204 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  26,  1897. 
Mr.  J.  Fidwards,  with  Thomas  William  ;  second,  Air.  C.  F.  Thurstan, 
with  Mrs.  (lorton  ;  third  and  fourth,  Air.  T.  Lord,  with  'I'liomas 
William  and  Airs,  (lorton.  Heavy-edged  purple.— First  and  second.  Air. 
.T.  Edwards  with  Folly  Brazil;  third  and  fourth,  Air.  T.  I^ord,  with 
Aluriel,  and  fifth,  Air.  C.  F.  Thurstan,  with  Amy  Kobsart.  Light-edged 
purple. — First,  Air.  T.  Lord,  with  Somerhill  ;  second,  Air.  C.  F.  Thurstan  ; 
third  and  fifth.  Air.  ,7.  Edwards  ;  fourth.  Air.  E.  Shaw,  all  with  Alary. 
Heavy-edged  rose,  scarlet,  or  salmon. — First  and  fifth,  Air.  T.  Lord,  with 
Airs.  Sharp  ;  second.  Air.  C.  Head,  with  Airs.  Sharp  ;  third  and  fourth, 
Air.  W.  Kenyon,  with  Airs.  Sharp  and  seedling.  Light-edged  rose, 
scarlet  or  salmon. —  First  and  fourth,  Mr.  T.  Lord,  with  Favourite  and 
Nellie  ;  second,  Air.  .7.  IMwards,  with  Nellie  ;  thii-d.  Air.  C.  F.  Thurstan, 
with  Nellie,  and  fifth.  Air.  W.  Kenyon,  with  Favourite.  Premier  Picotee, 
Air.  C.  Head,  Hebden  Bridge,  with  Nellie,  light  scarlet  edge. 
THE  YOUNG  GAEUENEES’  DOMAIN. 
Strawberries. 
With  reference  to  “  A  Young  Scot’s  ”  article  on  page  155  I  notice  he 
does  not  mention  Elton  Pine,  a  late  Strawberry,  that  does  remarkably 
well  with  us,  it  being  loaded  with  a  large  crop  of  bright  coloured  fruit. 
Our  soil  is  of  a  clayey  nature,  which  seems  to  suit  it  admirably,  some 
of  the  beds  having  been  planted  four  years,  an'd  are  still  bearing  large 
crops  of  fruits.  The  fruit  is  rather  acid  for  table  use,  although  excellent 
for  preserving.  We  commenced  picking  from  the  pdants  during  the  last 
week  in  July,  and  are  still  gathei’ing  large  quantities  from  August  14th. 
Speaking  to  a  large  grower  of  Strawberries  in  this  locality  he  said 
Elton  Pine  was  a  failure  with  him,  his  soil  being  much  lighter.  Koyal 
Sovereign  did  well,  especially  after  the  first  year. 
Some  gardeners  say  it  goes  patchy  or  blind  in  Scotland  ;  it  did  with 
us,  but  I  cannot  say  if  all  the  layers  were  taken  from  fruiting  plants, 
which  may  account  for  some  of  the  blindness.  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de 
Thury  does  remarkably  well,  bearing  hea\y  crops  of  large  fine-ilavourcd 
fruit. 
We  commenced  to  pick  on  early  borders  Irom  John  Buskin  on 
July  8th,  followed  by  Noble  and  Boyal  Sovereign.  The  nights  have 
been  very  cold  all  the  season,  even  after  hot  days,  and  made  everything 
very  late.  — A.  C.  W.,  Balcarres. 
The  Means  and  Modes  of  Propagating  Plants. 
{Continued  from  page  107.) 
Mention  has  been  made  of  bulbs,  tubers,  and  tuberous  roots,  but 
their  nature  has  not  been  exactly  explained.  A  bulb  may  best  be 
described  as  an  underground  bud,  whicb  it  is  in  point  of  fact.  Its  name 
is  obtained  from  the  Greek  bolbos,  meaning  a  globular  root.  The  coronal 
of  fibrous  roots  by  which  the  bulb  derives  its  nourishment  from  the  soil 
are  produced  annually,  dying  with  the  leaves  when  the  year’s  work  is 
done,  and  the  bulb  takes  its  period  of  rest.  AVhile  in  activity  the  bulb 
takes  in  a  store  of  sap,  which  has  been  elaborated  in  the  leaves,  and  after 
the  resting  period  leaves  and  blossoms  are  produced  under  favourable 
conditions. 
Bulbs  are  not  all  alike  in  form.  Some,  like  the  White  Lily  (Lilium 
candidum)  and  many  others  of  the  tribe,  are  formed  of  scales  that  loosely 
overlap  each  other,  and  are  easily  detached.  In  Hyiicinths  and  Onions 
they  are  in  closely  packed  layers.  In  other  plants,  such  as  the  Crocus 
and  Gladiolus,  the  corm  is  neither  in  layers  nor  scales,  but  solid.  The 
Cyclamen  is  another  familiar  example  of  this  kind  of  corm.  All  these 
different  forms  vary  in  their  mode  of  reproduction.  In  the  Gladiolus 
cormlets  form  round  the  base,  and  may  be  grown  into  perfect  plants. 
The  scales  of  bulbs  will  also  produce  bulblets.  In  the  Crocus  a  new 
corm  forms  on  the  top  of  the  old  one  when  its  flowers  have  perished  and 
its  long  grass-like  leaves  decayed. 
Buloous-rooted  plants  may  be  propagated  by  seeds  as  well  as  by 
offsets  and  bulblets;  tuberous  plants  also  are  jiropagated  by  seeds 
as  well  as  by  means  of  their  tubers.  With  such  plants,  however, 
propagation  by  seed  leads  to  the  production  of  new  varieties,  while 
propagation  by  bulb  or  tuber  must  of  necessity  be  resorted  to  in  order  to 
insure  the  maintenance  of  the  same  variety.  Thus  new  varieties  of  the 
Potato  are  produced  from  seeds,  the  result  of  cross  fertilisation,  but  if 
any  variety  raised  from  seed  exhibits  qualities  wbieh  render  its  preser¬ 
vation  and  increase  desirable,  this  must  be  effected  by  buds  from  its 
tubers.  Tubers  are  expansions  of  underground  stems  studded  with  eyes 
or  buds,  and  stoi’ed  with  starchy  or  feculent  matter,  which  affords 
nourishment  to  the  buds  until  their  root  growth  is  sufficiently  advanced 
to  admit  of  their  deriving  support  direct  from  the  soil. 
The  Turnip,  Parsnip,  Carrot,  Beetroot,  and  Eadish  should  be  termed 
tuberoids  rather  than  tuberous  roots  ;  they  resemble  tubers  in  many 
points,  but  they  are  not  reproduced  from  offsets  cut  from  them,  but 
wholly  from  seed.  Propagation  by  natural  methods  are  six  in  number — 
namely,  (1)  by  seed;  (2)  by  germs  or  offsets;  (3)  by  slips;  (4)  by 
division  of  the  plant  ;  (5)  by  runners  ;  (6)  by  suckers  ;  and  under  each 
method  a  special  mode  of  treatment  is  necessary.  Thus  in  propagation 
by  seed  it  is  requisite  to  use  seed  the  vitality  of  which  is  unimpaired. 
Seeds  retain  vitality  for  one  or  two  years  only  under  ordinary  circum¬ 
stances.  It  is  better  to  sow  seed  saved  during  the  previous  season,  or  at 
the  utmost  not  more  than  two  seasons  old.  If  it  be  desired  to  preserve 
the  vitality  of  seed  for  a  longer  period  than  two  years,  it  is  necessary  to 
keep  it  in  airtight  receptacles.  In  addition  to  age,  due  regard  must  be 
had  to  soil,  season,  and  other  circumstances. — C.  W.  AI. 
(To  be  continued.) 
HARDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
Destroying  Amei’ican  Blight.— The  white  cottony  substance  now 
evident  on  Apple  trees  infested  with  this  pest  encloses  the  living  insects 
which  work  so  much  damage  to  the  stems,  branches,  and  young  shoots 
Persistent  effort  is  required  in  order  to  exterminate  the  pest.  Its  presence 
now  being  easily  detected,  it  Ms  a  suitable  time  to  go  over  the  trees  and 
endeavour  to  destroy  as  many  of  the  insects  as  possible.  They  ai’e  very 
active  now,  and  most  probably  increasing  rapidly  before  resting  for  the 
winter,  during  which  time  they  are  very  inconspicuous  ;  but  the  damage 
committed  remains  visible  in  the  form  of  excrescences  and  swellings 
round  the  wounds  or  cracks.  It  is  there  that  the  insects  secrete  them¬ 
selves. 
Dress  the  trees  only  at  the  parts  infested,  using  methylated  spirit 
or  petroleum.  Dip  an  old  half-worn  painter’s  brush  in  the  oil,  shaking 
it  partly  dry  so  that  the  oil  docs  not  run  down  the  bark  when  applied. 
Brush  well  into  the  crevices  so  as  to  reach  as  many  insects  as  possible. 
Slender  shoots  in  the  upper  parts  of  trees  infested  with  blight  may  be 
cleansed  to  a  great  extent  by  forcibly  applying  water  from  a  garden 
engine.  In  the  winter  a  petroleum  and  softsoap  emulsion  may  be  applied 
as  a  dressing  in  a  more  thorough  manner  than  can  be  safely  carried  out 
now. 
Protecting  Ripening  Fruit. —  Trapping  Earwigs. — Peaches  and  Necta¬ 
rines  ripening  on  walls  are  liable  to  attacks  from  earwigs,  which  soon 
disfigure  the  fruit.  Traps  should  be  laid  for  them,  and  these  may  consist  . 
of  lengths  of  Broad  Bean  stalks  about  9  inches  long.  Lay  them  between 
the  branches  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fruits.  Examine  them  every  day, 
blowing  out  the  insects  and  destroying  them. 
ppflsps. — It  is  necessarj  to  guard  choice  fruits  against  wasps.  AVhere 
the  number  is  limited,  and  the  size  and  quality  of  the  fruits  are  worth  it, 
each  may  be  protected  in  the  safest  manner  by  enclosing  in  a  muslin  bag, 
tying  securely.  The  next  best  method  is  to  enclose  the  whole  tree  with 
netting  of  fine  mesh  or  thin  tiffany.  Wide-necked  bottles  of  beer,  sugar, 
and  water  hung  among  the  branches  will  attract  both  wasps  and  flies. 
Wasp  nests  may  be  destroyed  by  pouring  tar  down  the  holes.  Another 
remedy  is  to  thoroughly  saturate  a  piece  of  rag  with  strong  turpentine, 
attach  it  to  the  end  of  a  stick,  and  thrust  into  the  hole,  which  should  be 
closed  with  a  heavy  lump  of  turf. 
Woodlice, — These  insects  are  partial  to  ripe  fruit.  They  lodge  in  holes 
in  the  walls,  and  are  encouraged  by  the  presence  of  rubbish  or  dead 
leaves.  Prevent  all  accumulation  of  such,  also  maintain  the  ground  at 
the  base  of  walls  moist,  which  is  a  deterrent. 
Netting  Small  Fruit.— To  preserve  ripe  fruit  of  Gooseberries,  Currants, 
and  Alorello  Cherries  as  long  as  possible  the  trees  must  be  netted  over 
for  preventing  the  access  of  birds.  In  wet  weather  the  trees  ought  also 
to  be  protected  from  rain. 
Gathering  Early  Fruit. — Iveswick  Codlin,  Hawthornden,  and  Duchess 
of  Oldenburg  Apples  may  be  gathered  and  stored  carefully  in  cool 
quarters.  Any  fruits  that  do  not  part  readily  from  the  trees  when  lifted 
should  be  left  a  little  longer.  Citron  des  Carmes,  Green  Chisel,  and 
Williams’  Bon  Chretien  Pears  require  gathering  immediately  they  can  be 
easily  detached  from  the  spurs.  By  keeping  them  in  a  cool,  dark  place 
for  a  week  they  finish  well  and  are  of  good  flavour.  If  allowed  to  ripen 
on  the  trees  they  are  fre(iuently  mealy,  and  consequently  not  properly 
appreciated,  as  it  otherwise  would  have  been. 
Fallen  fruit  must  be  gathei-ed  up  daily,  utilising  the  soundest  for 
immediate  use,  destroying  the  half  decayed.  These  fruits  are  usually 
infested  with  the  Codlin  moth  grub,  which  is  the  cause  of  their  falling  in 
calm  weather.  Grub-eaten  and  bruised  fruit  will  not  keep.  In  utilising 
them  it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  infested  parts  only,  and  the  other 
portions  will  be  found  perfectly  wholesome. 
Raspberries. — The  canes  which  have  borne  fruit  this  season  ought  now 
to  be  cut  down,  as  well  as  the  weakest  of  the  present  year’s  growths. 
Leave  four  to  six  of  the  stronger  canes  to  each  stool  for  next  season’s 
fruit  bearing.  By  the  removal  of  superfluous  material  now  the  growths 
retained  have  every  opportunity  of  receiving  the  full  benefit  of  light  and 
plenty  of  air,  which  will  accelerate  their  ripening.  The  firmer,  harder, 
and  browner  in  colour  the  canes  become,  the  better  they  are  for  producing 
fruit. 
AVhen  grown  in  lines,  a  little  thinning  out  may  be  necessary,  dispensing 
with  the  weaker.  Sufficient  growths  must  be  left  to  furnish  the  wires  or 
trellis  when  trained  in.  Suckers  springing  up  at  a  distance  from  the 
main  crowns  dig  out,  unless  wanted  to  increase  stock.  The  best  of  them 
may  then  be  left  until  planting  time  in  late  autumn,  just  as  the  leaves  are 
falling. 
After  pruning  in  the  above  manner,  fork  up  the  strong  weeds,  and  hoe 
down  the  smaller.  Loosen  and  break  up  with  a  fork  hard  trodden 
portions  of  ground,  but  avoid  digging  near  the  stools,  which  destroys 
the  fibrous  I'oots.  A  dressing  of  rich  manure  laid  on  the  surface  will  have 
its  nutriment  gradually  washed  into  the  soil  by  the  rains.  It  will  also 
act  beneficially  in  multiplying  the  fibrous  roots  and  attracting  them  to 
the  surface,  where  every  endeavour  should  bo  made  to  retain  them  by 
giving  attention  of  this  nature  each  year. 
