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THE GARDENING WORLD. August 17 , 1901 . 
Now that glasshouses are so cheap the cultivation 
of bulbs during the winter ought to be greatly stimu¬ 
lated as they require very little heat, very little trou¬ 
ble, and are very little expense; in fact, a 1 connected 
with them is small except their good qualities. The 
term bulb is often misused, but so long as it is com¬ 
monly classed as a bulbous plant, I shall not exclude 
it from my list. Bulb culture ought to appeal more 
especially to those who live in large cities, where 
anything worthy of the name of a garden is entirely 
out of account, as they will produce a fine display 
in the window with very little care. 
The time for making a selection of bulbs for winter 
flowering is now fast approaching, and a few hiDts 
on the cultivation of the various kinds which are the 
popular favourites with most people will perhaps be 
acceptable. 
Hyacinths.—From November until late in the 
spring these may be found in the markets and 
adorning the rooms of all classes of people from the 
lady’s boudoir to the artisan's kitchen. Roman 
Hyacinths are the kind that is generally found in 
bloom during the early part of the winter, as they 
adapt themselves to forcing so easily. October is 
the month in which Hyacinths are generally placed 
in the beds for outdoor blooming. When grown in 
beds they should be planted quite 6 in. deep. 
Pot cultivation is very simple if set about in the 
following manner: — First obtain good sound bulbs 
of a standard variety and pot them either singly into 
48-size pots, or three into a large 32 or 6-in. pot. 
The soil should be of a light nature and not pressed 
too firmly into the pot. The bulb should be just 
covered, and if placed on a little sand it will lessen 
the chances of rotting. Making the soil too firm is 
a very common mistake, and the bad result is 
inevitable, as when the roots begin to grow they 
push the bulb up in the air instead of fixing it 
down tightly into the pot. After they have been 
watered io, they should be buried several inches deep 
in moist ashes Let them remain in these until the 
pots fill with roots, and the shoot on the top is 
about an inch high. When this stage is reached 
they should be placed in a frame and brought along 
in heat as they are required, or they may be stood 
in the window if a glass house is not available. This 
will be found to be by far the best method of grow¬ 
ing them. 
They are also very commonly grown io water. 
When this is done, only the base of the bulb should 
touch the water or it will rot. Rain water only 
should be used, and this should be frequently 
changed and have a few pieces of charcoal put in 
with it. For some time after the bulbs have been 
put on the glasses they may be kept in the dark, but 
must be brought out into the light immediately the 
top commences to grow and placed in a position 
where they will obtain the maximum amount of 
light possible. It is only the single varieties which 
prove of much use for water cu ture. The reason 
the bulbs are able to produce such fine flowers on 
water alone is because they have previously stored 
the necessary nutriment in the scales of their bulbs. 
Bulbs which have been grown thus are no more 
good, but those which are flowered in pots will pro¬ 
duce a good show of blooms the following spring if 
they are planted out into the borders or iuto the turf 
during the autumn. When gro ving in pots they are 
greatly assisted by giving them a weak stimulant 
during the time they are throwing up their flower 
spikes. 
Narcissi.—Just at present there is a craze for 
these flowers, and the bulbs of some of the recently 
raised varieties are commanding fabulous sums. But 
for a few shillings a collection of handsome varieties 
may be obtained. They may be grown in pots and 
should be treated in exactly the same way as recom¬ 
mended for Hyacinths. When grown out of doors 
they should be put in as early in September as 
possible. It is a mistake which is often paid (or 
with failure to leave the planting until late in the 
autumn. 
Chinese Sacred Lily —This is a species of 
Narcissus, and the only one which is generally sub¬ 
jected to water culture. They are not usually 
grown in vases like the Hyacinth, but in Japanese 
bowls filled with gravel and water. The bulbs should 
be three parts buried in the gravel and then water 
added until it just covers their bases. They, also, 
may be kept in the dark until they start to push their 
leaves. Broken charcoal mixed with the gravel will 
keep the water sweet for a much longer time.— 
Hortus. 
(To be continued .1 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone 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. 
A Good Rose for the Greenhouse— A .: There are 
such a large number of varieties to be chosen from 
that it is difficult to say which is best, but to judge 
from the frequency with which they are seeD, the 
two old favourites, Marechal Niel and Gloire de 
Dijon, will take some beating. At any rate, they 
will not disgrace the roof of the most “classy” 
house. You must prepare a gcod bed of new soil 
for them to root in. A good meadow loam, with the 
addition of sufficient ballast to keep it open, will be 
found to suit them admirably, and as it gets ex¬ 
hausted it can be enriched with liquid manure. The 
bed should be ready for them by the first week in 
October, so that they may be able to get over the 
effects of shifting before the winter sets in. You 
must select a position where they will not be 
crowded by other climbers, and where they can 
have a free circulation of air without receiving 
direct draughts. Two other good Roses for a con¬ 
servatory roof are Niphetos and The Bride. They 
are not such free bloomers as the other two, but 
they have a very graceful appearance when seen 
from below, as their blooms are of a drooping 
nature. 
Roses Growing too Vigorously.— Moss: Your 
plants have evidently been put into a too rich soil. 
We know of nothing which will prevent the rapid 
growth unless you take out the soil and replace it by 
new. Check all growths which are growing away 
irregularly by cutting them well back. Even when 
the soil is not too rich they often have a tendency 
to devote all their energy to a few sappy growths. 
This must be watched for and the shoots regulated. 
You do not say whether you have been giving your 
trees that little luxury known as a “ good dose of 
manure.” If thei e is the slightest tendency to pro¬ 
duce rank growth is a sure sign that the roots are 
not in want of any stimulating food. If the variety 
is naturally a strong growing one, you will have to 
let it exhaust itself by allowing the strong growiDg 
shoots to run to the top of the house. Side shoots 
will then be produced carrying fine flowers. 
The Proper Time to sow Columbines.— A. T.: 
You will do well to sow a batch of these handsome 
old favourites at the present time, as they will then 
make good plants for next year. They are best 
sown in boxes in a frame, using a light soil, with leaf 
mould, and do not sow too thickly. They can then 
be transplanted to the open border in spring. If 
you had sown the seeds in spring they could have 
been planted out in June in their permanent 
position. 
The Best Snowdrops and When to Plant Them. 
Q : Undoubtedly in the common collection of Snow¬ 
drops the species, Galanthus Elwesii, is by far the 
best as regards size and form. It has a most 
charming effect when naturalised in the grass or 
when growing in nooks on the rockery. It will grow 
in almost any class of soil, but is best suited with a 
sandy loam. It should be planted in the early 
autumn in the open. It makes a very pretty pot 
plant, but will not stand the least forcing. A cold 
frame or a window in a house suits it very well. 
Greenhouse Boiler Furred up.— N .: We cannot 
recommend anything to remedy this state of affairs, 
but there are many preparations, good, bad, and 
indifferent, on the market to prevent it. Caustic 
soda is largely used in some establishments. A 
post card to any first class boiler maker will obtain 
for you all that is known on this disagreeable 
question. 
A Cheap Asphalte for a Small Patch.— L. P .: If 
one part mineral pitch, one part resin, and seven 
parts chalk are boiled together and applied hot, you 
will find it will meet your purpose and prove a very 
serviceable substance. 
Ants in the Fruit Room.— Thos. HilT. There are 
numerous remedies for eradicating these trouble¬ 
some pests ; one of the best is to paint every crevice 
and board with a strong solution of alum. If this 
does not prove successful, try sprinkling carbolic 
acid in their haunts, that will very soon drive them 
away, but the smell is somewhat offensive to many 
people. 
To Cure Hollyhock Disease.— Rust : We know of 
no cure for this disease, and the best way to deal 
with it is to burn all the infected plants and dis¬ 
infect the others with flowers of sulphur. It is not 
confined to the Hollyhock, but effects the whole of 
the malvaceous plants. This being so, it would be a 
good plan to remove all such plants away from the 
Hollyhocks as they may prove nurse plants to it. 
It is believed to have come originally from Chili. It 
belongs to the same family as the Corn Rust, Chry¬ 
santhemum Rust, &c., and is known amongst myco¬ 
logists as Puccinia malvacearum. 
Geraniums.— I. 0 .: Yes; you can take your 
cuttings now at any time. Take care that you select 
the hardest shoots. 
Schizanthus.—S. S.: You should sow your seed 
of this elegant plant now without delay and winter 
them in a house which will exclude the frost. If you 
do not keep them close to the glass they will spoil by 
being drawn. The best dwarf variety is, we think, 
the one now so largely advertised bearing the name 
of S. wisetonensis; it is a most profuse bloomer 
and has a compact, dwarf, pyramidal habit. 
To increase Forget me-nots.— 7 .; You have 
made your inquiry at just the right time as this is 
the best season for sowing the seed. The old 
fallacy that these could only be grown in a boggy 
place has been almost en irely dispelled, and the 
plant whose simplicity and lively blue appeals to 
everyone, has a bright future before it. When the 
seedlings are fit to handle they should be pricked 
off into boxes and kept in cold frames through the 
winter, and planted out into their blooming quarters 
in May. During the time they are in the frames air 
must be freely given whenever the weather will 
permit if sturdy growth is to be obtained. They 
may also be sown in nursery beds under the shelter 
of a wall. 
GreYillea. robusta.— Godetia: There is nothing 
uncommon in the fact that your seeds have been in 
the soil many weeks and have not showed signs of 
life. You must have patience, and a great deal of 
it too if you intend to raise your own plants, as they 
are most capricious in germinating, and will often 
lay in the soil for months as dormant as if they were 
dead. When seeds are so loDg in germinating there 
is often great difficulty in keeping down moss. This 
may be overcome by placing a pane of glass over the 
pot or pan and darkening it with something. Do 
not attempt to coax them by heat or you will spoil 
them. If one or two come up, prick them off into 
small pots, but do not throw the seed soil away as 
they often spring up during the second year. 
Foxgloves.— B .: It is time that the young plants 
were ready for planting out now, but if you sow your 
seed in pans and winter them in frames you can 
plant them out in the spring, but they will not be so 
good as those sown in June. YouDg plants of good 
varieti3s may be obtained from any good nursery at 
a very trifling cost. 
Asters not Thriving.— A. P. : Judging from the 
description you give of your plants we presume that 
you re'er to the class of plants known as China 
Asters, but in reality they are not Asters, but a 
species of plant known as Callistephus hortensis. 
The true Asters are the Michaelmas Daisies. To 
grow the Callistephus well the soil should be rich 
and light and should be always kept moist. They 
are always injured by cutting winds, so a sheltered 
position is necessary. Perhaps your plants have 
been allowed to suffer Rom want of water. 
