676 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 9, 1896. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Pretty Ferneries. —Ferns are undoubtedly a very 
favourite class of plants with many people, and their 
culture is often assayed by numbers of amateurs, 
who, after taking a deal of trouble are disgusted to 
find that their labours meet with but poor success. 
A few plants are purchased perhaps, and subjected 
to a variety of kinds of ill-treatment, and after 
lingering awhile in more or less agony they 
ultimately disappear altogether, leaving the ex¬ 
perimenter disappointed and discouraged, Now it 
is simply courting disappointment to attempt to grow 
a few ferns in pots among an ordinary greenhouse 
collection of plants, according the same treatment to 
all. The hot dry atmosphere is more than they can 
stand, and as the air can blow all round about them 
they dry up very quickly and soon begin to hang 
out signs of distress. 
Ferns love a shady position where they get plenty 
of diffused but no direct sunlight, and where in 
addition to abundance of water at the root the 
atmosphere surrounding them is damp, and moisture 
laden. Let us turn for a moment to our wild Ferns. 
Do we find them inhabiting dry arid, open tracts 
where sun and wind can work their will upon them ? 
No ! we must look for the shady banks, and the cool 
woods where purling streams murmur musically. It 
is there that we shall find them luxuriating, it is 
there that we shall see them in all their beauty. 
Let us take a lesson from Nature, therefore, and 
endeavour to give these shade and moisture-leving 
plants a position rather better suited to their likings 
than a place upon a dry plant stage among a number 
of other subjects better fitted to stand such treat¬ 
ment. 
Many a small greenhouse might be made to look 
infinitely more charming by a judicious introduction 
of a small rockery. Under the plant stages a few 
odd stones or clinkers may be roughly placed with a 
little soil to fill up the crevices, and here the plants 
may be put out. Of course it is only advisable to 
plant that part of this improvised fernery that is 
turned towards the light, that is the outerside. It 
would be too dark right underneath the stage and at 
the further side for the plants, Hence the operator 
must be satisfied if he is able to make a nice green 
margin to the walk in his greenhouse. This of 
itself will add not a little to its appearance. 
Replanting Ferneries. —Where such a plan as the 
above has been put in practice it will be well to go 
over the fernery now and give a top-dressing of soil, 
at the same time making good any deficiencies that 
may have been caused by deaths during the past 
winter. The taller growing kinds, such as Pteris tre- 
mula, P. argyraea and Nephrodium molle, will need a 
little support in order to prevent the fronds from 
hanging too much over the path. 
Selaginellas. —There are several of the Selaginellas 
that do exceedingly well planted out in this way. S. 
kraussiana is certainly one of the best. It will grow 
almost anywhere if the requisite moisture is forth¬ 
coming. The golden variety S. k. aurea also does 
very well in a cool house. As both are of close 
growing carpet-like habit, they may be utilised very 
extensively for planting around other taller ferns. 
Any thick clumps may easily be divided up, for even 
very small pieces root quickly and grow with 
amazing rapidity. These cuttings or divisions 
should be sprinkled overhead each evening with 
water by means of a rose can or a syringe. S. 
Martensii is a rather taller growing species that also 
does well when planted on reckeries. The variety 
S. M. variegata will do well enough during the 
summer months but being of rather more delicate 
constitution than its type, it is more difficult to keep 
alive during the winter. Small slips of either soon 
root if inserted in fairly sandy soil. 
Window Boxes.—It will soon be time to think 
about filling these, and an early opportunity should 
be taken of clearing out the old soil from them in 
readiness for their summer occupants. Where they 
have been filled with small Conifers or other ever ¬ 
greens during the winter months however, it will not 
be advisable to disturb them until the last moment. 
Some people are very careful to take their boxes out 
of the windows and store them in the dry during the 
winter. In this case they should be looked over now, 
and any necessary repairs looked after. Good and 
pretty boxes are easily made by nailing together a 
few boards of the size required, and covering the 
fronts %vith virgin cork. This may be bought at a 
very cheap rate from the sundries man, and may 
easily be fixed in position by means of a few French 
nails. Such roughly made boxes answer the 
purpose quite as well as more elaborate construc¬ 
tions, and in our estimation look really better than 
those made of fancy rustic pottery. These last come 
rather expensive, and are very liable to get broken. 
Care should be taken to bore a few holes about one- 
third of an inch in diameter, in the bottoms of the 
boxes so as to allow of the escape of the water. 
Picking off blooms from Pelargoniums. —All 
blooms should be kept closely picked off zonal 
Pelargoniums until within ten days or a fortnight of 
the time when it is proposed to plant them out, 
when they may be allowed to develop as they 
please. Letting the plants flower now only weakens 
them to no purpose. Pelargoniums which are 
intended for winter flowering must also be closely 
attended to for this. 
Bedding Calceolarias— It not infrequently 
happens that where these have been accommodated 
in a cold frame, that the room they occupy is badly 
wanted for other purposes. In this case they may 
as well be planted out if they are to occupy beds to 
themselves or to be planted in masses together 
where it will be easy to protect them if necessary. 
If they are to be put out in long single lines or dotted 
here and there in solitary grandeur in the mixed 
border they must be kept under glass a little longer, 
for when they are planted in this way it becomes 
exceedingly difficult to protect them, although when 
they are associated in .masses the matter is much 
simplified. A few green rods should be bent over 
them hoop fashion, and their ends stuck into the 
ground. Over these hoops, mats or tiffany may be 
thrown at nights when the weather turns cold. 
A lot of trouble to take ! some of our readers say. 
Very true, but the man who takes up gardening must 
cross out the word trouble from his vocabulary, or 
he will not obtain anything like a full measure of 
success. 
Mustard and Cress.— These are the two most 
easily grown saladings that we possess. He must 
indeed be an amateur who entirely fails to get a crop 
of them. All through the latter part of the spring, 
from now onward through the summer to autumn, 
a supply may easily, be obtained for the table by 
occasional sowings, say about every week or ten 
days. Each sowing need not be large, but will of 
course depend upon the demand. Any shady spot 
of ground will do. The surface should be carefully 
levelled and the seed sprinkled on it, but not covered 
with soil. The Cress is better sown a couple of days 
before the Mustard, as it is rather slower of germina¬ 
tion. If this plan is adopted the two will be ready 
for the knife at the same time. Plenty of shade is 
the most essential point to observe, for if this is not 
given the stalks will be very short, and it will be 
impossible to do the cutting without including in 
the salad a large quantity of grit, that, to say the 
least, might be gratefully dispensed with. Gritty 
Mustard and Cress is enough to try the patience of 
even the most Job-like housewife. Under the 
influence of deep shade and occasional sprinklings of 
water the stalks grow long and the knife is easily 
plied, whilst the objectionable grit is left behind 
Cutting Cucumbers. —I shall have to give these 
Cucumbers away, for I can’t keep them good for long 
and they will spoil if left on the plants.” Such is 
the wail of more than one grower who finds that a 
number of his Cucumbers will persist in getting into 
condition at the same time. Now as enforced 
charity is no virtue, it may be as well to point out 
that Cucumbers may be kept for some time if they 
are cut, and their stalks placed in about an inch 
depth of water and stood in a cool place. This is 
the best plan to adopt, for the fruits would not only 
spoil if left on the plants, but would also weaken the 
plants themselves and tend to injure their fruit¬ 
fulness. 
Potting Lobelias. —Not only are these gay 
subjects most useful in the flower garden but they 
may be turned to very good account under glass 
for the decoration of the conservatory. Some of the 
strongest plants should be selected now and potted 
up into 6o sized pots. Give a fair amount of 
drainage Soil is a secondary consideration, for any 
ordinary potting mixture that may be left over when 
other plants have been potted will do. Keep the 
young Lobelias rather close for a few days after 
potting, and water carefully. This will give them a 
start and they will soon commence to go ahead. 
During the summer months they seem to do as long 
as they get plenty of water. Liquid manure, 
occasionally given, is also gratefully received and 
the result seen in larger and deeper coloured 
flowers.— Rex. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked 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. 
Staging Sweet Peas. —Yes, Enquirer, your Sweet 
Peas should be given some support without delay. 
The approved plan is to stake them as soon as they 
are from 2 in. to 4 in. in height. For those growing 
in the open ordinary sticks like those used for 
garden Peas are the best, but as you have sown your 
seed against a wall you may use strings fastened at 
either end to the latter and loosely enclosing the 
plants. Additional strings may be given as the 
growth of the plants calls for them. Your Peas 
may reach a height of anything from 4J ft. to 7 ft. 
This depends in a large degree upon the character of 
the summer, whether wet or dry. In wet seasons 
the plants grow very much taller than in dry ones. 
Two Crops of Strawberries. —Iamimformed that 
Strawberries that are forced under glass and ripen 
their fruit in the early spring will fruit again in the 
autumn. Is this true ? If so, how must I treat the 
plants ?—IF. Stnkey. 
Your informant is perfectly correct. Forced 
Strawberry plants may be made to do duty a second 
time. Your best plan will be to transfer the plants 
from the pots to the open ground after the fruit has 
been picked from them. In doing this do not 
disturb them at the roots any more than can be 
helped. Simply knock them out of their pots and 
plant them in the positions assigned them. Viscom- 
tesse Hericart de Thury answers well when treated 
thus. 
A Rose Arbour.—I have a wire arch with a span 
of about 8 ft. which I would like to cover with Roses 
as quickly as possible. Would the much talked-of 
Crimson Rambler do ?— L. R. 
Crimson Rambler would be the right thing in the 
right place in your case, L. R. It grows with almost 
sensational rapidity, flowers as freely as it is possible 
for a Rose of its class to do, and is therefore exceed¬ 
ingly showy and effective. Try it by all means, we 
do not think it likely that you will regret doing so. 
Early Peas.— J■ Johnson wishes to know if Peas 
picked in the middle of June would be called early ? 
Certainly, inasmuch as they belong to the early 
varieties. But, on the other hand, they could not be 
called early in comparison with other varieties of the 
same section. Thus, in the southern counties, dishes 
of excellent material may be picked from such sorts 
as Chelsea Gem and William the First—the former 
a dwarf and the latter a tall growing variety. These 
plants are obtained from seed sown under glass, and 
afterwards planted out. A week or so is thus gained 
upon crops picked from plants resulting from seed 
sown in the open ground in January. 
Anemone Pulsatilla.—I am told that Anemone 
Pulsatilla is found wild in this country. Where is it 
found ? and what situations does it favour ? L 
presume it is rare in a wild state.— J. Johnson. 
Anemone Pulsatilla, or the Pasque-flower as it is 
commonly called, is now comparatively rarely found 
growing wild in this country, owing to the determina¬ 
tion and pertinacity with which it has been hunted 
out by collectors, the majority of aims have not 
been scientific. It naturally affects limestone 
pastures in the southern counties, but does not 
extend very far northward, and is entirely wanting 
in Scotland. It is also distributed over a great part 
of Europe and the southern portions of Russian 
Asia. 
Thinning Peaches —So many things have to be 
taken into account in deciding as to the number of 
fruits a Peach tree shall carry, A 7 ., York, that it would 
be impossible to lay down a hard and fast rule. 
Perhaps your tree is strong, perhaps it is weak, or it 
may be somewhere between these two extremes. 
May be you want large fruits, or again size may be 
no object. Possibly it is a young tree, and in that 
case it would be unwise to crop it too heavily. All 
