Gardening for Amateurs 



265 



also to the shape of the bunches. The upper 

 parts of the bunches should be supported by 

 raffia from the wires overhead. 



Seedling Gloxinias, etc. Seedlings 

 of Gloxinias, Begonias, and similar plants 

 not yet pricked out should be attended 

 to without delay. Prepare pans of light, 

 rich soil, and transfer them carefully to 

 these, placing them about 2 inches apart. 

 Grow in the shade in a warm house, syring- 

 ing frequently to promote growth. More 

 forward plants may be moved into small pots 

 and treated similarly. 



Potting Chrysanthemums. The plants 

 should not be allowed to become potbound 

 before being placed in their flowering pots. 

 Prepare a good compost such as the follow- 

 ing : Fibrous loam 3 parts, leaf-mould 1 part, 

 sand \ part. In addition, add small quan- 

 t it ies of soot, wood ashes, and old manure. A 

 6-inch potful of bone meal to every bushel of 

 soil is also beneficial. Use 8, 9 or 10-inch 

 pots, and pot fairly firmly. After potting 

 stand the plants on a well-drained base in the 

 open, so that sun and air can play freely 

 between them. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 

 Thinning Plums, etc. It may seem a 

 pity to waste a large number of fruits by 

 removing them from the trees now, but 

 ulx-ii the trees are overloaded it becomes 

 necessary to do so, if the quality of the re- 

 maining fruit and the future of the trees are 

 to be considered. When there is an excep- 

 tionally heavy " set," nature shows the course 

 to be adopted, for many of the fruits usually 

 fall. 



Watering and Mulching Trees. When 

 dry weather seta in, watering trees traitied 

 against walls must be attended to, especi- 

 ally in light soil. Young trees planted last 

 autumn especially need to be kept moist at 

 the root ; they have not yet the deep root- 

 hold that older trees have established. Late 

 planted trees will need more attention than 

 any. A mulch of short manure, if procurable, 

 will do a lot towards lessening the need for 

 watering. 



Netting Strawberries. The nets should 

 l)e plaved over beds of Strawberries before 

 the fruit actually commences ripening, for 

 if birds once taste the berries it is a difficult 



matter to keep them out of the nets. The 

 netting must be kept above the plants by 

 some means. A good method is to place 

 wire netting of a sufficiently small mesh all 

 round the bed, and after supporting it with 

 stakes, cover the top with fish nets. 



Spring - planted Strawberries. Pick 

 the blossom-heads out of these as soon as 

 they are observed, and keep all runners re- 

 moved as they form. Hoe between the rows 

 occasionally to destroy weeds, and this will 

 also render less frequent watering necessary. 

 Although Strawberries prefer a firm root-run, 

 this is not interfered with by hoeing, as the 

 top inch or two of soil should always be kept 

 loose except immediately about the plants. 



Mulching Raspberries. If the planta- 

 tion of Raspberries was not mulched early in 

 the year, the present is an excellent time to 

 carry out the work. Use short, decayed 

 manure for the purpose, and place around 

 the canes. Raspberries are surface rooting, 

 and the roots consequently are quick to feel 

 the effects of prolonged dry weather. With 

 such a covering the plants will materially in- 

 crease in vigour. Loganberries and other 

 berried fruits may be treated in a smilar 

 manner. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Planting out Runner Beans. Runner 

 Beans raised in boxes should be hardened 

 off now and planted out in prepared trenches. 

 Plant alternately 6 to 9 inches apart in 

 double rows, and dust around the plants with 

 soot and lime to keep off slugs. The sticks 

 may be put to the plants at once ; they should 

 stand 6 or 7 feet out of the ground. 



Planting Vegetable Marrows. Har- 

 dened plants may be put out on rich soil, 

 although it is quite unnecessary to plant 

 them on manure heaps. Allow 4 feet between 

 the plants. Water frequently as may be 

 necessary, and it is advisable to cover them 

 at night with large inverted flower pots for a 

 week or so after planting. 



Outdoor Tomatoes. So long as the soil 

 is good do not add any manure for Tomatoes 

 outside ; it causes rank foliage at the expense 

 of the fruit. Sunny walls afford ideal 

 positions for growing the plants, and in such 

 spots plant out strong specimens at the end 

 of the month, and L'i\c MI|>|.>H of some kind. 



