aiy 17, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
37 
need the temperature of a forcing or a Cucumber house. Afford 
them all the light possible by placing them on shelves near 
the glass. Pot on as soon as ready into well-drained 6 in. pots, 
and from these into the fruiting size. Make another small 
sowing. 
Onions. —The method of sowing seed under glass in pots or 
boxes for producing large bulbs is so well known, and without 
which the finest exhibition specimens cannot be produced, that 
I need say but little about it, except that the seed should be 
put in at once, using a mixture of two parts fibrous loam and 
one part each of finely-sifted leaf-soil and old mushroom-bed 
manure, with sufficient road sand to keep it open. Start in a 
gentle heat, and never allow the young seedlings to become 
drawn. Ailsa Craig and Excelsior are still the best types to 
grow. 
Leeks should be treated in the same way, but preference 
should be given to small pots, when these can be shifted on 
into one size larger without disturbing the roots. Use the 
same kind of compost as for Onions. 
Lettuce, Red Cabbage and Cauliflowers should be sown 
frequently in small quantities in boxes and pricked off into 
others immediately the young seedlings can be handled. 
Edwin Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Notes on Hardy Plants. 
As the new year advances those interested in hardy plants 
look through the borders to see if there are any signs of the 
earliest spring flowers; and where a representative collection 
is grown the observer will not even now be disappointed, for 
already Pulmonariai saccharata is throwing up some early 
spikes, carrying a quantity of flowers, which, on first opening, 
are clear pink in colour, changing with age to blue, forming 
a veiy pleasing combination. This Pulmonaria is one of our 
most delightful plants for the front of the border, and when 
the flowers have faded a mass of large handsome foliage 
succeeds them, lasting through the whole of the summer and 
autumn. Some other equally interesting varieties are P. 
sibirica, with deep blue flowers and large, deep green, slightly 
mottled leaves, and P. officinalis alba, a good and distinct plant 
which has tubular white flowers and pretty marbled foliage. 
The Pulmonarias are valuable for the herbaceous border on 
rockery, can be easily grown by the amateur or professional 
gardener in almost any situation, and succeed well in a loamy 
soil. Like the majority of herbaceous plants, they show to 
the best advantage if grown in fair-sized batches, and not dotted 
about singly, a practice which is rapidly being superseded by 
the more effective plan of massing. If a sheltered position can 
be found from cold, cutting winds, among shrubs, or in the 
angle of a house (and no doubt, such a position may easily lie 
resigned them) Iris unguicularis and its several varieties are 
excellent, as they flower in the depth of winter, and are valuable 
for decoration in a cut state. A poor, starved soil suits them 
best, similar to that of their native habitat in Algeria. 
In eveiy well-arranged herbaceous border there must ne¬ 
cessarily be a certain amount of dividing and rearranging to 
be attended to annually, and any contemplated alterations 
should be completed without delay now the majority of border 
plants are practically in a dormant state. Firm planting is 
most essential, and if not already done, a good top dressing 
of some suitable material should be applied ; leaf-soil, decayed 
manure, or old potting soil being beneficial and a great assist¬ 
ance to the crowns to withstand frost. Such plants as Tritomas 
should have had the long foliage twisted round the crowns and 
a good mulching of cow-manure placed round them. In the 
case of smaller varieties like MacOwanii,' Diana, etc., it is 
advisable to lift and winter in a cold frame, none of the 
Tritomas being sufficiently hardy to withstand continued hard 
frost. 
Now will be a good time to pay attention to the labelling 
and rewriting any that may require it. I do -not know of a 
neater or more desirable label in eveiy way than tlie zinc 
pattern manufactured by Woods, of Kirkstall. Indelible ink 
is used, which produces jet black writing, and lasts for several 
seasons. Unlike the majority of labels, these can, when needed, 
be cleaned off and used again. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Fruit Tree Planting. 
Although autumn planting is preferable on most soils, except 
they are veiy heavy in texture, circumstances may have pre¬ 
vented such work being carried out ; and where this has been 
the case, lose no time in getting it brought to a conclusion. 
For stone fruit perfect drainage is absolutely necessary, and 
should be seen to. first; 6 in. to 9 in. is requisite for Peaches, 
Apricots and Plums, when it has to be made artificially, and 
should have a drain-pipe along the front of the border, having 
a gradual fall to a main drain, so that no 1 superfluous water 
hangs about at the roots, or failure will result. It is a mis¬ 
taken idea to make borders, or stations for fruit-trees (except 
bush fruits) very fat; it is far better to. feed from the top 
after the trees have got into bearing. This not only tends 
to keep the roots near the surface, but the trees themselves 
are much longer lived and less attacked with canker, gumming, 
and many other diseases fruit-trees are susceptible to. 
Another evil to guard against is deep planting, especially so 
in cold, heavy soils ; far better to raise the trees slightly above 
the ordinary level of the ground, and well mulch in the veiy 
warmest weather. Though, in my idea, this mulching is often 
carried to extremes, it is on light sandy soils where it does the 
greatest good, and even here it is wiser to draw it aside for a 
month or six weeks after hard frosts are gone, and replace 
again early in June, or as soon as hot dry weather sets in. 
In the preparation of the soil for all stone fruits, work in a 
good percentage of lime or mortar rubble, wood ashes, char¬ 
coal, etc., or, if the loam be considered poor, add bone-meal to 
the compost. Plant in dry weather, gently lifting the tree 
so that the soil may work well down among the roots, and 
plant firm. 
Wall-trees should be kept 4 in. to 6 in. away from the base 
of the wall, so that it may swell without coming in contact 
with the wall after a year or two’s growth. Any bruised pieces 
of roots should be cut away first, and the rest spread evenly 
out as the work of filling in proceeds. Trees in the open 
should be made secure against high winds by tying to stakes or 
trellises as soon as planted, and this brings us to pruning or 
shortening of the branches. Of late much has been written 
on this subject, some for, and others against, pruning the first 
season after planting, but my idea, and which I practise, too, 
is to reduce the head to balance' the mutilation at the root; 
but defer this pruning for a few weeks after planting, when it 
is practicable. 
Raspberries, Gooseberries and Currants enjoy a fairly rich 
plot, especially so the former, and so do Strawberries; and, as 
all are expected to last some years (excepting the latter), the 
ground should be got in good heart before the bushes are set 
out, when, in after years, a moderate dressing of well-rotted 
manure, given annually, rather dry and lightly forked in, but 
not close up to the stools of Raspberries, they will go on for 
a lengthened period if enemies in the way of insects are 
kept at bay. Trees or bushes planted in November may be 
pruned towards the end of the 1 month, and nailed or tied in 
position, as the case may require, deferring the work another 
month, or until the buds are about to move in the case of those 
that may have been planted towards the end of the year and 
early in the present. J- Mayne. 
Bicton. 
