472 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 27. 1897. 
Hints for amateurs. 
Tying down Vines. — This is an operation which 
many amateurs are afraid to tackle, not without 
reason be it said, for there is need of not a little skill 
and patience to bring it to a successful issue. Conse¬ 
quently many amateur cultivators of Grapes call in 
professional aid at this juncture. Although this is 
the safest way, however, and although we do not 
wish in any way to make it more difficult for that 
very useful invention— the jobbing gardener—to 
obtain an honest living, still there is no reason why 
even a very amateurish amateur should not be able 
to do all that is necessary, providing he goes to work 
cautiously, and, as it were, feels his way along. 
The great mistake made by most people is that of 
letting the shoots get very long and strong before 
any restraint is put upon them. Naturally enough 
these shoots grow bolt upright, and are often injured 
by contact with the glass before steps are taken to 
bring them down to their proper level. A house 
that has been let go in this way is troublesome 
enough to professional hands, much more to those of 
an amateur. Bearing in mind the fact that the 
pressure downwards upon the growths should be 
gradually exercised, the importance of taking the 
growths in time will be fully realised. As soon 
therefore as they are five or six inches in length they 
should be gently held down to the wires by a light 
strand of raffia. The latter, where it is affixed to the 
wires should be tied in a running knot, so that the 
tension may be increased or decreased according to 
requirements, and without the necessity of using a 
fresh piece of raffia each time. 
In large establishments tying-down is an operation 
that is usually seen to in the mornings, before 
breakfast, when the heat of the house is not quite so 
trying as it is later on. If the young growths are 
tied down very tightly at the first the heat of the 
sun afterwards will cause them to snap out at the 
base. Accordingly in regulating the application of 
the pressure it is not always safe to assume that 
because a shoot does not break out at first it is 
secure. Amateur cultivators, who take a turn in 
their gardens and houses in the morning before going 
to business, may well take a mental note of this, and 
proceed with due caution. 
When properly brought down the young branch 
may run parallel with the wires, and at right angles 
to the main stem. This is not a question of the first 
importance, and will not affect the fruiting qualities 
of the Vines, since not a few growers train the 
young growths so that they describe an angle of 
about 45 q with the main stem, being of opinion that 
they cover the roof area better and more equally 
when treated thus. This is a question which we may 
well leave to the operator’s own discretion. 
Boronia megastigma. — A seasonable note upon 
this charming plant may not be inopportune, taking 
into consideration ho w very high up in the list of 
greenhouse plants it comes. Some people affect to 
dislik e the scents of Hyacinths, Lilies of the Valley, 
etc., in closed rooms, saying that they are so strong 
as to be disagreeable. Possibly the same disadvan¬ 
tage may be attached to Boronia megastigma in 
some persons’ estimation, and yet it would be hard 
to find a plant possessed of a more agreeable and 
grateful perfume. The flowers themselves are not 
very showy. They are purple-maroon in colour 
externally, and yello w internally, and are produced 
in the axils of the leaves all along the ripened growths 
of the previous year. The great secret in success¬ 
fully flowering the plants is to ripen them off 
thoroughly in the latter part of the summer by free 
exposure in the open. By ripening, we do not mean 
drying off—far from it, for such a method of treat¬ 
ment would be fatal to Boronias, which like other 
fine-rooted subjects must never be allowed to get dry. 
We mean that maturing of the wood which is 
generally indicated by the turning colour, with a 
corresponding degree of firmness. Just now the 
plants will be taking a great deal of water, and may 
need looking over twice a day if the day be bright 
and dry. 
Shading the Glasshouses —The time has now 
come when it will be very necessary that the glass¬ 
houses should be shaded. Plants in flower have, of 
course, been shielded from the sun ever since the 
beginning of the month, and it is the ordinary 
collections of stove and greenhouse plants, including 
Ferns, that we refer to now. The latter are apt to 
get very yellow if exposed too much to bright sun. 
Shade may be given in too ways, i.e., by blinds, 
which may be raised or lowered at will, and as occa¬ 
sion requires, and permanent or fixed shading. 
Blinds are rather expensive, but there is no deny¬ 
ing the fact that they constitute the handiest means 
of giving the protection necessary, and at the same 
time they are infinitely better for the plants. If, 
therefore, the roof is even enough to permit them to 
work easily, we should strongly recommend their use. 
Summer Cloud Shading and other specifics of a 
similar kind are applied to the glass by means of a 
brush, and form good permanent shading. The dis¬ 
advantage of shading in this way is that it cannot be 
taken off very easily during dull weather, and in the 
case of a protracted spell of weather such as that 
which characterised the greater part of March, this 
is a matter of some consideration. For angles in the 
roof this is often the only way of excluding the sun. 
In the event of stormy weather ensuing the glass 
will require to be painted over two or three times 
during the season. 
Seed Sowing. —The time is now at hand when the 
seels of various annuals for blooming in the flower 
garden may be sown in the open air, or in pots and 
pans in cold frames. It is to be hoped, however, 
that we shall be favoured with a little dry weather 
for at the time of writing the ground is litde better 
than a swamp, and in anything but a suitable con¬ 
dition for seed sowing. 
In choosing a position for a seed bed, see that it is 
situated in a favourable position, and is sheltered 
from cold winds, but not overhung by trees. A bor¬ 
der facing south is a capital place, for as it catches 
so much of the heat of the sun, germination will be 
be rapid. Choose a dry day, and after forking over 
the proposed site for the bed, level the surface down, 
and break it up finely. Sow the seed thinly, as this 
will aimit of the plants reaching a good size before 
they are transplanted, and will also do away with 
weaklings, which are usually the result of over¬ 
crowding. 
Pricking out Seedlings. —Where Stocks, Asters, 
Golden Feather, and other bedding plants were 
sown under glass in heat at the beginning of the 
month, there will now be a rush of work in pricking 
out. The latter is a somewhat tedious, although not a 
difficult operation To perform it properly it needs 
time, and patience—particularly the latter, when the 
seedlings are small. Perhaps Golden Feather is as 
hard a subject as any to operate on, for the seed 
usually germinates very readily, and the plants have 
then to be handled when quite small. There are 
several points in “ pricking off” seedlings that have 
to be carefully attended to. The first is not to 
injure the young roots when separating them, the 
one from the other. Only a small cluster of plants 
must be taken in hand at one time. Shake the 
soil away by degrees, and take each plant 
individually, and pick it out from the others, disen¬ 
tangling its roots as you proceed. Then lay the 
seedlings out upon a flat surface from whence they 
can be easily picked up and transferred to their new 
quarters. 
The second point follows naturally upon the first, 
viz , to avoid having too many plants out of the soil 
at once, for as will readily be perceived the delicate 
rootlets would suffer from such exposure. 
The third point is one of the utmost importance, 
not to "hang” the seedlings. "Hanging” is the 
phrase used by gardeners to express the way in 
which inexperienced workmen make a big hole 
utterly out of proportion to the size of the plant that 
is to go into it, the poor plant being lodged at the 
top of the hole, and the soil pressed round it, bliss¬ 
fully oblivious of the fact that the roots have beneath 
them a void, in which they are hanging. Such roots 
are thus to all intents and purposes out of the soil, 
and soon perish, thereby greatly endangering the IFe 
of the plant to which they belong. Seedlings that 
are " hung ” rarely live, and never do well.-^ft^A'. 
-- 
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. 
Mignonette. —Please tell me how to obtain specimen 
bush plants of Mignonette for flowering next winter 
- , - 
and early spring. Also what variety would be best. 
— Daniel B. 
You may sow in 32-in. pots any time next month. 
Place the pots in a cold frame. When the plants 
make their appearance, gradually thin down to one 
plant to a pot, leaving a strong one as nearly in the 
middle as possible. During the summer keep all the 
flowers pinched out as fast as they appear, and at 
the end of August pot on into 8-in pots using a com¬ 
post of two parts of loam, one of leaf soil, and one 
of dried horse droppings with sand. Stake the 
plants out and grow on in a gentle heat, pinching all 
the flowers out until within a month of the special 
time they are required. 
Peat Moss Litter for Mushrooms. —We cannot 
buoy you up with any hopes that you will be success¬ 
ful in attempting t i grow Mushrooms in a medium 
largely composed of this, T. T. You may try cer¬ 
tainly, but it is probable that you will fail. Other 
people have tried and failed, and indeed we know of 
no single instance where the experiment has proved 
successful. Plenty of good horse droppings well 
turned and sweetened before using is the kind of stuff 
to use. 
Gloxinias — I sowed a little Gloxinia seed at the 
end of January and placed it in heat. The young 
plants have been potted off into thumb pots and are 
growing away well. Will they flower this year, and 
if so what sized pot should I give them as a last 
shift ? — Subscriber. 
The plants should commence to flower about the 
end of July. If of fair strength a small 48-sized 
pot will be amply large enough for them. We do 
not believe in over-potting. 
Back Wall of a Stove —If the corner is rather 
dark in your stove, C. Smith, possibly Ficus repens 
would be as good as anything. You may plant it as 
soon as you like, the sooner the better. Keep the 
wall well syringed twice a day. 
Forcing Lily of the Yalley. —I lifted a few clumps 
of Lily of the Valley out of the garden last autumn 
and forced them. Are they of any further use ? 
They did not flower at all freely.—C. H. Jenkins. 
We should have thought that the wastefulness of 
lifting Lily of the Valley in this manner had been 
demonstrated sufficiently to prevent anyone from 
doing it again. The next time you want- to force 
Lily of the Valley buy a few of the Berlin crowns 
(they are made in Germany it is true, but that does 
not matter) and you will find that they will give you 
more flowers with less trouble. The clumps you 
have forced will be of very good use. You may 
plant them out if you like in an odd corner. Many 
will die, but some may live. 
Aspleniam bulbiferum. — Amateur wishes to know 
whether the little growths on the fronds of Asplenium 
bulbiferum will grow, and form independent plants. 
All that has to be done to attain this end is to peg 
the fronds down on a panful of prepared soil into 
which they will root, or the most advanced of the 
bulbils may be taken off and their bases slightly 
covered with soil. 
Fuchsias. —You have been shading the Fuchsias 
too closely, Rob, or the shoots would not be so long 
and straggling as you say they are. Possibly you 
have been keeping them too warm as well, but upon 
this point you say nothing. Your best plan will be 
to pinch back fairly hard. Do not coddle, and do 
not shade too heavily. 
Ericas.— Peter J. is wanting details as to the pro¬ 
pagation of Ericas. We are afraid he may not 
obtain the success in dealing with this charmiDg 
class of plants that his courage deserves. Ericas are 
increased by cuttings composed of the points of the 
young shoots thrown up after the old plants have 
been cut back. These cuttings may usually be 
obtained in quantities towards the latter end of the 
summer. Insert them in sandy soil, cover them with 
a bell glass and place them in a cold frame. As a 
rule, however, it is only professional growers who 
have a great deal of resource and skill that obtain a 
full measure of success in this direction. 
Top-dressing Cucumbers. —You are quite right, 
F. Ames, the appearance of the roots at the sides of 
