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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  4,  1897. 
THE  YOUNa  GARDENEHS’  DOMAIN. 
Bothy  Customs— “On  Duty.” 
As  a  bothyite  I  am  of  opinion  that  “  Well-Wisher’s  ”  remarks 
(page  384)  are  not  all  that  could  be  wished  for  by  the  young  gardeners 
of  to-day.  Some  head  gardeners  seem  to  regard  the  young  men  under 
them  as  their  personal  servants.  While  in  a  previous  situation  I  was 
asked  to  sing  at  a  concert.  This  I  consented  to  do,  so  was  placed  on  the 
programme  ;  but  as  I  was  leaving  the  bothy  the  head  gardener  returned 
from  his  evening  drive,  he  called  to  the  man  on  duty,  who  happened  to 
be  attending  to  the  fires,  so  I  was  then  ordered,  though  “  off  duty,”  to 
take  out  his  horse,  and  do  other  work,  and  break  an  engagement  that  I 
was  fully  entitled  to  make.  As  regards  the  reference  to  the  young 
gardeners  who  were  off  duty  being  sent  to  the  station  on  Christmas  morn 
to  unload  slack,  I  will  only  say  that  if  “  Well-Wisher ’’ approve,  as  he 
seems  to  do,  such  procedure,  I  think  he  should  change  his  nom  de  plume. 
— M.  T.  Saunders. 
Malmaison  Carnations. 
So  popular  has  the  Malmaison  Carnation  become  that  in  many  large 
establishments  we  find  houses  devoted  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
several  varieties.  Where  this  is  the  case  their  management  is  much  easier 
than  when  grown  with  other  plants,  and  when  well  grown  they  are 
unsurpassed  by  any  other  flowering  plant  in  cultivation.  They  may  be 
grown  so  as  to  produce  a  succession  of  their  deliciously  sweet-scented 
flowers  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 
So  far  as  my  experience  goes  the  best  mode  of  propagation  is  by  layers, 
which  operation  may  be  carried  out  at  intervals,  commencing  as  soon  as 
the  first  flowers  are  over.  A  range  of  cool  frames  will  be  found  suitable 
for  layering.  The  first  point,  and  a  very  important  one,  will  be  to 
secure  some  good  fibrous  loam  of  a  sandy  nature,  using  two  parts  of  this, 
chopped  fine,  with  one  of  leaf  soil,  one  of  peat,  and  about  one-quarter  of 
the  whole  of  silver  sand.  The  plants  should  have  been  previously  taken 
out  of  their  pots  and  plunged  in  a  somewhat  slanting  position,  when  it 
is  much  easier  to  get  the  young  growths  down  for  layering.  The  foliage 
is  stripped  from  the  fourth  joint  downwards,  commencing  the  cut  just 
below  the  fifth  joint,  upwards  through  the  fourth,  peg  down  with  the 
tongue  open,  and  make  as  firm  as  possible  with  the  fingers.  Select  only 
healthy  growths  for  layering,  and  shade  from  the  hot  sun.  Give,  however, 
as  much  light  as  possible,  and  keep  the  frames  closed  for  about  a  week, 
when  air  should  be  given  freely.  A  gentle  dewing  over  with  a  syringe 
will  prove  beneficial  at  this  stage,  but  afterwards  every  effort  should  be 
made  to  prevent  moisture  coming  into  contact  with  the  foliage.  At  this 
stage  they  will  require  very  careful  watering. 
When  sufficiently  rooted  they  may  be  potted  singly  into  large  60’s 
using  a  compost  similar  to  that  advised  for  layering,  with  the  addition  of 
a  small  quantity  of  mortar  rubbish.  Place  the  plants  again  into  the  cool 
frames  near  to  the  glass,  keep  these  rather  close  for  a  few  days,  and 
shade  from  hot  sun.  When  root  action  has  again  commenced  admit  air 
freely.  In  about  a  month  they  ought  to  be  ready  for  repotting — the 
strongest  plants  into  7-inch,  and  the  remainder.into  6-inch,  which  will  be 
quite  large  enough  for  flowering.  Use  a  compost  of  three  parts  good 
fibrous  loam,  one  of  peat,  and  about  the  same  quantity  of  sheep  manure 
dried  and  rubbed  fine,  with  wood  ashes,  and  one-quarter  of  a  part  of 
mortar  rubbish,  charcoal,  and  silver  sand.  Give  chemical  manure  as  soon 
as  the  plants  have  filled  the  pots  with  roots  about  once  a  fortnight,  and  an 
occasional  watering  of  clear  soot  water. 
When  required  for  winter  flowering  these  plants  are  placed  in 
9  and  10-inch  pots,  using  a  compost  similar  to  that  used  for  the 
previous  potting.  The  young  growths  are  neatly  staked,  and  any  kind 
of  artificial  feeding  is  withheld  until  the  flower-buds  appear.  The  three 
essentials  to  success  are  watering,  potting,  and  abundance  of  air  in 
favourable  weather.  Houses  in  which  Malmaisons  are  growing  should  be 
made  as  light  as  possible,  with  top  and  side  ventilation  at  each  side  of  the 
structures  ;  blinds  are  also  necessary  to  protect  the  flowers.  The  tempe¬ 
rature  I  have  seen  them  do  best  in  when  growing  is  about  40°  to  45°  at 
night  and  a  little  higher  during  the  day.  The  flowering  house  should  not 
fall  below  50°  at  night.  When  in  flower  bees  must  be  excluded  from 
the  houses,  as  they  destroy  the  scent  and  shorten  the  duration  of  the 
flowers. 
Owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere  red  spider  will  be  rather 
troublesome ;  green  fly  will  also  attack  the  plants,  and  do  a  considerable 
amount  of  damage  in  a  very  short  time.  Either  of  these  pests  should  be 
quickly  eradicated,  either  by  fumigating  or  syringing  with  some  approved 
insecticide.  Any  diseased  plants  ought  to  be  removed  from  the  healthy 
ones,  and  either  destroyed  or  put  into  a  separate  house  to  flower,  removing 
also  all  decayed  leaves  as  soon  as  discovered.  Malmaisons  are,  I  believe, 
more  subject  to  fungoid  diseases  than  any  other  Carnations,  and  therefore 
need  more  careful  attention.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  by  keeping 
the  plants  rather  dry  during  winter,  but  not  allowing  them  to  suffer 
for  want  of  water,  will  act  as  a  good  preventive.  I  may  add  that  the 
preceding  notes  are  the  result  of  practical  experience,  and  will,  I  hope,  be 
of  assistance  to  readers  of  the  Domain. — J.  E.  D.,  Yorkshire. 
Blossom  and  Bees. — A  Pear  tree  is  now  in  full  bloom  in  a 
gentleman’s  kitchen  garden,  situated  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
Leeds  Town  Hall.  The  tree  has  been  visited  daily  for  a  week  past  by 
bees,  which  have  been  observed  carrying  pollen  into  their  hives,  kept  in 
a  neighbouring  garden.  Summer  must  ‘linger  long  in  these  northern 
latitudes. 
HARDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
Strawberries. — The  oldest  beds  of  Strawberries  should,  if  they  are 
not  profitable  to  retain,  be  pared  off,  and  the  ground  dug  deeply  or 
trenched,  adding  a  liberal  quantity  of  manure.  It  is  not  advisable,  if  it 
can  be  possibly  avoided,  to  plant  on  the  same  ground  at  once  or  in  the 
spring.  The  ground  will  better  suit  some  other  crop. 
^  Healthy  quarters  or  beds  of  Strawberries  not  older  than  three  years 
may  be  retained  another  season.  Clear  off  at  once  all  superfluous  runners 
and  large  shabby  leaves  ;  remove  also  young  plants  which  have  rooted 
between  the  rows,  preserving  the  best,  if  further  stock  is  required,  for 
spring  planting.  Lift  these  carefully  with  a  trowel,  and  plant  6  inches 
apart  in  small  beds  on  a  piece  of  good  ground.  Fork  up  strong,  deep¬ 
rooting  weeds  ;  but  disturb  the  ground  no  further,  as  digging  between 
rows  of  Strawberries  injures  the  roots,  the  largest  proportion  of  which 
are  near  the  surface.  They  are  fibrous,  and  very  numerous.  The  best 
method,  therefore,  of  finishing  off  the  beds,  giving  them  a  neat  appear¬ 
ance,  and  at  the  same  time  benefiting  the  plants,  is  to  afford  a  rich  and 
liberal  dressing  of  decayed  manure. 
Young  Plantations. — Recently  planted  quarters  may  be  lightly  hoed 
over  to  destroy  seedling  weeds  and  promote  growth  of  the'  plants.  Any 
runners  which  may  have  extended  ought  to  be  cut  off.  Mulching  these 
with  manure  at  the  present  time  will  scarcely  be  necessary. 
Raspberries. — Where  the  old  bearing  canes  of  Raspberries  have  not 
been  cut  away  since  fruiting  these  should  be  removed  now,  cutting  them 
close  to  the  base.  The  weakest  of  the  current  year’s  canes  may  also  be 
thinned  out,  leaving  four  to  six  of  the  strongest  for  next  season  at  each 
stool.  The  canes  will  require  shortening  to  the  tops  of  the  trellis  or 
stakes  in  the  course  of  the  winter.  Finally  remove  weeds  of  large  growth 
and  apply  a  heavy  mulch jof  farmyard  manure  without  previously  digging 
the  soil  between. 
Preparing  Soil  for  Planting  Fruit  Trees. — Every  preparation  ought 
to  be  made  for  the  season  of  planting  fruit  trees  which  is  now  close 
at  hand.  The  soil  in  most  cases  requires  to  be  dug  deeply,  not  necessarily 
trenched,  so  as  to  bring  unfit  soil  to  the  surface,  burying  the  good  below. 
When  ordinary  deep  digging  in  the  usual  method  is  scarcely  sufficient,  the 
plan  of  bastard  trenching  may  be  adopted,  this  insuring  that  the  present 
position  of  fhe  layers  of  soil  will  remain  the  same,  but  well  broken  up. 
A  depth  of  2  feet  of  well-worked  soil  is  ample,  though  when  light  and  dry 
it  might  be  deeper  with  advantage.  If  fairly  rich  and  fertile  the  addition 
of  manure  in  the  course  of  preparation  will  not  be  essential.  Poor  ground 
ought  to  have  some  well-decayed  material  intermixed  with  the  soil  as 
stirring  and  breaking  up  proceeds.  When  light  and  sandy,  strong  loam 
or  pulverised  clay  may  with  advantage  be  added  to  give  it  a  more  holding 
character. 
Clayey  and  adhesive  loams  are  difficult  to  deal  with  in  a  limited  period 
of  preparation,  because  such  land  always  wants  time  for  the  influences  of 
weather  to  assist  cultural  operations  in  the  work  of  pulverisation.  If  land 
cannot  be  brought  into  fair  condition  for  planting  to  take  place  in 
autumn  it  is  better  to  defer  planting  until  spring,  or  even  the  next 
season,  in  the  meantime  giving  every  attention  to  cultivation,  so  that 
its  physical  character  may  be  permanently  improved. 
Lime  is  an  excellent  material  to  apply  to  strong  and  stubborn  soils. 
It  helps  largely  in  breaking  down  quickly  their  cementing  and  adhesive 
qualities,  rendering  them  workable  and  more  finely  divided. 
Preparing  Stations. — It  is  not  essential  to  prepare  the  soil  for  a  greater 
width  than  necessary  when  planting  in  isolated  positions.  Stations  may 
be  prepared  6  to  9  feet  in  diameter,  according  to  the  size  of  trees  employed. 
Dig  out  the  soil  two  spits  deep,  break  up  the  bottom  and  return  the  soil, 
adding  a  little  manure  if  poor,  but  preferably  some  rich  loam  with  a  little 
wood  ashes  worked  in.  This  will  improve  the  surface  for  planting  the 
trees.  The  preparation  necessary  in  forming  a  station  brings  the  soil 
above  the  surrounding  level.  It  is,  therefore,  desirable  to  finish  some 
time  before  planting  in  order  that  the  soil  may  become  partly 
consolidated. 
Preparing  Borders. — Borders  for  fruit  trees  usually  require  to  be  of  the 
same  width  as  height,  Avhen  the  trees  are  on  free  stocks,  and  cover  a  space 
as  wide  as  the  wall  is  high.  Few  wall  tree  borders  need  be  wider  than 
10  feet.  Half  that  distance  will  do  for  cordon  trees  planted  2  feet  apart. 
The  soil  should  lie  improved  by  trenching  and  working  in  some  good 
soil  to  lighten  or  enrich  it.  If  drains  are  necessary  these  should  be 
4  feet  deep  and  15  inches  asunder.  Draining  is  only  necessary  when 
the  natural  escape  of  superfluous  water  from  the  surface  soil  cannot  take 
place. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Cucumbers. — To  keep  the  plants  in  a  healthy  frnitful  condition  the 
night  temperature  should  be  maintained  at  65°,  70°  when  mild,  and  60° 
in  the  morning  when  sharp  frosts  occur,  70°  to  75°  in  the  daytime  by 
artificial  means,  advancing  to  80°,  85°,  or  90°  or  more  from  sun  heat. 
Whenever  fhe  weather  is  favourable  a  little  air  may  be  admitted  at  the 
top  of  the  house,  being  careful  not  to  lower  the  temperature  or  admit  a 
cold  current  of  air,  as  that  cripples  the  foliage.  It  is  better  when  the 
