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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  17,  1898. 
FUCHSIAS  AS  HOOF  PLANTS. 
Many  years  ago,  when  visiting  the  famous  Chatsworth  gardens, 
I  was  delighted  with  the  appearance  of  some  large  Fuchsias  trained  to 
the  rafters  of  one  of  the  plant  houses.  The  numerous  shoots  which 
were  sent  out  in  all  directions  were  borne  down  by  the  weight  of  the 
flowers,  which  hung  in  charming  undulations,  regulated  by  the  length 
of  the  various  shoots.  A  pretty  picture  indeed  it  was,  upon  which  the 
eyes  of  the  many  visitors  present  lingered  with  unfeigned  pleasure. 
Since  that  time  I  have  had  many  opportunities  of  growing  Fuchsias  in 
similar  positions,  and  have  invariably  noted  the  admiration  they 
commanded.  The  roof  of  a  conservatory,  greenhouse,  or  other  cool 
structures  afford  ideal  elevations  upon  which  to  train  these  popular 
plants,  for  in  no  other  positions  do  their  elegant  tlowers  display  so  fully 
their  graceful  beauty. 
Admitting,  as  I  believe  most  readers  will,  the  correctness  of  the 
above  remarks,  it  is  a  trille  strange  that,  when  considering  what  plants 
we  shall  employ  for  roof  ornamentation,  the  good  qualities  of  the 
pendulous  Fuchsia  should  often  be  overlooked.  Still  it  is  “  never  too 
late  to  mend,”  and  I  trust  this  note  will  serve  to  remind  many  that 
they  may,  with  advantage,  begin  to  atone  for  their  past  neglect  of  an 
old  favourite.  Those  who  do  so  will  doubtless  have  jflenty  of  material 
at  hand  with  which  to  make  a  good  start,  for  Fuchsias,  as  pot  plants, 
are  abundant  enough  in  the  majority  of  gardens.  ■  A  good  vigorous 
example,  in  an  8-inch  pot,  is  a  capital  type  of  plant  to  commence  opera¬ 
tions  with,  though,  of  course,  failing  such,  younger  ones  can  quickly 
be  grown  on  for  the  purpose.  I  prefer  to  plant  in  borders  where  such 
are  at  disposal,  or  can  be  formed,  but  have  often  grown  them  in  large 
pots  or  tubs  for  draping  roofs  or  walls. 
In  many  greenhouses  borders  from  18  inches  to  2  feet  in  width, 
with  a  depth  of  about  18  inches,  are  already  in  existence,  and  such 
dimensions  answer  very  well,  though  when  they  are  either  a  little 
more  or  less  they  serve  the  purpose  e(iually,well,  for  in  some  instances 
I  have  grown  very  large  plants  in  borders  only  a  foot  in  width;  it  is 
then  simply  a  matter  of  feeding  highly  and  paying  close  attention  to 
details.  A  few  inches  of  drainage  formed  of  clinkers,  broken  bricks,  or 
potsherds,  to  be  covered  with  rough  turf,  leaves  or  straw,  should  be 
placed  in  the  bottom  before  the  border  is  filled  with  soil. 
A  suitable  compost  is  formed  of  the  following  ingredients — good 
turfy  loam  three  parts,  partially  decayed  manure  one  part,  with  a  little 
charcoal,  and  a  7-inch  potful  of  half-inch  bones  given  to  a  barrowload 
of  the  other  ingredients.  If  the  loam  is  inclined  to  be  heavy  some 
sharp  sand  should  also  be  added,  and  if  the  plants  are  to  be  set  in  pots  or 
tubs,  as  much  leaf  soil  as  decayed  manure  may  with  advantage  be  also 
incorporated.  The  reason  for  making  this  little  distinction  is  that  in  the 
case  of  a  pot  plant  the  leaf  soil  promotes  rapid  root  action,  but  is 
exhausted  by  the  end  of  the  season,  then  repotting  puts  matters  right 
again ;  but  when  growing  in  a  border  we  want  a  given  quantity  of 
soil  to  give  up  food  more  slowly,  and  to  remain  sweet  and  fertile  for  a 
number  of  years. 
March  is  a  capital  month  during  which  to  plant.  Old  plants 
which  have  broken  freely  should  be  selected,  the  soil  shaken  away 
from  the  roots,  so  that  they  may  be  spread  out  evenly  in  all  directions, 
after  dead  and  damaged  points  have  been  cut  away.  This  spreading 
out  of  every  rootlet,  so  that  its  whole  surface  comes  in  contact  with 
the  soil,  has  a  wonderful  effect  in  securing  quick  and  strong  growth. 
Too  deep  planting  should  of  course  be  avoided,  the  safe  rule  being  to 
cover  the  surface  roots  with  about  an  inch  of  soil.  If  a  compost 
similar  to  that  described  is  used,  it  may  be  pressed  moderately  firm, 
but  does  not  need  a  great  amount  of  bard  ramming ;  we  then  get 
strong  shoots  to  start  with,  such  as  will  quickly  go  to  the  top  of  a 
rafter,  and  when  the  allotted  space  has  been  covered  it  is  quite  easy  to 
suppress  undue  vigour. 
If  pots  or  tubs  are  to  be  employed  for  growing  the  plants  in  I  like 
to  have  them  well  established  in  fairly  large  pots  before  placing  them 
in  their  final  position.  Those  that  were  shaken  out  and  potted  in 
February,  will  in  a  few  weeks  be  ready  for  another  shift ;  then,  when 
they  have  rooted  freely  into  the  new  soil,  they  are  ready  for  the  final 
potting  or  tubbing.  To  induce  the  leaders  to'grow  to  the  top  of  the 
house  quickly  I  usually  stop  the  side  when  they  have  made  two  or 
three  joints,  but  when  once  the  allotted  space  is  covered  no  stopping 
is  practised  ;  the  plants  are  simply  allowed  to  grow  away  at  will,  but 
■whenever  the  shoots  become  crowded  some  of  the  weaker  ones  are 
removed,  and  a  gap  is  filled  by  tying  a  shoot  across  it. 
A  rafter  densely  clothed  from  base  to  summit  with  Fuchsia 
shoots,  from  which  depend  myriads  of  drooping  flowers  of  various 
shades  of  colour,  is  a  sight  not  soon  forgotten.  The  growth,  how¬ 
ever,  need  not  be  confined  to  the  rafters  alone,  for  although  it  is 
often  undesirable  to  densely  shade  the  whole  roof  of  a  conservatory, 
a  light  shade  is  an  advantage.  If,  then,  wires  are  stretched  between 
the  rafters  from  3  to  4  feet  apart,  and  a  shoot  taken  along  each  wire, 
we  can  manage  to  drape  the  roof  in  a  beautiful  garb  without  unduly 
shading  the  plants  beneath.  The  pillars  which  support  the  roof  may 
also  be  used  to  train  Fuchsias  upon,  and  indeed  there  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  have  a  Fuchsia  house,  one  in  which  be  th  walls, 
roofs,  and  pillars  are  entirely  draped  with  these  popular  flowers. 
Anyone  who  is  bold  enough  to  carry  out  the  idea  will,  I  think, 
be  rewarded  by  a  feast  of  beauty,  which  will  totally  eclipse  the 
display  obtained  in  any  house  where  a  mixture  of  creepers  have  been 
planted.  When  autumn  comes  round,  the  plants  should  be  kept  dry 
at  the  roots,  just  as  they  are  usually  treated  when  grown  for  ordinary 
purposes,  and  at  pruning  time  all  side  growths  ought  to  be  cut  in 
to  within  one  or  two  eyes  of  their  base;  in  fact,  they  may  be  pruned 
upon  exactly  the  same  system  as  Vines.  When  the  plants  have 
covered  their  allotted  space,  the  borders  will  be  packed  with  roots,  and 
during  the  growing  season  liberal  treatment  must  be  given  in  the 
shape  of  liquid  manure  or  artificial  fertilisers,  watered  in  with 
abundance  of  clear  water.  If  this  practice  is  well  followed  up,  and  a 
top-dressing  of  fresh  soil  and  manure  given  annually,  the  plants  will 
give  satisfactory  results  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Strong  young  varieties  should,  of  course,  be  selected  for  the 
purpose,  and  the  following  selection  will  be  found  to  include  many  of 
the  best  : — 
Doubles. — A.  D.  Neuville ;  Ballet  Girl,  white  corolla  (grand)  ; 
Burzeward ;  Champion  of  the  World,  sepals  coral  red,  corolla  dark 
purple;  Madame  Jules  Chretien,  and  Phenomenal. 
Singles. — Aurora  Superba ;  Blushing  Bride,  white  tube  and  sepals, 
scarlet-lake  corolla  ;  Charming ;  Dominiana ;  IMadame  Thibaut,  tube 
and  sepals  bright  rose,  corolla  rose  margined  with  white ;  Olympia, 
Emperor,  Bose  of  Castile,  Lustre,  Lord  Beaconsfield,  and  Mrs. 
Marshall. — H.  D. 
For  some  years  now  one  of  the  most  charming  summer  features  of 
the  Chelsea  nursery  of  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  has  been  the 
long  span-roofed  house  with  its  overhanging  Fuchsias.  Here,  any 
season,  may  be  seen  an  example  of  the  system  so  ably  advocated  by 
our  correspondent,  and  all  who  have  noticed  it  are  unanimous  in  praising 
its  merits.  The  plants  used  at  Chelsea  are  usually  two  years  old,  and 
needless  to  say,  only  the  strong  growing  varieties  are  chosen.  By  the 
courtesy  of  IMessrs.  Veitch  &  Sons  we  are  enabled  to  reproduce  a  photo 
which  was  taken  when  the  Fuchsias  were  at  their  best,  and  it  will  be 
agreed  that  the  picture  is  an  effective.  The  varieties  represented  as 
in  flower  are  Olympia,  The  Shah,  General  Grenfell,  Miss  Berrage,  Mrs. 
Bundle,  Mrs.  Todman,  and  Phenomenal,  the  latter  being  the  weakest 
grower,  and  only  suitable  for  using  in  conjunction  with  one  of  the 
others.  Visitors  to  Chelsea  this  summer  should  make  a  point  of  seeing 
this  house,  which  is  situated  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  central  walk 
opposite  the  large  Palm  house. 
FAIR  DEVON. 
(Continued  from  page  141.) 
Thk  region  of  the  “  Tors  ”  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  districts 
of  inland  Devon,  for  there  we  find  striking  contrasts  between  charming 
scenery  and  the  sternly  sublime  or  weird  aspects  of  Nature.  There  is 
a  peculiar  fascination  for  the  observant  traveller  in  all  the  granitic 
outcrops  of  Great  Britain,  for  it  seems  as  we  go  back  in  geological 
time  we  enter  upon  a  totally  different  world  from  that  we  are  familiar 
with  in  the  less  rugged  contours  of  more  recent  formation.  The 
contemplation  of  the  scenery  characteristic  of  such  regions  has  an 
invigorating  effect  upon  a  healthy  mind,  just  as  cold  water  braces  the 
muscles  of  the  body,  while  warm  water  relaxes  them.  A  change  of 
scene  is  beneficial  to  all,  and  gardeners,  like  others,  may  so  assiduously 
devote  themselves  to  their  duties  that  their  minds  become  too  cramped 
or  narrowed  in  their  range  of  ideas.  When  business  can  be  combined 
with  the  mental  relief  sought  it  is  an  advantage  frequently  from  a 
pecuniary  point  of  view,  but  there  are  times  when  such  considerations 
must  be  placed  upon  one  side  and  health  becomes  of  the  first 
importance.  _ 
Holidays  pure  and  simple  must  be  indulged  in  at  times,  though  I 
confess  to  a  natural  disinclination  for  the  merely  idle  rest,  needful  as 
it  may  be,  and  I  have  for  many  years  been  fortunately  able  to  comlune 
some  work  with  the  recreative  and  instructive  change  afforded  by 
journeys  throughout  our  islands.  If,  however,  I  had  to  choose  a 
locality  for  a  holiday-  apart  from  business,  one  that  would  certainly 
have  prominent  claims  upon  me  is  the  region  of  the  Tors,  the  vast 
expanse  of  Dartmoor  Forest,  which  occupies  so  large  an  area  of  central 
Devonshire.  There  the  pedestrian  has  ample  space  for  his  wanderings, 
and  if  he  be  a  naturalist  he  can  find  abundance  to  engage  his  attention 
in  the  200  square  miles  of  wild  moorland,  over  the  greater  part  of 
which  he  is  free  to  roam  unchecked.  This  extraordinary  expanse, 
which  extends  nearly  north  and  south  for  about  twenty-five  miles, 
varying  in  breadth  from  ten  to  twelve  miles  or  more  at  some  x)oints, 
is  a  vast  outcrop  of  granite  barely  covered  at  the  more  exposed  places 
with  sufficient  soil  for  grass,  in  others  forming  a  peaty  mass  of  a  boggy 
I  nature.  But  wherever  the  rock  has  been  sufficiently  worn  down  a 
