Tftfi GARDENING WORLD 
^December 8, 1900. 
the end intended for the crown being straight and the 
other cut slantingly. Bury in sand until April, 
which is the best time for them being planted in 
their place in the garden. The ground having 
previously been well manured and dug, all that 
requires to be done now is to dibble the cuttings 
in about 15 in. apart inVows, and 2 ft. 6 in. asunder, 
placing them deeply enough to allow of 1 in. or more 
of sand or fine mould being put over each. Later on 
the plants should be disbudded, leaving only the 
strongest growth to each.— T. S. Dick, Castlemilk, 
Lockerbie. 
SMALL KITCHEN GARDENS. 
Many gardeners are often at their wit’s end to know 
how to crop their small kitchen gardens. They are 
expected to grow all kinds of vegetables without 
much ground to grow them on. I should grow 
snatch crops, that is, in the early spring, sow be¬ 
tween young Strawberries a row or two of Parsley ; 
between Peas, Spinach; between Currant trees, 
Turnips or Turnip-rooted Beet, or single rows of 
Broad Beans, pinching their tops off early to pre¬ 
vent them growing tall. Lettuce may be grown be¬ 
tween Raspberries; Radishes may be sown in a 
row on the Asparagus bed. Plant herbs in any odd 
corner. Good Horseradish may be grown by placiog 
a few barrows of soil in a heap and planting young 
pieces in it rather deep. By sowing sprouting 
Broccoli, Scotch Kale, and Welsh Kale in May they 
can be planted out between fruit trees after the 
small fruit is picked. Being small they can be 
planted .rather close together, and by the spring 
they will bring a nice lot of greens. But, of course, 
Brussels Sprouts,White Broccoli,and Savoys must be 
grown in the open ; also Onions, Carrots, Parsnips, 
and all other vegetables. In sowing let the rows 
come to the edge of the walk. One often sees in 
gardens about 1 ft. left bare, what for I do not know. 
One thing I do know is it would grow many dishes 
of good vegetables.— H. W. Lewis, The Village, Hayes, 
Kent. 
THE FADING YEAR. 
We are fast hastening on to the close of another 
year, also of a century. One is reminded on every 
side by Nature herself of the closing scenes ; tgoo 
will be remembered by young and old as one of the 
most memorable in history. To the gardener and 
farmer it has indeed been a plentiful one, as regards 
crops. To remind one of the going to rest of its 
occupants, trees and shrubs, both flowering and 
fruiting have flung off their summer garb. The 
knifesman is now busy pruning and cleaning the 
family entrusted to him. A walk through the glass 
department finds many of its occupants also going to 
rest, but where winter flowers are reared, the plant 
houses give to ns a little more summer-like appear¬ 
ance. Chrysanthemums are going past their best 
now. Varieties such as Niveus, L. Canning, 
Golden Gem, Lincoln, and Mrs. Filkins for late work 
will now be useful in the conservatory. A few Ca'las 
may be introduced with a little warmth ; also the 
sweet-scented Genista, Primulas, Araucarias and 
bulbs of sorts will help to make this department 
bright aad gay. The warm stove house can 
have such plants as Poinsettia pulcherrima, also the 
Euphorbia jacquiniaeflora, very useful for cutting. 
I have no doubt this class of plant will be in great 
demand for the house and table decoration this 
Christmas, when many of our scarlet heroes return 
to home and friends from the war in South Africa.— 
S. Jordan, Frithesden, Berkhamsted, December 3rd, 
1300. 
--■-— 
BEAUTIFULLY COLOURED BARKS IN 
WINTER. 
Perhaps the most attractive sight in the shrubberies 
and woodland, and on the banks of streams, lakes, 
&c., during winter, after the leaves have fallen, is 
the coloured barks of many of our deciduous trees 
and shrubs. They are seen to the best advantage 
when planted in beds of one thing only, most of 
which are easy to propagate, and simple to manage, 
The great secret, however, to produce the best effect 
is to cut them down close to the ground the first 
week in April. Semi-wild gardens, unsightly banks, 
&c,, when clothed with these produce an effect 
in the landscape during winter which bas 
to be seen to be realised. The more intense 
the cold the more highly coloured will be the 
wood. Irregular shaped beds and masses designed 
to suit the lie of the land are preferable to hard and 
stiff lines, especially so by the margins of lakes and 
streams. Before planting the ground should be 
thoroughly trenched, after which little labour need 
be expended on it, with the exception of making the 
beds clean and the annual pruning. All the follow¬ 
ing are quite hardy, and I know produce the most 
telling effect;—The red Dogwood, Cornus sanguinea, 
red and yellow Willow, Rubus canadensis rosea,Rosa 
alpina, Symphoricarpus racemosus, the white¬ 
washed Bramble, Rubus biflorus, Rubus phoeni- 
colasius, Spiraea Douglasii, and Rhus typhina, the 
Stag’s-horn Sumach.— A. Thatcher, Elstree. 
ROSES. 
Three excellent Roses to plant for covering walls, 
pillars, etc., are Crimson Rambler, Reve d'Or and 
L'ldeal. Taking Crimson Rambler first, this popu¬ 
lar Rose should be planted by all lovers of Roses. 
Many of our formal walks and objectionable views 
could be easily rendered attractive, by planting a 
few trees of this beautiful Rose about. I think the 
prettiest sight I ever saw was Crimson Rambler 
growing over some old stems of Spruce trees, which 
had died and been cut down and only the fine twigs 
trimmed off. These were then placed about the 
grounds with Crimson Ramblers planted round 
them, and during the summer there is a sight never 
to be forgotten. Reve d’Or is another useful and 
free-flowering Rose. This variety I consider to be 
one of the best for covering old walls and pillars if 
left to ramble at will and never pruned, as this Rose 
is best not pruned at all. In this district it is one 
of the earliest and continues to flower late in 
October. L’ldeal is a very pretty Rose for planting 
to cover walls, and is a general favourite with the 
ladies for table decorations, on account of its lovely 
colour. Large clusters of full blown flowers and 
buds of this variety are very attractive, cut with a 
long stem.— J. Botley, Blythewood Gardens, Maiden¬ 
head. 
■ * »— ■ 
THE CYCLAMEN —AS AN EARLY 
WINTER FLOWERING PLANT— 
Is a lovely and also a modest plant with its " down¬ 
cast eye.” The quaint and beautifully marked 
leaves make it a fit and proper companion for the 
" Romans ” on the front of the greenhouse stage, 
from the middie of November onwards. The 
Cylcamen may be said to be a non-forcing plant, as 
it does little good when subjected to a temperature 
of more than 6 o°. But I think winter plants are 
much finer when flowered in a temperature of 55?. 
Everyone who grows this plant knows, however 
modest it may look, it has a will of its 
own, if asked to hurry up. In the following simple 
way they can be got in by the middle of November. 
After flowering pick out the plants you want. Rest 
them for a time, but do not allow them to become 
too dry to lose their leaves, although they may 
become a little yellow. Start them into growth 
without disturbing the roots in any way. And as the 
young leaves begin to grow gradually remove the old 
ones. When the flower buds begin to appear a little 
weak manure water may be used. I find that made 
from superphosphate to act very well. It helps the 
growth of the flowers without exciting or softening 
the foliage to a noticeable extent. Remove the plants 
from frame to a greenhouse shelf early in autumn.— 
A. Dickson, The Gardens, Glenormiston, Innerleithen, 
N B., December 1st, 1900. 
--2—- 
MALMAISON CARNATIONS. 
After the plants have done flowering select all the 
short-jointed shoots and make them into cuttings, 
about 5 in. long, cutting them straight across below 
a joint with a sharp knife. Then split them up the 
centre, about t in., ard insert a piece of oyster shell 
to keep them open. Insert the cuttings in 2-in. 
pots, in rather sandy soil, and place them in a cold 
frame so that the sun cannot reach them, when 
90 per cent, will root. About September they will 
be ready for a shift into 4-in. pots, using good loam 
and leaf mould in equal proportions, with a little 
sand added. After well established, pot into 6-in. 
pots, using the soil a little heavier, adding a little 
bone meal. After this potting I pinch the centre out, 
which causes them to be dwarf and bushy. After 
they are well established in these pots, I give them 
their final shift into 8-in. pots, giving three parts 
loam, one leaf mould, with sand and a little bone 
meal. This final potting should be done about June. 
The pots should be well crocked, the plants firmly 
potted, and very carefully watered. Grow on as 
cool as possible, but allow no frost to reach them. 
Give them as much light as possible when no disease 
will bother you. You will be rewarded with a grand 
show of bloom. I prefer cuttings before layers as 
they are more sturdy and flower better.— Inquirer. 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
By the Editor. 
Orchids from Camphill Park.—About eighteen 
months ago, or thereby, Mr. James Whitton, super¬ 
intendent of parks, Glasgow, purchased an importa¬ 
tion of Odontoglossum crispum for the winter 
gardens, a fine range of glass at Camphill, Langside, 
Glasgow, to which the public bas access. The 
plants are now established and coming into bloom. 
A boxful of blooms has been sent us by Mr. W. 
Mclver, the foreman in charge of the range. Some 
of them are good varieties, and we think will make a 
fine display when the plants get strong and develop 
large spikes and flowers. The fine forms we refer to 
are those with broad, overlapping petals. The 
blooms of one are almost pure white with the excep¬ 
tion of a large, dark chestnut-red blotch, deeply 
indented at both ends. Another h3s purple spots on 
all the segments. A third flower is tinted with rose 
on the back of all the sepals, and spotted with small, 
brownish-purple markings on the middle of all the 
segments. Some of the other flowers are larger, but 
the segments are long and narrow, giving the blooms 
a starry appearance. For ordinary decoration they 
do well enough, but connoisseurs object to all 
varieties of O. crispum possessing this character. 
When thoroughly established and in vigorous growth 
the flowers of all will improve in appearance, though 
the starry flowers will retain that character. 
Accompanying the above was a large flower of 
Cymbidium tracyanum of good average quality. We 
have seen much inferior varieties in the matter of 
colour, but if the brown shading of the sepals and 
petals had been a little less pronounced, the variety 
would have taken first-class rank. The brownish- 
crimson lines and spotting are strongly and clearly 
defined, and the flowers are powerfully fragrant. 
Some sprays of Oncidium pubes were also sent. The 
flowers, though small as usual, are in this instance 
beautifully coloured. The sepals and petals are of a 
rich chestnut-red, with a clearly defined yellow base. 
NOTICE OF BOOK. 
Pictorial Practical Gardening, a Useful Manual 
for all Classes of Horticulturists, giving Concise 
Directions for the Culture and Selection of the 
Leading Flowers, Fruit, and Vegetables. By 
Walter P. Wright, Horticultural Superintendent 
under the Kent County Council. With upwards 
of 140 Illustrations. Cassell & Company, Ltd., 
London, Paris, New York, and Melbourne, 
igoo. Price is. in paper covers; is. 6d. in 
cloth. 
The title of this book of some 157 pages would 
appear to derive its significance from the numerous 
drawings, diagrams, and photographs interspersed 
throughout with the text. The different operations 
in seed sowing and the raising of plants from seed 
are also illustrated, including a seed pan that* has 
just had a pane of glass put over it as the completion 
of the process. The appearance of seedlings after 
they have been pricked off into pans, boxes, and 
frames, is also represented. The sketches are well 
calculated to give the novice a good idea at a glance 
of some of the rudimentary operations in gardening ; 
but we must take exception to an " edging bridge ” 
intended to save box edgings when wheeling manure, 
&c., on to vegetable quarters. The idea or 
design is correct enough, but the gradient is too 
steep for the gardening boy to mount at the first 
attempt. 
Some hints upon the building of rockeries are also 
illustrated, showing some of the pitfalls to be avoided 
in the use of stones. The method of preparing and 
inserting various cuttings of common garden flowers 
will also prove an eye-opener to the inexperienced 
groping in the dark without the aid and ocular 
