72 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 30, lb99. 
Hints for Amateurs. 
Desirable Characteristics of a Garden —New 
gardens are a'ways being made. Old ones are often 
renewed. The best planned gardens cannot say 
they are complete. Where planning and alterations 
are contemplated or desirable now is the time to be¬ 
gin. It may be only a small suburban garden of one 
or two acres. Whichever area, the same character¬ 
istics hold good. Security is the first consideration. 
Where would be the policy in making a rich garden 
into which any knavish rogue could wander ? More 
than this, we wish to be private. We do not like 
folks to disturb our dwellings. They are the sana- 
toriums for peace and love, where we join in family 
ties, wife and family, to make a circle of trust. 
Why, then, should the outdoor domain not be like¬ 
wise all our own ? Such ideas may be selfish, and 
yet from my point of view I cannot quite see that 
they are I take it, theD, that privacy is one con¬ 
sideration. We lock our doors. Why? Because 
there is sin in the world ; we cannot trust those not 
known to us. It is not pleasant to think so, but 
that’s the case as it stands. 
Then healthfulness This, indeed, should have 
been put in the first position. What is beauty, 
variety, pleasantries, and riches without health ? 
Why, health is the sum of all these. Therefore, 
look to the soil, subsoil, elevation, and environment. 
A dry soil is safe. A well raised position and free¬ 
dom around one are other two items. If the soil is 
damp or inclined that way, drain it. Shelter also 
preserves heat. Hedges are a means toward this. 
So also are wal ; s, &c. It should always be looked 
to that the north and east winds are warded off. By 
having an elevated site the air is purer and drier. 
Most of our human complaints originate from chills 
and from colds. It will thus be seen that to guard 
our breathing organs—the lungs and throat—we are 
probably avertiog trouble. We are told that " Fate 
is fa’e,” and “ What's for us won’t go past us.” All 
the same, do not tempt fate. Uphold the maxim of 
“Man, mind thyself.” In this case you do not break 
an opposing law. 
Beauty and utility combat for the third and fourth 
places in significance. According to one’s circum¬ 
stances will the one or other take precedence. Both, 
however, have to be considered. The effect of 
beauty on our minds and principles should not be 
forgotten. The perfection of beauty when looked 
upon makes one mentally beautiful for the time being, 
at least I think so. Beauty is of various sorts, but 
it all tends toward refinement “ As a man eats, so 
is he,” has often been quoted. We might quite as 
truly say (in the present sense) ‘‘As a man sees, so 
is he.” Shirley Hibberd long ago wrote in The 
Family Friend on how to unite udlity with beauty, 
and vice versa. He advocated that even our kitchen 
gardens and their crops could be made quite like a 
pleasure garden, where flowers and shrubs alone are 
grown. This, though, is not easily upheld. 
We must also have variety if we would properly and 
lastingly eDjoy our gardens. Where the surrounding 
scenery is varied less attention need be given to this 
point. Yet if we are secluded we must have eternal 
variations. The words which our Editor applied 
when writing of Orchids in one of his leaders some 
time ago may well be applied broadly to the garden 
at large. He asked “ What was there more enjoy¬ 
able than those collections which contain the 
greatest variety in a given space ? ” “ Half the de¬ 
light in flower culture consists in the freshness and 
novelty with which the plants appeal to the owner 
as they come into bloom year after year, and this 
can only be secured by the presence of many species 
and varieties.” So with variety of trees, shrubs, 
and plants, as well as garden conformation. 
Autumn Growth,— To continue to stimulate 
plants in any unnecessary way after this time of year 
means the reduction of energy during next spring. 
Many people seem to think that the longer they can 
keep their plants'growing on, the better. It stands 
something like this. During the proper season the 
leaves, shoots, and all else are growing, accumulating 
and building up all for a purpose and with good 
results. The leaves and roots glean nourishment 
and the latter elaborate it. This goes to build up 
structure and make a strong plant. But go further. 
Growth after the middle of September, what does it 
amount to i This, that a certain quantity of foliage 
(of deciduous plants more especially) must be made 
and at the expense of existing matter in the older 
leaves, and before this fresh foliage can have gained 
sufficient strength to work for the general benefit of 
the plant, frost may come and destroy it, and at any 
rate the growth becomes quiescent and these leaves 
have to fall without having made any return. To 
avoid such losses we have to resort to pinching. The 
point of a shoot is taken away. The leaves stiil con¬ 
tinue to do their work with the result that the por¬ 
tion of the shoot which we left becomes plump, firm 
and ripe. By lack of pinching or from continuing to 
stimulate at an advanced period the deposited 
matter in the stems has not the same chance to pro¬ 
duce its changes. Heaths, Epacris, Acacias and 
fruit trees are particularly benefited from the pinch¬ 
ing practice. It has been also thought that the 
autumn growth promotes the increased extension of 
young roots; but this is not so. Given a warm soil 
the roots will grow quite independently of the leaves. 
Of course, the falling of the leaf by its having 
returned all its store of nutriment, does increase or 
give a stimulus to the production of young rootlets. 
Dutch bulbs, however, are good examples of the 
power which plants of that nature possess for mak¬ 
ing roots without the presence of foliage. 
Stoking. — Since the weather has changed and be¬ 
come colder, the fires are once more in active opera¬ 
tion. Clean, bright fires will keep up a force of heat 
quite as effectively as a large body of live fire. The 
regulating of the dampers demands constant atten¬ 
tion. Start the fire in the morning by giving it a 
thorough rake out and allow a full flow of draught. 
Once the “ roar ’’ of fuel being consumed is evidenced, 
the dampers can be let down to a proper extent, so 
that the fire or fires burn freely while yet econo¬ 
mising the heat. Gas coke or anthracite coal are 
capital kinds of heating materials. 
Edgings.—A garden with patchy or irregular 
edgings to its walks is not half so pleasant or com¬ 
fortable as one with margins well cared for. How 
much handsomer and more complete-like, is a 
kitchen garden, for instance, in spring-time after the 
edges of all the alleys have been squared off and 
neatly trimmed. So with all the other parts. Live 
edgings are probably the best from a ' garden ” point 
of view. They are all the same apt to die out in 
places, and do not stand much rough usage. An 
edge of grass i ft. broad, if neatly kept and attended 
to otherwise, is suitable for flat, wide, open gardens. 
Box edges are not always a success. Whether it is 
the fault of the planter or of soil or position, or the 
variety used, cannot always satisfactorily be ex- 
explained. Where Box has been doing well and 
needs to be renewed, the operation can be done 
throughout the present and next month, or in March. 
Pieces of the old plants, with a few roots attached, 
may be broken off and planted. The tops and sides 
of these should be trimmed evenly. When planting, 
let the ground be deeply dug, but it need not be 
enriched unless it is very poor. Then having made 
the surface even and straight, stretch a line in posi¬ 
tion and make a straight down clean cut, to form a 
trench 4 in. or 6 in. deep. Place the plants closely 
and evenly straight against the back of this little 
trench, pushing in enough of the soil during the 
operation to keep them at their proper height and 
distance. Then fill in all the soil later on, and make 
it very firm. If the ground is of a heavy nature, it 
will assist the production of new roots from the 
plants if you spread along a quantity of prepared 
light soil for giving direct root-hold to the plants. 
Euonymus radicans variegatus may also be used for 
rougher and broader edgings. The dwarf blue Peri¬ 
winkle (Vinca minor) is another suitable plant for 
rough edging purposes, while for kitchen garden 
edges, we can use Parsley and many of the dwarf 
herbs. These, however, are ODly temporary For 
kitchen gardens and as a margin for all borders run¬ 
ning by walls and dwellings (where lawDs do not 
come into consideration), tiles, stones or bricks are 
far the best. It stands to reason that where wheel¬ 
barrows are much used, or where pedestrianism is 
frequent, the edges to walks should be solid. 
Present Work.—Now that vegetation has stopped 
growth, or nearly so, the work resolves itself into 
cleaning up, sweeping, preparing odd corners for 
digging or planting, and so on. Plans will have to 
be laid for any alterations in the gardens, and these 
should be properly thought out. One cannot be too 
careful with these things, because the result is in a 
way permanent, and alterations, if at all extensive, 
are costly. The housing of plants is work which 
now demands some time. Where much stock is out 
and only a limited space is at command, it becomes 
a matter of thought how to arrange the plants as 
effectively and with as little waste of space as need 
be.— Beacon. 
- - ■ Qcn-— 
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. 
Destruction of Ants. — A. Mottram, Manchester : 
We have sometimes found these to become so 
numerous that depopulating was a necessity. Wash 
your plants, and the pots they are growing in, and 
make the surroundings clean. You will find slight 
syringings with Richard’sXL ALL liquid insecticide 
a capital and sure exterminator. Soft soap and 
paraffin in weak quantities, properly mixed and 
applied is also a very certain remedy. 
“What is the Calyx?”— Reader : It may be de¬ 
fined as the outermost circle of sepals, sometimes 
termed “ petals ” or ‘ cup,” surrounding the petals. 
In the Poppy family the calyx may be seen splitting 
from the base and being thrown off as the petals 
begin to expand. Again in the Fuchsia the outer 
circle of sepals, usually regarded, of course, as petals, 
because they are coloured, is the calyx. In the 
Winter Cherry (Physalis Alkekengi) the calyx is 
accrescent,that is, it continues to grow after the petals 
wither, and it forms a striking feature of the plant. 
In many of the composites (Dandelion, Thistle, &c.), 
the sepals forming the calyx are abnormally pro¬ 
longed, and form what are termed a pappus or hairy 
parachute. Indeed, the calyx is quite a study, and 
is a very important item in the structural botany. 
Its chief uses are to protect the inner ‘‘essential’’ 
organs, and to give strength and steadiness to the 
flower. 
Seed Sowing.—if. ; The seeds of Antirrbiaums 
are not too late if sown at once. Choose the 
warmest border you have. If your land is not very 
light or is apt to become cold and remain so, then 
leave off sowing until springtime. 
Culture of Freesias .—George Wallace, Stow : Get 
good strong bulbs, or we presume jou have them 
already, and pot up some half a dozen or eight into 
a 5-in. pot. Use a rich, light compost, one composed 
of two parts of fibry loam, one and a-half of dry 
cow manure and the rest of leaf mould and sand. 
Mix these thoroughly, and after crocking the post 
well, half fill them with the soil, then place in the 
bulbs. Cover these over and make the soil fairly 
firm. Put them in a frame and plunge or bury 
them in cocoanut fibre leaving them there till they 
shoot out. They are much benefited by feeding 
although some writers say no. Give them cool or 
fairly cool conditions. Do not give too much liquid 
manure else there is a danger of making the sod 
sour. 
Ficus elastica— Nemo: You can shoiten your 
plant by taking off a few leaves around the point 
where you would have the roots to be. Then make 
a horizontal cut half through at a joint, and upwards 
for A in. or J in. Then either place a moderately 
firm layer of moss around this notched part (always 
making sure that the notch is kept open, for which 
purpose a small chip of wood will suit), binding it on 
and keeping it damp. Or the better (because safer) 
plan would be to place two equal sides of a split 
4-in. pot around the stem, and press within the pot 
a sufficiency of light soil. The pot should be kept 
in position by stakes which must be pressed down 
on either side. The part of the stem which is 
notched should be firm, but not too woody. 
Showy Spring Plants.— Decorator : The following 
list of clothing planting, that is, plants which hang 
or spread over rockwork and walls, are : Aubrietia 
graeca, A. Leichtlini, A. deltoidea, Arabis alpinus, 
Viola cornuta, Pinks, dwarf or Alpine Phloxes, 
Alyssum saxatile, Iberis sempervirens, Adonis'ver- 
nalis, and other things. Most of these flower’dur- 
ing the period you mention. 
