10 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  7,  1898. 
DECORATIVE  PINKS. 
The  common  or  decorative  Pinks  bloom  profusely  at  this  season, 
and  are  largely  employed  to  embellish  shrubbery  borders,  where  they 
succeed  well.  Good  clumps  of  them  add  variety  to  the  best  herbaceous 
borders,  helping  to  continue  a  succession  of  useful  flowers,  which,  on 
account  of  their  rich  pure  colours  and  sweet  scent,  are  sought  after  for 
cutting  and  mixing  with  other  interesting  flowers,  hardy  or  otherwise, 
blooming  about  the  same  time.  But  shortly  the  flowering  season  will 
be  over,  and  an  opportunity  will  then  be  afforded  of  increasing  stock 
by  the  various  methods  of  propagation  most  convenient  to  the 
cultivator. 
Pinks  are  propagated  by  cuttings,  pipings,  and  division  of  the 
plants  towards  autumn.  The  best  cuttings  are  obtained  from  side 
growths.  These  are  firm,  comparatively  slender,  and  better  than  the 
stronger  looking  “  grass,"  which,  however,  will  root  also.  The  side 
shoots  may  be  slipped  off  the  plants,  taking  them  about  3  inches  in 
length.  Trim  the  ends  and  remove  the  lower  leaves.  Insert  them 
2  inches  apart  in  a  bed  of  sandy  soil  in  a  cool  position  where  the  sun 
does  not  reach  them  strongly.  Behind  a  north  wall  may  be  a  suitable 
place  if  well  drained  and  sheltered.  If  covered  with  frames  or  hand¬ 
glasses  the  cuttings  will  root  more  quickly. 
A  common  and  ready  method  of  propagation  is  by  pipings. 
Pipings  are  formed  by  sharply  pulling  the  growths  out  of  their 
sockets  near  a  suitable  node  on  the  stem.  Do  this  so  that  the  pipings 
have  three  distinct  joints.  The  base  seldom  needs  trimming,  but  the 
leaves  may  be  drawn  together,  and  their  tips  cut  off.  The  same  may 
be  done  v^h  cuttings.  Pipings  can  be  inserted  in  a  similar  manner 
as  cuttings',  but  the  best  and  surest  way  of  inducing  the  formation  of 
roots  is  to  employ  a  slight  hotbed,  the  whole  covered  with  glass,  kept 
moist  and  shaded.  When  rooted  afford  air,  and  gradually  expose 
fully.  Stocky  plants  will  thus  be  secured  for  planting  out  permanently 
in  autumn. 
A  readier  method  of  increase  adapted  for  cases  where  it  is  not 
convenient  to  propagate  in  summer  is  to  wait  until  early  autumn. 
Then,  taking  up  an  old  clump  of  Pinks,  divide  it  into  small  portions, 
each  containing  several  growths.  Cut  away  the  old  roots,  and  the 
old  thick  stems,  leaving  a  convenient  length  of  the  more  slender 
portion  of  stems  below  the  leaves.  Plant  to  the  depth  of  the  lower 
leaves,  about  6  inches  apart,  in  lines  or  beds,  previously  preparing 
the  soil  by  digging  and  enriching.  This  method  is  almost  equivalent 
to  planting  rooted  cuttings  or  pipings.  If  carried  out  too  early  much 
labour  will  be  involved  in  maintaining  the  growths  fresh,  hence  the 
recommendation  to  defer  it  until  the  genial  coolness  and  moisture  of 
autumn  predominate  over  the  dry  arid  atmosphere  of  the  summer 
months.  The  common  white  Pink  seldom  fails  to  establish  itself  in 
this  manner,  forming  good  plants  which  bloom  the  following  year. 
The  second  year,  however,  they  grow  vigorously,  and  afterwards 
bloom  profusely. — E.  D.  S. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SOILS  OF  THE 
BRITISH  ISLES. 
( Continued  from  page  458,  last  vol.) 
Although  occurring  in  contiguous  districts,  the  difference  between 
the  trias  and  oolite  in  the  lithological  and  chemical  character  of  the 
formations  is  very  considerable,  and  the  external  aspect  correspondingly 
various.  Instead  of  the  rolling  rounded  eminences  presented  by  the 
new  red,  we  have  the  bold  ranges  of  limestone  hills  stretching  from 
the  Cotswolds  in  Gloucester  to  the  wolds  of  Lincolnshire,  flanked  by 
the  inferior  oolite  and  upper  lias,  and  supported  by  the  middle  lias, 
from  which  falls  away  and  forms  extensive  vales  the  lower  lias. 
The  oolite  thus  gives  its  own  peculiar  feature  to  a  considerable  tract 
of  country,  and  possesses  a  soil  of  a  strongly  calcareous  nature,  being 
derived  directly  from  the  limestone  rock.  Less  than  a  century  since, 
immense  tracts  of  these  poor  limestone  wolds  remained  waste  and 
uncultivated,  the  soil  being  too  thin  to  support  paying  crops  without 
nitrogenous  addition. 
“The  introduction  of  artificial  manures  led  to  their  gradual  reclama¬ 
tion,  and  land  which  was  first  let  at  3s.  6d.  per  acre  gradually  advanced 
in  value  until  30s.  is  the  average  rental.  Lime  being  inimical  to  many 
shrubs,  particularly  Rhododendrons,  Azaleas,  and  Heaths,  these  and 
other  ornamental  shrubs  and  plants  can  only  be  grown  with  difficulty 
in  these  limestone  districts,  and  in  peat  soil  brought  from  other 
formations;  and  even  then  the  all-pervading  lime  sooner  or  later 
causes  their  destruction,  the  carbonate  of  lime  which  distinguishes 
the  oolite  being  apparently  more  obnoxious  than  the  sulphate  which 
is  peculiar  to  the  new  red  marls.  Although  certain  garden  shrubs  fail 
to  thrive  on  the  limestone,  good  timber  is  grown  upon  it,  particularly 
Larch  ;  and  under  high  cultivation  good  average  crops  of  corn  are 
obtained. 
The  middle  lias  when  exposed  consists  generally  of  flat-topped 
hills  between  the  lower  and  upper  clays.  The  ironstone,  of  which  it 
is  chiefly  composed,  has  produced  a  red  ferruginous  soil  largely  inter¬ 
mixed  with  fragments  of  broken  stone.  Forest  trees  as  well  as  fruit 
thrive  on  this  marlstone  rock,  showing  that  iron  oxidised  and  mixed, 
even  to  the  extent  of  20  per  cent.,  is  not  absolutely  injurious  to  plant 
life,  but  rather  affords  an  element  of  fertility ;  but  the  Oak  has  the 
power  of  absorbing  iron  sometimes  to  an  extent  that  is  injurious  to  the 
timber  it  produces,  although  other  timber  trees  seem  unaffected. 
The  lias,  a  division  of  the  oolite,  is  one  of  the  great  clay  formations 
of  the  country,  named  from  the  layers  of  limestone  interstratified  in  its 
lower  beds.  Denudation  has  exposed  its  various  beds,  some  of  which 
are  rich  in  fossils,  which  are  found  in  numbers  where  they  perished 
in  the  shallows  of  the  ancient  liassic  sea.  Accumulations  of  the  fossil 
shells  of  gryphin  and  ammonites  sometimes  occur  within  reach  of  the 
roots  of  the  corn  or  other  cultivated  plants  ;  when  in  dry  seasons  the 
result  is  very  bulky  crops. 
The  whole  formation  consists  of  the  muddy  deposit  of  a  sea 
abounding  in  marine  life,  the  remains  of  the  various  fish,  reptiles,  and 
molluscs  being  largely  intermixed  with  the  clay.  This  makes  it 
relatively  rich  amongst  clays,  although  while  it  remains  in  its  primi¬ 
tive  and  compact  state  it  is  like  buried  treasures  ;  but  freely  worked 
and  made  porous  by  drainage  and  the  admixture  of  burnt  earth  or 
lime,  its  arable  lands  are  rendered  fertile,  and  under  ordinary  conditions 
its  meadows  produce  hay  of  good  quality.  Stilton  cheese  is  made 
from  its  pastures ;  and  timber,  fruit  trees,  and  vegetables  can  be 
successfully  .grown.  The  finest  lime,  equal  in  quality  to  cement,  is 
made  from  the  stone  found  within  a  few  yards  of  the  surface. 
The  wealden  group  associated  with  the  oolitic  system  is  an  estuary 
formation  receiving  the  silt  and  mud  of  some  great  river,  together 
with  the  spoils  of  the  land,  or  plants  and  animal  remains,  which  are 
entombed  with  those  of  aquatic  origin.  Typically  developed  in  Kent 
and  Sussex,  it  is  comparatively  of  small  extent.  Its  shales,  clays,  and 
limestones  give  variety  to  its  surface  soils,  each  characteristic  of  the 
substances  from  which  they  are  derived  ;  like  the  lias,  its  clays  owe 
their  fertility  to  the  presence  of  organic  remains. — P.  T.  Ingram. 
(To  be  continued.) 
METROPOLITAN  NOTES. 
( Continued  from  page  466,  last  vol.) 
Amongst  fruit  and  vegetables  the  two  notable  objects  observed 
during  a  visit  to  London  a  few  weeks  ago  were  Strawberries  and 
Asparagus.  Of  the  former  good  fruits  were  displayed  at  3s.  to  4s.  6d„ 
per  half-pound  punnet,  the  fruits  looking  as  tempting  to  the  on-looker 
as  the  prices  affixed  would  be  to  the  growers,  if  they  could  secure 
them.  Obviously,  however,  West-end  shop  prices  do  not  quite  corre¬ 
spond  to  market-growers’  returns.  The  commercial  horticulturist  of  the 
present  day  who  can  make  money  is  he  who  can  afford  to  have  a  shop 
in  a  good  position  and  sell  his  own  produce,  but  the  risks  are  great  even 
in  this  direction,  and  many  content  themselves  with  their  salesmen’s 
returns  rather  than  take  the  responsibility  of  a  retail  trade.  Amongst 
the  Strawberries  I  observed  a  good  proportion  of  La  Grosse  Sucree  and 
Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury,  the  former  being  still  a  valued  variety 
for  forcing,  and  more  than  one  gardener  in  large  establishments  find  they 
cannot  dispense  with  it.  The  Vicomtesse,  too.  is  a  favourite  with  many 
for  its  flavour.  A  few  examples  were  seen  of  James  Veitch,  but  except 
that  it  is  large  and  bright  in  colour  it  has  little  to  recommend  it  for 
this  work.  Noble  was  also  represented  by  large  fruits,  but  somewhat 
“  smudged  ”  and  dull-looking,  such  fruit  being  soon  unsaleable,  or  reduced 
to  much  lower  prices  ;  I  saw  some,  for  instance,  at  Is.  6d.  per  small 
punnet.  The  best  looking  and  largest  fruits  I  observed  were  of  Royal 
Sovereign,  which  made  up  some  excellent  punnets  at  the  top  price.  Useful 
as  this  is  out  of  doors,  it  is  being  found  serviceable  under  glass. 
The  huge  French  Asparagus  seems  still  to  find  favour,  for  the  shops 
were  abundantly  stocked  with  it,  though  its  superiority  to  English  “grass” 
can  only  be  found  in  its  greater  size.  A  large  proportion  of  that  I  saw 
looked  as  if  it  might  be  edible  to  the  extent  of  a  couple  of  inches  from  the 
apex,  and  the  rest  was  decidedly  “woody.” 
From  the  West-end  streets  to  the  parks  is  a  course  inevitable  for  a 
horticulturist  on  his  travels,  and  from  April  onwards  to  late  autumn  there 
is  always  something  worth  seeing.  No  doubt  the  Londoners  appreciate 
their  parks  ;  the  thousands  that  flock  there  on  fine  days  prove  that,  but 
it  is  the  stranger  who  is  most  impressed  with  their  extent  and  beauty. 
Just  now,  in  all  their  freshness  of  verdant  turf  and  budding  leaves,  they 
are  admirable,  and  there  is  no  public  expenditure  which  gives  more 
pleasing  and  healthful  returns  to  the  people  themselves  than  the  parks. 
Regent’s  Park  and  Victoria  Park  are  as  well  managed  as  those  in  the 
West  of  London,  but  we  turn  our  steps  to  Hyde  Park  naturally,  because 
it  usually  presents  a  good  example  of  what  is  most  in  favour  at  the  time. 
The  bulbs  were  still  attractive,  at  least  as  regards  the  Tulips,  for 
the  Hyacinths  were  decidedly  past  their  best.  But  after  all  the  chief 
attraction  of  the  spring  bulb  displays  are  to  be  found  in  the  Tulips  and 
Daffodils.  Hyacinths  charm  with  their  fragrance  and  soft  colours,  but 
they  are  essentially  formal,  and  though  this  may  also  be  urged  against 
the  Tulips,  yet  these  are  not  so  heavy  looking  ;  their  bright  colours  and 
