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CURRENT GARDEN LORE. 



Carnation Disease. — We have received several 

 specimens this week of carnations completely dying off 

 from below upwards. On examination, we found the 

 stems and leaves swarming with eel-worms. As these 



Illustrating Carnation Disease. 



creatures find entrance by the soil, we can only counsel 

 burning the plants and turning out the mould. There 

 is no application that we know of that will cure the dis- 

 ease or kill the animals without also killing the plant. 

 High manuring might enable the plants to withstand 

 the attacks better, but of this we are very doubt- 

 ful. The illustration shows one of the affected 

 plants ; also, greatly magnified, the appearance 

 of the worms and their propagation on parts of 

 the plant. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Gardens on House Tops. — At present the use 

 of the roof is very restricted ; in a few places, 

 they have been utilized as playing grounds, and 

 in others it is not unusual to see them turned 

 into drying grounds. Houses of the future, if 

 this system is to come into vogue, must have 

 a neat spiral iron staircase ascending from the 

 highest landing, and conducting us through a tur- 

 ret on to a plateau where garden seats are placed 

 as fixtures. At first sight our proposition may to some 

 appear impracticable, but upon second thoughts the 

 dea will be admitted to be not so far fetched after all. 



One point at the start cannot be denied, and it is this, 

 that for years past there has been a marked and grow- 

 ing desire to enliven the bleak and smoke-begrimed 

 surroundings of our cities. The house tops of London 

 and our suburbs should rejoice and blossom as 

 the rose. Suppose that we have a house top flat 

 and protected with a simple parapet, and at once 

 it will be seen to be the easiest matter in the 

 world to lay it out something like as follows : 

 At the back, partly or right across, one could 

 erect a simple and cheap little glass-house, or it 

 could stand exactly in the center, especially if the 

 roof was roomy or square. Around all the sides 

 of the parapet and the glass-house one, two, or 

 even three rows of pots of various sizes could be 

 placed, in some of which the seeds of plants or 

 flowers could be sown, and the glass-house could 

 be utilized for the production of such seeds and 

 bulbs as required or are improved upon by being 

 raised under cover or in heat. This could be 

 used, strictly speaking, as a cool house, or, with 

 the aid of a simple heating apparatus or lamp, 

 tropical or sub tropical plants could be raised in 

 profusion, from which a good and constant sup- 

 ply all the year round might be obtained for in- 

 door decoration. From boxes against the para- 

 pet climbing and running plants might be grown, 

 which could be trained gracefully to hang over 

 and present a bewitching picture to passers-by 

 in the streets below, whilst in these pots, or 

 formed upon the concrete in shallow beds, hardy 

 and half-hardy annuals could be raised in profu- 

 sion. What a picture could be made by the 

 utilization of the nasturtium, candytuft, tropaeo- 

 lums, sweet peas, Bartonia atirea, Ltipinus nanus, 

 Virginia stock, eschscholtzias, pop'pies and 

 clarkias. Besides which, in pots, the aster, 

 balsam, lobelia, cyclamen, marigold, mignonette, 

 geranium, begonia. Then, again, what shall be said of 

 the dahlia, the gladiolus, the iris, the anemone, the 

 sweet william, and wallflower, and even beyond these 

 the names of others are legion. Our idea is a practical 



Gardening on House Tops. 



proposition, and one which, in a few cases at present, 

 is actually being carried out with entire success. — Horti- 

 cultural Times, London. 



