326 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 17,1689 
question appears to merit serious consideration with the view to the 
proposed change, which many hope for, being carried out. 
PELARGONIUMS. 
Those who grow for the market certainly produce Pelargoniums 
of the Show and Fancy type in fine condition ; but this is not the 
case in private gardening establishments. Feeble specimens are 
too frequently seen, yet when well grown their decorative value is 
unquestionable. If we judge rightly from the quantities of old 
plants cut back year after year that make growths very little thicker 
than a straw, we may conclude there is some reluctance in 
attempting to propagate fresh stock. Even if this course is decided 
upon it is difficult to obtain cuttings from those that make weak 
spindling flowering shoots only. Cuttings produced by such 
plants rarely form luxuriant specimens. No doubt the treatment 
they receive after they are pruned and started into growth may 
largely account for the unsatisfactory condition in which they are 
often seen. From some even of this description fresh vigorous 
stock might be raised if early spring propagation was adopted, 
but when the plants have to be flowered cuttings cannot be spared 
without disfiguring them. It would be wise in many cases to 
forego flowers for a season in preference to retaining worn-out 
stock. 
Cultivators no doubt find a difficulty in propagating these as 
freely as Zonals. and the usual practice is to defer doing so until 
after the plants have flowered, and then insert what is little better 
than flower stems. Robust growers produce cuttings plentifully 
after flowering, but the plan is to secure as early as possible any 
non-flowering shoots that may be produced. When cut-back plants 
are grown there is no difficulty in selecting shoots for cuttings. 
Those grown for flowering during August and September yield 
cuttings plentifully, because they can be safely topped in early 
spring. 
When Pelargoniums have to flower early in the year cuttings must 
be rooted early, and for this purpose it is useless to rely upon those 
from plants which flower during June and July. There is not time 
to root cuttings from these and grow them into creditable specimens 
by the end of September. Pelargoniums to flower early should by 
that time be strong and furnished with four to six good shoots. 
Do not pinch the shoots after the end of August, and then they 
will break strongly into growth and be in the best possible condition 
for their winter quarters. In this condition they are certain to 
flower early if properly treated. We fail to see why they cannot 
be had in flower much earlier in the year than is generally the case, 
even with the treatment accorded to Zonals during the early months 
of the year. At the present time the season is not so extended as 
it might be. Care and forethought only are necessary where glass 
accommodation is ample to flower them nine months out of the 
twelve. 
The reason why cuttings do not strike freely is because those 
too soft or too hard are often inserted. The former if kept close 
and moist are liable to damp, while if kept dry they shrivel and 
are as long in rooting as those that have become too firm and ripe 
before insertion. This is the case even in spring, when unsuitable 
cuttings are selected. Sturdy cuttings that are kept moist after 
insertion can be rooted and often grown into plants a foot or more 
through by the time hard cuttings, or those that are rendered so by 
being kept dry, are induced to form roots. Good cuttings root 
freely enough during March in a temperature of 65° provided the 
soil is kept as near an intermediate state for moisture as Dossible. 
They certainly take a little longer to root than Zonals,' but if 
treated the same as regards moisture in spring there would be no 
occasion to complain of the results. Cuttings inserted after the 
plants flower are frequently too firm, and consequently are a long 
time in rooting ; in fact, they made very little growth in the dull 
days of autumn. To induce them to grow then or during the 
winter results in weak spindling shoots. I am certain that if more 
moisture was given to the cuttings and less drying greater success 
would follow. Cuttings inserted after the middle of June strike 
better when dibbled into a border outside than they do when 
placed in pots in a frame. If dry weather follows insertion keep 
the cuttings moderately moist by syringing them once or twice 
daily. 
Free flowering early varieties that are rooted in spring and 
induced to grow sturdily under glass until May in 4-inch pots will 
be furnished with three or four shoots. These should then be 
placed in G-inch pots and grown in cold frames. When well 
established and the shoots have made three or four leaves they 
should be pinched again. If abundance of air is admitted they 
will grow strongly and branch freely. By the beginning of August 
they can be placed in 8-inch pots, and before the end of the 
month they will be fully a foot through. These can be stopped 
again about the end of the month, and allowed to grow and flower- 
For the early months of the year they are better in G or 7-inch 
pots, and should have by the first week in September shoots after- 
pinching about 1 inch long. Pinching in this case must be done 
early in August. After the end of September it is important that 
the plant have a light airy structure and a position near to the 
glass. Keep them growing slowly until the flower trusses are- 
visible, when a temperature of 55° to 60° will bring them into 
flower. The atmosphere must be kept rather dry, air admitted 
freely on all favourable occasions, and water supplied with great 
care. 
When cuttings are rooted from March until July there is no- 
difficulty in having sturdy plants before the approach of winter. 
This is important, then the plants only need to grow slowly during 
the months of November, December, and January. All that is- 
needed is to keep them in a moderately dry atmosphere, rather 
dry at their roots, and in a temperature that does not fall below 40°- 
They are, however, perfectly safe if frost only is excluded. In a 
very low temperature, however, the foliage is liable to suffer from 
damp. Plants that have their shoots stopped at the beginning of 
November break again into growth, and are in capital condition for 
placing in their largest pots in January. All shoots needing pinch¬ 
ing must be attended to during the months when growth is practi¬ 
cally at a standstill. It is only a waste of time to allow them to 
make more than four good joints before the points are removed. 
If this is done and the plants are close to the glass they will make 
sturdy growth as soon as the days lengthen, and will be capable of 
supporting their flowers without the aid of stakes. When they 
grow during the winter the shoots are soft and long-jointed p 
in fact, they seldom, however good the treatment may be after¬ 
wards, make growth sufficiently firm and compact to flower as- 
profusely as might be desired. 
The sturdy compact appearance of plants, and the manner in> 
which they flower, is largely due to the compost and the method of 
potting. If they are potted loosely and in an open compost they 
make soft growth, long-jointed wood, and flabby foliage. A little- 
leaf mould, amounting to one-third, may be used with advantage at 
first, but afterwards none should be used. The most suitable 
compost is fibry loam, sand, and one-seventh of manure, which 
must be pressed firmly into the pots. 
After the first flower trusses are visible soot water in a clear 
state assists them wonderfully, and artificial manures, such as Clay’sy 
Beeson’s, Standen’s, or any other suitable kind, can be applied to 
the surface soil about once a fortnight. When liquid manures 
only are supplied the roots have a tendency to go downwards 
instead of coming to the surface. 
Healthy Pelargoniums are seldom attacked by aphides to the 
same extent as those of weak growth, which are induced to make 
growth in winter in a close atmosphere. Plants of this description 
are difficult to deal with when once they are infested, simply 
because dipping in a solution of tobacco water, if strong enough 
to kill the insects, turns the leaves yellow, and the same results 
follow fumigating with tobacco. If done carefully healthy plants 
with leathery foliage will bear either treatment without injury.— 
Northerner. 
ARTICHOKES. 
Heliantiius turerosus, or, as it is more generally known, the 
Jerusalem Artichoke, is a native of South America, and is quite 
hardy in this country. Why it received the name of Jerusalem is- 
doubtful, very probably from its Italian name Girasole. It is of 
easy culture, as it thrives in almost any soil ; a rich, loamy soil r 
however, will be found to suit it best. No manure should be given, 
as this tends to promote a too-luxuriant foliage rather than the 
production of large and well-flavoured tubers. 
The tubers for planting should be of a medium size, cutting 
any large ones in half and using as single sets ; these should be 
planted in rows 1 yard apart and from 10 to 12 inches between the 
sets, planting them about 4 inches deep. In many gardens these 
are met with in out-of-the-way corners, the excuse being given that 
the young tubers persist in growing after having once occupied a 
certain piece of ground. These, however, can be readily uprooted, 
hence there is no sufficient cause why they should not receive the 
good culture they certainly deserve. 
The ripening stalks must not be cut down too early in the 
autumn, as it is during this ripening process that the tubers attain 
their full size, which would not be the case were they deprived of 
them prematurely. It is also not advisable to dig up and store the 
tubers, as by doing so they lose their natural freshness. 
Cynara Scolymus, or the Globe Artichoke, is entirely different 
from the Jerusalem Artichoke ; this being a perennial plant from 
the south of Europe, and is without doubt cultivated more as a 
