284 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
March 28, 1908. 
ashes, and naif a gallon of ground bonel and the same of sand. 
This will pot from 40 to 50 plants. Commence by putting a 
crock, the hollow side downwards, in the bottom of the pot, and 
cover with a layer of mortar rubbish, and on the top of that 
the roughest part of the soil. Ram firmly with the blunt end 
of the potting stick. Sprinkle a handful of finest soil over this 
for the plants to rest upon, then place in the plant, ram the soil 
gentlv and evenly all around the plant. 
Some shade their plants after this potting, but it is not needed 
if the potting is carefully done. Sprinkle them once or twice 
a day with a little water. At first give them enough to soak 
the ball, and not a lick and a promise. They should be put back 
in the frame again after this potting, affording plenty of air, 
but avoid cold winds. By the end of May they will be ready for 
their final shift into 10-in. pots. Use the same compost as 
advised for the 6-in. potting, but add a little old rotten manure 
and some of Clay’s fertiliser. See that the pots are well crocked, 
as good drainage is one of the main items in growing ’Mums for 
show. Then after potting place them in their summer quarters 
in a place sheltered from strong winds about 18in. from pot to 
pot. Stake and give them sufficient water to settle them after 
they are potted and stood outside. Watering must be done very 
carefully after this, always giving the plants enough when want¬ 
ing. It is a good plan to syringe the plants once a week with 
soot water with a tablespoonful of paraffin to the gallon to keep 
aphides and thrips at bay. In the middle of July plants which 
are intended to produce second crown blooms will be making 
their second break. Three shoots may be left on each for a few 
days. When 8in. long take the worst of these, and 1 when 6in. 
take out the worst again, thus leaving but one to each shoot or 
three shoots to each plant as before. As the plants will be well 
rooted then they can be afforded weak stimulants, such as sheep 
droppings put into a bag and immersed in a tub which should 
be kept filled with water. A little of this given to them three 
times per week will help growth a great deal. Keep the plants 
free from superfluous growths. 
About the middle of August they will be showing buds. It 
would not be safe to let them make another break, so the mid- 
August bud had better be secured. One or two growths may be 
left on to retard the bud and draw a little of the sap away for 
a day or two. Amongst the incurveds, C. H. Curtis, Duchess of 
Fife, and a few others may be secured by the middle of August ; 
by the first or second week of September the buds will be all 
secured. It will be safe to give pots a top-dressing of nitrate of 
soda, but be very careful. This may be repeated in a fortnight, 
but not after the plants are housed. Continue the use of other 
stimulants. All plants should be housed by the end of Sep¬ 
tember, for fear of frost. After the house is filled choose a quiet 
night and give it good smoking, and still feed the plants until 
the flowers are nearly expanded. J. K. D. 
Tuberous Begonias. 
The cultivation of tuberous Begonias for pot plants or for 
bedding purposes is by no means difficult, although we may not 
always succeed so well as we could desire. Probably there is no 
class of bedding plants to surpass them for decorative value mat 
can be grown with less labour and attention. Those who have 
last year's tubers will find that March is a good month for start¬ 
ing the tubers into growth for bedding. Those who require them 
for pot work will probably start them earlier. They may be 
started in shallow boxes or pots, using a mixture of friable loam 
and leaf mould or well-rotted manure. If placed in a warm 
house with a little bottom heat, such as that afforded by spent 
leaves, it will greatly assist the tubers into growth. Personally 
I think much fire heat a detriment to them. After growth has 
commenced keep them in a light place, and as near the glass as 
convenient, to prevent being drawn, and ventilate as freely as the 
weather permits. It will be necessary to have them properly 
hardened off before being bedded out, which should be about the 
first week in June. The soil of the beds should be well broken 
up and enriched with a moderate dressing of manure well rotted, 
and if the soil is naturally of a heavy nature, a good dressing of 
old leaf soil will greatly help the soil to become friable. 
For use as pot plants for conservatory decoration they are 
indispensable. They should be started into growth as gradually 
as convenient, and potted quite loosely in a light fibrous mixture 
of loam and leaf mould, with coarse silver sand, and as soon as 
the plants are sufficiently rooted liberal supplies of manure 
water should be given. Liquid made from cow manure or sheep 
manure is a good stimulant, and an occasional watering with soot 
water is very beneficial (the grandest Begonias I ever saw were 
potted very loosely, and when they began to root freely were 
watered always with liquid manure, keeping the plants to one 
stem, and disbudding the flowers as required, using one stake to 
each plant). By being potted loosely the roots permeate the soil 
quickly, and the manure water does not make the soil so sour, 
as it passes away sq freely. The house should be moderately 
shaded, using blinds in preference to permanent shading. 
Begonias can be easily propagated by cuttings, but seed gives 
the best results. Cuttings taken with a little heel will root 
freely. They should be put into single pots with a mixture of 
leaf mould and sand, and placed in a close frame with a moderate 
bottom heat, taking the light off the frame for a little while each 
day to dry up the condensation, which would probably cause 
the cuttings to damp off. As the cuttings become rooted 
gradually inure to more air, and pot on as required. 
For raising plants from seeds sow in well-drained pots or pans 
filled with a mixture of leaf mould and silver sand carefully 
sifted through a fine sieve. The mixture should be quite moist, 
but not pasty. Sprinkle the seed on a smooth surface with great 
care, so as to distribute it evenly and thinly. Cover with a 
very slight sprinkling of silver sand to fix the seeds in position. 
Place the pans or pots in a warm house with a moderate bottom 
heat to promote germination, placing pieces of glass over the 
pans to prevent evaporation. If the pans become dry they will 
need careful manipulation, watering with a very fine rose or dip¬ 
ping in a pail of water. When the seedlings are large enough to 
be handled prick off into pans and pot as soon as they require it. 
Seedlings for bedding should be planted in a nursery bed the 
first season, so that the colours and habits of the plants can be 
ascertained. When the frost cuts the Begonias down the tubers 
can be lifted and stored in boxes, covering the tubers with cocoa- 
nut fibre, keeping in any cool place where frost is excluded, 
taking care to keep them away from hot water pipes. 
H. E. E. 
Hanging Baskets. 
Various kinds of plants may be used for* this work for stoves 
and warm greenhouses. It is always the better plan to make up 
fresh baskets each spring, as not only do the plants absorb all, or 
nearly all, the goodness from the soil they are planted in, bur, as 
may be naturally expected, the constant watering they receive 
washes away a large portion. Various kinds of baskets may be 
used, ornamental or plain wire, or, if preferred, wooden ones 
similar to those used for Orchids, this entirely depending upon 
tlie taste of the grower, it being of little or no consequence to the 
plants grown therein. To line the baskets, use wood-moss, or 
living sphagnum, the thickness depending upon the size of 
basket, taking care, however, to place the green side out, both 
for the sake of appearance and also because either moss will 
often grow. Place a few pieces of charcoal in the bottom. The 
compost used must, of course, be of the kind which each variety 
of plants thrives best in. For stove cultivation Ferns, perhaps, 
are the chief features, viz., Adiantum farleyense, A. fragran- 
tissimum, A. amabile, Asplenium longissimum, Davallia 
dissecta, D. fijiensis, D. elegans, Gymnogramme chrysophylla, a 
gold Fern ; when suspended its beautiful yellow powder is seen 
to advantage ; Nephrolepis davallioides, and many others. Com¬ 
post for Adiantums, fibrous loam, leaf soil, and sand. The first- 
named variety frequently fails to give satisfactory results if peat 
is used. The other varieties mentioned need a double quantity 
of peat, added to that of loam, leaf soil, and sand. The beautiful 
Begonia, Gloire de Lorraine, is an attractive plant when grown 
in baskets, and should find a place in every stove. Panicum 
variegatum makes an effective basket in itself, and may be used 
round the outside of baskets in which Ferns are growing, which 
adds very much to the appearance. For warm greenhouse 
cultivation a variety of Ferns may be grown, such as Adiantum 
gracillimuni, A. assimile, A. euneatum grandiceps, a crested 
variety, Davallia tenuifolia veitchiana, and Microlepia hirta 
cristata, with heavily-crested fronds. Asparagus Sprengeri is 
seen to advantage when suspended. Double Ivy-leaf "Pelar¬ 
gonium Beauty of Jersey is a lovely scarlet, shaded purple, very 
free, splendid habit. Beauty of Castle Hill is a soft rose shade, 
and Souv de Chas. Turner deep pink. A suitable compost is 
loam, spent Mushroom manure, and sand. 
Torenia Fournieri and T. Bailloni are most useful plants for 
baskets, either for stove or greenhouse. Achimenes also are 
showy ; few things look prettier when in bloom. The last named 
plants will thrive in loam, leaf soil, a little peat, and sand, wire 
baskets being best for these. Take care when planting to have 
the centre lower than; the sides ; if not, the consequences are that 
the water will run off instead of in among the plants. Applica¬ 
tions of weak soot and manure water will benefit the plants when 
well established, and should be applied when the soil is in a 
moist condition. x. J. M. 
*** The prize last week in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to Mr. P. Blair, Preston, Linlithgow, for his article 
on “Renovating Old Vines,” p. 256. 
