126 



IRT.^^fl CAHDEXIXG. 



in winter, and most pi'opli" (iiul tlirir siuur small 

 fiioiiKli Jvt that si'asim;oii that artoimt 1 ii-com- 

 nuMul ki't'piiiij; tlu' plants to a 'A or l-inrii pot 

 throujih tlu' winter months, ki'i'pin<i tho soil on 

 tlu' dry side. Wlu-n tlu- K'"t>""tlis hi'^xin to hrcak. 

 in sprinj:; givf cvt-ry I'ni-ourajiemcnt by syiin^'in^ 

 on snnny days with tepid water, shake the youn^ 

 plants out oi' their i)ots and rejjot into a snital)le 

 si/A'd pot in a mixture of two parts sound loam to 

 one of leaf-soil, with some dried eow dung chopped 

 line, and silver sand to keep the whole open. 

 With careful waterinjj; tlie plants ou^ht to Hourish, 

 and as soon as the pots are tilled with roots, pot on 

 into .") to ti-incli si/.ed pots, adding; to the above; 

 mixture a i)inch of bone-meal or Tliompson's 

 vine and plant manure, about a l-incli potful to 

 the barrow load of compost. The piocess of 

 uivintr greater pot room will go on as the plants 

 reipiire it, and by the end of summer they will 

 have become great plants in 7 to it-inch 

 pots. 



Thainixg. — If standards are wanted, a strong 

 growing slioot must be selected and all side 

 growths kept pinched out at the axil from which 

 they spring, so as to keep the stem clean to the 

 lieight desired : pinch at this point several joints 

 above where head is wanted, after which the side 

 growths will break; encourage them to grow and 

 train on circles of w ire until a large bushy head is 

 attained. Pyramids are got by pinching the 

 growths and regulating the shape of plants. Three 

 wires may be tied to the point of a central stake 

 and drawn down to another running round the 

 under rim of the pot : this forms an excellent 

 foundation for training a pyramid. Then there 

 is the fan-shaped plant, the chandelier form, 

 lianging from the roof of a house , and, indeed, 

 any form the grower may wish. The Fuchsia is 

 indeed an accommodating plant. 



All this growing can be done, from the first 

 week of June till the flowering period, out of doors 

 in the shade of a north wall or other not over 

 sunny spot. Liquid manure must be freely given 

 while the plant is growing, all flowers kept picked 

 off until wanted for show, allowing a space of 

 six weeks for the flowers to form. By adojiting 

 tliis mttliod the plant will be simply smothered in 

 flower at any given period, and will remain so for 

 the autumn months. Large as the plants may be — 

 and well gi^own ones may be six feet high and 

 proi>ortionally great in circumference— they can 

 be wintered very easily and made do duty as 

 large specimens the following year ; a frost-proof 

 shed is all that is needed, the plant will need no 

 water during winter, and to prove its adaptable 

 nature I have in iny mind a cottager who showed 

 year after year at certain Scottish shows a 

 remarkable Fuchsia and Petunia both of which 

 were wintered underneath his bed. 



The insect pests are invariably greenfly and 

 thrips, both of which are easily destroyed by 

 syringing wdth quassia and soap suds or other 

 l^repared insecticide. 



Some of the best varieties are : — Singles — Rose 

 of Castile, improved. Countess of Aberdeen, 

 Hector, Ida, Royal Purple, Fairy, Earl of Beacons- 

 field, Yvdetide, Warrior, Murill; while a few of the 

 best doubles are — Glenroy, Nautilus, Tiber, Ar^tus, 

 Phenomenal. I refrain from naming more, but 

 those mentioned here will permit any prospective 

 grower to select a few for trial. Do not grow 

 more than can be properly handled; a few plants J 

 well grown are worth more than manyJj 

 starvtings, 8Q 



The Month's Work. 



The Flower Garden. 



Bv CiiAiii.Ks ('<)14'K.\, (ij.rdi'i 

 ■L)rd Carew, Castle Hor- 

 Wexford. 



and Forester t( 

 Clunroehe, Co. 



Till-; dry weather in .Iiilv in the south has made 

 watei-ing necessar\- in iiian>- gardens. With 

 August we must ])repai'e for the next season's 

 supply of tt^nder bedding plants. Where 

 Cieraniums are used, cuttings should be inst-rted 

 in l)Oxes containing soil of a gritty luituic. We 

 use old potting soil and surface with clean sharp 

 sand. A useful si-/.(; for these propagating boxes 

 is 22 inches long, 12 inches wide, 4| inches deep ; 

 a few crocks placed over the holes in the bottom 

 of the box to ensure a free drainage during the 

 dull days of winter ; cover these with a few of 

 the largest pieces in the soil ; it is best to pass 

 all the soil through a |-inch riddle, use the coarse 

 parts for the bottoms of the boxes, and fill in the 

 fine soil to an inch of the top of the boxes. Press 

 moderately firm and cover the surface with sharp 

 sand ; diiable in the cuttings 3 inches apart. 

 The box referred to above takes thirty-five 

 cuttings ; make very sure that the base of the 

 cutting rests firmly at the bottom of the hole 

 or the cutting will rot instead of making roots. 

 If the weathei- l)e dry and the cuttings hard, they 

 can be made and ])ut in at once. If wet weather 

 prevails, let the cuttings be made a day pi*evious 

 to putting them in the boxes, and spread out 

 thinly in a dry airy shed, so that the base of the 

 cutting may get dried ; although the leaves may 

 wilt a little, the cuttings will root better, and a 

 higher percentage of plants obtained. It is 

 usual to allow 10 per cent, more cuttings than 

 the plants required for use ; this allows a margin 

 for failures and casualities during the winter. 



Cuttings of named Begonias used for bedding 

 may also be taken early in the month to increase 

 the stock : these should be piit singly in tiny pots 

 and placed in a box covered with glass until the 

 cutting shows signs of being able to hold its own. 

 This box containing Begonia cuttings is best 

 kept in a cool airy greenhouse, and on a moist 

 bottom : spray over once a day until they are 

 rooted during bright days ; when the roots are 

 formed the plants may be grown on as long as 

 possible in the greenhouse, where they will form 

 tiny corms about the size of a Marrowfat pea, 

 and these in their turn will make nice plants next 

 year. Heliotrope must be rooted in pots, and 

 are best rooted on a hot bed. Iresine, Verbenas 

 of sorts, and most of the tenderest plants are also 

 best rooted in heat. The Verbenas, however, 

 must be removed to a light airy place in the 

 greenhouse immediately they are rooted and 

 grown as hardy as possible before the dull days of 

 winter conie, or mildew will be rampant. Cuttings 

 of choice varieties of the smaller Lobelias for 

 edging may b put in for stock and a few plants 

 potted up also. The light growths of Lecophyton 

 Brownii must be rooted in heat, and the softest 

 tops only inserted ; these root from the sides ( f 

 the cutting and not the base, as most cuttings do. 

 Cuttings of Calceolaria Amplexicaulis should be 

 got in by the end of the month : the shrubby , 



varieties should wait until the end of September. ; 



The sooner cuttings of Violas and Pentstemons are | 



got in the better, although September is time j 



