624 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 30 , 1896. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Hoeing amongst crops.—There is no more useful 
tool than the hoe, and all through the summer it 
should be kept constantly at work, that is to say 
whenever it is possible to do so. In the keeping 
down of obnoxious weeds it is invaluable, as every¬ 
one who has a garden knows. But there are other 
advantages which accrue from its free use besides this. 
Most soils are more or less liable to baking during 
the summer months, and it is desirable to break up 
this hard crust, or rather to prevent it from forming 
to any great extent. The baking of the soil is 
largely brought about by frequent waterings during 
bright weather, but, as watering is a necessary evil if 
many of the tender plants are to be kept alive, there 
is nothing for it but to go on watering, whilst the 
surface soil should be kept frequently stirred. All 
growing crops, whether of flowers or vegetables, 
profit by this treatment. 
Tomatos on walls.—These may be planted out in 
their fruiting quarters in the course of a few days. 
Nothing is gained by keeping the plants too long in 
the pots, for 32’s, which is the size most favoured, 
do not contain a great deal of soil, and its goodness is 
soon exhausted by the vigorous and greedy Tomato. 
Plants that have been much starved in this way 
rarely do so well as others which are planted earlier. 
A couple of ties attaching the main stem to the wall 
will be sufficient for the present. Others may be 
given as growth calls for them. Make the ties 
rather loose, so as to allow plenty of room for the 
stems they enclose to expand. 
Primula Sieboldii.—Whether in pots or out of 
them, in the greenhouse or in the hardy flower 
garden, there is no flower more showy, and at the 
same time more easily looked after. From a 
botanical point of view this is simply a variety of P. 
cortusoides, which was brought from Siberia a little 
over a 100 years ago. It is also frequently met with 
in gardens under the name of P. amoena. A 
packet of seeds sown under glass in spring time, 
will produce an abundance of plants. These, if 
properly looked after for pricking out, watering, and 
shading, will not be very long in making good stocky 
stuff. It is astonishing how many shades of colour 
may be exhibited by the flowers of the various plants 
originating from one seed pod. They will vary from 
nearly white to deep rose, with a host of indescrib¬ 
able but none the less beautiful intermediate shades. 
The plants succeed well in a mixture of equal parts 
of peat, loam, and leaf soil, with sand. A few small 
pieces of sand stone mixed with the soil are also of 
great service. 
Spiraea japonica.—It is of little use to call this 
well-known plant by its correct name of Astilbe 
japonica. Gardeners have known it and grown it 
for long as Spiraea, and gardeners are usually con¬ 
servative, and do not take kindly to changes. Plants 
which have been forced this year will be of no good 
for forcing purposes next ; they will require a year's 
rest. The best plan, therefore, will be to knock 
them out of their pots and plant them out in a 
vacant corner of the garden, a rather shady place 
for preference. If the plants are allowed to stand 
about in their pots, the hot summer sun will soon 
dry them up and finish them. Spiraeas require a lot 
of water, and when the pots are full of roots they 
will take water three times a day and then be dry at 
the end of it. Planted out in the manner suggested, 
the labour of watering is much reduced, and the 
plants themselves are given a chance of picking up. 
Tying in Peaches.—Whether the trees are grown 
under glass or on outside walls this is an operation 
that needs prompt attention. It savours greatly of 
carelessness and inattention to allow the shoots to 
grow away at their own sweet will until they are 
about 1^ ft. long. In houses, where the trees are 
trained to wires, the growths should all be brought 
below the latter, for if they are suffered to intertwine 
among the wires a lot of trouble will be given next 
winter to put matters straight. In tying do not 
allow the shoots to cross each other. If the main 
branches have been properly tied in last winter there 
should be no difficulty in covering the whole of the 
space occupied by the tree with the younger bearing 
wood. Each separate growth then should follow a 
straight course, and every advantage will thus be 
taken of the space available, besides making the tree 
look as if its owner knew what he was about. 
Syringing wall trees —Nothing is more conducive 
to the health of a tree than an occasional syringing. 
The dust and dirt that settle upon the leaves must 
be washed off frequently if the said leaves are to be 
kept fresh and green-looking. Of an evening, 
therefore, an hour or so may very well be spent in 
using the syringe, and the trees will grow all the 
better for the attention. 
Peach leaves blistering.—The blistering of the 
leaves is a deformity that may be frequently observed 
upon Peaches. It is usually caused by the presence 
of a parasitic fungus (Exocasus deformans). 
Another form of curl or blister is caused by Aphides. 
In this case the cause can easily be ascertained, for 
the flies can readily be seen by unrolling the affected 
leaves. The best and only method of curing a tree 
of blister is a drastic one, viz., picking off the leaves 
that are observed to be affected, removing them, and 
committing them to the flames. Even if it were 
possible to effectively fumigate a tree growing out of 
doors that is suffering from leaf curl caused by 
Aphides, the insects are shielded in a great measure 
from the smoke by the curled leaves. 
Aubrietias—Of all the subjects which find a 
place in the rock garden none are more ornamental 
than the Aubrietias, and few need less attention. The 
dense cushion or carpet-like patches of colouring 
formed by their profusion of flowers during the 
months of spring and early summer are too 
conspicuous to pass without notice, and too beautiful 
to fail to receive appreciation. The present is an 
excellent time to work up a stock. There are several 
methods of propagation, all of them more or less 
effective. After flowering, the old plants may be 
carefully lifted and divided. The divisions may be 
planted out in a cool, shady spot in light soil, where 
they will soon equal the parent plant in size. 
Layering is practised to a considerable extent. A 
mixture of sand and leaf soil to the depth of ij in. 
or 2 in. should be spread carefully round the old 
plants, and the long slender branches layered into it 
in the same way as Carnations. During dry weather 
the layers will need watering every evening. Thus 
treated they will not be long in making roots, when 
they may be lifted and transferred to their flowering 
quarters out of doors, or if desired, potted up for 
blooming in the conservatory next spring. Layering, 
like division, should be performed after the flowering 
season is over. The insertion of cuttings is at once 
a safe and expeditious method of getting up a stock. 
These will strike very readily now. The young 
growing tips, say from 1 in to 2 in. in length, should 
be taken off, carefully trimmed with a sharp knife, 
and thickly inserted in shallow well-drained pans 
filled with light sandy soil. If a little heat can be 
given the cuttings, they will root all the more quickly, 
but failing that, they will do very well in a cool frame 
if it is kept close. Shading must be carefully 
attended to, and water should only be given through 
the medium of a fine rose can After the cuttings 
have rooted, and before they have grown so much as 
to get entangled with each other, they should be 
transplanted to a similar position to that 
recommended for the rooted layers. In autumn 
they may be lifted again and finally placed in the 
quarters in which they are to flower. 
Seed, when it can be obtained, germinates pretty 
freely, but the season is now rather too far advanced 
to obtain the best results from seed sowing, which is 
best done not later than the middle of April.— Rex. 
-- 1 — 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
“ Amateurs' Page ” on the top of their letters. 
Polygonum cuspidatum is the name of the plant 
you send along, Pat. It is certainly a curious kind 
of subject to plant in a small villa garden in which 
there is not room to swing the proverbial cat round. 
A good deal of it may be met with, however, in small 
suburban gardens around London. It appears to 
stand the smoke remarkably well ; possibly it may be 
a little stunted in stature, but that is all. As to 
propagation, that is simple enough. You need have 
no fear of getting up a stock of it. Once it is planted 
it is not long in establishing itself, and soon begins 
to run all over the place. You may divide the roots 
up as required, either in winter or early spring. 
Nephrodium molle. — Yes, M., you may grow this 
Fern fairly well in your window. Do not allow the 
rays of the sun to strike full upon the fronds, or the 
latter will become yellow and shabby looking. 
Weeyils on Peach Tree» —/., Thame, is complain, 
ing of the havoc weevils are playing with the leaves 
of his Peaches, and wants to know how to get rid of 
them. “ Catch 'em and kill 'em ” is the best remedy 
in this case. The trees should be examined carefully 
in the evening after dark by means of a good lantern. 
A white cloth should be spread beneath the trees at 
the commencement, for the weevils are easily 
frightened and drop off the trees on to the ground, 
no doubt hoping thereby to escape. On the white 
cloth, however, they can readily be seen and 
destroyed. The leaves of the tree may be carefully 
looked over, and a sharp pinch between finger and 
thumb given to the insects that are observed to be 
clinging to the leaves. 
Mignonette.—The instructions given last week 
were intended to apply to the culture of tree 
Mignonette, A be, but owing to a printer’s error the 
word " tree " was unfortunately left out. Ordinary 
Mignonette may be grown in pots with far less 
trouble, and if you make haste and sow a pinch of 
seed out of doors you may have as much as you like 
with very little trouble. 
Soil for Oleander.—A compost of equal parts of 
peat and loam with plenty of sharp sand will do 
admirably for your Oleanders, Inquirer. Firm potting 
is essential, or ycu will never keep your plants inside 
the pots. 
Plants for a Cottage Window.—There is a 
number of plants that should do well in your 
window, S. Holden. In addition to Fuchsias and 
Pelargoniums, which everybody grows, you may try 
Musk, Campanula isophylla and its white variety 
alba, and tuberous Begonias. For foliage plants 
you cannot do better than invest in Aspidistras 
and Aralia Sieboldii. Coleuses do well in an ordinary 
window during the summer months, but as the 
autumn approaches they invariably die off. 
Straggling Fuchsias—Your plants have evidently 
been allowed to go as they please, G. Kingston, with 
the result that two or three of the strongest shoots 
have been growing at the expense of the rest, and the 
plants have become lopsided. Cut these too vigorous 
growths back and thus induce the plants to send out 
a quantity of smaller shoots, when a more compact 
and bushier habit will be obtained. Pinching must 
be resorted too fairly early in the season, when the 
shoots are only 2 in. or 3 in. in leDgtb, if the plants 
show any inclination to become ill shaped. 
Azaleas sickly.—Do you give your Azaleas 
sufficient water, Contra ? It is of no use to damp the 
surface of the soil merely. Enough water must be 
given to soak right through the ball, and in hot 
weather like we have been having of late such fine- 
rooted subjects as Azaleas need a lot of water. Lack 
of it would certainly cause such symptoms as you 
have described in your letter, viz., falling of many 
of the leaves and the s'ckly-yellow hue of others. 
Self-sown Cinerarias,—It is no uncommon thing, 
S. J. Embleton, for young Cinerarias to come up 
where old plants have been standing. These self- 
sown seedlings often come in bandy where the 
regular sowiDg under glass has either failed or the 
results have been poor. You may lift the plants 
carefully and pot them singly into thumb pots, put 
them in a cold frame, shade, and keep them close for 
a few days. They will then be almost sure to do 
well. 
Dandelions on Lawn.—Will you kindly say how 
A very Constant Reader can best eradicate Dandelions 
from his lawn preparatory to its renovation ? The 
gardener says the best plan will be to wait for a 
heavy fall of rain, and when the ground is wet to a 
foot or more, remove each weed by a deep thrust of 
the spade, pulling the offender out by the root. 
If by renovation you mean a complete re-making 
of the lawn, either by laying turf or sowing seed, 
your best plan to get rid of the Dandelions will be to 
do as the gardener suggests. Instead of a spade a 
grubber with a strong narrow blade should be used. 
If the lawn is not to be re-made this would not be a 
good plan, as if the Dandelions are numerous its 
surface after you had finished would closely resemble 
