July 18, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
735 
The first prize was well won by Messrs. A. 
Dickson & Sons, Newtownards, with a brilliant 
lot, the colour throughout beiDg fine; the best 
flowers were Mrs. W. J. Grant, Alfred Colomb, 
Suzanna M. Rodocanachi, Thomas Mills, A. K. 
Williams, Victor Hugo, Earl of Dufferin, Captain 
Hayward, Mad. Charles Crapelet, Charles 
Lefebvre, Beauty of Waltham, Hor. Vernet, &c. 
Messrs. Harkness & Sons, Bedale, were second. 
Messrs. Dickson & Sons were in the same position 
for twenty-four triplets, the colour again being good, 
Mrs. W. J. Grant, Mrs. R. G. Sharman Crawford, 
Helen Keller, Earl of Dufferin, &c., being excellent 
Messrs. Harkness again were second for twelve 
blooms of one variety ; the latter scored with a grand 
box of Mrs. J. Laiug, Messrs. Dickson being second 
with Marchioness of Dufferin. For twelve Teas, 
Mr. Prince, Oxford, staged the premier lot, Maman 
Cochet, and the Hon. Edith Gifford being fine. 
In the amateurs' section, H. V. Machin, Esq., 
Worksop, had the premier awards for twenty-four 
and eighteen distinct varieties with moderate flowers. 
For twelve distinct varieties, Mr. Hugh G. Roberts 
was first. For six dark, six light, and twelve Tea 
Roses, the first awards went to H. V. Machin, Esq. 
A fine competition took place in the classes for hardy 
perennials which added to the value of the exhibition. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
Tree Ferns. —As these should now be making 
vigorous growth occasional doses of liquid cow- 
manure will be of great service. The stems, too, 
especially of such subjects as Dicksonia Wend- 
landii, will have developed large quantities of active 
roots. It will be necessary to keep these well 
supplied with moisture, and to this end the syringe 
must be plied about them at least three times a day. 
It will not be wise to bind anything round the stem 
with a view to assisting the retention of the moisture, 
or the health of the plant will suffer. We have 
known cases of plants that have been nearly killed 
by having sphagnum moss bound round their stems. 
Gymnogrammes. —If these are doing well they will 
need a lot of water during the hot weather. It will 
be well to exercise a deal of caution, however, in the 
application of liquid manures, as Gymnogrammes 
do not like strong doses of anything. In watering 
them be careful to keep the fronds from being 
wetted, or the foliage will be spoilt. For the same 
reason the plants should be placed in a corner of 
the stove where the water from the syringe can be 
kept off them. Any plants that are sickly, and do 
not appear to be doing well should be removed to a 
close pit, and plunged to the rims of the pots in 
cocoanut fibre refuse, with a gentle bottom heat. 
This wiil work wonders in the helping feeble plants 
to recover their lost beauty. 
Saving Spores. —Where it is desired to save 
spores for future sowing of any particular species or 
variety, fertile fronds should be cut off when they 
have reached maturity, and placed under-side down¬ 
wards on separate sheets of paper in a cool, dry shed 
or room into which no breezes can penetrate. The 
spores will drop on to the paper as the fronds dry 
off, and they may then be done up in packets, 
correctly labelled and dated, and laid aside for use 
when needed. 
Platyceriums on Cork.— These handsome Ferns 
will grow quite as well in pockets made of virgin 
cork fastened to tree stems in the stove, as they will 
when grown in pots in the usual way, and they 
appear to infinitely better advantage. If it is 
thought necessary, a further addition of live sphag¬ 
num moss, fibrous peat, and sand may be given, 
whilst in places where the old sphagnum has grown 
too luxuriantly, a little thinning out will be of advan¬ 
tage. Make sure also that the pockets are firmly 
affixed to the stem for where they are attached by 
nails, the cork will rot first at the places pierced by 
the iron, and the plants may be thus endangered. 
The best way to water such stumps is by means of a 
rose-can, as a good soaking may thus very easily be 
given, but where the position of the plants precludes 
the possibility of the can being used, the syringe 
may with advantage be brought into play. 
Selaginellas. —In order to keep up a supply of 
these pretty plants it will be necessary to put in 
batches of cuttings at intervals, as once they reach 
the fruiting stage the plants will do very little more 
good, the production of cones weakening them very 
materially. Shallow, well drained pans, filled with 
light sandy soil, answer admirably. These should 
be placed in a close pit and shaded carefully. 
Filmy Ferns. —Nothing is easier to grow than 
these handsome and fragile looking Ferns, provided 
they are given the attentions they require. These, 
briefly speaking, are plenty of water at the root, an 
atmosphere as close to saturation point as possible, 
and shade. Many of the tropical kinds may be 
grown in cases or hand-lights in the stove, and a few 
such cases in the darker corners of a stove usually 
attract a good dea 1 of attention. The Ferns should 
be planted in a miniature rockery, disposing them 
in irregular clumps upon, or at the side of blocks of 
sandstone. Damping down will need to be looked 
to five or six times a day, in order to secure the 
necessary humidity. Syringing may be resorted to 
occasionally, but if damping down is properly 
attended to.it will only be necessary during the hottest 
months of the year. In any case nothing but soft 
water must be used. 
Greenhouse and Cool Conservatory. 
A great deal of picking over and cleaning up will 
be necessary here if the house is to be kept trim and 
tidy. The hot, arid atmosphere that has obtained 
lately very materially shortens the lives of the 
the majority of flowers, and it will be advisable, 
therefore, to try and counteract this influence as far 
as possible. The top and bottom ventilators will be 
left open to their fullest extent by night as well as 
day. In cases where these are insufficient, and the 
side lights have to be opened, the latter should be 
closed the last thing at night. It is not wise, how¬ 
ever, to open these side lights to any extent, unless 
it proves absolutely necessary or the plants will dry 
up at a fearfully rapid rate. Damp the floors and 
stages occasionally, and pay particular attention to 
watering which will now be one of the most impor¬ 
tant considerations, and one that must on no account 
be neglected. It is hardly needful to dwell upon the 
necessity for close shading. 
Lapagerias. —Hitherto the growths of these will 
have been kept regularly tied in, so as to prevent 
them from becoming tangled and intertwined with 
each other. As soon as they begin to flower many 
of the ties may be cut and the growths allo.ved to 
hang pendant from the roof. There is no more 
glorious sight than a houseful of Lapagerias treated 
thus. As the compost in which the plants are grow¬ 
ing is only composed of peat and sand, with charcoal 
and sandstone, and cannot thus be very retentive of 
moisture, abundance of water will be needed. 
Liquid manure also in cases where it can be applied 
will do a deal of good. A sprinkling of Clay’s Ferti¬ 
lizer forked in slightly with [handforks, and imme¬ 
diately followed by a thorough watering may also be 
confidently recommended. 
Cobaea scandens, and its even more popular 
variegated form, are both first-class greenhouse 
climbers, and when properly looked after are well 
worth growing for covering bare walls or hanging 
over doorways. Should the growths be getting too 
thick and crowded, a little thinning out may be given 
with advantage, the weaker and smaller shoots being 
removed to make room for the stronger ones. 
Azaleas. —Where any large plants of these have 
been allowed to remain in the conservatory to make 
their growth they should be put out of doors as soon 
as possible. Two or three months with the wind 
and the sun having free play amongst them will go a 
long way towards ripening up the wood. 
Pelargoniums.—B y dint of picking the plants over 
regularly and removing seed pods and yellow leaves 
the plants may be made to preserve a presentable 
appearance for some time after the first flush of 
beauty is past; but there comes a time when it will 
be impossible to keep them indoors any longer, and 
they must be put out of doors to finish off, and to 
ripen up before they are cut down. It does not follow, 
however, that because they are in their last stages 
they must be neglected for water, True, they will 
need rather less than formerly, but still they will 
require some. 
Coleuses. —As these become long and leggy they 
must be shifted out to make room for younger ones 
which have been grown on in the pits. As many 
cuttings as are required for a new batch may be 
obtained from the tops of the old plants. These 
will make decent little plants by autumn, and will 
likely come in very hand). Where a lot of table 
decoration has to be done the old Coleuses, instead 
of being thrown away, may be allowed to stand out¬ 
doors in some corner for the sake of their leaves, 
which come in very handy for tracework upon the 
dinner table. 
Baskets.- A few of these scattered about the 
house are wonderfully effective, and providing they 
are properly looked after, are a great improvement 
to any house. Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums are a host 
in themselves. Tuberous Begonias of pronounced 
sub-pendant habit also look wonderfully well in such 
a position. Thunbergias, too, form excellent basket 
subjects. Amongst cool Ferns, Asplenium fiaccidum, 
A foeniculaceum, and Hypolepis repens will do 
well, whilst Adiantum cuneatum, and Nephrolepis 
exaltata will do during the summer months, but 
require to be moved to a warmer house during the 
winter. It is true that Adiantum cuneatum will 
stand the winter in a cool house, but it throws up 
much more strongly in heat, and it is good policy to 
treat it thus, as a good plant is obtained more 
expeditiously.— A. S. G. 
Watering. —During the present tropical weather, 
with its accompanying aridity of atmosphere, vege¬ 
tables of all kinds will show signs of exhaustion, and 
the yield small, unless a regular system of watering 
is followed. Scarlet Runners, just coming into full 
bearing, will be greatly improved both in quality and 
productiveness by liberal supplies of water. The 
same remarks are applicable to Peas. The 
advantages of growing these two vegetables in 
trenches will be apparent during the present season. 
Liberal supplies should also be given to the Cauli¬ 
flowers intended for autumn cutting, so as to maintain 
them in robust growth. There are two manures— 
sulphate of ammonia, and nitrate of potash—that 
act very quickly in putting renewed vitality in all 
kinds of vegetables. The former is good for Beans, 
of all kinds; also Peas and all leguminous vege¬ 
tables ; while the nitrate of potash is very effectual 
in assisting the growth of all the Brassica tribe. 
About ilb. in twenty gallons of water will give good 
results, but it must not be poured over the foliage. 
Where mulchings are not applied, the hoe should be 
run over the ground after watering to prevent 
evaporation ; and all out-door watering should be 
carried out when the sun is well on the decline. 
Cabbages. —The principal sowing of these for a 
spring crop should be made from the i6th, to the 
20th of the present month. Select an open position 
for the seed bed ; and the addition of a good dressing 
of fresh loam and soot will be a great help in getting 
strong plants. Sow in rows about 8 in. apart, and 
rather thinly, as crowded and drawn plants are not 
likely to stand the fluctuations of winter, nor give an 
early produce in spring. The drills should be well- 
soaked with water before sowing, and a covering of 
mats or long litter will retain the moisture and 
hasten germination. Two good Cabbages are 
Ellam’s Early Spring, and Wheeler's Imperial. 
Lettuce.—A good supply of Lettuce during the 
autumn months will depend on sowings made during 
the next week or two. The object is to have a good 
crop fully developed by the middle of October, and 
fit for storing in frames, to draw from as required. 
Hick’s Hardy White Cos is a good one for these 
sowings. The seed bed shouldTje light and rich, and 
the young plants should not be allowed to suffer 
from drought, during any period of their growth. 
Late Peas.—T hese should be earthed up, mulched 
and staked. Any extra atttention bestowed in 
watering will be amply repaid ; as if the plants are 
allowed to become weakly in the early stages of 
growth, red-spider and mildew will soon render them 
worthless. 
Mushrooms.— Preparation for an autumn crop 
should now be made, by collecting a supply of fresh 
horse-manure. The long straw should be removed, 
and the droppings frequently turned to get rid of 
superfluous moisture. It should not be allowed to 
heat violently as that would be a waste of ammonia, 
the one thing necessary to retain, to secure a good 
crop of Mushrooms. A shady position outside will 
suit a bed made now ; cover the surface with long 
manure and keep it constantly damp.— J. R . 
