496 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 4, 1896. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Hardy Spring Flowers. 
A fortnight of real spring weather, comprising 
copious showers, and a liberal allowance of old 
Father Sol's life-giving rays has worked wonders in 
our out-door gardens. Not at all strange is it that 
the ancients worshipped the sun as the giver of life, 
the beneficial source of all good ; we, their descen¬ 
dants, love and revere the beauteous children which 
his kindly presence causes to spring up from deep, 
dark, mysterious Mother Earth, and to unfold to us 
their glowing tints and indescribable shades of rich and 
varied colours. Floral sunbeams are they, sent to 
cheer and gladden both our hearts and our gardens, 
and cold, indeed, and callous must he be within 
whose soul is not awakened an answering gladness, 
a joyful response to the nature that surrounds us, 
and which all-ungrudgingly gives of her treasures 
to the enjoyment of the hearts and the beautifying of 
the homes of men. 
The exotics that find a place in the glasshouses 
of the wealthy and beautiful—perhaps gorgeous 
would be nearer the truth—are choice but there is 
something unnatural about them and their surround¬ 
ings, and we turn dissatisfied to the humble occu¬ 
pants of the rock or wild garden in hopes of finding 
that sweet simplicity, that true beauty which exists, 
unconscious of its own existence, and we metaphori¬ 
cally fall down and worship loveliness at home. 
Here is no glare of over-bright and hyper-obtrusive 
colour, no reckless flaunting of shades that are far 
from exercising a restful effect upon the mind, but a 
cheerful, modest, and unassertive offering which 
comes, as it were, from the hands of Nature herself. 
The love of flowers seems a part and parcel of our 
being. A man or a woman who does not love them 
is an anomaly. Such an one had renounced the 
purest and most ennobling of the joys that are 
granted us — has sacrificed the better part of his or 
her nature. And yet, while the love of flowers is to 
all intents and purposes a fixed characteristic of the 
whole human race, how comparatively few are able 
to gratify this passion to the fullest extent ! The 
special circumstances amongst which our lot in life 
is cast may be such as to sear, and scorch, and 
smother any love that we may naturally possess for 
flowers. Even undersuch unfavourable conditions the 
presence of the all-prevailing passion is occasionally 
forcibly demonstrated by the care and tenderness we 
see bestowed by one of the waifs of humanity upon 
a stray pot, filled, it may be, with Mignonette, or 
possibly the good old scarlet Geranium. 
Others there are who, more highly-favoured than 
these, have a very limited piece of garden ground in 
which they may group together a variety of floral 
gems, and in the pure and delightful society of their 
pets snatch a few minutes' rest from the bustle and 
the worry of work-a-day life. They may not be able to 
afford the expensive glasshouses, which are necessary 
to the existence and development of the aristocrats of 
the floral world, but what of that—the out-door gar¬ 
den holds for them a wealth of interest that never flags, 
and an indescribable charm that never fades, even 
although the plants that furnish it are resting snugly 
out of sight in the bosom of their mother earth. At 
such seasons there is always present in the mind of 
the plant-lover the hope that, before long, the time 
of singing of birds will come, and the wilderness will 
once more blossom as the Rose. 
It is an undeniable fact that spring flowers have a 
charm peculiarly their own, and that they affect the 
majority of individuals to an extent that flowers 
produced at no other season do. We may try to 
analyse this feeling, may attempt to account for it in 
a variety of ways, and may even meet with some 
success in so doing, but whether we are able to trace 
this effect to a cause or not we have to admit its 
reality. Take, for instance, that harbinger of spring, 
the Snowdrop. No plant of the thousands that are 
known to us meets with a more cordial welcome. 
Poets without number have celebrated it and 
lavished upon it the enthusiasm of their genius. 
Mrs.Robinson, in those exquisite lines of hers, says: — 
" The Snowdrop—winter's timid child 
Awakes to life, bedewed with tears, 
And flings around its fragrance mild: 
And where no rival flowrets bloom 
Amidst the bare and chilling gloom, 
A beauteous gem appears. 
All weak and wan, with head inclined, 
Its parent breast the drifted snow, 
It trembles, while the ruthless wind 
Bends its slim form; the tempest lowers, 
Its emerald eye droops crystal showers 
On its cold bed below.” 
And yet this pale and wan child of spring, to 
quote the poetess, is loved and revered beyond all 
measure. 
It is a happy augury for the future that so much 
attention is being paid now-a-days to our various 
hardy plants, and that so much real taste is being 
displayed in establishing them in suitable positions 
in our public parks and gardens. It may be argued 
that this is only the result of fashioD, that the 
fickle goddess has declared for the time being in 
favour of a certain style of gardening, and that those 
who cater for the public have to act as fashion directs. 
This, undoubtedly, may be true to some degree, but 
for all that, it is also an infallible sign of a more 
healthy taste on the part of the public when it is 
able to regard with such unqualified admiration the 
massing of Snowdrops, Narcissi, Scillas, Chiono- 
doxas, and other hardy plants in the various parks 
and public resorts. 
We have heard a great deal upon the subject of 
degeneration of late, but in the domain of horticul¬ 
ture, at least, the supporters of this theory have no 
foothold. It is no result of degeneration that gives 
us rock or wild gardens teeming with a multitude of 
small, but none the less pretty, plants, or lawns 
and pleasure grounds besprinkled and bestrewed 
with floral stars in a variety of colour, instead of the 
rigid and formal flower beds with their occupants 
carefully planted at exact distances apart, or clipped 
Yews, specimen flowering plants trained according 
to a rigid standard of symmetry that used formerly 
to obtain. Neither is it any symptom of deterioration 
in the public taste when it asks for, and prefers, 
plants grown amidst natural environments to those 
which, with infinite trouble and pains, have been 
made to mme forms for which they were never 
intended.— Rex. 
-■ - 
Correspondence. 
Questions 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. 
Replies.— Saxon has followed the advice given in 
the Amateurs' Page some time previously as to how to 
get early Peas. He sowed a quantity of Chelsea 
Gem in small pots in February. They came up in 
due course, and were planted out in a warm corner 
of the garden on March 21st. He writes to ask if 
they will need any protection from frost, and if so, 
what means he is to adopt to give this protection ? 
We should advise driving in a few short posts, and 
nailing a number of long light strips of wood to these, 
so as to form a temporary framework. Over this 
mats or tiffany may easily be thrown, whenever 
frost threatens. Old sacks come in very handy on 
occasions like this. Anyway we hope our 
correspondent will never have to do the same as one 
old gardener is supposed to have done. He, finding 
that a frost was imminent, got up in the middle of 
the night and toqk the blankets t ff his bed to cover 
his Tomatos. Some people would call that man an 
enthusiast, others might employ a shorter but 
scarcely so polite a word. 
You are rather late in ordering your seeds, J. S. t 
but certainly you are in plenty of time to put in Peas 
for main crops. Peerless Marrowfat, Satisfaction, 
Invincible Marrowfat, Matchless Marrowfat, and 
Dr. McLean are all excellent sorts, from amongst 
which you may make your choice without fear of 
going very far wrong. 
Yes, sparrows are a nuisance, A. Bayliss , so you see 
we quite agree with you upon that point. They are 
very fond of picking oft the tops of young Peas, and 
you want to know what they do for it ? Ask us 
another! For that question we can only guess at. 
Mayhap they are one of the things that are sent to 
try us, as the good books say. The best plan to keep 
them oft your crops is to twist a few yards of cotton 
round about the sticks just above the plants. 
Strips of red flannel hung up in close proximity to 
the crops attached may also keep the intruders at 
bay, until somebody else’s Peas are just fit for 
picking, from the sparrows' point of view, A dusting 
of lime or soot, or of the two mixed, may also be of 
service, and is certainly the best thing you can do to 
prevent slugs from attacking your Peas, Saxon. 
We are perfectly aware, S. Boddy —in fact, any¬ 
body ought to know“~tbat there has been a great deal 
of discussion at various times as to whether it is best 
to cut Potatos for sets or not. It has been stated that 
the yield from sets of one variety that have been cut 
has been heavier than others of the same variety that 
have not been cut, these latter being grown on 
different ground. But just as sure as these state¬ 
ments have been made somebody else has been sure 
to experience just the opposite, eo it may be 
taken for granted that it makes but little difference 
whether you cut your Potatos or not, of course 
supposing you have enough of seed to plant your 
land without making several sets of one tuber by 
division. Generally speakiBg, round varieties are 
easier to cut up than Kidney sorts, as in the latter 
the eyes are placed much closer together at the end. 
Cornus Mas is the name of the tree D.B. of 
which you lately sent us a sample. Its popular 
name, if you would like to have it, is Cornelian 
Cherry. It is cne of the earliest-flowering trees we 
have, and is perfectly hardy, although not a bona-fide 
native of Great Britain. The yellow flowers are 
rather small and inconspicuous when considered 
individually, but they look very bright and showy 
when regarded in the mass. There are two garden 
forms of it. One with variegated leaves, C. Mas 
variegata, and one in which the foliage is marked 
with creamy-white and tinged with red. Both of 
them are well worthy of a place in the shrubbery. 
Witch Hazel is the popular name given to the 
members of the genus Hamamelis, Nemo ; for why, we 
are not in a position to state, except indeed, it be 
that the plants are so witchingly beautiful. Ob, yes ! 
G.B., there are several of tha Witch Hazels that are 
well worth growing. Hamamelis arboreais perhaps 
the best known of them. It hails from Japan. H. 
japonica, also a Japanese plant as the name implies, 
is of much dwarfer habit, and bears clear lemon- 
yellow flowers. H. virginica is common to North 
America. Its flowers are yellow, and in ordinary 
seasons often commence to open by the end of 
October. It does not reach such dimensions as H. 
arborea. This plant is also of seme economic value, 
for the seeds contain a large quantity of oil, and are 
edible. The bark, moreover, is astringent, and has 
been used as a tonic. 
Propagating Mulberries.—Will you tell me the 
way to propagate Mulberries, whetter by seeds, 
cuttings, or grafting ?—IF. Fry. 
There are several ways of propagating the 
Mulberry—viz., by seeds, cuttings, layers, and 
grafting. Seeds should be washed from the ripe 
fruits in autumn and sown under glass the following 
March, or, if desired, in the open ground in April. 
This method is not to be recommended, for several 
years elapse before the trees attain a size large 
enough for fruiting. The stocks used for budding 
and grafting are of course obtained in this way. 
Grafting is not extensively practised, possibly on 
account of the tendency of the tree to excessive 
bleeding when cut. Budding is in great favour on 
the Continent, July and August being the months for 
carrying on this operation. Cuttings root very 
readily and are not long in making good trees. They 
should be inserted either in autumn or early spring, 
and should be about i ft. in length with some two- 
year-old wood attached. These cuttings must be 
put rather deeply into the soil in a sheltered part of 
the garden outside, or if preferred under glass. 
Even comparatively large branches will root readily 
enough if planted rather deeply in autumn, and 
given a slight protection during the winter. The 
layering of branches is also commonly practised. 
Tuberous Begonias—Some of my Begonia tubers, 
which are 4 in. across, have formed pseudo-bulblets 
at the bases of last year's flower stalks, whilst others, 
not having these, are breakiug from the centres of their 
deep concavities. Is it better to remove the former, 
and trust to a second break from the parent tuber, or 
treat them as if they were to be the flowering 
stems ?— Ignotus. 
The swellings at the bases of last year's flower 
stems are often seen upon old or large tubers of the 
kind you mention. You may treat the breaks in the 
ordinary way, no matter whether they are produced 
from the tubercles or the centre of the concavities. 
If you wish to propagate you may take off the young 
shoots when they are a few inches in length, and 
insert them as cuttings. This will be better than 
disturbing the tubers now. We greatly prefer young 
strong plants to the larger specimens—indeed, it i9 
