April IS, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
345 
READERS’ COMPETITION. 
For details of this competition and prize offered, please 
see page 341. Please post on Friday night. 
Violets in Cold Frames. 
What can be more appreciated in the dull winter months 
than the Violet? It is ever welcome and always useful. The 
time is fast approaching when we shall have to think about 
their summer quarters. 
The best time to plant Violets out is the end of April or early 
in May, pulling the old plants into small pieces, or, in pre¬ 
ference, taking off the best of the runners, and planting them 
on a cool border, facing the north if possible, the ground being 
previously well manured with some good rotten cow or farm¬ 
yard manure, and dug deep. The planting is best done with 
a trowel. It is a good plan to put a dash of sand into each hole 
before fastening the plants, as this greatly assists root action. 
Water if required to give the plants a fair start. Keep the 
hoe constantly going between the rows, and when established 
give good soakings of liquid manure, with an occasional water¬ 
ing with soot-water, which will keep the foliage a beautiful 
healthy green, when there will be no fear of red spider ; it is 
when plants get sickly that red spider makes such bad work, 
and especially with Violets. The best remedy and preventa¬ 
tive of that pest is a good watering overhead, through a rose 
or syringe. Pinch off all runners before they get too long, and 
so throw all the more energy into the plant. 
They should be lifted, with a good ball of soil, about the 
middle of September, and planted in the frames without delay, 
taking care not to let the roots be exposed to the air more than 
necessary. I find it best to put a good bed of any old rubble, 
such as brickbats, etc., at tjie bottom of the frame, and over 
this a good layer of long manure, just sufficient to keep the soil 
from working down into the rubble, which would spoil the 
drainage. It is absolutely necessary that Violets should have 
something in the shape of drainage under the soil, or in frosty 
weather, when the frames have to be kept closed, a good por¬ 
tion of the plants will be lost through damping off. Over the 
layer of manure conies the soil, which should be good loam three 
parts and leaf-mould one part, with a little decayed manure 
mixed well together; the soil should be about 6 in. thick, and 
about the same distance from the glass. They will need little 
or no water for several weeks ; always remember too much 
moisture means failure. A light watering of liquid manure at 
times when the bed is not too moist will greatly help the plants 
and increase size of bloom. As the spring advances they will 
require more watering, owing to more sunshine, when liquid 
manure should be given oftener, to encourage runners for 
another season. 
When the Violets are first planted keep the lights off alto¬ 
gether until bad weather sets in, but after that give all the 
an- you can on' favourable days. Cover with mats at night. 
Stir the soil between the plants with the fingers, and keep 
i all decayed leaves picked off. By following the above simple 
instructions, Violets may be had all through the winter. As 
regards variety, it is a matter of choice, my fancy being Marie 
ouise for a double and Princess of Wales, a lovely single with 
huge blooms and extra long stalks, which make them valuable. 
,T. Smith. 
Laburnums and Wistarias. 
A. very pretty display, and one seldom seen, can be had by 
training Laburnums and Wistarias together on some arches. 
ne o ten sees the Wistaria thus trained, but Laburnums are 
seldom seen trained on continuous arching. If there is an 
open piece of path, any width from 6 ft. and upwards, it could 
easi y be utilised for making a continuous arching for training 
some Laburnums and Wistarias together. Strip off the turf 
1 ° 1 1 Slde ? to about 4 ft. wide, and deeply break up the 
■1 ’ work i n g m some good decayed manure. Procure some 
on arches with single stems, having two good forks, to drive 
8 ft 1 16 i g™™ 1 . ? n ea °k s i ( le, having the centre of arch about 
stmnnV° i i g l ’ accor ding to width of span, and run a good 
from ii le ' r0d down the c<? ntre and one each side, about 5 ft, 
raidis<spiir gl0U1 Vi’ t0 ma ^ e tlae whole firm. Fix some galvanised 
irrl tw ° n the tv ^° 0 PP 0si te ends of arch, about 9 in. apart, 
r ood ctr^ some galva-nised wire to same, which will form a 
the ironumvL an 1, nea - tre , n i s for training the trees to. Have 
the iron * i^i - painted before planting the trees. Place 
between it ^ 10 J ft apart Plant one Laburnum 
5 ft to ft ft 1 'r standard on each side, with clean stems 
0 it- high, and cover the whole of the top of the arch. 
Plant a Wistaria against each standard on both sides, and train 
on the two or three bottom wires. Replace the turf, and beat 
to an even surface, leaving about 6 in. clear around the stems, 
to avoid injuring by mowing or clipping the grass. Train the 
young shoots as required during the summer, and when the 
trellis is furnished the shoots can be spurred back; avoid 
overcrowding. It will have a neat appearance, even when out 
of flower. When anyone has once seen an arch as described 
above in full flower, it is a sight not easily forgotten, and weil 
worthy of imitation. A good long archway all of Laburnums, 
when in full flower, is a lovely sight, but I think with the 
contrast of the Wistaria flowers on each side it enhances the 
beauty. Our Laburnums and Wistarias span a turf path, which 
probably gives a better effect when in flower ; but if much used 
the turf is soon worn away, giving an untidy appearance, as 
the turf is naturally weaker when growing in the shade. If 
it is a turf path under the archway, it is a good plan to stop up 
each end during the winter, so that it looks quite fresh in the 
s P rin g- H.E. E. 
Tuberous Begonias. 
I he importance and various uses of these are well known to 
everybody in the gardening world. The best and quickest method 
of raising a large stock is from seed, which should be sown thinly 
in pots more than half filled with drainage, and covered with a 
good layer of fresh green moss, on which soil tolerably tine, con¬ 
sisting of two parts leaf soil, one part each soft loam, burnt peat, 
silver sand, and very old manure. Pots can be filled after shed 
tapping to half inch of rims. Now, give a thorough -soaking 
of water of 80degs heat, after an hour or so the seed may be 
sparsely and evenly dropped over the soil, and left uncovered, 
squares of glass being placed on, and all placed in damp quarters, 
having a temperature between 60° and 70° F. Reverse the glass 
morning and evening, and as the seedlings appear transfer them 
to edges of 4-inch pots in soil similar to above. Keep them in 
the same heat until established, after which they should b? 
brought gradually to greenhouse treatment. A common lead 
pencil, moistened at the unsharpened end, to which the little 
seedlings will adhere, is useful in above transference. 
W hen a stock of named varieties is to be increased, cuttings are 
the best method in my opinion. These are taken when ^ to 1 
inch high f with small bits of the parent tubers forming “ heels ” 
at base, placed in soil similar, or more sandy, than recommend M 
above, and placed in a propagating pit of at least 60° F., in which 
heat the tubers were originally placed to “break.” Keep tin- 
cuttings here until established separately in small “ thumbs,” 
and oautiously bring to greenhouse treatment. 
Those intended for outdoor flowering should be hardened to 
cold frame treatment by the end of May, then placed in a rooting 
medium containing lots of old manure, and watered thoroughly 
in dry weather. 
Those for indoor decoration -should be potted on until 9-fneh, or 
at largest 10-inch, pots are re-ached, keeping the shoots well tied 
out, and reducing the foliage where too thick in the centres of the 
plants. On mild mornings an occasional spray wi-th rain water 
is beneficial. A good soil for the flowering pots is equal parts 
leaf mould, rotted manure, peat, and good loam, to each bushel 
of this adding a 10-inc-h potful of burnt refuse. 
In ray opinion most failures in Begonia culture are attributable 
to over or under watering. They should be examined morning 
and evening, watering only those requiring it. In conclusion, 
the Begonias love sunshine. They should be lightly shaded to 
prevent burning under glass. " H. H. G. 
Raising Ferns from Spores. 
I write a few notes which may be interesting to the readers 
of Tiie Gardening World on this work. The" sori which will 
be found on the bottom of the fronds will reach maturity about 
the latter end of September if the fronds are cut off the old 
plants at the beginning of that month. The pots that they 
should be sown in should be half filled with broken crocks ; 
then cover that with soil which has been burned to kill all 
mites or worms that may be in it. About an inch or two inches 
of soil will do. Then smash up a red brick into small particles, 
and spread over the top, which saves the small sporelings from 
damping off. After each pot is sown, place them in another 
pot (a size bigger will do) with, a little water in it, so as to rise 
up the sides of the pot which contains the seed. Then cover 
