496 
Jiine  10,  189?, 
JOURNAL  ON  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
prefer  plants  of  bushy  habit  and  floriferous,  they  select  less 
vigorous  side  growths  for  producing  them. 
Rose  growers,  amateur  and  professional,  who  have  been  close 
observers  for  many  years,  we  imagine  know  that  buds  taken  from 
(a)  enfeebled  growths,  (b)  robust  flowerless  stems,  and  (c)  sound 
healthy  floriferous  parts  have  differing  results,  corresponding  with 
the  inherent  character  of  the  stems  from  which  they  were  taken. 
If  this  were  not  so,  why  should  they  be  so  careful  to  select  the 
“  best  buds  ”  obtainable  ? 
Nurserymen  know  quite  well  that  for  producing  free,  upright 
growing  Conifers  and  trees  they  must  choose  their  scions  from 
upright  or  terminal  growths,  because  these  “go  ahead,”  who  res  s 
stunted  side  growths  produce  “  dumpy  ”  trees,  wi<h  a  tendency  to 
premature  flowering.  We  think  also  that  old  grafters  of  fruit  trees 
know  the  influence  that  different  kinds  of  scions  exert  on  the  con¬ 
tinuation  growth  of  those  scions,  and  select  accordingly-  Those 
from  luxuriant  growths  of  non-fruiting  trees  are  less  likely  to  be 
so  soon  productive  as  others  well  chosen  from  fruitful  trees  and 
branches,  the  stocks  and  soil  being  the  same  in  each  case.  We  n 
apprehend  it  is  not  difficult  to  produce  mere  stunted  pigmy  trees 
overladen  with  fruit  by  the  choice  of  buds  aloLe,  and  other  trees 
of  the  same  variety  on  the  same  kind  of  stock  by  the  side  of  them 
growing  “  like  Willows.”  In  a  small  experiment  we  have  found 
that  this  was  so  exactly  in  that  particular  instance.  We  have  also 
found,  like  Mr.  Beaton,  the  unwisdom  of  perpetuating  Strawberries 
from  barren  plants. 
In  raising  Gooseberry  bushes  we  should  not  take  cuttings  from 
robust  sucker  growths  which  had  not  produced  flowers,  as  we 
should  fear  that  such  cuttings  would  tend  to  produce  slow  or 
sparsely  fruiting  trees.  Nor  should  we  choose  the  extreme  tips  of 
heavily  fruited  branches,  at  least  without  much  discrimination,  as 
many  of  such  parts  are  too  enfeebled  and  apt  to  produce  weakly 
stems  and  leafage  so  tempting  to  the  destructive  mite  known  as 
red  spider.  Cuttings  from  sturdy  bearing  shoots  on  which  the 
leaves  have  been  fully  exposed  to  the  sun  are  such  as  we  prefer, 
removing  the  tips  down  to  the  “best  buds”  before  the  cuttirgs 
are  inserted. 
The  subject  of  the  character  of  growth  and  buds  influencing 
subsequent  growth  seems  to  have  received  more  attention  in 
America  than  in  England  ;  and  Mr.  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  the  Cornell 
University,  records  in  his  book,  “  The  Survival  of  the  Unlike,” 
lately  referred  to  in  these  columns,  that  “  every  farmer’s  boy 
knows  the  reddest  and  earliest  Apples  grow  on  the  uppermost 
branches,  and  his  father  always  tells  him  that  he  should  never 
select  cions  from  the  center  or  lower  part  of  a  tree.”  In  the  old 
country  “  every  father  ”  who  may  have  fruit  trees  does  not  give 
his  son  such  good  advice,  because  only  comparatively  few  fathers 
have  themselves  been  taught  the  significance  of  the  lesson.] 
CONSERVATION  OF  SOIL  MOISTURE. 
Mulching. 
Most  welcome  is  the  long-expected  rain  ;  though  in  some 
districts  it  has  only  partially  effected  its  purpose,  yet  it  has 
refreshed  vegetation  greatly,  and  it  behoves  us  to  make  the  most 
of  what  has  fallen  by  every  means  in  our  power,  lest  another 
period  of  drought  should  be  experienced.  The  long  continuance 
of  the  parching  easterly  winds  had  a  disastrously  drying  effect 
upon  some  soils  Fortunately  heavy  dews  have  helped  to  refresh 
tbe  foliage  of  trees  and  plants  at  night  and  early  morning,  but 
when  these  have  been  followed  by  bright  days,  with  strong  winds 
sucking  the  moisture  out  of  the  leaves,  the  good  effects  of  tbe  dew 
have  been  of  short  duration.  Some  bush  fruits,  especially  Goose¬ 
berries,  have  suffered  the  most,  and  the  crop  being  generally  so 
short  one  cannot  afford  to  lose  any  more  ;  yet  the  berries  have 
fallen  by  scores  in  some  places,  and  they  do  not  appear  to  be  much 
worse  on  light  Boils  than  on  heavy  ones — at  least,  as  far  as  I  have 
observed,  there  is  little  difference.  The  drying  wind  produced  an 
immediate  effect  on  the  foliage  and  growth,  against  which  the 
roots  were  unable  to  fortify  the  plants  without  further  aid  than 
the  ordinary  soil  stores  will  supply.  I  have  to  deal  with  a  heavy 
soil  which  is  of  a  most  peculiar  nature,  as  it  cracks  greatly  after  a  * 
few  days  drought  has  been  experienced,  and  constant  hoeing, 
while  reducing  the  tendency  considerably,  yet  does  not  suffice  to 
prevent  the  cracking  assuming  a  serious  form.  All  who  have  bad 
much  experience  are  most  reluctant  fo  commence  supplying  water 
to  p  ants  of  any  kind  out  of  dcois,  for  when  once  begun  it  must 
be  crntinued,  and  not  spaiingly  either,  or  the  mischief  resulting 
is  grt  ater  than  the  re  medial  effect*.  The  constant  watering  ( f 
large  numbers  of  p  ants  in  the  flower  or  kitchen  gardens  means  an 
enormons  increase  of  labour,  and  there  are  few  establishments 
where  this  would  not  cause  a  serious  interference  with  pressirg 
routine  work. 
Much  can  be  done  at  the  present  time  to  minimise  such  labour, 
and  one  of  the  readiest  means  is  securing  a  thorough  surface  tilth 
by  means  of  the  hoe.  The  use  of  this  instrument  for  surface 
stirring  is  beneficial  even  in  dry  weather,  but  there  are  some  soils 
upon  which  it  can  scarcely  be  used  with  advantage  in  periods  of 
drought,  because  the  superficial  layers  become  so  hard  and  baked 
that  the  hoe  will  make  little  impression.  A  moderate  rain,  how¬ 
ever,  renders  it  workable  with  ease,  and  the  operation  should  be 
pushed  forward  rapidly  now  amoDgst  growing  crops  of  all  kinds. 
This  refers  merely  to  stirring  soil  to  the  depth  of  about  1  inch,  but 
where  it  can  be  done  without  injury  to  the  roots  of  plants  light 
forking  to  the  depth  of  4  or  5  inches  is  even  more  beneficial, 
particularly  as  regards  retaining  the  moisture  in  the  lower  portion 
of  the  soil  for  trees  or  deep  rooting  plants.  For  the  purpese  iu 
view  there  is  a  limit  to  which  soil  stirring  can  be  carried  with 
practical  benefit,  and  it  haB  been  found  that  beyond  6  inches  no 
appreciable  tffect  is  produced  in  the  conservation  of  moisture,  and 
for  all  ordinary  crops  4  inches  is  the  extreme,  while  stirring  even 
half  an  inch  in  depth  produces  a  marked  effect. 
The  capacity  of  different  soils  for  water  varies  greatly,  as  also 
do  their  powers  of  retention.  For  example,  it  has  been  found  by 
experiment  that  while  100  parts  of  sand  will  absorb  25  per  cent,  of 
moisture,  yet  out  of  100  lbs.  of  water  so  absorbed  there  evaporated 
in  four  hours,  at  a  temperature  of  66°  Fahr.,  no  less  than  88  lbs. 
In  the  same  way,  loamy  clay  absorbed  40  per  cent,  of  moisture  and 
lost  52  lbs.  in  the  same  time  as  the  above,  heavy  clay  absorbirg 
61  per  cent,  and  losing  35  lbs.  of  moisture.  But  the  most  striking 
difference  is  shown  in  the  case  of  rich  garden  soil  and  humuF,  the 
former  absorbing  96  per  cent,  and  losing  25  lbs.  of  water,  the 
humus  taking  up  181  per  cent,  and  losing  only  21  lbs.  of  water  in 
the  four  hours  at  the  temperature  named.  The  condition  of  the 
soil,  therefore,  which  will  most  readily  help  in  the  conservation  of 
moisture  is  a  well-worked  surface  containing  an  abundance  of 
humus — i  e.,  decayed  vegetable  matter — as  a  relatively  larger 
quantity  of  wattr  is  absorbed  and  a  smaller  proportion  evaporated. 
It  is  evident  that,  for  the  above-named  reason,  farmyard  or 
stable  manure  would  have  a  better  effect  in  increasing  the  water- 
balding  power  of  the  soil  than  artificial  manures  ;  but  to  prove  this 
point  some  experiments  were  undertaken  at  Rothamsted,  which 
showed  the  effects  conclusively.  The  observations  were  made  in  a 
wet  winter,  when  samples  of  soils  treated  with  farmyard  and 
artificial  manures  were  taken  at  different  depths,  and  the  amount 
of  water  carefully  determined  with  the  following  results  : — 
Farmyard  Manure. 
Per  cent. 
1st— 8  inches  of  soil  . =  39  7 
2nd  ,,  ,,  =  356 
8rd  ,,  ,,  =  28  9 
4th.  „  ,,  =  240 
Average  .  32' 1 
Artificial  Manure. 
Per  cent. 
1st — 3  inches  of  soil  . =  26-5 
2nd  „  ,,  =  229 
3rd  „  „  =  iO-O 
4th  „  „  *=  24 ‘7 
Average  .  23  7 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  superficial  layers  only  were 
influenced  by  the  different  manures  as  regards  their  water-holding 
properties,  and  at  a  foot  depth  the  effect  was  practically  inappre¬ 
ciable. 
Mulching  is  a  time-honoured  practice  to  aid  in  the  preservation 
of  soil  moisture,  and  its  utility  has  been  so  repeatedly  proved  in  a 
general  way  that  it  is  not  surprising  it  should  be  so  commonly 
adopted.  Much  advantage  accrues,  in  fact,  from  applying  a  good 
dressing  of  short  littei — straw,  grass  mowings,  or  any  similar  sub¬ 
stance  around  trees  or  plants  at  this  time  of  year, ‘especially  after 
rain.  Nor  is  a  heavy  mulching  needed  if  the  soil  has  been  well 
worked,  for  it  has  been  proved  by  comparative  experiments  that  a 
very  slight  application  of  this  kind  to  the  surface  will  have  a 
greater  effect  in  insuring  the  retention  of  water  than  stirring  the 
soil  4  inches  deep,  and  a  mulching  1  inch  in  depth  has  almost 
double  the  effect  of  soil"  stirring  alone. 
If  plants  or  trees  are  weakly  the  mulching  can  take  the  form  of 
a  manure  dressing  ;  or  what  is  even  more  effective  in  some  cases, 
the  manurial  aid  can  be  given  in  liquid  form.  After  a  rain  like  we 
have  had  is  the  best  time  for  such  assistance  ;  it  is  almost  useless, 
and  certainly  very  wasteful,  to  supply  liquid  manure  when  the  soil 
is  parched  with  drought.  It  is  better  even  to  give  a  liberal  supply 
