IRISH GARDENING 



29 



The Culture of the Schizanthus. 



The Schizanthus is a )>lant (annual) of the easiest 

 possible culture : it is especially adapted for 

 pots, and. can be s(j\vn at almost anv period of 

 the year. The finest s])eciraens are those pro- 

 duced, from a sowing made the first week in 

 September, for preference. A good compost to 

 sow in is one of equal parts leaf-mould, good 

 fibrous yellow loam and sand : at all i)otting 

 stages use beech or oak leaf -soil if you can 

 procure it. Run the conapost tlirough a ^^-inch 

 sieve, sow in pans into wliich are placed some 

 clean crocks, cover these with some rovigh materia!, 

 and lill to within i-incli of the top with the 

 compost advised above : make a nice even surface, 

 and a practice we alwajs adhere to is giving a 

 good watering through a fine rose with very hot 

 water : this has the advantage, " in preference 

 to cold water," of killing sniall insects, worms, &c., 

 that hirk in the soil, 8,nd so often, when the seeds 

 are sown and finished with, come to the surface 

 during tlie niglit and upsat the seeds by exposing 

 them on the top of the soil, and the result is they 

 never geniunate. We always practice the above 

 in all cases before seeds of any kind are sown 

 with great success. When watered, leave to 

 drain for a fnw liours, then sow the seed thinly 

 and cover liglitly and place in a cool house ; cover 

 with a sheet of glass, which must be turned every 

 day. A piece of pa])er is very usefiil too on 

 briglit days to ward of^ the strong sun's rays until 

 germination takes place, which is geneici,!ly in 

 about seven or eiglit days. At this stage remove 

 the glass altogether, and gradually use the 

 seedlings to full sunshine. Keep near the glass, 

 and when each plant is in possession of two 

 leaves ])rick out into 2|-inch pots — one in each 

 pot, or three in each pot, as the grower thinks fit. 

 The former make nice plants in H-inch and 7 -inch 

 pots, and the latter niake large pla,nts in 9 -inch 

 pots ; we have grown them to a height of 4 feet 

 and the same through, and they certainly make 

 a fine show. When the seedlings are pricked off 

 into the small pots water well and put into a 

 closed frame for four or live clays, then renaove 

 the light altogether, and gradually ex])ose to 

 full sunshine as before advised when in the seed 

 pan ; in about three weeks they will be growing- 

 free. Keep as near the glass as possible, and 

 when at about the fourth leaf pinch out the 

 centre of each plant, and thus secure a good 

 foundation for good, strong, bushy stuff. 



Wlien the small i)ots are well filled with roots 

 remove again into 5-inch pots, using the sanie mix- 

 ture of soil all a'ong. (In potting Schizanthuses 

 never use a potting stick until the final ijotting, 

 and then it certainly is necessary to make the 

 soil lirm, but at tiie same time not too hard.) 

 When put into 5-inch pots you will find the 

 plants in about three weeks growing very freely. 

 Kec}) always in a cool house or frame with a 

 temperature of from 40 to 50 degrees, never more ; 

 this is an ideal tem])erature to grow in. Schizan- 

 thuses, like C-alceolarias, like the coolest treat- 

 ment you can give them, only never below 

 40 degrees if possible (I may say liere they are 

 very eivsily touched by fj-ostj. At this stage the 

 grower nuist use his own discretion with regard 

 to piucliiiig. tying, cVrc. We always kiieji the 

 plants neatly stak(!d. and ])inch them regularly 

 up to the month of February, say the 2Utli. 

 Any twiggy growth, such as Snowberi-y. is spjo^did 



for staking if cat a couple of montlis to get 

 rid of the sa]j before using, as they grow very 

 readily when cut, and put to stake the plants 

 immediately. 



By the mouth of January the plants ought to 

 be in tlieir flowering pots, 7 inches. or 9 inches, 

 as before mentioned. The mixture for this 

 potting is as follows : — Equal i)arts loam and leaf- 

 soil, some sand, a 6-inch pot full each of bone-meal 

 and soot (old) to each barrow-load of soil ; pot 

 firmly, using the jiotting stick. Do not sieve 

 tlie loam this time, but cliop with a spade, or 

 pull asunder with the lingers ; run the leaf-soil 

 tlirough a 1-inch sieve, water carefully at all 

 stages, especially at the above, as over-watering 

 tends very much to sour the soil if done to 

 excess before the roots get well into the new soil ; 

 yellow discoloured foliage are sure signs of cjver- 

 watering, Wlien the plants are gr(jwing freely 

 now and the pots are well filled with roots, a 

 little feeding is very good, but use same 

 cautiously. Weak soot-water, sheep, horse and 

 cow manvires are all very good, and will prove very 

 beneficial to the jjlants. We find "Thompson's 

 Vine and Plant Manure" awf\Uly good for foliage 

 and flowers. W. B. 



The Sweet Pea Annual. 



The National Sweet Pea Society has issued its 

 Annual for 1915 witii commendable promjjtness, 

 and we find it full of " good things " as usual. 

 Mr. Liumley Perrier sends a very interesting 

 contribution from British Columbia ; he tells 

 of an orange-cerise seedling which he intends to 

 call Victoria, and expects it will make its mark, for 

 all his plants came true. Mr. Tliomas Stevenson 

 writes some " Cultui'al Hints for Would-be Exhi- 

 bitors." Xo better adviser can be found. "The 

 Cause and Prevention of ' Streak ' " is very fully 

 dealt with by Mr. E. R. .Janes ; and among other 

 valuable contributions we notice " Early Flower- 

 ing Sweet Peas," by Hamilton C. Mott, Albury, 

 New South Wales ; " Winter Flowering Sweet 

 Peas, by J. Harrison Dick, New York; " Sweet 

 Peas under Glass," by G. F. Drayson; " Sweet 

 I'eas in Small Gardens," by S. M. Crow. The 

 Annual Outing of the Memlaers is described, and 

 full accovmts are given of the London Exhibition, 

 where the most coveted jjrize, the Henry p^ckford 

 Memorial Cup, M^as grandly won by ]\Irs. 

 Macnamai'a, of Ennistymon, of the Official Trials 

 of " Streak C'ures," and of the Trials held at ^Major 

 Hurst's Grounds at Burbage. These Trials are 

 about the most imi)ortant work carried out by 

 the National Sweet Pea So(;iety for testing the 

 reliability of the Seeds of new varieties and the 

 eliminating of " too much alike novelties." Irish 

 exhibitors of Sweet Peas should be encouraged 

 by the magnificent success of Mrs. Macnauuira 

 in winning against all comers the Eckford 

 Memorial Cup, with most beautifully fresh, 

 brilliant and fragrant blooms, which had so well 

 stood the long journey from Coimty Clare to 

 J-ondon. The^National" Sweet Pea Society, from 

 the valuable work it has so successfully accom- 

 plished, deserves the hearty support of all 

 Sweet Pea growers in this country, where 

 blooms can be grown second to none. The 

 Annual Subscription, which includes right of 

 fi-ee,entrv to the Shows and a copv of this Annual, 

 is only ;5s. ^Ir. Henry D. ligwell, Greeuford, 

 .Nfiddlesex, the Secretary, wiU send all par- 

 ticulars. 



