276 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  27,  1902. 
About  Vines. 
Cut-backs  of  last  year’s  raising  should  receive  their  final  shift, 
so  as  to  allow  time  for  them  to  make  and  perfect  a  good  grond;h 
early.  The  pots  (12in  in  diameter)  must  be  clean,  efficiently 
drained,  and  have  a  layer  of  the  roughest  of  the  compost  on  the 
drainage.  Avoid  bones,  as  they  favour  eelworm  and  grubs.  Pot 
firmly  in  good  fibry  loam,  with  a  tenth  of  old  mortar  rubbish,  a 
quart  each  of  soot,  and  Thomas’  phosphate,  and  half  a  gallon  of 
wood  ashes  to  each  barrowful  of  loam.  Bottom  heat  is  not  neces¬ 
sary,  but  if  they  are  plunged  it  should  not  exceed  80deg  to  85deg, 
and  they  must  remain  in  that  so  long  that  roots  enter  the 
plunging  material.  Keep  the  house  rather  clo.se,  and  if  the 
weather  be  bright  shade  for  a  few  days.  Train  the  canes  about 
1ft  distance  from  the  glass,  and  give  all  the  light,  practicable  to 
insure  solidification  of  the  growths.  Pinch  the  laterals  at  the 
first  joint,  and  subsequent  growths  treat  similarly,  stopping  the 
cane  at  about  8ft,  and  stop  the  laterals  from  the  uppermost  joints 
a  little  less  closely,  so  as  to  prevent  the  principal  buds  being 
started. 
Planting  Young  Vines. 
This  should  be  done  when  they  are  starting  into  growth,  and 
not  more  advanced  than  an  inch  or  so.  Where  provision  has  been 
made  for  inside  and  outside  borders  the  Vines  should  be  planted 
in  the  former,  which  will  be  sufficient  for  several  years,  as  a  width 
of  4ft  is  ample  the  first  year,  and  about  2ft  width  can  be  added 
annually.  Some  growers  prefer  to  do  this  every  second  or  third 
year,  adding  to  the  border  about  4ft  to  6ft  width.  The  Vines,  if 
cut-backs  of  last  year,  may  be  shaken  out  and  placed  in  position, 
either  before  or  after  they  have  grown,  to  the  extent  of  an  inch 
or  two,  the  roots  being  disentangled  and  spread  out  evenly  in 
the  border,  covering  them  about  Sin  deep,  and  watering 
moderately,  to  settle  the  soil  about  them.  Vines  of  the  present 
year’s  raising  will  not  need  to  be  planted  for  some  time  yet. 
They  are  preterably  raised  in  squares  of  turf,  and  may  be  planted 
when  the  roots  are  protruding  through  the  sides,  the  breaking 
of  the  rootlets  extending  beyond  favouring  a  fibrous  root  forma¬ 
tion,  or  if  in  pots  they  should  be  turned  out  before  they  become 
root-bound.  They  will  require  to  have  a  temperature  at  planting 
suitable  to  Vines  in  growth,  that  is  60deg  to  65deg  at  night  and 
70deg  to  75  deg  by  day,  with  an  advance  of  lOdeg  to  15deg  from 
sun  heat.  Vines  of  last  year,  however,  should  be  allowed  to  start 
unaided,  syringing  them  two  or  three  times  a  day,  according  to 
the  weather,  and  ventilating  freely  at  65deg,  with  a  little  from 
SOdeg. 
Young  Vines. 
Those  planted  last  year  and  cut  back  to  the  bottom  of  the 
rafters  or  trellis  at  the  winter  pruning,  must  be  encouraged  by 
gentle  fire  heat,  to  allow  time  for  their  making  and  completing  a 
good  growth.  The  laterals  should  have  the  points  pinched  out  at 
the  first  leaf  to  a  height  of  6ft  of  the  canes,  which  will  cause  the 
buds  in  the  axils  of  the  principal  leaves  to  form  fruit  buds,  and 
become  plump  for  next  season’s  fruiting,  but  above  that  height 
they  may  be  allowed  to  grow.  It  is  a  better  plan,  however,  to 
stop  the  cane  at  about  7ft  6in,  train  a  lateral  for  a  continuation, 
stop  this  at  3ft,  and  so  on  until  the  top  of  the  house  is  reached, 
stopping  all  laterals  to  one  joint  and  sub-laterals  to  one  leaf  as 
made.  This  secures  thoroughly  solidified  growth,  and  a  stout 
cane  from  the  base  upwards. — G.  A. 
- - 
Hardy  Spring  Flowers. 
Of  the  sixty  species  of  Crocus,  many  of  the 
Crocuses.  winter  kinds  are  pretty  but  delicate,  and  cannot 
be  expected  to  make  much  show,  but  C. 
Itaperati  should  be  grown  by  the  thousand,  as  it  is  cheap,  and 
increases  fast,  and  likes  all  soils,  though  it  prefers  sun.  It  begins 
about  New  Year’s  Day,  and  flowers  all  through  Janua^  and 
February,  the  latest  varieties  being  the  best.  It  is  unique  in 
colour,  rich  purple  inside  contrasted  with  pale  striped  fawn 
colour  outside.  C.  Sieberi  comes  equally  early,  and  makes  a 
variety,  with  its  globular  dark  purple  or  lilac  coloured  flowers, 
three  or  four  opening  at  a  time  on  the  same  bulb.  Rather  later 
comes  the  elegant  pale  purple  C.  Tommasinianus,  also  very 
prolific,  and  showing  a  dense  array  of  flowers  early  in  February. 
1  recommend  these  especially,  without  disparaging  any  later 
kinds.  As  an  obiter  dictum  I  advise  that  all  Crocuses  be  planted 
deep.  I  plant  large  kinds  a  foot  deep,  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of 
mice,  and  to  allow  summer  dwarf  plants  to  flower  above  them. 
Hyacinthus  azureus  this  year  pu.shed  its  bright  blue  little  cones 
through  the  soil  the  second  week  in  January  ;  neither  this  nor  the 
Cyclamen  are  damaged  in  the  least  by  cold  or  wet.  The 
Hyacinth  ripens  seed  plentifully  in  June.  I  generally  cover  the 
seed  when  shed  or  scattered  with  a  little  soil,  and  take  care  that 
the  seedlings  are  not  disturbed;  when  the  colony  has  increased 
to  fifty,  it  makes  a  good  show  in  the  border.  The  little  gem  likes 
a  place  to  itself,  and  is  worthy  of  a  choice  spot  under  a  south 
wall.  But  the  speciality  of  the  first  three  months  of  the  year  in 
edge  garden  is  Anemone  blanda.  This  showed  through  the  soil 
this  year  at  the  beginning  of  January,  and  is  seldom  much  later. 
For  a  time  it  was  precious,  but  I  have  now  found  that  if  left  alone 
it  Avill  grow  and  increase  anywhere,  but  digging  amongst  it  at 
any  time  of  the  year  is  fatal.  Seed  ripens  early  in  May,  and  will 
not  come  up  if  dried  and  stored.  My  best  piece  is  a  narrow 
border  40  yards  long,  beneath  a  south  wall.  Those  who 
have  only  seen  a  small  cluster  of  this  lovely  little  flower  can 
hardly  realise  the  effect  of  ten  thousand  flowers  at  once  in  a  mid¬ 
day  sun,  making  a  spangling  galaxy  of  Violet  coloured,  and  blue 
and  white  stars.  Nearly  all  these  early  things  transplant  best 
when  in  flower,  or  soon  after.  The  Snowdrops  and  Crocuses  and 
Aconites,  especially  if  insulated  into  new  places  in  small  bunches 
dug  up  with  soil,  make  a  large  stock  very  rapidly. 
*  *  * 
Ti.i«  nnH  ^a,rger  plants  are  not  quite  so  independent 
of  weather.  They  are  Iris  stylosa  and 
Helleborus  orientalis  hybrids.  The  Iris  should 
have  the  sunniest  and  southernest  and  most  sheltered  place  in 
the  garden.  It  flowered  beautifully  this  winter  from  Christmas 
onwards,  but  is  one  of  the  few  hardy  plants  for  which  bellglasses 
are  allowable  against  severe  frosts  and  snow.  The  Hellebores, 
which  are  early  this  year,  do  not  like  snow  or  east  wind.  They 
should  be  treated  to  the  shelter  of  evergreens  and  walls,  and  do 
well  beneath  Conifers  and  Yew  trees.  I  have  above  two  hundred 
now  flowering  in  all  kinds  of  situations,  and  learn  something 
new  every  year  about  their  tastes.  Nearly  all  I  have  are  home¬ 
grown  seedlings.  The  summary  of  my  advice  is,  transplant  and 
divide  often ;  encourage  and  do  not  neglect  seed ;  and  grow  these 
welcome  gifts  of  the  new  year  in  much  larger  crowds  than  they 
are  usually  seen. — C.  Wollet  Don,  Edge  Hall,  Malpas,  Cheshire, 
February  28, 
Eccentricities  in  Plant  Life. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Associa¬ 
tion  on  March  2,  Mr.  H.  Baker,  assistant  at  Messrs.  Veitch’s 
Nurseries,  gave  a  lecture  on  “  Eccentricities  in  Plant  Life,”  in 
which  he  dwelt  on  the  morphological  peculiarities  in  plants. 
Mimicry  is  perhaps  more  frequent  in  the  seed  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  vegetable  organism,  but  it  occurs  in  other  organs, 
and  even  the  entire  plant  may  assume  a  deceptive  appearance. 
The  Stinging  Nettle  is  provided  with  stinging  hairs  which  secrete 
an  acid  fluid,  and  these  probably  also  serve  for  protection.  The 
acid  juice  of  the  Euphorbia,  abundant  in  the  Riviera,  protects 
it  against  a  host  of  enemies.  CeiTain  types  of  plants  are  veiy 
characteristic  of  hot,  dry,  sandy  or  rocky  localities  where  rain 
seldom  falls,  and  water  must  be  stored  up  against  the  dry  season. 
Under  these  circumstances  stems  or  leaves  become  thick  and 
fleshy,  and  provision  is  made  in  the  anatomical  structure  to 
resist  undue  loss  of  water  by  transpiration.  They  have  a  special 
protective. epidermis  of  large  bladdery  cells,  whose  walls  contain 
silica.  The  stomata  situated  in  the  epidermis  permit  evaporation 
when  water  is  abundant,  and  arrest  it  when  the  supply  fails. 
The  spinescent  type  of  plants,  of  which  the  Opuntia  is  a  good 
example,  is  a  rather  curious  genus  of  succulent  plants,  which 
have  thick,  massive,  angular  stems,  the  leaves  being  wanting, 
but  are  represented  by  spines.  The  stem  has  the  functions  of 
leaves,  and  the  stomata,  or  breathing  pores,  are  sunk  to  protect 
them  from  excessive  heat.  When  plants  are  grown  in  massive 
tufts,  or  are  crowded  socially  so  that  the  blades  of  the  leaves  are 
compelled  to  stand  erect,  they  take  very  much  the  same  form. 
A  curious  feature  in  plant  life  is  the  responding,  in  a  peculiar 
manner,  to  external  changes.  At  night  many  leaves  place 
themselves  in  different  positions  from  those  which  they  assume 
during  the  day.  Many  flowers  and  some  inflorescences  have 
different  day  and  night  positions.  In  most  cases  the  flower  or 
inflorescence  (usually  capitulum)  is  open  at  daytime  but  closed 
at  night,  but  each  flower  has  its  own  separate  time.  The  rise 
and  fall  of  the  temperature,  and  the  removal  of  light  acts  as  a 
stimulus.  The  peculiarity  of  some  Mimosa  plants  is  the  shrink¬ 
ing  of  the  branches  and  folding  up  of  leaves  at  the  slightest 
touch  or  disturbance.  The  sensitive  leaf  of  the  Cobaea  scandens 
