830 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 29,1896. 
«INTS FOR MMATEURS. 
Peaches on outside walls.—Many people are apt 
to look upon the Peach as peculiarly a tropical fruit 
that requires a lot of artificial heat to bring to per¬ 
fection in this country. It is very true that when 
cultivated under glass it yields a wonderfully good 
return, but it may also be grown with success upon 
outside walls, e\en in our “ foggy little island.” A 
wall having a western aspect will suit Peaches 
admirably in the southern counties, although a 
frontage to the south is better in the midlands. 
Ripening Peaches.—As soon as the fruits begin 
to turn colour, and ripen, it will be time to see about 
giving them some protection from the birds, which 
usually know a good thing when they see it, and as 
promptly appropriate it for themselves unless 
prevented. The trees should therefore be netted 
over with the ordinary garden nets without delay. 
A few stout nails should be driven in along the top 
of the wall. Upon these the net may be looped, 
and a double turn of the strands twisted round the 
nails will hold it firmly in its place without fear of 
slipping. A number of forKed sticks should be cut, 
about io in. or a foot in length. These must be 
placed at right angles to the wall all over the area 
covered by the tree, so that the nets may be kept 
away from and clear of the tree. The weight of the 
nets will keep these supports in position. 
This precaution is very necessary, for if the nets 
are allowed to hang loosely over the trees the weight 
of the birds flying against, and perching on, the nets 
will enable the feathered marauders to reach the 
fruit nearly as easily as if there were no nets there, 
and the labour of covering will be thrown away. 
Gathering Peaches—Owing to the amount of 
bright sunlight we have had this season, the fruit 
will be showing a good deal of colour before it is fit 
to eat. Naturally, the amateur is somewhat im¬ 
patient to taste the fruit of his labours, and hence 
may be tempted to give some particularly tempting 
fruit a squeeze, just to see if it is soft. This kind of 
treatment will never do, for Peaches bruise very 
easily, and in a very little while such bruises will be 
visible in the form of black blotches, in which decay 
speedily sets in, with the inevitable consequence that 
the fruit is spoiled. 
If they are to be taken to table in proper condition 
Peaches require very delicate handling. In trying 
them to see whether they are fit for gathering, the 
fruit should be allowed to lie loosely in the palm of 
the hand, the fingers and thumb clasping it near the 
base. A gentle sideward pressure will then cause 
the fruit, if ripe, to leave its footstalk. No undue 
force should be exerted, for if the fruit does not 
readily part it may be taken for granted that it is 
not ripe, and accordingly left to finish off. 
Later Trees.—These will still be in a position to 
benefit by a few doses of manure water. If fresh 
farmyard manure can be obtained, enough of it 
should be given to colour the water a light brown. 
Stronger than this it will not be advisable to use it. 
If the amateur is so lucky as to possess a syringe he 
may well put in a few minutes each day in giving 
these late trees a good washing. Rain-water, if 
obtainable, is the best, but whatever water is used 
it should be free from lime or other foreign matter, 
for, if this is present, a sediment is deposited upon the 
leaves which works harm in stopping up the pores. 
Mignonette.—The culture of this charmingly 
sweet-scented plant is as easy in pots as it is in the 
open ground, and any amateur who has a frame at 
his disposal may obtain nice plants wherewith to 
decorate his windows, or conservatory if he is able 
to boast one, in the spring. As a window plant the 
Mignonette has but comparatively few equals, and it 
is certainly one of the subjects that we should 
recommend to amateurs who prize fragrance in a 
flower even more than brilliancy of colouring. If 
evidence of the simplicity of its requirements were 
needed we have but to mention that in many gardens 
it will appear year after year in the same place as 
the result of self sown seeds. When dealing with it 
as an outdoor subject we only need to sprinkle the 
seed on the border or bed in which it is to flower, 
and thin the plants out as growth proceeds. The 
same system may be applied with admirable results 
to its cultivation in pots, viz., to sow the seed in the 
pots in which it is to flower, and to thin the plants 
out until finally about three to a pot are left. 
We should not advise amateurs to attempt to 
transplant Mignonette in the early stages at least, 
for at best this is but a difficult operation, and it 
must be remembered that by the time the 
plants have reached a size that will enable them to 
be handled easily the season will be far spent, and 
the plants will have only a poor chance of becoming 
established before the winter. 
Pots. —Either 48’s or 32’s may be employed. 
The former give excellent results, and we would 
give them the preference rather than the larger 
size. Whatever pots are used they must be clean 
and well drained. 
Compost. —Mignonette requires a rich friable 
soil. A mixture of two parts of mellow loam, 
chopped up finely with a spade, and one of leaf 
mould rubbed through a sieve, with a good sprinkling 
of river sand, will meet all requirements. 
Sowing —Here some delicacy of handling is called 
for. After the pots have been filled about three 
parts full with the drainage and compost, about a 
dozen seeds may be sprinkled evenly over, and 
lightly covered with fine soil. These dozen seeds 
will produce quite enough of plants from which to 
to pick and choose, and the seedlings will be all the 
stronger from being saved the crushing and crowding 
that commences soon after they are through the 
ground if the seed has been sown thickly. 
After Sowing, the seed pots should be stored in 
a cold frame, one having a northern aspect for 
preference. This will be better than exposing them 
to the rays of the sun. Should this latter course be 
unavoidable, owing either to the frame being a 
fixture, or to the fact that it shelters a hetero¬ 
geneous collection of plants, the seed pots must be 
carefully shaded. Afterwards, as the dull weather, 
and the season of fogs comes upon us, it should be 
remembered that, in order to do well, Mignonette 
requires plenty of light. 
Varieties. — These are legion, but we will content 
ourselves with making a selection of two only, both 
of which , ho * ever, may be thoroughly depended upon. 
They are Machet and Miles Hybrid Spiral.— Rex. 
Correspondence. 
Questiojis asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone 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. 
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium Yariegatum 
may be propagated by cuttings taken in spring or 
autumn, H. B. They will root more quickly if 
placed in a gentle heat. Use very sandy soil, and 
spread a layer of sand about ^ in. in depth upon the 
top of the soil. The cuttings should be kept rather 
drier than the majority of subjects or they will be 
liable to damp off. 
Fig trees in pots.—You may grow Figs in pots in 
your house, R. N., with every hope of success. Both 
Brown Turkey, and White Ischia are excellent 
varieties, two of the best in fact. They should do 
well with you. 
Keeping Gooseberries.—Yes, it is quite possible 
to keep these in fairly good condition for some time 
after the usual crop has been disposed of R. R. Of 
course, some sorts keep better than others, but as far 
as our experience goes there is nothing to beat the 
Red Warrington, or the Old Rough Red, as it is 
called in some localities. Trees grown under a 
north wall will carry their fruit for some time longer 
than those growing in the open. If you wish to keep 
your fruit as late as possible cover the trees entirely 
with Russian mats, and thus keep them in the dark. 
After a while the fruit naturally deteriorates in 
flavour, and personally, we do not think the game of 
attempting to preserve Gooseberries for very long is 
worth the candle, as the dead ripe berries are very 
insipid. 
Propagating Hollyhocks —It is rather too late in 
the season now, Peter Sands, to attempt to propagate 
Hollyhocks by putting in eyes. Even if they grew 
the winter would be upon them before they had got 
any great way, and would most assuredly cripple 
them. Your best plan will be to lift the old stools 
presently, lay them in boxes and propagate from the 
young growths early next spring. If you write again 
when the time comes we shall be pleased to further 
assist you. 
Fern Spores.—You may sow your spores now, if 
you wish, W. Carson, but it would be better to wait 
until spring as you have not many conveniences. 
Keep the spores in paper bags in a dry place. They 
will then take no hurt. 
Fumigating Ferns.—There is no special reason 
why you should not fumigate the Ferns, except that 
it is a somewhat drastic method of treatment, Obit. 
Certainly it is an operation that requires a great deal 
of care, and we would not resort to it in ordinary 
cases; but as the Thrips are doing you such a lot of 
damage it is but a choice of evils, and you must 
choose the less, which in this case is decidedly fumi¬ 
gation. The plants have a much better chance of 
standing the smoke now, as their fronds are harder 
than they would be in the spring, when they were 
making a good deal of young growth. Allow the 
atmosphere of the house to get fairly dry before 
introducing the fumigator, and do not give too heavy 
a dose of smoke. 
Yerbascum olympicum is the plant you allude to, 
A . Holroyd. It is a native of the Levant, and, as you 
say, one of the noblest of our hardy herbaceous 
plants. You may obtain it from any of the nursery¬ 
men who make a speciality of herbaceous plants. 
Layering Carnations. —It is rather late in the 
season to do this, F. Symes, but if the autumn turns 
out to be a favourable one the experiment may be 
fairly successful. Any way no time must be lost in 
making a start. 
Carnation Raby Castle is still an excellent decora¬ 
tive variety Querist, but not up to the florist’s idea of 
perfection. Its great merit is that it commences to 
bloom so early and keeps on until late in the season; 
its great demerit that it is so much addicted to the 
splitting of the calyx. 
Drying Fern Fronds—Sheets of ordinary news¬ 
papers will answer well for drying the fronds of 
Ferns, N. Acton. 
Selaginella emiliana will do well in a greenhouse 
during the summer months, Arthur Johnson, but it is 
a “ ticklish ” subject to keep through the winter in a 
cool house. 
Seedling Carnations. —Will you give me your 
opinion of the enclosed Carnations ? They are all 
seedlings that I have obtained from the white Mrs. 
Muir, with the exception of the yellow-grounds. 
These I have got from a seedling I raised some years 
ago.— Dianthus. 
There were several very pretty forms in the box. 
Our first choice would be Mrs. Dundas. This is of 
good form, and a rather uncommon colour. It 
appears to be slightly addicted to calyx bursting, and 
this is a great pity. Mrs. Knox is a fine large flower 
of good colour, and will make a good decorative 
variety, especially as it has stout flower stalks. 
Poltonensis is a fine form. The petals are a little 
too flimsy, but that may improve another season. 
Victoria May Dundas is built in the same way as 
Ketton Rose, but is lighter in colour. These four 
varieties are the best, and would be our selection in 
the order named. The two yellow grounds, Mrs. A. 
Paterson, and Colonel Hare, are also well worth 
growing. The calyces are stout, and the flowers of 
good form. The rest do not call for special remark. 
As the six sorts mentioned are seedlings you may 
look for an improvement next year. 
Fixing a Thermometer. —I am thinking of fixing 
a thermometer in my garden. What sort of a 
position should it occupy in order to get a fairly 
correct reading ? Would it do to hang it on a wall 
having an eastern aspect ? — IV. E. G. 
The wall would do fairly well, but a better plan 
would be to drive in a stout wooden post, and to 
hang the thermometer upon it about 4 ft. from the 
ground. It will be as well to nail a few boards over 
the thermometer to protect it from the action of the 
weather. A position facing north would be the best, 
as if the glass faced any other way it would be under 
the influence of the direct rays of the sun during 
some part of the day. 
A good Nectarine. — S. Aylcr will find Lord 
Napier one of the very best Nectarines. Pine Apple 
is also good, and is really second to none in point of 
flavour. 
