JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  2,  1899. 
388 
This  year  also  showed  us  iu  Scotland  the  white  Cabbage  Rose  in 
perfect  condition.  How  perfect  and  pure  it  is  !  No  wonder  that 
bygone  generations  of  garden  lovers  looked  upon  it  as  the  acme  of 
perfection  among  flowers  !  One  would  like  to  notice  the  clear  pink  of 
the  common  Moss  Rose,  and  to  refer  to  many  others  that  have 
exceeded  in  loveliness,  but  to  do  so  would  occupy  space  required  to 
touch  on  other  matters. 
After  the  Rose,  The  Carnation  universally  occupies  second  place. 
“The  King  of  Flowers  (except  the  Rose),”  so  an  old  writer  quaintly 
settles  the  question  of  precedence.  Carnations  have  been  altogether 
disappointing.  I  am  aware  of  case  after  case  where  they  have  failed 
utterly,  andjthough  they  bloomed  well  with  me,  they  were  soon  over, 
heavy  dews  causing  the  blooms  to  damp  in  the  mass,  while  bees 
fertilised  them  almost  directly  they  were  expanded.  Strong  plants  are 
producing  an  autumn  bloom,  fortuuately,  the  quality  of  continuous 
flowering  being  a  precious  one  in  not  a  few  of  the  newer  race  of  seifs 
and  yellow  grounds.  This  quality  is  prominent  in  the  French 
Grenadins,  the  flowers  of  which  are  small  and  sweet  scented,  scarlet 
in  colour,  or  white.  The  promise  for  another  year  so  far  as  the  quality 
of  the  layers  may  have  any  effect  is  excellent.  They  rooted  early, 
and  are  stronger  than  usual. 
Sweet  Peas  have  so  steadily  progressed  in  favour  that  not  a  few 
will  be  inclined  to  put  them  in  the  front  rank  of  garden  flowers.  In 
gardens  they  are  quite  as  indispensable  as  Roses  and  Carnations,  and 
in  all  kinds  of  house  decoration  they  have  come  to  hold  a  foremost 
position.  No  season  has  been  more  trying  to  the  plants  than  the 
present,  and  in  Scotland  they  will  be  less  plentiful  than  usual  this 
autumn.  It  seems  an  unremunerative  proceeding  to  gather  the 
blooms,  but  in  a  year  like  the  present  no  other  means  seem  capable  of 
preserving  the  plants  in  vigorous  health.  I  was  obliged  to  pick  over 
the  plants  three  times,  the  last  time  in  the  third  week  of  August, 
when  every  pod,  flower  and  bud  was  removed.  Water  could  not  be 
spared — one  hedge  being  150  yards  in  length — and  it  was  quite  a  fort¬ 
night  after  this  picking  that  the  plants  began  to  respond  and  to  push 
fresh  buds,  and  not  till  the  middle  of  September  were  they  again 
smothered  with  bloom.  But  this  method  is  certain  in  its  results, 
always  provided  it  is  put  into  practice  before  the  plants  become 
exhausted,  and  when  not  only  pods,  but  flowers  and  buds  also,  are 
removed.  Such  an  extreme  measure  is,  of  course,  necessary  only  in  a 
season  so  exceptionally  hot  aud  drying  as  the  present. 
Other  plants  that  required  the  removal  of  seed-vessels  during  the 
greatest  heat  included  common  Marigolds,  single  Dahlias,  bedding 
Antirrhinums,  and  tuberous  Begonias.  Doing  so  entailed  much 
extra  labour,  as  it  required  repeating  at  weekly  intervals,  but  it  is  the 
only  means  of  keeping  these  and  some  other  plants  in  a  prolonged 
iloriferous  condition. — R.  P.  Brotherston. 
(To  be  concluded.) 
WINTER-FLOWERING  PELARGONIUMS. 
To  begin  with,  the  Zonal  Pelargonium  is  what  we  call  a  manu¬ 
factured  flower.  Nature  never  saw  fit  to  endow  us  with  it,  and  the 
hybridist  counts  it  among  his  productions.  As  the  gardener,  in  a 
sense,  made  it,  he  can  also  do  much  as  he  likes  with  it,  lor  no  plant 
is  more  accommodating,  or  will  flourish  under  more  unfavourable 
conditions.  People  talk  about  fashions  changing  in  bedding,  but  the 
Zonal  Pelargonium  still  holds  its  own  ;  no  greenhouse  is  complete 
without  it;  the  amateur,  and  the  housowife  who  tends  her  plants  in 
the  window,  pin  their  faith  in  it,  and,  common  as  it  is,  the  Zonal 
finds  admirers  in  all  classes,  high  aud  low,  rich  and  poor. 
But  lately  a  fresh  phase  of  Pelargonium  culture  has  come  much  to 
the  front,  and  this  is  the  cultivation  of  Zonal  Pelargoniums  solely  for 
winter  flowering,  and  here  we  have  the  plant  in  its  most  pleasing  and 
useful  aspect.  There  is  no  great  art  in  growing  a  Zonal  to  flower  in 
the  summer,  but  with  this  phase  of  culture  we  have  nothing  to  do 
here.  In  anticipation  of  a  winter  display  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  a  start  has  to  be  made  a  long  time  beforehand.  The  first  aDd 
main  consideration  is  to  obtain  strong  plants,  and  to  do  this  hard 
matured  cuttings,  all  the  better  if  with  one  or  two  side  shoots 
attached,  should  be  already  rooted.  If  the  commencement  is  delayed 
till  the  spring  the  cuttings  must  be  rooted  early,  so  that  the  plants 
may  have  a  fairly  long  season  of  growth.  Young  plants  in  small  pots 
may  be  kept  through  the  winter  in  a  cool  greenhouse  temperature. 
By  the  end  of  May  thoughts  must  be  turned  in  the  direction  of 
the  following  winter’s  display.  Prepare  a  heap  of  soil,  composed 
chiefly  of  fibrous  loam  with  the  addition  of  well-decayed  manure  and 
coarse  silver  sand.  Well-drained  6-inch  pots  will  be  a  suitable  size 
for  the  plants,  and  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  firm  potting  is  no  small 
factor  towards  success.  Loose  potting  is  .conducive  to  the  production 
of  long  sappy  growths,  instead  of  that  firm  short -jointed  wood  so 
necessary  if  large  trusses  of  bloom  are  to  be  obtained. 
A  shelf  near  the  glass  or  a  greenhouse  stage  is  a  good  position  to 
stand  the  plants  for  a  few  weeks,  after  which  they  should  be  removed  to 
an  open  situation  out  of  doors.  To  prevent  the  clogging  of  the  drainage 
by  worms,  it  is  wise  to  stand  the  pots  on  a  layer  of  asheB.  J udgment 
is  needed  in  watering,  so  that  the  plants  do  not  suffer  through  dryness 
or  excess  of  moisture.  Pinch  out  the  tops  of  the  longest  shoots  again 
and  again,  as  the  idea  is  to  obtain  dwarf-habited  plants  of  branching 
rather  than  up-growing  character.  All  flower  buds  must  be 
rigorously  removed  as  they  appear.  More  room  will  be  needed  as  the 
plants  increase  in  size,  as  overcrowding  should  be  avoided,  and  towards 
the  end  of  September  space  must  be  provided  for  them  indoors. 
A  light  span-roofed  house,  provided  with  top  ventilation  and 
sufficient  heat,  is  the  best  structure  for  winter  flowering  Zonals,  and 
it  is  now  that  the  plants  require  the  greatest  care.  The  buds  may  be 
kept  pinched  off  until  about  a  month  before  the  plants  are  wanted  to 
bloom,  so  that  it  is  possible  to  maintain  a  close  succession.  During  the 
dead  of  winter  the  trusses  are  apt  to  damp  and  the  young  stems  turn 
sickly  and  yellow  if  care  is  not  taken  in  watering  and  ventilating.  A 
level  temperature  of  55°  in  the  daytime,  falling  to  50°  at  night,  with 
top  ventilation  on  favourable  occasions,  and  great  care  in  watering, 
are  the  chief  principles  to  observe.  A  dry  atmosphere  is  also  desirable, 
so  that  the  damping  down  process  must  not  be  extended  to  the 
Pelargonium  house.  When  the  plants  have  commenced  to  flower  a 
little  liquid  manure  may  be  given  once  a  week,  as  this  will  assist  the 
plant  to  bear  the  strain  and  help  to  build  up  the  trusses  ;  but  judgment 
is  necessary,  as  stimulants  must  be  withheld  from  plants  growing 
rampantly  and  producing  few  flowers.  After  the  winter-blooming 
plants  have  done  their  work  cuttings  may  be  taken  from  them  for 
summer  flowering,  and  then  when  too  large  they  can  be  used  for 
furnishing  vases  or  for  bedding. 
To  grow  for  winter  flowering  there  is  nothing  to  surpass  the  single 
Zonal  Pelargonium,  and  so  far  as  varieties  are  concerned  their  name 
is  legion.  There  is  distinction  enough  to  suit  the  most  fastidious  taste, 
for  the  Zonal  lends  itself  to  the  experiments  of  the  hybridist,  with  the 
result  that  a  race  of  large  flowered  varieties  has  displaced  entirely  some 
of  the  older  forms.  There  appears,  however,  to  be  a  danger  of  over¬ 
crowding,  as  many  of  the  varieties  are  much  alike,  and  an  examina¬ 
tion  ot  a  good  collection  before  making  a  start  will  doubtless  prevent 
disappointment. — G. 
PINCHING  FRUIT  TREES. 
Mr.  II.  Dunkin’s  sketch  of  fruit  bud  formation  on  page  3G5  is 
instructive  to  the  inexperienced  who  are  interested  in  the  pinching 
question.  My  friendly  opponent  appears  grieved  at  my  loss  of  time 
in  pinching  for  ten  years.  Let  me  assure  him  that  my  experiments 
have  been  a  good  investment,  which  will  be  of  lifelong  value.  If  I 
am  expected  to  clothe  garden  trees  with  blossom — trees  on  the 
restrictive  principle — I  can  do  so ;  or  I  can  leave  the  trees  to  assume 
a  natural  habit  of  growth  as  the  object  and  position  require. 
The  Pear  tree  in  question  was  planted  under  a  very  large  Elm  tree, 
with  a  spread  ol  branches  some  60  feet  in  extent.  It  was  planted  with 
others  evidently  to  form  a  screen,  and  a  beautiful  screen  it  proved. 
These  trees  afforded  me  ample  scope  for  experiments.  The  situation, 
with  its  surroundings,  was  practically  useless  as  garden  space,  but 
could  and  did  give  valuable  let-sons. 
Mr.  Dunkin  asks,  why  did  I  not  carry  out  my  experiments  on 
trees  more  favourably  placed  ?  How  does  he  know  I  have  not  done 
so  ?  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  have  turned  to  account  the  experience 
gained  with  successful  results.  No  matter  how  many  buds  are 
obtained  naturally,  pinching  is  of  great  importance  with  restricted 
trees.  I  congratulate  Mr.  Dunkin  on  asking  the  pertinent  question  in 
connection  wflth  pinching,  and  I  tell  him,  under  a  strong  suspicion  of 
his  knowledge  of  the  same,  that  pinching  is  done  for  the  purpose  of 
inducing  the  formation  of  fruit  buds  on  restricted  trees  and  obtaining 
a  large  amount  of  fruit  from  a  limited  space. — FI.  Mitchell, 
Druidstone. 
[It  is  useless  our  correspondents  arguing  the  question  further,  as 
both  are  right  from  their  respective  points  of  view.] 
Dumfriesshire  and  Galloway  Horticultural  Society. — 
As  was  mentioned  in  the  report  of  the  Show  of  this  Society,  which 
appeared  in  the  Journal  in  September  la9t,  the  attendance  was  much 
reduced  by  several  changes  in  the  date,  made  only  a  day  or  two  before. 
The  result  of  this  was  seen  in  the  financial  statement  made  by  the 
Treasurer,  Mr.  R.  G.  Mann,  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  Town  Hall, 
Dumfries,  on  28th  October.  It  had  been  found  necessary  to  retain  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  prize  money,  in  order  to  defray  the  other 
liabilities.  In  these  circumstances  the  meeting,  which  was  presided  over 
by  Mr.  Milne,  thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  hold  no  show  in  1900. 
This  is  an  unfortunate  ending  to  a  movement  which  presented  a  most 
auspicious  aspect,  but  which  has  suffered  from  a  few  regrettable  incidents, 
not  likely  to  occur  again.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Dumfries  and 
Galloway  horticulturists  will  renew  their  efforts  to  have  a  show  worthy 
of  the  district. — Sr  A. 
