666 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 21, 1890. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
SEASONABLE WORK in the GARDEN. 
Annuals in Pots. —Batches of Cornflower (Cen- 
taurea Cyanus), Khodantlie Manglesii, Mignonette, 
Ten-week Stocks, and of the dwarf strain of Scabiosa 
atropurpurea may now be sown in pots for autumn 
flowering. They will pro re very useful for greenhouse 
and conservatory decoration at a time when a little 
variety is wanted in those structures. Cold frames are 
best suited for the culture of these useful hardy or half- 
hardy subjects. 
British Ferns.— A collection of these forms an 
endless source of interest, and when well grown are 
quite as ornamental as their exotic allies. The best 
results are obtained by affording them a certain amount 
of shade compatible with their well-being. By giving 
plenty of ventilation, especially after the fronds have 
nearly attained their full size, their texture is greatly 
improved, and by judicious shading the delicate green 
hues of the fronds can be maintained all through the 
summer, and in the case of evergreen kinds till young 
ones are produced. 
Clerodendron ¥ all ax. —Small plants of this Clero- 
dendron prove very serviceable for flowering in the 
stove or warm conservatory during the autumn months. 
In order to get stocky plants, they should occasionally 
have those shoots pinched which are inclined to 
straggle away in front of the others. Grow the plants 
on in a warm moist atmosphere either in a pit or frame 
near the glass. 
Euphorbia fulgens.— This is otherwise known in 
gardens as E. jaequiniseflora. If grown in pots a 
number of shoots may be encouraged by pinching out 
the tips of the leading ones about this time. A greater 
amount of bloom and longer racemes may be obtained 
by planting out the young specimens in a bed of soil, 
and training the shoots to wires at a short distance 
from the glass. In a warm moist atmosphere the 
plants will grow to a height of 4 ft. to 5 ft. or more in 
a single season. 
Eranthemums. —Independently of those grown for 
the sake of their fine or variegated foliage, a number 
are serviceable for the beauty of their flowers, which 
they produce in abundance during the autumn months, 
including'E. albiflorum, E. Andersonianum, and others. 
E. eboracensis, with white flowers, may be described as 
a perpetual flowerer, and is so bushy in growth as to 
require little or no pinching. More rambling species 
do better when occasionally pinched during the early 
part of the year. 
Crotons. —Large plants require frequent attention, 
to prevent the stronger shoots from being weighed 
down by becoming top-heavy. Such shoots should he 
looped up, in order to maintain the symmetry of the 
plants. When the longer ones are allowed to grow 
after they fall down, they turn up at the tips, making 
it more difficult to tie them into shape afterwards. 
Heaths and Mildew. —Many of the species are 
liable to be attacked by mildew during the summer 
months, and if this is not checked immediately it 
makes its first appearance, the plants soon lose a great 
part of their foliage, not only spoiling their aspect, but 
ruining the chance of a good display of bloom the fol¬ 
lowing season. Dust the plants at once with sulphur, 
or syringe them with water in which sulphur has been 
mixed, or with a solution of sulphur, whereby it will 
be more evenly distributed. 
Hard-ivooded Plants. — Many of the Heaths, 
Epaeris, Acacias, Coronillas, Arisremas, and others 
which have made their growth after having flowered, 
should now he stood in the open air to ripen off and 
solidify their growth. The same may be said of 
Pimelias, Aotns gracillima, Boronias, Eutaxia myrti- 
folia, and many others, which would do well in the 
open during the summer months, and thus leave room 
for the flowering subjects indoors. 
Vineries.— Early ventilation must now be more 
attended to than in spring, for the increased temperature 
soon causes a deposition of moisture upon the foliage 
that is largely productive of scalding. The foliage and 
berries in late houses of Lady Downes are very liable 
to this mishap, which can to a great extent be prevented 
by close attention to ventilation. If the wood is well 
ripened in the earliest house artificial heat may be 
discontinued, but if not, keep the pipes warm during 
the day, giving plenty of ventilation at the same time. 
The temperature must he allowed to sink at night. 
Raspberries. —If not already done the ground should 
be gone through with the hoe, so as to cut down all 
unnecessary suckers between the rows. This is one of 
the secrets of good cultivation, as it allows a free play 
of light and air to the plants left, aerates the ground, 
and keeps down insect vermin, by destroying their 
shelter. 
Cherries.— Keep the hose or garden engine at work 
on trees that show the least trace of black-fly. Early 
varieties such as May Duke will re'quire netting to 
ward off the attacks of birds, which soon find out the 
trees that are ripening their fruits. An old herring net 
will answer the purpose, and if much torn, double it, at 
the same time using short forked sticks to keep the net 
clear of the fruit, and thereby prevent the birds getting 
at it through the meshes. 
Celery.— The rain we have recently received in the 
southern counties should make the soil very suitable 
for planting operations. The main batch of Celery 
should be ready for planting out in a few days. The 
ground should therefore be prepared at once, and 
planting proeeeded with. Give the plants a good 
watering to settle the soil about them. 
Cinerarias and Calceolarias Planted Out.— 
Instead of throwing old plants of these away when 
blooming is past, an excellent way of utilising them is 
to make a selection of the best, cut them down 
and remove withered leaves, and plaut them in some 
warm sunny border in good soil. They soon re¬ 
commence growth, and this growth is much dwarfer 
and sturdier than in young plants. Flower stems are 
produced in great profusion, if all goes well, from June 
onwards ; and here one can come and cut and come 
again without compunction, and such lovely bright 
coloured flowers too ! A friend of mine plants them out 
under the shade of a line of Walnuts, and that protects 
them from being splashed by heavy rains, or burned by 
hot sun. Mine are, however, planted in full sunshine, 
though protected from whirlwinds. — JV. J. Murphy, 
Clonmel. 
An Old Cactus. —I have an old Cactus—a Cereus 
old Cactus, I was going to say—which never blooms, 
and makes very little growth ; what had 1 better do 
with it ? —J. Wilson. [Its condition suggests starva¬ 
tion, and you had better re-pot it. Old mortar rubbish 
used to be considered the correct compost in which to 
grow these plants, but why, it is hard to conceive, as it 
contains about as much nourishment as brick-ends. 
Give it some sweet yellow loam, and a good admixture 
of sharp sand, with plenty of drainage, and when the 
plant is growing don’t be afraid to use liquid-manure. 
You must feed them well, and ripen them well if you 
want them to flower and keep in vigorous health.— Ed.] 
Bedding Pansies. —Some plants in flower have 
been sent to me from Much Wenlock of an old 
bedding Pansy—Golden Perfection (Oldroyd) — sent 
out by Mr. Oldroyd, nurseryman, of Shrewsbury 
(now retired from business), and thus described 
in his catalogue of 1877:—“The finest bedding 
Pansy ever raised, brilliant deep yellow, with black 
eye, flowers ins. in diameter, keeps its colour 
even when the blooms have faded, and a perpetual 
bloomer.” It is certainly a fine decorative variety, of 
a rich golden yellow colour, excellent habit and con¬ 
stitution, and as sweetly scented as a Violet. An old 
variety, George Rudd, is also an excellent deep yellow 
bedding variety, with a large centre blotch, and also of 
excellent habit and constitution.— W. D. 
Broivn Aphis on Pansies and Violas is very prevalent 
this year, and many growers find it difficult to secure 
many first-class blooms. I have seen several collections 
more or less affected, and letters reach me from distant 
growers complaining ofithe pest, and the difficulty 
experienced in cleansing the plants. Syringing with 
soft-soap and water, tobacco-water, and similar remedies 
are resorted to by some, whilst others use powders, 
such as the various insecticides. The difficulty in 
getting at the aphis is in consequence of the young 
ones lying in the centre of the shoots, it being very 
difficult to get at them with either liquid or powder, 
and it is best then to open the centre with a pointed 
stick or pencil, and drop some tobacco-powder in. But 
they also congregate underneath the foliage, and in 
such cases it is best to apply tobacco-water with a soft 
brush underneath. Powder should be used when the 
foliage is dry, allowing it to remain on for some time 
before watering the plants with a rose pot or syringing 
them. Amateurs will do well to examine their plants 
frequently, and apply remedies.— D. S. H. 
Centaurea Montana. —As evidence of the reviving 
public taste for old-fashioned plants, the increased cul¬ 
ture of C. montana and its varieties, both in private 
gardens and also by market growers, may be instanced. 
The typical form is blue, C. m. alba is white, and 
C. m. rosea is rose-coloured. It is a European plant, 
was introduced to this country in 1596, and has pos¬ 
sibly been continuously grown in some garden or other 
since that time. It will grow in almost any soil that 
is not too thin and gravelly, and coming into flower 
during May and June, furnishes a great quantity of 
bloom with the smallest amount of attention.— S. 
- -—X&s-- 
THE SPANISH IRIS. 
For a bed to be in flower in June commend me to a 
bed of mixed Spanish Iris. There is wonderful diversity 
of colour, and the colours are bright and pleasing. 
Irises are hardy and easily grown without any special 
preparation of the soil ; and—what I consider of the 
first importance in an out-of-door flower—the Spanish. 
Iris is a rare one to stand after being cut, beating the 
English and the German Iris hollow in this respect. 
"White Lady is a splendid white variety, and is very 
telling in clumps. Gold Cup is a beauty of the 
aesthetic type of colour, a sort of bronzy olive-brown, if 
one may so describe it. Ziphioides is a fine blue. 
There are many others, of course, but a good bed com¬ 
posed of these three varieties has a splendid effect. 
A hundred roots would make a good bed, and should 
not cost more than half-a-sovereign. Now, when our 
painters are showing Irises “as large as life, and twice 
as natural” on the walls of our picture salons, I hope 
to see them more cultivated. They certainly deserve 
more attention.— Devoniensis. 
-- 
MARKET GARDENING IN THE 
SCILLY ISLANDS. 
We take the following extract from an interesting 
paper by Mr. E. Brewer, in the Royal Agricultural 
Society's Journal It is a curious instance of the 
changes of agricultural conditions caused by foreign 
competition and the opening up of new sources of 
supply, that although the growth for export of early 
Potatos is still au important industry of the Scilly 
Islands, it has now been superseded in the financial 
esteem of the farmers by the cultivation of cut flowers 
for Covent Garden Market. Last season no less than 
200 tons of cut flowers were forwarded from the Islands 
to the various markets of England and Scotland, by 
the steamer which plies between Scilly and* Penzance, 
and in a single week of February in this year twenty 
tons were despatched. Nearly 100 acres in the Islands 
are devoted to the culture of the Narcissi, and the 
capital invested in this trade is reckoned at something 
like £250,000. The following details—collected during 
a recent visit—of the cultivation of the soil in the 
Islands, as at present conducted, will, it is hoped, 
prove of general interest. 
General husbandry was never very successful in the 
Scilly Islands, for up to the time of Mr. Augustus 
Smith’s proprietorship the farmers held their land on 
such precarious tenure that they refrained from all 
improvements, and contented themselves with growing 
a little corn and a few Potatos, and breeding inferior 
cattle and sheep. Notwithstanding the introduction 
subsequently of improved cattle, securer tenures, and 
larger holdings, farming, strictly so called, failed of 
ultimate success. It was then that market gardening 
stepped in, aud for a long time proved exceedingly 
remunerative. The cultivation of the early Potato was 
one of the chief supports and occupations of tho 
Scillonians, and every available space was planted 
with it. 
It was while the growers were in the flood-tide of 
this prosperity that the Lord Proprietor, looking ahead, 
recommended the Scillonians to turn part of their 
attention to the cultivation of the flowers which grew 
on the Islands for Covent Garden Market. The 
majority were disinclined to give up Potatos for flowers 
in ever so small a degree ; but one farmer thought over- 
Mr. Smith’s suggestion, and collected some of the 
flowers growing on his ground. He sent the little lot 
to London, on which he cleared 2>. 6i. ; aud this was 
the beginning of the floriculture in Scilly, which has 
now reached giant proportions. 
Just about the time that the last report of these 
Islands was printed in the Journal, the Scillonians 
were brought more into touch with the mainland by 
means of a steamer, which was started to ruu between 
the Islands and Penzance, and also by means of a 
telegraphic cable between the two. Thus the Potatos 
found a quick market, and the growers were kept in¬ 
formed of the current prices. For the first fruits of 
the Potato crop—generally in May—as much as Is. 6 d. 
a pound has been received. Gradually the inhabitants 
■were encouraged and stimulated to grow various new 
vegetables, and Asparagus, Seakale, Parsley, and 
Tomatos were added to those sent to market. 
