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THE GARDENERS' CHR NICL E. 



[June 8, 1912. 



The Week' s Work. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Northcotb 



Eastwell Park, Kent. 



Border Carnations. — The dry weather has 

 been very unfavourable for these plants. The 

 Dutch hoe should be used constantly to stir the 

 soil, and, after affording the plants a thorough 

 watering, mulch with manure from an old Mush- 

 room bed to assist in conserving the moisture 

 in the soil. As the flower-spikes elongate 

 they should be staked and tied neatly, tak- 

 ing care to select stakes of a length to suit the 

 different varieties. If extra good flowers are re- 

 quired, the spikes should be disbudded early, 

 although for general purposes disbudding is un- 

 necessary. 



Perpetual- flower i no Carnations. — Ex- 

 perience has proved that this type of Carnation 

 is suitable for flowering out-of-doors in summer. 

 Given a suitable position they wall grow healthy 

 and vigorous, commencing to bloom very early in 

 the season and continuing until destroyed by frost. 

 The quantity of bloom produced by these Car- 

 nations is far greater than from border Carna- 

 tions, and the plants are rarely without flowers. 

 In gardens where they have not been tried for 

 summer flowering out-of-doors a trial should be 

 made with old plants; if treated properly they 

 may be relied upon to give good results. Loop 

 the* growths occasionally to a centre stick, but 

 do not tie them tightly. Wire supports are to be 

 recommended, as they save much labour and 

 answer their purpose well. Hoe the ground be- 

 tween the plants and apply a mulch as recom- 

 mended for the border varieties. Give the roots 

 a good watering occasionally. 



Biennials and Perennials.— The present is 

 a suitable time for sowing many biennials and 

 perennials. Well-cultivated ground, which has 

 not been manured recently, should be selected for 

 the seed-bed. If the ground is dry, it should be 

 watered thoroughly overnight, and will then be 

 in a capital condition next morning for sowing 

 the seed. Fork the soil lightly, afterwards 

 raking it to a fine tilth. Draw the drills at a 

 distance of 1 foot apart and about 1 inch deep. 

 After the seed is covered with fine soil, the 

 ground should be rolled lightly with a wooden 

 roller or made firm with the back of a spade. By 

 these means the soil is pressed around the seeds, 

 which, in consequence, germinate better. Aubrie- 

 tias, Daisies, OEnothera Lamarckiana, CE. taraxa- 

 cifolia alba, Myosotis, Canterbury Bells, and 

 Silene orientalis may all be sown now. Choice 

 strains of Pansies and Aquilegias should be sown 

 in boxes and placed in cold frames, where they 

 may receive a little extra care and attention until 

 they are large enough for transplanting. 



Wallflowers. — Where spring bedding is 

 carried out extensively, Wallflowers should be 

 sown in quantity. The variety Fire King has 

 flowers of a vivid orange colour and 6hows up 

 well in contrast with its own foliage, while Cloth 

 of Gold. Improved Belvoir Castle, Phoenix, and 

 Blood Red are standard varieties, suitable for 

 massing in large beds or borders. The dwarf 

 strains are also valuable for edging beds filled 

 with the taller varieties. 



Polyanthuses and Primroses. — If seeds 



have not been sown already, they should be in- 

 serted now, in order to have strong plants by the 

 autumn. The blue Primrose is very popular; 

 young stock should be raised annually, as the 

 colour deteriorates in old plants, usually becom- 

 ing a dull and unattractive purple shade. The 

 Munstead strain of Polyanthus includes a mag- 

 nificent range of colour, the flowers being of large 

 size and developed on long stalks. 



Dianthus barbatus. — Sweet Williams may 

 now be had in distinct colours, and are most 

 attractive when planted in masses in large beds 

 or borders. Pink Beauty, Scarlet Beauty, Giant 

 White, and Rich Crimson are superior forms of 

 this popular flower, whilst a packet of mixed seed 

 will give plants of a remarkable variety of shades, 

 raneine from white to dark crimson. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



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



Windsor. • 



Early "Muscat" Vines. — To assist the 

 berries to ripen and colour perfectly, the foliage 

 should be drawn aside in order that plenty of 

 light may reach the bunches. All laterals should 

 be removed as they appear unless they are re- 

 quired for filling bare spaces. If the borders are 

 well drained, the roots will require to be watered 

 liberally, and if it has not been done already, a 

 surface mulch should be applied. In most dis- 

 tricts the foliage of Muscat of Alexandria vines 

 is very subject to scorching ; this may be 

 avoided by covering the glass with a light shad- 

 ing. A double thickness of fish netting or a 

 little weak lime-wash syringed over the glass will 

 answer the purpose. 



Early Peaches. — As soon as ^ 11 the fruits 

 have been gathered, no time should be lost before 

 washing the trees by means of the hose or garden 

 engine. If red spider or thrip is present on the 

 foliage, the leaves should be drenched several 

 times with a strong solution of soft soap and 

 sulphur at intervals of two or three days. It is 

 important to clear the trees of these pests in order 

 to keep the foliage in a healthy condition for as 

 long a period as possible. The roots should re- 

 ceive a thorough watering, and the foliage should 

 be sprayed each afternoon. The young growths 

 may be loosened from the trellis, that they may 

 be exposed as much as possible to light and air. 

 Remove all surplus growth, being careful, when 

 doing this work, to leave sufficient young wood 

 to replace worn-out branches. 



Mid -season Peach Trees. — Trees with 



fruits nearing the ripening stage should be 

 afforded a thorough watering, so that no more 

 moisture will be required till the fruits are all 

 gathered. All the fruits should, if possible, be 

 placed on the upper side of the trees, where they 

 will obtain the maximum amount of sunlight and 

 air. Certain varieties need a slight protection 

 from bright sunshine when the fruits are ripen- 

 ing, to prevent scalding. During the ripening 

 stage the house should be kept dry, and plenty 

 of air admitted through both the top and bottom 

 ventilators. 



Late Trees. — The weather for the past few 

 weeks has been unusually warm and sunny. This 

 has caused all fruit crops under glass to be a 

 week or ten days earlier than usual. To retard 

 the ripening of late Peaches under these condi- 

 tions, it will be necessary to admit an abundance 

 of air to the houses both day and night. . Tho- 

 roughly drench the trees with rain-water in the 

 mornings and afternoons, and endeavour to keep 

 the atmosphere cool and moist by damping the 

 walls and paths frequently. Old-established trees 

 carrying heavy crops of fruit should be afforded 

 plenty of stimulants, and the borders mulched 

 with rich, well-decomposed farmyard manure. It 

 will be safe now to finally thin the fruits. Young 

 trees which are inclined to make gross wood may 

 be allowed to carry a heavier crop than the 

 others, as the energies of the tree will be diverted 

 to the fruits. Old-established trees will ripen 

 one fruit to each square foot of space, provided 

 they are properly attended to in the matters of 

 watering and feeding. 



THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunburnholme, 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Peach Blister. — This disease usually appears 

 at this season, and is commonly supposed to be 

 brought about by cold north-east w T inds and 

 sudden changes in the temperature. It is much 

 more prevalent in some seasons than others. 

 Diseased leaves should be removed as soon as 

 they appear, or, better still, where practicable, 

 the* entire shoots should be burned. Many reme- 

 dies are recommended ; those who have not tried 

 Medela should do so, but more especially should 

 it be used when the trees are dormant. 



Mildew. — This disease spreads quickly from 

 the leaves to the fruits and must be checked as 

 soon as it is detected. ^ Sudden changes in the 

 temperature, an excessively dry or too moist 

 atmosphere, also dryness at the roots, are among 

 the chief causes of its appearance. Dusting the 

 affected leaves with sulphur, or syringing them 

 with liver of sulphur, will soon check this fungus 

 if the application is made early. 



Watering. — Very little rain has fallen in 

 these gardens since March. All trees, and 

 especially those on walls, or newly planted, are 

 experiencing ill effects from drought. Special 

 attention has been necessary in order to save 

 the trees from permanent damage, and only those 

 that have been well supplied with water and 

 mulched have made much progress in growth. 

 Diluted liquid manure should 1»e applied 

 when procurable to all trees that require extra 

 food, but on no account must it be applied to 

 trees that are very dry ; a good soaking of water 

 should be afforded first, and the liquid stimulant 

 applied afterwards. 



Thinning Fruits. — This operation must be 

 given constant attention. Apricots should be 

 thinned finally, and the trees examined frequently 

 for maggots and any other insects, such as wood- 

 lice, taking measures to trap and destroy the 

 pests before the fruits get any larger. Thin the 

 fruits of Pears and dessert Plums on walls where 

 they have set thickly, but leave plenty of fruits 

 to permit of a final thinning later, especially in 

 the case of Pear trees where the Pear midge is 

 in evidence. Early varieties of Apples, such as 

 Lady Sudeley and Beauty of Bath, should, if the 

 trees have set a too heavy crop, have their fruits 

 thinned. Early thinning of the fruits assists the 

 trees and increases the size of the fruits that form 



the crop. 



Gooseberries. — Caterpillars have appeared 

 on Gooseberry bushes, in spite of every precau- 

 tion. Many specifics have been recommended for 

 destroying this destructive pest, chief among 

 them being poisonous substances, including Helle- 

 bore powder. There are now many excellent 

 summer fruit-tree washes of a non-peisonous 

 nature which are safe to uee and equally effective. 



General Hints. — Keep the hoe at work 

 freely to keep the surface of the ground free from 

 weeds and well stirred. There will now be no 

 further use for protecting materials such as scrim 

 and Frigi Domo ; these should therefore be dried 

 thoroughly, tied up carefully, and stored for 

 another season. Before this is done, repairs 

 should be made if the materials are torn. Nets 

 will be still required for protecting Sweet Cherries 

 and other fruits from birds. 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart. 



Gatton Park, Surrey. 



Dendrobium.— Plants of the evergreen sec- 

 tion of Dendrobium, such as D. thysiflorum, D. 

 chrysotoxum, D. Bronckhartii, D. densiflorum and 

 D. Farmeri, should, for a short period after they 

 have passed out of flower, be kept cool and the 

 roots maintained on the dry side. The necessary 

 repotting or resurfacing should be attended to as 

 soon as fresh roots develop from the base of the 

 young growths. The plants should not be sub- 

 jected to root disturbance until it is found to be 

 really necessary, as they flower much more freely 

 when pot-bound than when afforded a liberal root- 

 ing space. Plants that show signs of deterioration 

 should be removed from their receptacles, and 

 have all the old compost shaken from their roots, 

 repotting them in a medium composed of Al 

 fibre and Sphagnum-moss in equal parts, adding a 

 suitable quantity of crushed crocks and coarse 

 silver sand. The pots should be filled two-thirds 

 of their depth with clean crocks for drainage pur- 

 poses, and the compost should be put in firmly. 

 After potting, the plants should be placed in the 

 ordinary plant stove or Dendrobium house, where 

 they may remain during the summer months. 

 They should be watered carefully until the 

 roots are growing freely in the new compost, at 

 which stage they may be afforded a more liberal 

 supply of moisture. When the season's growth 

 is completed, water should be withheld gradually, 

 and the plants rested during the winter months 

 in a warm greenhouse or a house of a similar 

 temperature. Young shoots of Dendrobiums ot 

 the deciduous and semi-deciduous sections are 

 rooting freely and developing new roots quickly. 

 The plants should be more liberally supplied wita 

 water at the roots, and supports should t# 

 afforded the young growths by looping them to 

 the older pseudo-bulbs or to" neat sticks, not 

 allowing them to bend over the sides of the 

 pots, as they might become permanently in- 

 jured. If any of the plants have filled their re- 

 ceptacles with roots, the present is a suitable 



