4;t8 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 19, 1886. 



serious mischief afterwards, as when the pans are watered the 

 water is sure to find the open or damaged place in the di-ainage, 

 instead of soaking in regularly all over the soil. Hence it 

 often happens that one half of the pan is covered with seed- 

 lings that have come up nicely, whOst the other is bare. This 

 is to be accounted for by the fact that the water has found out 

 the weak place in the drainage and passes quickly away through 

 it, leaving the soil in the other part of the pot or pan quite 

 dry, and the seeds, in consequence, remain dormant. It should, 

 then, always be borne in mind in crocking either pans for 

 seeds or pots for plants, that the drainage must be put in so 

 that the water shall be carried off regularly all over the bottom. 

 "Want of proper attention to this particular is often the key to 

 failure in cultivating many kinds of plants, for if the drainage 

 ia not properly seen to, the soil, from being constantly watered, 

 soon becomes soddened and sour ; a sickly appear.ance of the 

 foliage and decay of the roots foUow ; and eventually the plant 

 dies, or dwindles to such a state of ill health, that the greatest 

 amount of attention and skill cannot again reinstate it. 



As soon the larger pieces of broken pots have been properly 

 placed in the bottom of the pans, put in another inch of finely 

 broken crocks, shake the pan so that every little piece may be 

 firmly settled into its proper place, then use sufficient of the 

 fine riddlings mentioned above to cover this layer of crocks ; 

 fill up the pan with the prepared soil, and with a straight-edge 

 scrape the soil jff level with the edge. The soil must not be 

 pressed in any way into the pan, but be put in as Hghtly as 

 possible ; if this has been nicely done, by tapping the pan 

 gently on the bench a few times, the soil will sink down re- 

 gularly to about l.{ inch below the rim of the pan. On this 

 surface the seeds should be sown. 



The plan generally adopted is to prick the Pelargonium seeds 

 into the soil with a small dibber after the pan has been filled 

 up and levelled. This I have found to be a bad system, for 

 this reason, the seeds cannot always be placed upon the bottom 

 of the hole made by the dibber. The seed is also put in the 

 wrong way upwards. I have found by experience, that as soon 

 as the seed begins to vegetate the roots more rapidly strike into 

 the soil, and the bulk of the seed, or leaves, more readily ascends 

 thi'ough the soU to the surface when the seeds are sown instead 

 of dibbled in. 



Over the seeds I generally place a mixture of finely-sifted 

 leaf soil and sand in equal portions, just enough to cover the 

 seeds ; this being raiher more porous and more tempting to 

 the roots than the rest of the soU, will cause the roots to work 

 more freely, prevent their going down to the drainage, and will 

 very much increase the number of small rootlets. The pan is 

 then filled up with soil, which is scraped off as before, a few 

 more taps on the bench are given, and a very slight pressing 

 with the bottom of a small pot finishes the operation. If the 

 soil is in the state before mentioned, neither too wot nor too 

 dry, no water should be used for three or four days, the pans 

 should then have a very light sprinkling, just sufficient to 

 damp the surface to the depth of half an inch or so. The pans 

 should be placed in an average temperature of 50°, and the 

 atmosphere kept rather dry. 



About the eighth day after the seed has been sown the pans 

 should be again slightly sprinkled with tepid water, this time 

 using rather more than for the first watering. On the twelfth 

 or fifteenth day after sowing, some of the seeds will begin to 

 vegetate, and will very quickly push their seed-leaves through 

 the soil ; water should then be withheld, and the atmosphere 

 kept as dry as possible, the pans should also be placed as near 

 the glass as possible. Lose no time in preparing small thumb 

 pots, in which to prick out the young seedlings. Just the same 

 care should be taken in crocking these, as for the pans ; they 

 should also be filled in the same way, and with the same sort 

 of compost, and if anything a httle more sandy. The soil 

 must be put into the pots very loosely, and after taking the 

 ycSung plants out of the pots with great care, and with as Uttle 

 injury to their roots as possible, just make a hole in the centre 

 of the pot with the forefinger, sufficiently large to admit the 

 roots without cramping them. Hold the plant between the 

 thumb and one finger of the left hand, and after inserting it 

 sprinkle just enough soU to fill up the space about the stem of 

 ■ the plant, taking care not to plant it deeper than it was before 

 it was moved from the seed-pan; then give the pot a few 

 gentle taps on the bench to cause the soil to sink half an inch 

 or so below the rim of the pot. 



After they are pricked off they must on no account be watered 

 for four or five days, by which time they will have sent some 

 of their root* to the sides of the pot, when they m&f have a 



light watering, but not unless it is a dry day, with plenty of 

 air stirring ; and even then they should be watered as early 

 as possible in the morning, so that the air of the house may be 

 dry before night comes ; if this is not properly attended to they 

 will fog off by wholesale. — J. Wills. 



(To be contmued.) 



A PLEA FOR TREES, SHRUBS, AND SOME 

 OTHER PLANTS IN FLOWER GARDENS. 



{Continued from jiage 418.) 



Beds of low evergreen flowering shrubs, and detached speci- 

 mens, may be introduced into geometrical gardens with good 

 effect, and if flowering in spring or early in summer they would 

 be all the more desirable on that account. 



Andkomeda FLoniBUNDA is, perhaps, the handsomest of low 

 white-flowering shrubs. It has deep green leaves, is of close 

 and compact grovi-th, and grows naturally in the form of a half- 

 circle. The flowers are bell-shaped, di-ooping, fragrant, and 

 produced profusely in March and April. Specimens from 

 2 feet to a yard in height form excellent rests for the eye, 

 and are best distributed singly in beds from 3 to 4 feet wide, 

 for the plants have too much individuality about them to 

 group well. They need no cutting beyond removing the flower- 

 stalks, and any irregular growth immediately after blooming. 

 The plant requires peat soil. 



L-iCBOsTiNUS (Viburnum tinus). — Of this there are several 

 varieties, but none, in my opinion, surpasses the old one. 

 Specimens from a yard to 6 feet high, and as much through, 

 are no mean objects, whether trained as cones of half spheres. 

 They are easily kept in order by cutting in the shoots after 

 blooming, or in May. They are only suitable for warm situa- 

 tions. 



KALMii LATiFOLu has deep green leaves, and forms excellent 

 groups. The variety myrtifolia, though less in size, is even 

 finer in foUage than the species ; the leaves are smaller, and 

 the flowers are even larger, and of a dehcate pink or rose. 

 Kalmia latifolia major splendens has deep rosy flowers, ap- 

 proaching to scarlet. The flowers of all are delightfully fra- 

 grant. Peat soil. 



Rhododendron. — What could we do without this, the prince 

 of the out-door flowering shrubs ? R. hirsutum has pink 

 flowers, lightish green foliage, and forms a fine group. The 

 variegated kind is pretty, and will, I think, prove useful. 

 Of the other small kinds R. azaleoidea, pink, is quite unique, 

 and its fragrant variety, R. azaleoides odoratum, scarcely less 

 so. R. dauricum atrovirens has purplish flowers. R. ferru- 

 gineum, with russety leaves and rosy scarlet flowers, and its 

 white variety, are pretty, and are suitable for small groups or 

 edgings to the larger kinds. R. Wilsoni, pale rose ; R. ovatum, 

 dark rose ; R. myrtifolium, a fine rose, and its variety hybri- 

 dum, of a more dehcate rose, make fine low groups or edgings. 

 R. Govenianum, light purple ; R. ciliatum, white, shaded rose, 

 and sweet ; R. daphnoides, waxy rose ; R. fragrans, pale rose ; 

 and R. gemmiferum, crimson, with white centre, are indis- 

 putably the finest of the dwarf Rhododendrons. To these may 

 be added Cunningham's Dwarf White, or R. caucasicum album ; 

 and the hybrid Marian, which, from what I know of its dwarf 

 compact habit and abundant blooming properties, promises to 

 be useful as intermediate between the dwarf and tall varieties. 

 Its flowers are pink with dark spots. The varieties of R. No- 

 bleanum, of scarlet, rose, and lighter shades, are dwarf and 

 free blooming. R. Nobleanum superbum is a fine dwarf kind. 

 The varieties of R. Nobleanum bloom early, and are sometimes 

 injured by spring frosts. They have been fine this season, 

 whilst the hybrids have not done so well. The variegated 

 form of R. ponticum — viz., aucubaefolia, with the leaves 

 blotched yellow Like the Aucuba, and Ulac flowers, is very 

 pretty, but will, I fear, grow too tall ; small plants are hand- 

 some, how it will turn out is another question. 



Of the Hybrid Scarlet, and other Rhododendrons, I have 

 found the following do well until they became too high, then 

 it was necessary to remove them, and replace with smaller 

 plants, for they look best when about 2 feet in height: — 

 Comet, scarlet; Madame Titiens, vivid rose; John Waterer, 

 deep glowing crimson ; Blandyanum superbum, light crim- 

 son, dwarf habit ; Album virginale, white ; Coriaoeum, white, 

 dwarf habit ; Brilliant, crimson scarlet, dwarf habit ; Jenny 

 Lind, rose ; Ketelerii, rose ; Lord John Russell, rose, spotted ; 

 Gem, pale rose, deeper towards the centre ; Lefevreaniun, 

 ' purplish crimson ; Brayanuin, rosy scarlet, extra fine foUage ; 



