Gardening for Amateurs 



755 



house decoration next winter. Prepare 

 flower pans of sandy compost, and sow the 

 seed thinly not a difficult operation with 

 Cyclamen seed. A temperature of 60 is 

 suitable, but the seedlings will appear slowly 

 and at irregular intervals ; hence the neces- 

 sity for not sowing thickly. 



Bulbs under Ashes. Do not leave 

 bulbs under their covering of ashes after 

 they have made an inch of top growth. 

 Remove them, and place either in a frame 

 or cold greenhouse, in a darkened position, 

 where the leaves may become green gradu- 

 ally. Give water as required. 



Gladioli in Pots. Gladioli are extremely 

 effective when grown in pots for the decora- 

 tion of the conservatory or greenhouse. 

 Choose for preference those kinds that natur- 

 ally flower early, and use good soil, but with 

 plenty of sand added. The treatment does 

 not differ materially from that which gives 

 good results with Xarcissi, etc., in pots, 

 but strong heat should be avoided. 



Hardy Plants for Forcing. The vari- 

 ous hardy plants specially adapted for forcing 

 into bloom during the winter months give a 

 wonderfully bright and varied display. Pot 

 them now, and bring into flower as required. 

 They include Azalea, Rhododendron, Spiraea, 

 Deutzia, Solomon's Seal, Dielytra spectabilis 

 (Bleeding Heart), Guelder Rose, Lilac, etc. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 

 Exhausted Trees. In the last calendar 

 root pruning was dealt with as a means of 

 checking over-luxuriant growth which fails 

 to ripen and produce fruit. Occasionally, 

 however, trees cease to bear crops owing to 

 the soil becoming worn out, in which case 

 very little growth is made, and even that is 

 too weak to be productive. In such cases it 

 is often possible to bring the trees back to 

 a fruitful condition by removing the im- 

 poverished soil down to the roots, and re- 

 placing this with old turfy soil, with which 

 are mixed ashes from the garden fire ; these 

 are very helpful to all fruit trees. Make the 

 new soil quite firm, and to do this properly 

 it is essential that it should not be too wet. 

 If the shoots are overcrowded they may be 

 thinned during the winter. It is, of course, 

 necessary to distinguish between trees that 

 are merely exhausted and those that are 



absolutely worn out from old age before 

 undertaking the work. 



Propagating Bush Fruits. Gooseberries 

 and Currants are easily increased by means 

 of cuttings, and the earlier these are put in 

 now the larger will the resulting bushes be 

 next autumn. Take off young growths a 

 foot or so in length, and in the case of Goose- 

 berries and Red and White Currants rub out 

 the lower buds, leaving three or four only at 

 the ends of the shoots ; this ensures the 

 bushes being confined to one stem. Black 

 Currant cuttings are left as they are, so that 

 young growths may spring from the base. 

 Insert the cuttings firmly in a spot where grit 

 or sand has been dug in, and place some of 

 this in the drills also. 



Planting Small Fruits. Planting should 

 be proceeded with now immediately the 

 weather permits, and when the soil has settled 

 after being prepared, but there is nothing 

 gained by planting in sodden soil. Do not? 

 plant bush fruits very deeply, but make 

 the soil quite firm by treading. Currants 

 and Gooseberries should be planted 8 feet 

 apart, and although this seems rather wide 

 at first, it is easy to crop the vacant ground 

 with other things ; if the bushes thrive it 

 will be none too much space in a few years. 

 Raspberries are often trained to wires in 

 lines, in which case the rows should be 5 feet 

 asunder, and the plants 15 inches apart. If 

 planted in clumps, Raspberries should be 

 4 feet apart each way. Loganberries are 

 very strong growers, and the distances 

 allowed for Raspberries should be almost 

 doubled for these. Where the plantation 

 of small fruits is extensive it is an excellent 

 plan to enclose the whole space with fine- 

 meshed wire netting, to prevent birds attack- 

 ing the fruit when ripe. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 

 Cabbages. If any plants have disap- 

 peared from the bed planted last month, 

 fill the spaces at once. Another bed can be 

 planted to succeed these if thought desir- 

 able, but it should be remembered that this 

 crop is comparatively late in coming off the 

 ground. If slugs are troublesome, dust 

 around the plants frequently with old soot, 

 or soot and lime mixed together. 



Celery. The work of earthing-up Celery 



