410 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  16,  1901. 
Common  mistakes  in  Fruit  Culture. 
( Continued  from  page  386.) 
Root-pruning 
As  a  rule  this  is  done  too  late  in  the  season.  It  should  be  carried 
out  as  soon  ?s  ever  the  fruit  is  gathered,  and  before  the  leaves  fall,  as 
some  new  rootlets  are  then  formed  before  Cnrisunas,  and  a  crop  may 
be  secured  the  first  year.  When  done  too  late  the  trees  may  die,  or  at 
best  go  to  sleep,  and  form  scarcely  any  leaves  or  roots  for  one  or  two 
seasons.  The  greater  the  care  given  to  this  process  the  better  the 
results  are,  and  should  a  dry  time  follow  the  operation  a  good  overhead 
syringiug  is  mces-sary,  as  well  as  a  liberal  mulching. 
It  oiten  happens  that  Plums  on  walls  g>ow  very  vigorously  the 
first  few  years,  and  do  not  fruit.  A  timely  lifting,  root-pruning,  and 
replacing  in  loamy  soil,  without  manure,  will  cneck  this,  and  throw 
them  into  a  fruiting  condition.  I  sirongly  advise  crdon  trees  on 
walls  to  be  at  first  planted  upright,  aod  when  tney  reach  the  top  of 
the  wall  the  time  has  arrived  when  they  require  root-pruning,  and 
they  cau  then  he  placed  at  an  angle.  In  this  wav  spurs  ar<-  lormed  on 
both  sides  ot  the  stem,  while  when  at  first  planted  obliquely  the  spurs 
are  naturally  strongest  on  the  upper  side  of  the  stem. 
Over-pruning  and  Stopping. 
We  often  see  Vines  and  other  fruits  seve  ely  checked  by  these 
processes.  It  is  advisable  to  proceed  by  degrees,  and  I  believe  more 
Grapes  are  spoiled  by  over-thinning  of  the  foliage  han  auyone  is 
aware  of,  as  the  check  caused  by  removal  of  the  leaves  often  comes  at 
a  critical  time  and  the  colour  is  lost.  rlhe  fine-t  Grapes  I  ever  saw 
were  in  a  vinery  where  the  thickness  of  the  foliage  made  it  almost 
twilight,  even  on  a  bright  summer  day.  The  operation  of  thinning 
fruit  is  generally  neglected  in  the  early  stages,  and  the  aber  crop  is 
therefore  small  and  inferior  in  flavour.  It  is  better  to  harvest  a 
moderate  crop  o'  fine  well-flavoured  fruit  than  to  have  a  big  gathering 
of  what  can  only  be  called  second-rate.  In  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
the  larger  the  fruit  the  better,  as  a  rule,  the  quality,  and  in  a  certain 
but  lesser  degree  this  applies  to  Pears  also ;  and  it  was  never  more 
evident  than  it  has  been  in  the  past  season  (1900),  when  thousands  of 
bushels  of  fru  t  have  been  spoiled  f<  r  the  want  oi  thiuning.  Mistakes 
are  often  made  in  gathering  late  Pears  and  Apples  before  they  are 
thoroughly  matured,  and  consequently  the  fruit  shrivels  and  is  com¬ 
paratively  tasteless.  Growers  should  not  mind  losing  a  lew  fruits 
from  ffilii  g;  it  is  better  to  have  six  good,  firm,  crisp  Apples  or  Pears 
than  a  dozen  flabby  and  wrinkled  ;  and  a  frost  of  even  10°  will  not 
harm  either  Apples  or  Pears  upon  the  trees.  To  illustrate  this,  we 
of  en  find  orchard  house  fruit  keeping  firm  to  the  last,  because  so 
thoroughly  matured.  On  the  other  hand,  early  Pears  must  be  gathered 
before  they  are  mature,  or  they  become  mealy  ;  while  all  early  dessert 
Apples  should  be  eaten  direct  from  the  trees,  as  they  spoil  when  stored, 
and  it  is  a  good  plan  to  let  them  fail  by  themselves  on  to  clean  straw 
laid  under  the  trees.  The  culture  of  orchard  house  trees  in  pots 
is  frequently  a  failure  because  growers  do  not  consider  the  confined 
space  the  roots  occupy  in  their  pots,  nor  do  they  give  sufficient 
variety  of  food  and  nourishment ;  for  instance,  a  pyramid  Pear 
outside  would  feed  from  some  8  feet  square  of  soil,  whereas  in  a  pot 
there  is  but  a  foot  diameter  to  operate  in.  It  is  necessary  also  to 
syringe  pot  trees  very  freely  to  counteract  the  evaporation  from  the 
foliave. 
Many  employers  find  fault  with  their  garden  produce,  and  say, 
“  But  1  see  so  much  finer  in  the  markets.”  Naturally,  because  in  the 
first  place  the  best  makes  the  most  money,  and  the  mu ket  growers 
are  keen  cultivators,  and  have  harnt  that,  to  secure  success,  large, 
well-ventilated,  and  thoroughly  heated  houses,  specially  adapted  to 
the  needs  ot  each  subject,  give  the  best  results;  while  in  private 
gardens  a  dozen  subjects,  with  perhaps  opposite  requirements,  are 
crowded  into  one  house;  and  where  the  surplus  fruit  from  private 
gardens  is  sold  it  is  useless  to  send  the  inlerior  examples  to  market, 
it  is  otteu  a  cause  of  failure  when  over-strong  or  over-stimulating 
manures  are  called  into  use  to  make  up  for  slovenly  preparation  either 
in  thinnii  g,  mulchiug,  or  planting.  Patience  is  often  severely  tried 
by  adverse  seasons ;  lor  instance,  an  amateur  once  called  me  in  to 
C0i  suit,  and  complained  of  the  poor  quality  ot  the  fruit  in  his  garden. 
It  was  a  very  exceptionally  cold  and  wet  season.  I  assured  him  that 
he  had  the  best  of  varieties,  and  that  a  more  generous  season  would 
give  him  all  he  desired  in  the  point  of  quality.  He  was,  however,  a 
type  of  those  who  ask  much  advice,  and  then  act  on  their  own  wisdom  ; 
for  he  sent  elsewhere,  and  had  all  his  trees  cut  back  and  regrafted ; 
and  1  may  be  pan  oued  lor  saying  that  he  not  only  lost  two  years,  but 
the  very  same  varieties  were  graded  on  again,  simply  because  there 
w.  re  none  letter.  It  is  in  all  cases  requisite  to  wait  a  cycle  of  years 
before  one  can  form  a  correct  judgment.  Many  hundreds  of  pounds 
have  been  sacrificed  in  this  way  by  market  grower*  rooting  up  bush 
*  A  paper  read  before  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  on  Nor.  20th 
1900,  by  Mr.  Geo.  Bunyaud,  V.M.H. 
fruits,  and  by  regrafting  on  supposed  inferior  varieties,  which  a  little 
better  culture  would  have  made  profitable.  How  many  of  our  orchards 
are  literally  starved  to  death  !  Animals  are  turned  in  them  to  eat  the 
grass,  but  they  are  never  fed  with  good  nitrogenous  food,  and 
consequently  all  which  should  mature  the  tree  roots  is  lost.  Many  a 
worn-out  orchard  has  been  quite  recovered  by  feeding  and  fatting 
sheep  in  it,  and  a  timely  dressing  of  artificial  manure  has  helped  both 
young  and  old  orchards,  when  combined  with  a  due  thinning  out  of 
the  boughs. 
(To  be  continued  ) 
- »  i - 
Cactus  Cinerarias. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  or  why  the  adjectival  title 
“Cactus”  was  first  applied  to  certain  florists’  flowers  having  fluted 
and  twisted  petals.  Certainly  the  “  Cactus  ’  type  of  flower  has 
become  popular  for  the  nonce,  and  the  latest  sport  in  this  direction  has 
been  with  g  eenhouse  Cinerarias.  The  plants  that  have  assumed  this 
“  Cactus  ”  form,  of  which  a  typical  plant  is  seen  in  the  illustration, 
have  been  derived  from  cruenta  hybrids,  that  is,  hybrids  that  have 
been  raised  bv  crossing  Senecio  cruentus  with  several  forms  of  the 
dwarf  garden  Cinerarias.  The  “  Star  ”  Cinerarias  were  first  originated 
by  these  crossings,  and  now  the  Messrs  Cannell  &  Sons  at  Swanley 
have  been  rewarded  by  the  very  distinct  type  to  which  we  call 
attention.  The  blooms  are  individually  as  large  as  an  ordinary  single 
Cactus  Dahlia,  having  fluted,  tortuous  petals,  radiating  beautifully. 
The  plants  will  not  be  seen  at  any  of  the  exhibitions  this  ye  ir,  as  they 
are  now  seeding,  but  we  may  expect  to  see  them  on  public  view 
perhaps  in  another  season.  The  colours  at  present  are  mainly  confined 
to  rich  crimson,  mauve,  and  such  other  shades,  though  of  course  the 
range  of  variety  in  this  respect  may  be  expected  to  be  greatly 
increased.  Along  with  the  “  Cactus  ”  Cinerarias,  at  the  time  of  our 
visit  to  Swanley,  the  strain  now  known  as  the  “Star’’  Cinerarias  were 
at  their  best.  The  older  florists’  varieties,  with  large  rounded  flowers 
and  dwarf  compact  habit,  were  also  seen  in  splendid  condition. 
— - <♦#>* - 
Greenhouse  Hardwooded  Plants. 
( Continued  from  page  386.) 
Cytisus. 
Cytisus  (fragrans)  racemosus  is  so  well  known  that  I  need  hardly 
say  anything  about  it.  The  treatment  accorded  to  Acacias  answers 
well  in  this  case.  Allow  them  a  good  proportion  of  loam  in  the 
potting  soil,  this  causing  them  to  produce  flowers  much  more  freely 
than  when  grown  in  peat  and  sand  alone.  C.  (fragrans)  racemosus  is 
possibly  the  best  and  most  generally  grown  one,  but  C.  stenopetalus  is 
well  worth  growing,  as  it  flowers  freely,  and  has  beautiful  silvery 
grey  foliage.  Coronilla  glauca  is  also  another  very  useful  greenhouse 
plant,  and  does  well  under  the  same  treatment,  but  of  late  years  I  have 
seen  very  little  of  it. 
Eriostemons. 
These  also  form  another  charming  genus  of  Australian  plants  well 
adapted  for  the  decoration  of  the  greenhouse.  Their  flowers  are 
produced  in  great  profusion,  and  the  flowering  period  extends  over  a 
long  time,  although  the  individual  flowers  are  rather  short-lived. 
They  have  also  the  advantage  of  being  easy  to  grow.  Raise  them 
from  cuttings,  and  employ  peat  and  sand,  with  the  addition  of  a  little 
light  loam  for  potting.  Where  space  will  permit  they  are  splendid 
subjects  to  plant  out  in  the  conservatory.  Eriostemon  buxifolium, 
cuspidatum,  and  myoporoides  are  the  more  select,  the  latter  having 
white  flowers,  and  the  two  former  white  tinged  with  rosy  pink. 
E.  scaber  is  rather  a  weak  grower,  and  should  be  grafted  upon  some 
of  the  stronger  ones.  They  all  flower  during  spring. 
Croweas  and  Correas. 
Croweas,  too,  are  Australian  plants,  and  at  first  sight  have  a 
striking  resemblance  to  Eriostemons  both  in  the  shape  of  the  flowers 
and  leaves.  The  colour,  however,  is  different.  C.  elliptica,  with  light 
pink  flowers,  and  C.  saligna,  with  purple,  are  not  often  seen.  I  think 
the  chief -reason  of  their  usual  sickly  appearance  is  caused  by  too 
much  fire  heat.  They  can  be  propagated  from  cuttings  and  grown 
under  the  same  treatment  as  Eriostemons.  Correas  are  among  the 
prettiest  of  greenhouse  plants,  and  can  be  grown  from  cuttings,  but 
any  of  the  weaker-growing  ones  are  better  grafted  on  C.  alba,  a  strong¬ 
growing  species.  They  soon  form  good  plants,  attention  being  given 
to  them  in  the  way  of  stopping  and  pinching  to  get  good  bushy 
plants,  as  they  have  a  tendency  to  get  bare  at  the  bottoms.  Pot  in 
