192 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



G. J. W. — Pour the water upon fresh lime, and when the lime has settled, and 

 the water has become perfectly pure, it will be ready for use. A bushel of lime to 

 a hogshead of water would be a good proportion. 



Preservation of French Beans. — French beans, when properly preserved, are 

 so valuable for use during; the winter months, that we gladly insert the following 

 contribution upon the subject from an esteemed correspondent. Our correspondent 

 says : — " The preservation of French beans is a very simple matter. Take an 

 earthenware pipkin, with upright sides, of the capacity required ; about four gallons 

 will be enough for a small family of four ; put a layer of salt at the bottom, 

 then one of beans, and so on, in alternate layers, to the top cover, with a layer 

 of salt, and the thing is done. Before cooking, sufficient beans for a dish must 

 be taken out and soaked for several hours in cold water, to get rid of the salt. 

 The beans, of course, must be picked in dry weather." — Experientia. 



Names of Ferns. — Prestivich. — No. 1, Asplenium adiantum nigrum ; 2. 

 Blechnttm spicant ; 3. Scolopendrium vulgare. The Petunia is wrong at the root ; 

 probably the drainage of the pot is choked up, and the soil has become sour in 

 consequence. 



A. B. S. — "We have had no experience with the preparation referred to, and are 

 therefore unable to afford you any information respecting its value. 



Clat Soil. — J. T. B. — The admixture of a liberal proportion of road scrapings 

 or other light sandy material will be the most suitable manner of dealing with the 

 stubborn clay in the position referred to. 



Ficcs elasticus Propagation. — J. T. B. — Ficus elasticus is by no means 

 difficult to propagate, and the present moment is very suitable, for the work. Cut 

 the well-matured portion of the stem into lengths of two inches each, with a pair of 

 leaves to each, then split the stem down the centre, and lay the pieces on the green- 

 house shelf for a few hours. Insert them singly in pots filled with light sandy 

 soil ; bury the portion of the stem about an inch below the surface, and secure the 

 leaf to a short stake to prevent its becoming loose. The cutting pots should be 

 placed in a warm corner of the greenhouse, unless you have the convenience of a 

 cucumber or melon frame ; the frame is preferable, but they will strike in an ordi- 

 nary greenhouse at this season of the year. Although Ficus elasticus is valuable 

 for the decoration of indoor apartments and conservatories during the summer 

 season, it requires a temperature rather higher than that of the ordinary greenhouse 

 during the winter to keep it in good health. In wintering it in the greenhouse, it 

 is essential to keep the plants rather dry at the roots. 



A. D. — Kilburn. — The plants must have full exposure to the sun throughout 

 the year, for, when placed in a shady situation, the leaves soon lose the brilliancy of 

 the leaf-tints. 



Club in Cabbages and Borecoles. — G. Smith. — Whatever enriches, refreshes, 

 and renews the soil will tend to abolish club. Deep digging and plenty of manure 

 will do more to eradicate club ihan all the nostrums ever heard of — in fact, nostrums 

 are not of much avail, because clubbing begins in the seed-bed. We advise you to 

 sprinkle lime over the young plants as soon as they appear in the seed-bed, to 

 practise deep digging, and, when planting out, dip the roots in a puddle of clay, 

 lime, and soot. 



Pruning Acacias.— IF". G. — Acacias are usually pruned after flowering; in 

 some cases, the growth that follows pruning is pinched back once or twice to increase 

 the bushiness of the plants, care being taken to promote a thorough ripening of the 

 wood to insure a good bloom again. The bloom never need be lost, except in the 

 case of cutting down old plants to stumps, in which case one season's bloom must 

 at least be lost. 



Gourds. — S. S. writes to say that he is anxious to preserve pure seed of certain 

 races of gourds, but he fears that his this year will he a mixed lot, and that in 

 his plantation are several hybrids, the result of crossing last year, which he regards 

 as rogues, and is anxious to preserve the seed pure for next season. He must 

 remove all male flower -buds before they open ; the females may be left to swell their 

 fruit, as they will be fertilized by the males of the typical kinds. The fruits on the 

 rogue plants may be used young as marrows, or, when ripe, for any of the purposes 

 to which ripe gourds are put, but the seeds taken from them must be destroyed. To 

 sum up the advice in few words— nip the male buds from the rogues, and eat all the 

 fruits the rogues produce. 



