290 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, January 27, 1857. 
require very little attention after planting, they deserve a 
place in every flower-garden. The soil to be taken out of 
the bed at least one foot deep, and filled up with rotten 
dung and stiff loam well mixed up together; all long and 
straggling roots shortened and bruised, and broken parts cut 
away. Choice of sorts for particular colours, &c., can be 
made from any Rose-grower’s catalogue. Towards the end 
of the month the shoots of Moss and Provence Poses to be 
cut back to three or four buds. The strong shoots of Hybrid 
Provence , Hybrid Bourbons, Damask, Perpetuals, and Hybrid 
Perpetuals, to be shortened to six or eight buds, removing all 
the small spray and cross branches, and leaving the shoots 
at regular distances apart. The Hybrid China, Sweet 
Hybrid, and Austrian Briar Poses require but very little 
pruning, merely to shorten the tops of the shoots, and to 
thin these out when too thick. To postpone pruning until 
April some of the summer-flowering sorts will give a suc¬ 
cession of bloom for a fortnight or three weeks later. 
A sowing of Phlox Drummondii should now be made, 
and placed in a gentle bottom heat for planting a bed or 
two in tiie flower garden, where it produces a showy effect 
during the whole season. Wood’s variety, called formosa, is 
the best for the purpose. Cuttings of all sorts of plants for 
bedding-out purposes to be now put in, and excited by a 
gentle bottom heat either in a cutting frame or small forcing 
pit. Seed of Salvia patens sown now will produce fine 
plants for a bed or two in the flower garden ; when pegged 
down its spikes of deep blue flowers give a massive appear¬ 
ance to the group. Ten-week Stocks, German Asters, and 
other half-hardy annuals to be sown, and treated with the 
same temperature as the cuttings until they have vegetated 
and are fit to prick off. 
Florists' flowers will require particular attention. Auriculas 
and Polyanthuses to be top dressed with rich compost, the 
early bloom to be removed, and if the sickly appearance of 
any plant indicates canker and insufficient drainage, the 
knife should be used to remove the part of the roots affected, 
or more drainage to be given without breaking the ball of 
soil. This is a good time to take off the offsets before 
top dressing, three or four to be planted in a five-inch pot, 
and placed in a shady part of the frame. If desirous to 
obtain a batch of seedling Auriculas, the seed to be now 
sown in shallow pans, and placed in a cold frame. Ranun¬ 
culuses to be planted about the middle of the month, 
the bed to be made level, the roots to be planted six 
inches apart, and an inch and a half deep, to be pressed 
firmly into the soil, taking care not to break any of their 
tubers. Seed may also be sown in well-drained pans, and 
filled with soil within half an inch of the rim ; to be watered, 
and the following morning the seed to be sprinkled rather 
thickly over the surface; merely covered with sandy peat 
soil, again watered, and then placed in a cold frame and 
protected from frosts. The cankered leaves of Tulips 
should also be removed as soon as they are perceived. 
Dahlias to be excited by a brisk bottom heat, and when the 
young shoots are about two inches long to be taken off and 
treated as cuttings. Pansies to be top dressed with some 
light, rich soil, such as decayed leaves and thoroughly de¬ 
composed manure from the old Cucumber or Melon frames. 
As the increasing light and warmth of the solar rays will 
arouse the greenhouse plants that have been kept compara¬ 
tively dormant during the winter into a more active state 
of vegetation, many will now require fresh potting. The 
majority of plants from New Holland and the Cape of Good 
Hope delight in good, fibrous heath soil, in a rough state, 
with a good portion of silver sand and plenty of crock 
drainage. The object of drainage is not to get rid of the 
water, whether rain water or liquid manure, as soon as it is 
given, but rather the free dispersion and filtration of it 
through the whole of the soil, so as to obtain from it all its 
nutritious qualities in the course of its escape into the 
bottom. Water to be applied more freely to those plants 
that have been potted long enough for the roots to reach the 
sides of the pots. All plants after shifting will require a 
little genial warmth, either by removing them to the warmest 
part of the house, or to any place where the needful supply 
of heat can be given, to excite them to produce new roots in 
the fresh soil; but to produce a robust, sturdy growth, it is 
necessary to supply them abundantly with fresh air at all 
favourable opportunities. Any naked or straggling plants 
that have not been lately shifted, if in a good state of health, 
may be shortened back to make compact, bushy specimens; 
after being cut back, syringing them occasionally will sup¬ 
ply them with sufficient moisture until they have produced 
young shoots, when they may be watered more freely, and 
sometimes with clear liquid manure. Any plants in an 
unhealthy condition, through what cause soever, should be 
turned out of their pots, their balls of soil reduced, their 
roots slightly pruned, and placed in pots a size or two 
smaller in good fresh soil; by tying down the branches, 
and by exciting them into growth in a gentle bottom heat, 
they will break freely at the bends, and then can be pruned 
into good-shaped specimens. 
The African Blue Lilies (Agapanthus umbellatus ) are 
plants of ancient introduction, and are very generally dis¬ 
carded from the greenhouse, but for what reason we could 
never discover; in our opinion they are well worthy of more 
general cultivation. Towards the end of the month they 
should be fresh potted in a mixture of rich loam and well- 
rotted leaf mould or dung, and placed in a warm part of 
the house, where they will soon begin to grow freely; to be 
abundantly supplied with air and water, and liquid manure 
occasionally ; indeed, treated as a sub-aquatic, one-third of 
the pot immersed in a pan of water, they will flower freely 
during the summer, and retain that beautiful deep blue 
colour which is a most distinguishing characteristic of the 
plant. A row of Standard Fuchsias on grass, at each side of 
a favourite walk, produces a noble effect during the summer 
and autumn months. Plants intended for such a purpose, 
or for general decoration, should now be brought from their 
place of rest, and be started into growth in a good bottom 
heat of 75°, having first trimmed the roots and repotted 
them. The nailing of fruit trees to be forwarded at all 
favourable opportunities, and hardy annuals to be sown in 
the open ground.— William Keane. 
HEAD GARDENER FOR THE CHISWICK 
GARDENS. 
It has been publicly announced by the Horticultural 
Society that they could not, in the specified time, find a 
first-rate gardener for £150 a year. I hope they will never 
have to tell “ their customers,” the landed aristocracy of the 
kingdom, that even a second-rate gardener can be had 
in this country for the money, and to provide everything for 
himself. 
My own first situation, when I was hardly a fourth-rate 
gardener, was worth £150 a year, and there are many gar¬ 
deners now round London, who are not much more ad¬ 
vanced in gardening than I was then, whose salary, including 
everything, is above £100. In my second situation, which 
was close to London, the actual market value of “ my hire ” 
was worth as much hard cash as the Horticultural Society 
offers for house-rent, coal, candle, soap, and towels, and I 
had all these in addition, and had not more to do than one 
of the then foremen of the Horticultural Society; for it was at 
that time that Fortune, Gordon, and Thompson’s salaries 
were raised to £100 each, and the Secretary’s to £500. I can 
safely say that I know most of the first-rate gardeners in the 
kingdom, and out of them all I could only conscientiously 
point to five or six of them who possess the rare qualities 
which are necessary to carry on such a garden as that of ours 
at Chiswick; and seeing there is no more than the bare 
salary offered, before I could expect one of the six to throw 
up his present engagements to become the gardener of the 
Society, £200 is the lowest figure I should think of offering 
to him, but he ought to have no less than one-half the sum 
which is given to the principal Secretary. In public com¬ 
panies the invariable tendency of servants being underpaid 
is to make them the tools of anybody, or set of bodies, who 
may happen to be over or above them, whether such tools be 
for or against the interest or usefulness of the said company 
or society.—D. Beaton. 
[We quite assent to most that Mr. Beaton has said in the 
above communication; but we think the Secretary ought to 
have £400 a year, and the head gardener £200. We have 
heard rumours of offers to serve gratuitously; but let the 
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