408 
February 27, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
JNTS FOR WMATEURS. 
Lawns. — As it will not be long before the grass 
begins to grow again it will be well to pay the lawn 
a little attention now in the way of rolling, for this 
will enable the mowing-machine to be used with 
greater ease and effectiveness presently. Choose a 
fine day for the operation when the grass is fairly 
dry. If worm casts are present they must be broken 
up and scattered previous to the rolling by the 
application of a birch broom. 
Grass edges. — The present is a very good time to 
see about straightening the grass edges, which are 
liable to be worn down by traffic. The edge of the 
grass is a very favourite path with many people, and 
the result of such a practice is very soon evident. 
Where the paths are straight the trimming of the 
edge is a very simple matter. All that is needed is 
to lay a line down and pull it tight, thus obtaining 
a guide for cutting by. Around curves it is a far 
more difficult matter, as the line cannot be used in 
the ordinary way, and a workman's eye is apt to be 
misleading. Once a mistake is made, and too much 
cut off it cannot well be put on again. There are 
two methods of solving the difficulty. One is to 
insert a number of pegs round the curve and draw 
the line round them, but this is a tedious proceeding, 
and one the adoption of which we should not advise. 
The better plan is to lay the line loosely round the 
curve so as to describe an even outline. This 
will furnish a guide to cut by. In such a case the 
iron must necessarily be sharp Take care, also, 
that the haft is held perfectly perpendicular, as it is 
only by using it thus that a straight and even cut 
can be obtained. 
Wall Roses.—Owing to the general mildness of 
the season the Rcses are forwarder than usual, and 
hence it will be well to get the pruning and nailing 
of those plants growing on walls over as soon as 
possible. In pruning, first of all the dead wood 
should be cut out, and the weaker branches may 
follow. It is a mistake to lay in too much wood, as 
the growths become so crowded that they are in each 
other’s way. Select sound well-ripened growths and 
nail them in at regular intervals so as to cover the 
wall completely. The tips for a foot or two will be 
small and weak, and hence these parts may be 
removed. Spur lateral growths back close to the 
branches bearing them. Another point is to see 
that the branches are not allowed to cross each 
other. Certainly the flowering is not injured there¬ 
by, but it imparts an air of untidiness that would be 
far better absent. 
After the Roses have baen attended to, the borders 
lying against the walls may be forked over and put 
straight again after the trampling upon that they 
must get to some extent. Care should be taken not 
to disturb any bulbs, such as Narcissi and 
Hyacinths, that have been planted in the border. 
Snowdrops and Crocuses that are in bloom will 
also need to be carefully steered by, as it would be 
a thousand pities to spoil their beauty now when 
they are making the garden so gay. 
Border Carnations in Pots.—There is a great deal 
to be said for this system of growing border Carna¬ 
tions. For producing show flowers it is necessary, 
inasmuch as it affords facilities for shading the 
flowers from the sun, which must be done if their 
colour and form are to be kept up to the highest 
standard. Apart from this, plants in pots may, with¬ 
out any trouole at all, be had in flower a little earlier 
than their relatives outside, the latter thus forming 
a succession to them. 
Now is the time to see about potting up the plants. 
For some time they have been pushing steadily 
on, and may now be shifted without danger. 
Vigorous plants of strong growing varieties will do 
very well in a 7-in. pot, but for ordinary varieties, 
and plants of medium strength, space may be econo¬ 
mised by putting three in an 8-in. pot. The soil 
must receive careful preparation. It should consist 
of three parts of good loam, and one part each of 
- 'd horse droppings and leaf soil, with plenty of 
'•’er sand. We do not like adding chemical 
1 sprinkling of soot, say a 32 potful to 
”111 be serviceable. The young 
Vd as little as possible, only 
°ot moderately firmly. 
" to a cold frame 
’ight. Here 
they may be kept closer for a few days than they were 
before potting. Do not give any water for the 
present — that in the soil will be sufficient for the 
time being. Green fly will soon be in order now, 
and the plants will have to be watched very carefully 
and fumigated as soon as the slightest signs are dis¬ 
covered.— Rex. 
--*•- 
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. 
Propagating Pandanus Yeitchii— G Sales asks for 
instructions as to propagating this plant. He has a 
fairly large specimen bearing a number of growths. 
These may be taken off, also all suckers thrown up 
from the bottom, and potted up into small pots in 
light sandy soil. Make the soil nicely firm about 
the bases of the offsets, and give them a nice bottom 
heat. They will then make roots in a very short 
time. 
Starting Tuberous Begonias —You may start 
your Begonias as soon as you like, Maori. ; in act, 
the sooner the better. The shallow boxes will 
answer very well for a time, but the plants will 
require another shift before they are fit for planting 
out in the flower beds. Should you want any further 
information do not fail to write. 
Maidenhair Fern Dying. —You give us so little 
information as to the conditions under which your 
plant has been placed, L. C., that it is difficult to 
tell you why it has died. A Fern of the kind under 
notice will do fairly well in a window during the 
summer, but it very seldom starts again well. It 
may linger on for a year or two, but it grows weaker 
with each succeeding year. Still, you may be meet¬ 
ing your troubles half way, and your Fern may only 
be sick unto death, but not dead. Can you not get 
some friend who has a glasshouse to take care of it, 
and try and induce it to grow ? 
Aralia Sieboldii — Will you please inform me if 
Aralia Sieboldii is hardy in this part of the country 
(Derby), as I have seen it growing out of doors in 
the south-west of England.— Excise. 
It is true that in the favoured locality you mention 
Aralia Sieboldii will grow out of doors and pass 
through the winters without shelter, but as far north 
as Derby this could not be done, and your only 
plan would be to cover the plants up warmly during 
frosty weather. It would manifestly be injurious to 
the plants to keep them in the dark for any length of 
time, and thus a sharp winter would almost surely 
be the death of them. 
Lobelia cardinalis. — I lifted some clumps of 
these from the flower beds last autumn, and they have 
passed the winter in shallow boxes, covared with a 
little soil, and placed in a cold frame. They are now 
stait ng to grow. Please tell me how to increase the 
stock.— B., Cambridge. 
This can easily be done by dividing the roots into 
as many pieces as there are growths. E ich of the 
latter should have a quantity of healthy roots 
attached to it. Pot the divisions up into small 60- 
pots, and place them in a gentle heat. After they 
have made a start, they may be taken out of heat 
and put into a cold frame. Too long a sojourn in 
heat would do harm, and hence, the sooner they are 
out of it, after they are in full swing, the better. 
Fruiting Bananas. —There is no special difficulty 
in growing Bananas, and in fruiting them also, 
G. T., Hendon, other than the question of space. If 
your house is a fairly roomy one, and is well heated, 
you may go ahead. If, on the other hand, it is small 
and insufficiently heated, you will save yourself some 
trouble by giving up the idea. Of course, if you can 
give plenty of heat, but have not much space, you 
may still go on — if you would like the panes of glass 
pushed out of the roof of your house. Musa Caven- 
dishii is the dwarffist and the most suitable for pot 
work. Its height varies from 4 ft. to 6 ft. Musa 
Ensete is chiefly of service as a foliage plant for u .e 
in the sub-tropical garden. 
Soil for Cucumbers —Please tell me what soil to 
use for Cucumbers. I intend making a hot-bed and 
growing the plants in a frame placed upon it. Shall 
I have to mix any manure with the soil ? and if so, 
what sort, and what quantity of soil shall I require ? 
F.G. 
Good mellow loam is the best medium to employ. 
No manure of any sort should be added, or it will 
cause the growth to be too rank. We do not believe 
in bringing the roots of newly planted subjects into 
close contact with chemical manures. Wait until 
the plants are growing and fruiting freely, and then 
give manure if you like. At least a barrowload of 
soil will be necessary for each light. This should be 
placed in the middle so as to form a mound or ridge. 
When the roots of the plants begin to run, aod make 
their appearance on the surface and round the sides 
of the mounds, then more soil may be added, but the 
time for this is not yet. 
Green Fly on Richardias. —Yours is no 
uncommon cry, J. Bryant. Richardias are almost 
sure to be attacked with green fly. There are two or 
three ways of dealing with it. The first and most 
effectual is fumigation. The second is to sponge the 
plants with tobacco water, and the third is to take 
the plants out of doors and brush the fly Off with a 
soft camelT-hair brush. The smut upon the flowers, 
which so mars their appearance, must be carefully 
sponged off with clear water. Take care, in thus 
doing, that you do not bruise the spathe, which is 
somewhat delicate. 
Forced Strawberries —I have some plants in pots 
that have been forced. Are they of any further use, 
or may I throw them away at once ? S , Hendon. 
Such plants sometimes come in handy for making 
good vacancies in the out-of-door plantations. Some¬ 
times such plants may be induced to bear a crop of 
fruit in the autumn. When they are expected to do 
this, they must be reduced at the root, potted up 
afresh, and grown on through the summer. Vicom- 
tesse Hericart de Thury answers best to this kind of 
treatment, and is fairly certain to fruit well. If you 
do not need your plants for either of these two 
alternatives, you may as well throw them away at 
once. 
Thinning Strawberries. —A dozen or fifteen fruits 
to a pot may certainly be obtained, Q , but we think 
you would do belter not to exceed nine. Yon will 
then get better fruits, and they will ripen more 
equally. As soon as the required number has set, 
you should cut off the rest of the flowers and thus 
economise energy. Keep the syringe to work until 
the fruits show colour. 
Wood Ashes for Onions. — Give the proposed 
Onion bed a dressing with the wood ashes as soon as 
you can, A. A. Afterwards fork the bed all over, 
mixing the ashes with the soil. The bed will not 
need to be touched again until it is time to give it 
the necessary firming before proceeding to sow the 
seed. For this part of the programme, dry weather 
is absolutely essential. 
Edwin Molyneux Chrysanthemum—In answer 
to J. G. P. (p. 377), I have never found any special 
difficulty with Edwin Molyneux Chrysanthemum. 
It has always received similar treatment to the other 
varieties with regard to the striking of the cuttings, 
feeding, etc. Of late years, towever, it has become 
rather more difficult to manage, and the blooms are 
very liable to damp off. Moreover, it will not stand 
the heavy feeding that some other varieties will. 
There were some good blooms of it to be seen last 
season in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens 
at Chiswick. The plants, I was informed upon 
enquiry, were obtained from cuttings struck about 
the end of December. The plant! were grown on with¬ 
out stopping, and the first bud was taken.— Abnun. 
[Fur another note upon this matter see p. 410.— 
Ed ] 
Primulas in Small Pots —It seems to be the 
general idea that Chinese Primulas require a 48 or 
32-sized pot to do them well, but I have a splendid 
batch of plants full of flower that are only in small 
6o’s. It was originally intended that they should 
have a further shift, but owing 1 1 pressure of other 
business at the time this was omitted, until it got too 
far in the season to disturb them. According’y they 
were left, and now I am glad that they were, for 
they are, at the time of writing, perfect pictures of 
bloom. I shall certainly grow some more in small 
pots during the coming season —J. L. R. 
