USEFUL HINTS 



Bulbs after Flowering. Bulbs that have been forced or grown in water, both of 

 which methods of treatment are somewhat against their nature, cannot be depended upon 

 to flower again the following year. If it is thought worth while to keep them at all, they 

 will have to be nursed into well-being by being planted in a warm aspect in well-drained 

 soil, and left for a year to recover, after which they may be used again, though they may 

 not be so good as properly-grown Dutch Bulbs, which are now so cheap that it is hardly 

 worth while to practise the nursing plan. 



Care Of Old Trees. Almost every garden contains one or more veterans which 

 are for some reason precious to their owners. The two immediate causes of pre- 

 mature decay are starvation at the root and injury by storms and disease. Such trees 

 as the Beech and the Horse Chestnut, that root close to the surface of the soil 

 quite differently to the Oak may often be invigorated by covering the ground with a 

 few inches of good soil or short manure. Artificial watering during long drought, pro- 

 vided that it is thoroughly done, is another great help. Trees with large crowns of 

 branches are frequently seen thinly furnished with foliage, and altogether sickly in aspect, 

 owing to unhealthy or insufficient roots. The balance between top and bottom has been 

 destroyed. To restore it in some measure, the top growth may be reduced by pruning 

 and shortening branches here and there, wherever it can be done without spoiling the 

 appearance of the tree. This demands careful judgment, but some old trees in a sickly 

 state can certainly be rejuvenated in this way. It is of no value in the case of trees with 

 decayed trunks, nor with those, like our Common Oak, which will not break from old wood. 

 But Elms, Robinias, and Red Oaks are amongst those that respond to this treatment. 

 Old trees with insecure branches can often be preserved from mutilation by storms if the 

 main branches are fastened together or on the trunk. The common practice of putting 

 an iron collar round the branch should be abandoned. The iron prevents the natural 

 expansion of the branch, and ultimately chokes it. A better way is to use a strong iron 

 rod with a plate at the end, and instead of supporting the branch by encircling it, a hole 

 is bored right through the centre of it, through which the rod is pushed from the outer 

 side. In this way the weight is borne by the iron plate, which should, by removing suffi- 

 cient bark, be allowed to fit close in to the wood. New bark will gradually close over 

 and hide the plate, and instead of an ugly iron collar cutting into the wood, the only 

 evidence of artificial help is in the rod coming from the inner side of the branch. It is im- 

 portant that branches or snags that have to be removed should always be sawn off quite close 

 to the trunk or larger branch from which they spring. When a stump even no more than 

 a few inches is left, the new bark and wood are unable to close over it, and the wood ulti- 

 mately decays and acts as a conduit for moisture and fungoid diseases. A coating of 

 liquid tar over the wound, renewed once or twice until the new bark has closed over, is a 

 perfect protection against these evils. Trees decayed in the centre, with only an outer 

 layer of healthy wood, are, of course, doomed ; but by filling up the holes in the early 

 stages of decay, and thus keeping out moisture, their term of life can often be lengthened 

 by many years. Holes made by woodpeckers can sometimes be plugged up with a piece 

 of oak. This, if left on a level with the bark, will often enable the latter to close over the 

 hole. Large holes may be filled with cement, or even built up with bricks, the surface 

 being made water-tight and tarred over. 



Cleansing Plants. Whilst every one recognises that as soon as plants of any de- 

 scription become infested with insects they must be made clean, it is not so generally 

 understood that cleanliness is indispensable to the health and growth of all plants even 

 when no insects are present. The larger the leafage, especially of plants grown under 

 glass, the greater their breathing area, and as leaves are like lungs, constantly giving off 

 gases and absorbing others, it is of the first importance to keep them clean. Outdoors, 

 rains or heavy syringings will generally do that. Indoors, because the culture is somewhat 

 artificial, there is greater need for cleanliness. Leaves should therefore be often sponged 

 or syringed to free them from dust and soot or other dirt. This is specially necessary 

 with thick leathery leaves. 



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