Gardening for Amateurs 



407 



Potting Salvias. Well -grown plants of 

 Sal via splendens brighten up a greenhouse 

 or a conservatory wonderfully during the 

 autumn and winter. They are rather quick 

 growing, and should now be fit for their 

 final potting. The roots will fill almost any 

 size pot, but the 7 or 8 inch size is large 

 enough as a rule. Pot firmly in rich soil, 

 and when the plants appear to have become 

 established, stand them outside on cinders 

 in a position not exposed fully to the sunshine. 

 Plenty of water will then be required, and 

 weak liquid manure and soot water must be 

 given at frequent intervals. 



Staking Chrysanthemums. Plants 

 grown to produce exhibition blooms will have 

 received support before now, and the decora- 

 tive varieties should now be attended to in 

 this respect. Allow each plant three or four 

 canes, the length being governed by the usual 

 height attained by the respective varieties. 

 Secure the strongest growths to the canes, 

 the others being supported, as necessary, by 

 strands of raffia passed round all the canes. 

 The plants should be placed on cinders or 

 pieces of slate to allow water to pass away 

 freely, and to prevent worms from entering 

 the pots. 



Primulas to Sow Now. Besides the 

 sinensis and stellata varieties of Primula 

 there are several others quite as valuable to 

 the owner of a greenhouse. By making 

 sowings now, plants to flower during the 

 winter and spring will be secured. The fol- 

 lowing should be grown : P. floribunda, ver- 

 ticillata, and Kewensis, all yellow, the latter 

 being especially good ; Forbesii, pale rose ; 

 malacoides, mauve - pink ; and obconica 

 grandiflora, of various shades. All flower 

 freely, and for a long period. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 

 Budding Fruit Trees. Fruit trees may 

 be budded any time now when the buds are 

 ready and the sap flows freely. This is 

 U<-rirrally tlic case after heavy rain, so that 

 this should be the time chosen for the work. 

 Choose prominent buds and remove them 

 witli the help of a sharp budding knife by 

 commencing the cut half an inch below the 

 bud, coming out at the same distance above 

 it. The wood is carefully removed, leaving 

 only the bark and the " .eye," and to receive 



this the bark on the stock is cut in the 

 ehape of a T, the sides being lifted, and the 

 bud inserted beneath. Tie in with soft 

 material, and shade for a week or so if hot 

 weather prevails. 



Figs Outdoors. If the borders for these 

 fruits are properly prepared before planting, 

 good crops can generally be obtained ; but 

 as the root run has to be severely restricted, 

 trees carrying good crops of fruits should be 

 assisted to develop them by regular feeding 

 now, using liquid manure for this purpose. 

 If the young growths are too numerous, cut 

 the weakest out entirely, the remainder 

 being retained to provide next year's crop. 



Loganberry. This fruit possesses one 

 decided advantage over the Raspberry. 

 Birds very seldom touch the ripe fruit, so 

 that protection by means of nets is rarely 

 necessary. As very strong young canes are 

 produced in the summer, which spread over 

 the ground for a considerable space, it is 

 advisable to thin out the weaker ones and 

 tie up the others to the supports. They 

 need not be tied in tightly so long as they are 

 secured ; avoid breaking the tops of the 

 shoots. 



Feeding Trees. It is even more im- 

 portant to know the correct time to cease 

 applying liquid manures to heavily cropped 

 fruit trees, than it is to know when to com- 

 mence such feeding. Immediately there is 

 the slightest sign of a change of colour in the 

 fruits indicating approaching ripeness feeding 

 should be stopped, or the fruits may become 

 unpleasantly tainted. The syringeing and 

 washing of the trees should also cease at the 

 same time. If this latter results in the 

 appearance of Red Spider, an insecticide 

 must be used after the crop is gathered. 

 These remarks apply especially to Peaches 

 and Nectarines growing on walls outdoors. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Lifting Early Potatoes. The crops of 



early Potatoes should now l>e dug, as no good 



and much harm may result by leaving them 



in the ground after this <lat;>. Xot only may 



they be attacked by the dreaded Potato 



\ but the ground can be at once 



cropped with other vegetables for late 



autumn and winter use, and for this purpose 



no further preparation of soil is necessary. 



