210 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[March 30, 1912. 



Continue to grow the plants on in a light posi- 

 tion in a house provided with a heat of 48° to 

 55°, and in a few weeks they will require another 

 shift, this time in their flowering pots : putting 

 the larger plants into 7-inch and the smaller in 

 6-inch pots. Use the same kind of potting soil 

 as before, but coarser, and add a 6-inch pot of 

 bone-meal to every barrow full of soil. 



Stopping is an important item in the culture 

 of the Perpetual flowering Carnation, and is per- 

 formed to insure a compact bushy habit, and 

 also to increase the size of tne plant. The first 

 stopping should take place just after the young 

 plants have received their second potting (i.e., 

 into 3j or 4-inch pots), when they are about 

 6 inches high and have perhaps six or eight 

 fully-developed leaves. The points of the plants 

 6hould be pinched out so as to leave about four 

 joints. The stopping of most of the varieties 

 should be discontinued at the beginning of July. 

 At the beginning of April the plants may 

 be removed to cold frames and gradually 

 hardened as the season advances. About a 

 month later they may be stood outdoors on an 

 ash bed, but they must be protected from rains. 

 It is a good plan to plunge the pots in ashes, so 

 that the soil will not dry quickly. 



About the middle of August the plants should 

 be removed into the plant house. At the end of 

 September or early in October, according to the 

 weather, fire-heat will be needed, but do not 

 raise the temperature above 50° at night, and, 

 if the mornings are warm and bright,, stop the 

 fires early, so as to prevent a too sudden rise in 

 the temperature. 



During the winter months afford water very 

 carefully and maintain a buoyant atmosphere 

 in the house. Give air on all favourable 

 occasions ; the ventilators should never be 

 closed entirely. Do not splash water about, 

 especially during dull days, but * take 

 advantage of bright mornings to syringe 

 the plants about once a fortnight with salt water 

 (1 ounce to 1 gallon) to keep down red spider, 

 syringing the plants again with clear water two 

 days afterwards. Continue to keep the growths 

 tied, and pick off all dead leaves and weeds, 

 pricking up the soil occasionally, when the op- 

 portunity may be taken of sprinkling the surface 

 with some approved manure. Manures, however, 

 should be very carefully applied during the win- 

 ter months, or the plants will produce a sappy, 

 soft growth and poor flowers. 



From March to June, when the pots are filled 

 with roots, the plants may be fed. In April, 

 May and Jnne farmyard or sheep manure placed 

 in a bag and soaked in a tub of water will pro- 

 vide useful manure water. 



If the plants are affected with rust, pick off 

 and burn the affected leaves. Keep the plants 

 a little drier, maintain a cool, dry atmosphere, 

 and spray with sulphide of potassium (1 ounce 

 to the gallon) or methylated spirit at a strength 

 of one part to 100 parts of water. 



PERPETUAL CARNATIONS AS BEDDING 



PLANTS. 



Mr. E. F. Hawes, who read a paper on this 

 subject, stated that plants of Britannia were 

 planted in May, 1909, on a border shel- 

 tered slightly from the north-east and fac- 

 ing due west. The subsoil was London 

 clay, which is always very damp and cold 

 during the winter and early spring months. 

 After blooming throughout the entire summer, 

 about 36 plants were left in the open ground 

 during the winter, in order to ascertain their 

 degree of hardiness. The lowest temperature 

 recorded during the winter of 1909-10 was 15° 

 Fahr, or 17° of frost. The last blooms opened 

 in a minimum temperature of 22.5° Fahr., 

 and the plants became dormant. The great 

 majority of these plants passed through the 

 winter unharmed by cold, and commenced bloom- 

 ing again the following May, continuing until 

 December. The cold winds experienced in April, 

 1910, killed the softer shoots of a few plants, 

 but, on being cut bark, new growths developed 

 and flowered freely through the summer and 

 autumn, not a single plant being killed. Plants 

 of several varieties have grown in the open gar- 

 den during the past winter, when the tempera- 

 ture fell below zero, and they have suffered no 

 apparent injury, and in some cases the flower- 

 buds are even now r showing colour. 



Two types of the Perpetual-flowering Carna- 

 tion may be used for bedding : (1) those plants 

 well established and having several flower-buds 



well developed, which, on planting, will flower at 

 once and continue to give a display of bloom 

 until the plants become dormant owing to the 

 low temperature usually experienced in Decem- 

 ber ; (2) young plants well established in small 

 pots, having from three to five strong shoots, 

 which commence to bloom within a month or six 

 weeks after planting. In either case they should 

 be planted out in May, in an open position, either 

 in a bed or border, where the soil has been 

 well prepared for their reception by thorough 

 digging and liberal manuring. 



NATIONAL HARDY PLANT. 



March 21. — A meeting of the council of this 

 society was held on this date at the Hotel 

 Windsor. The principal business was to report 

 progress in the arrangements for the society's 

 first exhibition to be held in the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Hall on June 19. 



A preliminary schedule of classes has been dis- 

 tributed among members and hardy plant culti- 

 tors generally. As promises of exhibits in these 

 classes havs been received from many of the 

 leading trade growers and amateurs, it was 

 decided to finally adopt this classification, and to 

 offer medal • awards in all classes rather than 

 money prizes. 



A discussion arose as to the advisability of the 

 society publishing a quarterly journal for free 

 distribution amongst the members, the matter 

 being referred to the publications committee for 

 consideration, to be reported upon at next council 

 meeting. 



Plants of Anemone pulsatilla rosea, Mrs. Van 

 der Elst, were submitted to the council, the ex- 

 hibitor being Mr. Van der Elst, Tottenham 

 Nurseries, Dedemsvart, Holland. An Award of 

 Merit was unanimously accorded the variety. 



HORTICULTURAL CLUB. 



LECTURE ON " WEEDS. 



5> 



March 19. — On this date, after the usual 

 monthly dinner of the club, at which Mr. W. A. 

 Bilney presided, Mr. Harold C. Long, B.Sc. (of 

 the Board of Agriculture), gave an interesting 

 lecture on " Weeds " illustrated by lantern 

 slides. Starting with the definition of a " Weed M 

 as a " plant in the wrong place," he dealt with 

 a considerable number of the most common weeds 

 found in gardens. Weeds, he pointed out, 

 varied greatly in habit, and it is necessary to 

 take advantage of their individual peculiarities 

 in attempting to eradicate them. One great 

 difficulty in getting rid of weeds is the preva- 

 lence everywhere of uncultivated ground on 

 which they are permitted to grow unchecked. 

 This results in wonderful supplies of fresh seed, 

 and as most of the seeds are provided with means 

 of wide dissemination by wind and other agents, 

 the most careful gardener is constantly handi- 

 capped by the immigration of fresh material. 

 Some of the slides snowed how the nursing 

 grounds are allowed even on public places where 

 the authorities take no steps to remedy the evil 

 by any sort of suppression. 



Weeds belong to three categories : annuals, 

 biennials, and perennials. The first and second 

 are the easiest to deal with, since their seedlings 

 can be destroyed by hoeing and general surface 

 cultivation, but the perennials, particularly those 

 which produce underground creeping stolons or 

 deep tap roots, such as Couch Grass, some of the 

 Convolvuli, Dandelions, and many others, if once 

 allowed to become common require the most 

 drastic trenching to keep under, as the smallest 

 portion of such rootstocks is capable in a very 

 short time of re-establishing the plant. For the 

 continued existence of such plants, however, it 

 is essential, even in the most persistent of them, 

 that they should be able to produce foliage on 

 the surface, and the more severely this is sup- 

 pressed the weaker and weaker grow the roots. 

 The general moral of this is that the hoe is the 

 most effective instrument, since it can be used 

 not merely to destroy the seedlings of the 

 annuals and biennials and thus prevent them 

 seeding, but also by constant cutting down of the 

 creeping perennial foliage of destroying these 

 weeds also, but such treatment must be per- 

 sistent to succeed. Spraying is also available ifr 

 some cases, and a slide was shown where a field 

 absolutely invaded by Dandelions scarcely 

 showed a specimen on a part where spraying had 



been practised. Many of the 

 the forms of the various weed 

 also their root systems, and 



slides 



showed 

 seedlings and 

 some verv in- 

 teresting data were given regarding the damage 

 resulting to the growth of desirable flowerin 

 plants and crops generally by the robbing of scl 

 nutriment and light by weed growth. Weeds 

 too, are often intermediate hosts of fungous and 

 other pests inimical to the proper tenants of gar- 

 dens. After the lecture an animated discussion 

 ensued in which members and visitors partici- 

 pated, and it was pointed out that some culti- 

 vated plants, such as Harpaliums, Anemone 

 japonica, and Michaelmas Daisies often prove so 

 wide-spreading as to cause almost as much 

 damage as weeds. 



Three new members were elected at this meet- 

 ing, namely, Messrs. Gilbert Beale, Harold Beale, 

 and W. H. Dunnett. 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 



March 21. — A general meeting of the above 

 society was held on this date ; The President, Dr. 

 D. H. Scott, occupied the chair. 



Mr. H. N. Dixon showed a series of plants 

 from South Portugal, stating that the plants 

 shown were collected on a botanical visit to 

 Algarve in company with Mr. W. E. Nicholson 

 in May, 1911. The trip was mainly taken with 

 a view to bryophytic study, and the phanero- 

 gams were only incidentally collected. 



Several of the plants shown are endemic to 

 Portugal, and others to the Spanish Peninsula. 



The next general meeting will be held on 

 Thursday, April 18. The exhibitions and papers 

 include : — 



1. Dr. D. H. Scott.— On Botrychioxylon para- 

 doxum, a Palaeozoic Fern with secondary wood. 



2. Dr. E. A. Newell Arber.— On Psygmophyl- 

 lum ma jus, sp. nova, from the Lower Carboni- 

 ferous rocks of Newfoundland, together with a 

 revision of the genus, and remarks on its 

 affinities. 



3. Mrs. Henshaw.— The Alpine Flora of the 

 Canadian Rocky Mountains, with lantern-slide 



BOURNEMOUTH SPRING FLOWEE 



SHOW. 



March 26, 27.— The fifth annual exhibition of 

 spring-flowering plants was held at Bournemoutn 

 in the Pavilion Winter Gardens on these dates, 

 and was an improvement upon any P revl0US 

 show. The decorated tables, groups of plants, 

 Hvacinths, Azaleas, and many non-competime 

 exhibits were arranged in the body ot tne 

 Pavilion. Lady Eandolf Baker opened the snow 

 in the presence of a numerous company. 



The 1st prize for a group of miscellaneous 

 plants arranged for effect in a space ot I* »» 

 by 8 feet was awarded to Mr. T. K. Isgba m, 

 Parkstone Nurseries, Bournemouth, tne pn 

 pal subjects being Clematis, Wwtem « n€ ^5| 

 Staphylea colchica, Narcissi and btocKb, 

 Ferns and Selaginillas for greenery ; 2nd, ^ 

 Park Nurseries, Bournemouth (manager . 

 F. W. Welch), for a formal group. Kose i 

 sendschon, in 6 feet high pillars was verj « 



five in this exhibit. 3rd, P. J. ^^FvaS 

 Crag Head, Bournemouth (gr. Mr.-W. J. *>]* J 



Hyacinths were fairly well shown. »*JfcJ 

 Ingram was placed 1st for 12 distinct ™ r ]£ 

 having good spikes of King of the Blue*, » 

 van Tuyll, Enchantress and Lady ^ erD f ' r^d 

 Mr. Garner, Delamere Lodge, St. Man 

 Bournemouth, with smaller spikes. ^ 



Tulips in pots made a bright display. £ 



distinct varieties Mrs. Obmond (gr. - • ]tf 

 Pearce) was easily first with well-grown j^ ^ r 

 of Prosperine, Vermilion Brilliant ana 

 Kroon. -ii en t 



Exhibits of Lilv-of-the-Valley were •JJJfc^ 

 Mr. Bealing, Bassett Nurseries, » oul " d fl ^ c r- 

 won easily with plants having very iarg« 

 spikes and huge bells. ., afl is 



Cyclamens were much better ^°j n ^ 0B T0>*- 

 usually the case at this show. J. . J - \v fla d 

 Esq., Ashton Court (gr. Mr. C. ^PP^^r? 

 plants carrying four dozen blooms in ^ The 

 small pots, and was awarded the 1st p • y^ m 

 Rev. C. H. Burrows, SummerfieW \B 

 W. G. Bar eel. was placed 2nd. 



