January 7, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
0 
woody matter will facilitate the potting arrangements later 
in the season. 
Sphagnum moss should also he secured in periods of open 
weather. It is impossible to collect suitable moss when the 
ground is hard and frozen, nor is it desirable to use moss that 
has been under water for any length of time. If picked, 
watered, placed in a cool place and turned about once a week 
it will keep in good condition for a long time. 1 he past year 
has, perhaps, been the most popular year Orchid cultivation 
has ever experienced. It has proved to be not only popular 
but a record year. 1 have had upwards of a. quarter ot a cen¬ 
tury in very close connection with Orchid cultivation. I have 
never known so many introductions of sterling merit. The 
popular Odontoglossum crispum reigns supreme among the 
species, both in novelty and variety and record prices that are 
obtainable; but by far the most satisfactory from a culti¬ 
vator's point of view is the development of home products, or 
the results obtained from seedlings. The proof of the amal¬ 
gamation of the white sports in Cattleyas, producing fixed 
albino characteristics, is one of the chief items of scientific in¬ 
terest in hybridisation, and should encourage those who have 
advocated the increase of this most interesting and desirable 
class of plants. ___ > H. J. 
Hardy Fruit. 
Planting and Pruning. — Although frequent remarks as to 
the former have appeared in these pages from the end 
of October last, and rightly too, as there can be no two opinions 
as to which is the best time to plant providing the soil is 
in good working order and everything else in readiness, yet 
such advice stands good for some few weeks and may be safely 
acted upon where pressure of work or other unforeseen circum¬ 
stances may have prevented the advice being carried into effect. 
The weather during the latter half of December was all in 
favour of planting, the soil being in capital working order; 
even in retentive soils one could push on the work, but it is 
unwise to attempt it when in any way wet or much frost is in 
the ground. Much can be done though, where the planter has 
heavy soils to contend with, by getting a few barrow-loads of 
dry refuse soil from the potting shed, and shaking this well 
down among the roots before replacing the ordinary staple. 
As regards pruning, this extends well into the new year in 
gardens of any size, as it is rarely convenient to keep the 
men constantly at the work, other important jobs having to 
be seen to every now and again, yet- from this date it should 
be pushed forward with all speed except in the case of the 
Nectarine and Peach, which are best left until the end of 
the month, so that it can be determined whether the shoots 
are properly ripened or’not, this applying the more to cold 
or low-lying districts. 
Many gardeners still adhere to the old plan of taking the 
trees from the walls with a view of retarding the flowering 
period, but it is doubtful whether much is gained by the prac¬ 
tice. The trees have held their foliage rather longer than usual, 
but I see no reason why the wood should not have ripened 
thoroughly, seeing what excellent autumn weather we had the 
past year, and the majority of the trees carrying good crops 
prevented gross wood being made, therefore the fruiting shoots 
for this year ought to be well studded with fruit-buds, which 
is the case in these gardens. Opinions differ as to pruning 
newly-planted trees, some thinking they are best left until next 
season, but it largely depends upon the growth made the past 
summer ; in any case defer it for the present, when in a later 
issue I hope to revert to this subject again. 
Top dressing Fruit Trees. — As soon as the pruning has been 
finished and gathered up, the question arises, Would the trees 
benefit by the removal of two or three inches of the surface 
soil to be replaced by fresh loam with bone-meal added, and 
in the case of stone fruits lime rubble or old plaster refuse 
thoroughly incorporated? In most instances they would, es¬ 
pecially wall-trees, but where fresh soil cannot annually be 
given, a moderate dressing of soot, wood-ashes or lime 
•V ' ° 
lightly pricked in with the fork tends to sweeten the rooting 
medium, and allows a free passage .for the rainfall. It a 
mistake to crop too tightly to the roots of fruit trees, a dis¬ 
tance varying from two to four feet should be observed in 
tdl cases, as digging with spade or fork must destroy many 
fibrous roots. Trees planted on turf should have an annual 
top-dressing of refuse soil with a good percentage of lime in 
it, or decayed farmyard manure for old plantations, the good¬ 
ness of which will be washed to the roots before summer. 
The Fruit Room. —Pears have got scarce by now, even the 
latest varieties are fit for table with us; those that can be 
relied on after the new year can be counted on one’s hand. 
Such' as Winter Nelis, Clou Moiyeau, Passe Crassane, were 
used before Christmas, and Bergamot d’Esperen are now ripen¬ 
ing. This requires a warm soil and a good summer to put 
flavour into it, even in this county when grown as a standard ; 
the fruits are very fine this season, but many lack lusciousness. 
There are plenty of Apples left, which will not be in quite so 
much request now Rhubarb is in ; but the most should be made 
of them, as it is a long time before any other fruit will come 
in for kitchen use. Examine the stock weekly, sorting out for 
immediate use those showing signs of decay in any form, as 
they quickly start sound fruit to go if lying long together. 
On bright dry days admit a little air for two or three houi-6 
to sweeten the atmosphere while at other times keep the room 
dark, as fruits keep much better than when the light is allowed 
to reach them. James Mayne. 
Bicton, Devonshire. 
Points in Plant Breeding. 
The Department of Agriculture has just issued several re- 
prints from the Year Books, dealing with the subject of plant 
breeding. These include “ Hybrids and their Utilisation in 
Plant Breeding,” “ Improvements of Plants by Selection,” 
“ Progress of Plant Breeding i'n the United States,” " Plant 
Breeding,” etc. 
From the pamphlet entitled " Hybrids and their Utilisation 
in Plant Breeding,” we take the following interesting particu¬ 
lars : 
Inasmuch as the sexuality of plants was unknown, or at 
least very imperfectly understood, prior to the last two cen¬ 
turies, while a knowledge of the sex distinction of animals 
dates from the dawn of human history, it is not surprising 
that while the hybridising of animals was well understood by 
the ancients, they did not. know that crossing was possible 
with plants. Experimental proof of the sexuality of plants 
was published for the first time by Camerarius, December 28th, 
1691, and only after this discovery was the function of pollen 
and its necessity for seed formation understood. About twenty 
years later Thomas Fairchild, an English gardener, made the 
first recognised plant hybrid by crossing the Carnation with 
the Sweet William. The plants grown from the hybridised 
seeds, known as Fairchild’s Sweet William, were cultivated at 
least a hundred years under the same name, and possibly are 
still in cultivation. The first careful studies of hybrid plants 
were made by Ivoelreuter in 1760, and not till nearly the 
middle of the following century was his work surpassed. 
That unustial vigour of the offspring results from crossing 
slightly diverse plants has been thoroughly proved by the 
striking researches of Darwin and others. It has been said 
by Naegeli that 1; the consequences of fertilisation reach their 
optimum when a certain mean difference in the origin of the 
sexual cells is attained," and by Fritz Mueller that “ every 
plant requires, for the production of the strongest possible and 
most prolific progeny, a certain amount of difference.between 
male and female elements which unite. Fertility is dim¬ 
inished as well when this degree is too law (in relatives too 
closely related) as when it is too high (in those too little re¬ 
lated).” Darwin says : ‘‘ The offspring from the union of dis¬ 
tinct individuals, especially if their progenitors have been sub¬ 
jected to very different conditions, have an immense advau- 
