February 18. 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
133 
Hardy Fruit. 
Protecting Blossom.—To many readers it may appear prc- 
lature to write upon such a subject so early in the season, 
nit. when it is said that many flowers were to be seen the first 
.celt of this month upon Apricot trees here, a margin must be 
illowed for the genial county. 
This, combined with the exceptionally mild weather the past 
cw weeks, accounts for my remarks thereon. Doubtless 
novablc blinds in the way of scrim canvas ‘or hexagon netting 
u-e the best, and with care will last several years, but in the 
majority of gardens a double or treble thickness of herring 
nett imr has to do duty, and it is surprising the amount of hail 
uid frost a double thickness will ward off , it also breaks the 
mid, cutting winds we expect, if not experienced, during March 
and early April. Whatever material is used as a protection, 
means must be devised to prevent it. from touching the 
blossom, and this i's best done by placing small Fir-poles or 
1 i_j D quartering about A ft, from the base of the wall and 
fastening the top end at the apex of the wall, which is simple 
enough where there is a glass coping, but should this not exist, 
q large nail or staple will hold them in position. These 
[should be driven in every 8 ft. or TO ft., so as to ward off 
Tie covering; and if a’ couple of /-in. boards are nailed 
oo-ether so as to overlap and this secured to the poles, it will 
brm an excellent coping while protection is required. Where 
hinds are used these should be raised by day whenever the 
iveather is favourable, running them down again about 5 p.m. 
Raspberries may yet be planted, but as these are early in 
[starting to grow, the work must be quickly seen to, or little 
progress can be expected of them the coming season. Estab¬ 
lished stools should have their tops shortened to the desired 
height, and any canes planted back in the autumn to form 
new plantations should be cut down within 6 in. of the soil, 
L 0 as to throw the whole strength or sap into those young 
growths that will spring from the base. Autumn fruiting 
.nineties, too, require to be cut down fairly close to the ground- 
level at this date, as they produce fruit from canes made and 
ripened between March and September of this year. These 
[should be given a thick mulch of rich manure to encourage 
new growth, and if possible frequent manurial waterings 
during early summer. 
The Grape Vine. — The’se are not so often planted as of 
wore, probably on account of our fickle summers and the low 
price charged for good -fruit from mid-summer onwards, and 
his from under glass; but even this should or ought not to 
jieter the planter who has a spare piece of wall to cover, which 
( should be as near south as possible, so that plenty of sun shines 
on the wall during the hottest part of the day. As with other 
fruits, soil has a deal to do with successful culture of outdoor 
Vines, and perfect drainage must be given, as a plentiful water 
! supply during hot summers is needed if fine berries are ex¬ 
pected. Fibrous loam, perhaps a little less heavy than that 
usually advocated for use under glass, will form a good staple 
ifor the Vine, and its depth need not exceed 20 in. Retentive 
'soils can soon be lightened with charcoal, wood ashes, and old 
i plaster or mortar refuse, thoroughly mixing all together before 
putting into the border, which should be made quite firm when 
in good workable condition. Planting need not be done for 
mother month, when eveiy root should be carefuly uncoiled 
md laid out evenly and covered with about 4 in. of soil, and 
growth allowed to extend at will the first season—that is, the 
main shoot or shoots that are' taken up, of which more later on. 
Suitable varieties are Black Cluster, Miller’s Burgundy, Cam- 
iridge Botanic Garden, and Chasselas Vibert. Most nursery¬ 
men stock these. 
Current Work. — Early - February was more like April 
month, and should such extraordinarily mild weather continue, 
the majority of fruit trees and bushes will soon be bursting 
into growth. Therefore bring all planting operations to a close 
as speedily as possible, likewise the pruning, and this includes 
those planted during the past autumn and early winter; those 
that may be planted after this date I should prefer to leave 
until next, November. The Fig should bo exposed to the 
weather, or growth may bo hastened only to bo cut back or 
crippled later on. New Borders may bo made for this fruit if 
intending to plant in April; a similar soil will do as suggested 
for the Vine, also position, or if not against the wall, choo>e 
a warm, sheltered corner and make the soil firm to encourage 
shortrjointed growth. A concrete bottom is advisable, with 
ample drainage over this, that no stagnant water is possible. 
Bicton Gardens, Devonshire. Jambs Matne. 
The Flower Garden. 
Half-hardy Climbers. — There are several showy climbing 
plants which may be raised from seed annually and prove ex¬ 
ceedingly useful in a variety of ways. 
Ipomoea versicolor, often called Mina lobata, is a charming 
plant of twining habit, hailing from Mexico; the flowers are 
freely produced in racemes, and are bright orange-red in 
colour. This is an excellent plant for a sunny position on a 
trellis, or it may be trained on a wall by means of strings or 
wires. The plants should he of considerable size at bedding- 
out time, and, as for many other half-hardy annuals, it is 
better to sow early and grow on cool than have to rush them 
on in heat later. 
Ipomoea purpurea, the “ Morning Glory,” is of much de¬ 
corative value ; it is a fast grower and flowers freely through¬ 
out the summer. Flowers of different colours are obtained 
from one packet of seed, generally white or varying from 
purple to blue. Owing to its rapid growth this plant is par¬ 
ticularly useful for hiding unsightly places for a season, and 
will also prove useful for covering arbours, trellises, etc. 
Eccremocarpus scaber, native of Chili, is a lovely plant, and 
may be used in the ways suggested above. Although really a 
perennial, the roots rarely survive our winters unless protected, 
but as seedlings are easily raised, it is not worth while relying 
on old plants. The flowers are deep orange-red and freely 
produced, while the pretty bipinnate foliage adds to the charm 
of this old favourite. 
Tropaeolums.—The climbing varieties of Tropaeolum 
majus, such as Ball of Fire, lend themselves to similar uses 
and may be effectively used in places where the perennial T. 
speciosum does not thrive. Although often sown out of doors, 
it will be found an advantage to sow in pots_and plant out in 
May. As treated in this way the plants flower earlier, and 
if allowed plenty of freedom will bloom throughout the 
summer. 
Propagation.—Seeds should now be sown of tuberous Be¬ 
gonias ; it is advisable to maintain a stock of vigorous young 
tubers, and by sowing a small quantity of seed annually the 
best may be selected the same summer for use the following 
year. Seeds of fibrous-rooted kinds like B. semperflorens, if 
sown now and kept growing may be used for bedding this 
season. 
Salvia farinacea should now be sown, as the plants require 
to be of good size when put out. B. W. J. 
Evesham Gardeners ix France. —The market gardeners who 
availed themselves of the trip recently organised to see how 
market gardening is conducted iti France were welcomed and 
conducted over their market gardens by the French growers. 
The holdings were found to be small, but every comer was 
well utilised. For the production of early vegetables immense 
numbers of bell-glasses or clccbes are employed by the French 
market gardeners. The Evesham men found that the French 
have no advantage in climate over themselves, but that their 
success in the English market was due chiefly to the superior 
methods employed. It appears that the French gardeners have 
the command of a more plentiful supply of manure than the 
Evesham market men. In view of the heavy expense likely 
to be entailed, only the wealthy of the Evesham men will make 
experiments on an extensive scale for the present, but if the 
venture succeeds, others are certain to follow. They have one 
evident advantage in being near to good markets, so that they 
should certainly be able to hold their own against the french- 
men who send their produce for such long distances. 
