THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 27 , 1901 . 
*68 
Hints for Ilinateilrs. 
In the early part of the season there is not f uch 
difficulty in obtaining a supply of light and graceful 
flowers for cutting but somehow there always seems 
to be a dearth of what one might call elegant flowers 
during this and the next month. Flowers there are 
in abundance but all seem too large and luxuriant to 
grace a light vase in a drawing room or fill an 
epergne on the dinner table. This being the state 
of affairs, I intend to devote the space this week to 
a tew of the light plants that ought to be now supply¬ 
ing that class of bloom. 
Gypsophila paniculata. — These flowers are 
perhaps used more than any at this period for 
mixing with others of a heavier nature to give 
lightness to the effect. The derivation of the name 
tells what conditions they like best, it being taken 
from gypsos, lime, and philein, to love. They all 
delight in a sunny position, and a soil, if not 
naturally calcareous, well mixed with old mortar or 
other similar rubbish. They are easy to raise and 
will soon produce plants either from seeds, cuttings 
or by division. Nearly all the species are natives of 
Europe; the one under notice was introduced to 
our gardens in 1760 and soon became a great 
favourite, and still maintains a high place in the 
estimation of those who are familiar with its many 
desirable qualities. The individual flowers are very 
srrall and pure white in colour, but what makes it 
so useful is that it lasts a long time when cut, and 
when growing produces a good effect in the garden. 
It is often stated that Gypsophilas delight in a dry 
soil. Such a statement is incomplete and very mis¬ 
leading to the uninitiated as they by no means delight 
in a dry soil in the summer when they are growing ; 
it is in the winter when they are impatient of a wet 
medium round their roots. What they require in 
the wet season is a well drained piece of ground. 
Sweet Pea —Writing of the good qualities of the 
above plant naturally brings to one’s mind the Sweet 
Pea which so often makes it a companion in arrange¬ 
ments for effect on the exhibition table. At the 
present day the Sweet Pea is a flower of fashion,and 
enthusiastic growers and admirers are doing all 
that lies within their power to improve it. That 
they have been successful to a very high degree may 
be seen by a visit to a Sweet Pea exhibition, or in 
fact any good flower show. Some of the newest 
varieties are perhaps a little too expensive bu*,a few 
seeds bought one season will with careful treatment 
multiply a hundred-fold by the next. The art shades 
which have been introduced into them make them 
most useful flowers, as almost any shade may be 
selected from a good collection to harmonise with 
the surroundings in the room in which they are 
arranged. Some of the prettiest shades of salmon 
are to be obtained and the shades of blue which are 
to be found are astonishing, while the various tints 
of red and blue in perfect artistic harmony are 
bound to fascinate every lover of beauty who sees 
them. If a few simple cultural details are carried 
out there is no plant that will give better results for 
so little trouble. One of the main objects that must 
be kept in view if they are to be grown perfectly is 
that they must not be shaded and crowded ; neither 
must they be allowed to get dry at the root. With 
our cold uncertain springs it is best to raise them in 
pots and then plant them out into well-manured 
ground of a light nature when the weather is favour¬ 
able. The one thing that must be carefully avoided 
when raising the plants in this way is keeping them 
away from the glass; they should be always kept 
within a few inches of it or they will draw and be 
useless. The usual way to grow them is to fill a 
number of 60-size pots with light soil and place them 
in a cold frame. The number of Peas put in each 
pot should never exceed six or seven. Another very 
common way to grow them is to collect some good 
firm turves and cut drills on the under side of them 
for the Peas and place them in a frame When 
they are ready for transferring to the open ground 
the turves are cut into sections as required. The 
commoner sorts may be sown in drills in the same 
way as the ordinary garden Pea. A pleasing feature 
about Sweet Peas is that the more you cut them 
the more they will produce ; but if they are left with¬ 
out cutting they will produce a show fox a few weeks 
and then give their energy to the ripening of their 
seeds, and by the middle of summer instead of being 
a beautiful feature in the garden they will be a 
dejected lot of ripened vines of neither use nor 
ornament except as seed producers.— Hortus. 
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' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Calla elliottiana Outdoors.— Subs.: We have not 
seen or heard of this handsome plant being grown in 
the open with success, but a trial was made last 
season at Kew with a batch of plants, which were 
planted in a narrow border of new, rich soil, under 
the shelter of the Palm house. They survived the 
winter with the help of a few mats in frosty weather 
and are doing well this season, but last winter was 
not a fair example of winter weather to judge by, 
and we should not advise you to risk all your plants 
in the experiment. When grown in pots, it is very 
effective and is not much trouble. It can be raised 
from seed, but the seedlings are several years before 
they produce corms sufficiently strong to produce 
spathes. The best way to propagate Callas is by 
the suckers which they throw up. 
Morello Cherries Dropping. —Thos. : There may 
be many reasons for this—by no means an un¬ 
common one is dry roots, or the wood has been in¬ 
sufficiently ripened, or the shoots have been allowed 
to become too crowded this season, the soil may be 
poor, and a variety of other common causes of fruit 
dropping may account for it; but the one we suspect 
most of being the cause of your trouble is the one 
first mentioned—too dry. All trees with swelling 
fruit require a lot of attention during such weather 
as this, for unless the ground in the vicinity of the 
roots is well mulched, it soon dries up. 
Striking Rose Cuttings.— S. S.: You do not state 
what variety it is you wish to propagate. If it is a 
strong growing hardy variety it will strike easily in 
an open border if the cuttings are put in about the 
end of August and not allowed to get dry. They 
should be well ripened and taken off with just a heel 
of last year’s wood attached whenever possible; 8 in. 
to 9 in. will be long enough. If they are tender 
varieties, it will be best to make shorter cuttings and 
insert them in well-drained pots of open soil and 
keep them in a cool, shady frame. If they are to be 
struck in pots, the present time is a very suitable 
one. 
Tropaeolums for the Winter.— Gibbons : A more 
desirable plant for the dull months of the winter 
could not be wished for, and with a very small 
amount of trouble, a profusion of flowers may be 
obtained during the darkest of the months. It is 
rather late for this season to take your plants in 
hand now, but with care you may succeed. Of 
course, a variety which you know to be naturally a 
free-flowering, such as Ball of Fire, should be 
selected, and it should also be one that can be 
trained up the roof. During the next few months it 
should be encourged to grow as much as possible 
and also to well ripen its growths, but not be allowed 
to flower. All the side shoots which it makes must 
be cut back to about three leaves. By the time it 
should be taken indoors, it should have its roots well 
filling a 7-in. or 8-in. pot. After it is indoors, it may 
be allowed to grow freely and if in a light, well-aired 
house, it will soon be a mass of bloom. 
Blight on Plum Trees.— R. P. : This seems very 
common at present,[and nothing,except syringing with 
a good insecticide, will check it perfectly. When the 
fruits are in an advanced stage, it is not wise to use 
an insecticide, as the taint of it will perhaps cling to 
them when they are fit for gathering. Copious 
sy ringings with clear water will remove a large number 
of them and have a beneficial effect on the trees. If 
the trees have made a lot of growib, a great deal may 
be cut out and burned. 
The Best Way to Grow Gooseberries. -T. Herd : 
Opinion differs a great deal in this respect, for some 
prefer the various methods of bush culture, while 
a few prefer the cordon system Of the two, we prefer 
the latter, for several reasons which ought to specially 
recommend them to the amateur. In brief, they 
are these : they bear a good crop of fruit the second 
year from cuttings, they are very easy to manage, 
easy to protect, easy to gather, easy to plant 
amoDgst, and have a neat and tidy appearance. The 
principles on which they are generally grown is tied 
to about three wires stretched on posts. Only one 
shoot is allowed to grow. The side shoots are made 
into fruiting spurs by cutting them back to within a 
few leaves of the main branch. 
Grapes Going Off.— A. Wilson : What your berries 
are suffering from is a very common complaint, 
especially with careless growers. But even the most 
carefully treated Vines are liable to produce shanked 
berries, as they are called. The shanking may either 
be due to over-cropping, bad drainage, improper 
disbudding, careless ventilating, starved roots, or 
perhaps a combination of all. You must endeavour 
to find out which is the cause and in each case the 
remedy will be evident. 
A Many-coloured Japanese Maple.— Ivory : The 
way that many colours are produced on one tree is 
because several varieties were grafted on one stock 
when the tree was young, a thing some people who 
like to be unnatural are very fond of doing. 
Plants not Thriving on Fowl and Pigeon 
Manure.— G. D. R. : We do not wonder at your 
plants looking cramped and miserable if you have 
been giving them this class of manure in large quan¬ 
tities. A stronger and richer fertiliser cannot be 
obtained, and a very little goes a long way when 
used properly. It will be some time before your 
soil will get over the dressing, as it will burn the 
roots even next year. The best way to use this class 
of manure is dried and mixed with fine soil or burnt 
earth and then scattered on the surface just before 
the soil is dug up. A bushel of pure fowl or 
pigeon manure is sufficient to manure a large garden 
with. You must also use it carefully as a liquid 
manure, or disaster will take the place of the success 
you anticipate. You are very fortunate in having 
a supply of such a valuable manure, and if you 
offered it for sale it would command a very high 
price, especially that from the pigeon house. 
Treatment of Salvia splendens.— Greenhouse : 
This useful plant for winter flowering ought now to 
be in its flowering pot. The object to be aimed at 
at present is to produce a large, but at the same time 
well-ripened, plant. The best place to grow them is 
on a sheltered sunny walk. Never allow them to get 
dry as it means failure later on. They are very 
grateful for an occasional application of liquid 
manure, and when treated generously they make 
sturdy plants. See that the roots do not grow 
through into the walk and keep every flower bud 
pinched out. The plants will also require pinching 
occasionally to keep them in good shape. 
When to plant Daffodils.— Theme : The best time 
to make a general planting is about September, but 
as you have old bulbs which were in pots last year, 
and intend to grow them in grass land in the future 
we should recommend you to plant them a little 
earlier. The method generally employed is to make 
holes with a crow-bar, and after putting in a little 
new soil to drop the bulb in and cover with several 
inches of the new compost. When once planted in 
the grass they are very little trouble afterwards, and 
if a few are put in every year to keep up the supply 
the effect in the spring will be quite fascinating. 
Big Fruit in a Small-necked Bottle.— Puzzled : 
Answering this question in these columns will 
make the subject a very open one, but still many 
who have not known how it is accomplished may 
astonish their friends next season by producing one 
of these interesting novelties in their own garden. 
There is nothing difficult about it. All that is re¬ 
quired is to select a variety of fruit, preferably 
a Pear, which will grow to a big size, and when quite 
young place a fruit which looks quite healthy in the 
bottle and fix the bottle in the tree, so that the fruit 
can swell up inside. Very simple, you see, when 
you know how ! If one or two leaves are left on the 
stalk when it is cut it heightens the effect. 
