222 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 28, 1908. 
If that is so, a good plan would be to cut 
down the plants to 1 ft. in height, and if 
there are gaps between them put some young 
plants in the gaps, so as to make the hedge 
close. After that it is merely a question 
of pruning, as this can 'be done twice dur¬ 
ing the season to make it bushy, and cer¬ 
tainly it should be done once a year, to 
prevent the hedge from growing up in a 
straggling fashion. If it is too broad at 
the top the shoots down below wilil be more 
or less killed. Pruning can be done any 
time now. The variegated one, so common 
now, is the golden Privet (Ligustrum ovali- 
folium foiliis aureis). No doubt it is the 
golden variety of the one you already have, 
and if so, the difference lies in the golden 
variegation and the slower-growing charac¬ 
ter of the stems. It is, therefore, more easy 
to manage as a hedge than the green one, 
because it does not grow so coarsely. 
ROSES. 
27 23. Pruning- Paul Neyron and Mme. 
Lambard. 
How should I prune Roses (1) Paul Ney- 
tron, (2) Mme. Lambard, planted in the 
autumn of 1906? The buds at the top of 
each branch are now 1 in. long, but others 
are scarcely showing. I mean them for gar¬ 
den decoration, not show. (Gamma, Cam¬ 
bridge.) 
Paul Neyron may be pruned now, as it is 
a Hybrid Perpetual. When about to do so, 
first cut away all the dead wood, then the 
thin and unripened shoots- to a bud close 
down at the base. Do mot allow the shoots 
to cross one another, but cut back any one 
which may be badly placed. This is for 
the purpose of opening out the centre of the 
bush to let light and air play freely upon 
the shoots that are left. Where any stems 
come close together in pairs it would be 
well to remove one of them even if it is a 
good shoot, provided the bush is a large one 
with many stems. Now, having reduced the 
bush to the required number of shoots to 
leave, proceed to out back the stronger ones 
which come up from the ground to eight 
eyes, or roughly 12 in. in length. The 
shorter ones coming from the ground could 
be reduced to six eyes, or 9 in. in length, 
and if any old stems are present bearing on 
their top one or two of last year’s shoots, 
those could be reduced to 2 in. or 3 in. in 
length. The above rules need not be rigidly 
enforced, seeing that what you want for 
decorative purposes is a symmetrical bush. 
Then the primary aim is to see that the bush 
is regular in outline, or nearly so. You 
should also aim at cutting just above a bud 
that points away from the centre of the 
busth rather than into it. This will help 
to open out the centre. You need not com¬ 
mence pruning Mme. Lambard until the 
first week of April. You can prune it very 
much as you would a Paul Ney.ron, as both 
are Roses of moderate vigour. For garden 
decoration you can always allow a greater 
number of'*shoots to a bush than where ex¬ 
hibition Roses are wanted. 
2724. Pruning- Dorothy Perkins Re¬ 
cently Planted. 
How should I treat Rose Dorothy Perkins 
(climbing) planted ir» November last as to 
pruning? There are a good number of 
straggling shoots 3 ft. highland some stout 
ones are taller. The buds are beginning 
to show. (Gamma, Cambridge.) 
Climbing Roses which were planted in the 
previous autumn or in spring should be 
pruned rather hard the first time—that is to 
say, if the plants were lifted out of the 
ground when you had them. No doubt the 
plants would live if not cut back, but they 
would not make such a firm footing the-first 
season. We should advise you, therefore, to 
prune back all of those stems to 18 in., ard 
if too numerous some of the weakest ones 
might be cut back close to the base. This 
cutting back enables the plant to devote its 
energies to forming plenty of roots and push¬ 
ing up strong shoots from the base. 
On the other hand, if left too long, the first 
year after planting, a great deal of energy 
is wasted in sustaining the foliage with the 
badly mutilated roots. 
TREES AND SHRUBS. 
27 25. Pruhing Ribes atrosanguineum. 
I planted Ribes atrosanguineum, a sturdy 
plant 3^ ft. high in November last. This is 
now in stout bud. Should it be pruned now, 
and how? (Gamma, Cambridge.) 
No doubt your plant is Ribes sanguineum 
atrosanguineum, and if planted in November 
it should be fairly fit" to flower during 
spring. If the shoots are in an|y way 
crowded, some of the shoots might be re¬ 
moved and 6 in. or so of the unripened tips 
of the longer shoots removed. Maintain the 
symmetry of the bush. 
27 26. Pruning Spanish Broom. 
I planted Spanish Broom 35 ft. high last 
autumn. The plant looks healthy, but the 
shoots are withered for about 2 in. from the 
top. How should I now treat it? (Gamma. 
Cambridge.) 
The Spanish Broom requires very little 
pruning, if you refer to the white one (Cy- 
tisus albus). The only thing you need do 
with it is to cut away the withered or 
blackened tips of the shoots, so as to im¬ 
prove the appearance of the plant. The 
shoots should be perfectly green if alive and 
healthy, so that you will have no difficulty 
in distinguishing between dead and live 
wood. In after years you can reduce the 
size of the bushes, if they are getting too 
big, by cutting them back after they have 
finished flowering. You could also -regulate 
the outline of the bushes-, but unless the 
limits of space require it the Spanish Broom 
shouild not be much cut back, as their habit 
is bushy if grown in an open situation, and 
their natural twiggy habit looks best. 
VEGETABLES. 
2727. Parsley Damping-Off in Autumn. 
I 'shall, be glad if you will tell me in 
your “ Enquire Within ” why Parsley 
which comes up well and looks healthy and 
strong should damp off in lautumn and 
finally disappear. Is it wireworm? If so, 
can, anything be done to remed}*- it? (F. G., 
Devon.) 
The damping off of Parsley in the autumn 
is. not aflways due to the same cause. Parsley 
likes a well-drained soil, and that means 
that it should either be sandy, gravelly, or 
-rocky. In your case probably the soil is 
too heavy and too rich for Parsley in winter, 
thus oausing it to rot away. Wi-reworm 
may eat some of the roots. Parsley is also 
occasionally sown too often on the same 
spots, and the soil -becomes Parsley sick, so 
to speak. A fresh position should be se¬ 
lected for it every year, and for a late 
supply you might make a sowing in June or 
. July, so that the plants would be quite young 
in the autumn, ard just coming into vigo¬ 
rous growth. A dry rather than a wet posi¬ 
tion should be selected for this late crop. 
The rainfall and the mild but changeable 
character of our winter has the effect of 
destroying Parsley leaves, and if your soil 
really refuses to keep Parsley through the 
winter, it might be worth your while grow¬ 
ing some plants of it in pots ar<d keeping 
them in a cold frame during- winter. After 
digging the soil for sowing the late crop 
you might then tread it firmly before sowing 
the seeds: Parsley is largely brought to 
London i-n winter from a cnurfy where the 
soil is light and sandy. 
FRUIT. 
2 7 28. Grafting: Pears on Different 
Stocks. 
Three years ago I planted out suckers 
from an Apple tree. This tree will take 
root at almost every joint, and I think it is 
a Crab Apple. Last year I grafted on these 
a dessert Pear, which is doing well, anc 
this season, at the end of February, I graf 
ted some on, and they are shooting out well 
I grafted another Pear on a White Thor: 
last year, and it is shooting well this sea 
son. Which do you consider the best—0: 
the Apple suckers or the White Thorn 
(Lloyd, Anglesea.) 
No doubt the Pear can be grafted or., th 
White Thorn, but the experiment has bee: 
made before, and the conclusion come to wa 
that a union would form between the twc 
but the Pear grafted on the Thorn would b 
a short-lived tree. The stem of the Pea 
would grow much more rapidly in thickne; 
than that of the Thorn, so that in course 0 
time there would be an obstruction there t 
the free flow of the food downwards, coe 
sequen-tly the head of the tree might b 
largely in excess- of the root system, an 
the tree would be short-lived. The Appl 
suckers are, therefore, a better stock for th 
Apple, but Pear stocks, we presume, wou! 
be more suitable for the Pear, unless, i: 
deed, you use the Quince stock. These thing 
may be done for curiosity or for trial, b'i 
clearly it would not be good economy to a 
a stock that would shorten the life of th 
graft put on it, and thereby result in its lo; 
at a time when it should be expected to t 
bearing heavily. 
27 29. Grafting: an Apple on a Cherr 
Tree. 
I grafted a few years back cooking Appl* 
on some suckers from the same old tree, 
have also Irish Pippin, King of Pippins an 
Gloria Mundi on the same stock, and a fe 
others. Will the stock have ary influen* 
on the fruit of different sorts ? Can I gra 
a dessert Apple on a Cherry tree ? Wi: 
w-hat good result on the fruit ? As an e 
hibitor, will the Cherry give good colour 
the fruit? (Lloyd, Anglesey.) 
We should doubt if you will be able to s 
any appreciable difference between tl 
fruits and the different varieties you nar 
and those grafted or.i any other stock. Y* 
coulld, of course, compare them with tie 
which have only one variety upon the stoc 
but we do not think you willl find any gre 
changes due to the stock. We should be ve 
doubtful if grafting the Apple on the Cher 
would hhve any result in improving t 
colour, and we -doubt very much whether t 
Apple would succeed long upon a Cher 
tree. The two, although they belong to t 
same family, are so widely removed in chi 
acter and liking that we should think tl 
would have .some difficulty in forming 
union or in carrying on a successful 1 - 
quite independently of any good results 1 
the fruit in the matter of colour. We 
lieve the Apple, even if it should succeed 1 
forming a union with the Cherry tree, wod 
be short-lived. You may remember tit 
most stone fruits are liable to die away v. 
suddenly in certain soils more particular, 
but in most cases they are shorter-lived th 
Apples even under ordinary conditions aP 
grafting. 
2730. Gros Colmar Vine Not Fruitin 
A constant reader wishes to know if p 
could advise me as to a good method of cas¬ 
ing a Gros Colmar Vine to flower. L l 
year it was very healthy, growing - she s 
about 6 ft. long without a flower. (J, R. 
We have never experienced any difEciy 
in getting Gros Colmar Vine to flower 
fruit. You do not tell us under what edi¬ 
tions you have the Vine growing. I 15 
