March  18,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
237 
seedlings  into  frames  shaded  from  the  bright  sun,  they  are  generally 
strong  enough  to  plant  out  the  same  autumn.  The  seed  may  also  be 
sown  early  in  the  spring  in  drills  about  6  inches  apart  on  a  south  border, 
and  when  the  plants  are  large  enough  planted  direct  from  the  seed  bed. 
The  plants  usually  flower  well  the  first  spring,  but  far  better  the 
second,  when  the  plants  seem  to  be  at  their  best,  for  from  that  time, 
whether  lifted  or  rep  anted,  they  almost  always  begin  to  decay,  especially 
in  hot  and  parching  weather  ;  but  when  the  summer  is  cool  and  moist 
the  plants  stand  fairly  well.  The  decay  may  sometimes  be  avoided  by 
taking  np  the  old  plants,  pulling  each  crown  off  singly,  and  planting 
in  fresh  soil  ;  but  it  is  far  the  simpler  plan  to  raise  a  fresh  batch  each 
season. — J.  B.,  Eastnor  Castle  Gardens. 
Vines  at  Penrhyn. 
I  have  read  with  considerable  interest  Mr.  Craven’s  note  on  Vine 
pruning  at  Penrhyn.  Having  often  heard  of  the  grand  Grapes  produced 
on  these  old  Vines  (faggots,  as  he  calls  them),  I  venture  to  ask  a  few 
questions.  He  says  Mr.  Speed  is  constantly  working  in  young  wood 
from  bottom  to  top — a  sore  of  compromise  between  long  rod  and  spur 
pruning.  Do  I  understand  Mr.  Craven  to  say  that  several  short  canes 
are  run  up  annually  at  intervals  of  the  forty-year-old  rods,  fruited,  and 
cut  away  again  ?  I  would  also  ask  if  the  borders  in  which  these  veterans 
are  growing  have  been  renewed  during  that  time,  and  if  the  vigour  and 
longevity  of  the  Vines  is  not  due  more  to  the  new  borders  than  to  the 
system  of  pruning?  Mr.  Craven  truly  remarks  there  is  food  for 
reflection,  and  I  feel  I  shall  not  have  written  my  first  Journal  note  in 
vain  if  we  get  an  answer  from  such  experts  as  Messrs.  Speed  and  Craven 
on  Vine  culture. — Stone,  Warrilon. 
[Written  very  well,  too.  It  is  better  to  write  briefly  and  well,  than 
lengthily,  but  indifferently.] 
Gloxinias. 
Having  read  “  Youngster’s,”  and  “  W.  P.’s”  treatment  of  Gloxinias, 
I  think  “  W.  P.”  is  rather  hard  on  the  former.  I  quite  agree  with 
“Youngster”  in  moving  the  seedlings  as  early  as  possible,  as  otherwise 
they  are  liable  to  damp  off,  and  surely  “  W.  P.”  must  be  dreaming  when 
he  says  Gloxinias  will  not  rest  in  a  cool  greenhouse  from  which  frost  is 
excluded;  I  find  the  corms  are  more  sound,  and  start  into  growth  more 
strongly  when  kept  in  a  cool  house,  and  do  not  shrivel  as  they  do  when 
kept  while  resting  in  a  high  temperature.  They  do  well  when  started  in 
a  vinery  at  a  temperature  of  50°,  and  grow  sturdily.  As 
they  increase  in  growth  we  lemove  the  plants  to  a  fernery 
with  a  temperature  of  60°,  where  they  bloom  abundantly. 
— Glox. 
While  thanking  “  W.  P.”  for  so  kindly  criticising  my 
article  on  Gloxinias,  which  appeared  on  page  144  of  this 
Journal,  I  will  venture  to  say  a  few  words  in  support  of  the 
method  I  recommended.  Firstly  he  remarks,  “Youngster” 
seems  inclined  to  deplore  the  fact  that  Gloxinias  are  not 
largely  grown.  In  answer  to  this  I  shall  point  out  that  I 
inferred  they  were  not  so  largely  grown  as  their  easy 
culture  and  great  usefulness  merit.  They  are  generally 
grown,  but  not  largely  in  the  majority  of  places.  As  regards 
the  early  pricking  off  much  may  be  said  in  favour  of 
the  system.  Perhaps  “  W.  P.”  has  not  paid  a  visit  to  the  nursery  of  a 
leading  Begonia  grower  not  a  hundred  miles  from  Forest  Hill,  or  to  one 
where  Gloxinias  are  raised  annually  by  tens  of  thousands  in  the  early 
spring.  If  he  has  he  will  have  seen  lads  just  left  school  standing  at 
benches  by  the  half  dozen,  busily  engaged  with  prong  in  one  hand  and 
pointed  stick  in  the  other  pricking  off  the  seedlings  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  as  I  have  described.  Moreover,  what  tender-rooted  seedling 
does  not  benefit  by  an  early  removal  from  the  seed  pans,  especially  those 
which  are  tuberous  or  bulbous  rooted  ? 
Again,  “  W.  P.”  writes,  a  cool  greenhouse  would  not  be  a  suitable 
place  in  which  to  store  the  corms  during  the  resting  period.  What  does 
he  call  a  cool  greenhouse  ?  My  idea  of  such  is  one  which  is  kept  at  say 
50°  at  night  from  November  to  March  ;  if  kept  in  too  high  a  tempera¬ 
ture  watering  will  often  have  to  be  resorted  to  to  prevent  the  corms 
shrivelling.  I  have  seen  them  wintered  safely  in  a  late  vinery  where 
just  enough  heat  was  maintained  to  exclude  frost,  and  that  with  good 
results. 
“  W.  P.”  may  also  observe  that  I  did  not  recommend  starting  the 
corms  in  a  temperature  of  50° ;  what  1  said  was  it  should  not  fall  below 
that  at  night.  The  temperature  he  advises  would  in  my  opinion  be  a 
very  suitable  one  in  which  to  start  them. 
As  regards  compost,  “  W.  P.”  has  undoubtedly  had  good  results  from 
plants  grown  in  his  mixture,  so  also  have  I  from  plants  grown  in  mine. 
Opinions  differ,  but  I  think  if  twelve  gardeners  were  asked  to  give  their 
opinion  as  to  what  soil  to  use  for  potting  Gloxinias,  six  would  probably 
favour  one  and  a  half  dozen  the  other.  “  W.  P.”  also  says  soot  is  best 
used  in  liquid  form.  True  ;  but  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  soot  is  such 
an  excellent  purifier  that  I  am  still  of  opinion  that  a  small  quantity 
mixed  with  the  compost  cannot  do  otherwise  than  benefit  the  plants  if 
used  in  a  judicious  and  careful  manner. 
As  regards  numbers  “  W.  P.”  says  we  grow  them  by  the  hundred.  I 
may  add  that  our  numbers  reach  almost  into  thousands.  With  all  due 
respect  to  “  W.  P.  ”  I  venture  to  think  that  after  he  has  carefully  read 
my  article  once  or  twice  more,  he  will  not  be  quite  so  much  surprised 
after  all  at  the  method  of  culture  recommended  by — Youngster. 
Pruning, 
I  read  with  much  interest  “  Sylva’s  ”  article  on  “  Tree  Pruning,” 
page  151.  It  is  to  be  feared  his  words  are  very  true  as  regards  young 
gardeners  not  studying  arboriculture.  It  is  hoped  we  Bhall  take  his 
gentle  reminder  in  the  right  light,  not  as  criticism,  but  advice.  We 
must  make  his  subject  a  study,  and  continue  until  we  master  it.  Given 
a  young  man  in  a  good  garden,  where  both  forest  trees  and  Coniferse  are 
well  cared  for,  what  scope  there  is  for  instructive  observation.  We 
may  Bee  an  isolated  specimen  growing  in  all  its  natural  beauty  ;  wtat 
an  object  lesson  it  is  ! 
Let  us  pass  onwards  and  out  of  the  pleasure  grounds,  and  take  a 
walk  along  a  country  roadside ;  we  may  then  find  a  tree  of  the  same 
variety  lopped  beyond  recognition.  Again,  we  may  see  a  clump  of  trees, 
each  one  perfect,  as  it  were,  in  its  own  symmetry.  Has  it  ever  occurred 
to  us  what  care  was  bestowed  or  what  protection  given  when  young  by 
some  perhaps  forgotten  fostering  hand,  or  with  what  foresight  each  one 
was  pruned  and  thinned  ?  I  thiDk  not,  at  least  to  the  majority  of  us. 
Do  not  let  it  be  thought  I  want  to  launch  as  a  critic  ;  on  the  contrary,. 
“  Sylva  ”  has  made  me  feel  my  own  weakness.  His  words  have  struck 
very  deep  ;  may  they  do  so  in  others. 
FIG.  53. — CYPRIPEDIUM  LATHAMIANUM.  ( See  page  22S.) 
Young  fellow  gardeners  of  the  domain,  and  those  whojmay  read  these 
few  words,  let  us  make  this  subject  one  of  our  greatest  aims  ;  let  us  try 
and  place  ourselves  even  beyond  the  gentle  hint  of  one-sidedness.  Leave 
the  glass  houses  for  a  time,  pass  through  all  the  grades  of  our  profession 
onwards  and  upwards  to  the  top.  We  may  perhaps  develop  false 
leaders  in  our  course,  as  the  trees  spoken  of  by  “  Sylva let  us  at  least 
sever  them  before  they  go  too  far.  We  might  notice  the  distances  of 
various  trees,  their  respective  heights  and  situations, ^so  that  in  time  to 
come,  if  called  upon  to  do  such  work,  we  shall  benefit  by  the  lessons 
thus  afforded. — Semper. 
Carnations. 
These  flowers  are  now  in  the  front  rank.  They  are  good  for  cutting 
and  last  a  long  time  in  water  ;  their  long  stems  make  them  very  usefui 
for  vases,  while  their  fragrance  is  second  to  none.  If  grown  in  beds  the 
hoe  should  be  run  through  the  surface  frequently,  as  it  prevents  weeds 
and  keeps  the  surface  of  soil  from  cracking  in  dry  weather.  When  the 
flower  stems  appear  they  should  be  neatly  staked  ;  some  prefer  wires 
because  they  are  not  so  conspicuous. 
About  the  first  week  in  August  the  “  grass  ”  ought  to  be  layered  ; 
the  layers  will  root  in  about  a  month.  In  October  the  plants  may  be 
carefully  taken  off  and  transplanted  in  new  beds,  leaving  room  between 
the  plants  for  layering  the  following  year.  Those  not  required  should 
be  preserved  to  fill  any  vacancies  that  may  occur  in  the  spring. 
In  planting  be  very  careful  not  to  bury  any  grass,  and  press  the  soil 
firmly  round  each  plant.  Good  loam  suits  them  best.  A  sprinkling  of 
soot  may  be  used  now  and  again  with  advantage. — Dianthus. 
