Mat 11, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 



381 



HARDENING OFF. 



There is always at this season of t'lie year 

 much overcrowding in the houses where a 

 quantity of summer l^edding plants have 

 to be raised, and even in well-appointed 

 establishments where there is not this 

 extra demand on the space under glass, 

 the houses are usually fully occupied, as 

 the weather is too treacherous to expose 

 plants suddenly to the external tempera- 

 ture of our climate. Therefore it becomes 

 necessary to make some preparations for 

 ^'hardening off/' as it is termed. There are 

 any contrivances, and much labour is ex- 

 pended to overcome theidifficulty, and often 

 after every precaution has been adopted 

 that one can think of, much damage is 

 sometimes done through the carelessness 

 of someone. Hardening off must be done 

 gradually if it is to be successful. I have 

 seen plants that were the picture of health 

 ruined through a too sudden exposure to 

 a lower temperature, or by being trans- 

 ferred from a shady place to an exposed 

 position in the full sunlight. 



When it becomes necessary to harden off 

 the plants J a suitable place must be pro- 

 vided for them, and this very often en- 

 tails an amount of labour that none but 

 those who are thoroughly acquainted with 

 the conditions of the place can under- 

 stand ; very often plants have to be moved 

 two or three times before they finally be- 

 come sufficiently hardened to withstand the 

 outside conditions. For example, a batch 

 of plants may be in a late vinery where 

 the temperature is gradually being raised, 

 and the foliage begins to overshadow the 

 occupants beneath. To i^move such plants 

 to an exposed place would give them a 

 serious check; but often, in order to pro- 

 vide a suitable place for them^ another 

 batch has to be shifted, and those from 

 the said vinery put in their place, and 

 these again, in time, have to give place to 

 others that are more tender. 



will 



By this it 



be seen that hardening off a large 

 number of plants is no light task, even in 

 gardens fairly well provided with suitable 

 aooommodation ; while where this is not 

 forthcoming the difficulties are manifold. 

 In some trnrri-^no suitable 



while 



temporary 

 in others 



some gardens 

 frames may be made, 



hedges are so arranged that after the 

 plants have been somewhat accustomed to 

 the lower temperature and the full sun- 

 light, they may be transferred to their 

 shelter until they are finally planted. 

 There are many plants that flourish in the 

 shade; in fact, they do much better in 

 such positions than in the full sunlight, 

 and the^e when taken from under glass 

 should be stood in the shade of trees or 

 similar places, and be protected from winds 

 suitable screens. At one time many 

 plants that needed stove temperature in 

 wmter were employed to decorate our gar- 

 dens during the summer months ; but most 

 ot these have now fallen into disuse, as 

 it was not safe to expose them until June, 

 and to prevent their being injured by the 

 <^ld wmds in the autumn they were house<l 

 again quite early. But there are still many 

 tender plants employed which necessitate 

 jn« process of hardening before transfer 

 «> summer quarters, and these should be 

 gradually accustomed to a lower tempera- 

 ture than that in which they have been 

 liffV.T°+ by admitting more air and 



bf v^*4- present positions, or 



y Shitting them to other quart-ers where 

 this can be afiForded. H. C. P. 



Sm2? H^a?^^ A'^^I'^ GROWING for Cottagers »nd 

 «^ I*«<l-By John Wright. V.M.H. A 



pany of sv., * ^J'tea the Woreiipfnl Com- 

 Post U -ti ^"^^^^ iUufltwtted. PriSe Is., by 



^£UX^?;^±]:- Colii'^ruige. 148 and 



PRIMULA PALINURL 



In observing this primula, a point of 

 interest to the botanist is the thickness of 

 its underground stem or rhizome, which 

 is elongated to a considerable length, so 

 as to spread itself over an extensive area. 

 The rhizome is of a woody nature. To 

 bring it to the highest point of develop- 

 ment, the species should be grown as a 

 pot plant under glass, where it flourishes 

 and flowers well; but if tliis is impossible 

 and it has to be grown in the open air, a 

 warm nook in Uie rockery facing west 

 should be chosen. 



The leaves are of large size, being botli 

 long and broad. They are light green, 

 but of an intense shade. They are fleshy, 

 pliable, serrated at the margin, and quite 

 devoid of farina. In shape they are obo- 

 vate Or oblong, tapering off gradually to 

 a peticle which varies considerably in 

 length, sometimes being very long. The 



PRIMULA PALINUEI. 



An interesting species with yellow flowers 



scape is erect, and towers well above the 

 enormous leaves, bearing at its summit 

 an umbel of flowers which vary in num- 

 ber considerably, reaching in some cases a 

 maximum of forty. The flowers are borne 

 on pedicals, the surface of which is thickly 

 covered with a white mealy powder. The 

 bracts offer the same characteristic, and 

 the outer ones are leafy and rather large, 

 the inner ones, however, being much 

 smaller. 



The flowers are all produce<l on one side 

 of the scape, and present a drooping ap- 

 pearance. The calyx is covered with the 

 same mealy powder, and is cleft to almost 

 half its depth. It is bell-shaped, and the 

 lobes have sharp points. The corolla 

 stands out well beyond the calyx, as the 

 illustration shows, and is of an intense 



golden-yellow colour. Primula Palinuri 

 does not bloom until it has attained a 

 good size, but the flowers when produced 

 are fairly abundant. 



In the cultivation of this plant one must 

 bear in mind that it thrives best in a 

 loamy soil^ to which some peat and sand 

 have been added. Those who wish to be 

 successful with it in cold districts should 

 keep it under glass during the winter 

 montlis, in an airy situation, with plenty 

 of light. P. Palinuri emits a strong cow- 

 slip odour. It flowers in April, and its 

 home is Southern Italy, in the provinc^e of 

 Sa lerno . The i 11 ust rat ion represents a 

 plant from my cold frame which was flower- 

 ing in the early half of April, 



Morelands, Duns. John Macwatt. 



SCARLET RUNNER BEANS. 



The popular runner beans can be grown 

 successfully in any good garden soU, but 

 if they are given liberal treatment, vnd 

 three small sowings are made at intervals, 

 instead of one large one, an abundant 

 supply of fine tender pods will be avaiViblo 

 until fix)st arrests growth, ()f late yesus, 

 several improved varieties have been in- 

 troduced to the public, especially as 

 regards those belonging to the dwarf- 

 growing section, and those intermediate 

 between the dwarf and the runner varie- 



ties. 



Long, shapely, and 



all-seedeil 



pods are now obtainable, and these are 

 finely-flavoured ; also, they are in most 

 cases more prolific than the older kinds, A 

 very early and improved form of runner 

 bean is Hackwood Park Success, which was 

 raised by Mr. Bowernjan. The pods are 



produced in clusters on this variety, most 

 of them being 9 or even lOin. long, and 

 perfectly straight and handsome in appear- 

 ance. The Emperor is another improved 

 variety of scarlet rimner, producing 12 to 

 15in. pods^ fine and straight, and of a fine 

 green colour. For exliibition purposes, 



this kind is difficiilt to surpass, while 

 Jubilee Runner produces even larger pods 

 than the Emperor. Prizewinner and Best- 

 of-AU are two other fine runner beans, suit- 

 able alike for exhibition, or for ordinary 

 table purposes. 



Soil Conditions. 



Whenever possible, the ground for run- 

 ner beans should be prepare<l in the 

 autumn by bastard trenching and hea\y 

 manuring, being left in ridges during the 

 winter. A rich rooting medium is essen- 

 tial for beans, as also is an abundant 

 supply of water during the time the plants 

 aie in full bearing. Beans are sometimes 

 grown successfully in trenches on heavy 

 clayey soil, but generally they do best in a 

 well-drained, deeply-worked, light, and 

 rich loamy soil. Poor and shallow soils are 

 unsuitable for runner beans, the best land 

 teing that which has been highly cultivated 

 for a preceding crop. 



A gross feeder and a quick grower, the 

 scarlet runner needs an abundant supply 

 of nutriment, and therefore careful atten- 

 tion must be given to the manuring and 

 watering of the ground. It is, moreover, 

 a somewhat tender subject, and quickly in- 

 jure<l by the least frost, for which reason, 

 many exhibition growers prefer to raise 

 the plants under glass, either singly in 

 small pots or in boxes. Plants so grown 

 must be thoroughly hardened off before 

 planting out, the latter work being com- 

 menced about the end of April or the be- 

 ginning of May. By keeping the plants 

 close to the glass, a sturdy, vigorous 

 growth can be easily encouraged, and the 

 slight che<*k caused by transplanting will 

 make them bear much earlier than those 

 plants sown in the open ground. Further, 



