THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



229 



— named the Gem, winch grows "best in 

 pure sand. Clay or chalk will never do 

 for any of the race, hut loamy turf and 

 leaf-mould are of great service, either to 

 increase the bulk of peat where it is an 

 expensive article, or to take its place 

 entirely where it is difficult to obtain it. 

 In any case, American plants must have a 

 soil in which their fine hair-like roots can 

 run, and quite free from salts of lime, 

 which poison them ; good fibry peat is the 

 only material in which any great variety 

 can be grown, and that is abundant in 

 almost every part of the country. As they 

 never root deep, an excavation of two feet 

 deep is plenty in the making of a bed. 



Bulbs of all kinds to be planted in 

 beds and borders. Pot hyacinths in suc- 

 cession, so as to prolong the season of 

 blooming. 



Carnations and Picotees not yet rooted 

 from layers must he taken off the stools 

 and planted under hand-glasses ; those 

 with a few root fibres may be potted ; 

 having begun to root, they will soon gain 

 strength. Border cloves may be propa- 

 gated to any extent from cuttings in 

 spring. 



Chrysanthemums to be attended to, so 

 that they may have a fair chance of mak- 

 ing a good bloom. Give them clear liquid 

 manure, and stake them securely, as their 

 blossoms, being heavy, often weigh down 

 the stems, or cause frail sticks to snap 

 with a gale of wind. Do not house any, 

 so long as they are safe from frosts, except 

 any that require forwarding to get them 

 in bloom by a certain date. Artificial 

 heat will do wonders to bring them out 

 quickly ; we have known them submitted 

 to a temperature of 80' or 90° at this time 

 of year ; but it should never be resorted to 

 if it can be avoided, for it has some preju- 

 dicial effect on the colours of the flowers. 



Deciduo us Trees may be planted now 

 ad lib. No occasion to wait for the falling 

 of the leaf ; never mind if they are as 

 green as in July, take them up, and dis- 

 pose of them as required ; the shift will do 

 them more good than harm. Fruit-trees, 

 rose s, forest trees, ornamental shrubs, and 

 all such things, may be ordered in from 

 the nurseries, and planted at once ; and 

 from this date every day gained is a real 

 gain for the future well-doing of the trees, 

 which will begin to make roots directly, 

 for the ground is now warm, but from this 

 time will get cooler every day, and the 

 longer planting is delayed the longer will 

 the trees require to make more new roots, 

 on which their vigour next season will 

 depend. Never plant while the ground is 

 in a sodden state ; if it does not crumble 



freely, wait a hit; meanwhile lay the trees 

 in by the heels, to prevent injury to their 

 roots by sunshine and drying winds. 



Evergreen Shrubs will move now 

 better than in spring; the earth is warm 

 and the air moist, and they will make 

 fresh roots at once. This is the best time 

 of the whole year to make alterations in 

 shrubberies and wildernesses. Not the least 

 occasion to wait for trees to be quite at 

 rest before moving them; the fact is, if 

 they are still growing, and are to be lifted, 

 the sooner they are lifted the better, if 

 only to put a stop to their activities. Hol- 

 lies will move now with safety, as will 

 aucubas, laurels, thuias, and all kinds of 

 conifers. 



Florists" Flowers— Pansies to be pro- 

 tected against slugs, and the grow d trod 

 firm between them. Auriculas to be kept 

 moderately moist, and every pot. in which 

 the soil has any moss or liverworts to be 

 considered defective in the drainage, and 

 rectified forthwith. Carnations to be 

 smoked, if any fly about them, and to have 

 full exposure to all weathers for the pre- 

 sent. Pelargoniums to be kept quiet; let 

 them grow slowly, and use fire heat only 

 to dry the house in foggy or damp weather. 

 Cinerarias in large pots to have weak 

 liquid manure water; those in small pots 

 to be shifted on, and to be fumigated 

 directly fly is seen about them. Primulas 

 to have a shift, if they have filled their 

 pots with roots. Tulip beds to be made 

 ready for planting. 



Planting. — • Extraordinary pains are 

 taken to keep the root balls of trees intact in 

 the process of transplanting, which we are 

 firmly convinced are needless. In fact, we 

 would always prefer to shake the earth off 

 the roots entirely, sooner then plant any 

 tree with a complete ball. The reasons 

 why, we cannot make room for in this 

 space, but the reminder may be useful to 

 planters who, from past experience, have 

 doubts about the value of keeping masses 

 of earth about the roots in transplanting. 

 When stripped bare, and every fibre ex- 

 posed, a tree must be planted with much 

 more care than when lifted with a ball by 

 a machine, and dropped into a hole, and 

 that extra care is a gain and an argument 

 for the better practice. 



Spring Flotoers.—Tha following are all 

 exquisitely beautiful, and if not in the 

 possession of the cultivator, should be 

 secured at once: — Iberis sempervivum, 

 snow white, and magnificent in large tufts 

 on rockwork. Iberis corriasfolia, large 

 white flowers, and remarkably handsome 

 foliage. Aubrietia purpurea and grandi- 

 folia, Alyssum saxatile, showy yellow, 



