GO 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  18,  ISOO. 
BIRMINGHAM  BOTANICAL  GARDENS. 
The  visitor  may  always  be  sure  of  finding  something  in  flower 
here,  and  this  Ohristmastide  there  was  a  beautiful  show  of  Begonia 
Gloire  de  Lorraine.  The  veteran  Curator,  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham,  quickly 
secured  a  stock  of  this  plant  when  it  was  placed  on  the  market. 
■Considering  the  comparative  dearth  of  flowers  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  this  floriferous  Begonia  has  made  for  itself  a  niche  that  no 
other  plant  could  fill.  The  fine  array  of  specimens  in  question  was 
arranged  in  the  aquatic  house,  a  portion  standing  upon  inverted 
flower  pots  and  the  other  suspended  from  the  roof,  the  former  being 
supplemented  by  choice  Ferns  and  other  ornamental  foliage  plants. 
The  whole  was  enhanced  by  two  large  specimens  of  the  too  little 
grown  Callicarpa  purpurea,  the  violet  purple  innumerable-berried 
racemes  of  which  afforded  a  charming  contrast  to  the  rosy  pink 
inflorescence  of  the  Begonia. 
A  peep  into  the  principal  Orchid  house  revealed — considering  the 
time  of  year — a  fair  display  of  bloom,  composed  chiefly  of  Lycaste 
lanipes,  La?lias  anceps  and  autumnalis,  Calanthe  Veitchi  in  quantity, 
and  Coelogyne  barbata,  Cochlioda  rosea,  Odontoglossum  crispum, 
Saccolabium  giganteum,  several  forms  of  Cypripediums,  such  as 
the  new  and  distinct  hybrid  Deedmanianum,  a  fine  plant  of  Stonei 
Trith  five  or  six  spikes,  Lathami,  Chamberlainianum,  nitens,  cardinale, 
Sallieri,  villosum,  and  Sedeni.  It  may  be  remarked  that  the  Cypri- 
pedia  form  a  considerable  feature  in  the  large  collection  of  Orchids 
here.  There  is  a  large  number  of  unflowered  seedlings,  and  of 
which  Mr.  Latham  and  his  expert  lieutenant,  Mr.  W.  Deedman,  are 
justified  in  expecting  something  good,  according  to  their  parentage, 
and  the  appearance  of  the  remarkably  fine  foliage  of  several  of  the 
plants. — W.  G. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Malmaison  Carnations. 
Malmaison  Carnations  are  amongst  the  most  useful  plants  in 
cultivation,  especially  during  the  winter  months.  To  propagate,  the 
old  plants  should  be  layered  in  frames  the  first  week  in  July.  The 
compost  to  use  for  this  operation  may  consist  of  equal  parts  of  fine 
loam,  leaf  mould,  and  sand,  well  incorporated.  Have  the  old  plants 
which  are  to  be  layered  well  cleaned,  and  see  that  the  ball  of  the  plant 
is  thoroughly  moistened  before  taking  it  out  of  the  pot,  otherwise  it 
will  give  great  trouble.  Place  the  ball  well  under  the  soil,  so  as  to  give 
plenty  of  room  for  layering  on  the  top  of  it. 
Layering  is  a  simple  operation,  but  layers  are  frequently  spoilt  either 
by  cutting  too  deeply  or  not  deeply  enough.  Each  layer  should  have 
all  the  bottom  leaves  trimmed,  and  then  be  out  from  one  joint  to  the 
other,  so  that  when  it  is  made  it  will  be  a  little  more  than  half  way 
through  the  stem ;  then  with  a  peg,  either  made  out  of  twigs  or  wire, 
fasten  in  the  soil,  always  having  the  cut  piece  pointing  downwards  in 
the  soil.  As  the  layering  proceeds  give  water  to  settle  the  soil  around 
them,  and  keep  the  lights  close.  If  the  weather  should  be  hot  they 
will  also  require  shading.  Syringe  them  every  afternoon  on  bright 
days  when  the  sun  has  gone  off  the  frame. 
In  from  eight  to  ten  days  a  little  air  may  be  admitted  to  encourage 
sturdy  growth,  and  gradually  give  more  as  time  goes  on,  until  they  will 
stand  with  the  total  removal  of  the  lights.  In  from  four  to  five  weeks 
the  layers  will  have  rooted  and  be  ready  for  potting.  The  size  for  this 
should  be  3|-inch,  which  has  been  well  cleansed  and  drained,  using  a 
compost  of  three  parts  of  loam  and  one  each  of  leaf  mould,  sand,  and 
fine  peat,  with  a  little  wood  ashes.  Pot  the  plants  firmly  so  as  to 
encourage  sturdy  growths  ;  place  in  a  cold  frame,  standing  the  pots  on 
coal  ashes,  and  keep  them  close  for  a  few  days  until  root  action 
commences ;  also  shade  lightly  from  the  sun  on  bright  days.  The 
watering  now  will  have  to  be  carefully  done,  never  applying  any  unless 
necessary. 
When  the  plants  have  a  fair  amount  of  roots  around  .the  sides  of 
the  pots  they  will  require  another  shift,  and  7-inch  pots  are  very 
suitable.  They  will  require  a  thorough  washing,  and  also  plenty  of 
drainage.  The  compost  should  consist  of  ten  parts  of  loam  broken 
up  in  pieces  the  size  of  large  Walnuts,  two  parts  of  peat,  two  parts 
of  sand,  two  parts  of  wood  ashes,  one  part  of  old  mortar  rubble,  a 
little  sheep’s  manure,  charcoal,  and  a  good  sprinkling  of  Clay’s 
fertiliser,  well  incorporated.  Handle  the  plants  very  carefully,  so 
as  not  to  break  any  of  the  young  roots,  pot  them  firmly,  and  have 
the  tops  of  the  balls  rounding,  so  that  in  watering  none  will  settle 
round  the  stems  of  the  plants.  When  potted  stake  each  one,  but  do 
not  tie  them  too  tightly,  and  afford  a  temperature  of  45°  to  50°  at 
night,  60°  to  53°  by  day,  and  keep  the  house  close  for  a  short  time. 
Do  not  apply  any  water  for  a  few  days  after  potting. 
Malmaisons  are  lovers  of  plenty  of  air.  Attend  to  the  tying  of  the 
plants  as  necessary,  also  removing  decayed  fohage  as  it  appears,  for 
if  permitted  to  remain  any  length  of  time  it  will  cause  other  parts 
to  become  disfigured.  The  plants  will  require  very  little  manure 
until  the  following  spring,  but  weak  liquid  manure  occasionally  will 
do  them  no  harm  when  the  roots  have  found  the  sides  of  the  pots. 
When  the  plants  are  showing  their  buds  and  are  large  enough  to 
handle  remove  all  side  buds,  leaving  only  the  crown.  As  the  days 
begin  to  lengthen  and  the  sun  gains  power,  the  plants  will  require 
shading  during  the  hottest  parts  of  the  day,  and  also  the  house  will 
need  damping  occasionally.  It  is  good  practice  when  very  hot  to 
syringe  between  the  pots  two  or  three  times  daily.  Any  time  on 
perceiving  green  or  black  fiy  on  the  plants  a  little  tobacco  powder 
should  be  dusted  on  the  affected  parts,  and  also  fumigate  occasionally 
with  XL  All  vaporiser,  which  will  quickly  destroy  the  pests. —  P.  B. 
WOKK^o^theWEEK., 
HAEDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
Raspberries. — Preparing  Ground. — In  establishing  a  new  quarter  of 
Raspberries  the  first  essential  is  the  preparation  of  the  soil.  The  best 
material  for  the  growth  of  Raspberries  is  a  rich  strong  loam,  but  the 
best  material  requires  to  be  thoroughly  well  broken  up,  so  that  it 
may  have  more  capacity  for  holding  food  and  moisture  and  admit  of 
the  roots  ramifying  readily.  The  strong-holding  roots  descend  deeply, 
imparting  strength  and  stability  ;  the  fibrous  roots  increase  and 
multiply  near  the  surface.  Rich,  deep  soil  is  needed  for  both  sets  of 
roots,  hence  in  the  preparation  of  soil  prior  to  planting  trenching  is  the 
best  method  of  procedure,  not,  however,  bringing  poor  subsoil  to  the 
surface.  This  can  easily  be  avoided  by  bastard  trenching.  Work  in  a 
liberal  quantity  of  rich  farmyard  manure,  especially  in  the  lower  spit 
of  soil,  as  this  is  the  only  opportunity  that  particular  portion  can  be 
manured,  though  nutriment  from  surface  dressings  will  be  washed  down 
in  course  of  time.  Soil  of  a  stiff  character  may  be  improved  by  the 
addition  of  old  potting  soil  or  gritty  material,  this  being  chiefly  inter¬ 
mixed  with  the  surface  soil. 
Planting. — Strong  young  canes  which  have  been  produced  from  the 
old  stools  are  not  so  good  for  planting  as  vigorous,  but  medium-sized, 
canes,  which  have  emanated  from  suckers  at  a  distance  away.  The 
latter  will  be  better  furnished  with  the  most  desirable  set  of  roots — 
namely,  fibrous  roots,  and  a  tap  root  of  a  less  woody  character  than  is 
to  be  found  in  divisions  of  old  stools.  If  these  sucker  growths  can  be 
lifted,  the  injured  roots  pruned,  and  be  at  once  planted,  they  will  soon 
take  hold  of  the  soil.  Spread  out  the  roots  to  their  full  extent  in 
shallow,  wide  holes,  raised  in  the  centre,  on  which  place  the  plant. 
Cover  with  some  light,  rich,  prepared  soil  mixed  with  burnt  refuse, 
spreading  this  lightly  over  them  from  the  crown  outwards,  finishing 
with  some  of  the  finest  of  the  staple  soil.  There  are  various  methods 
of  planting,  some  preferring  lines  or  rows,  others  planting  in  clumps  of 
three  with  a  stake  not  more  than  6  feet  high  in  the  csntre.  Place  the 
plants  a  foot  apart  in  a  triangle.  If  in  rows,  plant  a  foot  apart  in  rows 
5  feet  asunder.  Wire  for  training  the  growths  upon  must  be  stretched 
between  stout  uprights  of  wood  or  iron. 
All  newly  planted  Raspberries  will  require  pruning  closely  before 
growth  starts.  The  weakest  canes  must  be  pruned  close  to  the  ground; 
stronger,  having  abundance  of  roots,  within  a  foot  of  the  soil.  No 
fruit  should  be  permitted  the  first  season,  as  it  is  most  desirable  that 
the  growth  made  be  encouraged  to  develop  in  a  vigorous  manner  for 
the  production  of  fruit  the  following  season. 
Pruning  Established  Raspberries. — The  winter  pruning  consists  in 
reducing  the  number  of  canes  to  each  stool,  not  allowing  more  than 
six  to  each,  and  these  should  be  the  strongest.  Weakly  canes,  also  the 
dead  canes  which  have  borne  fruit,  must  be  cut  out  entirely.  Shorten 
the  canes  retained  to  the  height  of  the  stakes  or  trellis.  When  trained 
to  stakes  tie  the  canes  round  the  central  support.  On  wire  spread-  them 
out  at  equal  distances. 
Manuring. — Newly  planted  Raspberries  may  be  mulched  lightly 
with  littery  manure.  Established  plantations  should  receive  a  liberal 
dressing  of  rich  decomposed  manure  spread  between  the  rows  and 
round  the  stools,  not  digging  or  forking  it  in,  but  leaving  it  to  decay. 
Root-Pruning. — Though  autumn  is  the  best  period  for  carrying  out 
this  work  it  may  be  done  any  time  before  growth  commences,  operating 
on  trees  that  make  too  much  wood  growth  and  produce  little  or  no 
fruit,  A  trench  should  be  out  round  at  a  distance  of  3  feet  from  the 
stem,  but  it  will  be  safer  to  do  so  only  half-way  in  one  season,  dealing 
with  the  other  half  the  following  year.  In  cutting  the  trench  all  strong 
roots  found  are  severed,  ultimately  cutting  the  jagged  and  broken  ends 
smoothly.  Preserve  all  fibrous  roots  for  laying  in  again.  The  chief 
cause  of  strong  unfruitful  growth  is  the  descent  of  the  tap  root  and 
possibly  other  large  roots  into  the  subsoil.  These  must  be  checked  by 
severing  them  smoothly.  All  the  roots  on  one  side  having  been  dealt 
with  proceed  to  fill  in  the  trench  again,  mixing  in  with  the  soil  wood 
ashes,  decomposed  manure,  and  a  little  turfy  loam,  making  the  whole 
firm,  and  spreading  the  fibres  preserved  horizontally.  Mulch  with  some 
light  manure. 
Wall  Trees. — Pruning. — Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  and  Cherries  on  walls 
not  yet  prnned  should  be  attended  to.  Horizontally  trained,  fan 
trained,  aud  cordon  trees  ought  not  to  have  the  main  branches  closer 
together  than  a  foot.  Old  trees  having  large  branches  and  clumps  of 
spurs  must  have  more  room,  as  it  is  desirable  to  afford  light  and  air 
