40 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 18, 1897. 
Hints for ||mateurs. 
Campanula isophylla alba —There is no greater 
favourite as a pot plant for the window in both town 
and country than this charming little Bell-flower, and 
we may add that there is nothing else to surpass it in 
its own way. The easiness with which it may be 
grown either in the smoke of the city or the pure air 
of the country is amply demonstrated by the fine 
specimens we often see in cottage windows. The 
treatment given it is usually of the simplest character' 
and yet success is obtained. At the present time the 
plants which have Leen flowering away for the last 
couple of months appear to have got to the end of 
their tether, as far as this season is concerned, and it 
is necessary to give them a little overhauling. The 
old flowering stems may be cut away, and to within 
a couple of inches of the bottom. A few pieces bear¬ 
ing leaves should be left for the present, just to carry 
on the work of the plant, but even these may be 
removed as soon as young growths appear in any 
quantity, so that the whole of the old growths will 
by that time have been got rid off. The young 
shoots which are thus thrown up from the base 
furnish capital material for cuttings, and those who 
wish to increase their stock of plants may do so with 
comparative ease. We say comparative because in 
order to ensure success in rooting these cuttings a 
little artificial heat must be given. Those who have 
a heated propagating frame or even a warm pit have 
nothing to fear. We have also rooted cuttings in a 
cold frame by covering them with a bell glass, but 
this can only be done with anything like certainty 
when September is a fairly warm and bright month. 
Shoots about a couple of inches long make the best 
cuttings. They may be inserted four or five in a 
small sixty-pot in very sandy soil. Place the cutting 
pots in any position where they will enjoy a gentle 
heat. We prefer a corner in a gentle hot bed, where 
the pots may be plunged to the rims in fibre or leaf 
soil. When the cuttings have made a fair quantity 
of roots they should be potted off singly into thumb 
pots, which will last them through the winter. If the 
cuttings are very late, on the other hand, it will be 
advisable to leave them in their cutting pots without 
disturbing them all through the winter. The treat¬ 
ment here recommended for the white form will 
answer equally well for the type C. isophylla, the 
light blue flowers of which are quite as handsome as 
those of the variety. Both may be grown side by 
side. 
Chrysanthemums.—As the month wears along the 
anxiety of the Chrysanthemum grower will increase 
day by day. The reward of his labours is not so 
very far away now, and the interest in the plants 
themselves, which is really never absent throughout 
the whole of the year, is fast developing. The work 
of feeding the plants is now of the utmost impor¬ 
tance, for everything really depends upon it. Iu 
their natural anxiety to do the thing well, not a few 
cultivators, in wh ch are to be included a quantity of 
professional gardeners, overdo it. It has become the 
fashion of late years to dose the plants heavily with 
chemical manures of various kinds, and although 
these are excellent in their way, they are very harm¬ 
ful when used to excess, just as an overdose of 
stimulant would te to their masters. The homely, 
and it must be admitted, evil smelling manure tub 
has gone out of fashion to a very great degree, 
although solutions of sheep, deer, or cow manure 
are among the safest and most effectual foods that 
can be given Chrysanthemums, The great point in 
using them is to obtain the liquid as free from 
sediment as possible, otherwise harm will result, for 
the sediment will form a hard crust on the surface 
of the soil. A clear solution of soot water now 
and again is of the utmost value, and its effects will 
be seen in the dark green hue of the leaves, and the 
healthy appearance of the plants generally. Even 
in the giving of soot, however, great caution must 
be observed. The practice of enclosing the soot in 
a bag of coarse canvas and plunging it in the water 
has been frequently recommended, and there is no 
doubt that it is a first-class, and, in fact, the best 
method. There is one danger attaching to it, 
however, and in this way:—The solution of 
soot thus obtained being entirely free from 
sediment is always comparatively light in colour, 
and the novice is apt to mistake the lightness of the 
colour for weakness, and to give his plants a much 
stronger dose than is either wise or safe. In no case 
should the water given the plants be more than a 
dirty brown-black shade, and should be perfectly 
clear. Some people dress the soil in the pots with 
a covering of soot, but this is unadvisable, for the 
reason suggested above, and also for the fact that the 
surface roots are in danger of being burnt. 
Just now the plants will take a good deal of feed¬ 
ing, and their diet should be varied, not sticking 
absolutely to the same thing, Clay's Fertiliser, 
Thomson's, and Guano are excellent, and in careful 
hands will yield good results. 
Earwigs.—Every grower of Chrysanthemums, 
whether on a large or a small scale, knows how 
necessary it is to keep the earwigs at bay. The 
dewy nights of September see the insects in great 
numbers among the ’Mums, but there is also more 
chance of catching them. Small pots filled with 
dry bay, moss, or straw form capital traps, for the 
earwigs flock into them on account of the warmth 
and protection from damp that they afford. 
Housing.—By the end of September most growers 
will be thinking seriously of housing their plants, 
for they are not safe out of doors any later than this, 
and even now in northern districts the nights and 
days have to be carefully watched. We usually 
experience heavy gales and storms of rain about the 
present time and thus it is very important to see 
that all the shoots are well secured by ties to stout 
stakes, or the plants will not be able to pass through 
the test of the winds. 
Rooting through.—Those growers who have 
plunged their plants ia ashes have to think about 
the rooting through into the material surrounding 
the pots, which is certain to take place to some 
extent. Even when the plants are not plunged, but 
are only stood on the soil, the roots will passthrough 
the hole in the bottom of the pot. Thus many good 
cultivators do not plunge their plants, but simply 
stand them on strips of board or rows of paving 
bricks, or any other flat hard surface. Plants which 
are not thus served must be gone over frequently 
and lifted up to disturb or break off the roots which 
have passed through the pot, for, if this little atten¬ 
tion is not given, these outside roots have obtained a 
firm hold by the end of the season, and when the 
plants are housed, often in a hurry, a great check is 
given them as a consequence. 
Show and Regal Pelargoniums. — It is high time 
that these should be pruned, for even those which 
flowered very late ought, by this time, to have 
ripened up sufficiently to warrant the knife dressing. 
The plants should be cut back to within an inch of 
the olsi wood, or in the case of young plants, close to 
the point at which they made their first breaks Water 
will have been withheld for some time past, and 
may be held back for a little longer, at least, as far 
as root supply goes. After cutting them back put 
the plants clo e together in a cold frame, just as they 
are, in the pots in which they have flowered this 
season. Keep the frame close, but sprinkle the old 
stumps nicely each bright day with the syringe. 
Under such conditions young growths will soon make 
their appearance, and potting will then have to be 
taken in hand ; but this we will make the subject of 
another note. Cuttings will be furnished in plenty 
by the prunings. Use very sandy soil, and place 
them in heat if possible, for although they will root 
in a cold frame the process is a slow and rather un¬ 
satisfactory cne, whilst quick results are obtained 
from cuttings which have been placed in heat.— 
Rex. 
- -! « - 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
" Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Bedding Calceolarias — Please tell me if I can 
root cuttings of bedding Calceolarias in a frame, and 
also if they will keep through the winter in such a 
place. I shall be glad of any instructions, as I have 
never tried to root Calceolarias before. — R. Craig. 
You may root the cuttings and keep them through 
the winter quite easily in a frame, but in the absence 
of artificial heat the frame must be covered up 
warmly during spells of frosty weather. We should 
advise you to make up a bed of soil from 6 in. to 
8 in. deep in the frame. The soil may be rough at the 
bottom of the bed, but on the surface should be fine- 
A layer of sand about \ in. in depth should be placed 
on top of the soil. The cuttiDgs should consist of 
tops of the youDg growths from 3 in. to 4 in. in 
length. These may be dibbled in pretty closely to 
each other. If the soil is fairly moist water will not 
be required for the present, but a sprinkle with the 
syringe on bright days will do gcod. Keep the 
frame close, and shade from the bright sun until the 
end of the month, after which no shade will be 
required. Calceolarias strike very readily in this 
way, much more freely, indeed, than when the cut¬ 
tings are put in pans. 
Greenhouse Blinds —C. C. L.: You must leave 
the blinds of the greenhouse up until the end of 
the month, but you should gradually inure the 
plants to bright sunlight. The summer cloud 
shading on the front of the house may be washed off 
now if desired. 
Tecoma radicans.—Will Tecoma radicans, spoken 
of in your issue of August 28th. grow in a garden in 
East Lothian, close to the sea, where east and north¬ 
west winds are very prevalent ?— Novice. 
You may plant the Tecoma with every hope of 
success. Give it the shelter of a wall having a south 
aspect if possible. 
Flies and Grapes.—Yours is by no means an un¬ 
common case, B. Entwliistle, for at this time of the 
year flies are often a greater enemy to ripe Grapes 
than wasps. Your only plan, if you do not want to 
cut the bunches, is to encase them with fine muslin. 
This will keep the winged intruders at bay. 
Hay in the Fruit Room.— Q .: We do not believe 
in the practice of putting a layer of hay on the 
shelves in the fruit room for the fruit to rest on, for 
the latter invariably becomes impregnated with a 
most unpleasant odour as of musty bay by so doing. 
Simply lay the fruit on the bare wood. Shelves 
made after the fashion of trellises, with the spars 
very close together, are better than those which have 
no openings in them. 
Zinc Labels — F.L.Ames : In using the zinc labels 
you have probably forgotten to clean the smooth, 
oily surface of the zinc with a piece of emery or 
sand paper. If you do this you will find that the 
writing will not run in the way you mention. 
Melons .—Inquirer : You are wasting your time and 
the pit as well in trying to ripen the Melons. After 
the present month has expired the season will be 
practically over. The latter part of August as well 
as the fore half of September, has been a most 
unfavourable time for Melons, and we are not sur¬ 
prised that you found a difficulty in getting the fruit 
tc set. We hope you will have better luck next time. 
Roses —Please say in your Amateurs' Page when to 
prune and house Roses in pots.— A. B. 
The Hybrid Perpetuals are hardy enough, and 
may remain out of doors the whole of the winter or 
until they are required for forcing purposes. In this 
case the pots should be deeply plunged in ashes by 
the end of October at the latest, otherwise severe 
frost will chip and break the pots. The Teas, on the 
other hand, being comparatively tender, should be 
housed some time in October. Pruning may be 
attended to any time before the plants are placed in 
heat. The Teas may be pruned if desired as soon as 
they are housed, as they will not be subjected to the 
frost, but you must leave the. H.P.’s unprundd until 
you bring them under cover. 
Snails in a Garden.—My garden is surrounded 
with very old walls covered with Ivy, etc. The 
snails have this year been a regular plague, having 
destroyed several Sunflowers and other plants. Can 
you give any recipe for destroying them ?— Novice. 
As long as there is such a convenient harbourage 
for them you will always be annoyed with snails and 
slugs in wet seasons. Can you do nothing to lessen 
the cover for ihem by trimmiDg up some of the Ivy ? 
The only other remedy is hand picking. A g ood plan is 
to drop the pests into a box of quicklime, which will 
make short work of them. Go round the plants 
after dusk with a lantern, for at that time you will 
be more to likely catch the depredators at their work. 
Traps may also be set of Lettuce leaves, and ex¬ 
amined occasionally. 
