36 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  10,  1901. 
middle  of  July.  My  j  lan  is  to  stand  them  on  the  south  side  of  a 
hedge  ana  half  plunge  the  pots.  The  shoots  are  secured  to  the  hedge 
by  oue  or  two  stout  pieces  of  string  stretched  from  end  to  end.  This 
keeps  them  from  blowing  down  and  being  otherwise  injured  by  wind. 
They  also  get  plenty  of  air,  partial  shelter,  and  full  exposure  to  sun. 
Here  they  remain  until  thoroughly  ripened,  a  process  which  may  be 
materially  assisted  by  judicious  watering. 
Many  persons  obj-  ct  to  repotting  their  Roses  previous  to  forcing, 
believing  that  a  greater  prolusion  ot  bloom  is  secured  by  keepiug  the 
plants  ro  t-bouod.  My  own  experience  is  decidedly  in  favour  of  an 
additional  shift  into  got d  soil  alter  the  plants  have  become  matured 
and  resbd  for  a  few  weeks.  Last  year  I  potted  all  those  I  intend 
forcing  about  the  rnidd  e  of  October.  By  doing  this  early  the  roots 
move  steadily  and  strongly  into  new  soil,  being  far  different  from  those 
produced  upon  root-bound  plants.  This  system  also  recommends 
itself  to  me  tor  the  follow  iug  reasons.  The  compost  in  a  6-inch  pot  is 
necessarily  much  exhausted  after  having  produced  the  strong  rods  we 
require,  and  is  therefore  incap  ble  of  carrying  a  heavy  crop  of  blooms 
and  foliage  unde'-  the  strain  of  early  forcing.  True,  they  can  be  aided 
by  liquid  stimulants,  bht  even  then  it  is  a  great  tax  upon  the  roots. 
Nor  do  the  rO‘  ts  commence  new  growth  until  introduced  to  heat, 
while  i f  Iresh'y  pi  tted  we  g<-t  a  natural  and  steady  start  that  is  greatly 
in  favour  of  satisfactory  breaks  of  new  wood  when  taken  under  cover. 
It  is  ot  considerable  importance  to  get  the  roots  moving  in  this  way, 
otherwise  artificial  heat  causes  the  eyes  to  burst  so  rapidly  that  the 
whole  of  the  sap  in  the  wood  is  soon  exhausted,  and  a  check  is 
experienced  through  the  backwardness  of  the  roots.  We  can  have  no 
better  guide  than  Nature,  and  the  roots  of  plants  invariably  start  first 
under  these  conditions. 
A  check  to  young  growth,  from  whatever  cause,  is  often  the  sole 
reason  of  an  indifferent  crop  and  much  blind  growth.  Dryness  at  the 
root  is  a  fruitful  cause  of  this,  and  a  root-bound  plant  dries  very 
rapidly.  When  new  growth  is  active,  and  the  roots  have  permeated 
the  fresh  soil,  liquid  manures  are  beneficial  and  necessary.  My  plants 
are  brought  into  heat  in  batches  so  as  to  keep  a  succession  of  bloom. 
On  November  15th  I  cut  blooms  of  climbing  Perle  des  Jardinsand 
L’ldeal  from  plants  grafted  last  January  and  treated  as  I  have 
described.  This  was  my  earliest  set,  and  consisted  of  a  few  of  the 
forwardest  plants,  which  were  potted  early  in  September,  and  brought 
under  cover  by  the  end  of  tne  month.  I  trust  I  have  made  it 
sufficiently  clear  that  none  of  the  plants  are  moved  from  the  6-inch 
pots  until  the  wood  is  thoroughly  'matured. — Rosarian. 
- - - - 
Fruit  Trees  in  Pots. 
Finish  top-dressing  trees  in  pots  in  orchard  houses,  taking  off  all 
the  mulching  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  surface  soil  with  the 
finders  and  a  pointed  stick,  replacing  it  with  fibrous  loam  and  about 
a  fourth  part  of  sweet,  decayed  manure,  firming  it  well  with  a  stick 
and  filling  to  within  half  an  inch  of  the  rim,  or  rather  less,  giving  a 
little  water  only  to  those  pots  that  are  dry.  A  few  of  my  plants  that 
were  in  small  pots  when  the  top-dressing  was  being  attended  to  I 
transferred  into  others  a  size  larger,  using  similar  soil,  but  with  less 
manure  in  it,  and  rammiug  it  firmly  round  the  ball.  All  such  removals 
should,  however,  be  done  at  the  end  of  October  or  the  beginning  of 
November  if  the  plants  are  to  stand  in  the  house  after  shifting.  No 
plants  in  pots  are  to  be  thoroughly  depended  on  for  satisfactory  fruiting 
unless  the  ro  its  touch  the  sides  of  the  pots,  and  this  should  be 
thought  about  in  all  potting. 
If  this  can  be  secured,  the  time  of  potting  is  of  less  consequence  ; 
but  the  plants  must  be  established  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
For  instance,  I  once  had  a  good  crop  of  Cherries  from  plants  in  pots 
that  had  been  grown  in  the  open  ground  in  a  nursery  during  the 
summer,  but  were  pinched  in.  They  had  been  lifted  with  good  roots, 
but  with  nothing  worthy  of  the  name  of  a  ball,  aud  came  in  a  neat 
package,  the  roots  done  up  well  in  moist  litter  and  fern,  as  far  as  I 
recollect,  about  the  middle  ol  March.  I  potted  them  carefully  in 
rather  small  pots,  laying  out  the  roots  evenly,  and  firming  the  soil 
as  I  proceeded.  I  then  ma  le  a  bed  of  warm  litter  and  leaves  from 
18  to  24  inches  deep,' and  plunged  the  pots  into  it,  covering  them  over 
several  inches,  and  putting  in  trial  sticks  so  that  the  heat  should  not 
exceed  at  the  maximum  from  80°  to  85°,  giving  no  protection  to  the 
top  ot  the  plants  except  a  net  to  keep  the  birds  from  the  buds.  By 
the  time  the  buds  began  to  swell  the  heat  of  the  bed  was  little  more 
than  the  earth  in  the  op-  n  air,  and  by  that  time  the  pots  were  becoming 
filled  with  fine  roots.  The  pots  were  partially  raised  from  the  bed, 
then  entirely,  and  then  removed  to  and  plunged  half  way  down  in 
the  soil  of  the  house,  and  the  crop  was  everything  that  could  be 
desired. 
I  may  here  mention  that  my  pots  are  thus  all  partly  plunged, 
chiefly  for  saving  water,  that  these  are  allowed  to  let  the  roots  out  a 
little  in  the  summer  at  the  bottom  of  the  pots,  are  raised  to  break 
these  roots  in  October  or  November,  and  that  though  I  would  wish  to 
re-shift,  that  most  of  my  trees  have  been  a  number  of  years  in  the 
same  pots,  and  have  borne  heavy  crops  by  the  help  of  top-dressing 
and  mulching  in  summer.  If  pruning  and  pinching  were  attended  to 
in  the  summer,  little  will  now  he  required,  and  bjginners  should  wait 
a  month  longer  that  they  may  see  the  wood  buds  better. 
The  above  example  will  show  what  may  be  done,  even  now  ;  but 
in  the  generality  of  cases,  and  where  no  such  extra  care  can  be  given, 
I  would  advise  those  wishing  for  fruit  in  small  pots  to  let  the  plants 
remain  in  these  pots  for  the  season  ;  but  if  very  small  make  the  hole 
large  at  the  bottom,  and  either  set  the  pot  in  the  border  of  the  house, 
or  into  a  larger  pot  or  box,  so  that  the  roots  may  pass  through,  and 
still  those  in  the  pots  press  against  the  pot.  Much  also  may  be  done 
with  repeated  mulchings  above  the  level  of  the  pot. — G.  F. 
- - 
Sweet  Peas. 
I  cannot  remember  a  year  when  Sweet  Peas  flowered  more  pro¬ 
fusely  or  continued  as  long  as  during  the  one  that  is  now  past.  With 
me  flowering  began  in  June  and  continued  until  the  first  week  in 
December.  August  was  not  a  favourable  month  for  their  flowering,  but 
during  September  and  October  the  plants  made  vigorous  growth  and  an 
abundant  flower  crop.  When  the  plants  are  properly  managed,  the 
seed  pods  regularly  removed,  and  the  roots  c  ipiously  supplied  with 
moisture,  especially  liquid  manure,  it  is  surprising  how  well  and 
continuously  Sweet  Peas  will  flower.  Several  are  the  mistakes  made 
even  in  growing  Sweet  Peas.  The  initial  one  is  that  of  thinking  any 
kind  of  soil  or  the  preparation  of  it  will  suffice.  The  second  mistake 
is  that  of  sowing  the  seeds  too  thickly,  and  the  third  is  that  of 
allowing  the  plants  during  hot  dry  weather  to  become  infested  with 
mildew  before  remedial  measures  are  ever  thought  of. 
Sweet  Peas  are  like  Chrysanthemums  and  other  popular  flowers, 
they  are  becoming  so  numerous  that  the  difficulty  of  making  a  suitable 
selection  of  varieties  increases  yearly.  With  a  view  to  assisting  those 
with  limited  experience,  I  append  a  selection  of  varieties  worthy  of 
culture,  and  which  I  believe  to  be  perfectly  distinct. 
Sowing  the  seeds  in  the  open  ground  in  November  is  a  practice 
some  persons  advocate.  For  an  extra  early  flower  crop,  and  where  the 
soil  is  of  a  sandy  nature,  this  plan  may  answer  very  we  1,  but  for  a  full 
season’s  display  I  prefer  to  sow  early  in  February  five  seeds  in  a 
3^-inch  pot  in  sandy  soil  and  place  them  in  a  c<  Id  frame  until  the 
plants  are  3  inches  high,  when  the  lights  are  daily  drawn  off  to  induce 
a  stocky  growth.  When  the  pots  are  full  of  roots  transfer  the  plants 
to  5^-inch  pots,  using  a  tolerably  rich  compost.  Directly  the  first 
tendrils  are  to  be  seen  upon  the  plants  place  some  twiggy  sticks  to 
each  to  keep  the  growths  in  an  upright  position,  which  favours  freedom 
of  growth  from  the  base.  Early  in  the  month  of  April  strong  plants 
1  foot  high  will  be  available,  which  when  set  out  in  the  open  ground 
will  start  into  growth  forthwith. 
The  arrangement  of  the  varieties  is  really  a  matter  of  personal 
taste,  but  clumps  are  most  satisfactory.  The  preparation  of  the  site, 
or  stations  in  which  the  plauts  are  to  grow,  should  be  thorough. 
When  grown  in  clumps,  not  less  space  than  4  feet  should  be  allowed 
between  each.  Remove  the  soil  18  inches  deep  and  15  inches  in 
width,  thoroughly  break  up  the  subsoil  to  admit  of  a  quick  percolation 
of  water  from  heavy  rains.  A  couple  of  shovelfuls  of  partly  decayed 
manure  should  be  added  to  the  soil,  filling  in  the  hole  so  as  to  leave  a 
slight  hollow  when  plauting,  as  this  is  useful  afterwards  to  hold  water 
if  the  weather  be  dry.  A  few  twiggy  stakes  are  placed  round 
each  clump  as  a  protection  from  cold  wind  and  a  support  for  the 
tendrils  directly  new  growth  is  made.  The  permanent  supports 
should  be  placed  early  to  the  plauts  ;  they  should  be  7  feet  high  and 
as  twiggy  as  possible.  If  the  stakes  are  set  in  the  ground  in  a 
perpendicular  manner  instead  of  with  the  usual  inward  slant  so 
common  in  ordinary  culinary  Pea  staking,  the  haulm  will  obtain  more 
light  and  space  at  the  top.  The  haulm  is  thus  encouraged  to  spread 
itself  out,  covering  a  greater  space,  and  becoming  stronger  with  more 
light,  air,  and  sun.  Slugs  will  quickly  taste  the  tender  succulent 
shoots  if  means  are  not  taken  of  prevention  by  scattering  s  ot  or  lime 
about  them  frequently/  At  no  time  should  the  plants  suffer  from 
drought,  and  occasional  doses  of  liquid  manure  will  be  very  beneficial. 
A  mulching  of  half-decomposed  stable  manure  early  in  June  will 
prove  valuable  in  conserving  the  moisture  in  the  soil  and  keeping 
the  roots  cool. — E.  Molyneux. 
(To  be  continued.) 
