181 
the gardening world 
November 17, 1900. 
'iNTS FOR UmATEURS. 
Tidying the Garden. — With frequent winds and 
rains it may seem useless to endeavour to keep a 
bright and clean face on the garden. But by taking 
advantage of the good weather, while we have it, the 
leaves, the dying and drooping plants that are to be 
found all around, can be disposed of, and though the 
garden becomes shorn of its attractions there is yet 
nothing unpleasant in the aspect as presented. The 
emptiness is a natural result of the season, but so far 
as possible even the emptiness should furnish a 
certain measure of satisfaction. Ground must be 
rested like everything else, so that there is utility 
even in this. The garden can be as smart and clean 
in the duller months as in the bright, warm days of 
June, July, or August. Ground bearing spent crops 
should be cleared, either by burning the crops or 
by carting them off elsewhere. Such land need not 
be dug at once, but should be surface-cleaned. If 
light land was manured and dug at so early a date 
without having a crop to nourish, the supposition is 
that much of the fatness gets washed out of the soil 
before springtime. Oa the other hand, heavy soils 
are drier when left undug. As a rule they are 
always damp, or wet enough, so that really the non¬ 
digging is a feature of scientific practice. But on 
these lines we need not reason far ; and on this 
question of keeping the ground clean the bearings 
are limited, because, unless for a brake here and 
there which is being allowed to rest, most of the land 
will be occupied. Kales, Spinach, Parsley, Cab¬ 
bages, or Broccoli are suitable vegetable crops for 
winter, and these are now occupying parts of the 
garden. In light soils the green manuring is 
generally a recommendable practice, though on the 
whole it is best to apply manure and decomposed 
vegetable mould direct to such land. Where crops 
have been diseased these should be burned. 
Lily of the Valley.— Though the beautiful flowers 
of this little plant can be had throughout all the 
season, yet the old forcing practice is most largely in 
vogue at this time of year for Christmas, and again 
for Easter. Secure stout crowns and place them in 
leaf-mould and light soil in boxes, or in- pois, for 
forcing them in a dark, warm pit. When the flower 
stems have appeared nearly their full leDgth inure 
the plants then to the full light in order to deepen 
the colour of the leaves and to strengthen the stems 
I have read of Lily of the Valley having been 
successfully grown for forcing in coke-breeze. Forced 
crowns are of little worth for any further supply in 
succeeding years, even when they are well cared for. 
As a matter of fact market men cut the stems off 
above the root, and throw the then useless root 
away. 
Border plants may be divided and rearranged at 
this time. The smaller plants can better be shifted 
in the spring when the bulbs are through the ground, 
at which time the borders are pointed over and 
smartened up a bit. 
Tulips.— A great many Tulips are planted in the 
beds during the early part of November. They 
always do much better in soil that is deep and which 
has been properly dug at an earlier period. The 
matter of manuring is not so important, although a 
fairly rich soil is much enjoyed by these bulbs. It 
is not advisable to put in any manure at the time of 
planting. The only time manuring should be done 
is when the ground is being dug. The surface soil 
can be dressed over with fibre or even leaf-mould. 
This will protect the bulbs and keep the soil at a 
more even temperature. Plant the Tulips 4 in. deep, 
placing some sand below each one while doing so. 
After filling in the soil press it moderately firm 
and leave the surface even, but do not make it so 
smooth that it glazes. The bulbs should be in lines 
9 in. apart, and about 6 in. between the plants in the 
row. 
Narcissi.—In all respects the Narcissi or Daffodils 
should be treated in the same manner as the Tulips, 
only that they require slightly more space 
than the Tulips. Spanish and English Irises, Ir.s 
reticulata, &c., should be at once planted, chcosiDg 
the sunniest spot and the lighest and richest soil in 
the garden. 
Fruit Tree Planting -Comparatively speaking 
very few amateur gardeners plant fruit trees, not¬ 
withstanding the fact that they are ornamental as 
well as very useful. There are reasons for what may 
be termed this rather unwise abstinence. Some 
think that fruit trees and their ultimate upkeep are 
too costly: others imagine that they require more 
than ordinary skill to enable fruitful plants to be 
growD, or they may never have thought of going so 
far into gardening as to become fruit growers within 
their own domain. The cost for a nice young wall 
tree to cover 12 sq. ft. or thereabout is hardly ever 
more than 3s. or 3s. <8j., and good trees can be had 
at this price. Then the culture to obtain fruits de¬ 
mands only attention and common-sense treatment. 
In the first case, buy good trees from a reputable 
nurseryman. It is always worth a little extra money 
to send even to a distance for the best class of stock, 
for then you may expect fruits from the start, and 
besides the saving in time one is having a model 
always in front of him from which to learn. A 
fruitful tree is easy to keep fruitful, but a barren 
tree requires much time, work, and patience before 
it becomes productive. 
In the majority of amateurs’ and cottagers' gar¬ 
dens low walls exist. All of these I should like to 
see supporting fruit trees. Cordon trees, that is, 
trees tiained to a single stem without having 
branches, are always favourites with me for cover¬ 
ing such low walls as I speak of. At the same time 
the fan-shaped Apple, Pear, or Plum trees do ex¬ 
ceedingly well, and are easy to keep in order. The 
great point to attend to after having properly planted 
the trees is the pruning of them. Not amateurs 
alone but men who have spent their lives as gar¬ 
deners very frequently allow their trees to " run 
away,’’ making long shoots, which are nailed in, in¬ 
stead of being shortened back, with the result that 
in eight or a dozen years the centres are without a 
single piece of young growth or fruit bud. It may be 
taken as a general rule that young fan or horizontally- 
trained trees of the kinds referred to should have 
their shoots shortened back at least one-third their 
length so soon as they are planted. To be cut back 
to half-length would be often better than one-third. 
But unless there are one or two good buds below 
where the shoot has been shortened to the pruning 
will have been purposeless. The idea is to give in¬ 
creased strength and vigour to the shoots which 
these back buds will develop. The shape of the 
tree must also be kept before the eye of the opera¬ 
tor. The tips of the radiating branches should form 
a half-circle. When the young shoots start in spring 
it is good to remove the weakest where a number 
are growing at any one part of the branch or 
branches. 
Pinching and removing crowded buds is just a 
system ot pruning, and has ihe advantage over 
knife pruning in this that it prevents the develop¬ 
ment of wcodgrowth, which has only to be cut 
away as unnecessary at a later period in the year. 
Pinching and removing superfluous growths t allows 
full air, sunshine, and dews to have their great and 
good effect upon the shoots that are left, and it also 
throws the sap and strength which the superfluous 
shools would draw up into the chosen ones. Goose¬ 
berries, Currants, and Cherries are very profitable 
crops for the walls of small gardens. More particu¬ 
lar details on this subject will be continued in next 
week's “ Hints.”— Beacon. 
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. 
Greenhouse Climbers.— R. Upton. Plumbago 
capensis will be found to succeed best if planted 
any time during the next three months. This rule 
holds good in the case of all similar greenhouse 
climbing or pillar plants. Growth during this 
period is inactive or almost so. Planting, therefore, 
does not check either the roots or the shoots. In all 
cases give careful attention to the preparation of the 
drainage. The soil in which the plants are to grow 
should be of a quality to suit their needs. As a rule 
a rather heavy loam can be safely used for all 
climbers If the loam is so adhesive and close that it 
never crumbles or breaks to pieces, it is then too 
heavy. Such « quality of loam would require more 
than its own bulk of light, fibrous old-potting soil or 
leaf mould, road scrapings and sand. A dash of 
moderately coarse mortar rubble is also commend¬ 
able when preparing a soil for greenhouse climbers. 
Lapagerias like a firm soil having about a quarter 
part of peat and some charcoal incorporated. 
Fuchsias make splendid subjects for the rafters. 
They enjoy alight, rich soil, and require to be fed 
frequently with manurial waterings. Tacsonias, 
Passifloras, Clematis indivisa and Solanum jasmin- 
oides, are all quite suitable for yourself or any other 
amateur. They grow with a modicum of care and 
do not call for either elaborate houses nor exacting 
conveniences. It is advisable to confine the roots of 
all of these, and they will flower more freely. Do 
not cramp the roots, however, to start with. Loni- 
cera sempervirens, or Trumpet Honeysuckle, can be 
had in flower from September till mid-winter. 
Tibouchina macrantha, with violet-blue flowers; 
Manettia bicolor, with rouge and orange tipped 
tubular blossoms ; various Abutilons, Maurandya 
scandens; with rose-pink flowers, and for pillars 
rather than the roof, Streptosolen Jamesoni. The 
latter can always be got to grow well enough, but 
it is sometimes hard to make flower. 
Schizanthus for Spring.—It was recommended 
to make a sowing of these lovely annual plants a 
few weeks back ; where this was done the pots will 
now contain a number of seedlings. If need be, thin 
them out a little. Keep them growing steadily in 
a cool greenhouse. They will require one shift, 
from the 3-in. seedling pots to a 5-in. or 6-in. pot. 
The potting should be done firmly. After a while 
three or four stakes will be necessary to support the 
plants. If very dwarf specimens are desired for the 
edge of the conservatory stage, the plants may be 
pinched to keep them dwarf. They need not be 
shifted into the larger sized pots. It is advisable to 
keep them near the glass. 
Forcing Snowdrops.— Xmas : One of the most 
important points to remember in the forcing of 
spring flowering bulbs is their need for good light. 
You may subject the Saowdrops to a stove tempera¬ 
ture. but unless they are placed within half a foot 
from the glass they will make little or no progress. 
The glass or its effects, draws them up. When they 
have started growth place them in an intermediate 
temperature, and finally, for extra early forcing, they 
may be placed in a house with a temperature of 65° 
minimum, to 70" or more as a maximum. 
Puddling a Pond.— Skater ; For your present 
purpose the pond will not require to be very deep. 
Of course if you wish to use it for boating and for 
other purposes 2 ft. depth may be allowed. The best 
puddling clay is not always easy to get. It is of a 
slate-blue colour, is heavy, greasy and very adhesive. 
But ordinary plastic red or brown clay to be found 
in strata close by sapdst me formations is quite suit¬ 
able. It should be worked up with a quantity of 
water which you may judge necessary. The pudd¬ 
ling itself simply means the spreading otr of a layer 
of this mud, over the sides and surface of the exca¬ 
vated portion which has been planned for the pond 
or lake. Make the clay close and even by working it 
with a scraper-like tool. The thickness of the layer 
entirely depends on the convenience for getting the 
clay and the quality of it. An adhesive clay will 
only need a thin layer, but a more permeable quality 
may be spread over to the depth of half a foot or 
more. 
Rats in the Garden.— D. Stuart : Rats are often 
to be found burrowed in the vegetable quarters, 
especially in ground where Peas and Beans have 
been grown. Having cleared the surface of the 
brake, the best means of killing out the rats is to dig 
up their burrows, commencing at the mouth. A 
number of persons with sticks can generally kill the 
whole family. Mice can be smothered by placing 
soot In the holes. 
Planting Orchard Trees in light soil.— Fred. 
Barton : When one has to deal witfi such soils as 
yours seems to be, the only, or at least the best plan, 
is to line the bottom of the holes with clay. Such 
gravelly and sandy soils will never support good 
orchard trees, and if you can possibly afford it at all, 
try also to obtain fresh loam. A little of the light 
soil mixed with the loam might be an advantage. 
Take out an opening 3 ft. deep and 4 ft. wide, and 
having secured clay proceed to give the bottom a 
lining. Over the clay should be furnished a stratum 
of the loam to the depth of about a foot, when the 
tree may be planted and mulched. 
