

May 4, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



299 



receptacles of 5^ or 6 inches diameter. The 

 plants should be grown in cool frames fully ex- 

 posed to the sunshine that they may be hard- 

 ened towards the end of the present month ready 

 for planting out during the first or second week 

 of June, according to the locality. When select- 

 ing a site for these plants shelter from winds 

 should be the first consideration. The plants 

 should never be placed in an open position, the 

 ideal situation being one well sheltered and fully 

 exposed to full sunshine. 



General Remarks. — Space in the glass- 

 houses will be in great demand just now, there- 

 fore plants should be hardened as soon as pos- 

 sible so that they may be stood out-of-doors. The 

 more tender subjects may be transferred from 

 the houses to cold frames. Tender plants with 

 soft growth, such as Heliotrope, Coleus, Salvia, 

 and Iresine, must be treated carefully or the 

 plants may receive a check. In many gardens 

 the fruit houses are utilised for housing bedding 

 plants in spring, but when the permanent vines 

 and Peach trees are in full growth the bedding 

 plants should be removed to frames. Ventilate 

 the frames freely whenever the weather is 

 favourable; in a few days the lights may be 

 withdrawn entirely, and this will lead to a firm, 

 healthy growth. Sheltered corners of walls or 

 by the sides of glasshouses may often be utilised 

 for bedding plants to relieve the congestion 

 under glass, but make preparations to cover the 

 plants at night should frost threaten. 





THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady NunburnholmEi 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Watering. — In view of the unusual drought ot 

 April, accompanied by drying winds, it will be 

 advisable to examine the fruit borders, and more 

 especially recently-planted trees, to ascertain if 

 water is required. If the trees were mulched as 

 advised in previous articles, the mulches will 

 have done much good in conserving the moisture 

 in the soil, but even where mulches have been 

 applied, it is remarkable how dry the ground is. 

 Taking recently-planted trees first, it will be 

 necessary to afford a thorough watering at once, 

 repeating the application in two or three weeks 

 time unless rain falls freely in the meantime. 

 Timely waterings at this season are of the 

 greatest importance in successful growing. Apri- 

 cot trees should be examined next, and, if the soil 

 is dry, watered thoroughly, as they are gener- 

 ally the first wall trees to suffer from lack of 

 moisture, the borders being composed of materials 

 which allow water to pass through freely. If 

 once Apricots are allowed to suffer injury from 

 drought, no amount of attention afterwards will 

 repair the damage. Cordon Pears, Wall Pears, 

 Peaches, Nectarines and other trees should all 

 receive attention in this matter ; the labour ex- 

 pended in timely watering is repaid over and 

 over again in the size and quality of the fruit, 

 and the condition of the trees generally. The 

 trees have developed an extraordinary amount 



of blossom, and will soon become exhausted if 

 neglected. 



Gooseberries and Currants. — Both these 

 fruits promise well, and in the north appear to 

 have escaped damage from the recent severe 

 frosts. Now is the time to guard against the 

 Gooseberry and Currant sawfly, which com- 

 mences to hatch at the end of April and begin- 

 ning of May. Prompt measures must be taken 

 to destroy the pest. Where the bushes 

 are few, the grubs may be destroyed by 

 pinching them between the finger and thumb, 

 ^ge plantations may be sprayed with arsenate 

 p . d ' tllis insecticide being more effective than 



lfi S G f. een and mucn saf er to use. A dusting 

 °* hne llme and soot is beneficial to the trees, 



f tfc destroy many insects. Red spider, one 

 nl ^ worst enemies of the Gooseberry, was very 

 Plentiful last year, and may give trouble again 



lv T a ^ n ' There are specifics on the market 

 l c + ^applied according to directions, will 

 aestroy this pest without injury to either fruit 

 ? r tohage. Green and black aphis on Currant 

 QnJ!k ma ? be destroyed by syringing with 

 tree?l e ?*" ct or a simil * r insecticide ; the 

 watL -f.T 1 be s y rin ged afterwards with clear 

 ^ater if the pests are of large size. 



to a ff T n^ FR ° ST8 -."~ Growth is sufficiently forward 



fruits nf \ Ce ? ta . ln amoun t ^ protection to the 



but do * i pnC0ts > Peaches and similar trees, 



uo not remove protective materials unless 



bush 



the winds blow from a warmer quarter and the 

 weather becomes more genial. Where the trees 

 have been protected with branches of Spruce or 

 other evergreens, injurious insects may have col- 

 lected, and these must be destroyed. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



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



Aldenkam House, Hertfordshire. 



Broccoli. — Towards the middle of May 

 another small sowing of Broccoli may be made 

 to furnish plants for a very late supply next 

 spring. One of the very best varieties for the 

 purpose is Model, being self-protecting, whilst 

 Late Queen is another variety to be recom- 

 mended. Sow thinly, in a narrow border, and 

 protect the seeds from the birds by a covering 

 of hexagonal netting. Should dry weather con- 

 tinue, the bed should be watered in the after- 

 noons by means of a rose can. 



April Weather. — At the time of writing 

 (April 25) no rain has been registered at Alden- 

 ham during the whole month. An abundance of 

 sunshine, cold winds, and two severe frosts on 

 the mornings of the 11th and 12th ult. (10° and 

 12° were registered respectively), have charac- 

 terised the weather during this unusual April. 

 Though the ground has worked well, allowing 

 the arrears of work caused by the unusually wet 

 weather of March to be completed, the climatic 

 conditions have not been at all favourable to the 

 germination of small seeds, and much irregu- 

 larity in the crops will probably result. 



Broad Beans. — Make a further sowing of 

 Broad Beans out-of-doors to furnish a late sup- 

 ply of pods, selecting, for preference, land of a 

 retentive nature that has been enriched with 

 well-decayed manure, so that the plants will be 

 able to withstand drought and heat. The seeds 

 may be sown in shallow trenches formed at a dis- 

 tance not closer than 3 feet apart. Sow the seed 

 in two rows drawn 4 to 5 inches apart. 



Savoys. — Make a sowing of Savoys during 

 the first half of the present month for a winter 

 supply, selecting the smaller-growing varieties, 

 which are the best for small gardens and ordin- 

 ary requirements. Tom Thumb and Dwarf 

 Green Curled are two excellent varieties for this 

 sowing. The plants, when transferred to their 

 permanent quarters, will succeed best if planted 

 on land that has been recently worked and en- 

 riched with manure. Plants from an earlier 

 sowing may be planted in succession to early 

 Peas, the ground being merely made level with 

 the rake. Holes may be made with an iron bar, 

 or something similar, the plants inserted, and the 

 soil made firm. After the planting is finished, 

 afford each plant a liberal watering. 



New Zealand Spinach. — This vegetable 

 should be included in all gardens, being especially 

 valuable in dry seasons, when the crop comes to 

 perfection. An early crop may be obtained by 

 sowing the seed in boxes, raising the seedlings 

 in heat, and afterwards transferring them to 

 the open ground. ^ For general purposes seed 

 may now be sown in the open ground in shallow 

 drills drawn 3 feet apart. This Spinach de- 

 lights in an open, porous soil, therefore heavy 

 land should have plenty of open material incor- 

 porated with it. When large enough, thin the 

 young plants to a distance of 2 feet 6 inches 

 apart. % 



Leeks. — The earliest plants of Leeks should 

 by now be planted in trenches formed as de- 

 scribed in an earlier calendar. To ensure 

 blanched stems, the blanching should be done as 

 the plants develop. At Aldenham, we use stiff 

 brown paper collars, raising these at intervals 

 as growth proceeds, covering the base with soil. 

 Rough boards placed along each side of the row 

 and secured to short stout posts will keep the soil 

 in position; as the Leeks grow, a second board 

 may be added, filling up with ordinary garden 

 soil (it matters not how poor in quality), until 

 the desired height is reached. By this method 

 it is possible to supply an abundance of water 

 and stimulants to the roots in the easiest possible 

 manner. When required for exhibition purposes, 

 as soon as the blanching is complete, the paper 

 collars may be removed and the top covered with 

 long strciw, which will prevent the blanched 

 portion and axils of the leaves from becoming 

 splashed with soil when heavy rains prevail. 



PUBLIC PARKS AND GARDENS. 



By Chief Officer. 



Pierrot Performances in Parks. 



While 



the 



provision of bands during the summer 

 months of the year is now looked upon as aa 

 essential feature of a public park, it can hardly 

 be said that the introduction of a pierrot troupe 

 is regarded by the officials concerned as neces- 

 sary. One cannot very well help from associat- 

 ing entertainers of this description with the 

 crowded sands of a gay watering place, and 

 even the very best class of them seem somewhat 

 incongruous when placed in the peaceful and 

 picturesque surroundings of a pleasure ground. 

 It seems, however, with the strenuousness of lite 

 on the increase that there is a growing demand- 

 on the part of the public to be provided with 

 amusement of the most flimsy and superficial 

 character. This being the case, it very natur- 

 ally follows that where any attempt is made on 

 the part of a Parks Department to keep abreast 

 of the times, this form of amusement — however 

 out of place it may seem — must be provided. 

 Good band music, we are told, is all very well 

 in its way,^ but even this begins to pall before 

 the season is over, as is evidenced by the falling 

 away of attendances at the performances as the 

 days begin to draw in. When pierrot entertain- 

 ments are intermixed with band performances 

 the added lightness and variety attract the 

 public so strongly that the last performance is 

 quite as well attended as the first. 



Different Methods. — There are two dis- 

 tinct methods of providing pierrot entertain- 

 ments in public parks, each of which is followed 

 by different authorities. One of these is to let 

 the rights of giving such entertainments to a 

 company for a given sum of money per annum, 



i"ust in the same way as would be done in the 

 etting of a refreshment pavilion or the rights of 

 boating on a lake. The other method is for the 

 Parks Department to engage pierrots to give per- 

 formances from time to time and pay them for 

 so doing just as if they were a band. Of the 

 two modes the latter is far more satisfactory y 

 both as regards the interests of the public 

 and of the department. In the former case 

 the pierrots become more or less masters 

 of the situation, and provide merely what form 

 of entertainment best suits their own conveni- 

 ence. When the Parks Committee hire the ser- 

 vices of the pierrots the Committee is — as it 

 should always be in such cases — the ruling 

 power. In such circumstances they are in a posi- 

 tion to stipulate the kind of programme to be car- 

 ried out — a matter of no small importance in> 

 catering for public tastes. There is no reason for 

 allowing the management of these entertainments 

 to pass out of the hands of the Parks Department. 



Necessary Structures.— Where these en- 

 tertainments are given in parks it is essential 

 to provide a special kind of structure for them, 

 as it is worse than useless attempting to utilise 

 a bandstand for the purpose. The best kind of 

 structure is really what is nothing more or less 

 than a miniature theatre stage wholly composed 

 of wood. Such a building is all the better when 

 constructed in such a way as to be easily taken 

 to pieces. When made in this manner it 

 can be removed and stored under cover during 

 the winter when it is not required for use. 

 Although it is not necessary to do so, it is found 

 to be a very great advantage to provide two 

 dressing rooms at the back of the stage. Usually 

 a structure with a frontage of about 25 feet and 

 a depth of 20 feet is found quite large enough* 

 for ordinary purposes. If an overhead canopy 

 stretching 5 or 6 feet beyond the edge of the 

 stage can be affixed to the roof there will no 

 doubt be a great improvement in the acoustic 

 properties of the structure. 



The Best Situation. — As the majori'y of 

 park officials know to their cost the ground im- 

 mediately surrounding a bandstand — especially 

 if it be of turf — is invariably trodden down, and 

 soon comes to look very shabby and unsightly. 

 For this reason it is a wise policy to place a 

 pierrot stage — where this class of entertainment 

 is provided — in as near a proximity as possible 

 to the bandstand rather than in a distinct part 

 of the grounds. An additional advantage in 

 choosing a site near the bandstand is that the 

 chairs used on the occasion of a band perform- 

 ance can also be used during a pierrot entertain- 

 ment, for it would hardly happen that in on© 

 park the two forms of entertainment would b© 

 in progress at one and the same time. 



