April 5,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
269 
early, and more room be available for tenderer plants accordingly. 
Tops of old plants having made some slight growth will now root 
readily. Place them in well-drained pots or pans over and very near to 
the hot-water pipes, and keep them rather dry till callused. Spring- 
rooted cuttings of the variegated golden and bronze-leaved varieties are 
particularly effective when bedded out, the latest-rooted ones soon 
making a good show. 
Old plants that are intended for pot culture for standing on terraces, 
ought, ere this, to have been cut back, shaking and repotting in fresh 
loamy soil when they are breaking afresh. Large specimens may be 
quickly formed by grouping several plants in one large pot. Keep 
them growing in gentle heat, and stop any shoots that are disposed to 
take the lead unduly. It is desirable that they continue to grow 
strongly till turned out of doors. Pick all bloom trusses off, and on no 
account let the plants be shaded. Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums should be 
treated much as advised for the Zonals, only in this case the strong 
young growths must be trained round stakes or over a trellis, and not 
stopped. 
Fuchsias and Heliotropes. —Plants of either Fuchsias or Helio¬ 
tropes rooted last summer or early in the autumn, and kept growing in 
gentle heat ever since, might, by pinching and training, be grown into 
neat specimens for dotting among dwarf bedding plants. Spring-rooted 
cuttings will be quite good enough for massing. Larger specimens 
would be the most effective, especially for the centres of beds and for 
plunging in the turf. Standard Fuchsias are particularly attractive in 
the centres of Begonia beds, and these could be very quickly formed out 
of some of the top-heavy pyramids flowered in pots last season. Trim 
off all the lower shoots so as to have a clear stem, and shorten back the 
reserved top moderately hard. Pyramids or bush plants of both 
Fuchsias and Heliotropes ought also to be pruned if not already done 
and started in gentle heat. All when breaking strongly ought to have 
their roots shaken nearly clear of the worn out soil and be replaced, 
after lightly trimming the roots, in pots of the same size or somewhat 
larger than previously in. Use a moderately rich loamy soil and give 
them a sprinkling of bonemeal. They must not be placed in a strong 
dry heat, or the young shoots will soon get hard and wiry, and 
flowers be scarce accordingly. A warm greenhouse is the best place 
for them, and the syringe should be freely used. Much may be done 
towards improving the form and floriferousness by timely stoppings. 
Seeds to be Sown. —Asters, Stocks, Zinnias, G-aillardias, Dian- 
thuses. Phlox Urummondi, and ornamental Grasses may now be sown. 
A frame over a mild hotbed, sowing the seed in patches on a layer 
4 inches thick of fine light soil, and covering with more of the same, 
is the simplest and best way of raising large numbers of these annuals. 
If all are allowed room it will be scarcely necessary to prick them out, 
only in this case all must be planted where they are to flower somewhat 
early. The seed would germinate quickly and surely if sown in boxes 
of fine soil and set on or just over the hot-water pipes in newly started 
vinery or in any other moderately warm position. The plants will then 
have to be early transferred to frames or pits, and be pricked out in 
boxes or beds of moderately rich soil. Mice have a great partiality 
for Aster seed, and should, if possible, be poisoned or trapped before the 
seed is sown. Covering the boxes or pans with squares of glass would, 
however, protect the seed from mice and hasten germination. 
Various. —Dahlia cuttings should be taken when about 4 inches 
high, and preferably with a heel, though tops would root if not hollow. 
Place them singly in thumb pots, and plunge in a brisk bottom heat. If 
confined in a propagating frame, wipe or dry the glass of this at least once 
a day or damping may take place. These spring-rooted plants are to 
be preferred to old roots, especially if they arc given one shift after 
becoming well rooted in the small pots. Seedlings may be either placed 
singly in 3-inch pots or be pricked out in boxes. They will be strong 
plants by next June. Before the roots reach far carefully lift seedling 
Gannas out of the seed pans and place in small pots. Other seedlings 
will most probably come up if not disturbed when those that first grew 
are moved. Old clumps may be split into as many pieces as there 
are well separated shoots. A portion of the old roots should be 
left with each and all, either placed in boxes or potted off singly. 
Keep them in a warm house till well rooted. Herbaceous Lobelias are 
now quite forward enough for similar treatment. Every strong 
division established in 3-inch or rather larger pots will, if planted 
in good soil, flower strongly next summer. 
Continue to press forward with the propagation of dwarf Lobelias, 
Ageratums, Verbenas, Heliotropes, Petunias, and similar plants, while 
yet the young shoots are stout and succulent. The time will soon 
arrive when they will be diflicult to prevent flowering, and be com¬ 
paratively worthless for propagating purposes. None of the stock 
plants ought to be subjected to a. strong, dry heat, and all should be 
kept free of insect pests. 
THE KITCHEN GAEDEN. 
Asparagus. — There is every likelihood of active growth com¬ 
mencing early this season, and it also promises to be strong in all cases 
where the roots were, not injuriously affected by the drought of last 
summer. Those beds heavily dressed with rich manure in the autumn 
are invariably the latest to start, and there are usually more losses in 
these than is the case where no mulching of any kind is applied. Where 
these manurial dressings have been given they ought now to be forked 
over with a view to getting rid of sticks, stones, or other insoluble 
matter. The depth should also be reduced, a portion of the top-dressing 
doing good service when banked over the exposed sides of the beds. A 
good length of shoot is desirable, and in order to be certain of this the 
crowns ought to be covered with not less than 3 inches of fine light soil, 
decayed manure, leaf soil, sand, and such like. If, therefore, the crowns 
are very near to the surface, mix a good heap of such materials and 
apply this after the surface of the bed has been loosened lightly with 
forks. It is false economy to dig up and crop the alleys between well 
established Asparagus beds. 
IVXanurlng Asparagus Beds. — When the beds are annually 
heavily dressed with decaying farmyard or stable manure they are apt 
to become poisoned by it, and in all such cases a dressing of newly 
slaked lime is a very much-needed corrective. Apply at the rate of two 
bushels to the square rod, and lightly fork in. Salt is the favourite 
manure with most cultivators, but it is far from being the best that can 
be applied where the soil is naturally of a clayey or retentive nature. 
In particular, ought it to be kept from newly moved plants. On light 
soils it may safely be used freely now, and again late in May, the 
surface of the beds being whitened by it. A mixture of equal parts 
of guano and salt is perhaps the most effective manure for medium 
and light soils. Apply now at the rate of 6 lbs. to the square rod and 
repeat the dose late in May. It should be lightly forked into the 
surface, preferably during showery weather. 
Protecting Asparagus. — Very many shoots are spoilt during 
most seasons by frosts just as they are peeping through the ground. 
The dressing of fine soil or decayed manure already alluded to would 
serve to protect the shoots considerably, but if a covering of strawy 
litter or bracken could also be placed on the beds this would prove 
an additional protection. When the clumps are grown widely asunder 
on the French system the protection may w'ell take the form of a 
mound of fine vegetable mould drawn up over each plant. If blanched 
stems are desired this moulding up of each plant must be resorted to, 
and 6 inches of soil will be found none too much. In cutting or twisting 
off the shootj when required for use this fine soil should be drawn away 
with the hand and returned immediately afterwards. 
Vegetable Marrows. —If a fairly large frame can be given up to 
these for a few weeks then a start may well be made at once. When, 
however, only small hand-lights or perhaps nothing but rough protection 
can be afforded it is a mirtake to raise the plants early. Kept in small 
pots after these are well filled with roots the plants soon become starved, 
from which state they are very slow in recovering. For frame culture 
sow seed at once singly in 3-inch or slightly larger pots and place in 
gentle heat to germinate, while for the rougher methods of culture 
defer sowing till early in May. In order that there shall be no delay in 
getting out the plants after they are once ready commence collecting 
materials for forming into a large bed. Select a sunny spot, preferably 
in the frame ground, and there wheel all the sweepings, road trim¬ 
mings, surplus leaves, half-spent manure, and anything else that will 
steadilv decay. Well mixed and built up into a square heap enough 
heat will be generated to give the plants in the frame set on it a good 
start. A mound of good loamy soil should be placed in the centre of 
each light and three or four plants turned out into this. By the time 
the frame is well filled with haulm no more danger from frosts need 
be anticipated, and the plants may, therefore, be gradually exposed and 
be freed of further confinement. 
Kidney Beans. —It is yet too early to sow seeds in the open unless 
protection can be afforded directly the plants are coming through the 
ground, rough frames or bender and mats and hand-lights all being 
handy for this purpose. If no protection can be given, then defer sowing 
till near the end of April. In forcing houses Kidney Beans are apt to 
fail quickly owing to red spider attacks, and are particularly liable to 
this when grown in pots. Fairly deep narrow boxes to fit pit walls and 
shelves in forcing houses are much preferable to pots for Beans during 
hot weather. Overcrowding is also a mistake. The market grower’s 
plan of giving each plant good room is the best, especially for the later 
sowings. Pits and frames should also be utilised for the production of 
Beans. All that is needed is to level over the soil newly cleared of 
forced Potatoes and to plant this with Beans raised in pots or boxes for 
the purpose. 
Potato Planting. —The weather has been most favourable to the 
important work of planting Potatoes, It should be proceeded with 
according as circumstances permit, and the already sprouted sets of 
early varieties may well be planted last, as these are liable to push 
through the ground in time to be cut down by frosts. Where Potatoes 
are planted with strong sprouts attached, mould up as the planting 
proceeds. The soil should be drawn up in the form of a ridge, straight 
and evenly over the rows, and the bulk would then be of considerable 
height before the tops were exposed. If the haulm is crippled before 
any moulding up takes place the crop is certain to be light, but the 
recovery is more assured when a good length of stem is protected by 
soil or other means. It should also be remembered that medium 
sized whole sets are more certain to give heavy crops than are either 
small whole or cut tubers. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate Nurseries, London, 'S.—Dahlias, 
Carnations and Begonias. 
M. Cuthbertson, Rothesay, N.B.— Pansy Catalogue. 
William Paul & Co., Bridge of Weir. N.B.— and Violas. 
W. Paul & Sons, Waltham Cross, Herts.— New Boses and Florists 
Flowers. 
