346 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 18, 1903. 
them with pieces of glass and shade with sheets of paper. A 
temperature of 70deg. to 75deg. will suit them in this stage. 
See that the pots containing the water do not run dry, as this 
means failure, because the pots containing the fern spores are 
likely to get dry also. When the sporelings appear prick them 
out into small trays or pots, well crocked, so as to be able to 
water them by steeping in water, but be careful not to let the 
water rush over the top of them, or the sporelings will be apt 
to get washed out. Cover as stated before, and place them m 
the same temperature as before. They will be found to^ prick 
off quite easily when sown on the smashed-up brick, as they 
clinf to them, and by wetting the article which you are prick¬ 
ing off with it will make the small pieces of brick stick to it. 
I have found this far more easy than pricking them off when 
raised in soil, and much better for raising them successfully. 
J. Iy. I). 
War on the Snail. 
Most, gardeners have experienced the trouble and also the ex¬ 
panse caused by the depredations of snails. If we sow a packet 
of r new Melon,’ or perhaps seed saved from some favourite 
sort we have marked the previous year, it. matters little; no 
sooner do tliev appear above the soil than our natural enemies 
attack them. ‘ Sometimes it, is the thieving mouse, but gene 
rally it is either the large gray snail or small white ones. (>tten 
before we are aware of it these Melons are eaten or damaged 
in such a way that we are forced to sow again. We can trace 
where they have feasted on the young Figs, and the Maidenhair 
Ferns suffer also to some extent,. Lobelia, Lapageria sterns. 
Orchid buds, Petunias, are also a few of the snails’ favourite 
dishes. I have proved that the best trap for these annoying 
night prowlers is to have a few plants of the Brugmansia san- 
<minea in the houses, as they are extremely fond of these, and 
it is quite surprising to see how they will come from all parts 
of the house to feed on them. Whether it. is natural instinct, or 
that they are endowed with the faculty of smell to guide them 
to the Brugmansia, I am not quite sure, but I know that if 
anyone cares to lay down a few of the Brugmansia leaves near 
to any of their favourite plants or seedlings they may be par¬ 
ticular about saving, and go out at night, about 10 o clock, 
a-snail hunting, I am convinced they will very soon clear their 
houses of snails. They will either be found feeding on the 
Brugmansia leaves or hurrying in the direction of them as fast 
as their locomotive power will carry them. As they are very 
slimy to handle, I simply cut them in two. 1 find this a sure 
way to get rid of these pests. To save the different plants m 
the kitchen-garden from slugs or snails, such as Cauliflowers, 
Cabbage, Lettuce, etc., whiten the ground with a mixture of 
gas-lime, salt, and soot before planting. If it, does not kill 
them all, it prevents them from crawling about and eating the 
plants. ' J° H * C - Dick ' 
Champfleurie, Linlithgow. 
How to Secure Early Roses. 
Few flowers are so generally admired or so much thought of 
as Roses in the months of March and April. When grown 
under glass their blooms are so clean and they are so useful 
for cutting that those who are able to estimate their real 
beauty and worth will assuredly pronounce them perfection. 
With such sorts .as Sunset, Marechal Niel, Devomensi.s, (Loire 
de Dijon, etc, their colourings are so delicately shaded and 
refined that at least one or two of each ought to be grown by 
all who have a cool greenhouse. One way to produce these 
early Roses is to first, form a border inside the house 3 ft. 
wide and 2 ft, 3 in. deep, place 6 in. of brick rubble in the 
bottom, and fill up the border with a mixture of old turf from 
old pasture land, with dried sheep manure, ground bones, 
crushed charcoal, and a dash of clean sharp sand thoroughly 
mixed together. Put in the plants late in autumn or towards 
the end of March. However, if they have been grown in pots, 
they can be planted almost at any season. A temperature of 
about 50deg. or 55deg. suits them very well from January on¬ 
wards. I find that the pretty white Niphetas, L’ldea-l, M. Niel', 
and others do far better when budded on the white Briar, 
although the old favourite Gloire de Dijon seems to do well 
either way, on its own roots or budded. The principal thing 
to guard against in growing early Roses is the airing of the 
houses, as they resent draughts very much when making young 
growth, and at this stage very little airing is wanted, unless 
during strong sunshine. After the first crop of flowers is over 
feed them with liquid manure, and the result will be a second 
crop of flowers during the summer with most of the varie¬ 
ties. Should mildew appear on the leaves, damp the pipes and 
dust them over with sulphur, and to keep green fly at bay give 
an occasional syringing with tepid water and soft soap. Should 
the latter show themselves in large numbers, a fumigating with 
X.L. All is the surest plan to send the enemies of the Rose 
hurriedly to their long home. John C. Dick. 
Champfleurie, Linlithgow. 
Potatos. 
As a reader of your valuable Gardening World, I think it my 
duty to have a few words on Potatos, as I have seen something 
in your paper these last two weeks about Potatos. I have tried 
all ways to find the best, and that I find is to keep all the best 
show Potatos in a veiy dry place. Then the first week in 
February dress all sprouts off, cut every Potato in two with a 
sharp thin knife, place them in boxes, eye upwards, to sprout-; 
put in a cool place till time to plant. The land should be dug 
roughly in winter to get frost. Then I make my rows 30in. 
apart. I put horse manure in the bottom, then I plant the 
Potatos 18in. apart in the rows. Then I put dead leaves on, 
the top of the Potatos. For every five yards I put half soot, 
half lime mixed, lib., on top of the leaves. The row is now 
ready for closing. Then I plant my show Broad Beans on the 
top of the rows, and I can score at most shows with both. When 
the Potatos are nicely up, pull all weak stems out. They will 
draw right from the eye without harming the Potatos. 
When taken up you will find them turn out clean and good 
Potatos. I have taken roots up with eight Potatos, and out of 
these I have got six show Potatos, and taken first at three shows. 
I have ten kinds of Potatos, and I grow them all this way for 
show puiposes, and I find it to be the best way that I have 
studied yet. Wii. Whorley. 
Evergreen Greenhouse Plants. 
This paper has a good percentage of critics, so unless you have 
a knowledge of the subject you are about to expound in these, 
columns, more so practically in precedence to the theoretical 
part, you may expect some severe criticism. The weekly or 
general connoisseur, “Cal,” is not prejudiced against us, so we 
might take example. Indulging on your space, it may be 
advantageous to remark on some evergreen shrubs of the con¬ 
servatory or greenhouse which are but sparsely in evidence, not 
that they are in any way fastidious to soil or treatment. 
In Widdringtonia ericodes we have a graceful and decorative 
shrub, attaining a height of 8ft. in an Sin. pot. No doubt this 
is in many a greenhouse going under quite a category of names. 
It is an African Cypress with an upright habit and branches a 
foot long- It resembles much the Juniper tree; in fact, one 
of them goes under the name of W. juniperoides. Like most 
pot shrubs, a rather retentive loam and additional peat and 
sand is a commendable compost. The most, effective means of 
increase would be from cuttings just now, or pi‘eferably autumn, ; 
in a close pit not too warm. Cuttings I have seen put in took 
over two months to root. The greenhouse is a suitable receptacle 
for this plant all the year round, with abundance of water in 
summer if the plants be root bound. A fine specimen of this 
was to be seen at the last, horticultural show in a nurseryman - 
exhibit in Edinburgh. 
Callistemons are another olass of shrubs which embellish thci 
glasshouse with their bright inflorescence or bottle-bush flowers: 
C. speciosus is the common species with almost terminal flowers, 
which measures 2in. long, and are a cluster of scarlet stamens. 
This generally flowers in summer on ripened wood, but can b, 
had in flower presently with the help of a warmer house. Will 
their stiff foliage and bushy habit they are commendable sub 
ject.s for the conservatory even when not in flower. Cuttings’ 
of the ripe shoots constitute the best process of propagation 
under a bell glass in a cool house. These will flower when in i 
small stage, repotting in a similar compost as mentioned for tin 
above, when in a few years you will have a plant of considerabb 
dimensions, with twenty to thirty flowers, which will be o 
much interest to gardeners, amateur and professional. To pro 
pagate such plants as these and grow into specimens reflect!; 
great credit and skill on the part of the operator or raiser, anc 
remain to be outstanding features of the place for years. Sucl 
work has ample remuneration. A. V. M. 
Fifeshire. 
*** The prize last week in the Readers’ Competition wa 
awarded to W. Anstiss for his article on “A Few Stov 
Orchids,” page 324. 
