792 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 10, 1895. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Dahlias. 
The Dahlia season will soon be upon us, that is to 
say the particular time of year during which the 
showy flowers monopolise a good deal of the space 
at various flower shows, and not a little of the atten¬ 
tion of visitors thereto. Now the Dahlia is a 
splendid amateurs' plant, and is an honoured and a 
conspicuous occupant of many a small garden. The 
great grievance that many growers have to urge 
against it is that its blooming season is nine times 
out of ten materially shortened and brought to an 
untimely end by the intervention of sharp frosts 
from the beginning to the middle of September. 
Last year, however, was a singular exception, for, 
although in one or two exposed localities sufficient 
frost to spoil the Dahlias was experienced early in 
the autumn, in the majority of cases the season was 
mild and open, and we were able to cut good blooms 
as late as the end of October, and in some instances 
well on into November. This, of course, was an 
exceptionally favourable season, and it is scarcely 
likely that we shall get another like it for some time 
to come. 
The great point therefore in Dahlia growing is to 
get the plants as far forward as possible in the 
spring, so that they shall commence to flower early, 
and thus allow themselves a long period for bloom¬ 
ing. Already they have made their appearance upon 
the show tables this season, one of the first exhibitors 
upon the field being Mr. J. Walker, of Thame, Oxon, 
who had three stands of show and fancy blooms at 
the recent show of the Carnation and Picotee Union 
held at Oxford. This example will, no doubt, be 
followed extensively ere long, and even during the 
past week, in looking round a local show, we found 
several exhibits of Dahlias ; but although those of 
the show and fancy section were passable, Cactus 
varieties had evidently been cut too soon. 
As far as soil goes it is scarcely possible to make 
it too rich, and the addition of plenty of well decayed 
manure is an essential feature. Where planting in 
masses is practised the soil should therefore have 
been thoroughly prepared by manuring and deep 
digging or trenching last autumn or early in the 
spring. Where, as is often the case, the plants are 
dotted here and there in the herbaceous border, this 
mode of treatment is on the face of it impracticable. 
Still, if holes are dug at the places where it is pro¬ 
posed to plant, a layer of manure may be put in and 
the soil returned to its place again. This must be 
done, however, at least a month or two before plant¬ 
ing out is thought about. 
As a rule, the plants will have been consigned to 
their flowering quarters at some time from the middle 
of May to the beginning of June; possibly at the 
former season, as the weather at that time was very 
warm and inviting. Where preparations of the kind 
suggested have been made they will have stood the 
plants in good stead during the hot dry June and 
former half of July. The recent rains too have 
improved matters considerably, and although the 
plants, if anything, are somewhat dwarfer than they 
are during ordinary seasons, the difference is one of 
but little moment. Any position will suit them, 
although they much prefer a light open one not 
overhung or shaded by trees, although the slight 
shelter from a hedge or shrubbery in the back 
ground is often of very great service, more especially 
if the weather happens to turn cold, and dry cutting 
winds prevail immediately after planting out. 
Staking.— This will need constant attention, for 
the growths although heavy are succulent, and not 
very strong, and in the event of the visit of rough 
winds and storms of rain will be sure to sustain 
damage. Sometimes two or three stakes will be 
needed, at others one will be enough. In tying, 
however, the operator must at all costs avoid the 
bunching up process that we see now and again put 
into practice, not only in cottagers’ and amateurs’ 
gardens, but also in some of the more pretentious 
establishments. In the former case it may be ignor¬ 
ance, in the latter it can be nothing but neglect. 
But whether neglect or ignorance is the cause of the 
evil, plants so treated look miserable enough. It is 
by far the better plan to take each main shoot 
separately and secure it by a single ligature to the 
stake or stakes, for although it may take a little 
longer time, and time as we all know is very often 
an exceedingly precious commodity, -the results 
achieved look much better and, we may add, far 
more workmanlike. See to it therefore that the 
plants are gone over at intervals and all the leading 
shoots at least secured from possible adversities. 
Thinning the Growths. —In most cases a little 
of this kind of work is necessary, more especially 
perhaps with old plants carrying a score or so of 
tubers from last season. But for plants which are 
being cultivated with a view to the procuring of a 
few large flowers for exhibition purposes, it must be 
consistently looked after if success (and success here 
means perhaps the winning of a coveted prize and 
the consequent procedure of crowing over my neigh¬ 
bour opposite, whom I beat, sir, fairly and squarely) 
is to crown the efforts of the aspiring and enthusiastic 
cultivator. In the first case therefore all lateral 
growths must be kept pinched out before they have 
reached any great size. Secondly, the main shoots 
may be considerably reduced in number, only allow¬ 
ing each plant to carry four or five, and finally the 
flower buds as they appear must be thinned down to 
one to a shoot. This, of course, applies only to 
plants that are being grown solely for the production 
of blooms for show ; but, still, thinning of the shoots 
may be practised to some extent with great advan¬ 
tage upon the ordinary plants, for the size of the 
blooms is much improved thereby. 
Pegging Down.— Sometimes it is desired to pro¬ 
cure very dwarf plants instead of those that run 
from 3 to 5 ft. in height. Pegging the shoots down 
to the ground must therefore be resorted to, and if 
properly done fine dwarf masses may be produced 
with comparatively little trouble. Instead of plant¬ 
ing such subjects as it is proposed to treat in this 
way erect in the usual manner, they must be laid 
down, and as soon as the young shoots begin to 
elongate the pegging down system must be com¬ 
menced, for if allowed to get too far advanced before 
pressure is put upon them they are very liable to be 
broken or damaged. This method of cultivation 
might be adopted very much more frequently than 
it is at present, for not only is the necessity for very 
large stakes, which it may be difficult to procure, 
done away with, but protection from frost is much 
more easily given. 
Watering. —A very important operation this, and 
one to which strict attention must be paid through¬ 
out the hot weather. During the last week or two 
the rainfall has been pretty heavy, and thus there 
need be no fears as to the efficiency of the water 
supply at present. But it must be remembered that 
Dahlias are very thirsty subjects, and that their 
roots soon exhaust the moisture in the strata of soil 
immediately surrounding them. Liquid manure is 
of very great advantage, and occasional doses of it 
may be given with the best of results. 
Earwigs.— These little pests always evince a 
marked liking for Dahlias, eating into the buds and 
gnawing the petals. Traps must be set for them in 
the shape of small flower pots containing a little hay. 
These must be looked over each morning, and if 
there are many of the little pests about once again 
during the day. It is astonishing to see how many 
can be caught by even this simple means.— Rex. 
--*■- - 
AN ENGLISHMAN ON HIS TRAVELS. 
I received The Gardening World of April 27th 
safely, and I observe you have published a portion 
of my letter to you of the 20th March. On p. 553 of 
the issue in question I notice two errors which I 
venture to point out. They are ;—1, The names cf 
the men and women have got mixed, and should 
read as follows:—“Mohr, Lodhar, Beersha and 
Gohonu ” are the names of the four men ; while the 
names of the two women should read “ Mango and 
Bhawney.’’ 2. In referring to the wages of our 
workpeople I notice you have printed the word 
“ Roubles ” for “ Rupees.’’ The Rouble is a 
Russian coin, and the Rupee is an Indian coin. 
At the time I wrote to you last I was very poorly. 
The doctor ordered me away for a complete change 
and rest; so Dr. King kindly granted me about 2J 
months privilege leave, which, I and my wife are now 
enjoying. Perhaps a little account of our journey to 
this part of the world, and what we have seen since 
we started may interest you. We left Calcutta on 
the night of the 4th April en route for this place 
(Landour), which is about 1,100 miles from Calcutta. 
As we were on a holiday we took the opportunity of 
visiting a few important places on our way. Our 
first call was at Benares where we spent a day 
in sight seeing. Benares is the most sacred city on 
earth to the Hindoos and it is full of temples. 
The Hindoos from every part of India 
usually make it a point to visit the holy city once 
during their lifetime, where they worship at the 
temples and bathe in the holy water of the Ganges. 
The native part of the city is very crowded and dirty t 
but the Cantonment and European quarter is kept 
very neat and clean, and has fine wide roads 
beautifully kept. One of the commonest trees 
planted about Benares in the "Num" (Melia 
Azadirachta). The Tamarind tree is also to be seen 
about, as well as the Mango. The two latter are 
excellent shade-giving trees. At Allahabad there is 
not much to be seen in the wayjof gardens except the 
Khusru Bagh (Khusru's Garden), the Alfred Park 
and Government House grounds. The Alfred Park 
is the finesi place of the three. In it there is a fine 
stretch of well-kept lawn. 
At Cawnpore the only place we visited was the 
Memorial Garden, which is round in shape, and (I 
was told) about 60 acres in extent. In it is the 
site of the house, marked by a small monument, 
where about 200 poor European ladies, women and 
children were imprisoned for about a fortnight, and 
afterwards so cruelly slaughtered. Close by is the 
Memorial Well into which the poor victims, dead 
and dying, were afterwards thrown. Perhaps 30 or 
40 yards from the well are two small oval cemeteries 
neatly enclosed by iron railings. In one, rests the 
remains of many brave British people killed during 
the mutiny. In the other, the poor little children's 
bodies and parts of bodies—chiefly legs, arms, 
heads, &c., are interred. These poor little innocent 
children were butchered in the crudest manner con- 
ceiveable by the rebels. The memorial erected by 
Government over the well is a beautiful piece of 
architecture. It consists of an octagonal Gothic 
stone screen with a gate by which one can go inside of 
it. Over the archway of the gate the following words 
are inscribed :■—“ These are they which came out of 
great tribulation.” Inside the screen (where no 
native is ever allowed to enter) is the well, now built 
over with solid masonry. On the top and over the 
well, the following inscription is engraved :—“ Sacred 
to the perpetual memory of a great company of 
Christian people, chiefly women and children, who 
near this spot were cruelly massacred by the 
followers of the rebel Nana Dhoondopunt, of Bithoor, 
and cast the dying with the dead into the well below 
on the 15th day of July, 1857.” 
I was shown the trees to which the British men 
prisoners were tied and shot, after they were brought 
in and shown to the wicked Nana Sahib daily. Some 
distance from these trees, on the other side of the 
wall I was shown one of the remaining trees on which 
General Havelock, after he entered Cawnpore with 
his relieving force, used to hang the natives who 
were found to have been implicated in committing 
the atrocities on our people already referred to. The 
frightful massacres that were perpetrated inside 
what is now the Memorial Garden at Cawnpore will 
be remembered by Britons for centuries to come as 
being unparalled in history. I enclose a piece of 
Sweet-brier, in flower, which was given to me, from 
a bush growing in the small oval cemetery wherein 
lie the remains of " many brave people killed during, 
the mutiny ” above referred to. 
We spent a few days in Lucknow under the hospit¬ 
able roof of Mr. Matthew Ridley, Superintendent of 
Government Gardens there. Mr. Ridley was very 
kind in taking us about and showing us the most 
interesting places in and around Lucknow, and, 
altogether we had a most enjoyable visit. The old 
residency is a most interesting place as being the 
centre of fighting during the memorable siege of 
Lucknow. The walls of the ruined buildings are 
pitted with innumerable bullet marks, and pierced 
by shot and shell from cannon. The poor British 
must have had a terrible time of it for months during 
the time they were besieged by the mutineers until 
finally relieved by Sir Colin Campbell. 
Now I shall tell you briefly a little about the 
Lucknow parks and gardens. They are all under 
the superintendence of Mr. Ridley, and they are 
exceedingly well kept. I cannot name all the places, 
but the number is nearly, if not quite, a dozen 
situated in different parts of the city under Mr. 
Ridley's charge. The principle places are the Wing¬ 
field Park, Victoria Park, Husainabad, the grounds 
of the Residency, the Horticultural Gardens, Kaiser 
Bagh, Government House, Shah Najjaf, &c. Mr. 
