February  10,  1898.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
MORE  ABOUT  SOLUBLE  PHENYLE. 
How  now,  “  Mr.  Editor.”  There  is  evidently  “  something  wrong 
somewhere  but  I  think  that  mysterious  someihing  is  about  solved. 
Mr.  Iggulden  is,  I  believe,  a  man  who  practises  what  he  preaches.  What 
does  he  tell  us  on  page  76  ?  Firstly,  that  if  phenyle  be  used  at  the  rate 
of  1  gallon  in  1000  gallons  of  water  it  will  injure  foliage,  and  may  be 
injurious  to  tender  root  fibres  ;  and  secondly,  that  ho  has  decided  that 
1  gallon  of  phenyle  is  enough  for  2000  gallons  of  water,  and  this  is  the 
strength  it  will  be  used  for  Tomatoes  and  Cucumbers  this  season.  I 
thought  perhaps  he  had  made  some  mistake  in  his  figures,  so  left  my 
notes  over  for  a  week  to  see  if  my  supposition  was  right.  As  no 
alteration  appeared  last  week,  I  think  we  may  now  take  them  as  correct. 
I  am  under  the  impression  that  soluble  phenyle  has  been  recom¬ 
mended  to  be  used  at  the  rate  of  1  gallon  in  96  gallons  of  water.  This 
was  the  advice  my  friends  followed,  and  killed  their  plants.  Now  if 
Mr.  Iggulden  thinks  1  gallon  of  phenyle  in  1000  gallons  of  water  will 
injure  tender  root  fibres,  what  would  be  the  result  of  using  it  ten  times 
stronger  ?  and  can  anyone  wonder  at  Cucumber  plants  being  killed  by 
using  this  strong  medicine  ?  ^ 
I  cannot  agree  with  your  correspondent  as  to  the  manorial  value  of 
soluble  phenyle.  I  still  think  it  of  no  practical  value  as  a  fertiliser  ; 
’but  as  a  little  practice  with  it  may  clear  away  these  doubts,  I  will  give 
it  a  trial  before  1  say  anything  more  on  the  subject. — W.  Dyke. 
[An  important  question  remains  unanswered.  Is  the  soluble  phenyle 
that  some  persons  find  safe  and  others  dangerous  to  use  of  uniform 
quality  and  strength  ?  We  think  Mr.  Abbey  has  sent  us  Tomato  roots 
which  have  been  immersed  in  the  proportions  he  named,  and  they  were 
not  injured  in  the  least,  as  could  be  clearly  seen  under  a  powerful 
microscope.  Still,  when  a  weak  solution  of  anything  answers,  it  would 
be  foolish  to  use  a  strong  one.] 
PHRYNIUM  YARIEGATUM. 
For  decorative  purposes  few  ornamental  foliage  plants  are  more  useful 
than  Phrynium  variegatum  (fig.  18).  When  well  grown  this  plant  forms 
an  attractive  feature  in  the  stove,  and  it  is  also  admirably  adapted  for 
table  decoration.  The  character  of  this  Phrynium  is  so  well  depicted 
in  the  illustration  that  a  detailed  description  is  unnecessary.  It  usually 
grows  from  a  foot  to  18  inches  in  height,  and  the  foliage  is  prettily 
marked  with  deep  green.  In  most  cases  it  is  grown  in  a  stove,  but 
an  intermediate  temperature  suits  it,  and  if  cultivated  under  the  latter 
conditiors  it  is  hardier  and  more  suitable  for  the  embellishment  of  warm 
apartments.  We  trust  this  will  meet  “Decorator’s”  wishes. 
APRICOTS. 
The  exhaustive  manner  in  which  Mr.  Abbey  treated  the  subject  of 
Apricots  and  their  culture  would  seem  to  have  covered  all  the  controversial 
ground.  The  Apricot,  however,  is  so  universally  accepted  as  an  uncertain 
and  fast  becoming  an  unprofitable  crop,  that  the  experience  and  opinions 
of  others  I  am  sure  would  form  an  interesting  subject  to  many  Journal 
readers.  That  the  Apricot  has  got  into  bad  repute  no  one  can  deny,  for 
in  so  many  gardens  one  hears  the  same  record  of  partial  or  total  failure 
through  gumming  and  the  sudden  collapse  of  branches,  of  which  Mr. 
Abbey  speaks.  In  a  few  gardens  they  give  little  trouble— no  more,  in 
fact,  than  Plums,  Apples,  or  Pears. 
In  his  second  paragraph  (page  31)  Mr.  Abbey  says,  “The  chief  reason 
of  failure  in  this  country  is,  according  to  my  experience,  restriction,  the 
trees  never  succeeding  on  low  walls,  and  mentions  that  on  a  10-feet  wall 
he  once  had  a  collection  of  the  choicest  varieties  that  in  three  j’ears 
dwindled  into  an  unprofitable  state,  with  one  exception.  Presumably 
IMr.  Abbey  would  consider  10  feet  a  low  wall,  but  2  feet  more  than  this,  I 
think,  would  cover  the  height  of  the  majority  of  garden  walls,  and  there 
are  a  few  instances  where  Apricots  flourish  for  many  years  restricted  to 
this  space,  while  in  others,  as  in  Mr.  Abbey’s  case,  premature  decadence 
sets  in  even  before  they  have  filled  their  allotted  space.  There  must  be 
other  contributory  causes  than  the  limit  of  space  to  account  for  failure, 
of  which  there  are  so  many  recorded.  Natural  shelter,  soil,  drainage, 
and  the  stocks  on  which  they  are  worked  account  for  a  good  deal, 
favourably  or  otherwise.  If  this  is  not  so,  what  explanation  can  be  given 
lor  trees  doing  so  well  in  one  and  so  badly  in  another  garden,  when  root 
and  branch  treatment  is  made  a  study  of  by  those  in  charge  ?  I  know  of 
trees  that  are  over  sixty  years  of  age  as  healthy  and  fruitful  as 
anyone  could  wish,  and  yet  these  had  obviously  filled  their  spaces  years 
ago,  and  had  no  means  for  farther  extension.  Here  the  loss  of  branches 
is  almost  unknown. 
Evidently  Mr.  Abbey  is  not  in  sympathy  with  elaborately  prepared 
borders  such  as  one  sometimes  hears  of  as  being  necessary,  for  he  says, 
“If  well  drained,  almost  any  garden  soil  will  grow  Apricots  to  perfection.” 
I  have  noticed  in  some  cases  that  where  the  garden  slopes  gently  or 
sharply  to  the  south,  and  there  is  a  belt  of  trees  on  the  north  and  north¬ 
east  sides.  Apricots  doing  better  than  in  other  gardens  strictly  level 
and  without  the  natural  shelter  named.  Here  there  was  once  a  wall  of 
more  than  100  yards  in  length  devoted  to  these  fruits,  which,  as  in  Mr. 
Abbey’s  case,  was  a  source  of  trouble,  constant  replanting  and  subsequent 
dwindling  even  of  young  trees.  This  brought  about  a  resolution  with 
my  predecessor  to  plant  no  more  Apricots,  but  as  they  were  removed  their 
places  were  filled  with  Pears.  There  are  just  a  few  of  the  trees  still 
remaining  which  will  not  eke  out  a  very  long  existence  ;  but  like  the  rest, 
give  place  to  other  kinds  of  fruits.  One,  however,  a  standard-trained* 
seemed  to  have  survived  a  good  many,  and  there  was  an  absence  of  the 
branch  decay  so  common  in  the  dwarf  trees. 
This,  to  me,  gave  rise  to  the  thought  that  the  stock  used  for  standards 
may  be  better  adapted  to  our  soil  than  the  one  employed  for  dwarf-trained 
trees  ;  and  instead  of  abandoning  Apricot  culture  as  hopeless,  I  have  put 
in  some  standards  against  another  south  wall  in  order  that  I  may  get 
some  proof  of  the  greater  adaptability  of  the  one  over  the  other.  So  far 
the  evidence  is  in  their  favour,  but  no  definite  opinions  can  be  formed  for 
some  time  to  come. 
I  incline  to  the  opinion  that  in  the  case  of  newly  planted  trees,  a 
frequent  and  careful  digging  about  their  roots,  severing  any  tending 
Fig.  18.— Phrynium  variegatum. 
towards  grossness,  and  incorporating  with  the  soil  in  the  course  of  filling 
in,  lime  grit,  road  scrapings — where  limestone  is  used  in  repairs — leaf 
mould,  and  burnt  refuse';  and  although  the  walls  may  not  be  so  quickly 
furnished  the  trees  would  be  better  equipped  in  having  abundant  root 
fibres  instead  of  those  of  a  thong-like  description,  which  usually  come 
from  deep  and  unrestrained  growth.  To  make  special  borders  of  turfy 
maiden  soil  would  be  to  court  failure  in  gardens  so  closely  associated  with 
gumming]  and  branch-dying,  unless  there  were  a  greater  depth  of  wall 
than  is  usual  in  gardens  to  furnish  with  the  corresponding  freedom  of 
growth,  which,  as  Mr.  Abbey  advises,  is  better  laid  in  than  cut  away,  so 
long  as  undue  crowding  is  avoided. 
Of  varieties,  Henskerk  is  the  best  here  ;  this  gives  large  fruit,  good 
in  colour  and  quality,  ripening  about  the  middle  of  August.  Kaisha  and 
Moor  Park  are  others  that  as  wall  standards  are  as  yet  satisfactory.  Dwarf- 
trained  trees  of  all  sorts  have  been  a  signal  failure.  Overhead  shelter 
is  [an  invaluable  aid  to  the  setting  of  the  crop  ;  where  glass  coping  is 
unavailable,  a  wide  board  is  a  great  help  in  warding  off  heavy  rains,  cold 
winds  and  frost. 
There  is  one  item  connected  with  Apricots  I  do  not  find  mentioned  by 
