JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
C23 
December  30,  1897. 
first-class  appointments.  After  the  coloured  silk  style,  which  was  in 
vogue  some  time  back,  came  the  light,  elegant,  and  really  artistic  style 
practised  at  the  present  time,  and  the  style  lends  itself  to  such  variety  of 
changes,  and  gives  such  scope  to  anyone  possessed  of  artistic  abilities, 
that  it  is  not  likely  to  be  superseded  by  any  other  for  a  long  time  to  come. 
The  variety  in  flowers  and  foliage  that  can  be  used  with  excellent  effect 
is  almost  endless. 
In  dealing  with  practical  table  decoration  it  was  assumed  a  table  was 
being  decorated  for  twenty  diners,  which  would  be  about  25  feet  in  length, 
lie  would  suppose  that  there  was  a  massive  centrepiece  of  silver,  with 
prervision  for  arranging  flowers  in  the  top  or  centre  of  it.  We  arranged 
in  this  as  lightly  as  possible  a  number  of  spikes  of  Calanthe  Veitchi, 
intermixed  with  Tern  or  Asparagus,  and  on  the  cloth,  say,  ten  or  twelve 
plants  in  3-inch  pots  of  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine.  The  pots  were  con¬ 
cealed  with  Selaginella,  the  flowers  of  the  Begonia  drooping  over  the 
moss.  Between  the  centrepiece  and  the  ends  of  the  table  were  two  ice 
pails  or  wine  coolers  of  silver,  containing  two  plants  of  Croton  Warreni. 
Disposed  about  the  white  cloth  were  a  number  of  long  trailing  growths  of 
Smilax,  and  placed  on  the  top  of  the  Smilax  thinly  single  flowers  of  Calanthe 
Veitchi,  the  centrepiece  having  long  streamers  of  Smilax  depending  to 
the  cloth,  the  table  being  lighted  by  massive  candelabra  down  the  centre 
and  by  single  candles  at  the  ends  or  corners  and  perhaps  at  the  sides  ; 
ten  or  twelve  dishes  of  dessert,  either  on  stands  or  in  dishes  without  stands, 
being  arranged  among  or  intermediate  with  Begonias. 
On  a  succeeding  night  it  is  necessary  to  give  change  and  variety,  and 
we  used  two,  four,  or  six  Chards’  arcadian  arches,  made  of  galvanised 
wire,  each  of  the  larger  arches  being  about  2  feet  across  the  arch  and  15 
to  18  inches  to  the  rise  of  the  arch,  and  holding  twelve  trumpet-shaped 
glasses  in  which  to  place  the  flowers.  These  might  consist  of  Begonia 
Aladarae  Sharratt,  a  bright  coral  red,  of  graceful  drooping  habit,  with 
Fern  or  Asparagus  for  greenery.  These  arches,  when  lightly  dressed, 
•  gi'^®  fluit®  ^  charming  effect,  especially  when  arranged  with  sirch  light 
and  graceful  flowers  as  Sweet  Peas,  Calanthes,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  and 
Dielytra  spectabilis  intermixed.  Tea  Boses,  in  their  many  charming 
shades  of  colour,  are  also  very  beautiful  for  this  purpose,  as  also  are 
Carnations,  arranged  either  along  with  their  own  grass  or  with  Fern  or 
Asparagus.  Then  again,  a  very  charming  effect  can  be  had  by  festooning 
the  table  from  candelabra  to 
candelabra  or  candlesticks 
with  such  flowers  as  Rhodo- 
chiton  volubile,  pieces  of  the 
same  being  laid  on  the  white 
cloth,  intermixed  or  dotted 
about  being  a  few  deep 
yellow  Chrysanthemums, 
which  contrast  very  beauti¬ 
fully  with  the  deep  purple 
Rhodochiton  and  made  a 
striking  effect.  Another 
grand  plant  for  festooning 
purposes  is  Asparagus  de- 
flexus,  and  hanging  lightly 
amongst  single  flowers  of 
Calanthes  or  Oncidiums,  the 
latter  giving  the  effect  of 
butterflies  settling  on  the 
streamers.  Yet  another  fes¬ 
tooning  plant  is  Lygodium 
scandens,  or  another,  Eus- 
seilia  juncea. 
A  third  change  could  be 
made  by  making  up  six, 
eight,  ten  or  a  dozen  balls 
of  soft  clay,  about  the  size 
of  a  cricket  ball,  covering 
these  with  Selaginella  and 
pricking  them  full  of  any 
kind  of  flowers  that  are  of 
the  desired  shade  of  colour, 
the  stems,  of  course,  to  be  of 
varying  length,  so  that  when 
made  up  there  is  nothing 
stiff  or  formal  about  the 
arrangement.  When  made 
up  they  may  be  disposed 
about  the  table  in  the  most 
desirable  positions  for  effect, 
taking  care  to  place  under 
each  ball  of  clay  several 
thicknesses  of  paper  to  pre- 
.  vent  the  cloth  being  marked. 
If  these  are  arranged  in  an 
artistic  manner,  one  or  two  plants  being  used  in  vases  down  the  centre 
according  to  ^e  size  of  the  table,  the  effect  is  very  beautiful.  The 
arrangement  on  the  cloth  could  be  made  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  decorator, 
whose  object  at  all  times  should  be  either  a  harmonious  blending  of 
colours  or  a  distinct  and  telling  contrast. 
A  novelty  in  table  decoration,  which  he  once  used,  was  much 
commended.  Going  through  the  woods  he  one  day  spied  a  brilliant 
patch  of  colour,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  fungus.  The  upper'surface  of 
the  fungus  w'as  a  brilliant  scarlet,  and  the  under  (surface  of  a  rich  golden 
yellow.  It  was  growing  on  rather  long  dead  branches  of  Beech.  He 
gathered  a  goodly  number  of  branches  with  the  fungus  growing  upon 
them,  and  arranged  them  on  the  dinner  table  at  night  among  a  bed  of 
green  moss,  and  the  effect  was  most  striking.  His  employer  was  enter¬ 
taining  a  number  of  distinguished  members  of  the  British  Archasological 
Association,  and  several  of  these  gentlemen  said  they  had  never  before 
seen  such  a  beautiful  table. —  \^Ab7'idged  from  a  paper  read  by  Mr. 
B.  Ashton,  The  Gardens,  Latham  House,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Preston  and 
Fulwood  Horticidiw'al  Societyf^ 
NOTES  ON  APPLES. 
I  AM  charmed  with  the  very  effectual  methods  of  the  writer  of  the 
page  567  of  the  .Journal,  and  nothing 
article  on  “Fruit  Notes”  on 
would  produce  a  more  beneficial-  effect  on  British  fruit  growing  than  to 
have  siniilar  reports  from  other  counties  favoured  for  the  production  of 
Apples,  for  where  these  will  grow  well,  other  fruits  cannot  fail  by 
intelligent  treatment.  Readers  cannot  do  better  than  act  on  the  advice  given 
on  the  page  cited.  It  would  be  useful  to  know  the  best  varieties  as  most 
generally  so  acknowledged,  and  such  as  are  favoured  by  special  localities, 
which  might  with  advantage  be  indicated. 
The  double-close  planting  is  excellent  advice  from  more  points  of 
view  than  one.  Transplanting  a  young  tree  is  tbe  most  effective  root- 
pruning  when  jiroperly  done,  and  often  the  real  making  of  the  tree,  especi¬ 
ally  if  allowed  to  grow  two  or  three  years  in  its  first  quarters.  It  is  only 
in  these  circumstances  trees  lifted  at  home  that  the  full  advantage  of  the 
system  is  obtainable,  and  it  is  grievous  to  see  dried  out  roots  on  unpack¬ 
ing  nurserymen’s  parcels,  the  result  of  trees  being  left  exposed  to  drying 
winds  while  other  batches  are  being  lifted. 
Gnless  the  natural  soil  be  very  light  indeed,  I  have  much  faith  in 
jdanting  each  tree,  if  not  on  the  level,  yet  so  little  below  it  that  when  the 
roots  are  covered  a  slight  mound  is  formed,  the  slope  corresponding 
with  the  natural  slope  of  the  roots  of  the  tree,  A  gentle  hill  and 
dale  formation  is  the  result,  which  is  beneficial  for  natural  drainage 
as  well  as  for  the  action  of  the  sun’s  rays ;  these,  being  more  nearly 
at  right  angles  on  the  slojie,  favour  the  conditions  of  maturity  and 
the  saccharine  of  crops.  Timely  mulching  in  dry  weather  with  stable 
Fig.  93.— Bog  Garden.  Baskerville  Fleasgre 
Photo 
Gardens. 
hy  H.  Stoles,  Biimingham 
manure,  especially  if  tbe  trees  are  well  cropped,  would  be  more 
essential  than  regular  manuring.  Trees  thus  raised  above  any  unfavour¬ 
able  subsoil  would  relieve  partly  from  the  necessity  of  deeply  interfering 
with  it,  meaning  considerably  diminished  labour,  an  important  item  for 
market  growing.  Certainly  on  clay  soil  trees  should  be  planted  on  the 
level  absolutely  in  a  moderate  layer  of  lighter  soil.  1  should  certainly 
also  prefer  the  bush  form  of  training,  the  better  fruit  being  produced  from 
that  style,  not  to  speak  of  diminished  risk  from  high  winds. 
The  varieties  of  early  dessert  Apples  referred  to  in  the  article  in 
question  can  hardly  be  improved  upon,  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  such 
