782 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 3, 1901. 
One or two of the knotgrasses are rather trouble¬ 
some in some places ; Branks (Polygonum Fagopy- 
rum) is among the most common ; P. Aviculare is 
also annoying; P. Convolvulus, with its twining 
stems, is also common. The whole three are 
anni al. Goosefoot and Good Henry (Chenopodium 
album and Bonus-Henricus) are in some places very 
common and if allowed to seed the crop the next 
season is very extensive. The former has egg- 
shaped leaves, those of the latter are more or less 
arrowshaped. Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea 
lutetiana) on account of its root budding powers is 
one of the very worst of garden weeds. It is not so 
common as a garden weed on this side of the Tweed 
as on the other. It is a pretty weed not unlike a 
Fuchsia with white flowers, spotted with red. The 
roots creep like bindweed, and once in a garden it is 
like mealy bug in an old stove — permanent. 
Another of this nature is Bishop’s-weed, or Gout- 
weed or Herb Gerade (Aegopodium Podagraria), and 
is well known to every person. It is not often found 
very common in gardens, still, it is a pest in some, 
and a very bad one to boot. When it comes into a 
garden it generally does so in the roots of plants 
from the nurseries or other infested places, and 
should it get a hold it is by no means an easy matter 
to get it eradicated. Like the last it has creeping 
roots every bit of which buds, and is perennial.— D.C. 
(To be continued.) 
APPRENTICE GARDENERS. 
Our friend, who is writing on the above subject, is 
evidently rather despondent, and probably run down 
through anxiety and overwork, during this trying 
season. 
He writes, “ Can head gardeners at the present 
put any advantages before intending young men as 
inducements to serve an apprenticeship ? ” In the 
majority of cases certainly they cannot ; that is, if 
he expects the young men to pay a premium. A 
ycung man working his way up and gaining a good 
all round knowledge of the profession, serves quite 
enough apprenticeship without paying a premium 
and binding himself by indentures. 
Then he compares the wages of journeymen 
gardeners and unskilled men, in favour of the latter; 
but he must remember the latter have reached their 
ma ximum wages, but the journeymen have the pros¬ 
pect of progressing. It will be interesting to some 
of us to hear how the head gardenerlfi.) gets on, whose 
previous knowledge had been gained in one season. 
There is an old maxim, " Knowledge is power; ” 
this is very true in gardening, and a good all-round 
knowledge of the profession is very necessary to 
organise the working and cropping of a garden. 
There is always something unpleasant in every call¬ 
ing, and should our friend change places with the 
unsk lied men, he would, I feel sure, soon be discon¬ 
tented with being merely a mechanical man. 
When he is despondent again—we all are some¬ 
times—will he kindly read on the leader page of The 
Gardening World, " Gardening is the purest of 
human pleasures, and the greatest refreshment to 
the spirit of man.”— C.P.C. 
BANANA CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 
The Banana has been cultivated from time im¬ 
memorial, and is now largely imported into this 
country from the Indies. There are very many 
varieties of Musas, but one of the best is Musa 
chineDsis, better known as Musa Cavendishii. When 
I first commenced “ my gardening career,” we had 
Musa Cavendishii planted out in a large bed in the 
centre of the stove. It was planted in very good 
loam, and did exceedingly well in a warm moist 
temperature, fruiting finely and giving the house a 
beautiful and somewhat tropical appearance. The 
leaves of this species seldom exceed 5 ft. or 6 ft. in 
length and about 2 ft. in breadth. The propagation 
of the Banana is by suckers, which are continuously 
springing up from the base of the plant ; it is best to 
save and pot one, so that it may take the place of 
the old plant when it has done fruiting, when it 
should be dug out and the young sucker planted in 
its place, using some nice fresh loam to plant it in. 
It is about twelve months or nearly so (though there 
are exceptions) when it throws up a huge flower bud, 
which comes on very rapidly after this. The syringe 
should be kept off the flowers till the youDg beans 
have set. The fruit of the Banana is very luscious 
and wholesome, and gieatly esteemed by most 
people. It should be eaten in a fresh state when 
ripe, as it soon turns.—T. W. Dollery, The Gardens, 
Whitburn, Sunderland. 
-H*- 
ERYNGIUMS (SEA HOLLIES). 
At the present time no more beautiful plants can be 
found in the herbaceous border or rockery than the 
Sea Hollies. In general appearance they resemble 
the Thistle, having a head of flowers surrounded by 
an involucre of bracts, which, with the stem, are 
covered with a vivid metallic sheen. They succeed 
in any well drained border, though partial to a sandy 
soil. As the roots are difficult to divide, propaga¬ 
tion is best effected by seeds sown as soon as ripe in 
a cold frame. These germinate in spring, and when 
ready can be planted out in the open ground. Such 
species as alpinum, amethystinum, and maritimum, 
are best increased by root cuttings. In early spring, 
cut the roots into 3 in. lengths and insert in pans of 
sandy soil, and place in a frame. Among the best 
species is E. alpinum, the first to flower and well 
suited for the rockery. The numerous bracts are 
steel blue, and, contrary to the others, it prefers a 
shady position and a good stiff soil. Amethystinum 
is a real gem, growing ij ft. high, deriving its name 
from the fine amethyst blue flowers. Intending 
purchasers should be careful to get the right plant, 
as oliverianum is sometimes sold by nurserymen in 
its place. E. giganteum (Ivory Thistle) reaches over 
3 ft. in height, and makes a bold group. The ivory¬ 
like stem and flowers dry well, and are useful for 
mixing with grasses.—C. F. B. 
HUMEA ELEGANS. 
Now is the time to sow the seed of the above, using 
a compost of loam, leaf soil, and sand, the whole run 
through the J-in. sieve. The seed should only just 
be covered with a slight sprinkling of sand. As the 
seedlings begin to appear, gradually give them more 
light and air, and when ready, prick off into pans, 
keeping the plants about 3 in. apart. When they 
are ready to be moved, pot off into 6o’s, adding a 
little charcoal to keep the soil open. When the 
plants have taken a hold of the soil, keep the lights 
off night and day, especially at night, as the night 
dews help them immensely. In about a month they 
will be ready to be potted off into 48’s, using a 
mixture of loam, leaf soil, sand, and a little wood- 
ash, adding some bone-meal and “ Clay’s.” If the 
plants are wanted for flowering in pots, they can be 
potted straight out of the 48’s into 12's and 16's, but 
they will be found to want very careful watering 
until well rooted. When the plants are well rooted, 
apply liquid manure occasionally. Humeas treated 
In this way will be found to go from 10 ft. to 12 it., 
branching out from about a foot from the bottom 
right up to the top. There is also a white variety of 
Humea named Humea e. alba, a striking contrast to 
the red.— H. Fleming, The. Gardens, Wexham Park, 
Slough. 
—- 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
It is time that the standard Chrysanthemums were 
staked, tied, and given plenty of room on an open 
ashground. The bush will also require plenty of room, 
but will not need to be staked yet. Great attention 
must be paid to the watering of the plants, for on no 
account must they be allowed to lack water; on the 
other hand, they must not be over watered. As the 
pots get full of roots, a daily allowance of weak soot 
water will suffice to encourage the growth, and will 
also destroy slugs and worms. A good syringing on 
sunny days will be very beneficial. The standard 
varieties should not be allowed to cultivate side 
growths, these being pinched out. A great cause of 
weakness to the plants is the existence of suckers, 
which should be cut off as soon as they appear above 
the soil. Insects will trouble the plants, therefore 
time should be spent in hunting them out. Green 
and black fly can be eradicated by dusting the 
affected parts with tobacco. All caterpillars must 
be removed. If mildew attacks the plants, syringe 
them with sulphur and water. The lady bird whose 
larvae feed on aphides should not be destroyed. 
Continue to stop the bush varieties until a sturdy 
plant is obtained. The Japanese incurved and 
reflexed standard varieties flower better on the 
second crown bud. The great thing is to obtain the 
medium bud. House the plants iD a light airy house 
by October.— G. W. D. 
SMALL TABLE PLANTS FOR WINTER. 
Those who desire small plants for the table for 
winter should now take cuttings of Crotons, 
Acalyphas, Coleus, Panax Victoria, Pandanus 
Veitchii, and Dracaenas. The cuttings should be 
inserted in small pots, filled with light sandy soil, 
and put in a propagating pit, or kept close under a 
hand-light in the stove. Syringe them twice a day 
and shade from the sun. When rooted, give a little 
air, gradually increasing it until the stove tempera¬ 
ture is reached, when they can be taken thereto. 
When they are well rooted pot them (using a mix¬ 
ture of loam, peat, leafsoil, and sand) into 3 or 4-in. 
pots. Give the Crotons, Coleus, and Acalyphas the 
benefit of full sun, as they colour better with plenty 
of light. The Dracaenas, Panax, and Pandanus 
will need shading while the sun is so powerful. 
When the pots are full of roots an occasional water¬ 
ing with manure will be beneficial to them. If the 
plants are taken care of during winter and repotted 
into 5-in. pots in spring, they will make splendid 
plants next summer. Narrow leaved Crotons are 
the most graceful in small pots.— E. Brown, The 
Gardens, Nostell Priory, Wakefield, Yorks. 
FUNKIAS. 
These are a class of plants, which, from their 
adaptability to many situations, the small amount of 
attention which they require, and the beautiful 
tints of the young foliage in spring, or the fully 
developed leaves and flowers in summer, are worthy 
of a place in every garden. To grow them to per¬ 
fection they should have a deeply dug and well- 
manured soil and plenty of moisture. They will, 
however, succeed in a poorer situation, provided it 
is moist enough for them. They may also be used 
as pot plants for the greenhouse, but are more 
adapted for the shrubbery border or for beds on the 
lawn, where they can remain undisturbed for several 
seasons. If it is required to increase the stock the 
strongest clumps should be Cut in two with a spade ; 
this is best done in the spring, as there is then less 
likelihood of decay setting in. 
F. ovata is, perhaps, the best known, one of the 
strongest species, and very handsome when in 
flower. 
F. marginata has its leaves broadly edged with 
white and makes a splendid edging to large beds. 
F. Sieboldii is the most ornamental, as it grows 
about 18 in. to 3 ft. high, with large heart-shaped 
leaves, often 1 ft. across. The flowers are in tall 
one-sided racemes, well above the foliage, and are a 
creamy lilac. Major and marmorata are varieties 
of Sieboldii, the first being very large and the latter 
having beautifully marbled foliage.— F. W. M. 
CULTURAL MEMORANDA. 
“Asclepias curassavica” (Swallow 
Wort) 
Is a very showy flowering plant staged in the green¬ 
house or conservatory at the present time. Intro¬ 
duced some 200 years ago from South America may 
be the reason why it is seldom met with in our 
collection of stove or greenhouse plants. There are 
some fifty varieties, a great many belonging to the 
herbaceous borders of perennial growth. The one 
under notice if sown early in the spring, and given 
intermediate treatment, may be had in bloom early 
in July, if grown on without any pinching ; but it is 
the second year when you get specimens. Keep 
slightly on the dry side during winter, similar to the 
Bouvardia, and treat as you would that plant in early 
spring. 
The flowers borne erect are of an orange scarlet 
colour, and prove useful for button holes, sprays, 
&c. The syringe must be frequently plied under¬ 
neath the leaves or red spider may soon get the 
upper hand. The same compost that will grow the 
ever useful Bouvardia will also be found amenable 
to these. 
Poinsettia Pulcherrima. 
The last batch of cuttings sfiould now be taken off 
with a heel of old wood attached, and placed in fine 
sand immediately to stay the loss of sap, placing five 
or six cuttings around the edge of 3-in. pots filled 
with finely sifted foam, leaf soil, and a dash of peat 
with plenty of sand. Water in and stand in a close 
case with a little bottom heat in a temperature of 
70° during night. I find a slight dewing overhead 
twice daily will keep them erect with a shade during 
