600 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



September 7, 1912. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. highTy'injur.^ 



both 



We have 



CONSERVATORY AND GREEN- 

 HOUSE. 



WlN'l i:iM I.O\VJJilN(i CARNATIONS. 



— '\'\w time hiir, now arrived whea the plants 

 <^'r..\Mntr ill. frames .-.liuuld be removed to the 

 lii.u^r^.^ 'V\n'y will not need any heat at pre- 

 .-vut, uiul !nu.-.t liiive abuadan<*e of air. I'-ftpc- 

 tuillv sliould tliose growiug in pots have at- 

 tention. I'he (growths .should not be ^stopped 



after thi^ (lit.', l.ut looped up with ratfia 

 to 'the iviitro .•>take. Give the houneb a 

 thorough riiWI)Ui^' and eleaning throughout, 

 and the walls should receive a good coating 

 i.f lime-wash. 'I'he pot-, in wliich the plants 

 are growing ought i»lso to ht- washed, rlantt* 

 that have grown well, and h.ivt* their pot^ 

 lull of roots will henelitod i>y a little help 

 fr.'in .-,t iniiilaiits. 'Hit ir are numy good l"*'r- 

 tih-i i,-. oil thf iiiarkri. and the one that 

 has provt'd the nmst hcnetieial f^hould he 

 used. Sheepfi' droppill»^^'^ al vo inakf an v\eel- 

 U'ut liquid rniirnirf* fnr l a mat ions. 'I'lu^y 

 lihnuld 'i'^ roHrrfrd and put HI a .^iu^k, and 

 tin- l.it fi-r |>! t« rd in a t nl> ol water and 

 all"vvt d ^<Mk t.^r .1 fortnight. riu* liquid 

 <-ari I luMi Itr u.->r(l 'luee a week t". ) uui uu'ucc 

 with. S<M>t water in also a i^o(i<l ft-rt il]-< r. and 

 !(■ tlit'KOot in placed in a .ark in t!ir^>arur way 

 .IS tile nhtx^ps* droppings, and the liijuid usixl 

 alternately one*' a w*vk, it greatly improves 

 the colour of the loliage. Those growers who 

 prefer the IwMU'h or planting-out ^y-tnn iniK-t 

 now elear out the old plants that luivr (iouf 



r^to vK'f tor the past year. Aft^T a I [i*H(iu<^h 

 rleaniULf HI. ike u|) new hed.s with fre.^li coni- 

 p«)-.t, and .^et ti:e plants nuT a foot apart, and 

 preens the soil tirni abnut th^^Tu. 



iMIlMri.AS AM) ( IM.I: MHA^^.— ITiCBe 

 will now ho gr'iwnis^' t!'--'iv, .unl should be 

 shaded tiunng hriiiflit .-.uii-tini '. If the lights 

 aro pulled o£f in the evming and replaced m 

 t ho mornitig t Ih» phint.s will be greatly as- 

 .-[.ti-d hy tlvo heavy (h's\> uc shall now ex- 

 jwriencf. The lights rntist he krpt on, how- 

 ever, if heavy rains -cr ni. or the t^oil will 

 sioon become «our and w;itcr-logir,Ml. 



HOUVAHDIAS AND SOLAXTMS that are 



growing iti the open -liouhi now he lifted, 

 pt>tte<l. and phuid in a franu\ where they 

 ran be kept close for a time. 



(iENERAL REMARKS.— Should the .Min- 



lesti day8 and cold, wet nights continue, lires 

 will have to be started, or many of the 

 flowers in the conservatory and greenhouse 

 will quickly damp. Very little artificial heat 



by day will be required for some time^ but 

 a little warmth in the pipes in the evenings 

 ,ind euntinued durint^ tlie night*^ will l>e most 

 l>enoficiaI to the plants in bloom. — Lewis 

 Smith, Norwich. 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



ti;m rKKwrr KM :s. 



rnents it will. 



Ill the warm depart- 

 owiuLi^ to file <lull, sunless 



weather, Ir' advisaI>lo to ntaintain the sum- 

 mer temperatures during this month, as an 

 inducement to the plants to complete their 

 growths as quickly as possible. With the 

 additional amount of fire-heat nece.^.sary to 

 maintain the temperatures, it will be pos- 

 sible to admit more air. Light and air are 

 the essential elements in the ripening or 

 maturing of all plants and orchids. The 

 cool house must, during the present month, 

 be kept as cool as possible, both night and 

 day. The moist night air will, if admitted 



to the structure, do an enormous amount of 

 good. 



SHADING must only be used during the 

 hottest part of the day, and then no longer 

 than 16 absolutely necessary to prevent burn- 

 ing or scalding of the foliage. The e>ame re- 

 marks apply also to the cool house. 



ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE may be 

 maintained at about the same level pre- 

 viously recommended, as, with the additional 

 ventilation, evaporation will be more rapid, 

 and the houses will, therefore, dry more 

 quickly. ITie two things to avoid are a hot 



PREPARING FOR WINTER, 

 now parsed through the greater part ot the 

 growing season of this year, and we must 

 begin to make preparations for placing 

 the different kinds in their winter quarters. 

 ITie plants, houses, and, indeed, everything 

 appertaining to them should be made 

 scrupulously clean, and tho6:e fastidious kinds 

 which succeed only in particular positions be 

 placed where, by experience, they have been 

 found to grow most satisfactorily. A careful 

 e>xamination of the heating apparatus should 

 be made, and any defects made good. It is 

 also advi^^able to examine the roofs of the 



houses for damaged squares of glass, which, 

 although not a source of trouble at the pre- 

 sent time, may become so later on, by caus- 

 ing drip/ which may occasion the loss of a 

 valuable plant. 



WATERING will from now onwards re- 

 ([uire more judgment than when growth is 

 vigorous. ITie watering of orchids cannot 

 Ih? treated collectively, or by any rule of 

 thumb methods. Each plant should have its 

 r^Miuirements satisfied, and no more. The 

 wants of the different species, and the condi- 

 tion of their growth, have to be considered 

 individually, and the treatment varied ac- 

 cordingly. The pseudo-bulbs of many will 

 have tiuished their growth; others will be 

 fast completing their bulbous stems. To these 

 sufficient water should be given to avoid 

 weakening the older bulbs, even when the 

 new ones have completed their growths. All 

 terrestrial kinds, with strong, persistent roots 

 that are growing freely, will require ample 

 supplies of water. — J. T. Barker, The West 

 Hill Gardens, 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



CARBAGE.— nie plants intended for late 

 spring and early summer uee should be put 

 out without delay, or should the onion crop 

 not be quite cleared off, defer the operation 

 fi>r a few days. Here we find the onion bed 

 an ideal site for the maincrop cabbages. It 

 is just forked over to a moderate depth, and 

 a dressing of burnt garden refuse, strewn 

 over its surface. The plants are given vari- 

 ous distances, and the strong growers, as 

 Sutton's Flower of Spring, are allowed a 

 space of two feet between the rows, and 

 twenty inches from plant to plant. ' The 

 ^smaller kinds, as Harbinger, Ellam's Early, 

 and Sutton's April, are given eighteen inches 

 each way.^ Should slugs be troublesome, 

 place a ring of cinder ashes around each 

 plant to save needless worry and extra time 

 in filling up gaps at a later date. 



MUSHROOMS.— Beds should be made up 

 as early as possible, as I fear very little de- 

 pendence must be placed on the September 

 meadow crop. The ground will not contain 

 the warmth necessary for outdoor mush- 

 rooms. Place the required amount of horse 

 droppings with the small particles of straw, 

 into a heap in a covered shed. Turn the 

 heap over every other day so as to prevent it 

 drying. When the heat has receded to 80 deg , 

 lorm the beds, making them fifteen inches 

 in depth, and fill in evenly and firmly. When 

 it IS found that the temperature ie still fall- 

 ing, insert pieces of spawn two inches deep, 

 and ten inches apart, and finally cover the 

 bed with fine soil and make it firm. 



CAULIFLOWERS. _ The preparation of 

 the crop for a spring supply must now be 

 taken in hand. Make a sowing at once, and 

 a second one about the 20th of the present 

 month. The first sowing can be made on 

 an outside border that has been well worked 

 for a previous crop. Give a dressing of 

 wood a.shes, and sow the seeds thinly and 

 evenly, rake over and net at once to keep the 

 seeds safe from birds. The later sowings 

 should^ be made in an unheated frame, the 

 soil being about three inches deep, and rest- 

 ing on a hard ash bottom. It will be found 

 that when raised on a bed thus prepared the 

 plants will be hard and dwarf. The lights 

 should be only placed over the seeds durinp- 



very wet weather, or till frosts appear. The 

 seedlings from the outside sowings, when 

 large enough will need pricking oft' into 

 frames, and treated exactly as advised for 

 the sellings from the second sowing. With 

 an occasional dusting of soot, and the pick- 

 ing off of decayed leaves, very little attention 

 will be needed for some time to come. The 

 following varieties are excellent for these sow- 

 ings: Early London, Magnum Bonum, W^hite 

 Queen, and AValcheren. 



POTATOES.— The lifting of the main crop 

 should be proceeded with during favourable 

 weather. Disease will be rife amongst them, 

 particularly on heavy soils, therefore care 

 should be taken of the tubers. Scatter a 

 good dressing of lime over them at storing 

 time, as this will help to preserve them, be- 

 sides improving their flavour. — George 

 Elwood. Swanmore Park Gardens. 



HARDY FRUITS. 



PLANTING BUSH EEUITS.— Where new 

 plots ^re to be formed the ground should be 

 prepared as soon as possible. It will need 

 to be deeply stirred and liberally manured, 

 particularly where the soil is of a poor cha- 

 racter. Gooseberries^ currants, and rasp- 

 'berries require conditions different to those 

 under which apples and pears thrive, these 

 being much better without manure in close 

 contact with the roots. TTie site should 

 be dug two spits deep, adding plenty 

 of well-rotted manure with each layer of soil. 

 Dig a trench one yard wide and one spit 

 deep at one end of the plot, and wheel the 

 soil to the other end for filling in when the 

 trenching is completed. In the bottom of 

 the trench spread a good layer of manure, 

 and proceed to dig this in, well mixing the 

 manure with the soil. Then mark off another 

 strip of ground one yard wide, and, after 

 manuring the surface, turn the top spit with 

 the manure on the freshly dug soil in trench 

 No. 1, and so on throughout the plot. If the 

 second spit of soil is deemed good enough 

 to bring to the surface, the first trench 

 should be taken out two spits deep at the 

 outset ; in this case it is >a good plan to break 

 up the bottom spit, using a digging fork for 

 the purpose. This amounts to trenching 

 three spits deep. It is not desirable to make 

 the third spit too rich with manure, but the 

 addition of a good layer of old rubbish heap 

 material that has been laid by for a couple of 

 years, will improve the soil, and with reten- 

 tive soils assist free passage of water and air. 



PEACH AND NECTARINE TREES that 

 are now cleared of their crops should, if in- 

 fested with red spider or other insect pests^ 

 be thoroughly cleansed by means of a suit- 

 able insecticide ; every effort should ;be rnade 

 to keep the foliage clean and healthy right 

 up to the tim6 of ripening. Old fruiting 

 wood which can be spared should be removed 

 to allow a better opportunity for the ripen- 

 ing up of the young shoots. Continue to 

 give attention to the training of young trees, 

 and see that the fast-swelling growths are 

 not suffering from too tight ligatures. 

 Fruits approaching the ripening period 

 should be daily examined, and carefully 

 gathered when ready. If intended for pack- 

 ing the fruits must be firm and not over- 

 ripe; for home use two or three days in 

 the fruit-room will improve the flavour ol 

 the fruits. 



GATHERING mUIT.-^Figs ripening on 

 open walls should be looked over daily, 

 gathering those that are ripe and storing 

 them in a cool fiuit-room until required. 

 Birds and wasps are particularly fond of fig^' 

 and it may be necessary to net the trees to 

 keep off the birds. The ripening fruits ot 

 apples and pears should be gathered as they 

 become fit. Careful handling is especially re- 

 quired in dealine- with these, as the flesh is, 

 m most cases, softer than the later varieties. 

 Most early varieties are soon past their best, 

 and great care is necessary in selecting iruit-^ 

 for the table that they are in just the rigli^ 

 condition, neither under nor over-npe.— 

 W. Messenger, Woolverstone Park Gardenfi, 

 Ipswich. 



