32 
January 16, 1909. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
The Flower Garden 
been planted against walls or fences. 
The soil in all likelihood will sink a little 
after it gets saturated with a shower or 
two of rain, and if nailed up before this 
the sinking would cause some of the nails 
to be pulled out, giving the tree a hung¬ 
up appearance. About a month should 
be allowed for the settling of the soil, 
after which the branches should be in 
position according to the proper shape of 
the tree. If it has obviously loeen trained 
horizontally, then that is the method in 
which it should be fastened against the 
wall or fence. Peaches, Plums, and 
other stone fruits are best traiped in the 
fan shape, and when Apples are grown 
upon the wall, this also is the usual 
method of growing them. If there is any 
danger of the branches getting broken if 
left unsupported, a few nails 1 may be 
driven in the wall, and the branches 
looped up in a few bunches temporarily, 
using twine for the purpose. 
There are right and wrong methods of 
nailing fruit trees to walls and fences. 
As we have already indicated, they should 
be nailed in the form in which they have 
been received as trained trees from the 
nurseries. There are also right and 
wrong methods with the actual process of 
driving the nails and using the shreds. 
Fig. 5 shows the right method of fas¬ 
tening a shoot to the wall at (A). Shreds 
should be procured ready for the opera¬ 
tion, and care taken not to cut them too 
short. Thick branches, of course, re¬ 
quire longer shreds than the thin ones. 
The shred must be long enough to double 
over the shoot so that one nail may be 
driven through both ends of the shred. 
When this is done, the shreds should not 
be tight upon the branch nor should the 
nail itself be close against the branch, 
otherwise the bark will get injured, and 
short shreds being too tight prevent the 
branch from swelling properly at that 
point. The operator should commence at 
the bottom of any particular shoot if it 
requires a number of nails, and drive the 
nails in regular order upwards. The 
shreds should be nailed alternately on 
different sides of the shoot, as this serves 
to keep any particular branch or shoot in 
its proper position. Very often young 
shoots are crooked but by using shreds 
alternately the crooked portion may be 
made straight, and it should lie tight in 
the shred, and should never be actually 
held in position by the nail itself. 
(B! in Fig. 5 shows a bad and untidy 
method of nailing, as this would allow 
the shoot to swing backwards and for-- 
wards, and to strike against either of the 
nails when swayed about by the wind. 
Another wrong method is shown at (c), or, 
at all events, an unworkmanlike method 
of fixing fruit trees to walls. In the case 
shown a piece of twine is used to loop up 
a branch. A much better method in ap¬ 
pearance and efficiency, would be „to use 
two or more shreds with one nail only to 
each shred as shown at (A). 
-- 
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Gardens, Farms, Florists’ Seed Busi¬ 
nesses. and Partnerships to be Let or 
Sold." is the title of a useful publication 
issued by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris, 
the well-known horticultural and general 
auctioneers, of 67 and 68, Cheapside, 
London. 
Auriculas. 
Plants growing in borders, as well as 
those in pots, should now be prepared for 
a top dressing. If the weather be frosty 
you must not interfere with the plants but 
wait until it lis more favourable. Auriculas 
are such beautiful border and rock plants 
that every care should be taken to keep the 
plants in good health. Even very old speci¬ 
mens with long, bare stems and with their 
roots almost lifted out of the soil, flower 
profusely, though naturally the individual 
blossoms are small. It is a very trying 
time for these plants now. 
Fig. 1 shows how to to-p dress Auricula 
plants ; A, new compost, kept clear of the 
leayes B. 
All faded leaves should be removed from 
the base of the plant and the old surface 
soil, too, but without in any way doing 
damage to the roots. These hints apply to 
both outdoor border plants and those grow¬ 
ing in pots. I would further add that all 
side shoots should be left on the parent 
plants as the months of May and August 
are the best in which to detach and deal 
with off-sets. Put on a top-dressing of 
light, sweet compost in which there is plenty 
of fibre. 
Fig. 1 shows how this work should be 
done. At A the new compost must be put 
on and pressed down firmly ; the lower leaves 
at li must be kept free of soil. 
Periwinkles. 
Having had a great deal to do with Fir 
trees and conifers generally on, and near 
to, lawns, I have experienced some difficulty 
at various times in getting a nice, green 
carpet under them. Very few plants will 
succeed near the roots of Fir trees, and un¬ 
less a satisfactory growth can be secured 
it is far better to form a circle around the 
trees and to keep the soil clean within it. 
But you may plant Periwinkles, as these 
plants will grow freely in such positions if 
the lower boughs of the trees do not come 
quite close to the ground surface. Put in 
the plants in open weather, preferably from 
flower pots, in a good mixture of loam, leaf- 
soil and rotted manure, and a small quantity 
of old mortar rubble. 
Old Plants. 
When once established in a favourable 
situation the Periwinkle grows freely and 
sometimes becomes rather untidy in appet 
ance. In the latter case, you may free 
cut back all old shoots as new ones w: 
soon grow again. . 
Azaleas. 
Plants growing in open borders shou 
receive a good top-dressing forthwith. It 
unwise to dig up the soil near the plan 
as the roots are numerous, very fine, ai 
permeate the soil quite on the surface, 
applying a top-dressing avoid using fin 
light composts alone. Some fine soil at 
leafsoil may be put on but it should be we 
covered with cakes of sandy peat, and t 
latter ought to be made secure in positi 
with wire pegs. In due course the roots 
the Azaleas will enter the mulch and kee 
it firmly fixed. Birds would not leave 
loose top-dressing alone. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Some of the best of the old roots shoui 
be lifted now, divided, and the parts r 
planted in a cool frame in a good compo 
nine inches in depth One watering will 1 
sufficient. Give the plants cool treatmen 
only covering the lights when severe frosi 
prevail. Where the varieties are scarce tf 
divided roots may be replanted again i 
due course after cuttings have been take 
from them; and in the meantime you shoul 
deeply dig and enrich the soil in which th 
old roots grew. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Old Fruit Trees. 
Very old trees in low-lying districts soo 
get almost encrusted with moss and licher 
With a brush put on a coating of wea 
limewash ; two dressings would be better tha 
one very strong one. In Fig. 2 A shows th 
Fig. 2. Old Apple trees covered with mos\ 
may be cleaned by giving them a coatin\ 
of weak limewash; A shows the part linn- 
washed and clean; B, the moss not washed 
over. 
