February 17, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



103 



were all exceedingly clean and healthy. The 

 cloches were ventilated from November 1; they 

 were never covered with mats, except on two 

 occasions in January. About November 20 Let- 

 tuce Little Gott in a cloche was attacked with 



mildew ; some dry sulphate of copper was ap- 

 plied on the plants and outside the cloche. The 

 disease never appeared again in the vicinity. 

 On December 28 mildew was present in four 

 cloches containing Cos Lettuces, and was treated 

 in the same manner, with the same result. Out 

 of 75,000 Lettuce plants we have grown this 

 season, we only lost those in five cloches, or 

 exactly 90 plants, in one of the most favourable 

 seasons for the growth of this fungus. As the 

 mildew very rarely appears after the middle of 

 January, we may safely assume that the Let- 

 tuces will remain clean as their growth advances. 

 The disease was very prevalent here last season, 

 and we had to spray the Lettuces planted on hot- 

 beds in February with a solution of sulphate of 

 copper 36 ounces, and salt of ammonia 40 ounces, 

 diluted in 25 gallons of water. The application 

 caused the growth of the Lettuces to be retarded 

 some 15 to 20 days, to the detriment of the crop 

 growing conjointly with them. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Nokthcote, 



Eastwell Park, Kent. 



Bedding Pelargoniums. — Pelargoniums 

 that are still in the boxes or pans in which they 

 were rooted shoulof be potted at once. The com- 



f»ost should consist of light loam mixed with 

 eaf-mould and plenty of sharp sand. The size 

 of the pots should be in accordance with the 

 constitution of the several varieties ; strong 

 growers such as Paul Crampel and Henry Jacoby 

 should be afforded fairly large pots, whilst small- 

 row ing sorts as well as the finer-leaved, scented 

 Pelargoniums may be grown in 3^-inch or 4-inch 

 pots. After they are potted, the plants should 

 be started into growth by placing them in a 

 moderate warmth : a house having a minimum 

 temperature of 55° to 60° is suitable. As soon 

 as they become established in their new pots and 

 are growing freely, transfer them to cooler quar- 

 ters, gradually hardening them preparatory to 

 standing them in the open in May. 



> 



The Propagating Pit. — All kinds of soft- 

 wooded bedding plants may now be propagated. 

 Most of the subjects root readily, especially if 

 bottom heat is provided. Heliotrope, Ageratum, 

 Coleus, Iresine and Lobelia compacta are usually 

 required in considerable quantities. A few 

 plants of Aloysia citriodora (Lemon-scented Ver- 

 luna) should be pruned and placed in a warm 

 house for furnishing cuttings. The plants will 

 *oon produce plenty of suitable shoots, and these 

 will root better now than later. 



Seed Sowing. —The stock of flower seeds 

 should be examined at frequent intervals, so that 

 no subject is overlooked for sowing at its proper 

 time. Seeds of Begonia, Ageratum, Nicotiana, 

 Lobelia, Pansy, Pyrethrum (Golden Feather), 

 and Petunia should all be sown now ; also Rici- 

 nus, Wigandia, Melianthus maior, and plants of 

 similar nature used for sub-tropical bedding. 



Salvia.— Varieties of Salvia splendens may 

 be propa-ated either from seeds or cuttings. 

 Scarlet Queen and Zurich are both excel- 

 lent varieties for planting out-of-doors in 

 summer time. AVell-grown plants arranged in a 

 mass make a blaze of scarlet colour during the 

 summer and until frost arrives. Strong, healthy 

 plants, that are grown without a check,' provide 

 a display of flowers soon after they are planted. 

 Let the beds be well prepared and' the soil liber- 

 ally manured. Do not plant too early in the 

 season ; it is better to leave tender subjects such 

 as these till the beginning of June, when the 

 ground is warm, but this must be lareelv deter- 

 mined by the season and locality. The purple 

 Salvia Horminum (Bluebeard) is a hardier sub- 

 ject, and should be sown with, and treated in the 

 same manner as, East Lothian Stocks. This 

 balvia may be planted in April and May, after 

 the plants are suitably hardened. 



Salvia PATENs.-The flowers of Salvia patens 



an™ ? ?£ llg l ltf ul bl , ue colour ^ indeed > they are 

 amongst the finest of all blue-flowered subjects 



art J^ll SU T^ bed , din g- T he roots or tubers 

 are usually hfted and stored during the winter, 



?ia£ JW T^ J Dahlias - « an in- 



shoufd kL °S J* d ? 1T ? d ' a numW of tubers 

 snouJd be potted and placed in a. war™ i,n„« 



Young shoots will soon appear, and these make 

 the best cuttings, rooting quickly in a propagat- 

 ing pit. At Eastwell Park we have associated 

 Salvia patens with Galtonia candicans, the latter 

 planted thinly through the Salvias and finished 

 off with a white edging. The bed was a great 

 success. In milder parts of the country the roots 

 may be allowed to remain in the ground during 

 winter, where they increase in strength yearly. 



Dahlias. — Tubers of the choicer varieties of 

 Dahlias should be placed in a warm house or pit 

 to provide a supply of cuttings. The shoots 

 should be taken off as soon as they are large 

 enough for the purpose and inserted singly in 

 thumb pots. Discard long jointed, sappy growths, 

 choosing firm, stocky shoots. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, 



Windsor. 



Cherries. — When the trees are in flower great 

 care should be taken not to allow the tempera- 

 ture to rise or fall too quickly during changeable 

 weather. Neither should the hot-water pipes be 

 overheated at any time. Keep the atmosphere 

 drv, and allow a constant circulation of air to 

 pass through the house, but on no account must 



there be cold draughts. Pollinate the flowers at 

 mid-day by gently touching them with a rabbit's 

 tail ; also give the trees a sharp tap to disperse 

 the pollen. Trees in pots should be watered care- 

 fully, especially until it can be seen that the 

 fruits are well set. Even at that stage they will 

 require very careful attention, especially in re- 

 gard to the regulating of the temperatures. To 

 attempt to unduly force the plants is sure to 

 result in failure. The Cherry is very subject to 

 black aphis, which may be kept in check by 

 fumigations. Guard against injury to the foliage 

 by a small grub which will be found rolled up in 

 the leaves. 



Planting One-year-old Vines. — Although 

 it is too early to plant vines, the old soil of the 

 border should be removed and, whilst the house 

 is empty, the grass, woodwork and trellis should 

 be thoroughly cleansed with strong soapy w T at er. 

 This also affords a good opportunity to paint the 

 woodwork and trellis, should this be necessary. 

 The new border may be made as soon as the soil 

 is in a good condition. If the compost is pre- 

 pared and placed in position two or three weeks 

 before the time of planting it will become warmed 

 to the temperature of the vinery and settled. 

 The denth of the border must be according to 

 the needs of the varieties which are to be planted. 

 Late vines should not be planted in shallow bor- 

 ders ; 3 feet will not be too much depth, provided 

 there is ample drainage. It must be remembered 

 that shallow borders require to be frequently 

 watered, and this would be injurious to_ Grapes 

 that are required to hang for a considerable 

 period after they are ripe, whilst it would be 

 equally injurious to allow the roots to become 

 too dry. For early and mid-season varieties a 

 depth of 2 feet 6 inches will be ample. In most 

 cases it is advisable to cover the bottom of the 

 border with a layer of concrete, so that the roots 

 may be kept under control. For the first two 

 years a border 4 feet wide will afford ample 

 rooting space, and this should be confined to the 

 inside of the house. The drainage materials may 

 consist chiefly of old bricks. Make the first 

 layer of whole bricks, placed on their edges ; 

 place another layer of smaller pieces on the flat, 

 and finish with a layer of broken materials, 



planted, with a can provided with a rose. The 

 vinery should be kept close and moist and the 

 vines frequently syringed till growth becomes 

 active. Fire heat should be used as sparingly as 

 possible till the vines are making good progress. 

 The rods of some of the strongest varieties, such 

 as Lady Hutt, Appley Towers, and Black Ali- 

 cante, should be ulanted a distance of 4 feet 

 apart; varieties which are less robust may be 

 allowed 3 feet 6 inches. Vines give the best 

 results when planted 7 feet or 8 feet apart, train- 

 ing two rods from each plant. 



about 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicary Gums* 



Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. 



Cucumbers. — The winter has been excep- 

 tionally sunless, and Cucumbers have experienced 

 anything but a favourable time. With the 

 lengthening days we may reasonably expect a 

 larger amount of sunshine, which will prove con- 

 ducive to a better growth. Healthy plants will 

 now strengthen quickly and produce fruit much 

 more readily. Apply a good surface dressing of 

 a fairly light material previously warmed to the 

 temperature of the house. Ktmove useless 

 shoots and regulate the remaining ones evenly 

 over the trellis. Avoid over-cropping, and cut 

 all fruits immediately they are of a sufficient size 

 for use. A brisk temperature should be main- 

 tained night and day, and the atmosphere of the 

 house kept humid by damping the bare spaces 

 frequently. During the early afternoon damp 

 the paths with strong manure water, which will 

 be found highly beneficial to the young shoots, 

 giving a great stimulus to their growth; it will 

 also act as a preventive of red spider. Young 

 plants that were raised at the beginning of last, 

 month should now be in a suitable condition for 

 planting in well-prepared beds. The materials 

 should consist principally of Oak or Beech leaves- 

 with a little long stable litter added. The leaves 

 and manure are best placed together in an open. 

 shed where they may be mixed thoroughly and 

 turned at frequent intervals before use. A fairly 

 light compost should be prepared. It may con- 

 sist of light, fibrous loam and well-decayed leaf- 

 mould, with sufficient road grit or old mortar 

 rubbish added to render it porous. The soil 

 should be placed on the fermenting materials at 

 least one day previous to planting, so that it may 

 become warmed. Support the plants with neat 

 stakes until the shoots reach the trellis. A 

 further sowing should be made, putting the 

 seeds singly in small pots. Raise the plants in 

 a brisk heat, and immediately they appear 

 elevate the pots near to the roof-glass. 



Vegetable Marrow. — Few vegetables are 

 more highly appreciated than the Vegetable 

 Marrow, and few lend themselves more readily 

 to forcing. A small sowing should be made as 

 advised for Cucumbers. The seedlings should 

 be potted in 6-inch pots before they have made 

 their second leaf. After the plants have become 

 well established, they may be planted out in well- 

 prepared, mild, hot-beds in portable frames. If 

 proper attention is given to the plants they will 

 yield good crops of fruit during April and May, 

 and, when it is safe to do so, the lights and frames 

 may be removed, and the plants will continue to 

 yield an abundance of fruits till late in the 

 autumn. Where space is available Marrows may 

 be planted out or grown in large pots and trained 

 up any spare trellis in cool houses. Excellent 

 varieties for the purpose are Moore's Cream, The 



be made to procure a soil which is rich enough to 

 meet the requirements of the young vines with- 

 out adding artificial manures. Concentrated 

 manures may be used more effectively when the 

 vines reach the fruiting stage. The top spit of 

 soil from an old pasture is the best rooting 

 medium for the vine. To this should be added a 

 sufficient quantity of old mortar rubble and wood 

 ashes to keep the compost open. A quantity of 

 coarsely-crushed bones should also be added. In 

 making the border, see that the soil is rammed 

 quite firm, and, except for the top layer, the 

 turves may be used whole. The vines should be 

 kept in a cool house until the buds are just be- 

 ginning to break. They should then be knocked 

 out of their pots and the roots carefully teased 

 out with a pointed stick. To facilitate the disen- 

 tanglement of the roots the ball should be im- 

 mersed occasionally in a pail of luke-warm water. 

 Spread the roots out to their full length near to 

 the surface of the border, and afford water, when 



An effort should Sutton, and Perfection. 



raised from 



parly 

 under 



sowings 



Peas. — Plants 

 and intended to produce crops under glass 

 should now be making good progress. Strictly 

 avoid undue forcing, but endeavour to promote a 

 steady, robust, natural growth. Provide sup- 

 ports as the plants require them. Further sow- 

 ings of early wrinkled varieties should be made 

 in boxes for transplanting the seedlings in the 

 open at a later period. 



Mint, Tarragon, and Chervil. — Green 

 Mint is generally in demand during the spring. A 

 supply of leaves may easily be obtained by lifting 

 the roots and placing them in well-drained 

 shallow boxes in an early vinery or Peach house. 

 Tarragon may be treated in the same manner as 

 advised for Mint. Make a sowing of Chervil in 

 shallow boxes, and immediately the plants are 

 large enough to handle, prick them out into 

 other boxes. Chervil should be grown in a tem- 

 perature of about 50°. 



