208 



ANSWERS TO 



CORRESPONDENTS. 



ASPARAGUS BEDS.— F. B., Norwood: 

 We wish to re-make an old asparagus bed, 

 12 yards by 3ft. 6in. wide. The soil is a 

 heavy clay. The old plants have done badlY 

 of late, eo we wifih to re-make the bed and 

 plant two-year-old roots. Kindly advise iis 

 how to proceed.— The better plan would have 

 been to re-make the bed in the autumn; but, 

 as planting time is close at hand, the work 

 must be tackled immediately. Poor or heavy 

 soil should be removed to a depth of at least 

 two feet below the general soil level; break 

 up the subsoil as much as possible, and then 

 wheel in a quantitv of the best well-worked 

 eoil to be found in the garden, mixing with 

 thic^ a large addition of cru-shed mortar rub- 

 bish, old manure, sand or road grit, burnt 

 earth, and ashes from the burnt garden re- 

 fuse. If the site lays very wet, excavate 

 somewhat lower, and place a couple of inches 

 of coarse mortar rubble, ciMished brick, etc., 

 in the bottom, for drainage. The soil should 

 be made firm as filling in pnweeds, and the 

 bed should be made to about a foot alwve 

 the surrounding level. At the end of March 

 or early in April plant the new crowns, 

 spreading the root., evenly all round, and 

 covering them with three inches of the best 

 and finest soil. If you can possibly do so, 

 make the bed four feet wide, as this will 



plants; set the crowns 

 in the rows. 



severely damaged if 

 become at all dry. 

 care must be taken 

 then a little risk of 



allow three rows of 

 fifteen inches apart 



POSTCARDS OF 



CURIOUS PLANTS.— 



E. S., Norfolk: Have you any postcards or 

 similar illustrations of curious plants, such 

 as Mimosa pudica. Primula obconica, or of 

 ineect^i and birds that are troublesome in 

 gardens? If eo, I should be glad if you 

 would send them, as I wish to u^e them in a 

 lantern that wull throw such 

 screen, in connection with a 

 giving ^thortly. — We have no 

 tures of the kind you refer to, but if 

 mounted the illustrations that have 



pictures on a 

 lecture I am 

 postcard pic- 



you 



ap- 



peared in the Gardeners Magazine, they 

 would help you materially. There are pic- 

 ture postcardn of many kinds of British 

 birds, and of a fair range of flowers, and 

 thene can be obtained at most shoi>s where 

 postcards are made a special feature. 



JOURNAL OF THE KEW GUILD.— 

 A.. W. E., Reading: In referring to the 

 " Journal " of the Kew Guild in your issue 

 of February 24, you do not mention where 

 it can be obtained, but say it is interesting 

 even to " a man who is not a Kewite," in 

 which category I am included. Please say 

 to whom I might apply for a copy. — The 

 secretary of the Kew Guild, and the Editor 

 of its "Journal," is Mr. H. Cowley, South 

 Side, Kew Green, Surrey. The "Journal" 

 is issued for and to the Guild members, but 

 we believe it is possible to purchase a copy. 



DWARF BUSH CHRYSANTHEMUMS.— 

 R. W. E., St. Albans: Kindly tell me how to 

 produce dwarf, bushy, decorative chrysan- 

 themums, so as to have them flowering in 

 five-inch pots. — Insert cuttings at the end of 

 March or in early April, in sandy soil, in a 

 warm frame or greenhouse. Several may 

 be placed in one pot, and each one potted 

 into a thumb pot as soon as rooted. From 

 thumb pots they must in due course be 

 shifted into 6C>'s, and early iu July they 

 should be ready for the final shift. Two or 

 three, or possibly more, stoppings will be 

 necessary, but only one stopping should be 

 given after the final potting. A cold frame, 

 with abundant ventilation, will provide suf- 

 ficient shelter after the young plants are 

 potted from the cutting pots, and every 

 effort should be made to secure hardy, 

 sturdy growth, so that when the plants are 

 in bloom they are only about 18in. or 2ft. 

 high, and carry from ten to twenty-five 

 blooms. Directly after the final potting the 

 plants will do best if placed out of doors in 

 an open position, and plunged to the rim of 

 the pot in ashes. They must have ample 

 room for development, and for the adtnis- 

 sion of light and air among and around 



them. The potting material should not be 

 so rich as that adopted for the production of 

 large blooms, and sound, fertile loam should 

 form the basis of the compost, adding a little 

 bone-meal or dried cow manure, if necessary, 

 or sand and leaf-soil if the loam is rather 

 heavy and adhesive. Feeding should com- 

 mence at> soon as the flower buds have set, 

 and should consist of frequent waterings 

 with liquid manure and guano, using these 

 in alternate weeks. Soot water is helpful 

 if given occasionally, as it impartt^ a deeper 

 green to the foliage, and increases the purity 

 of the floral colours. In a hot, dry summer 

 plunging the pots in ashes is almost essen- 

 tial to success, as the pots become so full 

 of roots that, if exposed to sun and air. 

 the root tips next the pot would become 



the soil was allowed to 

 In a wet season extra 

 in watering, as there is 

 harm resulting from an 

 excess of water in the case of plunged plants. 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE PEAR LEAF 

 BLISTER MITE.— W\ W., Cheltenham: I 

 am becoming interested in the various mites 

 that plague horticulturists, and have care- 

 fully followed the references made in the 

 Gardeners' Magazine to the black currant 

 bud mite, and the begonia mite. Can you tell 

 me the life history and description of the pear 

 leaf blister mite"? — Nalepa, who named the 

 pear leaf blister mite Eriophyes pyri, gives 

 the size of the mite as from l/147th to 

 l/125th of an inch long. The anterior end of 

 the body (cephalo-thorax) has . a semi- 

 circular shield on itcs upper surface. In 

 front is the rostrum with its piercing and 

 sucking mouth parts. Tliere are two pairs 

 of 5-jointed legs; each leg ends in a claw 

 with a 4-plumed bristle. The abdomen is 

 transversely ringed. On the upper surface of 

 the mite and springing from the hind edge 

 of the shield are two bristles. The abdomen 

 l>ears two bristles towards its front 

 about the middle are two moderately 

 bristles; near the hind end are two 

 short bristles; while there are two 



bristles at the tail. 



In the larval state the mite resembles the 

 adult in external appearance, except for the 

 smaller size, and a weaker bristling. In 

 colour the mite is whitish. The winter is 

 passed under cover of the outer bud-scales 

 of the buds on the shoots of the year. In 

 this position the mites shelter in numbers. 

 In spring the mites proceed to gall the 

 young leaves. Tlie adult female lays her 

 eggs in the gall. New broods of mites 

 spread from the galls, forming fresh l^listers 

 on the same and other leaves. Before leaf- 

 fall the mites pass to their winter quarters 

 in the buds. 



OBITU AR Y 



end ; 

 long 

 very 

 long 



MR. W. A. GARAWAY. 



Mr. Wni. Alexander Garaway, of Messrs, 

 Jas. Garaway and Co., Bristol, passed awav 

 on February 19. He was well known in the 

 nursery trade, and had reached the age of 

 75 years, but of late his health had been such 

 that he was not often away from home. 



MR. THOMAS MUIR. 



After thirty years' service as head gar- 

 dener at Biel, Prestonkirk, the residence of 

 Mrs. Hamilton Ogilvy, Mr. Thos. Muir 

 passed away on February 26. He was a very 

 capable gardener, and we have a vivid re- 

 collection of the fine display of Kuiphofias 

 at Biel, of which he was very proud. 



METEOROLOGICAL 



OBSERVATIONS. 



TAKEN IN THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCILTT'S GARDENS AT WISLEY, SURREY. 



Height above Sea-level, 150 feet. 



1912. 

 February 25 



TO 



March 2. 



Temperatxtre of the 



Air. 



Feb. 

 It 



If 



It 



Mar. 



25— Sunday 



26— Monday 



27— Tuesday , 



£8 -Wednesday.. 

 ti9 -Thursday.... 



1— Friday 



2— Saturday 



Means 



Date. 



1912. 



February 25 



TO 



March 2. 



Feb. 



99 

 1 1 



Mar 

 ft 



25 

 26 



27 

 28 

 29 

 1 



41 



-Sunday 



-Monday 



Tuesday 



-Wednesday.. 

 -Thursday. .. 

 - Friday 



Saturday .... 



Temperature of 

 THE Soil 



AT 9 A.M. 



Means 





At 

 Itt. 



deep. 



At ! 

 2 ft. 

 deep. 



' 



At 



4 a. 



deep. 



ins. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 





47 



45 



45 



0-04 



45 



45 



45 





46 



45 



45 



^•04 



47 



45 



45 



0-03 



48 



in 



45 



0'U9 



47 



46 



46 



U-29 





46 



4b 



(total) 

 0-49 



46 



45 



45 



w ^ * 



^- e s 



o a 



h3 ^ 



deg. 



38 

 25 

 41 

 43 

 41 

 89 

 39 



NAMES OF PLANTS. 



B. G. E., Hants. — 1, Viburimm tiniis; 2, 

 Rhododendron praecox. 



J. B. H., Cardiff. — 1, Lippia citriodora; 2, 

 Chionodoxa Lucilae ; 3, Garrya elliptica. 



C. W., Lichfield. — 1, Boronia megastigma; 

 2, Erica hyemalis; 3, C-estrum elegans ; 4, 

 Lachenalia Nelf>oni. 



H. E., Wimbledon. — 1, Odontoglossum cir- 

 rhosuni; 2, O- orispum, a pretty form; 3, 

 probably a form of 0. ardentissimum. 



G. C, Loughborough. — 1, Pelargonium 

 crispum; 2, P. quercifolium ; 3, the common 

 rue, Ruta graveoleus; 4, Phyllantluis glau- 

 cesccns ; 5, Doodia as})era imilt itida; (>. Seja- 

 ginella erythropus. 



GARDENING ENGAGEMENTS. 



Mr. M. T. Heard, late of Broad Oak, Ac- 

 crington, has be^n appointed head gardener 

 to Oliver Riley, Esq., Embsay, Skipton, 

 Yorkshire. 



Mr. Arthur Mansfield, late of Merthyr 

 Tydvil, has been appointed head gardener to 

 the Hon. J. W. Rice, Brooklands, Swansea. 



Mr. John H. Shipley, for the past four 

 years head gardener at the Old Vicarage, 

 Shiplake, Henley-on-lTiames, Oxon, has been 

 appointed head gardener to H. G. Rose, Esq., 

 Ingleside, Stevenage, Herts. 



CONTENTS 



1.4 



* t ■ 



■ ■ ■ 



Arjicul Biiilryana- 



A Di-^-f;i,se of' Sweet Peas, -etc. 



Among Ali)in(' Flowers 



Annual Candytufts 



Anc^w^-ns to Correspondents ■■■ 

 Ohvysantliennim Mre. George Kun<U« 



Kuphnrbia fulgens 



Kxhibitions and Me^^ting-fi ■■■ 



Fiiu ly--flav(>nrtMl Pea-s 



Fortlu-nnuiiL:- Kno^ug-ements 



Oanlrn City Problems 



Horticultural Kd uc a t io n 

 1 r i.H i^s 41 1 C ! :uul on Park 



Lacht'm^l iiiri 



Notf> of tlu' Wet-k 



Obituary 



Propajiation of ( liry.santhomums 



PruiiiiiLj siU'I N.ailiiiir 



I'run iiiL'' l!o.-v- ... 



Pvraniul au<l Stan^lanl FuchfilflS 



Hoek Oanlen NotciS _ 



lioth^nu^tt-a Kxperim-ent Station ■ - 

 Koyal HortitniltursU Soci^^ty'e Kxa-mioation 



Th-e Pi^-riti 



The Tsrf-fuln^s of Asters ... •■■ ••• 



Yeronic<i Hulkeana 



Work for the We-ek 



. ■ • 



r - 



1 ' ■ 



- ' ■ 



1 1 ■ 



• r ■ 



L 1 



• ■ ■ 



P P • 



PAGE 



198 

 ■207 



196 



198 



194 



203 



m 



. 202 

 19J 



189 



197 



I9:t 



: 19- 



19-2 

 199 



19.) 

 903 



ul- 



ILLrSTRATIONS. 



Portrait : Mr. J. B. Riding, 189; 



tiflora. i:)l; Iri^e^ by ^^^^ ,^.^^^%emni<* 

 Ol^indon Park. Surrey, IIW; , 198; 



Pifris ja^ponic^t, lyy; jjvi'u. 

 2(H ; Pt^a DreaKlnoug'ht, 20:3. 



16 



iim ■■■■■■ 



CiFDition£ 



I* 



r ■ 



ftiion leal 



ik 



LiIiM auf 



. long 

 aiTof the 



Pdftrgoiiimi! 



Im 



!iulai 



lolipt 



riflletfi 



Tilifiowere 



11 



Can 

 Aia-e 



r^'^'" 



-J«SkriB«. 



5,' Calii 



- ' hi 



s 



(■ON 



