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Gardening for Amateurs 



leafage and purple blossom) ; Gypsophila 

 repens (grey leaves, white flowers) ; Hutchin- 

 sia alpina (tufts of tiny leaves, white flowers) ; 

 Hypericum reptans (creeping St. John's 

 Wort, yellow flowers) ; lonopsidium acaule 

 (Violet Cress, very tiny plant, rosette shaped, 

 lilac-pink flowers ; blooms from seed in two 

 months) ; Linaria alpina (Alpine Toadflax, 

 purple and yellow blossom ; sow seed in 



spring) ; Saxifraga sancta and S. apiculata 

 (green, firm cushions, yellow flowers), 

 S. Aizoon (silvery Saxifrage, of which 

 there are innumerable sorts ; grey, white- 

 margined leaves in firm tufts) ; Sedum 

 acre (common yellow Stonecrop), S. coeru- 

 leum (tiny blue-flowered plant, sow seed 

 in spring) ; and Ajuga reptans (Bugle) and 

 its purple-leaved variety. 



Paraffin as an Insecticide. When 



properly used, paraffin is one of the best 

 insecticides, and numerous plants that are 

 liable to attack by mealy bug may be kept 

 clean by syringing them once a week with 

 water containing a little paraffin. Un- 

 fortunately, paraffin is difficult to mix with 

 water, and if used in a crude or insufficiently 

 diluted condition, it is almost sure to burn, 

 or otherwise injure the plants, unless they 

 have very thick bark and the application is 

 made before the appearance of leaves. But 

 if properly mixed with soft soap, so as to 

 form an emulsion, there is little risk. Take 

 a quart of boiling water and dissolve in it 

 Ib. of soft soap. When the soap is tho- 

 roughly dissolved add a pint of paraffin, and 

 stir briskly until a creamy liquid is formed. 

 The mixture may then be bottled and used 

 in the proportion of pint to 2 gallons of 

 warm water. If it is used to syringe with, 

 keep it well mixed by forcing a syringeful 

 back in to the bucket now and then. If 

 required for sponging, stir with the hand 

 occasionally. 



Plants on Hotbeds. The hotbeds over 

 which frames are placed for growing Melons, 

 Cucumbers, etc., invariably become exhausted 

 while the plants are in full growth, and if it 

 should be early in the season new linings of 

 fresh manure are necessary to maintain the 

 required temperature. In small gardens, 

 however, a commencement is seldom made 

 until the season is more advanced, and at 

 that period it is usually p issible to keep the 

 plants going with the aid of sun heat alone. 

 In such cases the chief point is to close the 

 frames early while the sun still shines on 

 them ; thus the heat is " bottled up " as it 

 were. The thermometer will show a con- 

 siderable rise, but provided the roots are not 



dry, and the foliage is sprayed before closing, 

 no harm need be anticipated. 



The Myrtles. The common Myrtle and 

 its small-leaved variety tarentina are popular 

 shrubs on account of their evergreen leaves 

 and fragrant white flowers. Moreover, they 

 are hardier than many people imagine, and 

 may be grown against a south or west wall 

 in the Midlands and South of England, whilst 

 in the south-west counties they succeed 

 quite well in the open border. Cuttings of 

 half-ripe shoots root well if inserted in pots 

 of sandy soil in a close frame in July, and 

 young plants may be grown in the window 

 of a dwelling room if no better accommoda- 

 tion offers. They require very little pruning 

 save what is necessary to shape the plants, 

 and that little may be given in spring. 

 There are two evergreen Chilian Myrtles 

 which are excellent white-flowered evergreen 

 shrubs, suitable for the open ground in the 

 south-west. They are Myrtus Luma and 

 M. Ugni. The flowers appear in profusion 

 during late autumn. 



Sowing Tiny Seeds. Failures frequently 

 occur by covering very tiny seeds too deeply 

 when they are sown. Seeds of many flowers 

 are better left uncovered, so far as soil is 

 concerned, than covered deeply, when sowing 

 is carried out under glass. Cases in point are 

 Begonia, Lobelia, and Gloxinia seed. Make 

 up the seed pans carefully, using finely- 

 sifted sandy soil for the surface. Make 

 smooth and slightly press the surface, water 

 lightly through a fine-rosed can, and sow 

 the seeds thinly. Cover each pan with a 

 sheet of glass, stand in a warm greenhouse, 

 and shade from bright sun until the seedlings 

 appear. When water is required, do not 

 water overhead, but soak the pans until the 

 moisture shows on the surface. 



