270 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  19, 1896. 
the  ground  they  should  be  thinned  out  to  6  or  8  inches  apart,  kept  clear 
of  weeds,  and  watered  as  occasion  requires.  At  the  end  of  August  or 
early  in  September  collect  a  few  barrowloads  of  moderately  large 
atones,  selecting  such  as  are  best  suited  for  forming  a  rockwork.  They 
should  be  longer  than  broad,  somewhat  flat  or  even  at  the  sides,  so  that 
they  may  lie  firmly  in  their  places  when  built  up.  Any  kind  of  stones 
which  the  district  may  afford  will  do  ;  but  those  of  a  sandy  or  porous 
composition  should  be  preferred  when  a  choice  is  offered.  Bricks  may 
also  be  used,  but  they  are,  perhaps,  too  flat,  and  do  not  present  those 
holes  and  crevices  which  are  desirable  in  the  formation  of  rockwork, 
and  which  may  generally  be  secured  by  the  use  of  stones. 
The  site  being  chosen  in  some  sheltered  open  part  of  the  garden,  the 
stones  and  a  quantity  of  good  friable  sandy  loam,  with  some  brick 
rubbish  or  rubble,  should  be  collected  together.  The  rockwork  must  be 
determined  according  to  taste  and  requirements,  in  respect  to  form  and 
size,  but  there  is  no  use  in  having  it  too  large.  Perhaps  the  oval  form  is 
the  most  convenient  for  building  such  a  structure  ;  and  if  the  base  is 
5  feet  long,  a  pile  may  be  raised  with  a  surface  extensive  enough  to  grow 
a  sufficient  supply  for  an  ordinary  family.  The  stones  used  in  forming 
the  first  tier  or  layer  may  be  about  8  inches  high  and  kept  close  so 
as  to  keep  them  together,  while  the  centre  may  be  filled  with  ordinary 
brick  or  sandstone  rubbish.  When  the  first  layer  is  completed,  a  portion 
of  the  soil  should  be  laid  over  the  stones  at  the  side,  and  a  number  of 
plants  of  Parsley,  taken  carefully  up  from  the  bed  in  which  they  have 
been  growing,  should  be  planted  as  regularly  as  possible  in  all  the  holes 
and  crevices,  their  roots  being  spread  out  in  the  soil,  and  their  stems  and 
leaves  kept  inclined  outwards  at  the  margin. 
Having  fixed  the  plants  properly,  proceed  to  erect  a  second  tier  in  the 
same  way,  and  so  on  with  the  others,  till  the  pile  is  raised  to  the  height 
desired  ,*  but  with  the  'subsequent  tiers  keep  the  stones  4  or  5  inches 
nearer  the  centre  all  round,  and  about  an  inch  or  so  apart.  Every  stone 
should  be  placed  directly  over  the  point  which  forms  the  junction  of 
those  immediately  below  it  ;  and  every  additional  tier  which  is  raised 
must  be  kept  3  or  4  inches  nearer  the  centre  than  the  one  preceding  it. 
In  this  arrangement  of  the  several  tiers  the  plants  will  not  come  directly 
over  another,  and  the  soil  will  not  be  washed  down  from  the  inter¬ 
stices  by  rain.  If  at  the  time  of  building  the  rockwork  the  weather  is 
dry,  the  soil  about  the  plants  must  be  well  soaked  with  water  ;  but  this 
must  be  done  by  limited  supplies  repeated  several  times,  for  if  much 
water  is  poured  on  at  once  a  portion  of  the  soil  will  run  down. 
To  prevent  the  action  of  drenching  rains  from  having  the  same  effect, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  provide  the  winter  covering  at  once.  A  number 
of  stout  ash  sticks  must  be  driven  into  the  ground  about  12  inches  from 
the  bottom  of  the  rockwork,  and  attached  by  a  good  strong  cord,  so  near 
one  another  that  they  may  form  an  open  arching  figure  at  the  top,  and 
so  placed  that  at  any  point  they  may  be  12  or  18  inches  clear  of  the 
plants.  A  covering  of  oilcloth  or  common  canvas  should  be  provided, 
and  kept  in  readiness  to  protect  the  mound  from  heavy  falls  of  rain 
until  the  soil  has  become  consolidated  round  the  sides.  This  covering 
will  also  be  available  during  intense  frost,  when  it  must  be  carefully 
laid  over  the  whole  frame  of  sticks  and  removed  whenever  the  weather 
is  mild  and  open.  In  eight  or  nine  weeks  the  pile  will  have  become 
covered  with  strong  healthy  plants,  which,  besides  affording  a  continual 
supply,  will  form  an  agreeable  object  both  in  summer  and  winter. 
It  may  be  urged  that  by  this  plan  of  growing  Parsley  the  roots  are 
liable  to  become  dry  in  summer  ;  but  in  admitting  the  probability  of 
such  a  circumstance,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  if  the  plants  could  be 
kept  from  growing  too  vigorously  during  the  summer  months,  they  would 
be  in  the  best  condition  for  preservation  during  frost.  Now  the  drought 
of  a  hot  summer  would  have  the  effect  of  retarding  them  and  conserving 
their  energy  until  the  time  when  their  growth  was  most  desirable. 
Besides,  any  extreme  dryness  could  be  very  easily  prevented  by  timely 
applications  of  water. — A.  N. 
GROWING  FUCHSIAS. 
Pephaps,  owing  to  some  lack  of  popularity,  Fuchsias  in  many  places 
are  not  so  well  or  extensively  grown  as  formerly.  Other  plants  have 
sprung  into  favour  that  have,  to  some  extent,  superseded  this  old 
favourite,  with  its  graceful  habit  and  quiet  beauty ;  and  as  a  kind  of 
plea  for  the  Fuchsia,  the  following  remarks  on  its  culture  may  be 
interesting,  and  I  hope  instructive,  to  some  readers  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture. 
But  little  skill  is  required  to  provide  a  display  of  Zonals,  Petunias, 
Balsams,  and  other  plants,  which  find  their  way  to  the  rubbish  heap 
sooner  or  later  ;  but  good  culture  is  required  to  produce  Fuchsias  from 
6  feet  high  and  upwards  perfectly  furnished  with  growths,  so  that  no 
stem  or  twig  is  seen,  and  so  densely  covered  with  flowers  that  2  inches 
without  blooms  could  not  be  found  in  the  whole  plant.  Yet  it  is  not  so 
much  skill  that  is  wanted  as  love  for  the  plant,  for  where  love  is  there 
will  be  attention  ;  where  love  is  not  there  will  be  inattention  and 
failure.  The  soil  is  the  main  item  in  Fuchsia  culture.  It  needs  some¬ 
thing  solid  and  good.  No  natural  loam  is  half  good  enough  or  rich 
enough  ;  but  one-year-old  turf  from  a  medium  loam  may  be  taken  as 
the  best  basis  ;  still,  as  it  is  only  what  is  artificially  supplied  that  is  to 
be  depended  on,  that  rather  than  the  medium  ought  to  be  most  thought 
of  in  preparing  the  compost. 
The  Fuchsia  requires  nitrogen,  phosphates,  and  potash.  We  have 
never  found  a  better  way  of  giving  these  than  by  laying  up  good  loam 
months  before  it  was  wanted  with  layers  of  cow  manure  between,  and 
then  a  soaking  of  urine.  Under  cover  no  rain  washed  the  manure  out. 
the  soil  fixed  the  potash  and  the  phosphates,  and  turned  the  urea 
to  nitrates.  Meanwhile  the  cow  manure  had  become  soil — not  the 
greasy  fermented  soil  of  a  manure  bed,  and  not  the  acidulated  humus 
manufactured  by  worms — but  sweet,  light,  wholesome,  nutritious  soil, 
gifted  with  root-producing,  root-feeding  powers.  Soil  so  prepared 
would  produce  luxuriance  in  anything — for  a  time. 
But  “  nothing  in  this  world  can  last,”  and  nitrates  speedily  leave  a 
soil  through  which  water  runs  as  it  usually  does  in  pots.  Manure  is  not 
so  rich  in  phosphates  as  one  might  think,  and  potash  and  phosphates  are 
soon  exhausted  when  only  a  small  pot  holds  the  rooting  ground  of  a 
large  Fuchsia.  When  the  loam  is  chopped  up  for  using  at  potting  time 
then  we  sprinkle  a  little  bonedust  to  yield  future  supplies  of  phosphates 
and  also  ammonia.  The  main  supply  of  nitrogen  we  leave  to  the  future, 
and  other  minerals  (over  and  above  the  phosphates  and  potash)  are 
supplied  in  the  merest  sprinkling  of  wood  ashes.  When  the  loam  is 
very  heavy  or  fibreless  a  little  sand  is  given — only  then.  So  far  as  at 
present  can  be  done  a  perfect  soil  is  thus  secured. 
In  the  matter  of  raising  plants  the  only  beginning  is  with  cuttings. 
Of  course,  only  those  who  have  old  plants  from  which  to  take  cuttings 
can  thus  begin.  Those  who  have  not  cannot  get  their  young  plants  in 
too  small  a  state.  As  usually  treated  plants  of  any  great  size  have  a 
check,  and  are  not  worth  having.  We  cannot  tell  what  time  of  the 
year  is  best  for  rooting  cuttings,  but  prefer  January.  Cuttings  taken 
then  and  properly  treated  will  be  3,  4,  5,  6  feet  high  bushes  and  beauti¬ 
fully  furnished  the  same  year.  A  heat  of  60°  is  needed  to  do  the  cuttings 
justice,  and  moisture  to  prevent  flagging  is  necessary.  If  this  can  lie 
given,  an  open  bed  is  much  to  be  preferred  to  a  close  case.  Open  porous 
loam  with  just  the  suspicion  of  sharp  sand  at  the  base  of  the  cuttings  is 
the  best  medium  to  root  them  in,  and  it  should  be  on  a  bed  or  in  a  box. 
The  single  pot  system  is  the  plan  to  be  avoided. 
If  the  soil  is  kept  warm — about  70°,  and  the  cuttings  never  flag,  they 
will  speedily  root  and  commence  growing.  It  the  soil  is  such  as  we  have 
described  they  will  grow  vigorously.  If  only  ordinary  loam  is  used,  and 
the  orthodox  leaf  soil  and  sand  added,  do  not  be  disappointed  if  they 
fail  to  move.  When  the  growth  is  started  the  plants  should  be  trans¬ 
ferred  into  4-inch  pots.  The  loam  should  be  made  friable  and  porous, 
and  only  moderately  Arm.  The  crush  of  roots  will  make  it  too  Arm  by- 
and-by.  Moreover,  we  want  the  present  roots  to  multiply  rapidly  to 
seize  in  the  nitrates  and  pass  them  up  to  the  leaves  to  be  manufactured 
into  plant  tissue.  One  crock  in  the  bottom  of  the  pots,  which  must  be 
without  a  suspicion  of  clogging  dirt,  will  be  enough.  The  soil  should  be 
warm.  Returned  to  their  warm  quarters,  given  plenty  of  room,  and  all 
the  air  and  light  possible,  they  will  grow  very  rapidly,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  will  take  another  shift. 
Long  before  shifting  is  necessary,  for  we  prefer  a  pot  pretty  well 
fllled  with  roots,  we  are  not  sure  but  the  nitrogen  in  the  soil  may  be 
getting  scarce.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  surface  of  the  pot  is  white  with 
roots,  as  it  will  surely  do  in  open  wholesome  loam  kept  properly  moist, 
yet  never  so  wet  as  to  induce  souring,  we  begin  to  give  liquid  manure. 
Nothing  surpasses  urine.  The  water  is  just  tainted  with  this,  and  the 
result  justifles  the  practice.  The  urea  in  it  as  well  as  the  potash  are 
directly  assimilable,  and  so  long  as  every  drop  of  water  contains  both 
the  plants  never  want.  Anything  above  a  taint  under  such  conditions 
is  too  strong. 
Staking  always  requires  attention,  and  also  pinching.  When  rapidly 
grown  in  a  temperature  of  from  55°  to  65°  and  well  fed  pinching  is 
hardly  wanted,  except  with  the  “  improved  ”  varieties.  Varieties  of  good 
habit  grow  the  shape  of  a  Spruce  Fir  naturally,  and  that  form  is  the 
best.  One  stake  is  sufficient  up  the  centre.  A  leader  must  be  kept  for 
training  to  this.  If  it  grows  freely  and  furnishes  side  shoots  plentifully 
let  it  grow.  If  it  fails  to  furnish  these,  or  if  it  shows  flowers,  the  top 
must  be  pinched  and  repinched,  and  a  new  leader  selected  continually. 
The  side  growths  should  be  similarly  treated,  and  tied  in  to  furnish  a 
pyramid  as  perfect  as  possible. 
In  repotting  keep  the  soil  rather  low  in  the  pots,  and  when  the  pots 
are  filled  with  roots  top-dressing  and  mulching  can  begin.  The  roots 
always  come  up,  and  must  both  be  fed  and  protected.  Large  pots  are 
not  advisable.  If  such  soil  as  we  have  recommended,  and  such  manure 
be  applied  as  advised,  plants  from  6  to  7  feet  high,  half  covering  the 
pot,  and  3  to  4  feet  through  at  base,  may  be  grown  in  robust  health  in 
10-inch  pots.  But  they  must  never  once  become  dry.  By  continually 
syringing,  occasionally  putting  a  little  softsoap  in  the  water,  green  fly 
and  red  spider  will  never  be  seen,  and  by  judicious  shading  the  flowering 
period  may  be  kept  up  for  months.  If  urine  is  not  used  because  of  the 
smell,  nitrate  of  potash  will  make  a  capital  substitute,  better  than 
sulphate  of  ammonia. 
Fuchsias  grown  in  the  liberal  way  here  recommended  require  a 
check  in  October.  A  proper  drying-up  accomplishes  this,  or  a  touch  of 
frost  will  do  it ;  the  frost  is  dangerous ;  the  drying  gives  a  check  that 
weakens  much.  It  is  successful,  though.  The  sap  goes  out  of  the 
branches,  they  are  pruned,  and  in  a  month  or  two  push  again,  though 
very  weakly.  The  drying  killed  the  roots,  and  only  slowly  the  plants 
recover.  But  they  are  in  that  way  when  they  are  shaken  out  of  their 
pots,  root-pruned  and  repotted.  A  check  follows  a  check,  both 
unnatural,  dead  branches,  feeble  growths,  and  eyesores  being  the  result. 
A  better  way  is  in  autumn  to  pinch  all  growing  shoots,  then  a  week 
after  to  turn  the  plants  out  of  the  pots,  reduce  the  balls,  and  repot.  The 
soil  is  kept  moderately  moist.  Under  this  treatment  the  tops  grow  no 
more.  The  leaves,  instead  of  falling  desiccated  and  dried  to  death, 
ripen  off,  deliver  their  essence  to  the  stems,  which,  instead  of  being  sent 
to  rest  unprovided  with  a  store  to  start  the  plant  in  spring,  is  stored 
full.  The  roots,  instead  of  being  dead,  grow  into  the  new  soil,  and  in 
