Deoember, li)l8 



liumblest may achieve as much as 

 tlic best equipped amateur. For 

 ladies, invalids, and those who suffer 

 from nerves, as well as for men of all 

 as^es and conditions, there can be no 

 lu'ttor amusement, investment and 

 study, than that of iieing- garden 

 specialists. 



— Camellias in Pots. — 



To grow t'anu'Uias well, in pots, 

 lare and regularity are necessary, as 

 if neL^lected they soon fall a prey to 

 scale and other insects. Nice healthy 

 young plants can be purchased at a 

 reasonable price, and these should he 

 shifted into pots sufficiently large, 

 draining them well and using a com- 

 post of sound fibrous loam, rather 

 strong than otherwise, a sixth part 

 of well-rotted manure free from 

 worms, adding freely rough sand 

 or road grit. Firm potting is essen- 

 tial. Although Camellias enjoy occa- 

 sional supplies of liquid manure, none 

 ^h•)ul■i i>e given until th - pots are 

 well filled with roots, that made 

 ir( m £tecp-ng a bag of shecij n^a-jurc 

 ill a large tub of water — this i cing 

 diluted till it asunies the colour of 

 pale ale — being the best. 



— A Flowery Land. — 



The total area of the Scilly Isles 

 is 3,600 acres, of which rather less 

 than 2,000 can be profitably cultivated. 

 Immense quantities of Narcissi are 

 grown there for the English market. 

 About 37 years ago there were 

 eight varieties of these bulbs grown 

 there. How these flowers came into 

 ihe island is a ma^cr of '>ne ob- 

 .-cu'-ity. It Is not unlikely that some 

 ■ ' '.he vi'.rietie.- m:y have been in- 

 troduced by Benedictine monks, who, 

 through long generations, occupied 

 'he 1 rlory of St. Nicholas. One of 

 the most striking sights to be seen 

 at Scilly are the little boats laden 

 with the fragile and fragrant flowers 

 which struggle from the smaller "off 

 islands," some dark and stormy 

 winter morning, against surge and 

 blast, to reach the steamer at St. 

 Mary's pier. One consequence of 

 the growth of the Narcissi industry 

 in Scilly has been the discovery by 

 the farmers of the value of glass- 

 houses, for, mild as the Scillonian 

 winter is, the marketable Narcissi 

 cannot safely be grcvvn out of doors 

 So the beautiful flowers — now quite 

 multitudinous in their variety as 

 compared with the original ei:^hr 

 kinds — are picked long before they 

 aie cpon, and brought into tho hi 't- 

 houscs, where, placed in bowls and 

 vases, they develop size and beauty 

 in a damp temperature of 70 degrees. 



— Staking. — 



We must not forget that as a rule 

 staking is not an operation that can be 

 done all at once, or, if the staking is, 

 at any rate the tying is not. Never de- 

 lay either operation after the need of it 

 is perceived, and on no account tie a 

 plant up to its stick as if it were a bun- 

 dle of faggots. Strong dense plants 

 should iiavc three efficient stakes to each 

 plant. This will mean that only a third 

 of each plant will be tied in to a single 

 stick, and the result is that light and air 

 will penetrate to the heart of the plant; 

 and, so far as appearances go a subject 

 thus treated will look far more nat- 

 ural and beautiful than if it is encircled 

 with but one tie binding it close to- 

 gether. Tie plants to their stakes while 

 still young and straight, but do not for- 

 get that as they grow bigger they will 

 need more tying higher up the stems. 

 Strong twine is the best material to use 

 for all heavy sturdy plants, and it is a 

 good thing to study the natural growth 

 of the plant before tying, that care may 

 be taken not to destroy more than poss- 

 il)le the individual character and habit. 

 For many things it is a good plan to tie 

 the twine round the stake first and then 

 to encircle the plant; this is especially 

 to be recommended in windy situations. 



— Care of Tools. — 



Gardening work is rendered much 

 more laborious than it need be if the 

 workman's tools are not kept in 

 proper order. Spades, hoes, and all 

 tools should be kept clean and bright; 

 with dull, rusty, or half worn-out 

 implements the work takes longer to 

 do, and is not so well done. It is 

 trying to one's temper to have to 

 work with unsuitable tools. Gardeners 

 get attached to a spade, and persist 

 that it is impossible to do effective 

 work with it. A small grindstone is 

 in using it until it is so worn avvay 

 not an expensive article, it will last 

 nearly for ever, and is most useful 

 for sharpening spades, hoes, knives, 

 or other implements upon. No tool 

 should be left out at night; only the 

 careless or lazy man would neglect 

 to take it to the shed, where it should 

 first be cleaned, dried, and hung up. 

 Tools which have to lie by for a time 

 should be wiped with a rag on which 

 a little kerosine has been poured, 

 this simple precaution prevents rust- 

 ing. 



— Growing Ferns Indoors. — 



The best soil for ferns in general is 

 a light, porous loam or leaf mold, 

 one-half, and not too finely broken up, 

 and the other half well rotted 



anure and shar|) sand, ecpial parts. 

 This should be well mixed. When 

 potting the 11 1 lis, diuinage should be 

 I)rovided for by filling in first with 

 ciiarcoal, coarse gravel, or something 

 of the kind. Kemember that ferns 

 oi)ject to stagnant moisture at their 

 roots and over-supply of water. 

 While care in watering must Ijc fol- 

 lowed, and while it is a good plan to 

 water plants l)y setting them in the 

 .s(nl so that the water will be certain 

 to ,-each the roots, one should watch 

 against mistreatment of plants in 

 either extreme, that of soaking the 

 soil until it becomes sour or allow- 

 ing it to become too dry. Ferns, as 

 a rule, require a soil kept on the 

 moist rather than on the dry side, 

 therefore provide for good drainage. 

 Give the plants plenty of light, a 

 moderately warm and moist tempera- 

 ture, and they will soon adapt them- 

 selves to the conditions of the living 

 rooms. — Floral World. 



- — Moving Evergreen Trees. — 



To move evergreens in summer, if 

 it has to be done, needs care. First 

 of all a trench should be dug around 

 the plants of about 2 ft. from the 

 main stem. In doing this any roots 

 encountered should be cut cleanly 

 off. It is probable that you will not 

 find many roots, but the distance 

 they travel from the main stem 

 varies according to age, condition of 

 the soil, and other matters. Then 

 tunnel underneath, tie some stout 

 canvas or mats around the mass of 

 soil to keep it in place, put some 

 pieces of wood around to prevent 

 the ties cutting into it; then by 

 making an incline to the bottom of 

 llic hcle at -lie ji c ihe plant is to 

 Lc taken out. it may by means of 

 planks ind rollers be drawn there- 

 from and removed to its new posi- 

 tion. If to be taken some distance 

 a low trolley is very helpful. In 

 planting great care must be taken to 

 work the soil firmly all round, and 

 after it is finished a good watering 

 will be beneficial. Frequent hosing 

 is of great help, as it tends to keep 

 the foliage fresh till the roots are 

 again active. 



— Japanese Pagoda Tree. — 



Of the many beautiful trees and 

 shrubs in cultivation a great number 

 come from Japan. The Pagoda tree 

 (Sophera Japonica) is one of them. 

 Being a round-headed, symmetrical 

 tree, it is well to plant by itself rather 

 than in a group, and in such a posi- 

 tion its beauty, when in flower, is the 



