April  21,  1898 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
347 
-  War  akd  the  Fruit  Trade. — A  large  fruit  importer  says  : 
“  A  war  between  America  and  Spain  will  paralyse  the  fruit  trade  of  this 
country.  That  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  merchants.  There  are  about 
eight  lines  of  steamers  engaged  in  the  fruit  trade,  and  most  of  the  imports 
are  direct  from  Spain  to  Liverpool.  Even  the  London  market  is  supplied 
mostly  through  Liverpool.” 
-  Selaginella  Kraussiana. — When  grown  in  pots  and  pans 
the  whole  of  the  stock  ought  to  be  divided  and  repotted  in  clean  recep¬ 
tacles  and  fresh  soil  at  this  season.  Any  clean  young  bit  will  grow,  but 
the  readiest  method  is  to  divide  a  vigorous  clump  into  small  pieces, 
planting  one  piece  in  the  centre  of  each  pot,  or  if  in  pans  several  will  be 
necessary  to  cover  the  surface.  They  quickly  take  root  and  spread. 
Stand  the  pots  in  a  shady  position  in  a  vinery,  greenhouse,  or  stove^ 
sprinkling  lightly  with  a  syringe  daily  until  established. — E. 
-  Growing  Plants  in  School  Rooms.  —  The  Assistant 
Medical  Inspector  of  the  Philadelphia  Board  of  Health  says  : — “  Growing 
plants  should  not  be  used  as  permanent  school-room  decorations  ;  many 
have  medicinal  odours  to  which  some  children  are  quite  susceptible,  and 
they  may  serve  to  harbour  disease  germs  in  the  dust  that  may  accumulate 
about  them.”  Only  for  the  statement  that  there  are  “  many  ”  such 
kinds,  one  might  suppose  people  grow  poison  Vines  for  window  plants. 
As  plants  absorb  the  carbonic  acid  from  the  children’s  lungs,  they  are 
Nature’s  great  purifier  of  bad  air.  It  would  have  been  as  well  if  the 
learned  gentleman  had  given  a  list  of  those  that  possess  “  medicinal  ” 
odours  susceptible  (of  disease)  to  some  children  ;  and  why  the  dust  on  a 
live  leaf  should  harbour  disease  germs  more  than  the  walls  or  permanent 
furniture,  the  tops  of  which  are  seldom  dusted,  might  be  clearer.  Unfortu¬ 
nately,  local  Boards  of  Health  are  usually  held  as  sacred  as  the  oracles  of 
the  pagans  ;  and  the  beautiful  window  flowers,  for  which  so  many  of  the 
public  schools  are  famous,  will  probably  have  to  go.  The  pretty  little 
conservatories  attached  to  many  city  homes  may  next  be  banished,  and 
the  dust-collecting,  disease-germ- harbouring  shrubbery  in  the  city  yards 
share  the  same  fate  ! — (“Meehans’  Monthly.  ’) 
ROUND  OAK  GARDENS. 
Looking  through  the  gardens  of  N.  L.  Cohen,  Esq.,  Round  Oak, 
Egham,  I  noticed  in  one  of  the  houses  a  good  sized  tree,  some  ten  or 
twelve  years  old,  of  Alexander  Peach,  carrying  an  abundant  crop  of  fruit. 
Mr.  Sturt,  the  gardener,  told  me  that  he  never  had  trouble  with  the 
variety  in  bud-dropping,  which  is  so  commonly  complained  of.  I  noticed 
that  the  growth  on  the  tree  bore  in  no  sense  a  luxuriant  aspect,  and 
learned  that  such  appearance  was  due  to  occasional  root-pruning,  as 
check  in  that  way  administered  in  repressing  robust  growth  had  the 
effect  of  checking  bud-dropping.  It  would  be  interesting  to  learn 
whether  others  have  adopted  this  repressive  course  with  the  variety 
with  similar  results,  or  otherwise.  In  many  cases,  as  common  observa¬ 
tion  shows,  there  is  too  much  bf  haste  to  furnish  a  Peach  house,  and 
thus  too  robust  growth  is  engendered. 
Beside  one  of  the  paths  in  the  kitchen  garden  there  run  on  each  side 
broad  borders  full  of  Very  strong  plants  of  good  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses. 
I  have  never  seen  Rose  bushes  cut  back  so  completely  as  these  were,  when 
I  saw  them  a  few  days  since.  The  stools  are  2^  feet  apart,  and  many  of 
them  close  to  the  soil,  to  which  they  were  close  cut  back,  were  9  and 
10  inches  across.  They  are  treated  in  this  way  every  year,  with  the 
resnlt  that  as  the  spring  advances  up  come  grand  *shoots,  chiefly  from  the 
bases  of  tbe  previous  season’s  wood,  to  heights  of  from  3  to  4  feet,  and 
carrying  superb  blooms.  Presently  the  plants  receive  a  good  mulching  of 
manure,  and  if  needed  liberal  waterings.  It  is  interesting  thus  to  note 
this  very  drastic  style  of  pruning  Roses,  whilst  some  people  hardly  prune 
at  all,  or  they  do  so  very  tenderly.  Roses  evidently  naturally  like  to 
recuperate  as  they  do  at  Egham. 
When  Mr.  Sturt  went  to  Egham,  some  fifteen  years  ago,  he 
found  a  couple  of  old  and  almost  exhausted  Asparagus  beds.  Most 
gardeners  would  probably  have  condemned  them  to  early  destruction,  or 
at  least  so  soon  as  new  beds  could  be  induced  to  take  their  places.  Not 
so  this  gardener.  He  started  to  renovate  by  removing  entirely  much 
of  the  top  soil,  replacing  it  with  fresh,  and  here  and  there  filling 
vacancies  with  new  roots.  Then  a  good  dressing  of  manure  also  was 
added,  and  summer  feeding  liberally  given.  The  result  has  for  a  long 
time  been  seen  in  entire  resuscitation.  The  soil  on  the  beds  is  higher, 
for  before  it  had  become  quite  thin  ;  the  summer  growth  is  double  the 
density  and  height  of  what  it  used  to  be,  and  both  beds  give  splendid 
crops  of  stems.  This  illustration  of  remedial  measures  in  relation  to 
Asparagus  culture  is  worth  notice. 
I  have  one  other  note  from  Round  Oak.  “  I  see  you  have  some  ridge 
Mushroom  beds,”  I  remarked.  “  Come  and  look  at  them,”  said  Mr. 
Sturt.  He  then  from  one  lifted  the  light  canvas  cloth  thrown  over  it, 
drew  away  the  covering  of  lifter,  and  revealed  such  clusters  of  fine  clean 
brown  Mushrooms  as  are  not  commonly  seen  ;  yet  he  had  been  cutting 
from  this  bed  since  January,  when  there  was  a  good  crop,  then  the  bed 
had  a  rest,  and  started  bearing  again.  “  My  people,”  said  he,  “  prefer 
Mushrooms  from  outdoor  beds  to  those  grown  inside,  as  having  firmer 
flesh  and  richer  flavour.  I  have  had  beds  frozen-in  several  inches,  yet 
when  mild  weather  has  come  they  have  started  bearing  again.”  hir. 
Sturt’s  sample  was  just  of  that  fine  solid  character  as  were  the  IMush- 
rooms  Mr.  J.  Miller  sent  up  from  Ruxley  Lodge  to  the  Drill  Hall  on 
the  12th  inst. — A.  D. 
TEN  MINUTES’  NOTES. 
I  AGAIN  subscribe  a  trio  of  notes  appertaining  to  fruit  and  fruit 
prospects,  together  with  a  reference  to  the  current  mode  of  stopping 
Vine  growths,  with  a  set  off  against  this  hard  and  fast  rule,  and  invite 
other  opinions  on  the  subject.  I  also  append  a  note  on  flavour  prizes  for 
fruit. 
Plethora  of  Fruit  Blossoms. 
hlany  persons  who  are  not  experienced  cultivators  will  be  rejoicing  in 
the  splendid  lot  of  blossom  on  their  trees,  and  congratulating  each  other 
on  the  bountiful  crops  of  fruit  of  which  they  feel  certain.  I,  for  one, 
would  rather  see  a  fifth  part  of  the  bloom  instead  of  such  a  dense  crowd. 
Certainly  blossom-laden  trees  have  a  charming  appearance,  but  the 
superabundance  now  opening  on  Pears,  Plums,  and  Cherries  will  be 
so  weakened  from  want  of  nourishment,  that  a  great  percentage  must 
fall  and  leave  no  fruit  behind.  What,  then,  is  to  be  done  to  secure  if 
possible  a  fair  crop  of  fruit  ?  It  is,  of  course,  out  of  all  reason  to  thin  out 
the  fruit  spurs,  and  it  is  equally  impossible  to  reduce  the  blossoms  on  any 
large  scale,  so  as  to  throw  more  productive  power  into  those  left.  There 
is  but  one  way  that  appears  to  me  to  be  practicable"  in  this  very  dry 
season  that  might  tend  to  lessen  the  chances  of  disappointment,  and  that 
is  to  well  water  all  the  trees  where  it  is  possible,  especially  wall  trees. 
The  soil  must  be  unusually  dry  for  the  time  of  year,  and  if  there  are 
conveniences  whereby  all  the  trees  may  be  copiously  watered  with  a 
minimum  of  labour  expended,  it  will  be  work  well  done.  A  good 
mulching  of  half-decayed  manure  around  each  tree  afterwards  will  tend 
to  check  evaporation.  I  feel  sure  that  such  an  excess  of  blossom 
associated  with  the  present  dry  state  of  the  soil  will  account  for  many 
blanks  later  on,  if  some  such  measure  as  suggested  is  not  acted  upon  to 
assist  Nature  in  her  over-bountiful  supply  in  one  direction,  and  a 
deficiency  of  moisture  on  the  other. 
Stopping  Vines. 
Gardeners  generally  have  been  so  tutored  into  the  orthodox  system 
during  their  early  career  of  stopping  Vine  shoots  two  joints  beyond  tbe 
bunch,  that  it  is  hard  to  discontinue  the  practice,  and  launch  out  from 
what  I  am  led  to  think  seems  wrong  teaching,  and  contrary  to  the  laws 
of  Nature.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  practice  of  stopping  all  shoots  in  the 
same  way  needs  a  little  rectification.  I  know  several  good  Grape  growers 
who  allow  much  more  than  the  orthodox  extension,  especially  with 
Madresfield  Court,  to  counteract  any  sudden  rush  of  sap,  that  would 
otherwise  burst  the  berries.  In  a  house  of  Hamburghs  one  expects 
shoots  in  various  degrees  of  vigour.  Frequently  a  strong  shoot  will  be 
bunchless,  while  a  weaker,  perhaps  on  the  same  spur,  will  show  two 
bunches.  Both  laterals  are  needed  to  furnish  their  allotted  space.  What 
about  stopping  such  as  these  7  I  should  certainly  check  the  former  at 
the  third  or  fourth  leaf,  and  al  ow  the  fruiting  branch  more  freedom  by 
running  it  on  for  a  week  or  two  longer,  then  stopping  at  the  third  or 
fourth  leaf  from  the  bunch.  The  same  principle  adopted  throughout  the 
house  of  stopping  the  strong  shoots  closely,  and  allowing  the  weaker  ones 
to  have  the  run  of  sap,  must  tend  to  equalisation.  It  is  not  always  the 
strongest  shoots,  far  from  it,  that  produce  the  best  results.  I  have  a 
Golden  Champion  Vine  that  broke  very  strongly,  but  I  can  only  count 
five  or  six  bunches  on  it.  Near  by  is  a  one-year-old  cane  of  Muscat  of 
Alexandria,  showing  bunches  all  its  length.  I  believe  Mrs.  Pince  is  the 
better  for  a  liberal  shoot  extension.  I  am  of  opinion  that  a  little  devia¬ 
tion  in  practice,  exercised  with  proper  judgment,  is  desirable  in  the  mode 
of  stopping  Vines. 
Flavour  Prizes  (R.II.S.). 
I  do  not  know,  but  I  should  imagine  that  a  great  percentage  of 
gardeners  are  not  aware  of  the  rules  and  regulations  enabling  one  to 
enter  into  competition  for  the  excellent  prizes  given  by  Messrs.  Veitch 
and  Sons  for  the  best  dishes  of  Pears  and  Apples,  the  test  to  be  flavour, 
tbe  “  testers  ”  the  Fruit  Committee  of  the  R.H.S.  The  same  exhibitors’ 
names  have  appeared  time  after  tune  (all  credit  to  them),  that  a  stranger 
does  not'seem  to  have  had  a  look  in.  Why  do  not  more  gardeners  enter  the 
arena  and  make  the  contest  keener,  and  more  what  it  was  intended  to  be 
—an  “  object  ”  lesson,  or  a  thorough  test  of  the  merits  or  demerits  of 
our  EnMish  grown  fruit  7  It  would  stimulate  our  backward  friends  who 
have  excellent  fruit  walls  and  quarters  to  action,  if  the  Editor  would  again 
publish  the  rules  and  conditions,  and  at  the  same  time  express  an  opinion 
of  the  value  of  these  contests.  Any  hints  would  be  highly  appreciated 
that  would  tend  to  make  the  competitions  keener.  I  feel  sure  the 
promoters  of  these  money  prizes  would  be  gratified  to  find  a  few  more 
zealous  cultivators  taking  part  in  what  appears  to  be  a  disappomtingly 
weak  (in  numbers)  competition. — Geo.  Dyke,  Stuhton  Gardens,  iSewark. 
[It  is  too  late  now  to  republish  the  conditions  referred  to.  The  season 
is  practically  over.  If  prizes  of  the  same  nature  are  offered  in  the  autumn 
we  shall  readily  make  the  particulars  known.  Possibly  if  our  able 
correspondent  had  been  One  of  the  “festers”  at  several  of  the  meetings 
he  would  hot  have  found  the  competition  so  “  weak”  as  he  infers  It 
often  quite  strong  enough  for  the  palates  of  the  adjudicator!,  which  seemed 
ready  for  a  rest  after  the  work  was  done.] 
