Gardening for Amateurs 



361 



Winter-blooming Geraniums. Zonal 

 Pelargoniums are very useful during the 

 winter if they can be grown in a buoyant 

 atmosphere ; the temperature need not 

 exceed 50, damp being the chief enemy to 

 contend with. Young plants from cuttings 

 rooted early in the year are now fit to be 

 moved into their flowering pots, those 6 inches 

 in diameter being large enough. Use good, 

 but not too rich, compost and pot firmly. 

 Stand them in a frame where they can receive 

 abundance of air and sunshine. 



Berried Solanums. These plants do 

 much better if given open-air treatment 

 during the summer. They may either be 

 stood on a base of coal ashes in a somewhat 

 sheltered position, or they can be planted 

 out of their pots into the flower borders. In 

 either case see that they do not suffer for 

 want of water at any time, or the berries will 

 most probably be reduced in number. 



Tomatoes in Pots. As the roots show 

 through the surface soil, top-dressings of 

 loam, with which are mixed some old manure 

 and a little soot, should be applied. After 

 doing this, watering must be done as usual, 

 for although the newly-placed soil appears 

 moist, the lower soil which contains all the 

 roots dries rapidly. Fertilise the blossoms 

 by means of a rabbit's tail daily. Cucumbers 

 and Melons should also be top-dressed as 

 they need it, leaf -soil being used for Cucum- 

 bers in addition to loam and old manure. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 

 Pruning Red Currants. Where Red 

 and White Currants are pruned hard back 

 every winter the result is a thicket of growth 

 in the summer, which in a large measure 

 prevents sun and air from reaching the fruit. 

 For this reason it is good practice to summer 

 prune the bushes at this time, by pinching 

 all the young growths back to six leave*. 

 When this is completed, the bushes should be 

 covered with nets to keep off birds. It must 

 be understood that these remarks apply to 

 Red and White Currants only ; the result 

 of treating Black Currants in the same 

 manner would be disastrous. 



Layering Strawberries. If young plants 

 are required the runners should be layered 

 now. If allowed to grow it \\ill Ix- observed 

 that each runner produces several plantlets, 



but the one nearest the parent plant should 

 always be used, the rest being cut away. 

 Fill some small pots with good soil pressed 

 into them rather firmly, and into these pots 

 peg the plantlets quite securely. The pots 

 will be less likely to be upset if they are partly 

 sunk in the ground. The soil must be kept 

 continually moist to encourage the formation 

 of roots. It is quite possible to peg the 

 layers into the soil of the bed, but the dis- 

 advantage lies in the transplanting, as the 

 roots are disturbed to a far greater extent 

 than are those of potted layers. 



Netting Cherries. Early Cherry trees 

 trained to walls will soon be ripening their 

 fruit, so that nets should be placed over 

 them without delay. Birds are particularly 

 fond of Cherries, being attracted by the bright 

 colour, perhaps, for Morello Cherries are 

 attacked as badly as the sweeter kinds, so 

 that it seems hardly a matter of taste. The 

 nets must be kept out from the trees by 

 means of short sticks or some similar device 



Summer Pruning Apricots. The 

 Apricot may be summer pruned before most 

 fruits, as it is naturally earlier in commenc- 

 ing growth in spring, and the fruits are among 

 the earliest. It is important to lay in plenty 

 of the young growths of this fruit, but this 

 should not be carried out to the extent of 

 overcrowding the trees, for no good could 

 result. The leading growths, i.e. those 

 growing from the extremities of the branches, 

 whether at the sides or on the top, must 

 always be retained without any cutting where 

 the trees have not filled their allotted space, 

 and they may be nailed in position. All 

 other shoots should be cut back to six leaves 

 to admit light and nir and throw more 

 energy into the development of the fruit. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 

 Planting Main-crop Celery. Cheeks 

 nm>t always be avoided in the culture of 

 Celery ; therefore do not allow the plants to 

 become overcrowded, and perhaps starved, 

 before planting them out. Water the bed 

 well iK'fore commencing to lift them, and 

 thus ensure each plant coming out with a 

 good ball of soil adhering to the roots. 

 Plant firmly with a trowel, 9 inches apart 

 in double rows, the plants being placed 

 alternately in each row. Water in, and if 



