etc. After 
dealing in a very practical manner with the treatment of 1 ears, 
Plums, and Cherries, and illustrating various points, whilst 
speaking, with samples of fruit, he brought to a close a most 
edifying address, which was the means of many questions being 
asked, which Mr. Neal most ably and fully answered. 
Gardening' Appointment. —Mr. David Hay, foreman, Kennit 
House, Alloa, and late of Udston House, Hamilton, has been 
appointed head gardener to Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, Bel¬ 
mont Castle, Perthshire. 
* * * 
Wedding Bells. —On Monday last was celebrated the wed¬ 
ding of Mr. Robert L. Proudlock, curator of the Government 
Gardens and Parks, Ootacamund, Madras, India, and Miss 
Rosetta Lewis, at Kew Church, Kew. For some months past 
Mr. Proudlock has been staying in England, and after a brief 
sojourn in America will return to India. As he is a past Kewite, 
this event will add one more to the list of wedding bells in 
the next issue of the Journal of the Kew Guild. 
* * * 
Weather Notes prom the Glasgow District.- In this dis¬ 
trict, and throughout the North generally, the weather has 
been remarkably tine and mild for this time of year for some 
time. It appears from the meteorological reports that the area 
of this mildness extends unusually far north, and that the tem¬ 
perature is, even in Norway, proportionately higher than in 
places as far south as Paris. On the 20th, however, a decided 
change came over the country, and on the 21st the land¬ 
scape presented quite a wintry appearance, snow having fallen 
during the night to the depth of a few inches, and continued to 
fall. From a gardening and agricultural standpoint this change 
will be considered welcome, for the abnormal mildness, did it 
continue, would endanger the prospects of the coming year. 
* * * 
Prize Potatos. —Last season Messrs. I. Poad and Sons, 
York, offered several prizes for the heaviest crops of Potatos 
grown from and supplied by them. The various lots have 
now been tested by the taking up of two separate perches. For 
heaviest crop of Northern Star grown from not less than 10 cwt. 
—First prize, £50, Mr. E. AY. Dickinson, Naburn, 20 tons 15 
cwt. per acre ; second prize, £20, Mr. E. B. Jackson, Tliirsk, 
19 tons 1 cwt. 1 qr. per acre. For heaviest crop of Northern 
Star grown from not less than 5 cwt.—First prize, £20, Mrs. 
Richard Hobson, Crockey Hill, 18 tons 10 cwt. per acre ; second 
prize, £10, Mr. C. Kirby, Dishforth, Boroughbridge, 17 Lons 
2 cwt. 3 qr. per acre. For heaviest crop of Northern Star grown 
from not less, than 2 cwt.—Two prizes of £5 each : Mr. G. 
Tattersall, Hagg Bush, -Selby, 18 tons 18 cwt. 1 qr. per acre ; 
Air. J. L. Stark, Huntington, 17 tons 8 cwt, 2 qr. per acre. 
For heaviest crop of Royal Kidney, a prize of £10 : Mr. Brig¬ 
ham Carlton, Crockey Hill, 17 tons 1 cwt. 2 qr. per acre ; 
second, Mr. E. W. Dickinson, Naburn, with 15 tons 15 cwt. per 
acre ; and Air. AA T illiam Winters, Escrick, nearly 15 tons per 
acre. For heaviest crop of Evergood, a prize of £10: Mr. C. 
Gypson, Grimston Grange, Tadcaster, 18 tons 9 cwt. 1 qr. ; 
second, Mr. James M. Jackson, Thirsk, 17 tons 17 cwt. To 
allow for the vigorous growth of the, Northern Star it was stipu¬ 
lated that the rows should be not less than 30 in. wide, and the 
sets planted not less than 18 in. apart, instead of the customary 
27 in. by 12 in. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of gardening. Questions should be put, 
as briefly as possible, and written on one side of the paper only; a 
separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
of their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressed 
enve'ope is enclosed, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken- 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, “The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Tar and Ash Paths. 
Could you give me any hints about the making of paths with 
tar and ash? (G. West.) 
The first consideration is what the walk has got to carry when 
made. If any heavy traffic has to pass over it, a good solid 
foundation must be made with brickbats or stones, beating 
them down firmly, and of sufficient depth to carry the weight. 
The actual process of making the covering material consists of 
getting two parts of dry lime rubble and one part of coal 
ashes, sifted through a half-inch sieve. The rougher material 
should, of course, be broken so as to pass readily through this 
mesh. Choose a dry, firm piece of ground ; mix these ingre¬ 
dients, then make a hole in the middle, in the same way as 
labourers prepare to mix mortar, and pour the boiling tar into 
this. The mixture must then be gradually turned into the 
boiling tar until it is sufficiently thick to be workable like 
mortar. Three inches of this should be placed on the surface 
of the previously-prepared walk, and then beaten down. The 
next process would consist in sprinkling sand or fine gravel 
over the top, in order to take away the artificial look and 
the colour of the asphalte that has just been prepared. Before 
this has become finally hardened it should be well rolled, to 
make it firm and even. In a few days this will set quite firm. 
Clematis to Flower in Autumn. 
AVe have a large plant of Clematis montana which blooms in 
spring, but we should like another to flower in autumn. Please 
name one that would answer this purpose. (J. AA 7 .) 
A very free-flowering species that blooms in autumn or 
during September is C. Flammula. The flowers are small and 
creamy-wliite, but they are produced in great abundance by 
healthy, well-developed plants. If you would like a larger- 
flowering species, it would be worth your while to make an ex¬ 
periment with C. Jackmanni, which blooms in September in 
the North, especially after certain treatment. A common plan 
is to cut down the stems in the autumn, when the first frosts 
spoil the ajipearance of the plants. The next season fresh 
growths are pushed up from the roots, and have to be trained 
to wires or stakes. The process of development takes a con¬ 
siderable time, and, owing to the fact that the stems were 
cut down, the plant next year blooms late as a consequence. 
In the southern counties the stems live through the winter in 
the open, and bloom early from side growths, but by me 
cutting-down process the flowering is greatly retarded, and 
you might try the experiment to see whether this would answer 
in your district. 
Hedge Plants on a Wall. 
I should be much obliged for the names of flowering plants 
which would grow on the toji of a retaining wall so as to appear 
like a hedge. (T. AVallace.) 
A very good plant for this purpose would be Fuchsia Ric- 
cartoni, which practically blooms till the frost of autumn puts 
a stop to its career. It is also particularly well suited-in the 
matter of soil, even on the top of a retaining wall, if so 
planted that its roots can get into the soil behind the wall. 
Another showy flowering plant is Leycesteria formosa, which 
usually flowers freely, and in the autumn becomes even more 
effective by the bronzy-purple colour assumed by the large 
bracts situated on the flower spikes. The berries also assume 
a similar hue, and the plants seem to withstand a considerable 
amount of drought ; but in situations like this a cultivator can 
