October  28,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
417 
SILICO-FLUORIDES  IN  HORTICULTURE. 
I  HAVE  no  wish  to  discuss  the  opinions  expressed  by  your  corre¬ 
spondent  in  this  matter,  but  perhaps  you  will  allow  me  to  hint  that  one 
grain  of  practical  experience  is  usually  equivalent  to  several  tons  of 
a  priori  argument.  The  use  of  silico-fluorides  as  germicides  is  at  present 
unknown  ;  the  sooner  it  becomes  well  known  the  better,  in  my  humble 
opinion,  for  horticulture  and  agriculture,  and  I  shall  be  happy  to  assist  in 
making  it  known.  Soap  must  not  be  used  with  the  silico-fluoride  of 
ammonium.  The  silico-fluoride  of  ammonium  does  not  roll  up  into 
globules  even  on  freshly  opened,  glassy  looking  leaves.  It  is  acid  to 
litmus ;  but  the  saturated  aqueous  solution  does  not  attack  the  leaves  of 
plants.  It  is  proper  to  use  a  very  much  weaker  solution  than  that. — 
W.  Mills. 
[By  all  means  let  the  product  be  tried.  Mr.  Abbey  appears  to  have 
tried  it  already,  and  his  statement  of  its  beading  oS  a  mealy  phylloxera 
is  embodied  in  a  reply  to  a  correspondent.] 
DEATH  OF  MR.  EDMUND  J.  BAILLIE,  F.L.S. 
All  those  of  our  readers  who  enjoyed  the  acquaintance  of  this 
gentleman,  or  came  into  contact  with  him  at  public  meetings,  will  deeply 
lament  his  death,  which  occurred  at  his  residence,  Woodlune,  Chester,  on 
the  18th  inst.,  at  the  early  age  of  forty-six  years.  The  deceased  leaves  a 
widow  and  ten  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  We  learn  from  the  “Cheshii-e 
Observer  ”  that  Mr.  Baillie  was  educated  at  Tarvin,  and  on  leaving  school 
he  spent  a  few  years  on  his  father  s  farm.  Rather  more  than  thirty  years 
ago  he  entered  the  firm  of  Messrs.  F.  &  A.  Dickson  &  Sons,  seed  mer¬ 
chants  and  nurserymen,  Eastgate  Street,  Chester,  ami  his  business  career 
was  most  successful.  He  commenced  as  a  junior  in  the  correspondence 
department,  the  charge  of  the  department  eventually  falling  to  his  care 
and  supervision.  He  was  next  appointed  cashier  and  confidential  adviser 
of  the  firm,  and  afterwards  became  a  partner,  and  subsequently  managing 
partner  of  the  business.  When  the  two  firms  of  Dicksons  were  amalga¬ 
mated,  Mr.  Baillie  became  deputy  chairman  and  a  managing  director  of 
Dicksons  Limited.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Alfred  Dickson  he  had  been 
more  intimately  connected  with  the  extensive  nursery  department. 
By  Mr  Baillie  s  death  Chester  is  much  the  poorer,  llis  wide  attain¬ 
ments,  many-sidedness,  and  wonderful  grasp  of  everything  he  took  in 
hand,  made  him  a  man  of  whom  any  community  might  well  be  proud.  A 
distinguished  botanist,  he  was  a  Fellow  of  the  Linnsean  Society.  For  his 
services  to  the  cause  of  natural  science  he  was  awarded  the  Kingsley 
Memorial  medal.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  formation  of 
the  Chester  Paxton  Society,  and,  a  true  lover  of  art,  he  practically 
initiated  the  Chester  Guild  of  Arts  and  Crafts.  Mr.  Baillie  was 
ever  striving  to  popularise  art.  A  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  ileceased  on  several  occasions  lectured  before  this  body 
while  articles  on  fruit  cultui-e  frequently  appeared  from  his  prolific 
pen  in  various  publications.  He  held  strong  views  on  the  value  of  fruit 
as  a  food.  As  is  well  known,  Mr.  Baillie  was  an  enthusiastic  vegetarian, 
being  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  Vegetarian  Society.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  the  Vegetarian  Conference  in  Chester  two  years  ago,  and  it 
is  a  melancholy  coincidence  that  the  Society  celebrated  its  .lubilee  in 
^Manchester  on  the  very  day  of  his  death.  What  makes  the  circumstance 
infinitely  sadder  is  that  an  interesting  paper  l)y  Mr.  Baillie  himself  was 
read  at  this  gathering. 
Mr.  Baillie  has  on  many  occasions  adorned  the  columns  of  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture,  and  especially  a  few  years  ago  over  the  signature  of 
“.John  Edmunds.”  A  giant  in  stature,  our  friend  was  gentle  as  a 
child,  and  we  join  our  Cheshire  contemporary  in  its  concluding  paragraph 
— “  Universally  admired  and  respected,  if  ever  anyone  deserved  the 
epitaph  ‘  He  had  no  enemies,’  it  is  the  late  Mr.  E.  .1.  Baillie.  ’ 
FRUITING  YOUNG  VINES. 
Cultivating  Vines  from  eyes  and  fruiting  them  their  entire  length 
the  following  year  is,  I  think,  a  little  out  of  the  beaten  track,  especially 
with  Vines  that  are  to  remain  permanently.  In  January  last  year  (1896) 
I  inserted  eyes  of  Black  Hamburgh  in  thumb  pots  containing  loam  and 
a  little  sand,  merely  covering  the  eyes.  When  they  had  made  about 
5  inches  of  growth,  and  the  roots  were  commencing  to  run  round  the  pots 
and  coil  up  a  little,  the  Vines  were  shifted  into  6-inch  pots.  They  pro¬ 
gressed  favourably  and  were  ready  to  plant  in  the  border  about  the  end 
of  May. 
Previous  to  that  I  prepared  the  border,  drained  it  thoroughly,  and  had 
room  for  about  26  inches  of  good  turfy  loam.  That,  along  with  some 
wood  ashes,  lime  rubbish,  and  a  little  crushed  bones,  made  a  suitable 
compost  for  the  young  Vines.  As  the  border  was  made  up  I  had  two 
men  at  work  with  rammers  beating  down  the  turf  as  firmly  as  they 
possibly  could.  When  all  was  finished  I  gave  the  border  a  good  watering 
as  the  loam  was  rather  dry. 
The  Vines  were  planted  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  grew  rapidly, 
reaching  the  top  of  the  1 0  feet  trellis  by  the  end  of  .1  uly.  The  top  was 
pinched  off  each  Vine,  and  the  laterals  after  they  made  three  leaves  were 
pinched  also.  About  the  first  week  in  November  the  wood  was  as  brown 
as  a  nut. 
All  the  winter  pruning  that  was  required  consisted  in  cutting 
back  the  laterals  to  the  main  rods.  This  year  the  Vines  were  allowed  to 
start  almost  of  their  own  accord.  They  broke  very  strongly,  showing 
two  and  three  bunches  on  each  lateral.  Their  vigour  induced  me  to  leave 
twelve  bunches  on  five  of  the  rods,  and  fourteen  bunches  on  two  others. 
The  Grapes  finished  well,  the  average  weight  per  bunch  being  2  lbs. 
The  heavy  crop  seemed  to  have  no  bad  effect  on  the  Vines,  as  the  wood 
is  ripening  well  this  autumn,  and  1  am  looking  forward  to  similar  results 
next  year. — W M.  K.  Pettigrew,  Hewell  Grange  Gardens,  Worcestershire. 
[A  very  good  beginning,  and  Mr.  Pettigrew  will  oblige  by  reporting 
progress  another  year.] 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
The  Means  and  Modes  of  Propagating  Plants.  , 
{.Continued  from  page  226.) 
Hitherto  we  have  been  dealing  with  the  means  of  propagation  that 
Nature  affords,  but  there  are  others  in  which  Nature  requires  the  aid  of 
Art.  One  of  these  modes  is  propagation  by  layers,  which  consists  in 
arresting  the  downward  current  or  deposition  of  formative  matter,  which 
collects  and  forms  a  callus,  from  which  roots  issue.  In  this  operation  an 
upward  slit  is  made  half  across  a  joint,  and  the  part  so  cut  is  fixed  in 
favourable  soil,  with  the  results  above  stated.  This  process  is  adopted 
with  Pinks,  Carnations,  Roses,  and  many  other  plants.  It  is,  however, 
an  important  operation,  and  should  be  neatly  executed. 
Choosing  the  suitable  branch  of  a  Carnation,  for  instance,  remove  all 
leaves  below  the  joint  selected.  With  a  sharp  knife  make  an  incision  in  the 
under  part  of  the  branch  a  quarter  of  an  inch  below  a  joint,  passing  the 
blade  upwards  through  the  joint  in  a  slanting  direction  to  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  above,  terminating  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  centre  of  the  stem. 
The  tip  of  the  tongue  thus  made  is  cut  off  with  a  clean  sharp  knife,  and 
the  laj'er  pegged  down  an  inch  deep  in  fine  soil.  In  the  case  of  Carna¬ 
tions  the  plant  is  in  a  fit  state  for  the  operation  as  soon  as  the  flowering 
season  is  over.  No  stem  which  has  already  produced  flowers  should  be 
employed  for  the  purpose. 
In  the  case  of  Roses  and  other  shrubby  plants,  all  that  is  required  is 
to  run  the  knife  through  a  joint  sufficiently  to  make  an  opening  near  it, 
and  affix  it  with  a  peg  3  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  soil,  leaving  that 
part  above  the  soil  as  erect  as  possible.  When  roots  are  produced  freely 
the  layer  may  be  separated  from  the  parent  and  planted  out. 
From  the  middle  of  .July  to  the  middle  of  August  is  a  good  time  for 
layering  Ivy,  .Jasmine,  the  Wistaria,  and  many  other  plants  of  the  same 
kind.  Ivy  will  take  root  readily  if  merely  pegged  down  :  but  it  will  root 
more  quickly  if  a  notch  or  slit  be  made  at  the  joint  and  buried  under  the 
surface  of  the  soil.  Jasmine  should  be  cut  partly  through  a  joint  when 
laid  down  for  propagation.  The  wound  intercepts  the  flow  of  the  sap 
backwards  to  the  root,  and  the  accumulation  forms  a  callus  from  which 
roots  issue. 
Propagation  by  means  of  slips  or  cuttings  is  applied  to  almost  every 
description  of  plant,  but  especially  to  those  which  refuse  to  ripen  their 
seed  with  us,  or  which  are  many  years  in  attaining  maturity,  as  in 
the  case  of  ordinary  fruit  trees.  To  be  successful  in  the  operation  the 
cuttings  should  be  made  just  at  the  point  where  the  wood  of  last  year’s 
growth  terminates  and  that  of  the  current  year  begins.  It  should  be 
removed  with  a  clean,  sharp,  sloping  cut  just  below  a  bud.  Different 
kinds  of  cuttings  require  different  management,  and  no  hard  and  fast  rule 
can  be  laid  down  for  all. 
Silver  sand  is  the  best  medium  in  which  to  root  small  cuttings.  A 
light,  free  soil,  through  which  the  air  can  pass  freely,  yet  moisture  being 
also  present,  is  essential  to  the  well-being  of  all  cuttings.  That  aeration 
is  necessary  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  cuttings  root  freely  in  cocoa-nut 
fibre  refuse,  a  material  which  is  extremely  pervious  to  air,  and  retains 
moisture  for  a  considerable  period.  Powdered  charcoal  also  forms  a  good 
medium.— C.  W.  M. 
Figs  under  Glass. 
{.Continued  from  page  395.) 
AVHEN'the  fruits  are  about  the  size  of  shelled  Walnuts  they  may  be 
observed  to  stand  still  for  about  a  fortnight ;  this  is  when  the  tiny  seeds 
are  forming,  corresponding  with  the  stoning  period  of  Peaches.  On  no 
account  maintain  high  temperatures  just  then,  or  the  fruits  may  drop 
instead  of  swelling.  Other  causes  of  this  misfortune  are  immature  wood 
and  cold  draughts  in  early  spring.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  fruits  are 
seen  to  be  on  the  move  again  everything  should  be  done  to  encourage  the 
fruits  to  swell.  The  temperature  may  be  raised  5°,  the  syringe  used 
thoroughly  and  dexterously  twice  daily,  especially  on  the  under  sides  of 
the  leaves,  and  the  roots  supplied  with  liquid  manure  and  a  light  mulch. 
At  closing  time  damp  the  floors  with  liquid  manure  to  give  off  ammonia 
to  strengthen  the  leaves  and  to  improve  the  trees  generally.  Admit  air 
with  discretion,  leaving  a  chink  open  all  night  to  allow  the  ammonia  to 
pass  off  before  morning,  or  a  scorch  may  result. 
When  the  fruits  commence  ripening  less  water  will  be  required  at  the 
roots,  and  liquid  manure  should  be  withheld  altogether.  Syringing  must 
be  discontinued,  also  the  afternoon  and  late  dampings.  Much  more  air 
will  be  required  to  improve  the  flavour  of  the  fruit,  while  a  very  gentle 
heat  in  the  pijies  will  dispel  damp.  During  the  fruiting  season  when  an 
opportunity  presents  itself  the  ripe  fruit  should  be  gathered  closely,  and 
the  trees  given  a  good  syringing  with  clean  rain  water  on  a  bright 
morning  to  keep  red  spider  in  check,  which  is  sure  to  make  its  appearance 
to  a  more  or  less  degree. 
All  growths  for  next  year’s  fruiting  should  be  laid  in  full  length  ; 
others  may  be  stopped  at  about  the  sixth  leaf,  and  these  will  produce  the 
second  crop  of  fruit,  which  will  mature  in  about  two  months. 
