54 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Jaunary  19,  1899. 
THE  young'  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
The  Culture  op  Foliage  Plants. 
{Concluded  from  page  S-5.) 
Caladiums. — Thfse  plants  should  find  a  place  in  every  collection  on 
account  of  their  sterling  qualities  for  house  or  conservatory  decoration, 
■whilst  their  value  to  exhibitors  is  too  well  known  to  need  ■  comment. 
They  should  be  started  im  March  or  April  in  small  pots,  and  when 
advancing,  be  placed  in  whatever  sized  receptacle  circumstances  demand. 
They  are  moisture-loving  plants,  and  care  must  be  given  to  keep  them 
well  supplied  with  water  at  the  root  and  in  the  atmosphere,  when  elegant, 
well-coloured  foliage,  wilh  repay  the  cultivator  for  his  care.  A  similar 
•compost  to  that  mentioned  for  Crotons  will  suit  Caladiums  admirably. 
Coleus  and  Acalyphas. — To  grow  these  useful  plants  to  perfection 
abundance  of  warmth,  light,  and  moisture  are  essential,  but  they  may  be 
produced  with  a  certain  amount  of  success  in  different  circumstances. 
Some  cultivators  have  them  constantly  in  strong  heat,  while  olhcr.s.  alter 
starting  them  in  heat,  inure  them  to  cooler  quarters,  and  place  them  in  the 
conservatory  or  greenhouse.  Several  of  the  hardier  varieties  are  utilised 
with  excellent  effect  in  summer  bedding. 
Ferns. — No  foliage  plants  are  more  admired  than  Ferns.  To  attempt 
•to  describe  their  characteristics  hero  w  ould  take  up  too  much  space.  The 
chief  points  in  their  cultivation  are  moisture,  shade,  and  not  too  frequent 
potting.  The  usefulness  of  Ferns  is  too  apparent  to  need  any  remarks 
•being  passed  on  the  subject ;  indeed  floral  work  would  be  at  a  standstill 
without  their  aid. 
Palms. — Both  hardy  and  tender  Palms  are  useful  and  elegant.  I  saw 
41  splendid  specimen  of  Livistona  australis  in  the  gardens  of  Sir  George 
Meyrick,  Barf.,  Anglesea,  planted  in  the  shrubbery,  where  it  stands  the 
variable  winters  without  any  serious  damage  to  the  foliage.  Other  kinds 
may  be  used  for  subtropical  bedding,  affording  them  a  greenhouse  tempe- 
Tature  during  the  winter.  Latania  borbonica,  Seaforthia  elegans,  Kentia 
Belmoreana,  are  suitable  varieties  for  these  conditions.  Cocos  Weddeliana 
and  Geonoma  gracilis  require  a  warmer  temperature.  Too  frequent 
potting  is  inadvisable  with  Palm',  and  a  watering  with  soot  water  will 
materially  assist  to  keep  the  foliage  a  dark  green  colour. 
Re.x  Begonias. — The  curiously  shaped,  handsomely  marbled  foliage, 
■of  Rex  Begonias  add  colour  to  many  places  where  other  plants  will  not 
thrive.  'J  hey  are  in  no  way  partial  to  high  culture  ;  in  fact  they  do  well 
on  walls,  a  block  of  turf  being  pressed  against  the  roots  and  secured  by- 
wire.  As  rockwork  plants  their  value  is  well  known. 
Aspidistra  lurida. — This  plant  is  grown  in  some  '■laces  in  prefer¬ 
ence  to  any  other,  and  it  certainly  deserves  all  the  attention  given,  as  no 
other  will  stand  the  diverse  conditions  it  has  at  times  to  undergo.  The 
.majority  of  plants  would  succumb  where  it  seems  to  thrive  best.  The 
-compost  should  be  rather  poor,  such  as  ordinary  loam,  leaf  soil,  broken 
sandstone,  and  sifted  lime  rubble.  After  potting,  keep  the  plants  in  a 
w  arm  temperature  for  a  short  time,  until  the  roots  are  on  the  move,  when 
they  may  be  used  for  the  adornment  of  the  conservatory,  house,  or 
terrace. 
Mention  might  be  made  of  a  host  of  other  foliage  plants,  but  I  have 
confined  myself  to  those  in  general  cuhivation. — E.  J.  B, 
Euphorbia  jacquini.efloea. 
As  a  winter  flowering  plant  for  the  ftove  this  is  worthy  of  every 
attention,  as  it  is  a  free  grower  and  exircmcly  floiiferous,  while  for 
decorative  purposes  it  is  indispensable,  the  flowers  lasting  a  long  time  or. 
the  plant  or  in  a  cut  state.  The  long  wreath-like  sprays  of  inten  e 
scarlet  flowers  make  the  plants  very  effective  when  grouped  with  foliage 
plants. 
They  are  more  easily  grown,  perhaps,  than  some  of  the  junior 
“ Domainites ”  are  aware.  Cuttings  takrn  in  the  spring,  with  a  heel  of 
the  old  wood  attached,  and  inserted  in  light  sandy  compost  round  the 
sides  of  a  60-pot,  will  root  readily  if  placed  in  a  tompcraluie  of  70°,  kept 
close  and  moist,  never  allowing  them  to  flag,  A'  hen  well  rooted  put  them 
in  suitable  pots  singly,  or  two  or  three  as  the  case  mav  be,  using 
■u  compost  of  three  parts  fibrous  loam  to  or.e  of  .'andy  peat,  with  a  fair 
amount  of  silver  sand  and  charcoal.  Drain  the  pots  well,  and  take  great 
care  in  watering,  especially  after  potli.  g.  Afford  a  day  temperature  of 
ff0°  with  sun  heat,  when  a  little  air  must  be  admitted.  Syringe  on 
closing,  which  should  be  done  early  so  as  to  raise  the  temperature  to  85° 
er  more,  and  keep  them  well  up  to  the  lighq  shading  when  nete.-ary. 
The  plants  ought  to  be  in  their  lowering  pots  by  the  end  of  .lime.  When 
thoroughly  established  they  ma  receive  a  weak  stimulant  twice  aWeek. 
Admit  more  air,  and  reduce  the  heat  and  rcoiiture  graduallv,  which  will 
tend  to  ripen  the  growth. 
After  flowering  it  is  the  custom  with  some  g-owers  to  re.'t  them,  as  is 
the  case  with  Poinsettias.  but  considering  that  a  stcond  erop  of  flowers 
can  easily  be  obtained  I  emsider  it  a  loss  to  do  so.  Whin  the  first 
blooms  are  cut  we  allow  them  to  hecoT.e  s.'inew  hat  dry,  till  thev  show 
signs  of  breaking,  then  with  careful  waterirg  an  1  frequent  S3ringing 
they  soon  make  growth,  which  we  encourage  with  some  approved 
chemical  manure.  Of  course  the  spriys  are  not  so  fine  as  those  first 
produced,  but  they  are  mest  useful  for  buttonholes  and  small  glasses  for 
the  fable. 
At  the  back  of  our  stove,  which  is  a  lean-to  structure,  there  remains 
what  originally  was  a  flue,  bj’  which  the  house  used  to  bh  heated.  It  is 
-now  filled  in  with  old  potting  soil  and  planted  with  various  plants,  chiefly 
Ferns  and  Euphorbia.’.  Some  of  the  latter  are  several  years  old,  and 
were  originally  in  pots,  and  had  afUr  flowering  been  planted  out.  The 
back  wail  is  covered  with  Ficus  repen?,  and  to  this  the  growths  of 
Euphorbia  are  loosely  tied.  The  distance  from  where  they  are  planted  to 
the  roof  is  about  7  feet,  and  many  of  the  leading  growths  are  in  proximity 
to  the  glass,  thereby  receiving  p'enty  of  light,  which  insures  flowers  of 
splendid  colour.  On  one  plant  alone  there  are  forty  sprays,  not  a  few- 
measuring  from  6  to  9.  inches  in  length. 
Beyond  the  t}ing  and  an  abundant  supply  of  water  at  all  times,  which 
is  needed  for  the  Lenifit  of  the  Ferns,  the}-  have  no  other  attention. 
When  any  of  the  plants  die  we  replaee  in  the  spring  with  those  that  have 
prtviou-ly  flowered  in  pots,  and  in  this  way  we  keep  our  stove  wall  gay 
with  one  of  the  lest  winter  flowering  plants  in  cuhivation,  and  that  with 
very  little  eipense, — Parvo. 
HARDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
Raspberries. — Prune  aw. ay  close  to  the  base  the  old  dead  canes  of 
Raspberries  and  thin  out  the  new  canes,  leaving  the  most  vigorous, 
though  not  more  than  four  or  five  strong  growths  to  each  stool. .  These, 
when  tied  in,  may  be  shortened  to  the  height  of  the  stakes  or  trellises  on 
which  they  are  trained.  The  removal  of  strong  weeds  with  the  fork  from 
the  soil  may  follow.  The  central  space  betw  een  the  plants  not  occupied 
w-itli  fibrous  roots  ought  to  be  forked  up  or  loasened,  if  heavy  or  trodden 
down  hard,  but  by  no  means  dig  in  close  proximity  to  the  stools,  which 
are  plentifully  furnished  with  a  mass  of  fibrous  roots  close  to  the  surface. 
Mulching  with  a  layer  of  rich  manure  is  of  the  greatest  assistance  in  the 
culture  of  Raspberries.  The  present  is  a  good  time  to  apply  a  dressmg. 
Liquid  manure  may  also  be  freely  applied  to  established  plants. 
riantivg  and  Pruning  Young  Plants. — New  plantations  can  be  formed 
at  this  season  if  stronr  suckers  are  procurable,  well  furnished  with 
fibrous  roots.  Well  worked  and  liberally  enriched  soil  must  bo  prepared 
for  Raspberry  planting.  Trenching,  or  bastard  trenching,  the  ground  is 
the  best  method  of  preparation,  adding  well  decayed  manure  between  the 
spits. 
If  planting  in  rows,  place  the  plants  a  foot  apart.  In  clumps,  three 
plants  may  be  planted  in  a  triangle  a  foot  apart  round  a  central  stake 
5  feet  high.  In  rows,  train  the  canes  to  wires  stretched  between  stout 
uprights  of  wood  or  iron  fixed  firmly  at  each  end. 
All  newly  planted  Raspberries  should  be  cut  down  to  w  ithin  9  inches 
of  the  base,  the  weaker  and  insufficiently  rooted  canes  being  cut  down 
close  to  the  soil,  while  those  better  furni.-hed  with  roots  may  be  left 
longest.  This  close  pruning  prevents  the  plants  fruiting  the  first  year, 
but  it  affords  an  opportunity  for  strong,  vigorous  growth  to  bo  made, 
producing  canes  which  will  fruit  well  the  succeeding  season.  After 
planting  a  mulching  of  light  manure  might  w  ith  advantage  be  spread  on 
the  soil  between  the  plants.  Good  varieties  of  Raspberries  are  Superla¬ 
tive,  Baumforth’s  Seedling,  Prince  cf  Wales,  Carter’s  Champion,  and  Red 
Antwerp. 
Pruning  and  Training  Morello  Cherries.  —  These  Cherries,  grown 
with  free  extension  on  north  and  other  walls,  are  very  productive  and 
profitable  if  judiciously  managed.  Plenty  of  grow-th  is  usually  made  by 
them,  ard  there  is  frequently  consitlcrable  difficulty  in  laying  it  all  in  to 
the  walls  or  trellises  w  ithout  crowding.  The  wood  is  slender  in  character, 
and  is  usually  retained  and  laid  in  closer  than  desirable  for  other  wall 
trees.  Fruit  is  produced  best  on  young  shoots  of  the  previous  year,  and 
as  many  of  these  as  possible  ought  to  be  reserved,  cutting  out  the  old 
bearing,  w-ood  when  practicable.  In  some  cases  old  exhausted  branches 
may  cut  out  entirely  and  replaced  wiih  young  wood  ;  indeed  the 
frequrnt  ro-arrangeraent  of  the  whole  trees  is  brneficial.  The  young 
healing  shoots  inu-t  nnt  be  laid  in  closer  than  3  or  4  inches.  Spur 
pruning  is  sometimes  w-holly  or  partially  adopted,  the  latter  being 
admissible  in  treating  young  shoots  for  which  there  is  no  room,  shorten¬ 
ing  thtm  to  form  spurs.  After  the  removal  of  superfluous  w-ood  the 
remainder  may  be  washed  with  an  i.aseeticide,  also  the  Wall'. 
Planting  Bash  Fruit — When  the  ground  is  in  suitable  condition 
Gooseberries  and  Currants  may  be  planted  at  the  present  time.  The  soil 
ought  to  be  w-ell  prepared  by  thorcugh  digging  and  working  in  some 
decomposed  manure.  Plants  of  two  or  three  years’  growth  will  be  found 
the  most  suitable.  They  should  not  be  planted  closer  than  6  feet  either 
between  the  plants  or  rows.  Spread  cut  the  roots  to  their  fullest  extent, 
shortening  long  rambling  ones  back.  Cover  with  good  soil  distributed 
from  the  stem  outw-ards.  Do  not  plant  deeply,  but  make  the  soil  firm 
about  the  roots,  and  finish  with  a  muKli  of  short  light  manure.  Prune 
back  somewhat  closely,  so  that  free  growth  may  be  made  during  the 
forthcoming  season. 
Top-Dressing  B"sh  Fruit. — Established  bushes  of  Gooseberries,  Red 
White,  and  Black  Currants  will  be  benefited  by  a  liberal  dressing  of  rich 
manure  over  the  foots.  The  most  suitable  is  that  to  be  obtained  from  tHe 
farmyard.  This  is  a  mixture  of  many  kinds,  rich  in  plant  food  elements. 
It  may  bo  placed  on  the  surface,  and  allowed  to  remain  while  the  virtues 
