Gardening for Amateurs 



691 



and others on warm sheltered borders. 

 They will need dusting occasionally with 

 soot during damp and mild weather when 

 slugs prove troublesome. 



Chicory. Bring on a few roots at a 

 time as required, but avoid a high tempera- 

 ture. Total darkness is, of course, neces- 

 sary, and a cellar will generally be found 

 suitable. Place the roots closely together 

 in sufficiently deep boxes filled with soil, 

 and water if this is at all dry. 



Rhubarb. For early forcing Rhubarb 

 roots should be lifted and placed in an open 

 shed for a short time. This checks the roots 

 and gives them a short rest, after which 

 they start into growth freely when placed in 

 warmth. This, of course, does not apply 

 to those roots that are forced in the open 

 ground later on by covering them with 

 manure. 



Endive. Full grown plants of Endive 



may be blanched by tying the large outer 

 leaves together over the heart or centre. 

 In some cases ashes or soil are packed 

 around the plants in addition, but this is not 

 really needed. A better method is to invert 

 empty flower pots over the plants, and cover 

 each with a piece of slate. But blanching 

 can be successfully done by tying alone. 

 Diseased Potatoes. It is the practice 

 of many when lifting the Potato crop to 

 leave those tubers which are diseased lying 

 on the ground. This is simply encouraging 

 the disease, which is bad enough even when 

 everything possible is done to combat it. 

 Such tubers, together with any haulm that 

 may have been left, should be gathered 

 together and burnt, even if a fire has to be 

 made purposely, fire being the surest way of 

 destroying spores. If the work has not been 

 already completed, push on with the lifting 

 of the Potato crop with all speed now. 



Sowing Small Seeds. The seeds of 

 some of the plants sown under glass is so 

 very fine that the greatest care is necessary 

 to ensure successful results. Begonia seed 

 is a good example ; it is as fine as dust, and 

 as it is also generally expensive, there is every 

 reason for taking all possible precautions to 

 enhance the possibility of free germination. 

 The pots or pans used for sowing should be 

 properly crocked, first with large and then 

 with smaller crocks ; these in turn should 

 be covered with leaves or moss, to prevent 

 the soil from washing down into the drainage. 

 The soil used must be very fine and sandy ; 

 about equal parts loam and leaf-mould is a 

 good mixture. The surface should be per- 

 fectly level, and if the soil can be passed 

 through one of the fine mesh wire sieves used 

 in kitchens it will be advantageous. Water 

 the pans by immersing them almost to the 

 rims, and let them stand to drain for an hour 

 before finally levelling the surface. Cover 

 the soil with sand, and sow the seeds very 

 thinly ; some seeds will need no covering, 

 but, in any case, a sprinkling will be ample. 

 Place sheets of glass and paper over the pots 

 to prevent the soil from becoming dry before 

 germination takes place, and turn the glass 

 daily 



Planting from Pots. The method of 

 planting out various kinds of plants from 

 pots in preference to any other way is 

 usually adopted because the check is thereby 

 reduced to a minimum. The roots are dis- 

 turbed so little when the ball of soil is 

 kept intact that there seems no reason why 

 the plant should not go straight ahead. 

 Yet it has to be admitted that failures do 

 occur, even with planting from pots ; but 

 these could generally be avoided by taking 

 a few simple precautions. When planting 

 out into soil that is rather heavy, it is 

 always advisable to place a handful of lighter 

 material around the roots, otherwise it may 

 happen that the roots may refuse to leave 

 the ball of good soil to enter that which 

 must be less suitable. Again, if the plants 

 to be put out are rather pot-bound, it is 

 essential that the outside roots be well 

 loosened ; when this has been neglected it 

 has been sometimes found possible to remove 

 the plants from the soil months afterwards 

 in precisely the same condition as that in 

 which they were planted. Pot plants should 

 never be planted when dry at the roots, or 

 it may be a considerable time before the 

 latter become properly moistened again, 

 and meanwhile the plants must suffer 



