June 29, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
695 
centre. The sepals and petals are of a soft rosy- 
blush, shading into white at the margins. Messrs. 
F. Sander & Co. 
-- 
THE VEGETABLE GABBER. 
Although rain has fallen in some quantities in 
various parts of the country in the southern and 
south-eastern districts, at any rate, scarcely a drop 
has visited us for a long time. In fact, in many 
parts vegetables are making but little progress, so 
badly is rain needed. Watering will, therefore, form 
the most important part of the general work in this 
department as long as the drought lasts. 
Asparagus. —In ordinary circumstances the cut¬ 
ting of this should now cease entirely. Indeed, in 
the generality of seasons it is not needed after the 
middle of the month, as Green Peas usually begin to 
turn in in abundance. This season, however, the 
pods of the latter have been fearfully slow in filling, 
and unless we get rain soon the earlier rows will 
scarcely pay for the ground they occupy. By 
ceasing the cutting of Asparagus as soon as circum¬ 
stances permit the crowns are materially strength¬ 
ened, and under proper management there is no 
reason why beds should not last in condition for 
many years. 
Kales or Borecoles. —It is high time that the 
planting out of these should be put in hand if it has 
not been already seen to. Although Borecoles are 
deep feeding subjects they thrive better than most 
vegetables of this kind upon poor soil. It is not 
advisable to plant them, however, upon land that has 
been freshly manured. We have now very many 
splendid varieties from which to choose that may be 
relied upon to stand our winters and supply an abun¬ 
dance of greens in the spring. We have found the 
following to be good :—Sutton's Arctic Green and 
Arctic Purple Kale, Extra Curled Scotch, and the 
good old Cottager’s Kale, while Sutton’s Improved 
Hearting is an exceedingly dwarf and hardy sort, 
the heads of which curl in like little Cabbages. In 
planting out a distance of 2 ft. may be allowed each 
way, although in the case of very strong growing 
varieties an extra 6 in. may be allowed with advan¬ 
tage, care being taken to water the plants well in. 
Endive.— It may be safely said that Endive holds 
a position amongst winter saladings similar to what 
Lettuce does among the summer ones. Indeed there 
are some who prefer its flavour to that of Lettuce. 
Anyway, it is a most valuable plant, and in any 
establishment where the salad bowl has to be kept 
well filled throughout the winter months a good 
breadth of Endive will be a blessing. Seed that was 
sown towards the latter part of April to supply early 
heads will now have produced an abundance of 
plants fit for dibbling out on a warm border. About 
io in. between the plants and i ft. between the rows 
will be ample space for these early subjects. The 
main sowing, however, should take place now, in 
border to furnish heads for mid-season use. This 
may be conducted on a warm south border in drills 
about 15 in. apart. As soon the young plants have 
reached a sufficient size they may be thinned out to 
the required distance, from 10 in. to 12 in. We have 
tried Veitch's Improved Green Curled with excellent 
results, as this blanches easily, and presents a nice 
appearance in the salad bowl. To come in as 
a succession nothing is better than the Improved 
Round Leaved Batavian. The most important 
qualification of which this variety is possessed is its 
great hardiness. 
Radishes.— Successional crops of these must be 
sown at intervals in the coolest parts of the garden, 
as during the hot weather the roots do not remain 
long in condition, soon becoming strong. The 
quantity sown at a time will, of course, depend upon 
the demand there is for them. In any case, however, 
the seed should be sown thinly, as it usually germin¬ 
ates freely, and then if thinning is not resorted to at 
an early stage a great number of the plants are spoilt. 
—K. G. 
Now that the beds and borders in the flower garden 
are furnished with their ordinary complement of 
ummer flowering stuff the usual run of seasonable 
attentions must be given. Pelargoniums must be 
gone over at intervals, and all old blooms removed, 
together with any yellow leaves that may be present. 
Beds which are looked after in this way invariably 
present a much better appearance than those which 
do not receive a like attention, Some of the plants 
used for edging purposes, such as golden Pyrethrum, 
may require pinching to keep them dwarf, and to 
prevent them from taking up too much of the room 
which should rightfully belong to the other plants. 
Carpet bedding. —Although this is not nearly so 
extensively practised as formerly it still finds favour 
in not a few gardens, to some extent at least. It is 
true that advanced gardeners nowadays advocate a 
more natural way of growing plants, but still it 
would not be wise for the present at any rate to 
entirely do away with it. A piece of more or less 
elaborate scroll work at least assists in imparting a 
variety to the charms of the garden, and usually 
meets with some amount of appreciation. In dull or 
wet weather, moreover, the carpet bed always pre¬ 
serves the same vivid colouring that it does in fair 
weather, a result that cannot be obtained from 
flowering plants, as rain inevitably causes consider¬ 
able damage to the blooms. As the plants increase 
in size pinching must be assiduously practised both 
to keep the plants dwarf as well as to preserve the 
original distinctness of outline. 
Herbaceous Border. —Here a constant series of 
attentions will be necessary, for, from the great 
variety in the subjects it contains both as to habit 
and period of flowering, some plant or plants are con¬ 
tinually requiring attention. Many annuals which 
were sown in patches for summer flowering will 
now be needing support. Three or four neat stakes 
should be inserted at intervals, and a strain or two 
of raffia or better still fine twine, if it can be obtained, 
passed around them. For Dahlias, perennial 
Asters, and other tall-growing subjects stronger 
stakes will be needed. Two or three of these may 
be necessary for large specimens; for it savours of 
extremely bad taste, and careless or incompetent 
workmanship to see the plants tied in “ birch- 
broom ” fashion. 
Sweet Peas. —If the ground upon which these 
are growing has been well trenched and manured in 
autumn these will have stood the drought fairly 
well up to the present. Now, however, it is high 
time that water be given them, and if sufficient 
liquid manure can be obtained so much the better, 
for occasional doses of this will meet with abundant 
recompense in the way of an increased yield of 
flowers, as well as in the considerably brighter 
colours that these will exhibit when thus treated. 
Not only does a hedge of Sweet Peas produce a gor¬ 
geous display in the flower garden, but the flowers 
stand well when cut, and are thus of very great 
service for the filling of vases within doors. 
- « «- 
HABIT FRUIT GABIEK. 
Raspberries. —Although the bloom has been 
exceptionally abundant this season the recent period 
of drought will infallibly cause considerable scarcity 
of fruit unless some measures are taken to make up 
the deficiency in rain water. In dry hot seasons like 
the present, it is very necessary that frequent and 
abundant supplies of water be given the plants 
otherwise the fruits will be small and comparatively 
worthless. Heavy mulchings of short, well-rotted 
stable manure may be given immediately after a 
watering, as they will not only serve to convey 
nutriment to the soil but they will also prevent the 
rapid evaporation of moisture that would otherwise 
take place. 
Peaches on Walls. —As the wood swells an 
occasional peep must be taken to see that none of 
the ties which were made in winter are tight enough 
to exercise undue pressure upon the shoots. Any 
nails also which appear to be in dangerous proximity 
to swelling fruit must be drawn out. Proceed with 
the tying or nailing in of the shoots that are to be 
left; also attend to the pinching of such growths as 
are overgrowing their proper limits. 
Summer Pruning. —This is one of the most 
important operations in the whole of the year’s 
culture of hardy fruit trees, for by its aid the culti¬ 
vator is able to direct the energy of the tree, which 
would otherwise be wasted in the production of long 
straggling growths utterly useless for fruit-bearing 
purposes into the right channel. Most fruit trees tha t 
are trained and pruned according to a given principle 
whether they be cordons, espaliers, fans or pyramids 
require a judicious amount of regulative stopping at 
some time or other from now to the end of July at 
the latest. 
Pears. —These usually call for attention as soon as 
any. Pinching, however, must not be performed too 
soon ; for if the wood has not reached a certain stage 
the buds left at the base, to strengthen which 
stopping has been performed, will break into growth 
the same year. In pyramidal trees the laterals may 
be pinched back to three or four leaves, but the 
terminal shoots allowed to grow away unchecked 
until towards the end of the summer. By this 
means the development of flower buds at the base of 
these shoots will be favoured. Trees trained espalier 
fashion have the advantage of more light and air 
than it is possible for the others to obtain and they 
may therefore be left without fear until the others 
have been operated on as they will not be so likely 
to suffer from being crowded as will the pyramids. 
In old trees sometimes, particularly in those which 
have been neglected, large quantities of weak spindly 
shoots will be observed. These must be taken right 
out so as to throw all the available energy into the 
stronger ones which are left to produce fruit buds 
for next year. In cases of this kind it is not wise to 
pinch back too hard, as to do so means the sudden 
removal of too large a proportion of foliage. 
Sweet Cherries.— As the earlier sorts of these 
will now be commencing to turn colour, preparations 
should be made for netting them, as the various birds 
begin to evince a liking for them at a very early 
stage in the ripening process, and are not long in 
thinning a crop to an alarming extent. 
* 
Houses of Ripe Grapes.— Such houses will now 
have their top and side ventilators thrown as wide 
open as circumstances will permit, and as at this 
season of the year birds of various kinds often play 
havoc with the fruit the precaution should be taken 
of stretching a net across the apertures for the ex¬ 
clusion of these feathered marauders, which will very 
soon spoil the appearance of a few bunches of Grapes 
Should the sun prove very hot and the Vines appear 
to be suffering somewhat from its scorching rays a 
light covering of tiffany may be spread over the 
house for a few hours in the middle of the day. 
Figs. —Where the second crop of these is now 
swelling away apace, the water supply will need extra 
careful attention, for with the large quantities of 
foliage the trees are carrying the transpiration of 
water will be proportionately rapid. But little fire 
heat will be necessary now as the temperature of the 
houses will easily keep up to 65^ Fahr. by night and 
this is quite warm enough for all purposes. Liberal 
syringings morning and afternoon will be of great 
service. Mealy bug will also be likely to need ?. 
little watching as at this season of the year it multi¬ 
plies at an alarming extent once it gets a foothold. 
A mixture of petroleum and warm water applied with 
a soft brush as recommended in a previous calendar 
will prove a good means of getting rid of it should it 
persist in putting in an appearance. 
Peaches and Nectarines.— Continue to ply the 
syringe with vigour and regularity upon trees from 
which the fruit has been gathered; likewise upon the 
trees in the later houses. Ventilate well and freely, 
leaving some on all night. Should fly make its 
appearance in these later houses as it is very likely 
to do where Roses are accommodated on the back wall 
fumigations must be given for two or three nights in 
succession. In doing this however take care that the 
atmosphere of the house is as dry as possible, aud 
that no water is standing upon the foliage. Above 
all do not commence to fumigate until the sun has 
got down pretty low, say about seven o’clock in the 
evening. This over-night fumigation may be followed 
by an extra heavy syringing the first thing next 
morning, as this will greatly assist in completing the 
destruction of the insects. Tobacco paper or rag 
may be used although we have found McDougalls 
fumigating sheets to be quite as efficacious and 
certainly much easier to use.— A. S. G. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society’s Year Book 
for 1895 .—Edited by Mr. Harman Payne F.R.H.S. Price, is. 
post free, is. i£d. from the Publisher of the Gardening 
World, i, Clement’s Inn, Strand, W.C. 
