April 1914 



(Continued from page 481). 

 — Buying Bulbs. — 



In buying bulbs do not forget that 

 the best flowers naturally grow from 

 the best bulbs. A good bulb, as long 

 as it is well-ripened, is one which is 

 clean and big, feels solid, and weighs 

 well for its size. There are good and 

 not so good bulbs in every seedsman's 

 supply, whether imported or grown 

 locally, and as most buyers pick, or 

 try to pick, the good, the proportion 

 of the not-so-good increases as the 

 season advances; and the last man is 

 apt to be left witli less than his full 

 share of good. The remedy for you 

 is simple. Don't be the last man — or 

 woman. Buy now. 



— Dahlias. — 



We shall soon be in the thick of the 

 Dahlia season. All tying and staking 

 which has so far been neglected 

 should be finished at once. Liquid 

 manure where it has been used, or 

 is begun, should not be continued 

 after the first flowers come; and this 

 applies equally to autumn Roses and 

 Chrysanthemums. Keep the ground 

 around the plants continually stirred, 

 and do not grudge a liberal supply 

 of moisture; at the same time it 

 should be remembered that they want 

 a drink, but not a bath. For those 

 who have grown single and other 

 varieties from seed, the time is one 

 of pleasant but anxious anticipation, 

 for there is a double dose of uncer- 

 tainty. Colour and form are still in 

 most cases doubtful. To hope for the 

 best and be prepared for the worst is 

 best as the seedlings come into flower. 

 What generous doers and doners they 

 are. Sown as late as November or 

 even December, they have been grow- 

 ing full steam ahead without a check 

 ever since, and this month they are 

 going to tell you the result. One 

 good flower rewards you well for the 

 sixpence or shilling paid for a packet 

 of seed, and you may of course be 

 much more fortunate than that. Don't 

 trouble about the failures; just make 

 short work of them and try again 

 next year. 



— Roses. — 



It is early to talk of rose planting 

 yet, but the sooner the preliminary 

 working on new ground to be planted 

 is taken in hand the better. If you 

 have not decided on varieties, this 

 month is a good one to make a choice. 

 Having made your selection, don't 

 leave your order to the last moment. 

 Your little order, of course, is not 



going to worry the nurseryman, but 

 if many similar little orders come in 

 and all want prompt despatch, that 

 nurseryman's life does not err on the 

 side of too much peace and quietness, 

 at all events for the time being. You 

 expect him to do his best for you, of 

 course; then just do what you can 

 for him. It is quite as easy to make 

 up your list now as a month or two 

 hence. Do so, and send it along. It 

 will give him an idea of what will be 

 wanted, and you may then be sure 

 that when you are ready for the 

 plants, the plants will be ready fof 

 you. Having made the list and sent 

 it, do not begin to tinker with it and 

 find that you want this or that altera- 

 tion. If you are that sort of person, 

 leave your order till the last moment, 

 send it by first post, and specially ask 

 that the goods shall be sent at once. 

 Your opportunity of changing your 

 mind will thus be reduced to a mini- 

 mum. 



— Planting Bulbs. — 



When you get a lot of good bulbs 

 don't spoil a good beginning by poor 

 treatment. The average bulb is a 

 hardy proposition, but there is no 

 need to abuse this good quality. You 

 can get fair flowers in a gravel path, 

 but you can get much better ones in 

 a well-cultivated bed. A bulb by 

 nature is abstemious, not by way 

 means a glutton for food or water; 

 don't, however, take this to mean that 

 it thrives on a starvation diet. A fair 

 share of old manure will do much 

 more good than harm, but be sure 

 that it is old. It is the ammonia given 

 of? by fresh manure that they object 

 to. Do not be afraid of a partially- 

 shaded position for your Daffodils; 

 the flowers will be all the richer and 

 brighter if they do not have too con 

 tinuous a share of direct sunlight. 

 The flower stems and foliage will 

 come through quite a thick covering 

 of soil; they will also grow and thrive 

 reasonably well even if the bulb is 

 almost on the surface, but if the top 

 is about one and a half times its own 

 depth below the surface, that is, a 

 bulb 2 in. deep should have a 3 in. 

 covering, so that the roots will start 

 at five inches below ground, that bulb 

 will have no reasonable cause for 

 complaint. Planting a little deeper 

 in light sandy soil than in extra heavy 

 loam is perhaps advisable. In rich 

 soil or where the ground was heavily 

 manured for the summer crop, there 

 socms to be little to be gained by arti- 

 ficial manures, but in poorer positions 



Basic slag or mineral super at the 

 rate of i lb. and sulphate of potash at 

 the rate of lb. to 8 square yards of 

 bed or row, will do good. Never plant 

 when the ground is sodden. 



^ 



Sweet Peas. 



(A paper read before the Horticul- 

 tural Society of New York.) 



The following from "Horticulture" 

 is by an American grower, but it is 

 quite as useful for us as for those for 

 whom it was written. One gathers 

 that the prdouction of exhibition 

 blooms is as serious, as painstaking, 

 as back-aching, and as engrossingly 

 delightful there as it is in Australia. 

 All honour to men who do and give 

 their very best to making yet more 

 beautiful one of the most charming 

 flowers that grow. In this case, at 

 least, a few labour that all may enjoy. 

 We have heard it said that the little 

 extra quality of a few blooms on a 

 show table are not worth the effort 

 to secure it. If the superiority of the 

 few blooms began and ended on the 

 table there would perhaps be some 

 truth in the statement, but the grower 

 learns by growing to grow still better 

 blooms, and those who see his results 

 learn to appreciate and to desire a 

 share in this increased beauty, and so 

 the high standard of the specialist 

 gradually becomes in a year or two 

 the standard to which the average 

 grower tries to attain. He may mini- 

 mize, may perhaps ridicule the work 

 of the expert grower, but he, quite 

 unconsciously perhaps, gains by it. 

 Better admit it and be grateful. 



How to treat the sweet pea so as to 

 get a maximum of quality and quan- 

 tity. The ordinary everyday method 

 is to sow the seed in rows very 

 thickly, as soon as the ground is 

 ready to work in spring; then with 

 the exception of giving supports of 

 some kind, the grower leaves the 

 plants to take care of themselves 

 until the flowers appear, and on some 

 naturally rich soil, if perchance the 

 rainfall is more than ordinarily abun- 

 dant, very good results may now and 

 then follow. However, the true lover 

 and sweet pea enthusiast will not be 

 satisfied by any such uncertain me- 

 thods, but will cast about to find 

 means whereby success is more 

 nearly assured.' 



Apart from good seed, the funda- 

 mental basis, the all-important foun- 



