116 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  1,  1901. 
croquet  need  not  exceed  the  78  feet  length  and  36  feet  width  of  the 
double  game  tennis  court.  For  croquet  golf,  however,  the  ground 
should  be  quite  equal  in  length  and  width  as  required  for  lawn  tennis. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “  The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  mattert 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable 
trouble  and  expense. 
Doryopteris  ludens  (A.  P.). — This  beautiful  Fernlet  (here  figured) 
has  creeping  rhizomes,  as  our  engraving  shows,  and  these  are  furnished 
with  linear  adpressed  brown 
soales,  which  have  white 
margins.  The  stipes  (or 
stalks)  are  solitary,  distant 
and  polished  ;  sometimes 
they  have  a  few  scales,  and 
often  a  dusky  subtomen- 
tose  pubescence  at  the  base. 
The  barren  fronds  are  on 
stipes  3  to  4  inches  long, 
triangular,  with  slightly 
deflexed  basal  lobes, hastate, 
and  spreading  lateral  lobes, 
having  entire  margins.  The 
fertile  fronds  are  on  longer 
stipes,  cut  down  into  fine 
linear-lanceolate  or  lanceo¬ 
late  lobes — one  erect,  two 
spreading,  and  two  de¬ 
flexed,  of  which  all  except 
the  last  are  sometimes  again 
forked.  The  fronds  are 
leathery  and  polished,  and 
the  veins  are  almost  hidden. 
It  is  a  native  of  the  Chitta¬ 
gong  Hills  and  other  parts 
of  India,  and  is  also  found 
in  the  Phillipine  Island. 
For  indoor  rockeries  in 
pockets,  where  attention 
can  be  given,  it  will  succeed. 
The  treatment  is  similar  to 
that  of  dwarf  Polypodiums 
or  Pteris.  Ton  must  not 
confuse  Doryopteris  with 
Dryopteris.  Does  this 
answer  your  question  ? 
Lawn  Tennis  Court  (John) 
— A  court  for  the  single 
game  is  27  feet  wide  and 
78  feet  long,  and  for  the 
double  game,  78  feet  long 
and  36  feet  wide.  Those 
are  the  measurements  of 
the  single  court  for  two 
players,  and  of  the  double 
court  for  three  or  four 
players  respectively.  The 
posts  for  supporting  the 
net  should  be  placed  3  feet 
beyond  the  sides.  The 
ground  is  quite  another 
affair,  for  the  balls,  or 
rather  the  players  of  tennis, 
are  often  very  erratic,  and 
considerable  space  is  re¬ 
quired  at  the  sides,  and  par¬ 
ticularly  ends  of  the  court. 
It  is  usual,  therefore,  to 
have  the  ground  considerably  larger  than  the  court,  half  the  width  on 
each  side,  13^  feet  for  single  game  and  18  feet  for  double  game,  and 
half  the  length  at  each  end,  or  39  feet.  Thus  the  ground  for  single 
game  would  be  156  feet  long  and  54  feet  wide,  and  that  for  the  double 
game  156  feet  long  and  72  feet  wide.  Where  space  is  limited  less 
distance  is  allowed  outside  the  court  at  the  sides  and  ends,  but  it  is 
always  advisable  to  allow  as  near  the  foregoing  dimensions  as  possible 
for  the  ground,  as  cramping  spoils  the  playing  of  the  game,  there  being 
pleasure  in  having  plenty  of  “elbow  room,”  alike  to  players  as  to 
onlookers.  For  croquet  it  is  usual  to  allow  the  same  dimensions  as 
f  jr  lawn  tennis,  though  where  the  space  is  limited,  that  for  playing 
Training  Young  Trees  (W.  P.  R.). — Young  Cherry,  Pear,  or  Apple 
trees  from  cut-backs,  having  made  serviceable  and  suitable  side  shoots, 
should  be  spread  out  in  the  pattern  they  are  hereafter  to  be  grown  in, 
whence  they  may  be  seoured  to  stout  stakes.  Thus,  if  they  are  to  be 
trained  horizontally,  fix  in  two  or  three  upright  canes  and  tie  a  horizontal 
cane  to  them  ;  to  this  horizontal  one  fix  the  side  shoots,  and  thin  out 
those  not  required. 
Disbudding  and  Thinning  Out  Dahlias  (Double  Cactus)  (T.  C.  C.). — 
We  are  not  aware  of  any  work  that  treats  of  this  subject,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  give  instructions  without  illustrations.  We  may  say, 
however,  that  it  is  usual  to  allow  only  a  few  of  the  strongest  and  most 
promising  growths  on  a  plant,  attending  to  this  early  by  disbudding, 
reserving  three,  or  at  most  four,  of  the  best  shoots,  securely  staking 
these  so  as  to  give  them  every  advantage  of  light  and  air.  The  growths 
thus  secured  should  not  be  allowed  to  branch  too  much,  but  have  the 
side  growths  removed,  and 
this  will  give  vigorous  ter¬ 
minal  promise  of  bloom, 
the  buds  of  which  should  be 
thinned  whilst  quite  small, 
and  to  have  fine  blooms  the 
terminal  bud  of  each  shoot 
only  should  be  retained, 
taking  off  the  others  with 
the  point  of  a  sharp  knife  as 
soon  as  they  are  discernible. 
This  will  concentrate  the 
vigour  in  the  buds  retained, 
and  the  blooms  will  accor¬ 
dingly  be  fine,  they  being 
duly  shaded  from  sun  and 
protected  from  rain,  their 
greatest  enemy,  earwigs, 
being  kept  in  subjection. 
Diseased  Tomatoes 
(N.  8.  R.).  —  Attacked  by 
sleepy  disease  fungus,  Fusa- 
rium  lycopersioum,  which 
has  been  dealt  with  fully 
in  our  pages  on  numerous 
occasions,  even  so  late  as 
June  6th.  Diseased  plants 
should  be  burned,  every 
inch  of  them.  When  the 
house  has  had  diseased 
plants  the  soil  should  be 
removed,  or  treated  with 
lime  or  basic  slag  phos¬ 
phate,  2  lbs.  per  square 
yard.  Wash  or  syringe 
the  walls  and  woodwork 
with  a  solution  of  iron 
sulphate,  25  lbs.  per  50 
gallons  of  water  and  1  pint 
of  sulphuric  acid.  Seeds 
should  never  be  saved  from 
diseased  plants. 
Grapes  Splitting  (W.  S.). 
—Can  you  give  me  any 
reason  for  my  Grapes 
Madresfield  Court  not 
colouring  and  splitting  ?  I 
found  they  were  not  oolour- 
ing  ;  thinking  the  border 
might  be  dry  at  the  bottom 
I  gave  it  a  good  watering 
outside,  and  since  they 
have  split,  as  you  see. 
The  cane  is  carrying  a 
heavy  crop,  a  12-foot  cane 
carrying  twenty  bunches, 
averaging  1J  lb. ;  the  first 
6  feet  of  Vine  are  carrying 
sixteen  bunches;  it  broke 
badly,  so  I  carried  up  a  young  piece,  which  also  broke  badly. 
I  have  four  canes,  Muscat  of  Alexandria  carrying,  if  anything,  a 
heavier  crop,  and  are  doing  well,  but  Black  Hamburgh  not  colouring 
as  it  ought  to.  Red  (Grizzly)  Frontignan  shanks  very  badly.  [The 
Vines  must  have  been  checked  for  a  period  by  dryness  at  the 
roots.  The  flesh  of  the  berries  would  thus  start  to  firm-up  and  the 
skins  to  harden.  Then  you  watered  the  Vines,  aud  the  renewed 
absorption  of  fluid  by  the  berries  caused  the  inelastic  skins  to  split. 
Their  lack  of  colour  is  probably  due  to  a  faulty  supply  of  nourishing 
matter,  or  to  too  heavy  cropping.  Follow  hints  weekly  under  “  Work 
for  the  Week.”] 
Doryopteris  (Pteris)  ludens. 
