330 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 19, 1895* 
over the hole at the bottom of the pot; a little of the 
rougher portions of the soil placed upon the drainage 
to prevent the soil running into the crocks, etc., and 
so preventing the escape of an excess of water. Pot 
the plants fairly firm, water in short time after, and 
when the soil is settled it is probable no further 
watering will be required for two or three days. As 
the young rootlets become active, extra water will be 
needed, which simply means the plants must be 
looked over every day, or but one day should 
intervene in this matter. The plants should be 
stood in saucers so as to hold the water that runs 
from them after watering, and then when they have 
drained, the water should be turned into a water-can 
and thrown away. By so doing, the plants will not 
be kept standing in water, for though Ferns may 
delight in abundance of this element, they do not 
flourish when this is always remaining under them. 
The same remark holds good with all plants indoors, 
and if not again alluded to, it will be remembered 
that flowering plants as well as Ferns might not 
continually be overdosed with water. 
Besides the Maidenhair Ferns I recommend the 
Pteris cretica, P. serrulata, the Hart’s Tongue, 
Polystichums Lastreas, and the common Polpody. 
This latter, which doubtless is known to you all, 
may be grown in pots of fancy shapes, for since it 
makes numerous rhizomes or ground stems, these 
quickly spread and cover a surface of more or less 
fantastic design. In the winter some of these may 
have the fronds become seared and brown. It is 
better then that these be cut away, for in the spring, 
if well rooted, they will push up a good cluster of 
healthy fronds from the fixed crowns. Many Ferns 
may be grown in wire baskets, and suspended from 
hooks in the ceiling, of course, hanging so that they 
be near the light of the window. These often grow 
into beautiful plants; in watering, however, it is 
necessary that occasionally they are dipped in a pail, 
or if watered overhead, that a large saucer or dish be 
placed underneath them until they cease dropping 
the water that runs through them. The Ferns in 
pots or terra cotta vases may be stood on a ledge 
immediately in front of the window inside, or if a 
low stage with two shelves can be used, it is better 
for the plants, as by this arrangement they receive 
more light than if all were on a single level shelf. It 
is a good plan when Ferns are grown thus to sponge 
the fronds occasionally, removing dust or mildew, or 
a little insect that is apt to infest them when grown 
inside. If now and then the plants be stood out¬ 
doors, when there is no wind, and sprinkled with a 
syringe or fine rose of a watering can, they will be 
much freshened, and a vigour and lustre added that 
much increases their beauty and acceptability. 
Passing from the windows on the northern and 
eastern sides, I think the greatest interest will be 
shown to those having a southern and western 
aspect. I know all houses do not have the front 
windows facing this way, but where such is the case, 
and other circumstances favourable, it seems to me 
there are opportunities of display that certainly 
should be made the most of. 
I should recommend for these windows that boxes 
be made of a size and shape suitable to the recess. 
A couple of narrow strips of wood nailed to. the 
bottom of the box to keep it slightly above the 
window sill, and a few holes burnt in the bottom of 
the box for the escape of water. The outside should 
be painted a pleasant yet neutral colour, one that 
will not detract from the natural freshness of foliage 
and flowers it is hoped to produce. I do not 
ordinarily advise the insertion of fancy tiles in the 
front of the boxes, as they seldom fit in in appear¬ 
ance with houses of moderate dimensions; for 
mansions, however, where the front and windows 
are of a very small character, they may at times be 
used with very great advantage. The object in 
window gardening should be to make the plants and 
flowers the most important feature, not the box or 
vase in which they happen to be grown. Virgin 
Cork, too, is out of place in many windows, and 
the space immediately at the back of the pieces 
where they are fixed to the boxes, &c., is a rare 
harbour for snails, woodlice, and earwigs; vermin 
that issue forth at night-time and feast upon the 
plants it is intended to grow. Fancy railings and 
gates, representing entrances to a park or garden, 
seem to me most incongruous also. 
Good garden soil, with some well-rotted leaves, 
and some sand well mixed will be most suitable. 
Before planting, place some pieces of broken pot 
or oyster shells over the holes in the boxes, over this 
a few fronds of the common bracken Fern, or bits of 
heather or some dry moss, just to assist the drainage 
and prevent the soil from running and stopping the 
holes in the bottom 
Boxes and soil now being ready a more difficult task 
presents itself. What class of plant shall I recom¬ 
mend you to grow ? In this matter I would only say 
individuals likings and choice will, of course, largely 
predominate. There may be some who have a great 
fancy for Fuchsias, and of these there are many fine 
kinds very suitable, and a well-flowered plant of 
Fuchsia is always an object of admiration. One 
great advantage of cultivating these is that they are 
more hardy than the majority of other bedding 
plants, and this being the case are less likely to be 
cut down and ruined by the first frosts in autumn. 
Many, in fact, may remain out all through the 
winter when planted in the beds and borders, for 
though a few of the soft-wooded shoots may be 
injured, these can be cut away and the plants receive 
no hurt. This will give some idea of the great 
usefulness of the Fuchsia: another advantage is the 
long time it will continue flowering, and the singular 
beauty of the individual flowers. Beside these 
recommendations there are some kinds that are 
naturally of a drooping habit, and as the desire in 
window gardening is display rather than an obstruc¬ 
tion of light to the rooms, those of a pendulous 
growth soon develop that tendency, and falling over 
the front of the box or vase that portion is quickly 
hidden and a greater space speedily covered with 
bright coloured flowers. Those of this class that are 
more erect in growth can be used as back specimens 
in a wide box, the front part being used for plants 
that are dwarfer and perhaps even gayer colours. 
--f-- 
THE RAINFALL AT RAASAY, 
This meteorological report from the gardens here 
(Isle of Raasay) may be taken as a criterion of the 
north-west coast generally. The rainfall for 1894 
amounted to 75 58 inches. Rain fell on 261 days, 
i.e., January, 26 days, 10 31 ; February, 25 days, 
979; March, 19 days, 8 35; April, 16 days, i-6i ; 
May, 25 days, 3 92; June, 16 days, 2-81 ; July 19 
days, 5 32; August, 25 days, 5 30; September, 11 
days, 74; October, 16 days, 2 57; November, 27 
days, 13-88 ; December 26 days, 10 48 inches. It 
will be observed that the driest months were April, 
May, June, September, and October ; and the wettest 
January, February, March, July, August, November, 
and December. The greatest rainfall for twenty- 
four hours was on November 14th 166, December 
13th 167, and 22nd 173 inches. The sun appeared 
on 245 days during the year. November was the 
dullest month, 8 days only being registered in which 
sunshine occurred. 
The maximum readings on the thermometer were 
on June 29th, 80°; 30th S6 Q ; July 1st, 84°; 2nd, 
86°; 27th, 84°; 28th, 87^; and 29th, 8o°. The 
minimum readings were January 4th, 25 0 ; 7th, 25 0 ; 
and February 14th, 26°. The most prevalent winds 
during the early part of the year were from the 
west. April and May were cold, although com¬ 
paratively dry months, the wind coming principally 
from the East. September was a very dry month, 
with north-easterly winds. The latter part of the 
year was characterised by heavy rains and strong 
gales, principally from the south and south-west. 
In taking a review of the year’s successes and 
failures, it may be said that garden crops did fairly 
well, notwithstanding a somewhat erratic season 
from a weather point of view, always an important 
factor to the gardener and agriculturists, whose aims 
are identical. Fruit crops were on the whole good. 
Apples were rather under the average in quantity, 
but the quality was excellent. Pears were a much 
superior crop than formerly, and I think this holds 
good throughout the country, the trees escaped the 
frosts which nipped the Apple blossoms, and this 
no ]doubt was very much in their favour. Small 
fruits were good, particularly strawberries, we are 
almost unique in this respect. The late frosts were 
slight here, and did the blossoms very little damage. 
Stone fruits were under the average, more espacially 
Plums, the only satisfactory varieties being Victoria 
and Transparent Gage. Cherries were fair, but 
an exception must be taken with Morellos which as 
usual always crops well here. The trees were 
simply laden with fruits of excellent size and 
quality. 
Vegetable crops were good. Clubbing in the 
Brassica family was this year almost nil. Root crops 
of such things as Carrots, Parsnips, etc., with the 
exception of Onions, were less troubled with the 
grubs of their respective flies than they have been 
for years. The month of May was very ungenial, 
and consequently less favourable to the quick propa¬ 
gation of these winged enemies of the gardens. 
Field crops in this district were better than usual. 
This was more marked amongst cereals, which were 
of a high order of merit, both in straw and weight of 
grain; that is from a west coast point of view. We 
cannot compete with the Lowlands. Soil and 
climatic conditions are very much against us, the 
turnip crops where grown (which is the exception) 
were heavy, and of fine quality, this cannot be said 
of East Coast, particularly in the Aberdeenshire dis¬ 
trict, where the root crops are in too many cases almost 
a failure. Barley crops were got under cover there 
in fine condition; but oats were damaged very much 
by continuous rains, when cut. Some farmers only 
finished harvest about the middle of November, 
grain is light, particularly where damaged (as was 
the case on many farms) by the grub in early 
summer. Potatoes were a good average crop, and 
very little spoiled by disease. 
Sharp frosts and a heavy snowstorm has (Jan. 
12th) brought work on garden and farm to a stand¬ 
still.— IV. Minty, Isle of Raasay, Stromferry. 
-« » ~ 
SOIL FOR TOMATOS. 
A general opinion prevails amongst amateurs and 
many gardeners also, that a rich soil, or at all events 
a good loamy one, is essential to grow Tomatos 
successfully. Some three or four year since I visited 
a great fruit-growing establishment at Shardlow 
near Derby, where Tomatos are grown in great 
quantities, and I remarked to the proprietor that it 
must be a very costly matter getting new soil for 
them every year. But I found that he did not do 
so ; he had all the old soil turned out of doors early 
in the winter, turned over, and in all probability had 
some manure mixed with it, and it was then used 
again for Tomatos. 
A small leaflet, the copy of a letter from Messrs. 
Buchanan, of Kippen, near Stirling, is before me, in 
which they say, “ Suspended from a horizontal rod 
at the recent Chrysanthemum shows in Scotland, were 
qolbs.ofTomatos in clusters as cut from the plants,some 
of which had nine perfect fruits and weighed 3J lbs. 
These were cut from plants grown in the same soil 
for five years in succession. Ten dishes of individual 
fruits as shown on the same table were from plants 
grown in soil not changed for three years.” 
Thomson’s Vine and Plant Manure is stated to have 
been the only manure used. 
A grower of Tomatos for market told me recently 
that for his mid-season and general crop he never 
sows the seed too early, preferring the end of March 
or beginning of April, keeping the plants growing 
cooly so as to be stocky, short-jointed plants for 
planting out, and that he makes his soil firm, not at 
all rich, and when the fruit is formed, gives a 
dressing of good artificial manure occasionally, and 
is careful not to over-water the plants or allow them 
to become too dry. He certainly gets good crops, 
and objects to the practice of cutting away so much 
of the foliage, as many do, or planting thickly.— 
Solanum. 
-- 4 *- 
Gardening Miscellany. 
SYRINGA PEKINENSIS 
Within relatively a few years past a number of 
species of Lilac have been introduced, differing con¬ 
siderably from the older types with which we were 
more familiar. They in fact greatly resemble the 
Privets, but particularly when in bloom, owing to 
the relatively small size of the white flowers com¬ 
posing the large cymes or bunches of bloom. One 
of the most recent that has been brought into 
cultivation from North China is S. pekinensis, one 
of the white flowered species. The American 
Garden and Florist, Vol. III., Fig. 30, gives a good 
illustration of it. It is useful in maintaining a 
succession of bloom with other sorts, inasmuch as 
it flowers about six days after S. amurensis and 
about twelve days sooner than S. japonica. After 
it attains some size and has, so to speak, expended 
