October  21,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
.‘^95 
the  desirable  attribute,  it  is  a  splendid  cropper  and  of  excellent  constitu¬ 
tion.  The  plants  of  this  and  many  others  are  in  the  best  of  condition, 
and  give  abundant  promise  of  producing  heavy  crops  next  season.  In 
the  performance  of  their  duty,  too,  it  is  perhaps  super  Uious  to  say  the 
many  thousands  will  be  expected  to  produce  several  thousands  more, 
and  one  may  feel  safe  in  saying  that  they  will  do  so. 
Plums  and  Cherries. 
It  is  a  novelty  to  go  to  Langley  in  September  and  not  be  able  to  find 
a  few  Plums  with  which  to  refresh  the  thirsty  scribbler.  But  this 
was  exactly  the  state  of  affairs  on  this  occasion,  for  almost  without 
exception  the  whole  of  the  fruits  were  knocked  off  by  the  Jubilee 
hailstorm.  The  trees  of  these  two  delicious  stone  fruits  were  in 
excellent  condition,  and  the  standards  here,  with  the  •  trained  trees 
yonder,  were  models  of  what  trees  ought  to  be.  Straight  and  clean 
was  the  growth  on  all  of  them,  and  it  is  probable  that  next  season  the 
trees  which  are  fruited  yearly  will  render  a  good  account  of  them¬ 
selves,  and  thus  make  up  for  the  deficiency  of  this.  The.  foliage  was 
perfectly  clean,  as  visitations  from  insect  pests  are  always  being  sought 
for,  so  that  if  one  appear  it  must  pay  promptly  by  death  for  its  rashness  ; 
thus  they  never  get  a  firm  hold,  and  as  a  consequence  give  comparatively 
little  trouble,  whereas  when  once  they  become  established  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  dislodge  them. 
Apples  and  Pears. 
These,  in  combination,  occupy  a  very  large  area,  and  whichever  way 
one  turns  one  is  confronted  by  Apples  or  I’ears  in  some  shape  or  another. 
They  may  be  bushes,  espaliers,  pyramids,  standards,  or  some  other  shape, 
but  there  they  are  in  thousands.  Miniature  bush  trees  scarcely  4  feet  in 
height  produce  handsome  fruits,  especially  of  some  varieties,  others 
not  apparently  taking  kindly  to  this  system  of  culture.  This  is  the  style 
of  tree  which  is  rapidly  becoming  more  and  more  popular,  for  it  commences 
to  bear  fruit  in  a  very  small  state,  and  continues  with  comparatively  little 
trouble  in  respect  of  pruning  over  a  very  considerable  time.  Another 
advantage  that  weighs  in  its  favour  is  the  fact  that  it  does  not  take  up 
very  much  ground  space.  For  affording  fruits,  however,  over  the  very 
longest  period,  of  course  we  have  the  standard  either  of  Pear  or  Apple, 
but  it  is  some  time  before  these  are  bearing  profitably.  Then,  too,  they, 
by  their  great  spread  of  branches,  are  unsuitable  for  cultures  of  limited 
area  where  it  is  desirable  to  get  heavy  crops  of  vegetables  from  the  ground. 
Cropping  can  be  done  beneath  the  trees,  but  the  results  are  never  entirely 
satisfactory,  for  obvious  reasons. 
The  Langley  standards,  however,  are  amongst  the  best  of  their  kind. 
The  stems  are  clean  and  straight,  with  no  wounds  or  blemishes  on  them, 
while  the  summits  are  crowned  by  a  beautifully  formed  head.  The  most 
careful  attention  is  devoted  to  the  perfecting  of  all  essential  points,  both 
in  the  formation  of  these  and  other  shapes  of  trees,  for  the  firm  acts  up 
to  the  old  adage,  which  says,  “  If  a  thing  is  worth  doing  at  all  it  is  worth 
doing  well.’’  But  good  top  growth  is  of  comparatively  little  use  unless 
there  be  a  correspondingly  good  root  growth  to  balance  and  support  it. 
This  is  always  kept  in  view,  ard  every  tree  to  be  seen,  whether  large  or 
small,  may  be  expected  to  lift  with  numbers  of  those  fibrous  feeders 
which  delight  the  heart  of  the  fruit  tree  planter.  Splendidly  is  the 
ground  worked  for  all,  and  those  that  are,  so  to  speak,  getting  on  in 
years  are  moved  annually,  so  as  to  insure  the  roots  being  close  at  home, 
and  make  the  final  transplantation  as  certain  as  anything  can  be.  The 
crops  of  Apples  and  Pears  have  this  season  been  light,  but  the  trees  have 
been  benefited  thereby,  as  may  be  readily  seen  in  the  fine  wood  that  has 
been  produced. 
Trained  Trees. 
Beneath  this  simple  heading  we  would  include,  as  well  as  the  fruits 
already  named.  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Apricots,  and  Cherries.  All  these 
are  cultivated  in  the  form  of  either  espaliers,  gridiron,  candelabra,  fan,  or 
other  shape,  and  both  at  Langley  and  at  the  firm’s  Fulham  nurseries  at 
Soutlifields  they  are  magnificent.  The  greatest  care  is  exercised  in  the 
selection  of  the  wood,  and  when  that  is  chosen  the  training  is  done  on  the 
best  possible  lines.  There  is  no  “sweating”  in  the  labour.  The  operator 
has  to  do  his  work  well,  no  matter  hovv  long  it  takes,  and  if  he  is  not 
equal  to  it  then  he  is  put  on  to  other  work  that  he  is  able  to  do  properly. 
That  the  trees  produce  fruits  might  be  jiroved  to  demonstration  by 
making  periodical  visits  during  the  season  of  bearing  to  both  the  nurseries 
named.  No  gross,  sappy,  over-luxuriant  growths  are  utilised,  but  only 
those  that  will  give  the  best  results  in  all  respects. 
Amongst  tee  Floavers. 
Floriculture,  as  has  been  said,  is  a  feature  at  Langley,  and  the  collec¬ 
tions  of  hardy  fiowers,  including  annuals,  biennials,  with  shrubby  and 
herbaceous  perennials,  are  magnificent.  The  beds  seen  from  the  railway 
by  no  means  represent  the  whole  of  the  area  under  flower  culture,  for  on 
the  other  side  of  the  canal,  with  which  the  ground  is  divided,  there  are 
scores  of  beds  equally  well  stocked  and  exceedingly  beautiful.  Then 
there  is  an  admirably  managed  trial  ground  where  the  stocks  of  seeds 
are  tested,  so  that  the  result  produced  by  any  seeds  from  Chelsea  may  be 
seen  under  identical  conditions.  To  give  individual  reference  to  all  the 
kinds  grown  in  the  beds  would  be  a  serious  undertaking,  and  would  involve 
the  utilisation  of  several  columns  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  so  with 
one  single  exception  no  specific  mention  will  be  made.  Scores  can  be 
recognised  from  the  train,  and  the  beauty  of  the  whole  will  be  admitted 
by  everyone. 
Michaelmas  Daisies. 
Taking  two  things  into  consideration — namely,  the  growing  popularity 
of  these  plants  and  the  completeness  of  the  Veitchian  collection,  it  will  be 
permissible  to  give  these  a  special  paragraph.  There  have  flowered  this 
season  seventy-two  varieties,  Imt  many  of  these  not  being  worthy  of 
specific  names  the  number  is  being  very  largely  reduced.  ( )nly  those  of 
decided  merit  are  to  be  retained,  and  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the 
decision  is  a  wise  one  from  all  points  of  view.  I.arge  numbers  were 
flowering  when  this  visit  was  paid,  and  the  names  here  given  may  be 
accepted  as  being  some  of  the  best,  both  as  regards  habit  and 
floriferousness.  Half  a  score  only  were  chosen,  and  comprised  acris, 
amellus  bessarabicus,  Candida,  longifolius  formosus,  F.  W.  Burbidge, 
Herveyi,  Richard  Parker,  densus,  cordifolius,  and  formosissimus. 
Others  equal  these  no  doubt,  but  few  or  none  are  better. — VISITOR. 
IRIS  BAKERIANA. 
There  are  some  growers  of  alpine  flowers  who  do  not  care  to  admit 
flowers  of  bulbous  habit  to  their  rock  gardens.  It  is  gratifying  to  see 
that  this  feeling  is  not  generally  found,  and  is  rapidly  giving  way  to  a 
keen  appreciation  of  the  beauty  of  the  '  owers  yielded  by  what  are  known, 
unscienti  cally  but  broadly,  as  “bulbs,”  Among  the  host  of  desirable 
flowers  belonging  to  these  the  dwarfer  Irises  yield  to  none  in  beauty,  and 
these,  again,  give  few  more  suitable  species  than  the  one  under  notice. 
I.  Bakeriana  is,  in  a  word,  a  gem  of  the  trst  water,  and  not  unworthy  of 
the  great  botanist  who,  among  other  things  of  highest  value,  has  given  us 
a  most  useful  and  convenient  handbook  of  the  genus  to  which  it  belongs. 
I.  Bakeriana  is  a  native  of  Armenia,  and  is  quite  hardy  in  our  climate, 
although  it  flowers  so  early  that  its  blooms  have  sometimes  to  be  pro¬ 
tected  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  It  usually  blooms  before  Iris 
reticulata  and  its  varieties,  and  in  the  South  opens  early  in  February. 
The  flowers  have  sky-blue  standards,  and  the  falls,  which  have  the  ground 
colour  white,  are  beautifully  blotched  and  spotted  with  dark  violet-blue. 
It  only  grows  about  6  inches  high,  and  no  more  appropriate  place  can 
exist  for  it  than  a  sunny  nook  among  the  choicer  alpine  flowers. 
Those  who  wish  to  possess  this  charming  Iris  should  procure  it  as 
early  as  possible  and  plant  it  about  .8  inches  deep  in  sandy  peat  or  other 
light  soil.  In  gardens  subject  to  wireworm  it  will  be  found  advisable  to 
place  a  few  pieces  of  Potato  just  under  the  surface  of  the  soil  near  the 
place  in  which  the  corm  or  bulb,  is  planted,  and  to  examine  these  occa¬ 
sionally,  destroying  any  wireworms  which  may  be  seen. — Alpinus. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Figs  under  Glass. 
Among  dessert  fruits  found  on  our  English  tables  a  dish  of  well- 
grown  Figs  deservedly  takes  a  prominent  position,  also  on  the  exhibition 
table  it  carries  great  weight.  I  purpose  now  to  give  a  short  article  on 
their  cultivation.  The  first  point  to  observe  is  thorough  cleanliness,  and  as 
most  of  the  leaves  will  have  fallen  when  this  appears  in  print,  the  time 
will  bo  opportune  to  commence  a  thorough  cleaning  of  the  trees  and  their 
surroundings,  the  former  by  careful  scrubbing  with  a  soft  brush,  using  a 
strong  solution  of  Gishurst  compound,  warm  (insecticides  are  always  more 
effective  when  used  warm),  and  the  structure  by  scrubbing  well  with  soft- 
soap  and  petroleum  dissolved  in  hot  water. 
Previous  to  cleansing,  however,  the  trees  will  recpiire  to  be  pruned. 
Shoots  of  medium  strength  of  the  current  season’s  growth  should  be  left  full 
length  in  sufficient  number  to  be  distributed  over  the  trellis  at  an  average 
distance  of  say  9  inches  apart ;  this  will  allow  of  next  year’s  bearing  wood 
being  laid  in  between  them.  I  am  speaking  now  of  trees  trained  close  to 
the  glass  in  the  same  manner  as  Peach  trees  ;  therefore,  if  this  last  rule  be 
observed,  the  trees  will  require  to  be  shaded  with  a  double  thickness  of 
herring  nets,  as  partial  shade  is  very  necessary  to  the  well-doing  of  Figs. 
It  has  been  proved  that  the  most  satisfactory  results  have  been 
obtained  from  trees  having  a  restricted  root  area  A'ts  are  growing  in 
large  boxes  about  .5  feet  square).  The  liest  compost  is  a  porous  one  with 
ample  drainage  below,  such  as  a  good  turfy  loam  with  a  liberal  admixture 
of  lime  rubble  and  J-inch  bones  pressed  down  firmly. 
Provided  everything  is  in  readiness  a  start  may  be  made  to  force  the 
earliest  house  at  Christmas,  from  which  ripe  fruits  may  be  expected  at 
the  end  of  April.  If  at  all  dry  give  the  roots  a  thorough  watering  with 
clear  water,  afterwards  liquid  manure.  Figs  should  never  be  allowed  to 
become  dry  at  the  roots,  this,  in  my  opinion,  being  one  of  the  chief  causes 
of  the  first  fruits  falling  o  f  [wematurely.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
no  sooner  has  a  tree  yielded  one  crop  of  fruit  than  its  energies  are  being 
directed  towards  the  formation  of  the  next  crop  ;  therefore  if  the  roots 
become  dry,  especially  during  autumn,  the  embryo  fruits  will  certainly 
suffer. 
A  temperature  of  50’’  at  night,  with  a  corresponding  rise  of  o'  by  day 
with  fire  heat  and  10°  with  sun  heat,  will  be  sufficient  for  the  first  six 
weeks.  Syringe  the  trees  lightly  on  fine  days,  admit  air  cautiously,  and 
close  early,  to  bottle  up  all  sun  heat  obtainable. —Youngster. 
Culture  oe  the  Grape  ’\"ine. 
{Continued from  page  299.^ 
After  planting,  endeavour  to  obtain  good  growth  by  the  maintenance 
of  a  moist  atmosphere,  occasional  syringings  to  keep  the  young  'Fines 
clean,  and  careful  ventilation.  Do  not  resort  to  stopping  practices,  while 
as  the  season  advances  gradually  admit  more  air,  and  reduce  the  atmo¬ 
spheric  moisture  until  the  canes  go  to  rest.  Keep  the  ^'ines  as  cool 
as  possible  during  winter,  the  house  being  thrown  open  on  all  favourable 
occasions. 
If  the  Vines  in  the  first  year  after  planting  are  intended  for  early 
forcing  the  house  must  be  closed  about  the  middle  of  .Tanuary,  allowing  a 
