26 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
January 12, 1907. 
Fruit Growing 
for Amateurs. 
so as to afford ample drainage. The potting 
compost should consist of about equal por- 
tions of fibrous peat, good turfy loam and 
chopped sphagnum moss, with sufficient 
finely-broken crocks to render it free. 
These plants require an abundance of root 
moisture during the active season of growth, 
so that free drainage is essential. The com¬ 
post should be made moderately firm, but 
not hard about the pseudo bulbs. The back 
bulbs that have been cut away will in most 
cases possess dormant eyes; if these are 
selected and potted up in the usual way, 
they will in due course produce new growths 
and the stock will be increased thereby. 
H. J. Chapman. 
.. BIG BLOOMS OF . . 
Chrysanthemums. 
Letter to the Editor. 
Sir,—Your contributor “ Sunnyside, 
writing (on page 930) on Chrysanthemum 
cuttings, advises amateurs who do not in¬ 
tend to exhibit to strike their cuittings in 
the spring. This advice may 'be of ser¬ 
vice to those who wish to avoid having the 
plants on their hands through a long sea¬ 
son of growth, but if they think it will 
be all plain sailing if the insertion of 
cuttings is left until April they will be 
grievously disappointed. 
" Sunnvside's ” statement as to blooms 
eight and nine inches across, three on a 
plant, from spring-struck cuttings, needs 
qualifving. as the flowers would only show 
this measurement with the petals spread 
out flat all around. Blooms of the dia¬ 
meter mentioned, and correspondingly 
deep, could not be obtained three on a 
plant from cuttings struck in April. 
As to the variety, Yiviand Morel attain¬ 
ing such dimensions from cuttings taken 
"on April 24th,” “tops of shoots a foot 
or more high,” it will suffice to point 
out that all such shoots of the variety 
named would have bloom-buds in the 
tips. — Your truly, R. BaRNES. 
: - 
Escallonias at Bournemouth. 
The value of these exquisite shrubs for 
rendering attractive our public gardens, 
which are in close proximity to the sea, 
may be amply verified by a visit to the 
tastefully iaid-out and beautiful public 
gardens' of Bournemouth. Among the 
extensive collections of evergreen and 
deciduous shrubs which abound in these 
gardens there are none, except the Rhodo¬ 
dendrons, which stand out more conspicu¬ 
ously and call for iupt admiration. 
Great credit is undoubtedly due to the 
supervisor of these gardens for the ex¬ 
tensive use which has been made of 
these shrubs. At Boscombe Chine Gar¬ 
dens I noticed particularly dense masses 
of Escallonia macrantha from twenty to 
thirty feet through, and growing appar¬ 
ently in nothing but sand, and in such 
positions where it would be impossible to 
get anything else to flourish, without the 
addition of much labour and considerable 
expense. The extensive planting of 
Escallonias with their deep green, glossy 
leaves, and crimson Fuchsia-like flowers 
in this garden, has transformed eyesore 
sand banks into a thing of surpassing 
beaut}-. The climatic conditions which 
generally prevail on the south coast are 
undoubtedly admirably favourable for this 
class of shrub. F. G. Tutcher. 
APRICOTS. 
Amateurs who are backward in attempt¬ 
ing to grow Peaches against walls outside 
do not hesitate to plant Apricots, yet there 
is much skill required in the successful 
management of the latter. 
Open-air Culture. Now, if anyone 
possesses a wall or similar solid fence fac¬ 
ing south, or south-west, or west, and a 
poor soil, he may plant Apricots. A \ en¬ 
rich soil is not the best for these trees. 
The fruit requires lime, because they con¬ 
tain stone. All stone fruit needs a cer¬ 
tain amount of lime in the soil. 
Again, it is a mistake to plant in loose 
soil, the firmer the latter tne better will 
the branches of the trees grow. 
Forms of Trees. (See sketch 12, p. 
11.) Fan-trained for walls are the best, 
and bushes for the open quarters and for 
growing in pots. 
Planting, and How to do It. —The 
autumn is the best time in which to plant. 
Directly the leaves have fallen from the 
branches remove the trees. The soil 
should be dry and workable at the time. 
Deeply dig it and put in clinkers' and 
other material or drainage if there is a 
suspicion of stagnant moisture in the soil. 
The following are the chief reasons for 
efficient drainage. If the border soil is 
constantly moist, or in such a condition 
that surplus water does not freely run 
away, or, if heavy rains come in the 
autumn, and make the border sodden, 
very late growth is. made and when the 
frosts come the trees receive severe 
checks. 
So it is readily seen how necessary it is 
to provide a border which can be kept 
fairlv dry. In the autumn it is a good 
plan to place boards or litter immediately 
over the roots to ward off heavy rains. 
"Where the soil is deficient in lime, pro¬ 
cure some old mortar rubbish or chalk, 
and mix it with the soil before planting 
is done. 
One bushel of old mortar, half a peck 
of freshlv-slncked lime, or half a bushel 
of chalk, will be sufficient for thoroughly 
mco'rporating with the ordinary border 
soil for one tree. 
Having formed a hole for the roots, 
make the soil in the bottom firm before 
planting, and when the latter work is 
finished the roots should be near the sur¬ 
face, the topmost ones covered with 3 
inches of loam, and the stem of the tree 
should be quite 7 inches from the face of 
the wall. 
Put on a mulch of half-decayed manure 
directly the trees are planted. 
Training Young Trees. —Newiy-dis- 
turbed soil lays lighter than that which 
has not been dug up. So the roots of the 
trees will naturally settle down with the 
soil, and if the branches are nailed to the 
wall directly the planting is finished, they 
will be hung up as it were, kept in one 
position, roots) as well, while itho* soil 
settles down and leaves them. Therefore 
it null be better to defer the proper nail¬ 
ing or tying of the branches until spring. 
W hen this work is done, alwavs tr.rir 
the basal branches first and finish at the 
centre of the tree. The outer branche- 
of a fan-shaped specimen should be 
fastened to the wall about 1 foot from iu 
( base. If the centre i- left open so much 
the better, as shoots will grow rendilt 
enough for filling up that part. 
The ligatures should be -ufficienth 
Hose to a.low of future swelling; on ni 
account must the bark come m contnci 
with nails or wires. A -trand of matting 
or a small piece of cloth should be fi'cecl 
between the bark and the support. 
(To be continued). 
-<M~f- 
THE AMERICAN 
GOOSEBERRY MILDEW. 
At-a meeting of the Council of the] 
National Fruii Growers' Federation on Tues -1 
day, the nth ult., the above subject formed 
the principal business. Mr. Salmon, myco¬ 
logist to the Wye Agricultural College, was 
present and reported progress with regard 
to his enquiries in Worcestershire as to cer¬ 
tain outbreaks of the disease in that countv. 
He stated that in a plantation of 20 acres ■ 
he had found what was undoubtedly a seri¬ 
ous development of the mildew, and* further, 
he had found another instance in which a 
nurseryman’s stock was affected and that 
several sales had recently been made from 
it to growers in different parts of the coun¬ 
try. 
Mr. Salmon has made a careful and 
special study of this dise .se for several years 
past, and has. arrived at the positive con¬ 
clusion that the disease which has unfortu¬ 
nately appeared in this country, is identical 
with that which has devastated American 
plantations to such an extent as to render 
the cultivation of improved European varie¬ 
ties impossible, and has feund its wav to 
Ireland and most of the countries in Europe. 
In the course of his remarks he pointed out 
that this mildew was extremely destructive 
and that the whole Gooseberry crop of any 
country in which it gains a footing will be 
jeopardised. He admitted that some confu¬ 
sion might arise by its being mistaken for 
the common mildew often seen on Goose¬ 
berry bushes, but which is almost harmless 
as it only affects the leaves, whilst the 
malignant American form ruins both 
branches and fruit, and is, moreover, ex¬ 
tremely infectious. 
In the face, however, of this weighty 
opinion, vigorous action to stop the spread 
and the further-introduction of the disease, 
already commenced by the Federation, has 
been paralysed by the publication of the 
views of an official authority who, after a 
cursory inspection, pronounces the disease 
as indigenous to this country and not at all 
of a serious nature. 
After a long and interesting discussion, 
the Council unanimously carried the follow¬ 
ing resolution and directed that it should be 
forwarded to the Board of Agriculture and 
the Scientific Committee of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society: — 
“ That it is most desirable that (he Board 
of Agriculture should take immediate steps 
to promptly submit all evidence obtainable 
