174 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



March 2, 1912. 



moist foi- a few days. They will soon re- 

 spond to this treatment, and in a few 

 weeks will be large enough to place into 

 small pots, using a light compost, with 

 plenty of grit in it, and a good sprmkling 

 of pulverise<l cow manure. Pot fairly firm, , 

 and spray the plants overhead on bright 

 afternoons to freshen them up, and also 

 induce the roots to push into the new soil. 

 Admit a-ir on all favourable occasions, and 

 bear in mind that the less coddling " they 

 receive the better will be the results. At 

 the same time, it must be clearly imder- 

 stoocl that careless treatment will likewise 

 be disastrous ; so avoid cold draughts when 

 giving air. Calceolarias should be shifted 

 .nto larger pots as more root space is re- 

 quired ; and finally, by the middle of 

 March^ they shoidd be in their flowering 

 pots. A good compost consists of three 

 parts good fibrous loam, one part leaf- 

 mould, one part decayed cow manure 

 rubbed through a fine sieve, a good sprink- 

 ling of coarse sand, soot, and lime rub- 

 bish. Pot -the plants firmly, and stand 

 them on sifted coal ashes, close to the 

 glass, in a cool pit or a light, airy green- 

 house. AVater with great care, and keep 

 a uniformly mo:st atmosphere by frequently 

 damping the ashes and spraying the plants 

 on all favourable occas::ons. Carefully 

 stake the plants w^hen they commence to 

 throw up their flower stems, and tie out 

 the grow^ths to make good specimen plants. 

 When the pots are filled with roots, give 

 doses of weak liquid manvire, or some ap- 

 proved chemical fertiliser occasionally, to 

 accelerate the development of good strong, 

 healthy plants. 



The accom])anying illustration repre- 

 sents a very fin^ specimen of Messrs. E. 

 Webb an<l Sons' su]>erb strain of calceo- 

 larias, wlii< li is equally remarkable for its 

 brilliant colouring and excellent habit. 



Cinerarias. 



The cultivation of cinerarias is compara- 

 tively easy, hut they are indispensable as 

 decorative flowering subjects for the green- 

 house or conservatory. For ordinary re- 

 quirements seeds should be sown in May or 

 June; but, Avhere cinerarias are required 

 in bloom in December, seeds should be 

 sown at the beginning of April. Choose a 

 light, sandy soil, made mcKlerately firm, 

 and sow the seeds thinly in well-drainetl 

 pans. Lightly cover them with fine soil, 

 give a gentle watering, and place in a 

 close, warm frame or house, with a piece 

 of glass over the pans to assist quick g 

 mination. 



Cinerarias grow very freely, and when 

 the seedlings are large enougb to handle 

 they should be potted singly into 3in. pots, 

 using a coarse, open soil. Place the plants 

 in a cold frame on sifted coal ashes. Shade 

 from bright sunshine, and lightly spray the 

 plants over morning and evening until well 

 estabUshe<l. Give the plants at all times 

 plenty of room, so that the leaves will not 

 become thin or weakly, and give another 

 shift into larger ]>ots before the roots be- 

 come matted ; and finally transfer them 

 into their flowering potvS. Six-inch pots are 

 large enough to flower them in ; but m ca- 

 sionally large specimens are required, 

 when the best plants shoidd be potted 

 from 6in. into 8 or 9in, pots. A goo^l com- 

 post for pott'ng cinerarias is made up of 

 two parts loam, one part leaf-mould, with 

 plenty of sharp grit, sand, or sifted road 

 sweepings added. Avoid using a rich soil, 

 which will uiidonbti'dly hnw a tendency 

 to produce an jibundance of soft foliage. 

 Keep the ])lant.s in a tem])eratnre varyinc; 

 from .10 to .").") (h'o . ^s tliev are eas'lv in- 

 iured bv frost, (''we i)lentv of fresh air 

 when possible, but avoid cold draughts. 

 Shade the plants from excessive sunshine. 



and from the middle of August to the latter 

 end of September, weather permitting, re- 

 move the sash-lights bodily from the plants 

 at night, replacing them again the follow- 

 ing morning. Carefully attend to the 

 watering^ and give liquid manure once or 

 twice a week, as soon a& the plants throw 

 up their flowers. 



There are a number of splendid varie- 

 ties to select from, sent out by many of 

 our enterprising seedsmen. Everyone is 

 acqiiainted with the large-flowering types ; 

 but, in my opinion, the Star varieties 

 should receive a great deal more atten- 

 tion. They can be obtained in separate or 

 mixed colours, and at various heights. 

 When in flower these have a most beauti- 

 ful and graceful effect, and as cut flowers 

 are greatly in demand, the* long, elegant 

 sprays making a most charming arrange- 

 ment in vases. 



Primulas. 



Probably no greenhouse plants have re- 

 ceived more attention than these since 

 their introduction into this country ; hence 

 their popularity as useful decorative flower- 

 ing subjects. 



Primula sinensis can now be obtained in 

 splendid strains of single and double- 

 flowered varieties^ with a beautiful range 

 of coloiu's, strong in constitution, and very 

 floriferous. The Star primula is a lovely 

 type of more recent introduction, which 

 commences to bloom earlv in December, 

 and continues all through the winter 

 months. The colours are pure white, pink, ■ 

 light blue, dark blue, crimson, and car- 

 mine, and the flowers are excellent for 

 cutting, as they will travel a long dis- 

 tance witliout damage. 



Prinuda oboonica grandiflora is another 

 very floriferous type, with flowers nearly 

 as large as P. sinensis, and it is practically 

 I^erpetual-flowering. Seeds can be ob- 

 tained of white, pink, rose, crimson, and 

 mauve varieties. As cut flowers these are 

 as usefid as the Star primulas. 



Seeds of P. sinensis and P. etellata 

 should be sown an May and June in a mix- 

 ture of good loam and leaf-mould, with a 

 go<Kl sprinkling of sand. Sow evenly and 

 thinly upon the surface, cover the seeds 

 lightly with fine soil, and gently press it 

 down. Place the pots in a temperature of 

 60 to 65 deg., and shade from the sun. 

 As a ride the seedlings come up very irre- 

 gularly, and the largest should be carefully 

 removed, without disturbing the smaller 

 ones, and pricked out into small pots. 

 Keep the plants close for a few days, and 

 ^yater with great care, and, wdien estab- 

 lishe<l, gradually admit air until the plants 

 om\ be placed upon the shelf in the house, 

 and near tlie ghiss. After a few weeks 

 they will be rea<ly to place singly in thumb- 

 pots; and, once establishe^l in these small 

 pots, they should be grown as hardily as 

 ]>ossible, always, of course, avoiding cold 

 draughts and frost. Shift the plants when 

 necessary until the flowering size is at- 

 tained, but repotting should on no account 

 be done unless the pots are well filled witli 

 roots. Pot firmly up to the collar of eacli 

 plant. During July and the two succce<i- 

 ing months a good place for the primulas 

 is a cold pit. 



Primula obconica seeds should be sown 

 in February to produce good plants to 

 flower early in the autumn and continue 

 tlimiiglioiit the w TitiM- niul .s|>ring months. 

 The other <'ultural details ;ire similar to 

 that as recommended for P. sinensis and 

 P. stellata. 



Celosias. 



These are useful and highly < h'corative 

 ]>lants. their beautiful plumes of rich crim. 

 hO!i, orange-scarlet, magenta, and yellow 

 making them excellent subjects for con- 



servatory and greenhouse adornment. 

 Seeds sown in February and March pro- 

 duoe excellent flowering plants in July, 

 August, and September. Sow the seeds 

 thinly in pans or pot« in a light, rich com. 

 post J and place in a brisk heat to ger- 

 minate. When large enough to handle pot 

 up the seedlings singly into 3in. pots, at- 

 tend carefully to w^atering, and grow in 

 a temperature ranging from 60 to 6o deg. 

 Shift the plants into larger pots as mav 

 be requisite, taking care not to allow them 

 to become root-bound until they are in 

 their flow^ering pot^i — in fact, they must 

 not be allowed to receive a check at anv 

 time, or poor results will follow. Use a 

 rich compost of three parts good fibrous 

 loam, one part each of leaf-mould and Mell- 

 decayed manure, wdth a good sprinkling 

 of sand. Pot firmly, and commence to 

 give w^eak liquid manure when the 

 pots are well filled with roots, though this 

 must be discontinued w^hen the flowers are 

 about half-developed. Gradually harden 

 the plants off, admitting plenty of air at 

 all favourable times, and flower them in 

 a cool greenhouse, as here they will main- 

 tain their beauty for a considerable period. 



Beautiful little specimen plants may he 

 had in full flower in oin. pots at Christmas 

 if seeds are sown the second week in July. 

 These will be found exceedingly useful 

 when their bright plumes make an attrac- 

 tive and brilliant display. 



Henry E. Farmer. 



Cardiff Castle Gardens. 



A GOOD DRY'WEATHER 



VEGETABLE. 



In all too many gardens tJie merits oi 

 New Zealaind epinach are not appreciated, 

 ■and so a valuable dry-season vegetaiie 

 doe^^ not become so popular as it deserves 

 to be. It is a first-rate s'uibstitiite for 

 Kpinach, and in a dry, hot season like tbat 

 of 1911 it is a great success, when ordinal- 

 spinach quickly runs to flower, and is <i^^' 

 appointing. 



New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia fS" 

 pansa) is a native of New Zealand and AuJ'- 

 tialia, and, though a hardy perennial, itj 

 value lies entirely in its usefulness ni tne 

 summer and early autumn. In the matte 

 of flavour New Zealand spinach compares^ 

 favourably with the common form; i^' 

 deed, some people like it better because oi 

 the absence of bitterness. It is possib € to 

 obtain an early crop by solving seeds ^ 

 heat in March, nrickine off the seedling^ 



necessary. . ■] 



An outdoor sowing at the cud ot >-^P^ 

 on rich, light, well cultivatc<l laml tn.^ 



lies warm, will meet the ■ ^!L+Vr 



cases, and the hotter the site the beti • 

 Tln^ drills for the outdoor sowing shox' 

 be three feet apart, as it must be ^'^^}y 

 hered that Tetragonia expansa is a t^'^i^r 

 p'ant, and needs room to develop. , 

 thinly in shallow drills and thin the set ^ 

 lings'' to 2ft. apart. Beyond hoeing, 

 ing. and picking the fully-developed 

 as they are ready, little attention is 

 althongh a few'g"«d waterings /jP^.^,^,; 

 ciated, and roult in stronger groAvtli ^ 



more leaves. -^y 

 In 1911 one of our maiket ^^^^i 



friends had s<^vcral atcres of New 

 spinach, this c roj) tolknvin:-^ ''"^^ t;,-- 

 have iH^ver -oi^n fiiuM- ]ir()'!"irc. ami a> ^^^^ 



as the pick.T-^ Ind \\(nk('*l ri.iiln jv 

 biff field tlu'iv was plrntv ol Icaia^*' »^-- 



to pick at the oi iu;inaI starting ponit- 



Til 



crop must Inuve been a very payuig ^ ^. 

 such 



a reason 



