424 
THE GARDENING- WORLD 
March 7th, 1885. 
Til JkMATEWS’ Uasim. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Soiie of the earliest Camellias will now have done 
flowering, and if the plants of these, or any of the 
others that are without buds, are potted at once in 
equal parts of peat and loam, and then placed where 
they can get a little heat, with a moist atmosphere, 
they will soon start into growth, and make their young 
shoots, after which they flower naturally long before 
they otherwise would. Epacrises and Heaths that 
have been cut back, as well as Azaleas, Deutzias, and 
plants of that class, that have gone out of bloom, also 
require a little warmth to start them, and they should be 
syringed both morning and evening, but in doing this, 
care must be taken not to get them too wet at the root. 
Tulips, Hyacinths, and other hardy bulbous plants, 
that have lost their beauty in the greenhouse, should 
not be thrown away when they are turned out, but saved 
for planting in any of the borders, where, next year, 
they will help to make a show and continue to improve 
in strength for a long time to come. The great point 
with them now is to take care of the foliage, and keep 
it fresh and healthy, -which may be done by standing 
the pots under shelter in any cold frame. Pelargoniums, 
both Zonal and Show varieties, will need re-potting, 
but it is not advisable to give them over-much room, 
as they flower best when a little pinched at the roots ; 
and it is an easy matter to feed them by giving liquid 
manure, made from guano or any of the inodorous 
compounds now sold for the purpose. The most 
suitable soil for Pelargoniums is fibry loam, mixed 
-with a little bone dust or fertilized, in which the 
plants should be potted quite firm, and then placed 
on a shelf, up near the glass, sun and light being 
essential to enable them to make stout, short-jointed, 
wood that will send up fine trusses of bloom. The 
Zonals are not subject to insects, but the Show and 
fancy sorts are almost sure to be assailed by green-fly, 
which must be distroyed by fumigating as soon as it 
appears, or the plants will be crippled and spoiled. 
Herbaceous Calceolarias are also liable to aphis, but 
being very tender in the leaf, they will not stand much 
smoke, and the only safe way is to give them a little, 
both morning and evening, for two or three days in 
succession. The situation that the plants like best is 
one that is partially shaded and moist, in which they 
will grow rapidly now, and if re-potted, soon fill the 
fresh pots with roots. Those who are so fortunate as 
to have a stock of Achimenes, Gloxinias, and tuberous 
Begonias, will find this a good time to start them, 
which may be done by placing them in a hotbed 
frame, and giving just enough water to moisten the 
soil. Gloxinias and Begonias may also be raised from 
seed, and got to a useful flowering-size during the 
summer if sown at once and the plants nursed on in 
warmth. As the seeds are very small, they must not 
be covered ; but scattered over the surface of fine soil, 
made smooth and level in a pot or pan, over which 
should be laid a pane of glass to maintain a regular 
degree of moisture, or the plants will not come up. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
If Cucumbers and Melons have been started, they 
will require a lining to keep up the heat which must 
be maintained regularly at or above 65 degs. by night, 
and 75 degs. to 80 degs. by day, to get the plants to 
grow and fruit well. Those who have not commenced 
operations will find a good time now to begin, as with 
more sun, and warmer days and nights, there is not 
much difficulty in managing a hotbed, and no place 
is more suitable for growing the Cucumbers, which 
revel in the steam arising from fermenting material. 
This may be of tan, or horse dung and leaves, which¬ 
ever is most come-at-able, the first-named being 
perhaps the best, as it is more steady and lasting. For 
propagating and seed raising, nothing answers better, 
and even with a single one-light frame, much may be 
done, as besides cuttings being struck, many plants 
may be raised for the greenhouse or garden. 
To grow for the greenhouse, there are Balsams, 
Celosias, Schizanthus pinnatus and Grahamii, 
Cyclamens, Begonias, Gloxinias, Solanums, Cinerarias, 
Primulas, Petunias, and many other things; and for 
beds and borders,Lobelias, Verbenas,GoldenPyrethrum, 
Single Petunias, and hosts besides, later on, when the 
heat is more spent, as it will be time enough in April 
for Zinnias, Asters, and most of the annuals. As soon 
as the seeds are up, they can be moved to the Cucumber 
frame to get more light and air, and from there, in a 
day or two, to a cooler temperature, and their places 
taken by others, or cuttings; these will now strike 
freely, and should be put in from day to day, or just 
when they can be obtained, as there is little time to 
lose if plants are to be got to a useful size for planting 
in May. 
The best place for rooting the bedding kinds of 
Pelargoniums is a light shelf in a warm house or pit, 
where they will not damp, and should only have just 
water enough to keep the leaves fresh. Smaller and 
less succulent things, such as Lobelias, Coleus, 
Alternanthera, Verbena, Ageratum, Heliotrope, and 
others of that class, need a close confined atmosphere 
to induce them to grow, as flagging is fatal, for they 
seldom get up again. Excepting Pelargoniums, few, 
if any, of the other bedding plants need be potted, as 
they do quite as well, or better, pricked out in light 
leafy soil in pits or frames, from which they lift with 
large balls, and may be transferred to their summer 
quarters without feeling much check. 
THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
As the buds of vines are now on the move, those 
about planting young canes should lose no time in 
carrying out that operation, for, if deferred till later, 
there will be much danger to the shoots, which will 
then have started, and not only that but any disturb¬ 
ance after will cause a check to the plants. The 
preparation and making of the border was touched on 
some time ago, and, presuming this has been formed 
and ready, the thing now is to turn the vines out of 
their pots and shake the soil away from the roots 
which should then be carefully uncoiled, and, when 
this is done, spread out regularly in the new border 
and be there buried about 3 ins. deep, but on no account 
shorten the canes, or they will bleed at the cut, which 
will weaken them considerably and cause them to 
break feebly, instead of starting away strong as they 
ought to do. 
To assist them in doing this, it is necessary to 
mulch over the soil above their roots with a layer of 
horse droppings or other manure, and to syringe the 
rods with tepid water, so as to moisten the buds, this 
damping being of great benefit during the afternoon 
of bright sunny days, when the lights or ventilators 
should be closed early to make the house -warm. 
These latter remarks apply also to established vines, 
which ought now to be encouraged in the same way, 
and if this is done so as to get them to start early 
there will be no difficulty in getting the Grapes ripe at 
the end of the season. 
If there are plants in flower on the stage that would 
be injured by the wetting, then the pathways, floor, 
&c., may be damped, which will make the atmosphere 
moist and genial and be productive of nearly as much 
good as the syringing. 
Apricots are now showing colour and will quickly 
be open, and Peaches and Nectarines will follow 
quickly after, which being so, protectors should be in 
readiness to put up in case of frost or be hung at 
once to let down by night, and thus render the 
blossoms safe from the cold. If kept dry they will 
stand a good deal, and in connection with the covering 
it is a good plan to have a coping just above the heads 
of the trees, which coping may be a 9-in. board, as 
that, if fixed securely, answers as well as anything 
just for a time, but it should be taken off early, or, by 
excluding sun and light from the top shoots, it will 
injure them when they form. Sparrows and bull¬ 
finches are now busy with the buds of Gooseberries, 
Currants, Cherries, and Plums, and, if not killed or 
scared off, they will soon strip the bushes or trees, as 
their appetites seem voracious, for it is surprising how 
quickly they clear all the branches. 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
It will now be a busy time in this department, but 
before proceeding very far with manuring and digging 
it is better to decide on what is to occupy the ground, 
and to have a plan of cropping ; as by a system of this 
kind much more may be got from the land, and the 
produce will be finer and better. A good way of 
managing is to have potatos 4 ft. apart, and then 
plant Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, and such like 
between, and the same again with Peas, which never 
do so well, as they do at wide intervals, when they get 
full light and sun along both sides of the rows. Root 
crops, such as Beet, Carrots, Parsnips, and Turnips, 
require little or no manure if the soil is fresh and 
good ; but Onions, Leeks, Cabbages, Cauliflowers, and 
Lettuces cannot well have too much, provided it is not 
rank, and is properly decomposed, in which state the 
plants can feed on it at once. 
The way to get fine Onions is to deep dig the ground, 
and then make the surface firm by treading, and 
level and smooth and free from stones by raking, 
when the seed may be sown. This should be done at 
once, in drills, 10 ins. or so apart, and just deep 
enough to cover it, which covering may be accom¬ 
plished by drawing the loose soil back into its place. 
Leeks can only be had with big blanched stems by 
sowing and raising the plants early, and then 
planting them out in trenches prepared after the 
same manner as those for Celery, and gradually 
earthing the Leeks up as they grow. The seeds to 
sow now are Parsley, Parsnips, Brussels Sprouts, a 
little Cauliflower, Lettuce, Spinach, early Milan 
Turnips, Radishes, Nantes or French Horn Carrots, 
Peas, and Broad Beans, the three first named 
sufficient for full crops, and small beds or short rows 
of the others, that more may be put in again for 
successions. 
To keep finches off, the beds must be netted, or the 
seed protected ; and a good easy way of doing this 
is to moisten it with milk, and then dust it with red 
lead before sowing, the greasy nature of the mil k 
making the lead adhere, and when so coated no birds 
will touch it at all. Young plants of Cabbage, Cauli¬ 
flower, and Lettuce that have stood the winter should 
be planted out at once, the two former in drills drawn 
18 ins. or 20 ins. apart with the hoe, and the latter 
on level ground, but all in land that has had a good 
dressing of rotten manure. In planting, the great 
thing is to lift the plants with as much ball as can be 
secured by taking them up with a trowel, and putting 
them in again by the aid of the same tool, as then 
they suffer no check, but start off at once. 
A few Myatt’s or Ashleaf Potatos may be put in on 
a warm border, and the seed in store ought to be laid 
out thin in a light, airy shed, as so much depends on 
getting them to make good strong shoots, which, under 
such favourable conditions, they are then able to do. 
EARLY SPRING FLOWERS. 
Winter Flowers some of them may well be designated, 
for they are not content to wait till the more genial 
spring weather, but while the wind is still heavily 
charged with the icy cold of the north, they hasten 
to greet us, as if to say that spring is coming at 
last. And we welcome them right gladly; for 
however much wd appreciate the pleasures which 
winter brings in its train, there is something desolate 
and melancholy in the face of nature at this period, 
and we soon grow weary, and look for the time when 
all will be smiling again. 
Very impatient, too, some of these early flowers 
are to show themselves,—the Christmas Rose, for 
instance. We are hardly sure that it may not be 
one of last year’s stragglers, until we remember that 
a period of rest has ensued, and that this early 
flowering is only a precursor of another season of 
growth. The Winter Aconite is perhaps the next on 
the scene,—unless, indeed, it be the Snowdrop. But 
what a charming little plant this Winter Aconite is ! 
Quite a button-hole in itself, all ready to hand. A 
pretty little yellow flower with an elegantly-notched 
leaf surrounding it, without a particle of wire to 
secure it in position. Here is a little anecdote 
about this particular flower. The writer, when 
a boy, had completed a painting of the plant, and 
was viewing it with evident satisfaction;—the laws 
of perspective, it is true, may have been gloriously 
ignored; the subtleties of light and shade altogether 
neglected; but there it was, and who that knew the 
plant would not have recognized it ? But alas! a 
more experienced hand appeared on the scene, and 
viewing the youthful artist’s attempt, remarked, 
“ Why, it looks like the moon in the middle of a tree.” 
But our object at the present time is not so much 
to prove that drawing is not in our line, as to 
