Oecomber, 1913 



291 



feeding the bulbs may decay after flow- 

 ering. 



— Fixing a Strain. — 

 Tlie verb, "to fix," is often used in 

 :.irdening phraseology. When a cross 

 IS made between two varieties the re- 

 suhing seedlings generally give several 

 different colors. Some of these are sure 

 to be of a poor character, but the best 

 one only is selected, and tlie rest thrown 

 away. Seeds from the best one are 

 sown, and the seedlings may again show 

 some variation from the desired color, 

 but all these are weeded out — or 

 "rogued," as the term is — and seed saved 

 again from the desired color. The saine 

 process may be gone through again and 

 the seedlings again rogued, but if these 

 are of only one colour, and that true to 

 type from which the seed was saved, then 

 the grower considers that the variety 

 has been fixed. Seeds saved from new 

 varieties are very liable to sport — that 

 is, to give rise to other colours inferior 

 to that which is desired. The inferior 

 ones are pulled out as soon as they come 

 into bloom and seeds only saved of 

 those which have come true to the type. 

 The process is, of course, repeated for 

 a number of years until the desired 

 variety ceases to sport. It is then said 

 to be fixed. 



— Cheap Fumigation. — 



A convenient and efTectual method of 

 fumigating plants attacked by green fly, 

 etc., for those possessing only a few 

 plants for window decoration is per- 

 formed by procuring a tobacco pipe fill- 

 ed with strong black tobacco says an ex- 

 change. Next take the plant to be 

 fumigated and wrap it closely round 

 with newspaper, and then light the pipe 

 and smoke till the tobacco is well 

 kindled; place a lid on the pipe and 

 lay a handkerchief over it, pulling the 

 loose ends tightly round the bowl of the 

 pipe. Next push the stem of the pipe 

 through the newspaper on a level with 

 the rim of the pot and blow through the 

 lid till you are sure the space within 

 is completely filled with smoke. The 

 paper should be left on for about an 

 hour. 



KALGOORLIE - HOTEL 



HINDLEY STBEET. 



(MABLES HONES, Proprietor 

 (Late of Theatre Boyal Hotel). 

 Good aecommodatioa for Country 

 viaitort. Tariff, 25/- per week ; 4/6 

 per day. 



itdM, 1/9 per vigki. Meale 1/- 



— The Use <if Li(|ui(l Manure. — 



Most gardeners know tlic value of 

 iliis for plants tliat are rapidly ad- 

 vancing to their maturity, tliough 

 the novice in his ignorance of the pro- 

 liorties of sulphate of ammonia, ni- 

 trate of soda, sOot, animal manures, 

 salt, &c., is often inclinded to ignore 

 them, but roses, carnations, del-i 

 phiniunis, in fact the choicest things 

 of the garden that have to produce 

 an abundance of l^lossom over a long 

 period are greatly helped I)y occa- 

 sional doses. It should always be 

 .uiven after rain or a thorough 

 watering with clear water; it should 

 never be too strong for the plant to 

 which it is administered, and it should 

 not be given too frequently. When 

 one realises how grandly some plants 

 nourish near the sea, it is not diffi- 

 cult to fancy that the vigour is to 

 some degree due to the salt. Car- 

 nations are said to respond to the 

 treatment, and enjoy a pinch of salt 

 in the water, and especially during a 

 time of drought. There is this to be 

 said of salt, however, the ground is 

 inclined to harden unduly, and there- 

 fore must be frequently stirred with 

 the hoe. Soot especially in a cold, 

 heavy soil is beneficial to most grow- 

 ing plants, and may be used as a 

 change sometimes, rather than, as is 

 often the case, relying solely on liquid 

 animal manure. This last, of course, 

 is especially useful for strong-grow- 

 ing specimens, and unless it has been 

 plentifully supplied by being dug into 

 the soil the roses will greatly benefit 

 by occasional doses. Nitrate of soda 

 and sulphate of ammonia are power- 

 ful stimulants, and their action is 

 quickly perceptible, but they should 

 be used only occasionally and in 

 turn with others. 



— The Lawn Mower. — 



Before commencing- work the run- 

 ning parts should be oiled, and when 

 cutting is finished, dirt and grass 

 should be brushed off. An oily rag 

 rubbed over the knives and plate 

 will keep it from getting rusty. Set- 

 ting the knives to the plate must be 

 done careful'y. the smallest move- 

 ment of a screw will cause it to go 

 heavy with unnecessary wear, and 

 the least lifting from plate will not 

 cut the grass. Place a piece of note- 

 paper between plate and knives, when 

 if it cuts this evenly from end to end 

 without rattling it will make good 

 work. 



— Choisyea Ternata. — 



The Choisyen ternata is one of the 

 best of our smaller shrubs. A nice 



stock of plants for forming a low 

 hedge may be worked up by taking 

 cuttings of young growth, three or 

 four inches long. Set around the 

 side of a pot, which should be placed 

 in a moderately siiady position. Pot 

 off singly later. 



— A Useful Little Propagator. — 



One may 1)C easily made from an 

 empty box. Cut the two sides and 

 front so as to form a good slope (says 

 an exchange), leaving sufficient depth 

 to hold small pots standing on a 

 good layer of cocoanut fibre. An 

 odd slip or two of glass to cover 

 closely over the top is required. Nail 

 four strips of wood to form the legs 

 at each corner of sufficient length to 

 allow a small oil lamp and a large tin 

 baking dish to pass just freely under. 

 Carefully trim the lamp once a day, 

 and then fill the tin dish with hot 

 \vater. ^ut this on <:op of *\\c lamp 

 anci cllovsr an hour or tv.'c to pass 

 iief jre putting in (lit nots o: seed, 

 &c. As the first growth above the 

 soil appears give a little air by raising 

 one piece of the glass, all- vug more 

 a'; ai:d longer time •.■arh i!ay until 

 the seedlings can come out of the 

 propagator, and go in a sunny win- 

 dow or gi -.^eiihc.usc. 



— Stem Rot in Carnations. — 

 This is a serious disease, and one that 

 is very difficult to control. It is caus- 

 ed by fungi, which spread in the soil in 

 the same manner as the roots, and in 

 this way they produce diseases by des- 

 troying the tissues of the plants upon 

 which they feed. Diseases of this nat- 

 ure are the outcome of some unfav- 

 orable conditions, planting too deeply, 

 or imperfect drainage; hence the nec- 

 essity for careful preparation before 

 placing out plants and planting them in 

 a proper manner. Prevention is better 

 than cure. Stem rot is the dread of 

 carnation growers. It, however, is not 

 primarily a rotting of the stem, but a 

 wilt disease manifesting itself first by a 

 wilting of the leaves of some of the 

 shoots often on one side of the plant 

 only, and in nearly all cases a portion 

 of the plant is at first affected, more 

 particularly in the early stages of the 

 disease. This disease always progresses 

 upwards, and the affected branches soon 

 droop and die, until finally the whole 

 plant follows suit. There does not ap- 

 pear to be any cure for this disease, as 

 it strikes and enters the plant at the 

 root; it baffles the carnationists like 

 cancer baffles the doctors. When a 

 plant dies from the disease the soil 

 should be renewed before setting an- 

 other in the same position. 



