522 
THE GARDENING WORLD , 
July 1, 1905 
decaisneana has decidedly rosy-pink flowers. 
In America it seems that individual trees or 
seedlings may even have yellow-white 
flowers. Amongst all the names above 
given Robinia would seem to be the most 
definite. 
Rooks as Friends or Enemies. 
The above subject is one which is fre¬ 
quently discussed, sometimes with reason 
and sometimes without. It is very largely 
a question of numbers. Rooks do occasion¬ 
ally feed on gram, Potatos, and possibly 
other crops in winter when food is scarce, 
the greatest amount of damage being done 
to Potatos when they are making their 
growth in summer. This is caused by the 
rooks picking out the tubers from the drills, 
and this most often occurs in fields at some 
distance from dwelling houses, where they 
can carry on their operations more or less 
unmolested. This could scarcely apply togar- 
dens unless they were large ones, sufficiently 
remote from dwelling houses and situated 
near a rookery. We admit then that rooks, 
under certain circumstances, aie capable of 
doing even a considerable amount of harm, 
but this can be regulated in districts where 
it does occur, especially in the neighbour¬ 
hood of large rookeries. Landlords and 
those having the control of game usually 
permit men on the estate and neighbour¬ 
hood to shoot rooks during the first ten or 
fourteen days after the young rooks com¬ 
mence to leave the nest. Such being the 
case it merely becomes a local question of 
thinning down the rooks to a reasonable 
degree by shooting the young ones. On 
the o'her hand, it would be a great mistake 
to exterminate rooks in any district, as they 
undoubtedly do a deal of good by destroying 
injurious insects of several kinds, including 
the grubs of sevtral species of moth that in 
cei tain seasons and in certain districts 
become so numerous as to destroy crops in a 
wholesale manner. 
Fruit of Corypha elata. 
Several of the Palms flower and fruit only 
once in their lifetime and then die. Two 
photographs of Corypha elata w T ere sent to 
the meeting of the Linnean Society on the 
1st inst. by Mr. J. F. Waby, F.L.S. At a 
meeting in 1903, photographs were shown of 
tw r o trees of this Palm of equal age. One 
of them flowered in the usual way and died, 
the other threw up a secondary growth of 
leaves. The photographs sent on the 1st 
inst. related to this tree which had flowered 
and died in its turn. The secondary growth 
was 4 ft, in height, and the fruiting portion 
made an additional 20 ft., fifteen of which 
were crowded with twenty-nine huge 
branches. The crop of fruits numbered over 
fifty-one thousand, and weighed half a ton, 
notwithstanding which a large number of 
the spadices bore no fruit. In all these 
doings the Palm was quite normal, except 
in producing the secondary growth. 
Blossoms, but No Feuit.— Despite the 
abundance of their blossoms, the Japanese 
Cherry trees do not produce perfect fruit, for 
the climatic conditions cause the Cherries, 
while still in an unripe state, to drop from 
the trees, 
The Kitchen Garden. 
The copious and refreshing rains which we 
have experienced in most parts of the country 
during the past ten days has had a most bene¬ 
ficial effect on all vegetable crops, which, 
generally speaking, are now looking well. 
Winter Greens. —Take advantage now the 
ground is moist, and fill up every spare piece 
of ground with the various kinds of these for 
next autumn, winter, and spring supply, (if 
all of these, perhaps none are more useful or 
more remunerative than Brussels Sprouts. 
The earliest planted ones will now be growing 
away rapidly, but there is yet time to make 
a second planting for later pickings. These 
may be planted 2 ft. from plant to plant and 
2 ft. 6 in. from row to row ; make very firm, 
and well water in. Should ground be scarce, 
as it frequently is at this season in small 
gardens, plant out the various items between 
Peas and Potatos, when, if planted a good dis¬ 
tance apart, as they always should be, and 
care is observed in picking the Peas and lift¬ 
ing the Potatos, the plants will be little, if 
any, the worse. 
Turnips. — Make a good sowing of Yeitch’s 
Red Globe, one of the very best summer Tur¬ 
nips, and Jersey Lily or Snowball. Sow on 
land of a fine tilth, and apply a good dressing 
of soot, lime, and wood ashes in equal propor¬ 
tions. Should the weather set in very hot and 
dry, give a slight but regular mulching of 
short grass mowings. Attend to the thinning 
out, and ply the hoe frequently between earlier 
crops, and should the Turnip fly be in evi¬ 
dence 1 , dust frequently in early morning when 
the dew is on them with lime and soot. 
Lettuce and Endive.— Make a small sow¬ 
ing of Cos Lettuce and Batavian Endive every 
ten days. The centre of the Celery ridges 
forms an admirable place for either of these. 
Rosette Coleworts one of the most useful 
vegetables to grow for winter, either in large 
or small gardens, should be sown now, and 
again at the middle of next month. 
TomatOS.— Attend to the training and 
thinning out of these, and take every care to 
get a good crop set as speedily as possible, 
and give no stimulants till this is accom¬ 
plished. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Fruit Garden. 
Strawberries for forcing another season re¬ 
quire to be layered in good time, and those 
who followed instructions given in these pages 
last August will have plenty of good runners 
by now for the purpose. There are a trio of 
methods adopted, viz., in pieces of turf about 
4 in. square; 3-in. pots, nearly filled with 
loam ; and 5^-in. or 6^-in. pots filled to within 
three-quarters of an inch of the rim, made 
quite firm with a rammer, should the latter 
method be chosen. In this case there is per¬ 
haps a saving of labour, but it is doubtful 
whether the pot 3 in. in diameter is not the 
best. They are easily filled and conveyed to' 
the parent plants, requiring no crocking ; but 
they should be perfectly clean. A supply of 
crooks, or what are called pegs, must be cut, 
2^ in. long, and the first young plantlet 
nearest the mother plant secured in the pot, 
nipping out the point of the runner beyond. 
Pinch off any foliage likely to shade the pots 
and keep well watered to ensure a speed} 
root action, when in about three weeks the} 
should be ready to sever from the parent plant 
and stood in an open position, well watered 
until repotted, details of which will be forth 
coming in a later issue. Royal Sovereign 
holds the field as a forcing variety, and may 
be held back by keeping in unheated struc¬ 
tures if required until the outdoor crop is 
ready, Sir J. Paxton and Leader also doino 
well in pots. 
Peaches under glass require a deal of root 
nourishment while the fruits are stoning and 
taking their final swelling, and constant over¬ 
head syringing until the fruits begin to ripen, 
when it must be withheld, or cracking may 
occur, especially so among Nectarines. Ex¬ 
pose the fruits to every gleam of sunshine by 
tying in the shoots, and in some cases the 
leaves aside, and afford full ventilation during 
bright weather. Early varieties relieved o; 
their crop need the syringe morning and even 
ing to keep the foliage clean, and should the 
trees be in pots, abundance of water will be 
necessary. Keep laterals in subjection by 
pinching at the first leaf. 
Pot Vines. —Remove those that are re¬ 
lieved of their bunches, so that the youngei 
stock may have more space, and repot before 
a check is given, 12-in. pots being suitable 
for the final potting. Let them be clean and 
carefully crocked, using loam, the best obtain¬ 
able, with a 6-in. potful of Thompson’s Vine 
manure mixed with it, warming it before 
using, and potting very firm, care being taken 
that few roots be damaged during the process. 
Apples. —A plentiful show of blossom is 
not always tire best augury of a good fruit 
crop, and it is to be feared that the supply 
will be short this year in the orchards of the 
West. Many of the trees have a sccrclied-up 
appearance besides, and it is thought the cold 
north-east winds must be blamed for this. 
The later-flowered varieties appear to have 
escaped better than the earlier ones. Newly- 
grafted trees, whether Apples or Pears, musl 
be examined and the tying material removed 
if likely to cut the bark, supporting the scior 
to the stock with a stick to prevent the wind 
or birds alighting on it, as it is quickly brokei 
off, removing any blossom that shows on tin 
former. 
Strawberries —The crop has been grand 
the rains during early June coming in tin 
nick of time, although the slugs worked then 
badly at the start. Late varieties should a!s< 
be good. Curtail any runners that show or 
set out forced plants, and keep the grounc 
between well stirred with the fla-t hoe t( 
destroy weeds and prevent cracking. 
General Advice _Continue the stopping 0 
superfluous growth among fruit trees in tht 
open as soon as all trained trees have beer 
attended to ; it will save a deal of knifi 
work in the winter, to say nought of the ad 
vantage to the fruit and the plumping up o 
fruit buds for the future. Very robust tree 
may be left to themselves if not too unsig'htl; 
and root pruned in early autumn. Net ripen 
ing fruit before the birds sample them much 
especially Currants and sweet Cherries; ii 
fact, there is little they leave untouched, evei 
Morello Cherries tempting them. 
James Matne. 
Bicton Garden!!, Devonshire. 
