June 13tb, 1885. 
645 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
plant-wash and insecticide should write to Messrs. 
Lever & Co., Bolton, Lancashire, and ask them 
for one of their “ Sunlight Soap Tablets.’’ Let 
them on receipt of it dissolve 1 oz. in 1 gallon 
of water, then lightly syringe a dirty plant, or if 
it is infested with green-fly or thrip, add some 
tobacco-water; wet every part of the plant once 
or twice, let it stand a few minutes, but do not let 
the foliage get dry, then give it a good wash with 
a syringe, or rinse the plant overhead in a tub of 
water. If they do not then write to The Gardening 
World, saying that it is the simplest remedy they 
have tried, I shall be much surprised. With scale or 
bug I have not tried it, but for other purposes I shall 
recommend it, and continue to use it.— N. J. D. 
THE WHITE MARGUERITE, 
The objection which “Beilis” raises, at p. 631, 
against my advice to plant out these plants in rich soil 
after flowering, is well worthy of notice, because it is 
by discussing and practising various modes of culture 
that we are able to decide which is the better suited to 
our own convenience. In replying to his remarks, I 
will endeavour not merely to make my own case good, 
but also to place the matter in such a way that the 
readers of The Gardening World may decide for 
themselves which plan is the most suitable for their 
requirements. 
“ Beilis ” says that by planting out in rich light soil 
the plants would, in his opinion, produce soft, sappy 
growth, which is the reverse of what we should require 
for winter blooming. In the first place I was not 
writing about plants for winter blooming, as I have 
never grown the variety mentioned for that purpose, 
although I know it will flower more or less through¬ 
out the winter if the buds are not removed, but I 
consider it better to grow the plants on and keep the 
flower buds picked off so as to have a mass of flower 
in May, which I believe is the time when most growers 
have this variety in flower. 
Neither did I recommend the planting out of youDg 
plants during the first year, because to grow them to 
a useful decorative size by the following May they 
need not be rooted before August, then it would be too 
late in the season to plant them out, and if grown on 
in pots and stopped twice, they would by that time be 
nice bushy plants in 6-in. or 7-in. pots, carrying several 
dozens of flowers. Plants of this size are suitable for 
general purposes, and if large plants are not required 
they can be thrown away after flowering and fresh ones 
be rooted. But for those who require large specimens 
I think the advantages of the planting-out system out¬ 
weigh those of any other, as a large amount of labour 
is saved in watering them during the summer 
months, which is a great consideration where large 
quantities of plants are grown, and I contend that if 
any two systems produce equal results, the one that 
entails the least labour would be adopted by the 
majority of gardeners. 
I have never yet seen cut-back plants, when 
planted out in rich soil, make growth too sappy 
to become thoroughly well ripened by the time they 
were wanted to flower, provided they were jflanted 
far enough apart to admit the sun and air around 
them, and have the following treatment after:—Lift 
them in the first week in September, pot them firmly 
into pots of a size in proportion to that of the plants, 
place them under a north wall, and keep them well 
syringed for a few days. As soon as they have 
recovered their freshness, and it is no longer safe 
to leave them in the open air, remove them to some 
cool structure where they can have plenty of air on 
ah favourable occasions. As soon as the plants are 
housed, tie them into the required shape, so that the 
shoots stand just clear of each other. If any flower- 
buds are showing at the time remove them, and stop 
any shoots that show a tendency to rob the others. 
The pots will soon be crammed with roots, and as the 
days begin to lengthen in the spring time, the plants 
will require constant attention with the water-pot, 
and frequent applications of liquid manure, and I 
think it would puzzle anyone to find a shoot on plants 
so treated which was too strong to flower. 
If ‘Beilis” could have seen the large plants, when in 
flower, that for several years I had the pleasure of plant¬ 
ing out in June and lifting in September, I doubt if he 
would think they had been grown too strongly. Certain 
it is, that each year, as the month of May came round, 
they were completely studded with their lovely flowers, 
which were the admiration of all who saw them, and 
especially of the enthusiastic admirers of Marguerites 
for whose gratification they were grown.— H. Dunkin. 
— a—■ - ~0 ^>- 5r - ■— 9 — 
ROSA POLYANTHA. 
This beautiful free-flowering Rose was introduced 
from Japan in 1862, and has yielded under cultiva¬ 
tion a considerable number of seedlings of a diverse 
character, and all very pretty and useful. The latest 
novelty in this way is one of the new French Roses 
sent out this season, raised by M. Alegatiere, and 
named Miniature. It is a free-grower, and produces 
large clusters of small pale rose-coloured flowers 
ROSA POLYANTHA VAR. “ MINIATURE.” 
which change to white with age. It is a pretty and 
very free-flow-ering variety, well worth growing in pots 
for cutting in spring. 
— a —a — 
VILLA GARDENING. 
There is scarcely anything more interesting to the 
professional gardener than to study and examine the 
diverse tastes and manipulations of villa gardeners. 
A very particular old lady of my acquaintance takes 
a great delight in cutting the blades of grass as 
they appear above an inch long upon her small 
lawn with a very fine pair of scissors. An equally 
eccentric old gentleman uses his hedge shears for the 
same purpose, and trims his hedges with a rusty old 
carving knife. Like instances might be enumerated 
by the score, but it is useless to do so, as one illus¬ 
tration will show as well as twenty that our love for 
gardening is only intensified by our connection there¬ 
with, and that we find infinite pleasure in prolonging 
the enjoyments. 
The wonderful taste of some members of the 
villa-gardening community might, however, very 
advantageously be imitated by their sterner brethren 
—the professionals. What strange law governs 
the procedure of the professionals and keeps them 
perpetually on the same track ? Let any pro¬ 
fessional gardener take a walk through some district 
where villa gardens abound and carefully note what 
he sees; and if he does so, he will be able to learn 
many a useful lesson. One thing, however, he will 
not see, that is, any two alike or nearly so either as 
regards the plants grown or the arrangement of the 
gardens. The whole attention of one is devoted to 
annuals of various kinds; another to Alpine plants 
and a neatly arranged rock-garden; while the space 
of another is occupied by a miniature Niagara, &c. 
Ferns and bulbous plants, Roses, flowering and orna- 
mental-foliaged shrubs are by no means negelected; 
on the contrary, they receive the most assiduous care 
of their lovers, and in ninety-nine cases out of a 
hundred amply repay the attention of their pos¬ 
sessors. For it must be remembered that villa 
gardeners are not the same conventional beings as 
professionals—-who only love their work because 
others do so. Villa gardeners love their flowers for 
their own sake, and tend them because they love 
them. 
In their leisure hours, some persons delight to talk 
of politics, athletics, dress, and fashions, but in the 
vernal twilight, with the family gathered round, the 
villa gardener discusses with pride and zest the 
merits and demerits of snails and slugs, the flowers 
and the garden.— M. Barker. 
—— 
THE FRUITS OF CENTRAL 
ASIA. 
Gardens constitute the beauty of all this land. 
The long rows of Poplar and Elm trees, the vine¬ 
yards, the dark foliage of the Pomegranate over the 
wall, transport one at once to the plains of Lombardy 
or of Southern France. In the early spring the 
outskirts of the city, and, indeed, the whole valley, 
are one mass of white and pink with the bloom of 
Almond and Peach, of Cherry and Apple, of Apricot 
and Plum, which perfume the air for miles around. 
These gardens are the favourite dwelling-places in 
summer, and well they may be ; nowhere are fruits 
more abundant, and of some varieties it can be said 
that nowhere are they better. The Apricots and 
Nectarines I think it would be impossible to surpass 
anywhere. These ripen in June, and from that time 
until winter fruit and Melons are never lacking. 
Peaches, though smaller in size, are better in flavour 
than the best in England, but they are far surpassed 
by those of Delaware. 
The big blue Plums of Bokhara are celebrated 
through the whole of Asia. The Cherries are mostly 
small and sour. The best Apples come either from 
Khiva or from Susak, to the north of Turkestan ; but 
the small white Pears of Tashkent are excellent in 
their way. The Quince, as with us, is cultivated 
only for jams or marmalades, or for flavouring soup. 
Besides Water Melons there are in common cultiva¬ 
tion ten varieties of early Melons and six varieties 
which ripen later, any of which would be a good 
addition to our gardens. In that hot climate they 
are considered particularly wholesome, and form one 
of the principal articles of food during summer. 
When a man is warm and thirsty he thinks nothing 
of sitting down and finishing a couple of them. An 
acre of land, if properly prepared, would produce 
in ordinary years from 2,000 to 3,000, and in very 
good years twice as many. Of Grapes I noticed 
thirteen varieties, and most of them remarkably 
good,—“ Turkestan," by Eugene Schuyler. 
Pea-nut Flour. —Ingenious Americans have taken 
to manufacturing biscuits and pastry from the flour of 
Pea-nuts, of which there is said to have been an 
enormous crop last year, Virginia and the two adjacent 
States having raised 2,500,000 bushels. As ground 
nuts grow in large quantities in India, there can be 
no reason why a similar attempt should not be made 
there. 
