January 2, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
281 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Temperature in the plant houses. —The open 
and exceptionally mild weather for November and 
theearly part of December gave place last week to hard 
frost and dense fogs. It will be well therefore not to 
attempt to maintain the standard temperatures in 
the houses, but to allow a drop of 2 Q or 3 0 on cold 
nights. Hard firing, while prejudicial to plant life by 
the dry atmosphere it creates, also encourages the 
development of insect pests, adding ten fold totheevil. 
Watering Plants. —This will have to be done 
with great caution during the prevalence of severe 
weather, more especially if fog is also an accompani¬ 
ment. All excess of moisture is to be avoided 
whether in the plant stove or in the greenhouse. 
The best time to do it is in the early part of the day 
as soon as the light is sufficiently good to show which 
plants are dry and which are not. In smoky and 
foggy districts it will often be difficult by mid-day to 
to see the soil, and it will often be necessary to have 
recourse to ringing the pots. Recently potted plants 
will require less watering than pot-bound plants 
This, more especially in the case of Heaths and hard- 
wooded plants of the New-Holland types, must be. 
carefully attended to. All superfluous moisture on 
he floor should be mopped up immediately the 
operation is over. 
Calceolarias and Cinerarias.— Neither of these 
classes of plants require a high temperature at any 
time and should be kept as cool as possible consistent 
with their safety. Cinerarias however which are 
coming into bloom will be all the better for a night 
temperature of 48° to 50°. Plants intended for late 
flowering should be kept in the cool end of the 
greenhouse, and if possible on a cool, moist bed of 
ashes. No frost should be permitted in the house 
where Cinerarias are kept, otherwise the leaves will 
curl at the edges, and get more or less completely 
destroyed beyond recovery. Calceolarias, on the'other 
hand, may recover after being considerably affected 
by frost, if the house happens to get low over night. 
The plants should however be kept from frost if 
possible on a cool bed of ashes. 
Vines. —High temperatures must be avoided even 
during the day when fog prevails. Provided we have 
a clear atmosphere the temperature should be raised 
10" in the early part of the day by means of fire heat. 
When the bunches are showing well the night tem¬ 
perature should range from 57 0 to 6o°, according to 
the state of the weather. On frosty or windy nights 
the lower figure will be the best, in order to prevent 
as much as possible an arid atmosphere. The 
ventilators, even on bright days, should be closed 
early to economise fire heat. By damping down 
abundantly no harm will accrue, even if the tempera¬ 
ture rises to 8o° with sunshine. 
Peaches. —If any greenfly has made its appear¬ 
ance in the early Peach house, fumigation on one or 
two successive nights should be resorted to in order 
to check the pest, as it must not be done while the 
trees are in bloom, which the earliest o-nes will soon 
be, even if not in bloom already, owing to the recent 
mild weather. In case the trees are too far advanced 
any black fly that may have made its appearance 
should be brushed off with a small brush, just kept 
moistened with paraffin, taking care not to touch the 
flower buds or young leaves with the oil. 
Manuring Rhubarb.— In light soils more espe¬ 
cially, a considerable amount of manuring must be 
I given if good results are expected. With the advent 
of frosty weather, the manure can be wheeled on the 
ground, and where large breadths are grown the cart 
may be drawn between the rows without doing any 
damage. Leave the manure in convenient heaps till 
the frost disappears, and then have it spread over the 
whole surface, digging it in. A mulching of manure 
over the crowns may be given in spring, just as the 
buds commence to move. 
Kitchen Garden. —The wheeling of manure on 
to the quarters should be prosecuted with vigour 
during frosty weather, because it is a saving to the 
walks, which do not get cut up, neither does the soil 
get conveyed upon them. It had better be left in 
convenient heaps till the soil gets thawed, which it 
30 r aI1 the sooner if nothing is spread upon it 
during frosty weather. 
int^ aW k-r rr, ' es * n Pots. —A batch may now be put 
quired^wi? V6ry ea 5 ly SU PPG of ripe fruit is re¬ 
am = t Whei J started early a number of the buds 
' vlw f j° S °, bhnd ' and this wil1 have to b e kept in 
. and a larger quantity employed accordingly. 
FLOWER SHOW 
FIXTURES, 1892. 
January. 
I2 -—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee 
Meetings at Drill Hall. 
February. 
9 -—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee 
Meetings at Drill Hall. Annual Meeting at 
3 P-m. 
March. 
8-—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
15, 16.—Flower Show in Manchester Town Hall. 
22.—Royal Horticultural Society: Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
2 3 -—Royal Botanic Society : First Spring Show. 
2 9 . 3 °-—Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society. 
April. 
5 . 6 -—Brighton “New” Horticultural Society’s 
Show. 
61 7 -—Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. 
12.—Royal Florticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
J 9 -—National Auricula and Primula Society, at the 
Drill Hall. 
26.—Flower Show in the Town Hall, Manchester. 
2 7 -—Royal Botanic Society : Second Spring Show. 
May. 
3 -—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
6, 7 -—Scottish Auricula and Primula Society’s Show 
at Dundee. - 
l 7 -—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
18.—Royal Botanic Society : Summer Show. 
25, 26.—Royal Horticultural Society's Show in the 
Temple Gardens. 
June. 
3 - —Special exhibition of Orchids, etc., at Old 
Trafford, Manchester. 
4- —Orchid Conference at Old Trafford. 
7 -—Royal Horticultural Society: Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
21. —Royal Horticultural Society: Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
22. —Royal Botanic Society's Floral Fete. 
29, 39 -—Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society. 
July. 
2.—National Rose Show at the Crystal Palace. 
6. —Royal Botanic Society's Evening Fete. 
7. —Woodbridge Horticultural Society. 
12. —Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
13. 14.—Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. 
14. —National Rose Show at Chester. 
16.—Rose Show at Manchester. 
26. —Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall, National Carnation and 
Picotee Show. 
3 °. 3 1 -—Brighton " new” Horticultural Society. 
August. 
9.—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
2 3 . 24.—Royal Horticultural Society : Begonia Con¬ 
ference, etc., at Chiswick. 
24. 25.—Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society. 
September. 
6.—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
7, 8.—Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. 
20.—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
October. 
4.—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
18.—Royal Horticultural Society: Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
25. 26.—Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society. 
November. 
1.—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
2, 3.—Croydon Chrysanthemum Society. 
2. 3. 4-—Portsmouth Chrysanthemum Society. 
8, 9 - — Kingston and Surbiton Chrysanthemum 
Society. 
8, 9, 10.—National Chrysanthemum Society at the 
Royal Aquarium. 
9, 10.—Birmingham Chrysanthemum Show. 
15. —Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
18, 19.—Chorley Chrysanthemum Society. 
December. 
13.—Royal Horticultural Society : Committee Meet¬ 
ings at Drill Hall. 
[The Editor will be greatly obliged if secretaries of 
societies will communicate to him the dates of 
their exhibitions as soon as fixed.] 
Quesuons add Answer. 
*«* Correspondents arc requested, in order to avoid delay, 
to address all communications to “The Editor” 
or" The Publisher,” and not to any person by 
name, unless the correspondence is of a private 
character. Telegrams may be addressed " Bambusa 
London.'' 
ViNE Dressing.— Omega : Gishurst Compound, 
sold by all seedsmen and sundriesmen, will perhaps 
suit you best. 
Waterproofing Calico— Omega : Get 3 pints 
of pale old linseed oil, 1 oz. of sugar of lead, and 4 ozs. 
of white resin. Grind the sugar of lead with a little 
of the oil, then add the remainder and the resin. 
Boil in an iron pot over a gentle fire, well mixing the 
whole together: stretch the calico on a frame some¬ 
what loosely, and apply the mixture while hot with 
a brush. Give it a second dressing if the first is not 
quite satisfactory 
Propagating Wistaria.— H. Wilcox’ You may 
retain some of the young shoots you mention with 
the view of rooting them by layering in spring. The 
operation of layering need not be performed at present 
as the cut made now would partly get healed 
over or dried up, and therefore inert before summer. 
The cut might be made and the shoots layered just 
when growth is commencing in spring. A more 
certain plan consists in layering the growing shoots 
during the summer months, and keeping the soil 
moist over the bent portion if not naturally so. If 
well rooted the layers may be severed from the 
mother plant in autumn and spring. 
Moss on Lawn.— J. K. : See to the drainage of 
the ground ; it is probably in a wet condition. Also 
give a top dressing of rich soil taken from underneath 
the potting benches, and sifted to clear it of rough 
material. Mix some soot and lim« with this, and 
spread it over the Grass equally. If near the house 
and it appears unsightly, scatter the material about 
with a rough birch broom, and rake off any moss or 
rough material which may have been disturbed in the 
operation. During summer a dressing of guano or 
some of the compounds containing nitrogen might 
be given with advantage to the Grass and the detri¬ 
ment of the moss. 
Ground Infested with Wireworm.— Carnation : 
Rigging and exposing the larvae to birds during the 
winter months would get rid of many of them. A 
good coating of gas-lime, if it does not kill, will help 
to drive them away. This may be done at any time 
in open weather provided nothing is planted in the 
ground for a month or two afterwards, till the 
changes that occur in the gas-lime renders it harm¬ 
less to plant life. If the soil is good to a consider¬ 
able depth, trenching might be tried, turning down 
the top spit containing the wire-worms to the bottom. 
While the Carnations are on the ground in summer 
they might be watered around the roots with a weak 
solution of paraffin and water which will serve to 
keep the creatures at bay. It would be advisable to 
plant on a fresh piece of land for a year or two. 
Guano for Flowering Plants.— H. J.B.: It very 
much depends upon the strength, or in other words 
the quality, of the guano as to how much might be 
applied with safety. If the manure is a good sample 
about one ounce to two gallons of water will be 
strong enough. Gross feeders will stand more than 
the weaker feeders ; but a safe plan is to err on the 
side of weakness with the manure, giving it often in 
preference to few and strong doses, because the 
roots cannot take it up when it becomes concentra¬ 
ted. A good plan is to give a watering with soot 
water alternately with the guano. 
Communications Received.— F. F. R. —B. F. — 
H. W.—Experience—D. & R.—T. M.—W. N.—W. 
F.—A. B. (next week)—D. M. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordesley, Stourbridge.-—- 
Spring Catalogue of Flower and Vegetable Seeds. 
Dickson & Robinson, 12, Old Millgate, Man¬ 
chester.—Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Dickson, Brown & Tait, 43, 45, Corporation 
Street, Manchester.— Vegetable and Flower Seeds, 
Garden Requisites, &c. 
Dobbie & Co., Rothesay, N.B.—Catalogue o 
Seeds and Competitor's Guide. 
J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex,—Seed List for 
1892. 
Charles Sharpe & Co., Sleaford.—Flower, Vege¬ 
table, and Farm Seeds. 
William Cutbush & Son, Highgate, N.— 
Flower, Vegetable and Farm Seeds, &c. 
Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle.—Garden and 
Farm Seeds, Sundries, &c. 
C. Fidler, Reading. — Vegetable Seeds and Seed 
Potatos. 
Ihomas Methven & Sons, 15, Prince’s Street, 
Edinburgh.—Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Imple¬ 
ments, &c. 
__ m - 
LONDON SEED TRADE. 
December 2gth, 1891. 
Messrs. Hurst & Son, 152, Houndsditch, and 39, 
Seed Market, Mark Lane, E.C., report that owing 
to holidays no business was transacted in Clover 
Seeds, and that values all round remain steady. 
