88 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 10, 1896. 
INTS FOR MMATEURS. 
HOUSING CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
With the commencement of October, special atten¬ 
tion is usually paid all over the country generally to 
the removal of the pot Chrysanthemums to their 
warmer quarters. Perhaps a week more or less is 
given according to the particular locality, whether 
high and dry, or low-lying and damp ; but now it is 
high time for all Chrysanthemums to be placed 
under protection, as a frost now, especially where the 
buds are fairly forward, would be simply disastrous. 
Vineries.— Often enough a vinery is one of the 
contrivances that the amateur has to press into 
service in which to flower his "Mums.” Such a 
house, providing the canes are well upon the road 
that leads to maturity, may be made to answer 
admirably. Light, and plenty of it, is now the main 
consideration. In order to get as much of it as 
possible without injuring the Vines, the lateral 
growths may be cut back half way. This will in no 
way injure the Vines, provided they are fairly well 
advanced, and will let in a lot more light than would 
be available if the foliage were allowed to remain on 
until it dropped off naturally. True it is, that by 
depriving the canes of the leaves, they are robbed of 
some of their working members; but then, part of 
the work in the way of unnecessary buds is also 
taken away at the same time, and thus compensation 
is gained. 
It will not be advisable to stand the plants directly 
upon the borders. A few planks, from 5 in. to 9 in. 
in width, laid along, make capital contrivances for 
the bottoms of the pots to rest on. hailing these, 
bricks or paving stones may be employed. 
Crowding. —It would be of not the slightest use to 
give the advice of “ don’t crowd ” ; for it is well nigh 
impossible to avoid doing this, in some degree at 
least, at this time of the year, so we must content 
ourselves with saying " crowd the plants as little as 
possible. Should there be a portion of the house 
where more light falls than in the other parts, let the 
later plants have the benefit of it, if it can thus be 
managed. They stand most in need of it, for they 
have to make a part of their growth, besides develop¬ 
ing their flowers. 
Standing the pots level. — Although a minor 
point, it is of considerable importance, and one that 
cannot be lightly neglected. If the pots are not 
stood level, they will hold but comparatively little 
water, and this will all run to one side, leaving the 
other dry. 
Ventilation— After being used to having the free 
winds of heaven blowing about them as they list, the 
plants will naturally feel the change to the closer 
atmosphere. Consequently no coddling should be 
attempted, or this, combined with any lack of light 
that may be caused by the foliage of the vines over¬ 
head, will cause the plants to become drawn. Plenty 
of air is an absolute necessity, but it must be given in 
such a way as to avoid draughts as far as possible. 
Thrips on Azaleas. — If these plants were syringed 
well with a solution of Nicotine Soap before they were 
taken indoors, the plague of thrips that seems to 
have attacked most Azaleas this year, will have been 
considerably lessened. Since the last washing, how¬ 
ever, the little pests will have had time to make 
another start, and the plants will need looking over 
again. With a houseful of mixed subjects, and at 
this time of the year, too, it will not be possible to 
syringe the plants as they stand, as the moisture 
hangs about a long time now. A fine day should be 
chosen, and the plants taken out on the grass, laid 
on their sides, first syringed with the insecticide, and 
afterwards washed well with clean water. The 
plants should be allowed to stand out all day to dry, 
but may be taken in before nightfall, and restored to 
the places from whence they were taken. 
Zonal Pelargonium Cuttings that were dibbled in 
the open ground some time about the beginning of 
September will now have rooted, and in any case 
they must be lifted, as it will not be safe to leave 
them out of doors any longer. S jme people are very 
fond of leaving them out until the frost comes and 
compels them to take them in, but it is better to lift 
them not later than the beginning of October, so that 
they may have a chance of getting settled in the 
pots somewhat, before the dull weather sets 
in. Thirty-two size pots are the handiest 
to use for the rooted cuttings, six of which 
may go to each pot. The kind of soil does 
not matter a great deal, except that whatever 
is used it should be on the dry rather than 
the wet side. Avoid handling the cuttings much, as 
the young roots are very tender and quickly break 
off. The modus operandi is as follows :—After the 
pot has been drained nicely with one large piece of 
crock covered by two or three smaller pieces, and 
the drainage covered with rough leaf soil, or old 
horse droppings, fill it two-thirds full of the compost. 
Level this down and press it fairly firm with the 
fingers. Arrange five of the young plants round the 
edge of the pot and one in the middle Then intro¬ 
duce the soil carefully among these, level it and press 
it with the fingers, and finish cff by giving a smart 
tap or two on the bench. The pot should be filled 
up to within half an inch of the top. No water 
should be given, as with the saturated atmospheres 
common to this particular season of the year this 
would only lead to damping off. For the time being 
the plants may be kept in a cold frame, but as the 
autumn draws on, and severe frosts may be expected, 
they will not be safe in such a position, and should 
be removed to a shelf in the greenhouse, which, by 
that time, will have been emptied of many of its 
Chrysanthemums. 
Hanging Grapes —Ripe Grapes have at least out¬ 
lived some of their enemies, for wasps are too far 
gone to do much harm now. Birds also are not so 
troublesome as formerly. The great difficulty now 
will be damp. The bunches must be carefully 
watched, and as soon as any bad berries are dis¬ 
covered they must be cut neatly out with the 
scissors. One bad berry in a bunch, if neglected, 
will soon spoil the shape of the bunch by spreading 
decay on all sides. 
After the recent heavy rains we have had, the 
wisdom of not only making the walks well in the 
first place, but also of keeping the drains and water 
courses clear will be fully established. If this latter 
precaution were taken we should not see those pools 
of water standing on the paths in villa gardens, or, 
what is scarcely less of an eyesore, the channels 
which have been rinsed upon paths running down a 
gentle slope The leaves are now beginning to fall, 
and hence all drains must be cleared out once a week 
or they will soon become blocked. 
Palms on Lawns. —It is high time that these were 
taken indoors now, for even if frost does not come to 
cripple them the rough winds will lacerate their 
leaves and spoil their appearance. The plants are 
so sodden with water, and so heavy that it is as well 
to do the lifting during daylight, instead of driving 
it off until the last minute and having to do it in the 
dark.— Rex. 
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Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone 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. 
Cupressus Nutkaensis.— I have a plant of this 
nearly two feet high, with three nearly equal stems. 
I am told it should be confined to one stem or 
leader, otherwise when large it will open in the 
middle and look ugly. Kindly advise me what to 
do.— T. G. 
Your informant is perfectly correct with regard to 
the desirability of keeping a Cupressus to a single 
stem. In cases where two or three stems are 
allowed, heavy falls of snow, gales of wind and rain 
are almost sure to cause the tree to open in the 
middle and cause it to look unsightly. The 
restriction to a single stem must be closely attended 
to in the earlier stages of the tree, when it is a 
matter of but small difficulty. Your specimen has, 
however, got too far advanced for the removal of 
two of the stems to be attended with success, as you 
would only have a one-sided, ugly, plant left. The 
best course will be to secure the three leaders to each 
other gently but firmly, so as to keep them from 
separating. A piece of thick cloth, leather, or old 
hose piping must be passed round the stems to pre¬ 
vent the supports from cutting the tender bark. If 
neatly done, the supports will be entirely hidden. 
Ilex Aquifolium Yar. laurifolia Iongifolia. — This 
is the name of a very fine Holly at Kew. It does net 
appear to have any synomym ; nevertheless I have 
not yet found it in any trade catalogue. Can you 
say where it can be purchased ?— Sherwood. 
This variety certainly does not appear in the 
trade catalogues, possibly because none of the nursery¬ 
men have a sufficient stock of it to enable them to 
offer it to the general public. Your best plan will 
be to apply by letter to one of the large nursery¬ 
men asking directly for it. 
Hardy Fernery. —I have in view the formation of 
a fernery of hardy Ferns, chiefly garden varieties. 
Which of the smaller growing ornamental trees cr 
larger growing shrubs will be most suitable for 
planting, so as to give the requisite shade without 
unduly robbing the fern roots ? South aspect; 
sandy soil.— Notts. 
If the fernery is to be a success the ground must 
not be too much overhung with trees. If circum¬ 
stances permit, a few Lombardy Poplars may be 
planted. These will grow rapidly in almost any 
position, and will give shade without overhanging 
the ground. For light trees to dot about here and 
there, Acer Negundo, and A. japonicum are both 
handsome and effective. Robinia Neo-mexicana is a 
low tree some twenty to twenty-five feet in height 
with elegant pinnate foliage and very handsome 
flowers. Lilacs, Laburnums, Crataegus Oxyacantha 
Paul’s Double Scarlet, C. O. foliis aureis, C. O. 
multiplex, Amalanchier canadensis, and Rhus 
Cotinus are all well worthy of planting. Several of 
the finer kinds of Coniferae may be turned to 
account, but it will not be possible to plant with 
ferns the ground covered by them. Among these 
Cedrus Deodara must not be forgotten. Gingko 
biloba does well in gardens in the south of England 
and is a most handsome tree. Of the bushes you 
mention, there are plenty jfrom which to pick and 
choose, but these will have to be planted in shelter¬ 
ing clumps, as they will not be tall enough to cover 
the ground and allow of planting beiDg done under 
them. Variegated Hollies, Berberis Darwinii, 
Rhododendrons, and Philadelphus coronarius may be 
utilised in this way with advantage, It will be a 
good plan to make your fernery under the shade of 
large established trees, when you will get the 
amount of shade you require without the ground 
being too closely overhung. 
Keeping Apples. —You may ventilate your fruit- 
room fairly well up to the end of the present month, 
Enquirer, after which the fruit will keep better it kept 
close and in the dark. The dampness of the situation 
will not matter in the slightest, as long as it is not 
too wet, and the frost can be kept out. A tempera¬ 
ture a little above 32 0 Fahr. will be amply sufficient. 
Chrysanthemums under Peach Trees.- G.D. asks 
what he is to do to hasten the fall of the leaves from his 
Peach trees. He is afraid that his Chrysanthemums 
will suffer from the want of light. You must not 
attempt to force the leaves of the tree, even in seeking 
to benefit your " Mums.” Take a finely twigged 
broom and draw this gently up the tree, commencing 
from the bottom. Any loose leaves will thus be got 
rid of. No severer treatment than this must be 
practiced. 
Sowing Peas in Autumn. —Many people are in a 
hurry to get early Peas, and Akbar is one of them. 
He intended sowing some Peas next month, hoping 
that they would come in early next season. A friend 
of his has dissuaded him from doing so, as he says 
the land is too wet and heavy to make autumn 
sowing a success, and advises him to wait until 
towards the end of January. Our correspondent 
wishes to know if his informant was right, to which 
we can only reply that if the land is of a heavy 
nature to be thankful he has got such a friend ? 
Fly on Cinerarias. —If the whole of the plants are 
attacked. F. F. Mason, fumigation will be the 
readiest means of effecting a cure. If only a fiw 
leaves are affected sponge them with tobacco water. 
Destroying Wasps. — Noticing on p. 72 that 
Cyanide of Potasium is recommended for the destruc¬ 
tion of wasp’s nests, and as this substance in such a 
deadly poison, and can searcely be got, as chemists 
don't care about selling it, I would like to draw 
attention to a less dangerous chemical which is quite 
as effective as the Cyanine of Potassium, namely, 
Carbon Bisulphide. This is also a poison, but can 
be got more easily than Cyanide of Potassium, as 
