350 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Mat 25, 1912. 



The Week's Work. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



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



Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. 



French Beans. — To maintain a constant 

 supply of this vegetable one or two cold frames 

 should be devoted to their culture. The plants 

 should be placed at a sufficient depth from the 

 glass to allow them to make free growth, and 

 every encouragement should be given them to 

 grow freely from the commencement. Syringe 

 them twice daily with tepid water, and close 

 the frame early in the afternoon. Pinch out the 

 points of the shoots early, and, when the plants 

 are well established, provide a good mulching 

 of manure from a spent Mushroom bed. A 

 small sowing of French Beans may be made on a 

 south border in the open. Ne Plus Ultra and 

 Canadian Wonder are both excellent varieties for 

 the purpose. Plants that are in full bearing, 

 either growing in pots or planted out under 

 glass, should be drenched thoroughly with water 

 twice daily during fine weather to destroy red 

 spider. Liberal applications of liquid manure 

 should be applied frequently. 



Tomatos. — Tomato plants have done remark- 

 ably well under glass, owing to the fine spring, 

 and they are commencing to perfect their fruits. 

 Immediately the latter show signs of colouring 

 they should be removed, and allowed to finish 

 ripening in a warm building. Plants in bearing 

 should be fed liberally. Should dull weather 

 prevail, keep the atmosphere as dry as possible, 

 to prevent disease appearing, but admit air in 

 fine weather. Another sowing of the best varie- 

 ties should be made to furnish plants for fruiting 

 in late summer. 



Runner Beans. — Where trenches have been 

 previously prepared for sowing Runner Beans, 

 the last w r eek in this month will be soon enough 

 to set the seeds, as they soon germinate. Sow in 

 double rows, allowing a distance of 10 inches 

 between the rows and not less than 6 inches 

 between each seed. Cover the Beans with the 

 finest of the soil to a depth of 2 inches. When 

 the sowing is completed, place a layer of finely- 

 sifted finder ashes along the rows to prevent 

 damage by slugs. When the seeds have germi- 

 nated, occasional dustings with fresh soot, ap- 

 plied early in the morning, will be beneficial. 



Staking Runner Beans.— This is a matter 

 of great importance : nothing looks more un- 

 sightly than stakes insufficiently strong to b 

 the crop. Staking is best done directly the Beans 

 are planted, or, in the case of those sown directly 

 in the ground, as soon as the leaves appear. I 

 find nothing better for the purpose than long, 

 stout Pea-sticks. They should be driven well 

 into the ground in an upright position on either 

 side of the row. Additional support may be 

 furnished by stout poles inserted at every 10 

 yards, to which should be tightly stretched two or 

 three rows of stout tar string. The poles and 

 string will render damage from high winds and 

 rains practically impossible. 



Peas. — Peas grown in pots for an early supply 

 will, if stood out-of-doors and made secure 

 against strong winds, continue to provide a 

 good supply of pods. They will require a con- 

 siderable amount of water and plenty of liquid 

 manure. If the pots are partially plunged, labour 

 in watering will be minimised. Dwarf varie- 

 ties growing in cold frames and raised from seed 

 sown early in boxes will need attention in water- 

 ing. Remove the lights entirely when the 

 weather is warm ; occasionally stir the surface of 

 the soil and sprinkle it with artificial manure. 

 Early Peas that are growing in south borders 

 should be watered copiously and the ground be- 

 tween the rows mulched with long, stable litter. 

 Make further sowings in trenches of good Mar- 

 rowfat varieties for furnishing summer supplies, 

 first steeping the seeds in a mixture of red lead 

 and water mixed like paint to save them from 

 attack by mice. 



Lettuce. — Make small sowings of both Cos 

 and Cabbage Lettuce, whichever is most in 

 request. Water the seed-bed when the weather 

 is drv, and, as soon as the seedlings are larse 



enough, plant them in vacant positions in the 

 garden. A line of black cotton stretched over the 

 young plants will protect them from birds. 



Leeks. — The later batches of Leeks should be 

 planted without delay. They may be grown in 

 trenches, as advised for plants of the earlier 

 sowings; failing trenches, good Leeks may be 

 obtained by boring holes in a piece of ground 

 that has been well worked and enriched with 

 farmyard manure, preferably in a shady position. 

 Make the holes about 1 foot deep and suffi- 

 ciently wide. Set one plant in each station at 

 1 foot apart, drop a little soil around the roots, 

 and make the ground firm. Leeks intended for 

 exhibition purposes should, during hot weather, 

 be damped each evening. The blanching should 

 be done as growth proceeds, raising the brown- 

 paper collars and placing fine soil at the base 

 of the plants. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



j6y E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, 



Windsor. 



Late Strawberries in Pots. — Pot Straw- 

 berries require considerable attention at this time 

 of year. If the plants can be grown in a house 

 by themselves, it will be a great advantage. 

 The house should, if possible, be fitted with can- 

 vas blinds, which should be lowered during the 

 hottest part of the day. If blinds are not* avail- 

 able, some other means of shading should be 

 adopted. If the plants are growing on shelves 

 they must be examined three or four times each 

 day to ascertain if they require water. Fur- 

 nish them with plenty of stimulating manures, 

 and, if there is room on the surface of the pots 

 to allow of top-dressings, it will be beneficial to 

 the plants to apply a surfacing of rich materials, 

 as the roots will have absorbed most of the food 

 from the original soil. During very hot weather 

 the plants should be sprayed three or four times 

 each day. The floors and paths in the house 

 should also be damped frequently. Late batches 

 of Strawberries may be grown very well in cold 

 frames, and if the pots are partially plunged it 

 will save much labour in watering. Thin the 

 fruits to 8 or 10 on each plant, and securely 

 stake and tie each truss to prevent them becom- 

 ing broken. The flowers should be removed 

 from the young plants which were specially 

 planted last autumn for supplying runners. Hoe 

 the soil between the plants to destroy weeds, 

 and afterwards mulch the ground with short lit- 

 ter. Should dry weather prevail for a consider- 

 able period the roots must be w T atered. 



Autumn - fruiting Strawberries. — Some 

 of the healthiest of the plants which have been 

 forced under glass may be grown on for fruiting 

 in the autumn. Remove all the old leaves, and, 

 should there be evidence of red spider on the 

 foliage, dip the plants in a strong solution of 

 soft soap and sulphur. Shake out the roots, re- 

 ducing the ball of soil so that they may be re- 

 potted in 7-inch pots. Pot them in a compost 

 consisting of three-parts rich loam and one part 

 spent manure from an old Mushroom bed, with 

 a quantity of old mortar rubble. Place the pots 

 on a layer of coal ashes in a sheltered position 

 out-of-doors, and apply water with care until the 

 roots have taken possession of the new soil. 

 Syringe the leaves at both morning and after- 

 noon of fine days, and spray them occasionally 

 with the specific mentioned above to destroy 

 red spider. 



Tomatos.— Tomato plants with two or three 

 trusses of fruits should be afforded a top dressing 

 of loam and well-rotted manure in equal parts, 

 mixed with a sprinkling of old mortar rubble or 

 wood ashes. They should be generously fed with 

 manures. Pot plants should be stopped when 

 four or five trusses of fruit have set, as this 

 number will be an ample crop for the 

 plants to mature. The stopping will also en- 

 hance the swelling of the fruit. Remove the 

 side growths and cut back some of the leaves 

 to expose the fruits to the light. About the 

 second week in June a batch of plants may be 

 raised for supplying fruits in the late autumn. 

 The plants should be grown as sturdily as pos- 

 sible, and, when established in their fruiting 

 pots, placed outdoors in a sheltered situation, 

 where they may remain until there is danger 

 from frost. At that stage a number of fruits 

 should have set, and the plants, if placed in a 

 light, airy structure, will furnish Tomatos till 

 the end of the year. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



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



Eastvvell Park, Kent. 



Sweet Peas. — The latest batch of Sweet 

 Peas raised in pots should be planted out-of-doors 

 without delay. If considered necessary, a sowing 

 may still be made in the open ground; these 

 late-sown plants will give a succession of good 

 blooms in the autumn when the earlier batches 

 are past their best. The earlier plants should 

 be staked if required. It is a good practice to 

 put twiggy sticks around them at the time of 

 planting. Supports of about 2 feet long will be 

 sufficient for some time, and will not look so 

 ungainly as the ordinary sticks for some weeks,. 

 Water the plants, and draw a little fine soil 

 about them to act as a slight mulch. If the 

 weather continues dry stir the soil around the 

 early batches with a flat hoe, and place a mulch 

 of short dung, or manure from a spent Mush- 

 room bed, over the roots. Mignonette grown in 

 association with Sweet Peas forms a pleasing 

 combination, and there is no danger of the 

 colours clashing, as with some of the brighter- 

 coloured annuals. 



Furnishing Garden Vases. — As these 



garden ornaments are of necessity somewhat pro- 

 minent objects in the garden, it is important 

 that they be furnished with strong, healthy 

 plants at once. However well the flower-beds 

 may appear, if the vases are not also well filled 

 with healthy and attractive plants, there will 

 be a decided falling off in the general appearance 

 of the garden. Preparations for filling the vases 

 should, therefore, be made at once, selecting 

 suitable plants, so that no delay may occur when 

 the season is sufficiently advanced to place ten- 

 der plants out-of-doors. AfteT making the selec- 

 tion the plants should be hardened gradually 

 preparatory to their planting, for when placed 

 at some distance from the ground they are 

 exposed to injury from cold winds. The vases 

 should be filled with a rich compost, consisting 

 of loam, leaf-mould, and manure. If dung is not 

 available, artificial manure should be incorpo- 

 rated with the soil. The soil should be pressed 

 firmly about the roots. Not much water will 

 be necessary at first ; in fact, root waterings 

 would be harmful, but the plants should be 

 damped overhead on fine afternoons. When the 

 plants are well established and growing freely, 

 they will require plenty of water, especially on 

 hot days because the receptacles do not hold 

 much soil, and what there is will dry very 

 quickly. Extreme root-dryness on a few occa- 

 sions will cause the plants to become un- 

 healthy, and it will then be a difficult matter to 

 get them into a healthy condition again. About 

 a month after they are planted, strong-rooting 

 subjects of robust growth should be afforded 

 artificial manure. We usually sift a few barrow - 

 fuls of light soil, and mix concentrated plant 

 food with it, in the proportion of two 6-inch 

 potfuls of the manure to each barrow load of 

 soil. This mixture applied at intervals of two or 

 three weeks will be of immense benefit, and will, 

 if the directions as to watering are carried out, 

 make the vases real ornaments to the garden. 

 A mistake to be avoided is filling the vases with 

 plants unsuitable for the position. The vases 

 are often situated on a terrace, wall or balcony, 

 and in positions fully exposed to the wind. In 

 such cases employ the more hardy subjects, such 

 as Pelargoniums and Marguerites, whilst Be- 

 gonias, Fuchsias, and other tender-foliage plants, 

 may be selected for the more sheltered parts. 

 Sometimes flowers of certain shades are required 

 as part of a colour scheme, whilst individual 

 tastes must also be considered. There is a wide 

 choice of plants to select from : for instance, both 

 Zonal and Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums furnish great 

 diversity of colours, and their habit of growth 

 makes them peculiarly adapted for growing in 

 vases. If the receptacles are sufficiently large to 

 accommodate a number of plants, Ivy-leaved 

 Pelargoniums may be placed in the centres and 

 tied neatly to upright canes, and others of the 

 same kind allowed to fall naturally over the 

 sides. The growths of the two sets of plants 

 will soon mingle, and give a pleasing effect. 

 White Marguerites, and the soft-yellow Calceo- 

 laria amplexicaulis make a pleasing combina- 

 tion, especially in partially -shaded situations. 

 Where colour is not the main consideration, well- 

 shaped Cordylines may be used for the centres 

 of the vases, and trailing Lobelias draped over 

 the edges. Palms, such as the Fan Palm or 



