November 17, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
183 
It is a good plan to dust round the edge of the 
frame with newly-slacked lime about a week after 
the seed has been sown, in addition to searching 
after dark with a lamp for the slugs. Where the 
seed is sown in heated pits much of this trouble is 
avoided, as it will not be necessary to make a fresh 
hot bed to cause the seed to germinate, care, how¬ 
ever, in this case, will be needed, for slugs at this 
time of the year find their way into any place that 
is a little warm and moist, and as they are so partial 
to young carrots they are almost sure to visit them. 
It is not well to thin too early on this account, as a 
loss of crop after all the trouble would be a serious 
consideration. 
It is not a good plan to sow Radishes with the 
seed as some advocate, for these grow much more 
rapidly than the Carrots so that their foliage would 
overshadow them, causing a weak spindly growth. 
If Radishes are required they should be sown by 
themselves, and when cleared off the frame could be 
used for some other purpose. There are several of 
the stump-rooted varieties well adapted for forcing 
such, for instance, as the Parisian Forcing, French 
Forcing, Sutton’s Inimitable Forcing, and several 
others all of which form roots in a remarkable short 
‘space of time. With these early sowings much 
watchfulness is needed, for if the bed gets a little too 
warm just as the plants are coming through the soil, 
they are apt to damp off unless air be admitted to 
strengthen them, therefore it will be necessary that 
this should have attention .—Kitchen Garden. 
Brussels Sprouts, Scrymger's Giant. 
Brussels Sprouts are, as a rule, a very satisfactory 
crop this year, and among other good old varieties 
Scrymger’s Giant has again proved itself of sterling 
merit. I saw a fine batch of it on Saturday last, 
grown upon a rather shallow soil in really good con¬ 
dition. The plants are dwarf in habit, whilst the 
sprouts are of large size, firm, and of excellent 
flavour. This is a sort that should particularly 
recommend itself to the notice of the cottager.— G. 
* 
The heavy and continuous rains that have 
visited us during the past fortnight will 
have set at rest any doubts we might 
have entertained with regard to the state of the 
.soil round the roots of large and vigorously growing 
trees. Such rains as these usually visit us during 
the autumn months, and such copious downpours 
render it of paramount importance that a sharp eye 
be kept upon the drains which are to carry off the 
superfluous water. It often happens that when a 
dry autumn has preceeded the rainy period, the 
drains are blocked up with leaves, sand, &c., with 
the consequence that an unexpectedly heavy fall of 
rain results in floods which do more or less damage, 
together with considerable washings of walks which 
might otherwise be prevented. In many good 
establishments, especially in hilly districts where 
the paths are more or less at an angle the drains 
are examined weekly to see that they are in working 
condition. 
As soon as time can be spared leaves in shrub¬ 
beries, or in out-of-the-way parts of the pleasure 
grounds, should be raked up, and removed to the 
rubbish heap, for if these are allowed to remain 
where they are, they will cause a good deal of in¬ 
convenience, and a large amount of extra and un¬ 
necessary labour, as during dry and windy weather 
they will blow about all over the place. 
In most districts in the north of England it is 
usually necessary to afford the climbers on the walls 
some protection. That fine old wall subject Mag¬ 
nolia grandiflora particularly, requires attention in 
this respect, and even roses, more especially those 
of the Tea section, require like treatment. Branches 
of any trees of Thuja or Cupressus that have been 
cut down will prove of inestimable service. They 
should be cut up into nice handy pieces, and care¬ 
fully inserted among the branches of the climbers in 
sufficient numbers to form a screen from the cold 
winds. In the case of roses, any large and straggling 
growths may be nailed roughly in, pruning in ex¬ 
posed situations being left over till spring. Failing 
a supply of such branches as I have described, 
Russian mats may be used, only this renders the 
operation rather more expensive. 
Pay attention during dry weather to the removal 
of any weeds that may be present from beds and 
borders, and an occasional use of the rake, when 
occasion offers, will be of great service. 
Pruning of deciduous trees and shrubs may be 
proceeded with as soon as desired, any movement of 
the sap that may take place after the operation will 
materially assist in the strengthening of the buds. 
A heavy mulching (with good stable manure if pro¬ 
curable) should be given the roots of deciduous 
shrubs and evergreens, particularly those which 
have been newly planted, in which case it will serve 
a two-fold purpose—adding nutriment to the soil, as 
well as in a great measure affording protection to 
the roots. In weather when outside work is not 
permissible plenty of work may be found in the store 
sheds. Dahlia tubers may be looked over, and any 
injured or decayed portions removed. Wooden 
labels, stakes, &c., may also be made for use in the 
coming season. 
In favourable soil and situations the planting of hardy 
fruit trees may now be actively carried on, always 
supposing the weather continues mild and open. In 
planting, great care should be taken that the holes 
are made sufficiently large to admit all the roots 
without crushing them. Before planting, the roots 
of the young trees should be carefully examined, 
and any injured portions removed—cut clean out 
with a sharp knife. This will tend to promote the 
production of new fibrous roots close to the surface 
of the soil, the value of which every fruit grower is 
well aware of. Spread the roots out carefully, and 
when filling in the hole, introduce the soil among 
them as much as possible and tread firmly. A good 
watering after planting will be of great service in 
settling the soil well about the roots. A liberal 
mulching of well rotted manure may be given the 
trees before winter sets in in real earnest. Newly 
planted standard trees will, moreover, require 
staking, which should be performed as soon as 
possible. 
Fig Trees on walls outside should be unnailed or 
untied, as the case may be, the growths tied into 
bundles, and covered over with some protecting 
material, either hay or bracken will do. This of 
course applies more particularly to districts in the 
north of England. 
The pruning of standard Apple and Pear trees 
may be proceeded with without delay, as this is an 
operation that takes a lot of time, and, as a rule, 
extends over a considerable period; therefore, 
advantage should be taken of all favourable oppor¬ 
tunities to get the work well in hand, as a few weeks 
of snow weather and hard frost presently will very 
much delay operations. 
The fruit in the fruit-room will now be consider¬ 
ably thinned out, at least with regard to Pears. Old 
fruit should be thrown out without delay, for keep¬ 
ing it in that state only creates an unpleasant smell 
in the fruit-room. The windows should therefore 
be thrown open whenever the state of the weather 
permits. 
* 
Vines and Peach trees in houses in which the wood 
has been thoroughly ripened by means of the judicious 
use of fire heat should now be allowed to go entirely to 
rest, frost only being excluded, always supposing 
there are no plants in them to need a slightly higher 
temperature. 
Vines that were started at the beginning of the 
month, and which were tied down horizontally to 
ensure them breaking equably, may now receive a 
slight increase of temperature. The thermometer 
should not now be allowed to fall lower than 52 0 F. 
by night, rising during the day to a little over 6o° F. 
The necessary syringings should be regularly con¬ 
ducted twice daily, and if in the event of very cold 
weather hard firing is needed to keep up the requisite 
temperature care should be taken that the atmos¬ 
phere does not get too dry. These remarks will also 
apply to pot vines, except that the mean temperature 
for these may be just a little higher. 
Bunches of ripe Muscat of Alexandria, Black 
Alicante, and other late varieties should not be 
allowed to remain on the canes too long. They may 
be kept just as well in bottles of water in almost or 
quite as good condition as if they were left hanging 
upon the vines. A dark room and a dry atmosphere 
is necessary in which to keep them. 
(Meanings from the JDorlb 
of Science 
A nut to crack. —Plants sometimes come up in 
strange places, and where one would scarcely think 
it possible to do so. A short time ago some 
specimens of the fungus Phallus impudicus pushed 
up by the side of the wooden edging to one of the 
main walks in Finsbury Park. If this had been all, 
it would have passed as of quite common-place 
occurrence, but the mycelium had evidently ramified 
beneath the asphalted walk, the asphalt at this par¬ 
ticular place being about 3 in. thick. A fruiting 
stem or toadstool was developed and pushed up 
through the solid asphalt, making a round hole 
about 2 in. in diameter, and 3 in. deep, as if 
artificially accomplished. The nut to crack is how a 
soft fungus could manage to push its head up through 
the solid, incumbent matter without itself being 
crushed to a jelly. The spot where it emerged was 
about 6 in. from the edge of the asphalt, and when 
a constable was passing along his accustomed beat 
one morning he failed to understand why a wooden 
peg had been driven into the walk at such a place, 
until closer inspection of the foetid vegetable revealed 
its true nature. 
Similar phenomena. —Many observers have 
noticed the force of tree roots in raising large stones 
and disturbing walls of masonry, but one generally 
looks at a tree as a source of great power as com¬ 
pared with a soft fungus. Some plants however, of 
a more lowly nature may sometimes be observed to 
establish themselves in strange and unlikely places. 
Very frequently large trees in hedges by the way 
sides will sometimes push large roots into the 
materials of a macadamised road, and the latter 
getting worn exposes the roots to the wear and tear 
of traffic. Cherries and Poplars will even develop 
suckers from roots near the surface. One of the 
British reeds (Phalaris arundinacea) is well known 
for the long, underground rhizomes which it deve¬ 
lops and throws up young plants at long distances 
from the parent stool. In the case of a plant grown 
in a border by the side of an asphalted walk, the 
latter was cracked in various places apparently by 
the agency and force of the rhizomes and young 
plants pushed through the crevices here and there. 
At another part of the same county the asphalted 
platform of a country railway station, was cracked 
and riven by some means or other, and the Bindweed 
(Convolvulus) pushed its way through the crevices, 
and may in reality have been the original aggressor 
causing the disruption of the solid asphalt, and on 
the face of it would seem more likely when one 
remembers the case of the softer toadstool. This 
power or force in vegetation would seem to be due 
to the slow and steady progress of growth which 
acts in the same way as a screw-jack with a very 
fine thread or blocks and pulleys that gain such 
power at the expense of time. The mechanism is 
not the same in the case of living vegetation, but 
near enough to draw a comparison. 
Eel-worms or Nematodes in Phloxes —For 
some years past Phloxes of the P. glaberrima 
suffiuticosa and P. paniculata sections, that is, the 
summer and autumn Phloxes have been subject to 
some inexplicable disease which either destroys 
them or prevents them from flowering satisfactorily. 
The stems thicksn in an unnatural way at divers 
places and are rendered very brittle at those points, 
so that the wind snaps them across wholesale, 
particularly about the time of flowering. One of 
these stems cut across at the thickened portion 
revealed a strange sight. The stem was hollow and 
the cavity simply swarmed with the larvae or 
maggots of some dipterous insect. In this case the 
thickening would be of the nature of a gall ; but it 
is doubtful whether the swellings are produced in all 
cases by phytophagous or plant-eating flies, seeing 
that the greatly disorganised pith of the same stem 
swarmed with eel-worms or nematoid worms, which 
would be sufficient in themselves to account for the 
mischief. The swellings occur at various heights 
from the ground and the disorganisation of the pith 
and vascular tissue prevents the internodes from 
lengthening in their usual manner, so that the leaves 
become densely crowded together there. The flies 
would reach the plants from the air ; but the micro¬ 
scopical eel-worms must come from the soil through 
the medium of the roots ; and this seems likely from 
the fact that the plants get very weak and refuse to 
grow as if the roots were the primary organs attacked. 
-J. F. 
