HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3195, 9 June 1915, Page 14

HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

By J. Gedbie.

ABUTILONS. This is an ever-blooming family of plants requiring only the ordinary cultivation of the fuciisia. They produce innumerable quantities of bell-shaped flowers of beautiful and various colours. They continue to bloom in an ordinary greenhouse all through the winter, and, if planted out in the border in November, will form the most continuous blooming shrubs until the frost comes, when they can be easily lifted or propagated. Where frost is severe,, if they are planted against a well they will grow and bloom uninjured. I saw a large specimen lately growing against the wall of a residence, which has occupied the same position for many years, -and it was covered with a multitude of golden yellow blooms, and will continue blooming nearly all winter. There are numerous varieties —Bou.l de Noigo,_ a beautiful and distinct white; Eclipse, rich orange scarlet, shaded crimson; and Golden Elooco, a fine large clear yellow, are throe distinct free-blooming varieties worth having. HINTS ON PRUNING. This is one of the gardening operations that causes the novice a considerable amount of trouble, and without professional advice he is apt to do more harm than good when he takes the knife in hand. I may therefore devote a few notes to thia subject with the hope that some of the readers of this column may get a hint or two that will benefit them. —Gooseberries. — This is probably the most widely-grown of hardy fruits, and it is seldom that we meet with properly-pruned bushes in small gardens. If the bush has been somewhat neglected, and has become overcrowded with branches, the first thing to do is to thin out rigorously. Cut away entirely all the weaker old branches and any that may be growing across the centre, and, indeed, any that cross and crowd on its neighbour. Pull out by the socket any suckers that may be springing from the roots. Never cut these suckers, or they will simply throw up a crowd of others next season. Having got the bush ship-shape the next thing is to attend to the actual pruning. Before doing so, decide whether a fair crop of large berries is desired or a greater number of small size. If the latter, merely cut out the weaker and badly-placed shoots, and just take a few inches off the points of the growths left on tho bush. If, _ however, superior fruits are wanted, tho side shoots should be shortened back to 3in or 4in, and the leading shoots of each branch 7in to Sin from their base. -—Red Currants. — Red and white currants fruit mainly on short spurs, and so rather hard pruning suits them best. If overcrowded, thin out the older branches, as advised for gooseberries, and then cut back all young growths to 2in or Sin from their base, and the leading shoots to bin. This applies to oldestablished bushes. Young bushes should have all shoots left much longer—say side shoots 6in to Tin, and the leaders 9in to 12in. As with gooseberries, pull out all suckers, and keep the centres of the bush quite open. —Black Currants. — This fruit is treated in quite a different way to the red kind, as it fruits almost solely on the young wood of tho previous year. No actual pruning is necessary, as all strong wood is left at full length. All that is required is to cut away a few of the older branches each winter to keep the bush from becoming overcrowded. Cut these old branches as low down as possible, as this induces strong young growths to start away from the bottom, and thus the bushes are kept in a young and fruitful condition. With black currants it is necessary to encourage the production of suckers, and not to pull them out, as in the case of red and white varieties, THE SPANISH CHESTNUT. The sweet chestnut (Castanea vesca) is said to have been brought to Europe by the Greeks from Sardis, in Asia Minor, about 504 b.c. It was first called the Sardis nut. Tho name of Castanoa. was given to it from Kastanea, the name of a city in Pontus, in Asia, and also of one in the Valo of Tempo, near the River Peneus, m which both places the chestnut grew m groat abundance, being a native of the former locality, and having been first planted in Greece in the latter, whence it was sent in tho reign of Tiberius Ctesar to Rome. It is evident that the Romans received the chestnut from the Greeks. i noophrastus mentions that in his time Mount Olympus was nearly covered with chestnut trees, and Pliny enumerates eight kinds that were known to the Romans in his day. Ono of the largest and eldest chestnut trees In the world is that on Mount Etna. The sweet chestnut was in all probability introduced into Britain in the time of the Romans for the sake of its fruit.

and, being a tree of great duration, and as it ripened its fruit, >t could hardly fail to become a permanent inhabitant. The oldest chestnut tree in the neighbourhood of London is that at Cobham, in Kent, and Cowdray Park, in Sussex, is famous for its hbestnut trees. In England the treo is chiefly valuable as underwood and for its fruit. As a fruit tree in Britain it -is generally planted on the margins of orchards for the purpose of sheltering them. As an ornamental tree the chestnut is equal to the oak. Its beautiful leaves arc never attacked by insects, and hang on the trees till very Jato in autumn, mass better than tnose ot the oak, and give more shade. A specimen chestnut standing alone produces a splendid C “ ’ RHUBARB FROM SEED. One rarely sees this mode of culture advocated; but it has its merits both for lifting, for forcing and for permanent quar--ters. As rhubarb soon exhausts the soil, it is necessary to make new plantations, say, ©very half-dozen years, as then less ground will suffice for the stock, as better produce is secured. By sowing seed early in September good roots for forcing may bo procured in two seasons. Iliere is an advantage with roots raised from seed, as the plants have much vigour. Many dislike old rhubarb roots, because they throw such a number of seed stalks. This may be prevented by growing younger plants. PAMPAS GRASS. The pampas grass of gardens, commonly known as Gyncrium argentum, was some years ago renamed Cortadoria argentea by jDr Stapf, of the Kow Herbarium. It is common in some parts of Brazil, and extends from Southern Brazil to Patagonia, hut nowhere crosses the Andes. The name pampas grass was first used without stated reason by Paxton in his “Flower Garden” in 1850, where the plant is mentioned as $, new introduction into hortxulture. In its wild state it is always found growing in the neighbourhood of watercourses and to depressions, where there is a regular supply 6f underground water, and is always absent from the greatest of those vast grassy plains which are generally called pampas. The grasses which form so prominent a part of the pampas vegetation belong to a different genera.