February 24, 1912.] 



THE GA RDENERS CHR ONICL E 



119 



In many 



be pinched as soon as they appear, and the lead- 

 ing shoots tied to a strong stick. As soon as the 

 plants are of a suitable height, they should be 

 stopped, and the resulting shoots pinched again 

 after a few leaves have developed. 



Pruning Evergreens. — No general rule 

 can be laid down as to the pruning of evergreen 

 shrubs, for the requirements of the indi- 

 vidual plants must be considered. „ - w 



establishments evergreens are planted closely in 

 belts or large clumps for the purpose of wind- 

 screens. Laurel, Privet, Aucuba, and Osman- 

 thus are all suitable for the purpose. Some- 

 times, after being planted, the plants are 

 allowed to grow without restriction, till they 

 have quite outgrown their positions. In this 

 case, advantage should be taken of dry, frosty 

 weather to carefully overhaul the shrubberies, 

 cutting out all dead wood, and reducing the 

 growth to a proper limit. After removing a large 

 branch, train in and secure by string good pieces 

 of healthy growth, to furnish the gap. Laurels 

 •or other large-leaved shrubs should not be 

 clipped with shears, as many of the leaves are 

 cut in halves and the shoots damaged, setting 

 up unhealthy conditions. A strong pruning 

 knife is the best tool : a good workman can 

 prune a large number of shrubs with a sharp 

 knife very quickly. Shrubberies may be made 

 additionally interesting by planting a good selec- 

 tion of choice flowering subjects. In particular 

 plant plenty of autumn-blooming shrubs, as 

 there is usually a wealth of bloom in the shrub- 

 bery during spring and early summer. Hibiscus 

 syriacus (Althaea frutex) flowers in the autumn, 

 and thrives in almost any kind of soil. Some 

 of the best varieties of this plant are rubis, cceles- 

 tis, albus plenus, Duchesse de Brabant, rubra 

 plena, Amaranthus, Leopoldii, and paeoniaeflora. 

 Clumps of the stronger-growing, hardy, her- 

 baceous plants should also be utilised, giving 

 preference to those having brightly-coloured 

 flowers late in the season. Kniphofias placed in 

 bold clumps are very effective subjects, the 

 stronger-growing ^varieties, such as nobilis, 

 grandis, Saundersii, John Benary, K. uvaria gran- 

 diflora, and K. caulescens, are all suit-able for the 

 purpose. Other suitable plants include Aconitum, 

 Anemone japonica, species of Helianthus, Ar- 

 temisia lactiflora, Bocconia cordata, Echinops, 

 Eryngiums in variety, Epilobium, and Solidago, 

 all of which flower in the autumn. In spring, 

 patches of Papaver orientale and perennial 

 Lupins will provide a display of bright colours. 



Seedlings. 



— Seedlings of various kinds 

 should be transplanted as soon as they are large 

 enough to handle. Plants of East Lothian 

 Stocks, Pentstemons, and Antirrhinums should 

 not be allowed to grow for too long a period in 

 the seed pans, or they may become drawn and 

 weakened. They should be grown in a light frame 

 or house having an intermediate temperature, 

 transplanting them later to cooler quarters. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, 



Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. 



Leeks. — A further sowing of Leeks should be 

 made in boxes and raised in a gentle heat. Seed- 

 lings should be pricked off, and grown in a tem- 

 perature of from 50° to 55°. 



Seakale. — Boots of Seakale will be found to 

 force much more easily now, and a regular supply 

 of crowns should be" placed in the Mushroom 

 house about once a week, and in numbers accord- 

 ing to the demand. 



Maincrop Onions.— At the first favourable 

 opportunity make a sowing of maincrop Onions. 

 Ground that has been previously well worked 

 and exposed in a rough condition to the in- 

 fluences of the weather will only need the sur- 

 face made level with a fork, and afterwards 



xkt a t0 P re P are a fine tilth for seed-sowing. 

 Wood ashes and soot strewn over the ground 



before it is raked will be beneficial to the crop 



Unions require a firm seed bed, and the ground 



should *>e well trodden before the drills are 



made. Mark the positions of the rows by 



Placing sticks at either end of the plot as *a 



guide to the garden line. Where a quantity of 



Umons are grown, provision should be made for 



SXw^^i^ir^^ 61811 * ° r ten rows - Draw 

 shallow drills 10 inches to 1 foot apart. Sow 



the seed moderately thickly, as the surplus plants 



will be useful for salad purposes ; but leave 

 plenty of plants in the row, as the bulbs ripen 

 better and a greater bulk of crop is obtained 

 than when the plants are thinned too rigorously. 

 Press the seeds in well with the heel, and tread 

 down the soil in the rows, afterwards leaving 

 the surface neat and level. James's Long Keep- 

 ing and Main Crop are two excellent varieties, 

 and the bulbs keep well. 



Garlic. —Gar. ic is frequently in request, and 

 a small quantity should be grown each year. 

 Fork over the ground, rake it level, and then 

 plant the sets in rows, with a dibber, at 1 foot 

 apart, allowing 9 inches between the bulbs or 

 cloves, as they are termed. Little attention will 

 be required afterwards, except keeping the 

 ground free from weeds. 



Parsnips. — Roots of last 



still 



year s crop 



in the ground should be lifted and stored (under 

 a north wall for preference) in ashes or soil. 

 Afterwards, the ground they occupied should be 

 dug without delay. 



Turnips. — If not already done, a sowing of 

 these should be made on a south border in soil 

 that was trenched or well dug last autumn. Fork 

 the ground lightly, rake the surface as level as 

 possible, and then draw the drills at 1 foot apart. 

 A sprinkling of wood ashes or soot will be found 

 a great advantage. When the seedlings are 

 through the ground, a first thinning should be 

 made, finally thinning them when they have 

 attained to a fair size, at about 9 inches apart. 

 From now onwards small sowings of Turnips 

 should be made at intervals to maintain a suc- 

 cession of roots. White Gem is a good variety 

 for present sowing. 



PLANTS UNDER GLASS. 



By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., 



Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. 



The Conservatory. 



affords, the 



— When opportunity 

 conservatory should receive a 



thorough cleansing, washing the walls with lime- 

 wash, blacking the pipes and making everything 

 tidy. Creepers, such as Bougainvillea, Habro- 

 thamnus, Abutilon, Bignonia, Tacsonia, and 

 Fuchsia, may be either cut back or the shoots 

 thinned according to the requirements of the 

 individual plants. Should the plants be infested 

 with insects, such as thrip, mealy-bug or red- 

 spider, steps should be taken to destroy the pests 

 and remove all traces of them. If this is not 

 done, other plants may be attacked by the in- 

 sects, which soon spread. Where practicable, 

 a light top-dressing of fresh soil mixed with 

 bone-meal may be applied to the borders in which 

 plants are growing, first removing the top soil if 

 it has become sour. In many conservatories 

 Ferns, Begonias, and other suitable plants are 

 grown on rockeries ; sometimes the back wall 

 is covered with Ferns, growing in a compost 

 secured to the brickwork by wires. Such places 

 should be overhauled, dividing any plants that 

 have become too large for their positions or re- 

 moving them entirely. Some of the more 

 rampant-growing species are liable to smother 

 smaller subjects in adjoining pockets, and for 

 this reason alone it is necessary to examine sys- 

 tematically the various subjects at least once a 

 year. The present is a suitable time to repot 

 large specimen plants, such as Palms. Take care 

 not to overpot them, for after they have attained 

 a certain size they may generally be kept healthy 

 and attractive by merely giving a sprinkling of 

 artificial manure. 



Codi/eums (Crotons)— To procure a stock 

 of plants for an early summer display, autumn- 

 struck specimens are preferable. These make 

 well-rooted little plants during the winter ; if 

 they are potted into 4^-inch pots (48's) at once 

 and placed on a stage or shelf in the warm stove 

 they will soon grow freely. When Codiseums are 

 required as table plants, the narrow-leaved varie- 

 ties, such as angustifolius, Chelsonii, Aigburth 

 Gem, Countess. Lucy or Mrs. Dorman, should be 

 selected, but the larger-leaved varieties are the 

 best for producing a bold, decorative effect in 

 the warm conservatory or for grouping. Suit- 

 able varieties for the purpose are Prince of Wales, 

 cordatus. tortulis, Warren ii. Queen Victoria, 

 Nestor, Reidii, B. Comte, and Johannis. 



Caladium. — Plants of Caladium that have 

 been wintered under the stages of the stove are 

 commencing to grow, and should be potted be- 



fore the shoots grow too long. The larger corms 

 of each variety should be selected as specimen 

 plants for making up, placing them singly in 

 small pots, pans or boxes. I prefer to use boxes, 

 as they can then be potted on into pans or pots 

 as soon as they have made suitable ' roots, and 

 it will be an easy matter to deteripine which 

 roots are likely to give the largest leaves, and 

 so better arrange them in the pots. The smaller 

 corms may be potted into small pots at the dis- 

 cretion of the grower. They will provide very 

 useful plants for general decorative purposes. 

 Plants of small-growing varieties such as C. 

 argyrites, and C. minus erubescens should also 

 be started in boxes, potting them into 60's pots 

 soon as they have made a little growth. The 

 Caladium does best in an open compost consist- 

 ing of good fibrous loam, peat, leaf-mould*, char- 

 coal, broken crocks and sand. The plants should 

 not be potted tightly, as anything that promotes 

 stagnant soil is very harmful. Any repotting of 

 the plants must be undertaken before the plants 

 have become in the least pot-bound. 



Roses. — Roses planted out in cool green- 

 houses will now be growing actively and may be 

 given a good soaking at the roots of weak liquid 

 manure. Roses in pots that were brought in- 

 doors early should be showing their flowers, and 

 these, too, may be helped with manure. A con- 

 centrated fertiliser of any kind is suitable, if not 

 used too liberally, guano being probably one of 

 the best foods. At this season overhead syring- 

 ings are rarely necessary, as a very damp atmo- 

 sphere may cause mildew to appear. Ventilation 

 should be very carefully afforded. Fumigating 

 with sulphur, if done carefully, is a certain 

 check to mildew ; the quantity used must be very 

 small when the foliage is young and tender. 



THE APIARY. 



By Chloris. 



Isle of Wight Disease.— I am sorry to 

 state that there are further outbreaks of Isle of 

 Wight disease amongst bees. In every case 

 where bees have died, the frames in the infected 

 hives should be burned with honey and comb 

 contained in them, together with the quilts. 

 The whole of the hives should be scrubbed with 

 boiling water and carbolic soap ; when dry, 

 every portion should be painted twice, at inter- 

 vals of 24 hours, both inside and out, with a 

 solution of carbolic acid, using one part of 

 Calvert's No. 5 carbolic acid to two of water. 

 The hives should then be exposed to the atmo- 

 sphere and sunshine until they are required for 

 use. Every dead bee should be carefully picked 

 up and burned. If a painter's spirit lamp is 

 available, the whole of the woodwork should be 

 scorched with the flame, and every portion 

 painted afterwards with the carbolic solution. I 

 find that some take all the above precautions, 

 but omit to disinfect the site on which the hives 

 stand. One of the easiest methods is to sprinkle 

 the soil freely with quicklime, or a solution of 

 strong disinfectant ; 8 ounces of carbolic acid to 

 one gallon of water may be used. The chief 

 symptoms of the disease are : The abdomen is 

 swollen and the segments near the fundament 

 droop and are curled under the body. The 

 wings, each of which consists of two parts, 

 and when at rest lie one over the other and ap- 

 pear as one, are disconnected and stand out from 

 the body and are seen as in flight. At this 

 time of the year the walls, alighting board, and 

 combs are all soiled by the bees, and the excre- 

 ment in this case is yellow in colour and not 

 dark and muddy, as in the case when bees suffer 

 from dysentery. Other symptoms may be ob- 

 served later, when bees are more often on the 

 wing. They do not gather any stores, fly about 

 aimlessly, and seem to have no power to settle 

 down to work. This is followed by a loss of the 

 power of flight, for they cannot fly more than a 

 few yards without alighting. They then fall to 

 the ground, crawl about, creep up blades of 

 grass and attempt to rise in the air from the 

 tips, but fall to the ground. In the evening 

 they crowd together in groups and die during 

 the night. The whole of the bees in the colony 

 are soon infected and all but a few around the 

 queen are found dead on the ground, or in front 

 of the hive on the alighting board; The queen 

 and the brood are unaffected, for the foragers 

 suffer first, but the queen and brood die ulti- 

 mately from insufficient warmth. 



