Septembek 7, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS MAGAZINE 



6{K 



ANSWERS TO 



CORRESPONDENTS. 



E-ditorkil Communications &liould bo addressed to the 

 Editor of the Gahden-ees' Magazine, 148 and 149, 

 Aldersgate Street, E.G. 



Secretaries of horticultural societies are invited to 

 send sarly notification of forthcoming exhibitions 

 And meetings, and are requests to advise U£ con- 

 cerning changee of dates. 



Specimens of plants, flowers, and fruits for naming 

 or opinion should be sent to the Editor of the 

 Gahdenf.es' .Magazine, " Endsleigh,*' Priory Park 

 Kew, Surrey, and as early in the week as possible. 

 AU i>arcieifi must be eufficientjy prepaid. 



The Editor will be glad to receive photographa of 

 gardenfl, plants, flowers, treee, fruite. etc., for 

 reproduction in the Gardeners' Maoazinb. He will 

 also be greatly obliged by correspondents ending 

 early intimation of interesting local events relating 

 to horticulture. In sending newspapers containing 

 matter to which they wish to draw attention cor- 

 respondents are requested to distinctly mark the 

 paragraph. 



PLAXTIXG BORDER CARXllIONS.— 

 M. J. B., HantiS: Towards the end of July 

 I layered a considerable number of I order 

 carnations, and I am pleased to find tnat tlie 

 layers are rooting most satisfactorily. As I 

 only commenced the cultivation cf these beau- 

 tiful flowerti less than a year ago, I am not 

 well acquainted with the details of their 

 cultivation, and am rather perplexed with 

 regard to the most suitable time for planting 

 the rooted layers in the beds in which they 

 are to bloom. Some of my friends tell me 

 they should be planted in the autumn, while 

 others assure me that the most satisfactory 

 revsults are obtained from spring planting. 

 — The ** best time " for planting border car- 

 nations is determined by the character of the 

 soI'l in which they are to be grown. If the 

 ^oil ranges between that which is light and a 

 well-drained substantial loam, the most satis- 

 factory results will be obtained from laytrs 

 that are taken off and planted during the pre- 

 sent month. When the planting is done in 

 September or early in October, the roots push 

 freely in the new scil, and, as they d.j not 

 •^ufter during the winter, the plants btcome 

 so well established as to make a vi:>'orous 

 growth as soon as there is a revival oi ac- 

 tivity in the spring. On the other licnd, 

 r^hould the soil be naturally tenacious :n tex- 

 ture and cold, there i^ a risk of the roots 

 being more or less injured by the unfavour- 

 able conditions to which they are exposed 

 during the winter, and of som^ perisliing. 

 Therefore, in heavy soil, the best courhO i.s to 

 put the layers in pots during the currert 

 month, winter them in an unheated pit or 

 frame, and plant them out early in March, 

 fn our next issue we shall publish a eom- 

 prelieusive article on the cultivation of border 

 '■aruations, written by one of the most emi- 

 nent amateur cultiv^-tors of tlio ])rosent day, 

 and we advise you to take advantage of the 

 niformation it contains. 



SEMPERVIVUM DOXCKELAAiRI. — C. 



. G.'irner, Bedford: We are much ooliged 

 ';y the photograph of the hne specimen'' cf 

 >^empervivum Donckelaari that you have re- 



flowered, and we regret the photograph 

 '-^ not suitable for reproduction. 



WIOT^ERING CALADIUMS. 



Kent : 



S. 



M., 



Vs my employers greatly admire tlie 

 Illy coloured leaves of these luxndsome 

 plants. I grow tlicni largely, and it may be 

 ^"hlcd most satisfactorily. There is no diffi- 

 '■"ity in growing Iheni. i>ut keeping the corjns 

 curing the winter is a constant sonrce of per- 

 plexity. I follow tile practice of the gar- 

 dener under wlu>m I -served as foreman im- 

 mediately before being appointed to mv posi- 

 tion as liead gardener. He was, and indeed 

 ^ '11 i>, considered to be a good plantsman, 

 '\ reputation he well deserve.^. A similar dif- 

 ticnlty was then experienced to tli:ii with 

 ;vhich I have now^ to contend. :\Iv iirat tice 

 j-: to turn the soil out of the pets a short 

 tnnr after the leaves have died down, take 

 *'iit the eorm^. and put them in flower pots 

 uitli dry silver sand shaken down among 

 J"^'*'!' a piece of cardboard being put 

 in the bottom to prevent the sand filtering 

 "ut tlirough the hole provided for tlie escape 

 ot water. The pots. a. th-v are filled with 

 *"i''»is and sand, are placed on a shelf in the 

 Phun stove, wiiere tliey remain throughout 



the winter, without, of course, their receiv- 

 ing any water. When the time arrives in 

 the spring for repotting the corms, a con- 

 siderable proportion are found to be in a 

 state of decay and worthle^^. I am anxious 

 to avoid thi^, and shall be obliged by vour 

 advice.— Your experience is that of many 

 other cultivators, who adopt the mistaken 

 practice of storing the corms in sand. The 

 proper course of procedure is to leave the 

 corms undisturbed in the pots in which they 

 were grown until it is desired to (start them 

 mto growth, and to lay the pots on their 

 sides in a convenient part of the plant stove, 

 but not near the hot-water pipes because of 

 the excessive drying of the soil that follows 

 their occupancy of such position. Stored in 

 tliis manner, the corms will be found sound 

 and plump when shaken out of the soil, and 

 wholly free from the dry rot that do^s so 

 much damage v/heu storage in drv .sand is 

 resorted to. The pots must l>e kept in tiie 

 stove, for in a lower temperature than is 

 usually maintained therein many corm.s will 

 decay. 



WAUT DISEASE OF POTATOES.— An 

 Anxious Reader : I am sending vou some 

 potato tubers that are affected with a diseavse 

 that has not previously come under my 

 notice. I should like to know what it is, 

 and the best means of combating it. — The 

 potatoes that you have sent us are infected 

 with Black Scab or Wart Disease (Svnchibri- 

 num endobioticum^ which appears to be slowly 

 but steadily spreading in some parts of Eng- 

 land. This is one of tlie notifiable plant 

 diseases,- and we advise you to at once give 

 notice to the Board of Agriculture, as you 

 will incur tlie risk of a fine not exceeding £10 

 for withholding such information. In dig- 

 ging the crop be careful to gather up the 

 w^hole of the tubers, and to destroy all that 

 show^ signs of infection by burning them. 

 If they are thrown on the rubbish heap tlie 

 decaying matter will become contaminated 

 with the spores, and when used mav be the 

 means of infecting quarters that are at pre- 

 sent quite free from the disease. You should 



not crop the infected gronnd with potatoes 

 for two or three year^. 



STORAGE OF FILBERTS AND COB 

 NUTS.— R. M. H., Sussex : We have this year 

 very heavy crops of both filberts and cob 

 nuts, and 1 should like to obtain trustworthy 

 information with regard to the best way of 

 keeping them in good condition for the table 

 over a considerable period. — ^We have tried 

 various methods of keeping nuts during the 

 winter, and the most successful results liave 

 been obtained by packing them in large, 

 wide-mouthed jars, and placing the latter in 

 a cellar. When gathered the nuts should be 

 spread out on the shelves of the fruit-room 

 or some other suitable place for the husks 

 to become dry. If you have no cellar at your 

 command the jars may be placed on tlie 

 floor of the fruit room, but we do not con- 

 sider such position equal to a cellar, 



STERILISATION OF SOIL.— F. B., York_ 

 shire : There has been a considerable discus- 

 sion about file sterilisation of .-oil in iH^latjon 

 to the cultivation of orii;;inenta 1 plaiit.s and 

 useful cro]).s, and I should like to know from 

 an autliorital ivi' source whether it is good 

 practice. Will you kindly state your oj^inion 

 with regard to the matter. — There can be no 

 doubt as to tlie advantag;\s of soil sterilisa- 

 tion, but as yet the matter is in an experi- 

 mental stage. It ha.s htu'n dettMniiued both 

 in the laboratory and the garden that the 

 sterilisatiim of the soil is distinctlv beneli- 



a. 



cial, hut the methods bv which it can be the 

 most ^ati-factorily carried out by the general 

 body of cultivators require further investiga- 

 tion. To show the manner in whicli .-torili- 1- 

 tion is useful as an aid in cultivation, it i- 

 ii(cr>sarv to state t'lat there are two classes 



a 



<it' bacteria, one which i^, beneficial bv the 

 work it accomplislies, as for example, the 

 fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, and the 

 other wliich is harmful by keeping in check 

 tlie useful kinds. I'lie object of sterili:^ation 

 is to bring the bacteria under control, and 

 the researches of Dr. Iin>-cll an<l Dr. 

 IDitehins<^n at Rotliamsted have ])rnv.'d tliat 

 some degree of control is ])ossihle. \iy sub- 



B., 

 me 

 the 

 for 



jectiug the soil to the various processes of 

 partial sterilisation, such as heating or 

 treatment with antiseptics, like chloroform or 

 toluene, the bacteria which interfere with 

 the activities of those doing useful work by 

 breaking down the nitrogen compounds to the 

 state of ammonia, are kept in check. 

 Heating the soil to the tem])eratnre 

 of boiling water for two hours lia.-. iiad the 

 effect of doubling its productivitv, and such 

 a process has been found profitable in the 

 cultivation of various crops under glass. 

 Market growers of cucumbers and toiiiatoes 

 prepare very rich composts for tlie plants, 

 but such rich soi]^ while veiy rich on analy- 

 sis, become in a few years incapable of grow- 

 ing satisfactory crops. Partial >tcrihVa1 ion, 

 by eliminating the injurious organi-nis re- 

 stores the fertility of the soil, and renders 

 profitable culture again practicable 



R.ILS. RULES FOR JUDGING.— A. 

 ( (i-lu'^ton. Pembroke : Kindly favour 

 with the address of the publisher of 

 Royal Horticultural Society's Rule.s 

 Judging flowers, with the price, inclusive 

 of postage. Is there a similar publication 

 for vegetables The price, post free, of the 

 R.H-S. Rules for Judging is Is. 6d., and, if 

 you send a postal note for that amount to 

 the Secretaj-y. H.H.S.^ Vincent Square. West- 

 minster. S.\V.. the publication will he sup- 

 plied to you through the ])o.st . The judging 

 of vegetables is fuUy dealt with in the rules, 



GREEN SWEET PEA.— C. S. P., Croydon: 

 I shall be extremely obliged it vou will kindly 

 let me know whether there i^ sucli a plant arS 

 a green sweet pea, and, if so, will you give 

 me thv name of the pea. — We are not aware 

 of there being a sweet jjea with green flowers. 



HYDRANGEAS.- W. IE. Hampshire: Re- 

 tiring from an active busines.s life, I have 

 taken a house witli a large garden in a plea- 

 sant part of Hampshire, and not far distant 

 from the ^ea. l\)r a long period tlie hydran- 

 geas have been favourites of mine, but in 

 my garden, some distance north ot Loiuion, I 

 was not able to grow them ^a^L•^fact^^rlly in 

 the o])en. I am therefore desirous of know- 

 ing wliether they can be planted in the open 

 in my new garden in Hampshire, with the as- 

 surance of their growing into large bushes 

 and blooming freely. — The distinct and hand- 

 some Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora may 

 certainly be planted, for it is quite 

 hardy in this country, and the beautiful H. 

 Hortensia, to which we assume you allude, 

 may also be planted with the assurance of 

 growing vigoroasly and blooming profusely. 

 Generally speaking, it is wise in the outdoor 

 culture of the latter to select a warm, .shel- 

 tered position, because of its liability to 



And Limewashing Machines 



In every gar- 

 den and on 

 every estate 

 one of these 

 'Fonr Oaks ' 

 ma c h i n es 

 r re i r! di s - 

 pt'iieable. 



ur t >aKs ' Limewa-thiiiflr Machine, 



UoyaU'attrrn" £3 18s. 6d. 

 FOUR OAKS SPRAYING MACHINE 



Will 8pray 

 the Fruit 

 Treea,Lime- 

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 Stables, Ken- 

 ne Is, On t- 

 b u i ! d i ug-8, 

 &c., in a 

 fraction of 

 the time 

 ta k 6 n by 

 brnshes. 



Complete 



C atalog- n e s 

 of yp'ayins? 



and Lime- 

 w a s h i n c 

 Machines & 

 Syrinffefifree 

 on applioii- 

 ti"n to Sol*' 

 Maufjctrs. : 



The 

 CO . 



No, 3G, Sutton Coldfleld, Birming:ham. 



