m 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  9,  1901. 
more,  through  the  heads.  The  next  was  a  case  where  the  workman, 
to  make  a  pretty -looking  job,  had  planted  some  of  the  trees  3  feet  too 
deep  in  order  to  bring  all  their  heads  level ! 
The  third  case  was  a  most  flagrant  one.  A  market  grower 
purchased  of  me  some  hundred  Peach  trees,  and  in  the  May  following 
be  wrote  to  me,  saying  that  nearly  all  of  them  had  died.  Now  these 
trees,  being  on  freely  rooting  Plum  stocks,  very  rarely  fail ;  so  I  at 
once  went  to  see  them,  and  on  walking  through  the  houses  I  noticed 
here  and  there  one  had  done  well,  and  my  friend  said  :  “You  know, 
there  must  have  been  something  wrong  with  them,  or  else  why  should 
a  few  live,  and  all  the  rest  die?”  I  replied:  “The  reason  is  this: 
the  living  trees  have  been  properly  planted;  the  others  have  been  put 
in  so  deeply  that  the  buds,  which  are  generally  12  to  15  inches  above 
the  ground  level,  are  below  the  surface.”  After  examining  them,  and 
digging  down,  in  some  cases  18  inches  before  coming  to  the  roots,  he 
said:  “  You  have  convinced  me,  I  see  my  own  men  have  done  all 
the  mischief.  I  must  start  again  with  a  fresh  lot.”  In  manv 
gardens  vegetable  crops,  which  are  highly  manured,  are  planted 
close  to  the  walls,  and  the  borders  must  be  therefore  frequently  dug. 
Now  all  fruit  trees  delight  in  a  firm  root-hold,  and  when  it  is 
otherwise  they  are  tempted  to  keep  on  growing  late  into  November  bv 
the  strongly  manured  soil  which  they  find,  and  consequently  rank 
growth  abounds,  and  Nature’s  work  of  ripening  the  wood  is  retarded 
till  too  late,  when  early  frosts  are  fatal  to  the  sappy  wood.  For  a 
remedy,  leave  a  hard  3-foot  path  next  the  walls  ;  do  not  dig  this,  but 
just  hoe  the  surface  to  prevent  undue  evaporation,  and  mulch  and 
water  freely  when  a  crop  is  set. 
Watering  Wall  Trees. 
The  fact  that  brick  walls  absdrb  from  the  soil  a  large  proportion  r  f 
the  rain  that  falls  in  the  winter  is  often  overlooked.  The  moisture 
draws  up  the  walls,  and  is  dispersed  by  sunshine  and  wind  ;  and  over 
and  over  again  I  have  been  called  in  to  see  miserable  trees,  smothered 
with  red  spider,  and  only  just  alive,  from  the  want  of  copious  watering 
in  the  early  growing  season.  The  planter  overlooks  the  fact  that 
frequently,  even  after  heavy  rains,  the  soil  next  a  wall  is  dry  as  dust, 
as  it  is  rarely  that  rain  comes  down  quite  vertically — and  storms 
seldom  do  so-so  that  the  fruit  trees  upon  some  walls  get  no  benefit  ; 
and  especially  is  this  the  case  where  wide  copings  are  used. 
Inside-planted  Vines  olten  suffer  from  drought  at  the  roots  ;  and 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  frequently  give  up  from  want  of  moistuie.  In 
these  cases  a  soil-tester,  or  the  removal  of  the  surface  soil,  will  indicate 
the  cause  of  failure.  Another  source  of  trouble  is  from  an  exactly 
opposite  cause.  In  wall  trees  it  will  sometimes  occur  that  a  border  is 
lower  on  one  side  of  the  wall  than  on  the  other,  and  the  consequent 
soakage  keeps  the  roots  of  the  trees  in  the  lower  position  always  in  a 
damp  condition,  and  renders  lifting  mcessary.  An  ill-drained  inside 
Vine  or  Peach  border  is  also  to  be  avoided.  I  have  seen  failures — 
bud-dropping  and  yellow  foliage — from  the  practice  of  growing 
Chrysanthemums  in  Peach  bouses.  The  frequent  waterings,  and  the 
strong  stimulants  given  to  the  flowers,  are  very  hurtful  to  the  fibrous 
and  tender  surface  roots  of  the  fruit  trees,  which  should  be  safeguarded. 
The  same  system  of  placing  pot  plants  on  Vine  bordeis  is  also  to  be 
avoided  where  possible. 
Pruning. 
In  olden  times  it  was  the  custom  to  take  all  fruit  trees  away  from 
the  walls,  after  pruning  them  in  winter,  gathering  them  carefully  on 
to  large  poles,  placed  in  convenient  positions,  dressing  the  walls 
thoroughly  with  some  insecticide,  and  then  painting  the  trees  entirely 
over  with  a  like  solutioi. — generally  a  mixture  of  sulphur,  lime,  soot, 
softsoap,  cr  any  strong  insecticide.  They  were  then  replaced  with 
care,  and  naturally,  where  such  attention  was  given,  there  was  an 
absence  of  aphides  and  other  like  troubles.  I  remember  once  seeing 
an  Elruge  Nectarine  (outside)so  treated  that  carried  seventy  dczen  fine 
fruits.  I  fear  now  the  general  routine  of  the  garden,  tennis  lawn,  &c., 
forbids  this  work  beii  g  carried  out  regularly. 
A  long  chapter  could  be  written  on  pruning  mistakes  alone,  but  for 
our  purpose  it  will  suffice  if  we  lay  down  a  general  rule,  that  espalier 
Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums  on  walls,  cordons,  &c.,  should  not  be  pruned 
back  before  the  first  week  in  August.  An  earlier  cutting  only  induces 
a  second  growth,  and  keeps  the  sap  in  action  when  it  should  be  resting  ; 
and  tiees  “  stopped  ”  early  in  August  have  ample  time  to  plump  their 
buds  before  winter.  Doubtless  earlier  pruning  is  carried  out  in  many 
cases  for  the  sake  of  neatness.  Over- pruned  trees  can  be  made  fertile 
by  thinning  the  boughs  and  allowing  them  to  extend  for  two  years. 
In  the  case  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines  another  rule  is  necessary.  As 
soon  as  the  shoots  have  made  six  or  eight  leaves  the  trees  should  be 
gone  over,  and  thumb  and  finger  stopping  be  given  to  the  foreright 
shoots,  and  at  the  same  time  the  “wild  wood”  (the  extra  strong 
shoots  which  often  form  in  the  central  part  of  the  trees)  should  be  cut 
out  entirely,  or  the  balance  of  the  trees  wdl  be  destroyed.  This  hand 
work  is  far  better  than  that  of  the  knife.  Any  further  pruning 
necessary  should  be  done  in  February  or  March. 
(To  be  concluded.) 
Greenhouse  Hardwooded  Plants. 
(Continued  from  page  364.) 
Rhododendrons  (including  Azaleas). 
The  above  furnishes  another  large  genus  of  the  natural  order 
Ericaceae,  and  now,  according  to  botanists,  all  the  Azaleas  are  classed 
as  Rhododendrons,  but  when  dealing  with  them  it  may  be  well  to 
avoid  confusion  by  using  the  old  garden  name  Azalea.  The  first 
Himalayan  Rhododendron  was  introduced  in  1818,  when  Dr.  Wallich 
sent  home  seeds  of  R.  arboreum.  In  1847-51,  Sir  Joseph  Hooker,, 
during  his  travels  in  the  Sikkim  Himalaya,  sent  home  seeds  of  a  great 
many  new  species,  the  greater  part  of  them  finding  a  home  outdoors  at 
Fremough,  in  Cornwall,  but  further  north  they  have  to  be  grown 
inside.  Their  cultivation  is  very  easy,  and  they  are  best  suited,  if 
space  can  be  afforded,  to  plant  them  in  borders  in  a  perfectly  cool 
house,  as  they  are  very  impatient  of  the  least  fire  heat.  Some  of  the 
best  species  are  R.  Aucklandi,  Dalhousianum,  Edgworthi,  Gibsoni,  and 
ciliatum,  the  last  being  the  parent  of  some  of  our  best  hybrids,  such  as 
fragrantissimum,  Sesterianum,  and  prsecox. 
The  many  beautiful  varieties  raised  from  the  jasminiflcrum  and 
javanicum  types  are  well  worth  a  place  in  the  intermediate  house. 
These  Javanese  Rhododendrons,  however,  were  splendidly  described 
by  Mr.  Sillitoe  in  recent  issues  of  the  Journal.  They  soon  become 
leggy,  and  this,  as  your  correspondent  pointed  out,  can,  to  a  certain 
extent,  be  overcome  by  keeping  them  well  tied  down,  which,  in  many 
cases,  causes  them  to  push  growths  from  the  older  wood. 
Azalea  indica,  or  the  Indian  Azalea,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  from 
which  we  have  so  many  fine  varieties  in  our  gardens  at  the  present 
day,  are,  as  a  rule,  purchased  from  nurserymen,  and  these  plants 
are  worked  on  a  stroDg  growing  form.  A  great  many  of  them, 
however,  can  be  very  well  grown  on  their  own  roots,  and  especially 
does  this  apply  to  A.  indica  obtusum,  A.  i.  album,  and  A.  i.  splendens, 
the  latter  a  variety  with  very  bright  flowers.  Very  good  results  are 
also  obtained  with  A.  i.  calyciflorum  and  ledilolium  on  their  own 
roots.  All  the  above  have  small  flowers ;  they  force  very  readily,  and 
may  easily  be  had  in  flower  before  Christmas,  knowing  which,  it  is 
surprising  that  they  are  not  more  generally  grown.  If  one  wishes  to 
grow  their  own  plants,  the  cuttings  should  be  selected  from  the  young 
growths  after  they  have  become  sufficiently  firm  to  withstand  the  risk 
of  damping.  These  can  be  readily  obtained  toward  the  middle  or  end 
of  March.  In  a  collection  their  forms  should  be  as  varied  as  possible, 
some  being  trained  as  pyramids,  others  in  bush  form.  After  having 
flowered  in  the  greenhouse,  they  should  be  removed  to  a  warmer 
temperature,  and  encouraged  to  make  all  possible  growth,  keeping 
the  syriDge  busy  amoDg  them,  as  they  are  very  apt  to  be  attacked 
by  thrips  and  red  spider.  The  former  can  easily  be  destroyed  by 
fumigation.  The  wood  ought  to  be  thoroughly  ripened,  and  during 
September  they  will  require  to  be  moved  into  their  cool  winter  quarters, 
trom  which  they  can  be  removed  to  a  warmer  house,  as  required  for 
forcing  purposes.  There  are  so  many  good  varieties  now  that  it  is 
needless  for  me  to  give  a  list  of  them. 
Acacias. 
Acacias  are  amongst  the  most  useful  and  beautiful  of  our  spring 
flowering  greenhouse  plants,  and  most  of  them  have  the  united 
charm  of  beautiful  flowers  and  graceful  habit  and  foliage.  They  are 
almost  all,  without  exception,  natives  of  Australia,  where  they  are 
popularly  known  as  “  Wattles,”  Acacia  dealbata  being  the  well 
known  Silver  Wattle,  and  which  is  largely  sold  in  our  markets. 
It  is  a  plant  that  should  find  a  place  in  every  conservatory,  for  its 
silvery  grey  foliage  and  pale  yellow  flowers  fu  rnish  a  lovely  sight 
when  in  flower.  It  succeeds  well  either  on  a  vail  or  pillar. 
'Acacias  may  be  easily  grown  from  seeds  or  cuttings,  and  do  well  in 
a  mixture  of  peat  and  sand  with  the  addition  of  a  little  good  loam. 
After  flowering  they  should  be  cut  hard  back,  placed  in  a  close  house, 
and  syriDged  frequently  to  encourage  good  growth.  When  this  has 
been  completed  remove  outside  and  place  on  a  bed  of  ashes,  taking 
them  inside  about  the  end  of  September.  The  best  varieties  for  pot 
culture — as  they  flower  freely  in  a  small  state — are  A.  armata,  which 
is  possibly  the  most  commonly  grown  of  all.  It  is  a  very  useful  sort, 
easily  grown,  and  flowers  freely.  My  only  objection  is  to  its  rather 
stiff  habit.  It  is  also  prone  to  the  attacks  of  a  small  white  scale,  and 
also  mealy  bug.  There  is  now  a  variety  of  it  named  A.  angustifolia, 
which  is  of  a  much  freer  habit  of  growth,  and  flowers  with  e  qual 
freedom.  A.  Drummondi  is  also  one  of  the  very  best,  being  compact 
in  habit,  and  producing  its  pale  straw-coloured  flowers  in  great 
profusion.  A.  pulchella  is  also  very  good,  and  is  a  splendid  subject 
for  growing  into  large  specimens.  A.  hastulata  is  of  a  distinct  habit, 
producing  its  almost  white  flowers  in  great  abundance.  It  is  perhaps 
more  generally  known  under  the  name  of  A.  cordata,  but  this  is  not 
correct,  as  it  was  introduced  under  the  name  of  A.  hastulata  as  far  back 
as  1828.  For  clothing  pillars  I  think  there  is  nothing  to  beat 
A.  Riceana  and  A.  verticillata. — J.  Coutts,  ] 
