88 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 8, 1898^ 
JNTS FOR iMATEURS. 
Clearing the Greenhouse.—At certain periods of 
the year it is advisable to give the greenhouse a 
thorough turning out, so as to get rid, as far as possi¬ 
ble, of plants that are no longer likely to be of ser¬ 
vice, thus setting free the room they occupy for the 
benefit of other and more useful subjects. Just now 
one of these periodical clearances is very necessary, 
for several touches of frost have already warned us 
that the summer has gone, and that winter is within 
easy distance. There is always a considerable 
accumulation of plants during the summer months, 
and now when these come to be all collected together 
it oftentimes, nay usually, becomes difficult to find 
shelter for all. Some weeding out, therefore, is 
necessary, for every inch of underglass space is of 
value now. 
To deal with the summer-flowering plants first, 
plants that have performed their allotted task, and 
are in various degrees of shabbiness and decrepti- 
tude: a clean sweep should be made of these, each 
subject being treated according to its value. 
Coleuses have been dropping their leaves and 
looking sickly for some weeks past. They always 
act thus when the cold nights come, and the day 
temperatures display a tendency to keep below 6o° 
Fahr. What cuttings can be obtained from these 
old plants should, therefore, be taken without delay. 
They may be inserted five or even six in very sandy 
soil in a 6o-sized pot, and placed on a shelf near the 
glass in a warm house, where they may root at their 
leisure. The cuttings may remain in these pots all 
through the winter, and other cuttings may be taken 
from them in the spring. As there is now no further 
use for the old plants they may be thrown away at 
once, 
Celosiaa and Cockscombs are showy until the 
last, and there is, naturally, a great disinclination to 
throw them away until the last moment. Very 
often, however, the stems damp off long before the 
“plumes" or "combs " have lost their colour, so 
that there is nothing for it but to throw the remains 
of the plants away, although the " plumes ” and 
" combs ” will, if cut off, retain their colour for some 
little time, and will thus come in handy for decora¬ 
tive purposes. 
Tuberous Begonias are also amongst those that 
have seen their best days for the year. Any very old 
tubers which have shown by the decreasing size of 
their flowers that they have lost a good deal of the 
vigour of their early years may be thrown away at 
once, for it is not worth while to take the trouble to 
keep these through the winter. It is far better to 
bring on relays of younger tubers, and thus not 
only obtain larger and better flowers, but improved 
varieties. The plants that it is desired to save 
should be placed in a cold frame if one is vacant, 
aDd allowed to gradually go to rest. As root action is 
not very vigorous now, and the sun’s rays are not very 
powerful, one watering, or at the most two, will be 
enough for them. If severe frost should come, the 
light of the frame should be covered with mats, but 
ordinarily the cover of the glass is sufficient. 
Fuchsias are fast ripening off their wood and will 
soon be ready for going into winter quarters. For 
the present, however, they may be given a sunny 
corner in the open, where they may remain unless we 
get very sharp frost. Two or three degrees will not 
do them any harm. 
StOYe Plants.—Numbers of subjects that require 
a warm house during the winter oftentimes find 
their way into the greenhouse during the summer 
months, and these should now be sent back into heat, 
for they will only languish and become shabby if 
allowed to remain in the lower temperature. 
Once the clearance has been made the glass of the 
house, or at least as much of it as can be con¬ 
veniently got at, with the stages, should be washed. 
All the dead leaves and litter from the remaining 
plants should also be taken away, for in the coming 
dull weather every decaying leaf is a storehouse of 
infection of damp. Outside, the blinds that have 
been used for shading through the summer should 
now be taken down, as there will be no further need 
for them, and stored away. Some people like to 
leave the blinds out all the year round, using them 
during the winter as an additional protection from 
frost. This is not altogether an economical system, 
however, for it means having new blinds every year; 
and besides, it is difficult to work them when they 
are frozen after having been wetted through with 
rain or snow. Besides taking away the blinds those 
parts of the roof which, owing to inequalities, were 
painted over with Summer Cloud Shading, whiten¬ 
ing, or other material, should be washed clean, for 
every bit of light will be wanted presently. 
If we get a good deal of bright weather during 
this month it may be necessary to shade some of the 
Chrysanthemums, which are liable to have some of 
the colour taken out of them by exposure to too 
strong sun. Such shading, however, need only be 
given for an hour or two in the middle of the day, 
and thus a mat thrown over the glass just above the 
blooms will do all that is wanted. It is only those 
cultivators who are thinking of showing Chrysanthe¬ 
mums that will trouble about shading the blooms ; 
those who are only growing for ordinary purposes 
will just let the sun have its own way with the 
flowers, and will not grumble very much even if the 
blooms are a trifle faded. 
There is plenty of plants to fill up the vacant 
spaces, and it is not so much a question of what to 
put in as what to keep out. Naturally, those plants 
which are either the showiest now, or will develop 
their flowers at the earliest date, are the ones to 
which preference is given. 
Azaleas and Camellias.—Barge plants of these 
are to be seen in most places, and although they 
take up a good deal of room they are well worth it. 
Up to this time the plants have been out of doors 
ripening off the season’s growth, and setting and 
swelling their flower buds, but it will not be safe to 
leave them out any longer. The Camellias may 
have a little of the dust and dirt rinsed off their 
leaves by a good syringing, which will be quite 
enough for the present, as nothing will remove the 
black, glutinous deposit, so often to be seen on 
Camellias, but a careful sponging, and time is far too 
precious now to allow of this being done. It may, 
therefore, be left until a later date, when there is not 
quite so much pressure of work. The Azaleas will 
need a little more trouble bestowed upon them. 
They are almost sure to be infested with thrips, 
which have been especially numerous and trouble¬ 
some this year, owiDg, no doubt, in great measure to 
the long spell of drought. Now it would be most 
unwise to bring these dirty plants into the green¬ 
house, for such a proceeding would mean that the 
thrips would spread to everything else, and that 
endless trouble would be caused. One of two 
methods must be followed, according to the con¬ 
veniences that the amateur has at command. One 
is to put the plants into an empty house or pit, and 
fumigate them with tobacco rag or paper, repeating 
the fumigation if necessary, and following this with 
a good washing with clear water. The second plan 
is to sjringe with some insecticide, such as Nicotine 
Soap or Fir Tree Oil, and after an hour or so has 
elapsed from the application of the specific, to give 
another syringing with clear water, both to remove 
the dead or half dead insects, and to wash the in¬ 
secticide from the leaves, and thus prevent damage 
being done to them. As it is not advisable to shift 
these heavy plants about any more frequently than 
can be helped, they should be put at once into the 
places in which they are to remain for the winter. 
Chrysanthemums.—Get the forwardest of these 
under cover at once. To put all of them into the 
greenhouse at once would mean a lot of crowding, so 
all those whose buds are well developed should be 
chosen first. Such buds are not only liable to 
injury by frosts, but the moisture is inclined to stand 
on the flat tops and injury to the flowers follows, 
although it may not become apparent until the 
blooms expand. 
The best way to deal with the later plants is to 
place them in a sheltered position, out of doors, 
where a cover can easily be thrown over them should 
occasion require. A wall is of great assistance, for 
it not only breaks the wind from the back, but spars 
of wood can easily be lain against it and a light 
framework soon improvised over which mats or 
tiffany can be speedily thrown. 
The early-flowering varieties which have been 
bloomed in pots under glass are now over, and shoulJ 
be at once cut down and removed to a frame, whence 
the cuttings can be obtained by-and-by as wanted. 
Zonal Pelargoniums —A batch of the plants that 
have been grown on expressly for winter flowering 
may now be allowed to develop their bloom buds. 
This means that they will be in condition by the end 
of this month. If they are properly looked after 
they will flower right through the winter, their 
places being taken, when they are past their best, 
by the remainder of the plants whose buds must still 
be kept picked off for another month. Take caro 
when feeding these plants with chemical manures 
not to overdo it. It is a common custom to apply 
the chemicals by sprinkling the powder over the 
surface of the soil and trusting to subsequent water¬ 
ings to wash it in, but I do not like this plan, for 
many of the roots that are near the surface are thus 
destroyed, " burnt,” as the gardener tersely and not 
inaptly phrases it. Of course this statement will 
apply to many other things besides zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums. It is safer in every case to dissolve the 
manure in the water.— Rex. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked 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 desite 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
“ Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Herbaceous Calceolarias — Perplexed : We should 
fancy that slugs have gnawed off the young plants as 
fast as they have made their appearance. It is now 
very late to sow seed and the plants would not do very 
much, but you can only try. However, you may yet 
obtain a few plants from the old seed-pan if you will 
protect it from the slugs. The best way to do this 
is to invert an empty pot or pan in a vessel con¬ 
taining water to the depth of a couple of inches or 
so, and place the seed pan upon the isolated stand 
thus obtained. The slugs can then not possibly get 
at the Calceolarias. 
Cinders as Fuel. —S. S.: You will find cinders 
from the household fires will make a very fair fuel 
but it has not the last of coke broken up finely or 
anthracite coal. Wood is of very little use except in 
starting a fire—it has not sufficient last. 
Grape Gros Colman. —Louis E., Redhill : As far 
as our own taste is concerned, we should certainly 
not put Gros Colman Grape in the first-class for 
flavour. Tastes differ, however, and perhaps some 
people like it. On the other hand, there is very 
little doubt that it is the fine appearance of the 
variety both in bunch and berry, which are large and 
heavy, that has given to it so much popularity. It 
is also a good and certain cropper, and liked by 
market men on that account. 
Onions —C. F.: It is said that the best method of 
preserving the eyes from the effect of the pungent 
odour of an Onion that is being peeled is to hold a 
darning needle between the teeth. Another favourite 
plan with many people is to stick a small piece of 
bread on the point of the knife that is being used in 
the peeling process. All the same, the operator 
should be careful to keep his or her eyes as far away 
from the Onion as possible. 
Ornamental Crab Apples.— Lay man : The fruits 
are of little value for eating although their high 
colour presents a capital appearance upon the dessert 
table. Sprays of the tree with the fruit attached are 
also highly decorative, but too much of this sort of 
pruning is, of course, bad for the tree. When pre¬ 
served, however, in sugar syrup the fruits are very 
tasty and nice. You will find a recipe for preserving 
them on p. 53. 
Yiolets.— G. P. 0 .: For general purposes Marie 
Louise is the best double blue Violet. Swanley 
White, or Comte de Brazza is the best of the white 
varieties. You will find it very hardy and a free 
bloomer, whilst the blooms are of capital size and 
very fragrant. The single variety California, of 
which you speak, is really a good thing. The 
flowers are of immense size, and the length of the 
stalks has not been exaggerated. 
Aucuba japonica—I have a couple of very 
straggling plants of this Aucuba in my front garden. 
They were straggling when they were planted, and 
owing to being overhung to some extent with other 
trees they have got worse. Can I do anything to 
remedy this, or must I put in fresh plants. Querist. 
You can remedy the defect complained of by cut¬ 
ting the plants down, and allowing them to break up 
