1G8 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  22,  1900. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “The  Editor,”  12,  mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street,  london,  E.C.  It  is  requested  that  no  one 
will  write  privately  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking 
information  on  matters  discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so 
subjects  them  to  unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  depart¬ 
mental  writers  are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they 
may  receive  on  Gardening  and  Bee  subjects  through  the  post. 
If  information  be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any 
particular  authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made 
to  obtain  It  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accom¬ 
panied  by  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will 
neither  be  published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  noms  de  plume 
are  giveo  for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only  ;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Pruning  Ceanothus  Gloire  de  Versailles  (Inquirer). — It  should  be 
somewhat  closely  pruned  in  the  spring,  as  it  produces  the  flowers 
terminally  or  on  the  young  growths.  The  young  wood  usually  suffers 
more  or  less  from  severe  frost,  therefore  it  is  necessary  to  reserve  some 
well  ripened  wood  of  different  lengths.  Do  not  spur  in  all  the  growths, 
though  this  may  be  done  when  the  plants  have  covered  the  space, 
cutting  oirt  the  weak  and  leaving  the  sturdy  well  ripened  shoots, 
spurring  to  a  few  joints  of  the  old  wood,  and  thinning  the  resultant 
growths  so  as  to  prevent  overcrowding. 
Stem  of  Gros  Guillaume  Grape  Shrivelling  (Idem). — It  is  not  unusual 
for  the  bunch  stem  of  this  “  Grape  to  shrivel  whilst  the  Grapes  still 
keep  good,”  the  shrinking  being  due  to  a  sort  of  shanking  after  the 
berries  are  coloured  and  finished.  Such  occurs  in  many  other  varieties 
of  a  gross  nature,  and  is  probably  due  to  the  soft  nature  of  the  stem, 
commonly  called  unripe.  There  is  no  trace,  as  a  rule,  of  disease  in 
such  parts,  though  fungal  growths  sometimes  develop  therein  in  a 
damp  atmosphere. 
Soil  for  Malmaison  Carnations  (JVoufce).— The  exact  proportions  of 
the  various  ingredients  used  to  form  a  suitable  compost  for  these 
popular  flowers  must  vary  according  to  the  character  of  the  loam.  If 
this  is  of  medium  texture  containing  a  fair  amount  of  fibre,  incorporate 
with  three  parts  of  it  one  part  of  leaf  soil  sifted  throueh  a  half-inch 
sieve,  one  part  manure  from  a  spent  Mushroom  bed,  also  sifted,  one 
part  burnt  refuse  with  plenty  of  sharp  sand  and  a  little  soot  added. 
Should  the  loam  be  heavy,  an  extra  part  of  leaf  soil  and  a  little 
pounded  charcoal  ought  to  be  added.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  loam 
is  very  light,  dispense  with  the  burnt  refuse  and  use  little  sand. 
Dressing  for  Tomato  Border  (E.  F.  C.).— The  large  growers  do  not 
continually  keep  planting  the  same  border  year  after  year  in  their  large 
houses  devoted  to  Tomatoes,  but  either  occasionally  remove  the  soil 
and  bring  in  fresh,  or  grow  the  plants  in  pots  stood  on  the  old  border. 
This  IS  the  practice  of  perhaps  the  largest  grower  of  Tomatoes  for  the 
London  market,  and  on  the  whole  more  satisfactory,  especially  as 
regards  early  crops  and  diseases,  than  growing  in  borders.  It  pays  to 
make  new  borders;  but  as  you  say  this,  in  your  case,  is  quite  out  of 
the  question,  you  may  give  the  border  a  dressing  of  basic  slag,  1  lb. 
per  square  yard  and  J  lb.  of  kainit,  digging  the  dressing  in  with  a 
fork,  taking  small  spits,  and  working  10  to  12  inches  in  depth.  If  this 
were  done  now  the  conditions  would  be  favourable  for  planting  the 
Tomatoes  after  the  bedding  plants  are  cleared  out.  Then,  before  plant- 
ing  the  Tomatoes,  supply  a  dressing  of  mineral  superphosphate,  34  per 
cent,  soluble  phosphate,  three  parts,  and  sulphate  of  ammonia  one  part, 
mixed,  using  3  ozs.  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard,  and  mixing  with 
the  soil  to  a  depth  of  4  to  6  inches.  If  more  vigour  be  required  after¬ 
wards,  the  plants  may  be  watered  occasionally  with  nitrate  of  soda, 
not  more  than  ^  oz.  to  a  gallon  of  water,  and  having  it  prepared  some 
little  time  before  use.  It  will  hardly  be  required  before  the  first  trusses 
of  fruit  are  set  and  advanced  in  swelling.  Possibly  the  border  would 
be  all  the  better  for  top-dressing,  after  the  plants  are  put  out,  with  a 
little  sweetened  manure,  not  using  more  than  about  an  inch  in  thick¬ 
ness.  Of  course,  new  loam  on  the  top  of  the  present  border  would  be 
beneficial.  One  row  of  Tomatoes  along  the  front  of  the  house  and 
grown  up  under  the  roof  would  not  generally  give  such  good  results 
as  four  well  fruited  rows  about  3  feet  apart.  Still,  when  Mr.  Doe  of 
Knowsley  had  charge  of  the  gardens  at  Rufford  he  had  a  crop  from 
plants  trained  up  the  roof  of  a  house  that  would  have  been  difficult  to 
excel  by  plants  growing  across  the  border.  The  roof  plants  were 
grown  in  a  trough  made  of  11-inch  deals  arranged  along  the  front. 
In  one  instance  we  knew  of  splendid  crops  of  Tomatoes  produced  by 
plants  in  merchant’s  egg  boxes  which  are  only  about  6  inches  deep  ; 
but  top-dressings  of  rich  turfy  soil  were  piled  above  the  tops  of 
the  boxes  .and  netted  with  a  mass  of  roots,  and  judicious  feeding  was 
resorted  to.  The  boxes  were  used  because  plants  in  the  border  were 
devoured  by  eelworms  ;  those  in  the  boxes  were  free.  One  grower  is 
successful  with  one  particular  method,  another  grower  with  a  different 
practice.  We  should  imagine  that  any  of  the  methods  indicated  would 
be  better  than  planting  in  a  border  that  had  afforded  standage  for 
bedding  plants  through  the  winter. 
Bulbs  not  Thriving  (P.  Q.  B.). — The  end  of  December  is  late  for 
potting  bulbs,  many  of  which  are  much  shriv'elled  at  that  time,  and  fail 
to  grow.  We  should  not  have  pressed  the  bulb  into  the  soil  “  firmly,” 
but  should  have  made  a  cavity,  resting  each  rather  lightly  than  other¬ 
wise,  on  a  very  sandy  base.  With  the  soil  moderately  moist  at  the 
time,  but  not  decidedly  wet,  and  the  pots  plunged  in  and  covered  with 
damp  ashes,  we  should  expect  that  roots  would  form  if  the  bulbs  were 
not  exhausted.  They  would  not  form  and  take  possession  of  dry  soil, 
while,  if  the  ashes  were  dry  also,  these  would  absorb  moisture  from 
them  instead  of,  what  is  needed,  imparting  it  to  them.  If  the  soil  in 
the  pots  is  very  dry,  give  water  at  once,  and  if  it  does  not  enter  freely, 
stand  the  pots  half  their  depth  in  water,  leaving  them  there  for  an  hour, 
or  until  the  moisture  rises  through  to  the  surface,  then  plunge  them  to 
the  rims  in  damp  ashes  and  invert  some  small  flower  pots  over  the 
crowns.  If  they  do  not  grow  under  that  treatment  they  will  not  grow 
at  all.  If  you  can  maintain  regular  moisture  in  the  soil  without 
plunging,  that  will  answer  equally  well;  but  very  few  amateurs  can 
accomplish  this,  and  the  plunging  system  is  the  safest  and  best. 
Point  Judging  (S.  E.  H.). — When  there  are  a  great  number  of  items 
in  a  class,  as  is  of  necessity  the  case  in  judging  gardens  and  allot¬ 
ments,  there  is  no  method  comparable  to  that  of  determining  the  value 
of  each  article  and  recording  it  in  points  or  marks.  The  same  system 
is  necessary  in  close  competitions  with  blooms  of  Chrysanthemums, 
Roses,  and  other  flowers,  also  for  dessert  tables,  as  well  as  collections 
of  vegetables  and  fruit.  It  is  based  on  the  fixture  of  a  maximum 
value  for  each  item,  and  from  that  working  downwards  as  may  be 
necessary,  and  entering  the  value  of  the  several  items  examined.  For 
instance,  if  8  marks  are  agreed  upon  as  a  maximum  for  a  crop  of 
Onions,  or  anything  else,  and  the  judges  should  only  consider  the  crop 
half  good  they  would  give  it  4  marks,  if  f  good  6  marks,  if  J  good 
2  marks,  or  set  down  anything  between  those  figure  as  more  clearly 
representing  actual  merit.  Maximum  marks  vary  according  to  the 
value  or  difficulty  in  producing  the  products  to  which  they  are 
attached.  If  you  send  Sjd.  in  stamps  to  the  publisher,  and  ask  him  to 
send  you  the  .lournal  of  Horticulture  of  August  3lBt,  1899,  you  will 
see  a  record  of  marks  allowf  d  for  the  several  items  in  the  great  dinner- 
table  class  at  Shrewsbury,  also  those  actually  awarded  by  the  judges. 
A  mistake  very  liable  to  be  made  by  adjudicators  who  have  had 
little  or  no  experience  in  this  method  of  judging  is  to  commence  point¬ 
ing  too  high.  They  might  easily  give  the  full  allowable  number  of 
marks  to  the  first  Onion  bed  examined,  and  then  in  the  next  garden 
find  a  better.  They  are  then  apt  to  feel  rather  sheepish,  and  certainly 
not  like  the  cautious  julgss  they  ought  to  be.  Maximum  marks  are 
only  justifiable  by  products  regarded  as  unsurpassable,  and  these  are 
few  in  these  days  of  high  competitive  cultivation. 
Canadian  "Wonder  Beans  Diseased  (Suhscriher). — The  plants  have 
been  carefully  examined  and  found  to  be  infested  by  a  parasitic  fungus, 
which  produces  in  the  root-stem  what  is  known  to  cultivators  as  “  rust  ” 
or  “canker,”  and  the  effect  on  the  leaves  and  pods  is  called  “leaf- 
spot  ”  or  “  pod-spot,”  just  as  the  parts  respectively  are  infected.  It 
has  also  received  the  name  of  anthracnose,  while  the  organism  itself 
has  been  called  Colletotrichum  lagenarium  by  some  authorities,  and  by 
others  Glseosporium  Lindemuthianum.  The  disease  is  seldom  destructive, 
except  during  seasons  of  cold  rainy  weather,  though  very  common  in 
several  European  countries,  and  has  been  found  over  a  large  portion  of 
the  United  States.  The  parasite  thrives,  as  before  stated,  in  cold 
rainy  weather,  and  under  glass  when  the  plants'  are  kept  too  wet 
at  the  roots  in  a  low  temperature,  and  the  atmosphere  saturated. 
You  are  right — a  chill,  such  as  watering  in  cold  weather — would  help 
the  fungus  and  induce  that  condition  favourable  to  its  development. 
When  the  plants  are  kept  in  a  rather  high  temperature  and  somewhat 
dry  atmosphere,  -water  being  given  sparingly  at  the  roots,  the  disease 
makes  little  headway.  Planting  in  a  light  soil,  on  high,  well-drained 
land,  is  one  of  the  best  preventives  outdoors,  and  these  conditions 
apply  equally  to  plants  under  glass — namely,  a  temperature  of  60°  to 
65°  at  night,  and  70“  to  75°  by  day  with  sun  heat.  Lose  no  opportunity 
to  admit  air,  exposing  the  plants  to  all  the  light  possible,  and  be  careful 
not  to  have  the  soil  very  wet.  As  the  disease  goes  over  in  part  with 
the  seeds,  it  is  well  to  examine  them  before  sowing  and  reject  all  that 
show  evidence  of  the  malady.  From  some  experiments  we  have  made 
good  results  attend  soaking  the  Beans  before  sowing  in  a  solution  of 
blue  vitriol,  1  part  in  12j  parts  water,  for  ten  minutes. 
