178 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[March 16, 1912. 



Potatos. 



Rents— 



Queen's .~ 

 Up-to-Date 

 Lincolns— 

 Up-to-Date 



British Queen 

 King Edward 

 Northern Star 

 Evergoods 



per cwt. 

 s.d. s.d. 



4 0-46 

 4 0-46 



• . . 



- •* 



1 9- 4 



39-4 



4 0-4 



2 9-3 



3 0- 



6 

 3 

 6 

 6 



3 9 



Lincolns — 



Maincrops 

 Biacklands 



Bedfords 

 Up-to-Date 



Dunbars— 



Up-to-Date 

 Maincrop 



per cwt. 

 s.d. s.d. 



4 3-46 

 9 9-3 3 



39-4 

 50-5 3 



5 a- 5 6 



Teneriffe 



New Potatos. 



... 10 0-13 | Algerian 



... 12 6-15 



Remarks. — Trade remains very steady. There are large 

 stocks of tubers in London, and fresh consignnn nts are 

 heavy for the time of year. There is no prospect at pre- 

 sent of prices rising. Edward /. Newborn^ Covent Garden 

 and St. Pancras, March 13 % 1912. 



©bttuari). 



George Hampton. — We regret to record the 

 death of Mr. George Hampton, foreman of the 

 walks and plantations at \Yindsor Castle. Mr. 

 Hampton, who was 76 years of age, had been 60 

 years in the Royal service. He was born at Ken- 

 sington Palace (where his father was employed) 

 in 1836. He entered the Royal gardens, Windsor, 

 as an apprentice in 1852, and after passing 

 through the various departments at Frogmore, he 

 was transferred to Sandringham Gardens for fur- 

 ther training, ultimately returning to Windsor in 



take 



tiy 



tripped on the ice and broke a kneecap. He 

 appeared, however, to be getting better, when 

 pneumonia developed. The members of the gar- 

 den staff at Windsor, including the late Mr, 

 Hampton, were shown in a photograph repro- 

 duced in the Gardeners* Chronicle, April 29, 

 1899, fig. 98. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Begonias Affected by a Grub : J. T . B. The 

 grubs destroying your BegoniM and other 

 plants are the larvae of weevils, which are ex- 

 ceedingly destructive, and it is difficult to kill 

 the pests without causing injury to the plants. 

 It may be itficieutif the plants are sometimes 

 turned out of their pots and all the larvae found 

 in the soil picked out with a pointed stick, 

 or if this method is not effective, shake 

 the roots free from the soil and larvae, repot- 

 ting the plants in a fresh compost. Spraying 

 the soil and roots of the plants with carbon 

 bisulphide, or trapping the adult insects with 

 portions of vegetables, such as Potato and Tur- 

 nip, are other means of combating weevils. 



Cyclamens and Roman Hyacinths : T. E. B. 

 Eelworms are present in the .portions of roots 

 left on the Cyclamen oorms, and are un- 

 doubtedly the cause of the trouble in both 

 cases. Infested plants should be burned, and 

 the soil in which they have been grown, 

 sterilised by heating. It is advisable to 

 sterilise your potting soil, as eelworm affects 

 many kinds of greenhouse plants. 



Destroying Tree Trunks: Hortus. ^ Methods 

 of destroying tree trunks were described in the 

 issues for December 9 and 16. 1911, pp. 411, 

 440. Your kind expressions are appreciated. 



Forcing French Beans: A. J. C. To obtain a 

 regular supply of French Beans during winter 

 and spring, sowings should be made weekly, 

 employing 7-inch pots up till the shortest day, 

 after which time 9-inch pots should be used, as 

 the plants require more soil and moisture in 

 spring than in the winter season. Seven seeds 

 are sufficient to sow in each pot, thinning the 

 plants to five in each pot. The plants should 

 be placed to within a few inches of the roof- 

 glass, in order to keep them as short-jointed as 

 possible: with the same object in view, the 

 night temperature should not be maintained 

 higher than 60°, especially during cold weather. 

 The soil for the earliest sowings may consist of 

 three parts sandy loam and one part leaf -soil ; 

 in the spring use three parts rich loam and one 

 part decayed farmyard manure. Afford liberal 

 supplies of water to the roots, and do not allow 

 the atmosphere to become dry, or insect pests 

 will be sure to be troublesome. 



Gardeners' Benevolent Society: B. H. The 

 Gardeners* Royal Benevolent Institution would 



not be an approved society under the Insurance 



Tomato 

 are not 



Grower. 

 suitable 



Act, because it is not a benefit society. If you 

 wish for particulars of this Institution, write 

 to the secretary, Mr. G. J. Ingram, 92, 

 Victoria Street, London. 



Glasshouses for Tomatos : 

 The houses you describe 

 for growing Tomatos for market; they are too 

 narrow. The houses described in the issue 

 for March 2, p. 146, under the heading " Glass- 

 houses for Market Purposes," would suit your 

 purpose in every respect. You could suspend 

 shelves from 9 to 12 inches wide from the pur- 

 lines supporting the roof on either side of the 

 pathway, with the ends resting on narrow 

 strips of wood, from 9 to 12 inches long, nailed 

 on both sides of the vertical posts, which in 

 this case should consist of wood 2 inches by 

 3 inches. No. 10 wire will be strong enough 

 to support the weight of the shelves when 

 filled with bedding plants in 3-inch pots or 

 boxes. The Tomato plants should be planted 

 in rows 2 feet apart in the borders (cross- 

 wise) on each side of the pathway, and at 1 

 foot from plant to plant in the rows. Fix a 

 length of gas tubing at both ends of the house 

 on either side of the path at 1 foot from the 

 roof-glass. This should be bolted to the end 

 wall plate at the bottom, and to the door-post 

 at the top, placing a washer or a small plate 

 between the wood and the nut. In order to 



THE LATE GEORGE HAMPTON* 



(For 60 years an employee in the Royal Gardens). 



strengthen these tubes, for the lateral pressure, 

 when the individual w r ires forming the trellis 

 are being fixed in position, a short length of 

 the same material should be bolted vertically 

 to the w T all-plate in the bottom and the end 

 (principal) rafter on the top in the manner 

 indicated, at both ends and sides of the house. 

 No. 14 galvanised wire will be suitable for the 

 trellis. Mark the position, 12 inches apart, 

 which each of the wires is to occupy on the 

 tubings with a piece of chalk. This done, 

 take the end of each wire once round the tube, 

 and then twist it two or three times round 

 the portion of the same wires which is to form 

 the trellis. A raidisseur or wire tightener 

 should be fixed to the tubing at the other end 

 of the house, one to each wire. The wires 

 should be cut about 12 or 15 inches longer 

 than the house, to enable the ends to be 

 taken through the central eye and, round 

 the wheel in each raidisseur, and then be 

 tightened with the key to the desired degree. 

 The raidisseurs may be purchased at 3s. per 

 dozen. The individual wires forming the 

 trellis should be kept to within 1 foot of 

 the roof-glass by a series of wire supports made 

 of No. 14 gauge, about 11 inches long, each 

 with one end turned for half an inch into a 

 kind of hook to take the line of wire, and 

 quarter of an inch at the other end, turned at 

 right angles to drive into the rafter at the 

 point where the angle is rounded off, and at 

 a uniform distance from the glass, afterwards 



closing in the individual hooks over the several 

 lines of wire with a pair of pliers. The sus- 

 pension wires should be driven into each ratter 

 at 2 feet apart immediately above each line 

 of wire. Place the wire supports in each suc- 

 cessive rafter anglewise to those in the pre- 

 ceding one, so that the weight of the crop may 

 be distributed equally over the whole trellis. 

 When the Tomato plants have attained to a 

 height of about 9 inches, loop a length of 

 Tomato string around the stems of each plant, 

 close to the ground, securing the other end of 

 string to the wire overhead. As the plants 

 increase in growth, coil them gently around 

 the strings or tie them somewhat loosely there- 

 to with raffia ; always being careful to allow 

 sufficient room in the ties for the development 

 of stem growth. Should you decide to erect 

 houses of the dimensions given in your letter, 

 the foregoing information regarding the mak- 

 ing of trellis, planting, and training of 

 the plants will equally apply. The following 

 varieties of Tomato are suitable for market 

 purposes : — Sunrise, Fillbasket, Early Dawn, 

 Hillside Comet, and Holme's Supreme. 



Jobbing and Landscape Gardening: Aber- 

 donian. Only a person well acquainted with 

 any particular town could answer your ques- 

 tion as to whether it offered exceptional op- 

 portunities for a jobbing and landscape gar- 

 dening business. You should first select a 

 district and then prosecute enquiries. There 

 are numerous market nurseries within about 20 

 miles of the Metropolis, notably those in Mid 

 Kent, Middlesex, and Kent (Swanley district). 



Names of Fruits: S. Belvedere. Kedleston 

 Pippin.— A. S. A. Alfriston. 



Names of Plants : Bournville. There is but 

 little doubt that the plant is Gasteria verrucosa, 

 figured in Bot. Mag., tab. 837, under the name 

 of Aloe verrucosa," but flowers are necessary 

 for definite determination.— O. B. Cornus 

 Mas. — Elap. Odontoglossum odoratum. — F. H. 

 1, Oncidium flexuosum ; 2, O. stramineum ; 3, 

 Bulbophyllum Thomsonii.— H. H. 1, Narcis- 

 sus incomparabilis Sulphur Phoenix or Cod'uis 

 and Cream; 2, Akebia quinata. 



Persimmon : T. H. A tree of Persimmon, Dios- 

 pyros Kaki, which fruited in the Succulent 

 house in Kew Gardens, formed the subject of 

 a Supplementary Illustration in the Gardeners 

 Chronicle January 21. 1911 : a description of 

 the tree was given in the accompanying text. 



• Renovation of Lawn: A. M. S. The winter 

 is now somewhat advanced for the best 

 manurial treatment. As a preliminary we 

 would suggest that a soil analysis, showing 

 the lime, nitrogen, available phosphoric acid, 

 and potash should be carried out. This will 

 probably cost you the sum of one guinea, and in 

 this case you might communicate with the 

 Analyst, County Laboratories, Chelmsford, as 

 you reside in Essex. If you do not wish to 

 go to the expense of an analysis, we think it 

 will be best to dress the lawn as soon a* 

 possible with a mixture of equal parts of loam 

 and well rotted farmvard manure, at the rate 

 of 5 tons per acre. At the same time apply 

 2-3 cwt. of basic superphosphate, 1 of sul- 

 phate of potash, and 2 of bonemeal per acre. 



Wellingtonia : W. B. J., Bridlington. The 

 cause of your tree of Sequoia gigantea (W e ll»V 

 tonia) dying at the top is most probably aue 

 to the drought of last summer. Many trees 

 suffered in a similar manner from this cause, 

 especially those growing on a porous sub- 

 stratum, such as gravel or chalk. As ) 

 wish to preserve the tree, your best plan is i 

 remove some of the soil above the roots ca 

 fully by means of a fork, and replace it * ^ 

 a rich top-dressing of well-decayed manur 

 and soil. This will probably prevent any iur 

 ther dving of the branches, and give the tre 

 a new lease of life. On any future <*&*«»* 

 when drought prevails for a long period, k^f 

 the roots well supplied with water bv mea 

 of a garden hose, which may be allowed to ru 

 at the base of the trunk for a day or two a* 

 time. 



Communications Received. — E J. D—w. w.K— 



H. R.__W. F._C. R_T S.-JH. B. D.-A. £-fj pston ^ 

 J. H._W. H. A._W. W„F. W, C.--Y. P. Py H « bl M . 

 H. R., Holland_G. M. T.—S. A.—W. D.- -R-* •- yj ' 

 W. P. R._Iris__J. B. M._H. S. T_F. F.-W-l^ j 

 Reigate__H. B._T. M., Denmark -R. J. wLrs*" ' ~ 



C. 



. Leeds— H. F. M., Peradeniya_-J 

 W. W., Berkshire— G. T._ J. C.—J. M. S. 



W.D* 



