400 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  29,  1903. 
Roses  in  America. 
As  I  never  vas  in  America,  it  seems  likely  that  “A.  W.” 
(page  349)  knows  mare  about  Rose!  culture  there  than  I  do.  I 
simply  relied  upon  the  information  .sent  me,  bj"  pamphlets, 
papers,  and  letters.  The  pamphlet  related  to  the  growing  of 
Roses  in  Oregon,  a  Western  State,  and  the  author  certainly 
give.s  one  to  understand  that  most  of  his.  plants  are  budded, 
either  cn  Manetti  or  the  Briar.  He  admits  that  some  prefer 
them  on  their  own  roots;  but,  like  everyone  who  has  had  suffi¬ 
cient  experience,  finds  it  only  answers  for  certain  varieties.  I 
am  much  surprised  to  hear  that  American  nur.serynien  can  grow 
their  indoor  blooms  for  sale  on  cuttings  which  are  afterwards 
thrown  away.  I  thought  they  were  budded,  or  more  probably 
grafted,  cn  Manetti. — W.  R.  R.villem. 
Wire  Net  for  Peas  and  Strawberries. 
In  looking  over  a  collection  of  papers  for  the  purpose  of 
reducing  their  number,  I  came  across  a  paragraph  on  this  sub¬ 
ject  in  a  Jdxirnal  af  Hx.rficulfiire  twenty-eight  years  old,  which 
is  worth  reprinting. 
“  Wire  Net  for  Pe.vs  and  Strawberries. 
“  To  obtain  Pea  sticks  in  most  of  the  localities  of  the 
three  islands  is  no  joke  ;  therefore  this  year  I  ordered  a 
cjuantity  of  10-yard  lengths  of  wire  netting,  2  feet  wide  and 
3-inch  meshes;  these  I'use  for  Peas  and  Strawberries.  For 
the  latter  a  2-feet  breadth  put  over  in  spring  like  an  arch 
enables  them  to  rise  while  in  bloom  through  the  meshes,  and 
when  they  are  ripe  they  are  cut  of  the  clay,  clean  for  the 
mouth,  beautiful  to  the  eyesight,  and  oinamentai;  and  for 
Peas  I  certainly  prefer  the  half-hoop  or  arch  also  with  them. 
For  a  10-yard  length  of  netting  twelve  pins  of  wood  are  re- 
(|uired,  14  inch  square  and  12  inches  Icng,  pointed  at  one 
end,  .‘^ix  pieces  of  galvanised  wire  1  yard  long,  with  four 
staples  of  the  same  material ;  fix  one  of  these  upon  two  pins, 
leaving  2  feet  clear  to  form  your  arch  for  the  wire,  drive 
your  pins  into  the  ground  upon  each  side  of  your  Peas  (say 
0  or  8  inches),  form  your  arch  neatly,  and  fix  your  wire  over 
these,  and  use  Carter’s  Farly  Gem  Pea,  and  if  your  land 
is  what  it  ought  to  be  you  will  have  a  return  of,  may  be,  a 
hundredfold.  These  rvith  me  this  year  are  fully  2  feet  high, 
beating  all  the  others  in  a  canter  for  quantitj’  and  quality. 
If  taller  kinds  are  grown  your  arch  of  wire  must  be  regu¬ 
lated  thereto.  The  kinds  I  hav'e  this  year  are  Ringleader, 
Laxton’s  Alpha,  McLean’s  Little  Gem,  Dwarf  Green  Mam¬ 
moth,  Fillbaskot,  and  Me  Lean’s  Best  of  All.  Each  and  all 
of  them  are  fine  crops.  The  Strawberries  are  Keen’s  Seed¬ 
ling.  President,  and  Elton  Pine.  I  trust  this  may  be  useful 
to  all  gardeners,  but  more  so  to  such  as  I  am.  My  early 
Peas  are  finished,  and  the  gleanings  saved  for  seed  next 
year.  Since  A\riting  tlie  foregoing  I  have  drawn  from  a 
line  (sown  in  April  with  12oz.s  of  Hairs’  Mammoth),  the 
produce  of  two  Peas  which  I  solved,  and  counting  the  10 
yards  T  find  there  are  tivent.y  or  more  plants  on  the  yard, 
say  200  equal  to  those  sent  you,  as  everj'  plant  ivill  give 
the  half  of  these  two — viz.,  over  forty  pods  each.  All 
wrinkled  Peas  should  be  sprung,  picked,  and  planted.  My 
experience  for  myself  and  others  exceeds  half  a  century, 
and  I  am  now — Old  Secta'.  Jack,  JrJhiiirih,  NJiC 
I  have  for  many  years  used  rvire  netting  instead  of  sticks 
for  Peas,  though  not  in  the  ivay  described  in  the  foregoing  para¬ 
graph.  But  for  Strawberries  I  have  never  used  it,  and  think 
the  idea  an  excellent  one.  Possibly  it  escaped  my  notice  at  the 
time  of  publication,  but  there  is  another  possible  reason  for  not 
trying  it  at  the  time.  There  rvas,  on  the  Longleat  estate,  a 
steam  engine  for  all  sorts  of  purposes,  including  chaff-cutting. 
For  protecting  Strawberries  I  used  strarv,  cut  1-4  or  2  inches  in 
length,  and  found  verv  few  slug-eaten  fruits;  for  slugs  do  not 
like  a  shifting  carpef.  I  am  not  now  in  a  portion  to  grow  Straw¬ 
berries,  but  commend  the  wire  netting  to  those  who  are.  For 
Peas  that  are  sown  in  single  drills,  the  plan  I  adopt  to  support 
them  is  to  drive  stakes  about  4  feet  apart,  along  tbe  centre  of 
the  row  at  the  time  of  sewing,  and  fix  the  ivire  netting  singly 
and  upright  to  these  stakes,  keeping  it  three  inches  away  from 
fhe  soil.  It  Avill  be  found  that  as  soon  as  a  tendril  is  formed  it 
will  eagerly  catch  hold  of  the  netting,  and  in  the  course  of  a  da.y 
or  two  you  ivill  have  a  difficulty  in  pulling  it  awa,y  without 
breaking.  In  case  of  a  plant  failing  to  catch  hold  (which  but 
rarely  happens),  I  have  a  feiv  pieces  of  wire  bent  S-fashion  close 
at  hand,  ju.st  to  give  it  a  hitch  uji,  and  it  scon  takes  care  of 
itself. 
In  another  part  of  the  Journal  enclosed  you  will  see  I  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  bringing  back  to  cultivation  the  long- 
neglected  perennials. — 4Villi.aji  Taylor,  Bath. 
[In  the  old  copy  sent  by  Mr.  Taylor  (dated  August  19,  1875) 
an  article  b.y  him  entitled  “  Gems  of  the  Herbaceous  Border,”  is 
furnished  as  leader. — Ed.] 
Potato,  The  Factor. 
In  contrast  to  the  “  phenomenal  ”  yield  of  Sir  John 
Llewelyn  Potato  recorded  in  your  issue  of  October  8,  page  335, 
may  I  cite  tliei  following? — Mr.  Edward  Leeson,  Top  Common, 
Hucknail  Torkard,  planted  in  spring,  under  ordinai-y  esn- 
ditions,  lib  of  Bobbie’s  new  Potato,  “The  Factor,”  and  has 
just  lifted  (31  lbs  of  saleable  tubers.  It  rvill,  therefore,  be  allowed 
that  this  variet.y  holds  its  own  as  a  most  productve  sort. 
It  is  also  a  good  disease  resi.ster,  keeps  well,  and  cooks  beauti¬ 
fully. — John  A.  Simpson. 
- <»o»> - 
Autumn  Pruning  of  Fruit  Trees. 
I  have  found  it  an  excellent  plan,  especially  ivlien  dealing 
Avith  trees  that  have  for  various  reasons  become  croAvded,  if 
time  permits,  to  take  in  hand  at  once  the  Avork  of  thinning 
the  growths.  Before  the  foliage  is  doAvn  there  is  less  difficulty 
in  discerning  Avhich  branches  Avill  be  best  removed  and  which 
alloAved  to  remain.  I  am  convinced  that  far  too  manj^  pyramids 
and  bush  trees  in  our  gardens  carry  too  great  a  number  of 
branches.  The  centres  are  thus  rendered  thick  and  impervious 
to  sun  and  air,  and  the  fruit,  Avhen  there  is  any  upon  the 
sunless  side  of  the  trees,  i,s  too  frequently  devoid  of  colour,  and 
also  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  lacks  flavour.  I  saAV  some 
pyramid  Pears  in  spring,  Avhose  exterior  Avas  practically  as 
dense  as  a  Avail,  and  this,  Avhen  growth  Avas  ju.st  beginning. 
Hoav  such  trees  can  be  expected  to  produce  satisfactorj'  crops 
is  a  mystery. — J.  W. 
The  Colouring  of  Apples. 
I  harm  to  thank  your  correspondents  for  the  kindlj'  notice 
they  haA'e  given  to  the  questions  asked  under  this  head.  “  W.R. 
Raillem  ”  tells  us,  on  page  380,  that  cold  “  snaps  ”  help  Amry 
much  to  increase  the  colour  of  fruit.  Or’er  and  OA'cr  again  I 
hav^e  had  the  same  phenomenon  cited;  and,  indeed,  no  one  can 
deny  that  sharp  “snaps”  cause  a  quick  transformation  to  bright 
colours.  "  tv.  S.”  furnishes  an  array  of  factors  ;  and  his  remarks 
are  good.  When  I  Avrote,  hoAvever,  I  had  in  my  mind  pot-trees 
(these  particularly)  that  are  cultiA'ated  in  ei'ery  respect  as  they 
ought  to  be,  and  grcAving  side  by  side  for  years ;  and  asked 
Which  has  the  greater  influence  (on  such  tree.s)  the  .sun.  or  Avind 
and  rain?  Root-pruning,  therefore,  is  outside  the  strict  limits 
of  the  argument.  Nor  can  soil  be  considered,  seeing  that  com¬ 
parisons  Avere  made  not  AA'ith  every  factor  that  Avould  tend  to 
give  colour,  but  only  Avith  sun  versus  rain  and  Avind.  GiA'eii 
orchard,  or  pot  fruit  trees,  granting  proper  culture,  Avhat  then? 
Is  a  sunny  year  moie  beneficial  than  a  year  of  dull  skies,  Avind 
and  rain?  The  Editor  notes  that  Bunyard’s  pot-trees  Avere 
“finished  in  the  open-air,  and  not  under  glass”;  and  if  the 
fruits  Avere  uncoloured  Avhen  taken  out  of  doors,  hoAV  inagni- 
ficcntl.y  they  had  coloured  in  this  boisterous,  rainy^  season ! 
I  Avas  quite  averse  to  the  Avind  and  -rain  asscA-eration  Avhen 
visiting  the  nur.series  referred  to,  and  it  Avas  m,y  remark 
that  the  fruits  on  pot-trees  Avere  remarkably  Avell  coloured  that 
brought  out  the  referenca  to  the  Avind  and  rain.  I  was 
astonished,  and  cn  my  making  cbseiwation  got  the  reply  already 
quoted  (page  359). — Lam.asool. 
This  is  a  most  interesting  point,  and  as  discussion  is  invited 
I  Avillingly  advancs  a  fcAv  remarks.  The  main  question  Avhich 
“  Lainasool  ”  asks  is,  “  Are  the  influences  of  Avind  and  rain  greater 
in  their  effect  on  colouring  fruits  than  sunshine?”  This  perti¬ 
nent  question  is  apparently  asked  because  a  firm  of  fruit  growers 
haA'e  recently  informed  “  Lamasool  ”  that  they  Avould  rather  be 
Avithout  the  sun  than  the  Avind  and  rain.  That  idea  Avill  doubtless 
come  as  a  surprise  to  the  majorit.y  of  “Journal”  readens,  and 
I  am  iuclined  to  think  that  the  firm  in  ciuestion  coiiA’eyed  only 
an  inroinijJde  idea  of  the  thoughts  they  intended  to  express. 
Without  sunshine  the  fruit  groAver  can  do  nothing;  and  yet  all 
c'ose  observers  knoAv  that  both  Avind  and  rain  do  much  toAvards 
hastening  the  colouring  pi'oce.s.s  in  fruits — under  cerfciin  ean- 
dUians.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  the  proportionate  di.stribution 
of  food,  light,  Avarmth,  air,  and  moisture.  It  is  quite  possible 
to  have  too  much  sunshine  Avhen  other  essential  conditions  are 
absent,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  possible  to  have  too  little  .sun-hino 
and  too  much  Avind  and  rain. 
In  order  to  have  a  clear  conception  of  hoAv  various  conditions 
may  effect  the  colouring  process,  it  is  neces.sary  to  remember 
the  folloAving  facts  :  The  soil  mu.st  be  sufficiently  rich  to  siTpu  y 
