Gardening for Amateurs 



erect growth, suitable for placing im- 

 mediately beneath the lower courses of 

 steps, include Erinus alpinus and albus, 

 Campanula pusilla and alba, Dianthus 

 caesius and deltoides, Asperula hirta and 

 suberosa, Hypericum coris, Hutchinsia al- 

 pina, and Saxifragas like oppositifolia, 

 Aizoon, Rhei, hypnoides, and all the varie- 

 ties of these. Alpine plants are preferably 

 established in garden steps in spring or 

 late summer. After planting, they require 



syringing with water morning and evening, 

 except during hard frost, but after the first 

 season little or no attention is called for. 

 Seed of any of the plants named, if mixed 

 with some fine soil and sown in the joints, 

 will produce plants to flower the following 

 year, and, in addition, seed of lonopsidium 

 acaule, Sedum coeruleum, Calceolaria mexi- 

 cana, Linaria alpina, and Saxifraga granu- 

 lata, if sown in spring, will flower the same 

 year. 



Fuel for the Stove. Anthracite: 

 Anthracite is an economical substance to 

 use for firing, and highly convenient when 

 the amateur is absent for long periods. It 

 should be bought in lumps about the size of 

 walnuts ; it is dearer than ordinary coal to 

 begin with, but as it lasts much longer it 

 proves very cheap in the end ; a good 

 fire will last for twelve hours. Practice is 

 necessary in using anthracite, for it requires 

 more draught than the ordinary coal. A 

 high chimney is desirable, and it will prove 

 very successful if left alone. Coal is neces- 

 sary to give the fire a good start. Coal : 

 Coal " slack " is good for feeding the stove, 

 but a fire built from it requires more atten- 

 tion than the anthracite fires. It is a cheap 

 material, especially if bought in quantity, 

 and if not too fine will give little trouble ; 

 the heat obtained is less than from the 

 anthracite. Coke : Coke gives as good heat 

 as anthracite, but a fire from it is not so 

 reliable, and the amateur absent for long 

 speiis cannot depend altogether on its last- 

 ing powers. Large cinders saved from the 

 house fires may be regarded as coke. For a 

 smart stove the coke ought to be bought 

 broken into lumps not any larger than a 

 hen's egg. Best for the amateur : Perhaps 

 the best firing for the amateur who can 

 give his stove attention fairly regularly will 

 be a mixture of some of the above >ul>- 

 stances. Two parts of anthracite or coke 

 mixed with 1 part of fine coal is excellent, 

 but the substances are mixed in all propor- 

 tions. The best plan is to experiment in a 

 small way and find what mixture is best 

 adapted for the particular stove used and 



for the attention which can be given to it. 

 All fuels burn better and give off a steadier 

 heat if slightly moistened before use. 



How to Make Leaf-mould. Leaves of 

 hard-wooded, deciduous trees such as Oak, 

 Elm and Beech are best for the formation of 

 leaf-mould, and at least a year should elapse 

 before the decomposing heap is used. To 

 hasten the decay, spray hot water on the heap 

 and turn it over occasionally. Leaf-mould 

 forms a fine nursery for the development of 

 insects and fungi, so before the material is 

 used it should be examined, and bunches of 

 insect eggs, insects either dormant or active, 

 and twigs infested with fungi removed. 

 Millipedes are perhaps the most destructive 

 insects found, and they are difficult to get rid 

 of. Should pests be present, mix a little lime 

 with the mould some time before using ; 

 soot is even better for expelling insects, but 

 by far the best remedy is to water the heap 

 with ammonia solution, say a large cupful of 

 household ammonia per gallon of water. If 

 any of these three substances are used a 

 week before potting, the mould will benefit 

 manurially also. Fungoid pests are bad, and 

 often alx)und in badly prepared fermenting 

 leaf heaps, more especially if these contain 

 twigs, pieces of bark or tough leaf -stalks. 

 It is dangerous to use such leaves for potting 

 and inside work. Rather than lose them, 

 however, get a pound of carbon disulphide 

 a most penetrating sulphur compound in 

 liquid form and pour this among the leaves ; 

 keep all lights away from the liquid and 

 free of the leaf heap for a day or two, 

 as the carbon disulphide is highly inflam- 



III. (Mr. 



