200 



ing, and I use my, forceps also for 

 carryinjr the anther with the pol- 

 len on from one flower to the 

 other ; there is less risk this way 

 of glutting the poUen mixed than 

 by usmg a brush. IMark the stem 

 with coloured wool or a small 

 label and give it some support 

 so that it may not be broken off 

 bv rough wind (a coil stake as 

 used for Carnations is as good as 

 anything^), make a note of the 

 cross, and when the tini's comes 

 w'atch for the seed-pod to begin 

 to turn yellow. Cut it with a 

 little of the stem before the pod 

 bursts, and ripen in a safe place. 



The seed should be sown after it 

 is harvested in pots or boxes of 

 prepared soil with thorough drain- 

 age. Cover the seed with about 

 a quarter of an inch of soil and 

 plung« the boxes or pots to the 

 rim in a bed of ashes in a cold 

 frame, onlv putting on the lights 

 to keep off frost or heavy rain. 

 Tlney will reqriire watenng careful- 

 ly during dry weather, and the 

 seedlings should remain in the 

 boxes for two years ; then turn 

 them out, but do not dry them 

 off, and plant in the open in pre- 

 pared and well-drained beds where 

 thev can remain until they flower. 

 The 30ung bulbs should not be 

 planted too deeply, as they will 

 work their wav down to the pro- 

 per depth as they grow to flower- 

 ing siz,e. A covering of about 3 

 inches of soil should be suflicient 

 when planting. They will mostly 

 flower in the fourth or fifth season 

 from sowing the seed. A. good 

 stock of ])atience is necessary to 

 get through this time imtil the 

 first batch of flowers appears. It 

 is then that the real interest be- 

 begins, for one not only has the 

 pleasure of perhaps fmding some 

 distinct and beautiful flower, but 

 there is the further ])ossibility of 

 intercrossing tuid seeding these new 

 sorts, and there seems to be no 



limit to what can be done when 

 one thinks of the ever-increasing 

 number of varieties there are to 

 work with. 



There is plenty of room for more 

 really good Daffodils, and when 

 working do not forget that there 

 is something more wanted than the 

 flower. Try to get a good stem 

 and a \'igorous constitution, and 

 for this reason avoid,, as far as 

 possible, using varieties that have 

 not these qualifications. But, 1 

 hear 3-0x1 sa}-, " Why advise us to 

 use triandirus ? " I can only say 

 that although the seedlings most- 

 ly have poor constitutions, there 

 are exceptions, and even if one 

 had to raise a fresh batch each 

 season, they are so beautiful that 

 it would be well worth the 

 trouble. I have had some nice 

 \arieties from Emperor crossed 

 with cyclamineus, but most of 

 these have weak constitutions. The 

 corbularia or Hoop Petticoat 

 crosses do not give satisfactory 

 seedlings ; they are interesting, but 

 of no value. 



Seiedlings generallj' show the 

 characters of their parents fairly 

 eqrially, although it is generally 

 supposed that the pollen parent 

 gives colour and the seed parent 

 parent form. It is by raising 

 large numbers that one is enabled 

 to select the few really str^iking 

 varieties. There may be just one 

 flower in a bed of seedlings that 

 stands out b}^ itself far ahead of 

 all the others in quality, size and 

 vigour ; this is the prize that will 

 reward 3'ou for all 3'our work and 

 patience. The more seedlings you 

 have, the more rigidly 3'ou can 

 select and the more likel3' 3-ou are 

 to get a real]3r fine flower. Remem- 

 ber that 3'ou may not necessarily 

 be out of the race because you can- 

 not afford to buy the very expen- 

 sive new varieties, although I 

 grant vou will have abetter cfiance 

 if 3'ou do possess some of them. 



Man}' of the best seedlings that 

 are appearing year by year are 

 produced b3' crossing com'parative- 

 ly cheap varieties, such as those 

 I have mentioned above. — W. A. 

 W. in " The Garden." 



■ # 



Delphiniums. 



Delphiniums are such very beau- 

 tiful plants, when well grown, that 

 I am often surprisied, writes 

 " T.P." to see many good gardens 

 either without them altogether, or 

 to find them represented by a few 

 ver}- poor specimens all of the 

 same shade and with very small 

 flowers. This seems a mistake, 

 when every shade of blue, from 

 the palest sky-blue to the darkest 

 indigo, can be produoed from a 

 packet of seed. No thiiigi, makes a 

 more beautiful group in the garden 

 than from six to twelve Delphin- 

 iums, if all shades of them are 

 plan-tcd together. As good blue 

 flowers are so scarce, everyone 

 should have, at least, one large 

 group. I began with a couple of 

 packets of seed sown in a hot bed 

 and afterwards pricki&d out. They 

 grew quickl3' and man3' of them 

 bloomed that 3'ear. Most of them 

 had exquisite shades of blue, or 

 blue just ting-ed with pink ; those 

 of purple shades were tfitown 

 awa3', as I did not! care for them, 

 but thev* would make a handsome 

 bed l)y, themselves well away from 

 the bines. 



They were planted in ,a good soil, 

 well enriched with farmyard man-, 

 ure, in distance about two feet 

 apart. After being there two 

 years, the3' had grown S'o large 

 that every second plant had to be 

 removed and planted elsewhere, 

 and those left are still too close, 

 I have three large groups of them, 

 and when in bloom, and showing 

 all shades of lovely blue, they are 

 the admired of all beholders, and 



DE^OIDUOUS FRUIX TREES. 



P.O. BaLll^^ixna.]:!., 



• ^ Late H. Wicks, Riverside and Balhannah, Payneha 



We specialize in Deciduoua Fruit Trees and Vines. 45 acres of faultlessly grown Fruit Trees. 



Large Stoc'ts of Apples, Almonds, Apricots, Cherries, Plums and Prunes, Pears, Peaches, Quinces, etc., etc. 



WieKS Bros 



ORDERS FORWARDED TO ANY PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH, 

 inspection invited. Visitors met by appointment at Balhannah Railway Station 



Catalogues Free on Application. 



