USEFUL HINTS 



343 



hurdles, two sets, one above the other, overlapping about 9 inches. This gives stability 

 and a height of shelter of 5 feet 3 inches, which is enough for most purposes. One cross 

 piece is put above the hurdle to stiffen the laths. The laths do not touch each other, so 

 air passes through them. The whole shelter, iron, laths, and twine is well painted over 

 with that varnish which we get from Hill & Smith, of 118 Queen Victoria Street." 



Sowing Seeds in Concrete Walls. A rough concrete wall is naturally not the best 

 place for sowing seeds in. As much loamy soil as possible must be got into the crevices, 

 and it would be well to mix the seed and soil and work them in together. Autumn is a 

 good time for this work, so that the young plants would be getting a good hold in making 

 that slow but strong winter growth that seems so good a preparation for vigour in the 

 coming year. The following would be advisable : 



Alyssum saxatile 



,, serpyllifolium 

 Antirrhinum (Snapdragon), asarina 



and majus, vars. 

 Arabis alpina 

 Armeria vulgaris (Thrift) 

 Centranthus ruber 

 Dianthus caesius (Rock Pink) 



,, deltoides 

 Draba aizoides 

 Iberis tenoreana 

 Iberis sempervirens 



Sedum Aizoon 

 Tunica Saxifraga 

 Aubrietia graeca 

 Campanula rotundifolia 

 Cerastium tomentosum 

 Corydalis aurea 

 Iberis correaefolia 



,, gibraltarica 

 Saponaria calabrica 

 Sedum anglicum 



, , glaucum 

 Wallflower 



Sweet Briars as Exposed Hedges. The Common Briar makes an excellent hedge. 

 It is very hardy, and as the plants are raised from seed there is no trouble from wild 

 suckers, such as one experiences now and then with budded plants of Lord Penzance's 

 hybrid Sweet Briars, which make delightful hedges. The most brillant crimson is Anne 

 ofGierstein. Other good kinds are Amy Robsart (pink), and Lady Penzance (coppery 

 yellow) ; the last mentioned is not quite so free as the others. All have fragrant foliage, 

 and produce showy fruits in autumn. The Sweet Briar revels in a good, deep loamy 

 soil, inclined to clay, but before planting the ground must be trenched, incorporating with 

 the soil well-decayed farmyard manure, and a little old mortar and burnt garden refuse if 

 procurable. Plant between October and April. Do not plant very large bushes of the 

 Sweet Briar. Those from 2 feet to 3 feet in height are strong enough. One year after 

 planting cut them down to within 12 inches or 15 inches of the ground ; the subsequent 

 treatment consists in removing dead and crowded growths in autumn, and pruning rather 

 severely three or four years to induce strong, new growth. A good watering now and 

 then during the summer with diluted stable or cowyard drainings forms an excellent 

 stimulant for these and other Roses used as hedge plants. 



Spraying. There is considerable difference between syringing and spraying plants. 

 Syringing cleanses and refreshes the foliage, and the instrument used is a large force 

 squirt. This drives the water either in one stream from a nozzle, or breaks it up into many 

 tiny streams through a broad perforated nozzle called a rose ; the smaller and more nume- 

 rous these holes the finer the tiny streams. When it is desired to refresh foliage, the 

 latter nozzle should be used to allow the water to fall on the plants like gentle rain. When 

 plants are dirty and need washing, then the other nozzle must be used, and the water 

 driven on to them with great force. Spraying means the casting of moisture on to plants 

 like dew, and is advised when, because of mildew or insect attacks, it is needful to suffuse 

 the leaves with some liquid remedy of a chemical nature. A proper spraying syringe, 

 such as the Abol, with its curved nozzle, sends the liquid over the plants practically like 

 vapour, and it does not run off them. 



Treatment of Sloping Banks in Garden Ground. No feature is more frequent in 

 gardens, whether large or small, than a change of level necessitating a flight of steps. 

 The change of level, if not retained by a wall, usually has for its fate the steep turf bank, 

 unbeautiful, awkward to mow, and in all ways a very " bad second" to the better way of 

 treating it as a slope planted with suitable bushy growths. Cotoneaster microphylla is a 

 most suitable dwarf shrub for this purpose, but only one of many that can be used in 

 like manner. Such a bank planted with Savin (Juniper us Sabina], an evergreen of 

 deep, low-toned colour, that accords with the most dignified of masonry, would always, 

 winter or summer, clothe it well, and be pleasant to see. The late Dutch Honeysuckle, 

 though not evergreen, is also a capital thing, for its masses of growth, interlacing in a 

 kind of orderly tangle, are by no means unsightly in winter. For banks of large size 

 there is Pyrus japonic a, the free-growing Roses, or the double Brambles. For hottest 

 exposures there are the Cistineas (Cistus and Helianthemum) ; while some of these 

 and other sun-loving plants, such as Phlomis, Rosemary, and Lavender, can be used 



