40 
THE GARDENING WORLD September 16, 1899. 
TOTS FOR ||MATEURS. 
The Culture of Nerines.—The flowering season for 
the majority of these beautiful Cape bulbous plants 
is just approaching. No class of plants are finer in 
their season, and their culture is simple enough for 
anyone to try them. At the end of November, when 
the flowers are practically gone, till the time when 
the foliage begins to die off, say in March and April, 
give them very liberal treatment. They grow actively 
after flowering if they are placed in a house with a 
temperature of 55 0 as a minimum, and up to so much 
as 85°, with sun heat. In any case maintain a tem¬ 
perature ranging between 55 0 and 6o°. During 
growth they must also receive all the light possible. 
Knowing this, the careful cultivator will give them a 
place on a shelf near the glass. Another point worthy 
of notice, is that they flower best when their roots are 
pot-bound. This of course applies to many bulbous 
members of the Amaryllideae, and the brilliance of 
the flowers is also noticeable under such conditions. 
Top-dressing, ihen, becomes the next best means of 
supplying new nourishing soil. Gently prick the 
surface soil and shake it out, to the depth of one 
inch at least. Then mix up a rich compost of loam 
and leaf-mould, some dried natural manure, with 
charcoal, and sharp sand, Firm this evenly, in place 
of the quantity which you scraped away. Leave a 
decent space for water. This top-dressing can be 
done about the beginning of August when they are 
being taken in to be started. From the time the 
foliage dies down till about August, the pots should 
be placed in some warm, sunny part, and shaded 
from heavy rains. Light showers will not have the 
effect of starting them, but it is certainly advisable 
to prevent their being soaked. The sunny baking 
and drying after the feeding and plumping up, cor¬ 
responds to their natural treatment in their original 
habitats. The Guernsey Lily (N. sarniensis) is a 
beautiful and well-known species of a pale pinky- 
salmon colour; N. flexuosa is rose and pink hued, 
and very graceful. There are, however, many tine 
species or varieties. They are propagated from 
offsets which may be treated and grown in the 
same way as established bulbs. 
Everlasting Peas. — The roots of the Everlasting 
Sweet Peas go deep down and are able to bloom far 
more freely during a dry season such as this has 
been, than the annual SweetPeas. No one, either, 
can doubt their blooming powers and richness of the 
same. But probably the strongest point of all with 
the amateur gardener who wants beautiful flowers 
without having to do much or anything to produce 
them, is the fact that they need only to be sown or 
planted once, and unless from accident or other 
cause, they do not exact any further attention, more 
than that of applying some nourishing stimula once 
a year. The more blooms that one takes from such 
plants the better, for it saves any waste of energy the 
plants might expend in the swelling up of seeds. 
The roots may be planted at the base of trees, to be 
draped around them during the summer. Or they 
may be planted by the side of a sheltering wall or 
house, for the future adornment of the spot. The 
old Lathyrus latifolius is one of my grand old garden 
favourites. L. rotundifolia is a very fine species of an 
ochre-red colour, very handsome from a distance. 
The white Everlasting Pea was much loved by an 
old friend of mine for use in making wreaths, and 
from the few plants he grew he could gather an as¬ 
tonishing amount of useful trusses. To get this 
variety true, it is necessary to propagate it by divis¬ 
ion. Indeed it is a capital plan for securing a good 
stock and getting them to start well, if all are so 
propagated. Seeds may be sown in early Spring, or 
plantings of the roots any time from the period that 
the year's growth has withered, until it begins to 
move again in Spring, They make fine]clumps after 
a year or two. 
Protection for Plants.—There are very many 
plants, shrubs, &c., which, in sheltered and favour¬ 
able places stand the average British winter without 
taking harm. They are hardy, conditionally. This 
is rather an awkward constitutional state and keeps 
the cultivator of such plants for ever in an uncer¬ 
tain mind about their future or their applicability 
for purposes desired by him. The rough sketch 
shown above depicts a simple contrivance to form a 
frame, around which any suitable protective material 
may, in a few minutes, be wrapped. The making of 
such frames resolves itself simply to the tacking of a 
few strong stakes or laths to the inner sides of two 
hoops. The lowermost hoop, as shown, is about 
twice and a half as wide as the top one. Any 
width and any height can be arranged for 
according to need. The same sort of frame can be 
used for shading purposes. Those who may wish to 
carry some half-hardy plant or shrub through the 
winter should, before frosty weather approaches, 
lay plans for getting these needful laths and hoops 
to hand. 
Present Work. —The early Chrysanthemums, 
which are at present outdoors, should be taken into 
the greenhouse directly the buds are of sufficient 
size. Sometimes with bush Chrysanthemums the 
buds are just a little bit too crowded, and have to be 
carefully thinned. It does not do, however, to take 
away any more buds than is necessary to allow the 
expansion of those remaining. Big blooms are all 
very well for men who want to capture some prizes 
at a flower show, and also in some forms of decora¬ 
tion, but the amateur would do wisely were he to 
confine his time and space to the all-useful bush 
Chrysanthemums. So much has to be found out 
about what bud to select and leave, and when to do 
it, how to time the plants to get them to throw buds 
at the proper time, &c., if the very finest blooms are 
wanted. If the amateur gardener really wants to 
specialise the Chrysanthemum for high culture 
there are any amount of books and works written by 
experts specially upon this plant. Anyone of these 
we might recommend to amateur Chrysanthemum 
lovers. 
After the bush plants have flowered, and a 
succession can be kept up till Christmas, the plants 
should be placed in some cool house with good 
light to stand until the following year's cuttings 
have been taken. The white and yellow Desgranges, 
La Verge, the old Virgin Queen, Miss Massey, and 
others can be kept for planting out in the open 
border. Everybody is now busy getting in their 
Pelargonium cuttings, their Calceolarias, Violas, &c., 
and laying plans for lifting and potting other 
tenderer plants to keep them under glass through 
the winter.— Beacon. 
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 desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
"Amateurs' Page ” on the top of their letters. 
Making Asphalfce Paths.— Jas. T. : We hope to 
have an article on the making of various kinds of 
paths in one of our issues in the near future. Take 
out a trench the width you wish your walk to te. 
Make this a foot or one and a-half feet deep. Make 
the base firm and slightly concave, then fill in to 
within 4 in. from the top with hard stones. Give a 
layer of finer stones over the surface and then lay 
about 2 in. of gravelly concrete over this, after which 
your pitch, sand, &c., may be spread over the top. 
Orange-fungus on Boses.— R. Johnstone, Perth : 
We have seen a good deal of this pestilential growth 
durirg the present summer. Pick off and prune 
away all the shoots and burn them. The following 
solution may be syringed over the bushes'.—Helle¬ 
bore root, 4 oz. per half-gallon of water and add 
half a drachm of bichloride of mercury dissolved in 
a little spirit. Add the whole to half a gallon of 
lime-water. 
Ixia Yiridflora — J. Arthur-. This is not at all a 
new species, for it was introduced so long ago as 
1780. Its colour is a most peculiar blue, reminding 
one of some gaudily dyed ribbon. Light lead-blue 
might be used to describe it. For decoration, when 
used alone, or with some erect and sharply cut white 
flower, amid Asparagus, the effect is more than 
merely charming, it is perfect. They are easily 
grown in the same way as for Freesias. 
Shelter Plant.— J. Earnock : Thuiopsis Borealis is 
a very suitable plant for this purpose. You can trim 
it in without any harm accruing. This should be 
done during the present month. This Conifer (also 
known, and properly, as Cupressus nootketensis) 
makes a good hedge plant. 
Making Tobacco.— S.R. : We do not recommend 
you to try it. Some twenty or more years ago it was 
tried on all the approved principles known, but the 
manufactured article was so strong and vile that no 
one could smoke it. We have not the proper 
climate and do not know enough of the peculiar 
manurial nourishments needed, or the proper 
varieties of Nicotiana (Tobacco plant), to be able to 
produce " the weed ” in a fit state to manufacture 
for smoking. 
Paddling a Pond. — R. S., Wakefield : Yes, water 
is always a luxury, in broad expanses such as you 
picture. You must put in a deeper layer 
of the clay. Try to drain off the water this 
winter, and, after laying planks over the 
rather soft bottom, proceed to "spud” the 
clay as you line the bed. Do not let it crack before 
flooding it. This is often the reason why Reeds, 
Bullrushes, and other water-plants are so much used 
in some places. 
Cropping fruit Borders —Quiz : Try to avoid any 
tall-growing plants. We know that many, both pro¬ 
fessional and amateur, are obliged to do that which 
they know is a faulty practice. The borders for 
fruiting trees should be free for a few feet, at least, 
even for the smallest tree, and more according to 
greater size. 
Coarse Grass on Lawn. — G. S., Earlston : The 
weed sent is that of the Cock's-foot Grass (Dactylis 
glomerata). Yours may have come from seeds 
carried by the wind from neighbouring pastures or 
hay fields. We should recommend hand-weeding 
as by far the simplest and most radical method of 
dealing with this plant. It does very much dis¬ 
figure many lawns. The tall dark flower spikes, 
where it gets leave to throw them up, are rather 
handsome. 
Bouvardias — Sermon : Transfer your plants from 
the present quarters in the frames to a nice mild 
greenhouse. Some of the looser outside shoots may 
be lightly fastened with twisted matting to a stout 
little stake in the centre. They should be carefully 
looked over in case of insect attacks. Liquid 
manure may at times be given. You may cut them 
back after flowering is past. 
Climbers for End Walls of a Lean-to House.— 
0. H. : We presume that your heated house has a 
temperature similar to that of a greenhouse. If so, 
the following would grow quickly, flower freely, and 
soon cover the wallPassiflora caerulea (blue 
flowers), Tacsonia Van Volxemii (deep red), Sola- 
num jasminoides (white flowers in profusion), 
Habrothamnus elegans (rose-purple), Abutilon 
megapotamicum variegatum (yellow and red with 
variegated foliage), Clematis indivisa (white), Clian- 
thus puniceus (scarlet), Bougainvillea glabra (rose), 
Lonicera sempervirens (scarlet), Pleroma macran- 
thum (violet purple), and various others. The 
