422 
March 3, 1894. ■ 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS 
FOR HOUSE AND TABLE 
DECORATIONS. 
[Co 7 ichtded from p. 408.) 
SoLANUM Capsicastrum makes a pleasing plant for 
room decoration, the brilliant scarlet berries having 
an enlivening effect, when arranged amongst subjects 
of more sombre hue. The seed should be sown in 
March in a strong moist heat, and when the seed¬ 
lings are large enough, potted off into small pots. 
By June they will be strong enough to plant out in 
well prepared ground on a warm border, where they 
may remain until September, and then lifted and 
potted, keeping them in a close frame until they 
have recovered from the effects of removal. 
Pelargoniums both of the show and zonal types 
are usually grown in large quantities for the summer 
decoration of the house. Varieties of the Show and 
Fancy class should be struck in July and August, 
and grown in cold frames, removing them to a light 
airy greenhouse for the winter. They are gross 
feeders and should have ample supplies of liquid 
manure afforded them. Care should be taken to 
keep down attacks of green fly, to which they are 
subject. Water in which Quassia chips have been 
boiled is a useful insecticide, but where not obtain¬ 
able recourse must be had to fumigation. After the 
flowering period they should be kept rather dry for 
a time, and then pruned back and syringed occasion¬ 
ally to induce them to break freely, after which they 
can be shaken out and potted into as small pots as is 
consistent with the size of the ball. Pelargoniums 
of the zonal type are serviceable for cuttings during 
the winter months. From cuttings taken off in 
INIarch and April, good bushy plants may be had for 
flowering the following winter They should be 
protected from heavy rains during the summer, and 
all flowers pinched out as they appear until early in 
October, when they may be housed, and given a light 
position near the glass. 
A good batch of Cinerarias should be grown for 
autumn and spring use. For autumn flowering, seed 
can be sown in April or May, a successional sowing 
being made in July. They do well during the 
summer in cold frames with a north aspect ; care 
should be taken to protect the plants from heavy 
rains, but the autumn dews being very beneficial the 
lights may be entirely withdrawn, unless there is an 
appearance of frost. They, like the Pelargoniums 
above referred to, are subject to green fly, which can 
be dealt with by mild fumigations. 
Herbaceous Calceolarias usually receive similar 
treatment as the Cineraria, but when moved from 
their summer quarters, they must be placed on a 
light airy shelf free from draughts. Unless some 
special fertilizer is used, ample supplies of liquid 
manure must be given, if strong plants with an 
abundance of flowers are required. Another in¬ 
dispensable plant for room decoration is the Cycla¬ 
men. Good plants may be obtained by sowing seed 
in October and November, and growing on the 
seedlings during the winter and following summer. 
It is well to sow the seeds thinly in pans of light 
soil, and let the seedlings remain until they have 
made four or five leaves, when they may be placed 
into small pots ; the reason for not disturbing them 
before is that until they have made what is termed 
quill roots, they are very susceptible to injury through 
careless handling. During the summer they are 
best grown in frames under a north wall; but which¬ 
ever aspect they have it is imperative they should 
be shaded from strong sunshine. 
Successional sowings of Primulas should be made, 
the first batch being sown early in May, and the last 
sowing about the third week in July. A certain 
number of plants from this last sowing should be 
retained for use in small pots, as they are occasion¬ 
ally useful for small vases, or for working up in 
dinner table arrangements. For cutting purposes 
the old double white Primula is always in favour. 
Propagation of these may be effected by moulding 
up the plants with a mixture of chopped sphagnum 
and cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or .sandy peat may be 
used. In the early stages of growth, Primulas 
require to be potted in comparatively light soil, and 
it is not advisable to use fertilizers until the final 
shift, when soil of a stronger nature should be used, 
an addition of some artificial manure being made, to 
afford sustenance to the plant during the flowering 
period. Primula obconica is also of value, either as 
a pot plant or for cutting. It is easily raised from 
seed. 
Francoa ramosa should be grown for its delightful 
sprays of whitest flowers. For arranging in tall vases 
or epergnes for the dinner table nothing can surpass 
these lovely flowers, as their light character lends a 
pleasing appearance to any kind of arrangement. 
Saxifraga pyramidalis is another distinctly beautiful 
subject for house decoration, although hardly coming 
under the head of a greenhouse plant. 
Carnations are always esteemed, and should, 
where possible, be given adequate attention. These 
plants are not always seen in a healthy state, more 
often we find them suffering from disease brought 
about by injudicious watering and ventilating. It is 
impossible to overestimate the care with which 
Carnations should be watered during the winter 
months. Healthy plants are often irreparably 
injured by entrusting the watering to inexperienced 
persons. Carnations require a light, well ventilated 
house, but when east winds prevail the greatest care 
should be taken with the air giving, especially 
during the early months of the year, when the 
vitality of the plants begins to awaken. For winter 
flowering there are many useful varieties, such as 
Alegatierre, Winter Cheer, Duke of Fife, Duke of 
Clarence, Lord Rokeby, Miss Joliffe, Germania, 
Madame Arthur Warocque, and the various 
Malmaisons. 
The varieties of Azalea indica are extremely 
serviceable during the winter and early spring, and 
by introducing a few plants at a time into heat their 
season may be prolonged indefinitely. Ghent 
Azaleas are thought much of by some people, but as 
their flowers drop very quickly when used in a close 
rooms, especially where gas is the lighting medium, 
they cannot be depended upon to last more than a 
few days. The Paris Daisies or Marguerites (Chry¬ 
santhemum frutescens) may be utilised to a great 
extent, and a batch of cuttings rooted in early 
autumn come in very useful during the following 
March and April. Some of the free-flowering 
varieties of Fuchsia should be grown, but their 
flowers are very liable to drop, making them too 
littery for most people. A large number of spring¬ 
flowering bulbs should be potted to meet the demand 
in the early months of the year, when other flowers 
are not obtainable. The earliest Roman Hyacinths 
can be potted in August or early in September, 
thereby ensuring them having plenty of roots by the 
time they are wanted to commence forcing. It is a 
good plan to pot a few bulbs of an early Narcissus 
at the same time, the general collection remaining 
over till October. Some gardeners prefer making 
successional pottings of their bulbs, but I fail to see 
any advantage gained by this practice, as, after the 
bulbs have formed roots, they may be retarded in 
any cool place, and the bulbs are certainly liable 
to be injured by being kept out of the soil too long. 
The flowers of Freesias are much sought after by 
ladies, owing, no doubt, to their lovely primrose 
perfume; as many should be grown as can be 
accommodated for house room. Eight or ten bulbs 
can be put into a 48-sized pot, and placed in a cold 
pit or frame till tbe young growths appear through 
the soil; they can then be moved to a light shelf in a 
warm greenhouse. A good batch of Lachenalias 
always comes in useful, their flowers lasting a long 
time. They are best grown in cold frames, or even 
out of doors, until signs of frost are apparent, when 
they can be taken into a cool greenhouse and kept 
close to the glass to prevent them drawing up weakly. 
Spiraeas, Deutzias, and Callas must not be over¬ 
looked, the first two being amongst the best subjects 
the gardener has for forcing purposes. With regard 
to Callas there are various opinions concerning the 
planting out system. I have myself proved that 
those plants kept in pots do flower earlier, but for 
general purposes the planting out is preferable, as it 
saves an immense amount of watering during the 
summer. 
In conclusion it will be well to mention that it is 
always desirable to grow decided colours of any 
variety of plant, as washy colours seldom look nice, 
however well they may be arranged; and in setting 
up cut flowers we should always aim at a light 
arrangement. It is folly to grow good flowers and 
then jumble them together without an effort to make 
them as imposing as possible. 
Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Rhrubs, by 
A. D. Webster. A valuable guide to planters of beautiful 
trees and shrubs for the adornment of parks and. gardens. 
Price, 3S. ; post free, 3s. 3d. Publisher, Gardening World, 
I, Clement's Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
WEEDS.’’ 
I CAN assure your correspondent, Mr. Mackay, that 
it is far from my wish to designate the whole body 
of all round handy men as "Weeds." At the same 
time, cultivated plants sometimes, when transported 
to other surroundings, become weeds, and with all 
your correspondent’s apparent fondness for, and in¬ 
terest in them, I do not for one moment think he 
would tolerate their existence in his garden one 
moment longer than he could possibly avoid. That 
some of these all round handy men do some things 
remarkably well is quite true, as I have had plenty 
of opportunities of seeing for myself, but would Mr. 
Mackay, because he had a handy estate man, who 
upon occasion would screw some barrel piping to¬ 
gether to extend his water supply, intrust the same 
man with the sanitary plumbing work of a mansion ? 
The same principal holds good with reference to 
gardening, and I would ask, is your handy man, who 
has grown Calceolarias well, but has had no ex¬ 
perience in Grape growing, a fit and proper person 
to entrust with a range of vineries. 
Now, as it often happens, these handy men do get 
into positions for which from want of knowledge and • 
experience they are totally unfitted ; would it not be 
better for the profession to so raise its status by re¬ 
quiring of the younger generation higher attainments 
in respect of knowledge bearing upon horticulture 
and in connection with it. When a demand for this 
knowledge becomes more general than at present, 
the want will not fail of meeting with a supply from 
public sources. At present, young men if so dis¬ 
posed can do very much by the aid of books to 
instruct and elevate themselves. Dentistry and 
veterinary surgery were not made protected pro¬ 
fessions in a day. Neither will plumbing be ; but that 
it will become a protected profession before very 
many more years go by is quite certain, and this 
will be to the advantage of the plumbers and the 
public at the same time ; but some of the all round 
handy men may possibly have to suffer by the 
change. 
That there are many good men wasting their lives 
in nurseries who are well fitted for responsible 
positions is a fact much to be deplored, and shows 
the undesirability of more rushing into the profes¬ 
sion. But why is this ? Mainly because the path¬ 
way into it is made too easy, and many employers 
will accept the services of those who have poor 
qualifications because they can get them at their 
own price, having no proper conception as to the 
amount of training that is required to properly fit a 
man for his profession. As to where the gardener 
was when " Inexperience]" was at his handy work : 
well, certainly not on the staff of some paper ; and 
gardeners ought not to intrust inexperienced men 
with such matters. Too often this kind of thing 
happens ; a labourer is engaged who knows little 
beyond outside work ; gets a few months' employ¬ 
ment under glass, and, lo! and behold, he thinks him¬ 
self fitted for any place, and often times will succeed 
in getting into a fairly good " shop," sometimes with 
satisfaction to his employer, but oftecer not, and 
then another is added to the list of " Weeds ."—A 
Voice from a Gravel Pit. 
- -*• - 
SEAKALE. 
Th.at garden which is well stocked with crowns of 
Seakale for forcing, and a good supply of Brussels 
Sprouts, has at least two first-class vegetables which, 
let the season be what it may, will always give an 
ample supply. The Kale being forced under cover 
is secure against frost, and I have repeatedly found 
Brussels Sprouts to withstand severe frost better 
than any other green vegetable. In reference to 
Seakale, I have often been surprised at the 
poor provision made for obtaining a supply of it, 
while a large breadth of ground is devoted to 
Broccoli, which so frequently becomes a prey to the 
severity of the winter. I have been accustomed to 
have a supply of Seakale from November till May, 
and there are but few families which do not highly 
appreciate it. 
There are two ways of propagating it, i.e., by 
seeds and by cuttings of the roots, any pieces the 
thickness of a cedar pencil or even larger, and 
between 3 in. and 4 in. in length. This is the plan 
I have pursued for years, and I think it preferable 
to raising seedlings. I plant these cuttings in rows 
about 2 ft. apart, and place the sets from 6 in. to 
9 in. apart in the row. The ground should be well 
