640 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 1, 1901 
for jggiiiateilrs. 
ODD JOBS. 
There are so many things that require attention 
now that if a person is not a professional gardener 
and has had many years' practical experience, he is 
apt to neglect or overlook many apparently minor 
details which have a disastrous effect before the 
season is far advanced. I intend this week to point 
out to readers a few details that must on no account 
be neglected, if they are ambitious of becoming 
successful plant cultivators. It is a difficult matter 
to give a definite time when to plaDt out the various 
subjects, for what would be the right time for a man 
in Kent or Cornwall would not be the right time for 
a man in North Britain to plant out his stock. The 
only safe guide is the common sense of the cultiva¬ 
tor. If a neighbour in the next garden, or the next 
town, finds it safe to entrust his tender plaats to the 
open ground it does not follow that your plants may 
also be put out. His may be a sheltered garden, 
protected from cold winds and late frosts, while yours 
may be exposed to all weathers. Or his plants may 
have been hardened off more than yours have, and 
thus enabled to fight against adverse conditions. 
Seeds.—Many of the annuals are now above 
ground and require constant watching to see that 
they do not suffer from anything. One of the 
troubles most likely to be found is a common one in 
large and small establishments alike—overcrowding. 
On no account must this be allowed, for the consti¬ 
tution of the plants is so impaired that they do not 
recover their vigour throughout the whole season, 
and consequently produce miserably inferior flowers. 
Plants in the seed bed should each one have plenty 
of room, and not be covered and crushed by its 
neighbours. Nature should be copied, her method 
is different to ours, she does not as a rule sow her 
seeds in groups but has numerous interesting ways of 
seed dispersal. Notice the Dandelion and all the 
composite family, which have a parachute arrange¬ 
ment for the dispersal of their seed, which carries 
them in all directions, seldom depositing two in 
close proximity. Some have hooked appliances 
which attach them to passing objects; others have 
the seed case made of an indigestible substance and 
are thus distributed by animals and birds. The care 
bestowed by Nature on the dispersal of seeds to pre¬ 
vent crowding would take a whole book to describe 
it. When seeds are crowded in the seed bed there 
is a tremendous struggle going on between them, 
which eventually ends in the survival of the fittest. 
The weak ones are crowded out and the stronger 
ones take their place. But if this struggle had been 
prevented by removing the undesirables, the energy 
expended by the survivors would have been saved 
and used in building up a strong plant, with a con¬ 
stitution able to fight against unfavourable weather, 
diseases, etc. The plants that are thinned out need 
not necessarily be destroyed but may be transplanted. 
Seeds sown in boxes generally suffer more than those 
in the open ground. 
Watering.—This is required now in most gardens, 
especially the ground where seedlings are growing, 
for they have not a great length of roots, and quickly 
begin to suffer, as the surface soil soon becomes dry 
when acted on by wind and sun combined, and they 
cannot reach the moisture which lies deeper. 
Rockery plants also are very apt to suffer from 
drought owing to the water quickly draining away 
from them. Larger plants should not require water¬ 
ing yet, unless they are situated in a very dry position. 
Fruit trees, etc., growing on walls should be watched 
to see that they do not suffer from drought, or 
disease will be the result, and the fruit will drop. 
By watering, I mean giving a sufficient supply to 
moisten the whole of the soil round the roots, not 
merely sprinkling the surface, which is a very 
common mistake with the amateur and one I have 
mentioned several times before. Do not flood them, 
that is the other extreme, but go over them several 
times, thus allowing it to soak down gradually. 
Wherever the surface soil is found to be caked it 
should be carefully broken up, either with a piece 
of stick or a small fork. 
Lawns. — These must be attended to carefully and 
all weeds removed, including Daisies, as they spoil 
the turf, and if allowed to stay multiply to an alarm¬ 
ing extent and become difficult to eradicate. A very 
common weed in lawns as in other parts of the 
garden is the grass, Poa annua. Worms are often 
very troublesome. They may be destroyed by 
occasional waterings with lime-water, which is made 
by thoroughly mixing lime with water, allowing it to 
settle, and using the clear water through a can rose. 
This will soon bring them to the surface, when they 
can be collected. Keep the edges frequently clipped 
or they soon get out of shape and do not look neat 
when they are done. If the grass is thin in any place 
it should be made up by sprinkling it with a few 
lawn seeds and sifting a little fine soil over them 
which must be kept moist. 
Creepers.—With the advent of warm weather 
these are all ramping now, where supplied with suit¬ 
able conditions. Keep the training and tying well 
in hand, for if allowed to go for a few weeks without 
attention they are soon in a hopeless tangle, and it is 
impossible to separate them without doing consider¬ 
able damage. If any are found to be throwing up a 
sappy growth which is robbing the others, it should 
be either removed entirely or cut back to allow the 
others a chance to develop. Roses are more liable 
to this habit, I think, than all the other climbers. It 
is useless to expect these sappy growths to produce 
bloom for they do not ripen properly. Excess of 
manure is very often the cause. This should be 
taken into consideration in the winter when the 
ground is dug. 
Dahlias.—In warm sheltered positions these may 
be safely planted out now into rich soil. Slugs, &c., 
are very partial to the young shoots of Dahlias, and 
earwigs evince a special liking for the young flower 
buds. The former may be kept at bay by a circle of 
soot and lime round the base of the stem, and the 
earwigs may be trapped in flower pots containing a 
wisp of hay. Care must be exercised when staking 
them, as the shoots are very brittle, and have a ten¬ 
dency to snap when only slightly bent. When the 
plant has made about i ft of growth it should have 
the point carefully taken out to induce it to branch 
and form a compact specimen. They require a 
sunny position with plenty of moisture at the root, 
and a free circulation of air round the plant. On no 
account should they be crowded or they will run up, 
straggling and unsightly plants, and produce a very 
scanty supply of bloom. 
Fruit Trees.—Fruit trees of all descriptions are 
very liable at this season to suffer from the attacks 
of various insects, especially green fly. Wherever it 
is noticed the part should either be sprinkled with 
tobacco powder or thoroughly sprayed with a solu¬ 
tion such as soft soap and quassia, or by a patent 
insecticide. They always attack the leaves at the 
extremity of young shoots, and if allowed to con¬ 
gregate to any extent they soon disfigure the shoot 
and prevent its further development. Mildew fre¬ 
quently makes its appearance also. This may often 
be caused through over-crowding the foliage. When 
this is the cause the remedy is obvious. It may be 
checked by flowers of sulphur, but it is useless em¬ 
ploying this unless the cause is removed. 
Bedding.—The amateur often shares with the 
careless professional the mortification of finding he 
has not. sufficient plants to complete an effect he is 
trying to produce. To prevent this awkward 
occurrence the stock of plants at your disposal should 
be carefully enumerated, and then divided out in the 
imagination with the aid of a piece of paper into the 
various beds to be filled. If this is carefully calcu¬ 
lated there will be none of the regrets of a deficiency 
or a large surplus, and nowhere to put them. 
Walks.—If the garden walks are composed of 
gravel they soon get rough in dry weather if there 
is much traffic over them. They should receive 
occasional waterings, followed by a thorough rolling 
to keep them firm. Whenever rain falls so that 
they are well soaked it is advisable to give them a 
good rolling. It is a mistake to hurry when using 
the roller, for if done in that way it does not have so 
good an effect as when slowly pressed. An occa¬ 
sional dressing of weed-destroyer will prevent 
weeds from growing, which is much better than kill¬ 
ing them. It requires careful handling, or a great 
deal of damage is soon done. It should not be 
allowed to run into the gutters, as it is liable to soak 
into the border or lawn.— Hortus. 
-- 
Grape Fruit (Citrus decumana) is served in many 
hotels in the United States, as a substitute for 
oysters as the first course. 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed 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' Pace " on the top of their letters. 
The Tobacco Plant.— Garden : Yes, this may be 
planted out in the open now if the weather is favour¬ 
able and the position sheltered. For making a strik¬ 
ing feature on a warm border, or in a sunny bed on 
the lawn, there is nothing better for either amateur 
or professional work. The flowers are delightfully 
scented and produced freely throughout the sum¬ 
mer. They must be allowed plenty of room, as they 
are very vigorous growers if provided with a rich 
soil and plenty of sunshine. Under good treatment 
they often reach the height of 5 ft. It is best to try 
young plants from a nurseryman, as they are trouble¬ 
some to raise from seed unless plenty of heat is 
available. Its proper name is Nicotiana affinis. 
Maize.— Alpha : The Indian Corn is easy to culti¬ 
vate, and grows as easily as any other plants we 
know of that are used for bedding purposes. The 
beautifully variegated variety makes handsome 
plants even when quite small. They are best raised 
in pots in the spring and planted out now in a light 
position. They like a sandy soil, but not by any 
means a poor one. 
Arabis lucida aurea variegata — We have 
received the following reply from T R. re Ulsta's 
article on this plant in a recent issue. •• Please 
thank your correspondent for his generous offer. 
. . . . I have a stock of the plant, but find that, 
although beautiful, it is a very slow grower. . . . 
Although not accepting his kind offer, I do not fail 
to appreciate the motive which prompted it.” 
Dielytra spectabilis.— F. C.: This old-fashioned 
plant is best propagated by means of cuttings taken 
in June and struck in a warm house or frame. It 
does not like coddling when well established. If 
grown indoors nothing suits it better than a cool, 
airy greenhouse or conservatory. It may be had in 
bloom early in the seasoa by gentle forcing. 
Manures. — Inquiry : We cannot undertake to 
advise you as to what patent manures you should 
use, but a look down the advertisement columns of 
The Gardening World will supply you with much 
information, as several firms issue pamphlets regard¬ 
ing their manures and how they should be used. 
Dwarf Campanulas.— Rockery : They are generally 
propagated by division, either early in the spring or 
after they have finished flowering. After they are 
transplanted they require frequent attention as to 
water, &c , or they will go off. 
China Asters.— S .: These are not so old to Eng¬ 
lish cultivation as you think ; they were introduced 
into England ia 1830 under the name of Callis- 
temma. Since then, by the work of the florists, 
over thirty classes have been evolved by crossing 
and selection. 
Rhubarb . — Cook : You do not say where your bed 
is, but presumably you have constantly drawn from 
the bed until the soil has become exhausted. It is 
a common plan to have the Rhubarb in some out of 
the way corner and leave it to itself as regards 
cultivation. As it frees itself from weeds by its 
smothering habit, it is well able to take care of 
itself if left entirely alone, but when robbed of much 
of its growth year after year, instead of the leaves 
and stalks decaying and returning the ingredients to 
the soil from which they have drawn them, they are 
taken to the kitchen and no manure returned in 
their place. What we should advise you to do is, 
wait until the autumn, then lift the plants and well 
trench and manure ihe ground, or change their 
position altogether. Stable manure, if well 
decayed, is an admirable substance for enriching the 
ground for Rhubarb. If the position is a dry one 
the stalks will also be tough ; when this is the case 
the remedy recommends itself. 
Shirley Poppies.— Border : For making a brilliant 
and varied patch of colour they are unrivalled. 
They may be sown broadcast, and if the piece of 
ground is given up to them they will seed them¬ 
selves and come up thickly every year. 
