VOL. LV.— No. 3,061. 



SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1912. 



THE 



GARDENERS 



9 



MAGAZINE 



i 



NOTE OF THE WEEK. 



foot 



Thinning:. 



Chief among the multifarious details to 

 which both the amateur and professional 

 gardeners have to give their attention is 

 the one commonly known as thinning, and, 

 as will be readily conceded by those who 

 have had the advantage of efficient training 

 that upon the manner in which this detail is 

 dealt with, depends in a largo 

 measure, the success achieved 

 in garden management. The 



may 



, necessary by the prodigality of 

 Nature in her endeavour to 

 clothe the ground or other 

 space with verdure ; or by the 

 '*too lavish use of seeds 



thinning 



be rendered 



or 



plants by the cultivator in the 

 I initial steps that have to be 



; taken both in 



the 



[ 



tion of displays 



produc- 

 of flowers 



and of useful crops. There is 

 no occasion to dwell at any 

 li^ngth upon the causes of such 

 ( rowding as have an injurious 

 ofFect upon the development 

 of the plants, but an endea- 

 voui should be made to ob- 

 tain a clear view with 



regard 



to them for 



! bein 



I 



g in a position to 



the purpose of 



deal 



is otherwise pos- 

 To obtain the best re- 



Mage, 



more effectivelv Avitli crowding 

 at an early stage of develop- 

 ment than 

 sible. 



suits from thinning, the work 

 niust be done at an early 



and, as a rule, be pro- 



in a gradual 

 The cultivator has 

 not only to remove sufficient 

 l)lants to allow the roots and 

 b'aves of those remaining 

 room enough to perform their 

 allotted functions, but to 

 ^uard against the risk of 

 blank spaces due to snails and other marau- 

 flers. 



ceeded with 

 manner. 



masses of foliage relieved by a few flowers 



Within a few weeks the her- 



By some this may be regarded as self-evi- at the top. 

 dent, even to the tyro in gardening, but baceous phloxes will he yielding their at- 

 were it so, we should not be constantly see- tractively coloured and fragrant flowers, 

 ing annuals springing from the ground so and those who attach but little importance 

 thickly as to suggest a sowing of small to the thinning of these and similar plants 



will do well to compare the examples in 

 their gardens with those in the gardens 

 of friends who consider the removal of all 



do more than produce attenuated growths 



salading. We have another proof in the 

 fact that for a long series of years annual 

 flowers were regarded as ephemeral and 

 unsatisfactory, simply because they were but three or four of the strongest growths 

 invariably so crow'ded that they could not an essential part of successful cultivation, 



a comparison as is here suggested, 



provided it is made with an 

 open mind, will do more to 

 •bring about a much-needed re- 

 form i n the ha rd v flower 

 hiorder than the strongest ar- 

 guments that can well be 

 urged in print. Again what 

 delightful plants are Helian- 

 thuses Miss Mellish and rigi- 

 dus. when the 



growths 

 nned to a distance of 



teen 



and 



twelve 



are 

 fif- 

 inches 



CM 202 



respectively, while they are 

 quite indifferent when, as so 

 often happens, the whole of 

 the plants are allowed to re- 

 main. They are most gener- 

 ally seen in a crowded state in 

 small gardens, but masses so 

 dense that the plants cannot 

 attain their full development 

 may sometimes be met with 

 in big public gardens that are 

 under skilful management. 

 We might refer to the many 

 indifferent crops of vegetables 

 that are annually met with, 

 more particularly in the gar- 

 dens of the smaller amateurs, 

 because of a failure to recog- 

 nise the fact that none of the 

 vegetables, in general cultiva- 



attain to a high 



when 



tion can 



of 



[Photo: RusBell and Sonfi. 



state 



much crowded. 



development 



It niav indeed 



PEOFESSOR J. B. FARMER, D.Sc, F.R.S. 



surmounted by a few flowers at the apex. 

 An immense improvement has been effected 



p .1 \ I _ _ _ I 



A careful study of the habit of the An immense improvement has been ettecte<^ 



.-n>u. classes of plants raised from seeds within recent years in the culture of annual 



■^own in the open is the kevstone to success, flowers, but much lias yet to be accom- 



in the thinning of large numbers that in pli^hed before they will contribute to the 



.be :state<l as a general proposi- 

 that a satisfactory root crop 

 is an impossibility unless the 

 plants are alloweil a motlerate space, this 



the dimensions to 



being 



which thc\ 



determincnl by 



attain when 



with but 



little, if any 



to 



restriction, 

 ncreased attention 



nvdnj instances suffer much from over- 

 No difficulties that are insuper- 

 are associated with this study, and 

 those who devoto the attention to it that 



I 



crowding, 

 able 



attractions of the garden in proportion to 

 their capabilities. Another form of thin- 

 ning in the flower garden is not less neces- 

 sarv than th- rooting up of superfluous 



s SO well merited, usually make rapid pro- annuals-, and that is the removal ot the 



gress. 



^ When for example, it is found as 



the result of observation that an annual 

 ; when free from overcrowding will fill an 

 ' area with a diameter of fifteen inches, it 

 is obvious that twelve or more plants 



weak and redundant growths of Michael- is little of 

 mas daisies, herbaceous phloxes, and other number of 

 plants of a similar habit. In not a few concerned, 



.V.., .... ...-^ ^ 



ed to remain 



and produce dense duced by pears 



grown 

 If it b© neces- 

 sary to pay mcreasea attention to the 

 thinning of the occupants of the flower 

 and kitchen garden it is certainly essential 

 the growth of fruit trees should not be 

 allowed to suffer from over-crowding. In 

 thf> case of peach and nectarine trees tliere 



which complaint, so far as the 

 growths allowed to remain ia 

 but it would he an immense 

 advantage wei-e the number of shoots pro- 



and plums considerably 



