September i, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
7 
to ne to the plants. Pigeon manure can also be used 
with great advantage, and is undoubtedly one of the 
best of manures for the Chrysanthemum. But as they 
like their diet changed, it is a good plan to give them 
the different kinds every alternate week. Top-dressing 
is also a good help to them, that is if room has been 
left for that purpose, at the time of potting up the 
plant into the blooming pots. Look well after insects 
of all kinds that are enemies to the Chrysanthemum, 
especially earwigs ; these must be constantly looked 
after and destroyed, or else they will soon destroy the 
plants. Green-fly is also troublesome, and if left alone 
will soon do much mischief. Sprinkle a little tobacco 
powder on the points of the plants at night, then in 
the morning go round with the water can and syringe 
and wash it all off, give another application if needed. 
The plants should also be syringed overhead night and 
morning in bright sunny weather, and the ground made 
damp on which the plants are standing. The strength 
and colour of the foliage may also be very much im¬ 
proved by syringing with very weak manure water. 
If these directions are carried out, and if the plants 
have been properly treated from the time they left the 
cutting pots until now, they will be fine plants, and 
the reward will be fine masses of bloom during Novem¬ 
ber and December. — E. Austin. 
(To be continued). 
-->*<-- 
Gardening Notes from 
Scotland. 
“Queen Mary’s Tree.” —Some years ago the 
gigantic Plane [Sycamore 1] growing at Little France, 
near Craigmillar, Midlothian—which, it is alleged, was 
planted by Queen Alary—showed indications of decay, 
and fears were entertained that it would succumb to a 
high westerly gale. In order to preserve this historical 
tree as far as possible, the proprietor of Craigmillar, 
after consulting competent authorities, had the top 
branches cut off, so that it would offer less resistance 
to the wind. The tree, says The Scotsman, has once 
more found itself famous on account of the recent notice 
taken of it by the Queen, who has now at Balmoral a 
sapling grown from its seed, which was presented to 
her at Dalkeith Palace. Since that little incident found 
its way into the newspapers, the overseer at Craigmillar 
has been inundated with letters from all parts of the 
country—not a few from Canadians and Australians 
at present in Britain, asking if they, too, can have a 
seedling from Queen Alary’s tree, as an interesting relic 
of Scotland’s ill-fated Queen. These he has, it seems, 
been able to answer in a way very gratifying to the 
relic hunters ; for it so happens that the year before 
the tree was cut it produced a goodly crop of seed, 
which was sown down in the neighbouring nursery, and 
produced an abundant supply of young plants, not a 
few of which have been since transplanted to decorate 
other portions of the Craigmillar estate. 
Notes from Parkhall, Stirlingshire.— 
When I gave a brief report of the doings of this exten¬ 
sive fruit-growing place last year, I was hardly prepared 
for such an extension of glass as has been added this 
season—a range of span houses forming three structures, 
250 ft. long each—a goodly amount of glass accommo¬ 
dation in itself for one place. It is probable that these 
very useful houses will be utilised for the growth of 
Cucumbers, Melons, Tomatos, early Grapes, &c. A 
succession of Cucumbers were already planted, and 
showing fruit in several of the divisions ; so were also 
Tomatos. Evidently our countrymen must be acquir¬ 
ing a taste for these wholesome fruits, for the yearly 
increase of their cultivation is immense. 
At Parkhall the Vines have this year done remarkably 
well—certainly there is no retrogression from last year— 
and those who saw the first-prize bunches in some half- 
dozen classes at the November show, held in the 
Waverly Alarket, Edinburgh, last year, may expect to 
hear of the Parkhall Grapes again. All the most 
useful kinds are well represented ; the even outlines of 
the very handsome bunches, heavy crops, and large 
leathery foliage, shows that Grape growing is a speci¬ 
ality at Parkhall of no mean order. I noticed the 
often disputed Bowood Aluscat in fine form, out¬ 
distancing its compeer the Aluscat of Alexandria in 
ripening ; such results in the same house are very con¬ 
clusive. To describe the stone fruits trained, and in 
pots, also Pears and Figs in pots, would be going over 
the same ground as we did in our report last year. 
The enthusiasm of Air. Murray, the gardener, has in no 
abated, Excelsior being his motto.— M. T. 
Notes on Bedding Plants.—I notice among 
bedding plants, this season, a strong tendency to 
develop foliage at the expense of flowers. In cool and 
moist districts this is very general, and should a wet 
autumn set in, much may be lost by the decaying of 
the rank foliage. As a preventive of this, in some 
kinds of plants—Pelargoniums especially—a general 
stripping of the foliage may be made. We have been 
over the plants twice this season already, and the 
results are most satisfactory. Having put this plan in 
practice for many years, I recommend it to amateurs 
and others as safe ; and when cuttings are taken off— 
which may be in the course of ten days or so after the 
denuding of the foliage—they will be found less sappy 
and more ready to stand a little rough treatment during 
the winter. The bottom 'leaves are the first to decay 
in the beds, and may be cleaned out somewhat severely. 
Other leaves may be thinned off, exposing every flower- 
bud to the light, when they will open unmolested by 
damp. The tops of the shoots can be nipped out, 
leaving the upper bud, which soon opens. I have 
often cut round the roots of such plants as Heliotropes, 
Verbenas, Gazanias, &e., with a large knife, stopping 
the grorvth and allowing flowers to open unmolested. 
Where the soil is dry, light, or sharpened with sand, no 
such precaution as this is necessary ; but a good soaking 
of manure-water would be advantageous instead. I 
notice some Begonias (tuberous-rooted) which were left 
in the ground over the winter doing better, standing 
wind especially, than they did planted out of pots on 
the same space last year. Some spaces which were 
planted thinly because of scarcity of kinds, and the 
surface of the soil covered with Sedums, are doing very 
well ; and though the Sedums are now being covered 
over with foliage, they do no harm to the larger- 
growing plants, and the soil has been hidden all the 
season. Propagation should now be pushed on rapidly. 
Good sandy loam placed in thoroughly-drained pots, 
boxes, or pans, with an increase of sand on the surface, 
suits most plants well. — M. T. 
Planting Shrubs. —The season is at hand when 
this work should bo done as expeditiously as possible. 
Large shrubs of the evergreen class, prepared last year by 
cutting round the roots and going under them with the 
spade will now be in fine order for lifting, and when 
they are removed require a free, healthy, and not heavy 
soil next the roots, and a good mulching with rotted 
manure ; thoroughly trenched land with free drainage 
is very essential to free growth. Deciduous trees and 
shrubs are better when planted about the period their 
foliage begins to drop, and when growth is fairly 
matured. A number of Yews from a hedge, which 
were planted in lines during the early days of August, 
three years ago, have done remarkably well, and have 
now grown into nice specimens. If roots of old trees 
are in the ground where trees and shrubs are to be 
placed, it would be well to remove them ; but young 
trees placed among old healthy specimens is a great 
mistake.— M. T. 
Chrysanthemums.— A general overhaul of the 
Chrysanthemums should now be made—surface clearing 
and giving a dressing of rotted manure and loam— 
supplies of liquid manure may be given, especially to 
plants which have well filled their pots with roots ; 
roots should not be allowed to grow through the pots. 
Secure staking is now very necessary, but this is often 
done to the extreme, and the plants suffer thereby in 
appearance. Wher6 the plants have been turned out 
of their pots in a border or other suitable space, they, 
should have the spade put round the balls of soil in 
which the roots are matted, preparatory to lifting, well 
water them, and in the course of a week or two they 
will be ready for removal to their flowering pots ; for 
extra large blooms this plan does not suit so well.— M. T. 
Royal Northern Horticultural Society of 
Aberdeen. —The autumn exhibition of the Royal 
Northern Horticultural Society will be held in the 
Alusic Hall Buildings, Aberdeen, on Friday and Satur¬ 
day, 10th and 11th of September. There are 165 
classes with three awards in each, making 500 prizes 
for competition. These classes are divided into four di¬ 
visions—professional gardeners, nurserymen, amateurs, 
and working classes—and the exhibits comprise four 
sections, namely, pot plants, cut flowers, fruit, and 
vegetables. The opening ceremony will take place on 
Friday 10th September at noon, when Lord Provost 
Alatthews will preside. As usual there will be a 
musical promenale—a fine band supplying the music. 
Entries close on the 6th September. Notwithstanding 
the backward state of the season, it is fully expected 
there will be a large nurnoer of exhibits. 
-—- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Where water has been liberally supplied during the 
dry weather, the flower beds still continue bright and 
beautiful ; but if that point has been neglected, large 
numbers of plants will be in a very unsatisfactory con¬ 
dition. With due care and attention, the former will 
last for a long time yet, but the latter will be of little 
use except to furnish cuttings or seed for another season. 
Some hints were given, a few weeks since, on the desir¬ 
ability of early propagation in the case of Pelargoniums, 
as these could be readily struck out of doors, and sub¬ 
sequently taken up and potted. If sufficient stock was 
not taken at the time, some more cuttings should now 
be inserted under glass, either in pots or boxes, the 
latter being convenient where pots are scarce, and the 
cuttings can be safely wintered in them if not crowded 
together, a mistake that is too frequently made in 
wintering plants of all kinds. Whether for cuttings 
or plants that are to be preserved during the dull 
season under glass, rich soil should be avoided, as it 
only tends to encourage a sappy growth that is most un¬ 
fitted for enduring either cold or damp. 
This especially applies to Pelargoniums ; but is also 
true as regards all other kinds of bedding plants, such 
as Iresines, Alternantheras, &e. Of the last-named 
two some prefer to keep old plants during the winter, 
but the best way is to have a few pots of cuttings, 
proportionate to the number to be required in the next 
season. Insert these cuttings early, so that they 
will become well-rooted, sturdy, little plants before dull 
weather sets in, hardening them well by exposure out 
of doors. These, if in light sandy soil, keep much 
better than old plants, and in the spring a stock can 
be quickly obtained. If they are potted and en¬ 
couraged to grow in plenty of heat and moisture, 
abundance of cuttings will be secured. 
Lobelias may be treated in a similar way. Calceo¬ 
larias are best struck in cold frames ; • but it will be 
advisable to wait a week or two before inserting cuttings 
of these, as they are more likely to fail in hot dry 
weather than they are later in September, when the 
temperature is lower. 
THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. 
In large gardens it is a serious undertaking to supply 
the vegetable crops with water in a dry season, but in 
most amateurs’ and suburban gardens this can be ac¬ 
complished without any great difficulty, and just now 
it is almost indispensable to preserve many crops. 
Where mulchings have been employed over the roots 
of fruit trees the full benefit will now be reaped, for 
without some provision of this kind the fruits fall 
prematurely in a hot dry period like the present. 
Apples and Plums especially suffer from drought, and 
a good drenching of water over their roots will prevent 
much loss and encourage the fruits to dovelope to their 
full size, which otherwise they are not likely to do. 
It is astonishing how quickly Apples feel the drought, 
which checks the growth of the fruit, and a crop of un¬ 
dersized and poorly flavoured samples is the result. As 
these and other fruits mature they should be gathered 
carefully, either for immediate consumption or stored in 
a cool place for keeping ; most of the early fruits, how¬ 
ever, are bad keepers, and some of the early Pears in 
particular should always be gathered before they colour, 
or they will be found “sleepy,” and otherwise unsatis¬ 
factory. 
Dig all early, second early, and mid-season Potatos 
that are sufficiently advanced, though of course there 
will be few of the first named now remaining. Place 
the tubers in a cool dark shed, but not damp, and it is 
advisable to carefully sort them before placing them 
under cover, removing any that are suspected to be 
diseased, and placing aside those intended for seed 
another year. Our latest Peas, Ne Plus Ultra, are now 
nearly over, but we have an abundant supply of Scarlet 
Runner Beans. Cauliflowers are excellent, and Vege¬ 
table Alarrows are also good where they have been 
liberally watered.— Scolytus, 
