March 30, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
plants derive very much greater benefit from it than 
they do when it is performed in the morning. As 
the various climbers break into growth more or less 
vigorously attention must be paid to their tying and 
training. Such plants as Tacsonias and Passiflaras 
will need but little tying ; a little attention twice or 
thrice a week to see that the growths are free from 
each other will however be necessary, as these 
climbers always look best when the growths are 
allowed to hang from the roof at their whole length 
than they do when trained stiffly to wires or rafters. 
Lapagerias, Jasmines, Roses, etc., should be tied up 
as growth advances, and should be gone over every 
little while for this purpose before the shoots get 
long enough to render manipulation difficult. 
Ericas and Epacrises.— If treated properly these 
should have been affording a brave show throughout 
the whole of the winter months. Ericas are by no 
means difficult to grow, but like most other plants 
they have their likes and dislikes, and these must be 
taken note of if good results are expected. A 
sufficiency of water at all times is the great secret of 
Heath culture. The present is rather a critical 
time with them. Plants which have gone out of 
flower should be cut hard back if it is desired to 
have nicely shaped and symmetrical specimens. 
They should be removed from thegreenhouse, placed 
in a cold frame or pit near the glass, and syringed 
daily to assist them in breaking into growth. 
Pits and Frames. 
At this season cf the year the work of potting must 
be pursued with all the vigour possible. Numbers 
of subjects on all hands are calling for shifts, and 
thus the wisdom of the advice given early in the 
season to lay in a stock of suitable soils, also to see 
that any pots that may have been empty were 
washed in readiness for an emergency, may be judged. 
Celosias and Cockscombs. —These are exceedingly 
useful decorative plants, and will come in useful for 
the conservatory presently. Any seedlings that are 
big enough to handle should be potted off into 
thumbs now before the roots get matted together. 
Place them on a shelf near the glass to prevent them 
from getting drawn, for in this case they will be of 
comparatively little use. Keep the syringe at work 
amongst them and watch them very carefully for rrd 
spider, which is very partial to them. A sowing of a 
pinch of seed may now be made to furnish a later 
batch of plants. 
Pelargoniums' —If not already done no time 
should be lost in putting in cuttings of Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums to afford plants for winter blooming. 
These will be furnished by plants which have 
bloomed during the past season. Notice should 
have been taken of the sorts which are the most 
desirable, for so many varieties are now upon the 
market, amongst which are numbered so many 
inferior ones that a weeding-out of the least worthy 
varieties should take place each year The old 
plants if potted up and grown on in a gentle heat 
will make good material for the filling of ornamental 
vases in the flower garden where a scarcity cf suitable 
sized subjects prevails. If no need for them in this 
direction is apparent they may be consigned to the 
rubbish heap as soon as a sufficient stock of rooted 
cuttings has been obtained. 
Carnations —Cuttings of the hybrid perpetual 
section which were inserted some time ago and 
placed in heat to strike as advised will now have 
become rooted sufficiently and should be potted off 
singly into thumb pots. Add a goodly mixture of 
sharp sand to the potting soil together with some 
crushed bricks; keep the plants close, shade and 
water carefully for a time, also maintaining a strict 
watch for green-fly, which will frequently attack the 
plants at this stage of growth to their no small 
detriment. 
Achimenes. —If a batch of these useful and highly 
ornamental plants has not been started no time 
should be lost in seeing about it. Just enough of the 
tubercles should be potted up to form a nice little 
batch, the others beffig placed in heat, started at 
intervals of about three week?, so as to form suitable 
successions, and thus insure a supply of plants in 
bloom throughout the whole of the summer. A 
temperature like that of the early vinery will soon 
start them into growth, although care must be taken 
not to leave them in it after the shoots are about a 
couple of inches in length. 
Poinsettias.— These are often exceedingly curious 
subjects to strike, and it is sometimes difficult to 
obtain a sufficient stock, for we have known whole 
batches of cuttings to damp off from causes unknown, 
whilst in another case perhaps every cutting will 
strike easily, and this under exactly the same condi¬ 
tions. Accordingly the old plants should be saved 
until it is certain that a sufficient supply of rooted 
cuttings are obtained Press the soil firmly about 
the base of the cuttings, which should be taken off 
with a heel, using sandy soil, and plunge the pots in 
a brisk bottom heat until rooted. Where it is the 
custom to construct a hot-bed for the striking of 
cuttings in the spring, advantage may be taken of 
any available corner in it for Poinsettias, for in such 
a place we have found by practical experience that 
they root best. 
Cold Frames.— A thorough overhauling should 
be given these at once, for they will soon be filled to 
overflowing with hosts of bedding plants of all 
descriptions, and as every inch of space will then be 
valuable, all old or useless material should be cleared 
out of them. Frames which have been employed to 
shelter Violets throughout the winter may now be 
lifted completely eff, and removed to a vacant corner 
of the yard, where they will come in handy when 
the usual call out for more room is heard. The 
Violets will take no harm whatever from being thus 
exposed, as it is net at all likely we shall get frosts 
severe enough to injure them. Although during the 
winter months they have needed comparatively lit tie 
water, they must be well looked after in this respect 
now, in order that they may make strong and healthy 
growths in readiness for division when the time 
comes. 
In dealing with the generality of the subjects 
occupying cold frames plenty of air at all times 
should be given, excepting, of course, newly potted 
plants or any that have been recently removed from 
a warmer temperature, in which cases a few days’ 
coddling will be necessary.— A. S. G. 
-«*■- 
Calanthes. —The deciduous section of this fine 
winter-flowering Orchid, which embraces C. vestita 
rubro-oculata, C. v. luteo-oculata. and C. Veitchii, 
will in most cases have started into growth. If not 
already done, turn them out of the pots in which 
they have been growing and remove all the old 
decayed bulbs and soil. The last made bulbs may 
then be placed rather thickly together in moss, 
using shallow boxes for the purpose, until the 
growths have attained a length of about 2 in. and 
are putting out roots on their own account, when 
they will be in a fit state to pot up. They will 
require scarcely any water direct until the growths 
are a good height, but the atmosphere about them 
should be kept fairly moist. For grouping purposes 
amongst Ferns, when in flower, we favour the one 
bulb to a small pot system, but for ordinary purposes 
three or even four fair-sized bulbs may be put into 
a 7 in. pot. The compost best suited to their 
requirements consists of two parts good turfy loam, 
one of peat, and one of dried cow-dung or horse- 
droppiDgs, such as is used when making up a bed 
fer Mushrooms. Add to this some silver sand to 
keep it open, and you have a compost which they 
will appreciate. I have before now mentioned that 
there is no better place for Calanthes than a shelf 
in the stove, so that anyone with such a structure 
can manage them well. When well established they 
will require some kind of stimulant other than what 
is provided by the manure in the soil. Clay's 
fertiliser or Guano suits them very well, but always 
commence with weak doses. A practised eye will 
scon grasp what suits them best. 
Anguloas.— These curious Orchids, too, will also 
now be starting into growth, anu should be re¬ 
potted. They push up their quaint flowers with the 
young growths, but there need be no fear of the 
plants receiving any check by being potted now. 
On the contrary, the new roots will have something 
fresh to take hold of when they appear, and will be 
better able to support the flower spikes. We have 
left them until they have gone out of flower before 
disturbing them, but do not like the practice, as 
there is always a danger of breaking the roots. The 
compost recommended for the Calanthes will grow 
these well, but instead of two parts loam make it 
two parts peat. 
Cymbidium Lowianum. —The re-potting cf this 
fine winter-flowering Orchid should be done now ; 
they are easy to grow, but require fresh material 
every season, and that rather rich. Such as is used 
for Calanthes suits them admirably, as also similar 
treatment when established as regards manure.— C. 
487 
©leanings fttom ffjqMtelti 
nf Science. 
Argon —The opponents who denied the existence 
of this lately-discovered element in the atmosphere, 
are for the present silent. Whether they are sullenly 
and silently acquiescing in its actual existence, or are 
quietly preparing for another attack upon it remains 
to be seen ; but the Chemical Society evidently takes 
its existence for granted and has conferred the 
I'araday medal on Lord Rayleigh its discoverer. 
Judging from this fact, the element argon may be re¬ 
garded as having"a local habitation and a name ” in 
orthodox chemistry The suggestion uppermost in 
the minds of all concerned about it, is, that although 
argon has not been found capable of entering into 
combination with any of the other elements, it may 
be so under the vital influences of the cells of plants, 
and that the latter may be able to absorb it from the 
atmosphere ar.d assimilate it into their tissues. 
Hitherto however, this has not gone beyond the 
stage of a plausible theory. The discoverer and 
friends of argon would doubtless like to be able to 
lay some useful function to its charge in the economy 
of nature. Professor Ramsay is indeed making 
experiments with this end in view, though as yet 
doubtful of the results. The occurrence of nitrogen 
and argon together is regarded as accidental, for they 
have no affinity nor similarity whatever and both 
are remarkably inert. This latter character is held 
accountable for their being found in company. 
The splitting of forest trees.—Now and again 
at rare intervals, on the occasion of severe winters, 
we hear of the splitting of forest trees. This is 
usually attributed to the freezing of the sap in the 
interior of the tissues, as in the case of the bursting 
of water-pipes. Paradoxical as this may seem it is 
due to a contrary cause. The wood contracts, under 
the influence of frost, and if the shrinkage is great, 
the surface splits from the circumference inwards to 
some considerable distance, just as cut timber does 
when subjected to drought. The tissues expand 
again on the departure of frost and the fissures close 
up, though they never heal. Mr.Clayton of Brad¬ 
ford has been making observations and measurements 
on trees with a view to a solution of the question, 
and he finds that trees in February during the pre¬ 
valence of frost measure J in to jj in. less in circum¬ 
ference than they do in October before the advent of 
frost. 
Manures for vines.—The results of experiments 
on the manuring of vineyards, made by M. Muntz 
and laid before the French Academy of Sciences, may 
be interesting and useful to those who grow grapes 
under glass in this country. Nitrogen and potash are 
much more freely absorbed by the vines than is phos¬ 
phoric acid, and that nitrogen is the most effective. 
Curiously enough this does not seem to be universal 
according to the findings of M. Muntz. In the vine¬ 
yards of the south, nitrogen is absorbed in greater 
quaniity, relatively, than potash while the proportions 
are reversed ia the north. The vineyards of the south 
yield a much more abundant harvest than those in 
the north, yet they require r.o greater amount of 
manure. On the contrary the manurial elements 
required to produce a given quantity of wine is three 
or four times greater than is necessary to secure the 
same quantity in the south. This must be attributed 
to the more favourable climate and the greater 
activity of the roots and leaves of the vines in per¬ 
forming their functions. 
The Cornish Chough.—Few gardeners have an 
opportunity of making the acquaintance of this bird, 
which is a memberof the crow family, confined to the 
iocky sea shores and yearly getting mere and more 
rare though the shooting of the birds and the taking 
of their nests. The y oung birds are the most coveted 
inasmuch as a brood may fetch £10 to £20 . The 
extinction of the bird would be a decided loss to all 
connected with the cultivation of the soil, inasmuch 
as it destroys various beetles and other insects in¬ 
jurious to plant life. The young birds usually fly 
about the end of July and would thus escape owing 
to the protection affoided by the close season. To 
frustrate this the wily Cornishmen rob the nests of 
the first batch of eggs, so that the old birds make a 
fresh nest and lay again, thus making the second 
brood a fortnight later, when the Cornishmen can 
secure the young without incurring the penalties of 
the law. Last July there were only eight pairs of 
Choughs in North Cornwall: and in order to prevent 
the extermination of the bird, the Home Secretary 
has issued an order forbidding the taking or destroy¬ 
ing the eggs of the Chough. 
