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96 



HE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[February 10, 1912. 



i 



©bttuary. 



: 



Q. A. Inglefield. — We regret to record the 



death, on the 20th ult., of Mr. G. A. Inglefield, 

 of Tidworth Gardens, Andover, in his 

 69th year. For 27 years he had been 

 in charge of Tidworth Gardens in the ser- 

 vice of Sir John Kirk, Bart., and latterly 

 the War Office. Mr. Inglefield was a successful 

 exhibitor of Chrysanthemums, fruit and vege- 

 tables. He was a well-known judge at shows in 

 the West of England. Before going to Tidworth, 

 Mr. Inglefield was 13 years gardener to the late 

 Mr. Gaskeil, Kiddington Hall, Oxfordshire. 



Thomas Galvin.— Mr. Thomas Galvin, nur- 

 seryman, Rhode Island, U.S.A., died at his 

 residence, Spring Street, Newport, on the 13th 

 ult. Mr. Galvin was born in London, in 1826, 

 He emigrated to America when 10 years of age ; 

 and secured employment as a gardener on an 

 estate near New York. Later, he was engaged 

 in his father's nursery at Newport, to the 

 management of which he succeeded, building up 

 an important business. 



J. M. Robson.— Mr. John Mather Robson, of 

 Beacon Grange Gardens, near Hexham, died 

 after a brief illness on the 26th ult., in his 

 65th ar. He took a prominent part in the 

 Fruit Show and Conference held at Hexham in 

 the autumn of 1910, and was one of the 

 founders of the Hexham and District Horticul- 

 tural Mutual Improvement Society. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Basic Slag for Lawns : Header. Six ounces 



per square yard would be far too heavy 



dressing, as this is equivalent to about 



17 or 18 cwt. per aere, which amount 

 is only used occasionally on grass land in damp 

 climates. A dressing of 1 to 2 ounces per 

 square yard would be quite sufficient, but, 

 in the circumstances you d< ^ribe, we do not 

 recommend basic slat; at all. This is on ac- 

 count of the stimulating effect it has on 

 Clover, whereby the lawn becomes liable to 

 burn, is slippery, and discolours the tennis 

 balls. If you require advice for renovation 

 purposes, we shall be pleased to advise you 

 on receipt of such particulars as the nature 

 of the soil and sub-soil, which grasses at 

 present grow on the lawn, rainfall, aspect, and 

 use to which the lawn is usually put. 



Brazilian Orchids : T. D. H. We do not know 

 of any special work on the Orchids of Brazil. 

 Flora Brasilienris, which you might studv in 

 some good library, deals fully with the Orchids 

 of the country, and it contains illustra- 

 tions of many of them. The species of 

 Orchids are, to a very great extent, met with 

 only in cert n localities, and it would be use- 

 less to desire to collect species not found in 

 the part where you are going. 



Canvas as a Protective Substitute for Glass : 



/. A. T. Improvised houses covered with 

 Hessian canvas are suitable for the harden- 

 ing of bedding plants prior to plant- 

 ing them in the beds. This description of house 

 is used in many market nurseries for protect- 

 ing, in their summer quarters, such autumn- 

 flowering varieties of Chrysanthemums as 

 Soleil d'Octobre and its bronze sport, Source 

 d'Or, and Mrs. J. W. Scott. The houses are 

 made 12 feet wide (the length being according 

 to circumstances), so as to accommodate seven 

 rows of plants. To three rows of upright posts, 

 made of 2-inch square wood, 6 feet long at the 

 sides, and 7 feet long in the middle, are nailed 

 battens 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. The 

 posts are pointed, and driven into the ground 

 to the depth of 12 inches or 15 inches at inter- 

 vals of 12 feet, the battens being nailed close 

 up to and flush with the top of the individual 

 posts. Otiper battens are nailed on to a middle 

 line of posts to form the ridge of the span 

 structure, and to the top of this the two 6 feet 

 widths of Hessian canvas are secured by means 

 of large, flat-headed tacks. Short lengths of 

 stout string are attached to the side of both 

 widths of canvas at intervals of 3 feet with 

 ^rhich to secure them to the side rails when let 



down over the roof at night-time. String 

 should also be provided to loop up the canvas 

 when rolled up from the inside. Care should 

 be exercised to make the canvas secure 

 when drawn down at night. Canvas should 

 be nailed at the ends ; it will not be necessary 

 to roll this up, therefore the ends may be fixed. 

 Hessian canvas, 72 inches wide, is sold at 5d., 

 6d., and 7d. per yard, and at -^d. per yard less 

 when rolls of about 100 yards are purchased. 

 With care the canvas will last for several 

 years. Scrim canvas, 54 inches and 72 inches 

 wide, may be obtained at 5d. and 6d. per yard 

 respectively. In fixing the canvas on the roof, 

 allowance should be made for covering both 

 ends. Hessian and Scrim canvas may be ob- 

 tained from any of the horticultural sundries- 

 men. Struts should be put to each of the two 

 side upright posts at each end to give stability 

 to the structure. Both the woodwork and the 

 canvas should be stored in a dry place when 

 not required for use. 



Cinerarias Seeding : W. B. Great difficulty is 

 experienced by most growers in obtaining 

 seeds true to variety from these plants, as the 

 plants cross-pollinate so freely. But the 

 Cineraria is so readily raised from seeds and 

 good strains produce such high-quality blooms 

 that propagation by any other means is only 

 occasionally carried out. Even the double 

 varieties come fairly true from seeds, only an 

 occasional plant being single. A few hybrids 

 which are sterile with their own pollen, or 

 cannot be reproduced true from seeds, have, 





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THE LATE G. A. INGLEFIELD. 



of necessity, to be increased by cuttings or 

 suckers. Examples of these are C. Moorei, 

 C. cantabridgensis, and C. Lady Thiselton- 

 Dyer. Selection has been so carefully and 

 systematically carried out during recent years 

 with Cinerarias, that seeds of high-class strains 

 sold in separate colours may be relied upon to 

 produce a very large percentage true to 

 variety. By lightly dusting the flower-heads 

 w T ith a camel hair brush, when the pollen 

 grains are mature, pollination is effected. It 

 will soon be noticed that, when pollen is abun- 

 dant, the brush becomes yellow. Plants some- 

 times fail to produce seeds when self -pollinated, 

 but seed readily when pollen from another 

 plant, even although it may be the same colour, 

 is used. Experience proves that seedlings 

 obtained by cross-pollination are more 

 vigorous. A different camel-hair brush 

 should be used in the case of plants of distinct 

 colours. Pollination may be carried on at 

 any time when the pollen is mature, the best 

 time being between the hours of 11 a.m. and 

 3 p.m. on a bright, sunny day. The atmosphere 

 of the house in which the plants are growing 

 should be light and fairly dry, at the 

 same time affording free ventilation. Feed- 

 ing with liquid manure should be gradually 

 discontinued before the flowers are fully ex- 

 panded. Cinerarias are found to produce seeds 

 more freely when grown in comparatively 

 small pots. In some nurseries where the 

 plants are grown extensively for seed pro- 

 duction, hives of bees are placed in the houses 



when the plants are in flower. In addition to 

 bees from outside finding their way into the 

 houses through the open ventilators, various 

 other agencies assist pollination. Moving the 

 plants from one position to another, and the 

 consequent shaking, will distribute the pollen. 

 A slight wind or draught through the open 

 ventilators also assists fertilisation. If plants of 

 the highest excellence are selected for seed pro- 

 duction, measures should be taken to prevent 

 cross-pollination. This may be accomplished 

 by distributing the plants singly in houses 

 some distance apart, or covering each plant 

 separately with fine muslin. A favourite prac- 

 tice adopted in private gardens if any plants 

 of outstanding merit occur among the seed- 

 lings, is to place them in a cool pit or frame, 

 with an ash bottom. When mature, the seeds 

 fall on the ashes, where they soon germinate. 

 When large enough to handle, the seedlings 

 are transferred to shallow boxes filled with a 

 light, sandy compost. 



Freesias : Tom. If your plants of Freesias 

 have been well cultivated and the old corms 

 properly dried off and stored there should be 

 no need to purchase fresh stock every year. 

 Seme growers raise their plants from seeds and 

 get better stock in that way than the average 

 corms that are offered for sale. The plants 

 when employed for decorative purposes in 

 dwelling rooms or conservatories often receive 

 a check which has a bad effect on the next 

 season's flowering. In such cases it is better to 

 purchase new stock rather than trust to defec- 

 tive corms. 



Gardens and the Public : G. W. The course 

 for you to adopt is to write to the head gar- 

 dener in each case, and he will doubtless give 

 you the information you seek respecting any 

 privileges of inspection available to the public. 



Names of Plants : F. T. 1, Cheilanthes ele- 

 gans ; 2, Adiantum hispidulum; 3, Bleclmum 

 occidentale ; 4, Pteris hastata. — A. W. 6. 

 1, Cupressus ncotkatensis aureo-variegata ; 2, 

 Tsuga canadensis ; 3 ; Cryptomeria japonica ; 4, 

 Cassinia fulvida. 



Nerine Seeds : W. D. A. Seeds of Nerine 

 germinate freely when placed on the surface 

 of the soil in a seed-pan. They do not require 

 covering with soil, and nothing is gained by 

 placing the seed-pans in a very warm house, 

 for germination is slow and the seeds will keep 

 in better condition on a shelf in a warm green- 

 house. When a root and first leaf appears the 

 seedlings should be transplanted, either in 

 store pans or singly in very small pots. The 

 young plants should be potted on as they re- 

 quire larger receptacles, and they should not be 

 dried off until they are approaching the flower- 

 ing stage. The seeds should be sown as soon 

 as they mature. Nerine seeds often germinate 

 naturally on the soil in the pots containing the 

 parent plants. 



Orchid Leaves Spotted : J. B. and A. J- W. 

 No disease is present, nor is the trouble caused 

 by insect pests, but it may be traced to an 

 insufficiency of light. 



Pear-leaf Blister Mite : B. B. The quantities 

 of paraffin and soft soap for use in each gallon 

 of water or 2 gallons of paraffin and 

 soft soap £ lb. Use boiling water. Mm* 

 the ingredients into a perfect emuls n by boil- 

 ing the soap in the water, and, whilst still 

 boiling, pour it into the paraffin, and churn witfl 

 a syringe until a white or creamy mixture has 

 been obtained. The mixture should then 

 be pumped with a force of not less than 

 20 lbs. to the square inch through a fine spra) 

 nozzle into another nozzle, which completei. 

 emulsifies the oil. When this is n^isnea 

 nearly two-thirds of its bulk will be paraffin 

 and before it is applied to the bark ol 

 tree the solution may be diluted with nine 

 times its quantity of soft water made ^ 

 mixing thoroughly again with the f&™& 1 

 When applied to tender foliage 50 gallons oi 

 water may be added to the original enrulsio , 

 one gill of oil to each gallon of water is suffi- 

 cient for tender plants. 



Communications Received D. R — A. Reader.^ J 



_G. F.—A. G., Somerset._H. C, Switzerland. -&• „ 

 R. J. W._E. M. M._G. L. J.—E. O. B.— G. B~-*> ■£ _ 

 S.E.N.-E. J.R_H. C. B.—C. E. M.-T. 1U-* * 



C. T. D._H. F._F. W, 8. -E. A. B.-J. B.M— &j J£ 



D. R. W._Prof. F. K., Berlin._J. G. S.-R. P. B^Ve— 

 W. A. M_W. P. H._J. R. J.-C. F., Lincolnshire 



H. W_H. A.__T. Y. N. C L Anxious.— A. D. 



