133 
Februarv’lG,  1899, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULT 
AND  UOfTAGE  GARDENEn. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
In  my  notes,  appearing  in  the  issue  dated  February  2nd,  I  am 
made  to  say,  “  By  no  means  prune  until  the  end  of  next  month.” 
This  would,  strictly  speaking,  be  March.  I  have  no  doubt  the 
majority  of  readets  will  at  once  have  realised  that  those  notes  were 
necessarily  penned  in  Manuary,  Had  it  struck  me  at  the  time 
how  far  advanced  we  were  in  that  month,  ’  I  should  have  said 
February  instead  of  “next  month.”  When  noting  that  little  slip, 
jt  occurred  to  me  that  a  few  more  seasonable  notes  might  be  given, 
and  my  main  points  in  the  present  shall  be  upon  pruning. 
When  to  prune  is  a  puzzle  to  many,  because  we  have  really 
good  growers  at  variance  with  each  other  upon  this  point.  For 
unyself,  I  fully  believe  that  more  than  half  of  our  Boses  are  pruned 
from  tw'o  to  three  weeks  earlier  than  is  beneficial,  or  that  will  bring 
us  the  best  results.  Too  often  we  find  our  forward  growth  cut  back 
by  a  late  frost,  and  either  irreparably  injured,  or  so  crippled  as  to 
give  indifferent  results.  In  reality  we  do  not  gain  anything  by 
premature  pruning,  because  when  Bose  growth  can  move  freely  from 
the  first,  it  develops  quite  as  soon,  and  often  before  that  which 
received  a  more  or  less  severe  check.  By  too  early  pruning  we  get 
growth  from  the  best  eyes  or  buds  upon  our  plants,  which  we 
naturally  cut  back  to.  _ 
This  is  why  we  prune — viz.,  to  secure  growth  from  the  buds  most 
likely  to  give  us  tbe  best  flowers.  Tne  whole  operation  and  object 
of  pruning  lies  in  this  fact.  We  know  that  all  Boses  break  most 
freely  from  the  terminal  eyes  upon  each  growth;  and  when  these 
get  active  and  forward,  many  are  too  anxious  to  prune.  But 
if  we  are  premature  with  the  knife,  we  are  only  making  our  best 
and  selected  eyes  the  terminal  ones  upon  the  growths  left,  and 
often  push  them  along  too  early.  The  second  week  in  March  for 
hardy  varieties,  and  the  fir.«t  in  April  for  those  we  know  to  be 
rather  tender,  are  the  dates  I  would  choose. 
Some  growers  prune  very  closely  indeed  when  compared  with 
others.  In  this  respect  we  want  to  remember  the  purpose  our  Boses 
are  to  fill.  If  fewer  blooms  and  higher  quality  are  wanted,  we  need 
to  prune  considerably  harder  than  if  a  number  of  medium  quality  are 
wished  for,  simply  for  decoration,  whether  in  the  garden  or  house.  I 
am  convinced  that  our  so-called  “  Garden  Boses,”  whether  of  climbing 
habit  or  not,  are  pruned  much  too  closely.  Especially  is  this  the  case 
with  all  climbers  and  others  of  extra  vigour.  Thin  out  the  older 
wood  in  this  case,  and  merely  tip  the  longer  rods  of  last  year’s  growth. 
It  does  not  matter  whether  they  are  growing  upon  walls,  pillars,  or 
are  to  be  pegged  down,  there  can  be  no  question  but  what  the  mo«t 
vigorous  growth  of  the  previous  season  is  the  most  valuable  during 
the  coming  summer,  and  I  always  endeavour  to  make  as  much  room 
as  possible  for  these  rods.  _ 
The  pruning  of  medium  growers  needs  little  comment.  Here  it  is 
merely  a  question  of  shortening  the  growths  more  or  less  according  to 
their  strength ;  never  losing  sight  of  the  main  guide — viz.,  to  cut  back 
the  weaker  ones  much  closer  than  those  of  full  vigour.  Few  growers 
thin  out  the  old  wood  so  closely  as  they  might  do  to  advantage.  Nor 
■do  they  cut  away  the  weaker  wood  from  the  centre  of  their  plants 
sufficiently  to  let  plenty  of  light  and  air  reach  all  sides  of  the  most 
valuable  growths.  One  can  scarcely  prune  weak  growers  too  closely. 
We  make  a  practice  of  cutting  these  back  to  one  or  two  sound  eyes 
from  the  part  where  the  last  season’s  wood  broke. 
I  would  describe  the  methods  of  pruning  more  fully  were  it  not  that 
this  has  so  frequently  been  done  in  the  Journal,  and  by  abler  pens. 
What  I  wished  to  do  was  to  point  out  a  few  common  error.*?,  and 
merely  give  a  few  hints  as  reminders  to  those  who  have  not  had  a  life 
long  experience  with  our  national  flower.  All  stocks  that  were 
budded  last  year  can  be  cut  back  close  to  the  Eosebud  at  any  time  now. 
I  do  not  pretend  to  say  why  these  are  not  inclined  to  break  into  new 
growth  so  early  as  the  eyes  upon  our  Bose  plants,  but  it  is  certain  that 
such  is  the  case,  although  they  come  on  very  rapidly  after  the  first 
start. — Practice. 
•HOW  TO  MAKE  HORTICULTURAL 
EXHIBITIONS  A  SUCCESS. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  horticultural  exhibitions,  held  in  almost 
every  town  and  village  of  any  size,  do  a  great  amount  of  good  to  those  in 
the  fray  ;  but  to  the  general  public,  whence  the  gate  money  is  expected, 
there  is  year  after  year  that  sameness  which  must  eventually  cause  a  loss 
of  interest,  with  a  result  that  in  many  cases  the  shows  have  either  to 
curtail  the  number  of  classes  and  reduce  the  prize  money,  or  be 
discontinued.  Good  money  prizes  will  undoubtedly  bring  exhibitors,  but 
to  entice  the  public,  something  besides  first-class  fruits,  flowers,  vegetables, 
and  plants  are  required. 
We  are  unquestionably  a  practical,  and  at  the  same  time  an  excitable 
people,  delighted  with  sensational  performances  and  competitions  of 
almost  any  kind.  This  being  so,  a  thought  struck  me  that  we  might 
inaugurate  along  with  our  flower  shows  practical  competitions  in  the 
several  branches  of  gardening,  that  would  incite  greater  public  interest  and 
bring  “grist  to  the  mill,”  which  is  an  indispensable  factor  in  the  carrying 
on  of  exhibitions.  At  our  Chrysanthemum  shows  prizes  might  be  offered 
for  the  dressing  of  blooms,  the  making  of  bouquets,  potting,  tying  and 
staking  plants,  table  decorations,  and  even  fruit  tree  pruning,  and  many 
e  ther  things,  which  would  be  of  greater  interest  to  the  general  public 
than  the  things  staged  on  the  tables.  At  our  summer  shows  no  doubt 
much  could  be  done  in  this  way,  which  would  result  in  pecuniary  gain, 
in  addition  to  being  of  great  educational  value  to  the  on-lookers. 
This  being  perhaps  a  most  opportune  time  to  discuss  the  question  of 
“how  to  make  horticultural  exhibitions  a  success,”  the  above  remarks 
may  not  be  out  of  place,  but  I  trust  will  draw  from  others  suggestions 
that  can  take  a  practical  form.  Personally  1  have  no  appreciation  for 
shows  where  the  exhibitors  form  the  committee  and  outsiders  are  boy¬ 
cotted.  as  such  cliqueism  benefits  neither  the  public  nor  horticulture. 
— S.  Heaton. 
ABELIA  RUPESTRIS. 
This  is  a  handsome  plant  for  a  cool  greenhouse,  having  small  oval 
shining  green  leaves  resembling  the  Myrtle,  and  clusters  of  white  tubular 
or  inflated  flowers,  which  are  produced  in  succession  throughout  the 
Fig.  28.— Abelia  rupestris. 
greater  portion  of  the  year.  Even  in  a  small  state  this  plant  is  very 
useful,  but  when  planted  out  and  having  attained  a  good  size  it  is 
especially  beautiful.  The  accompanying  engraving  (fig.  28)  shows  the 
character  of  the  flowers  and  foliage,  the  spray  being  cut  from  a  plant 
grown  in  a  light  well  ventilated  structure  in  which  only  sufficient  heat 
is  employed  to  prevent  the  temperature  falling  below  40°  in  winter.  In 
warm  southern  localities  the  plant  also  succeeds  well  trained  to  a  wall. 
If  grown  in  pots  a  mixture  of  turfy  loam  with  one-third  leaf  soil  and  a 
little  sand  will  be  suitable  ;  but  it  will  thrive  in  any  good  garden  soil 
when  planted  out  if  the  position  be  not  too  damp. 
