G6 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GCIDE. 



viously prepared, you had best leave 

 the soil open round them in a circle two 

 feet wide. The object of protecting 

 ■ trees on lawns is much more to keep 

 the blossoms dry than warm, and any 

 plan that will keep intact during a gale, 

 and insure shelter from rain, will serve 

 the purpose. Take care the material 

 used does not anywhere touch the trees, 

 or chafe against them. 

 Shady Border. — A portion of my garden 

 never gets any sun except late in the 

 evening. What can I grow in such a 

 position ?— r. P., Peterborough. [Many 

 good things will suit your shiided border. 

 AH the members of the genera Aconi- 

 tum. Delphinium, and Ilelianthus will \ 

 thrive in it. The common Chi-istmas ' 

 rose will do well if the soil is good. 

 Hollyhocks the same, but you must not 

 have expensive kinds. Papaver brac- 

 teatum and Armenlacum will be quite 

 at home there, and all the Phloxes are 

 available if the situation is airy. Poly- 

 anthus and primroses plant plentifully. 

 Double daisies will do if taken up and 

 replanted every September. A fine 

 display may be made in autumn by 

 turning out a number of fuchsias. 

 Lastly, British ferns will enjoy the shade, 

 and you may, if you like, appropriate 

 the border wholly to them. Thus you 

 see a border need not be shabby for lack 

 of sun.] 

 ToMATA DE Laye. — A. B. S. informs us 

 that he has found it difficult to ripen the 

 fruit of this upright-growing tomato, 

 and wishes to know if any of our oth(;r 

 readers have had the like experience. 

 We have seen it ripen well in the open 

 air, and believe it to be in no way pecu- 

 liar in this respect. We have often ad- 

 vised the cutting of the stems with the 

 green fruit on them, and placing them 

 on a back shelf in a sunny greenhouse, 

 when they are stubborn, or the season is 

 far advanced before they ripen. 

 Various. — J/. B. G. — The only way to in- 

 sure bloom on Banksian roses is to en- 

 courage the small tw iggy branches ; if 

 these are shortened, a profusion of strong 

 ' shoots will be produced, and tlie object 

 of the cultivator will be defeated. You 

 might try the shortening of the spurs 

 on a few selected rods, so as to get 

 bunches next season close to the stem, 

 but we cannot hold out any fair prospect 

 of success. Your aspect is not at all 

 suited for Banksias ; tliey require even 

 in the best climates a soutli wall. — 

 Arator. — One object was to get rid of 

 the clay, another was to use as much of 

 the clay as possible. We are so situated 

 that any scheme for working off a little 



clay is worth our attention, and we keep 

 always a heap of pulverized clay to add 

 to composts ; roses especially are always 

 sure to have some of it in the mixture 

 they are potted in. The trench was 

 about six feet wide, and afforded space 

 for five rows of potatoes. It was filled 

 up to within two feet of tlie level with 

 clay, and to about two feet above the 

 level with vegetable refuse. Thus there 

 was a bed of four feet depth above the 

 clay, so the six inches of clay on the 

 top amounted to only a ninth part of the 

 whole bulk. — A. B. — Iron stakes should 

 be regularly painted, and the ends that 

 are thrust into the earth should be made 

 hot, and then dipped into a boiling mix- 

 ture of pitch and tar. Pitch alone is 

 too brittle, and chips off. Our plan is 

 to have a good fire made in an extem- 

 porized furnace of loose bricks. On 

 this the pot is placed, and the stakes are 

 made hot by putting their ends into the 

 fire at an opening in front between the 

 bricks. A ity^ at a time are drawn out 

 and dipped. If oil is used the iron 

 should be red-hot, and that is not an 

 easy matter. Your third query caimot 

 be answered briefly. Sow Gloxinia seed 

 in March, and get up the seedlings in 

 peaty compost, and next month we will 

 consider the case. — K. M. I. — Good 

 22 oz.; large squares and small laps. — 

 G. W. P. — We have gii'en the name and 

 address of the original maker of the 

 Waltonian case more than a dozen times. 

 We cannot repeat it, for we do not know 

 what has become of him, whether he is 

 alive or dead. It is a pity some manu- 

 facturer does not take up this subject. 

 There might be a fortune made in it.^ — 

 Promising Pupil. — Your bunch of Clian- 

 thus puniceus, flowering now in the open 

 air at Gloucester, is a good set-ofi' 

 against the Devonshire folk, who lord it 

 over tis so grandly with their Italian 

 climate and soft breezes, moist with the 

 vapour of the gulf stream. It is some- 

 thing new to liear of Maurandyas 

 standing out two winters in succession, 

 and now "quite green on an east wall." 

 Your white flower is Arabis alpina, there 

 is a green sprig without flowers, that is, 

 Iberis sempervirens. Propagate them 

 both from cuttings or rooted ofishoots 

 after they have done blooming. Aspa- 

 ragus beds should be dressed with salt 

 every three weeks from the beginning 

 of May to the end of August ; half-a- 

 peck may be used to every rod of 

 ground. — Six Years' Subscriber. — We 

 imagine we know it, but we must not 

 risk a guess till we learn at what season 

 of the year you saw the plant in bloom. 



