June 27,1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
501 
a T"\ XT' in O * Dnri T'T /A \T For details of this competition and prize offered, pie 
f* r* A LI ILK O vUMiL 111 Iv/IN. see page 557. Please post on Friday night. 
The Value of Hoeing. 
“Keep the hoe frequently moving amongst growing crops ” is 
' advice one frequently meets with in the various periodicals 
j devoted to the interests of the garden, particularly at this season 
of the year, and as the value of such an operation can hardly be 
over estimated, I will endeavour briefly to point out some of the 
advantages which growing plants derive from a frequent use of 
the hoe. In many instances the main object- is the destruction 
of weeds. In such cases choose a bright morning, and commence 
operations as early as possible, so as to enable the sun to give 
I you all its available assistance in the completion of your work. 
Be careful to disturb all the soil, pass the hoe underneath the 
weed, not simply beheading it, taking care not to go too deep, or 
I too much soil will be left attached to the weed, which will 
materially assist ini preserving its life. Another advantage to be 
derived from a frequent- use of tire hoe is the pulverisation of 
the soil, which, of course, gives greater scope to the roots of 
vegetables or flowers, amid further hoeing between tire crops must 
of necessity cut or shorten the exending fibres, causing them to 
send out innumerable smaller roots or feeders, which act like 
so many mouths ; and it is obvious that the best way to make 
every possible use of an enriched soil is to provide the plant with 
as many feeders as possible. Pulverisation also increases the 
temperature of the soil by allowing the free ingress of warm 
rain and air in the spring. It is also a means of admitting at¬ 
mospheric moisture to the roots, and a great portion of the 
. carbonic acid gas taken up by the plants is obtained from the 
atmosphere. 
Another point to bear in- mind is that the constant applica¬ 
tion of water with the hose pipe or watering pot is not so neces¬ 
sary or advisable if the hoe is kept frequently at work. This 
is owing in a great measure to the property of capillarity 
possessed by soils, which causes the water from the subsoil for 
several feet in depth to be continually rising to the surface 
to take the place of that which is lost by evaporation. Place a 
lump of sugar in a saucer which has a little moisture in it, and 
it will be noticed that the water will at once ascend to the 
surface of the sugar, which is an excellent illustration of what 
I am trying to explain. Let me also point out that the finer 
the soil the greater will he its capillary powers, owing to the 
fact that the spaoes between the particles are smaller, and con¬ 
sequently in greater quantity. 
Now comes the value of hoeing, which causes the spaces 
between the particles of soil at the surface to become large ; con¬ 
sequently capillary attraction there is much smaller, so that a 
greater part of the moisture rises to just below the surface, and 
1 there stays to assist the plant. It will, of course, be seen- that 
the surface soil may be quite dry, and yet underneath the plant 
may have sufficient moisture to sustain it. When: the watering- 
pot has been used, the hoe must certainly be resorted to, as the 
water given in this way beats down the soil, and to a great 
| extent prevents 1 aeration, as well as causes much of the water 
applied at subsequent waterings to be lost by evaporation. 
And further, the frequent use of the hoe during the hot days, 
which eventually we hope to experience, will be in a measure 
turning to good account what at present- seems an excessive and 
j unwelcome rainfall. W. H. W. 
Pelargoniums. 
Go where you will, or at wli-at season you like, you are sure 
to see a Geranium. In the cottage window, tile amateur's 
greenhouse, or the swell conservatory, they are to be seen in all 
I stages, from the plant that is about 4 ft. high, with a few leaves 
and a truss of flower on the top, to the well-grown plant of the 
professional gardener. They are easily kept on their legs, and 
put up with a lot of rough treatment, or no treatment at all, 
! always yielding a bit of flower. This no doubt accounts for their 
popularity. On the other hand, they respond to good treatment 
with a profusion of flower that is equalled by few other plants 
m cultivation, and my experience of their culture may be useful 
r to some of the readers of “ G.W.” 
The fhow varieties are now going out of flower, and should be 
stood outside in the sun to thoroughly ripen their growth, never 
allowing them to get dry, and giving a good syringing twice 
dafiy, is they generally have a good bit of green fly on them, 
and are subject to attacks of spider at- this season. The first 
week in August prune the plants back to two good eyes, and 
place them close together in an open frame. Hardly any water 
will be required, two good syrimgings a day being sufficient to 
keep them moist and make tnem break freely. After the plants 
have made an inch of growth, shake them out and pot them 
back in as small pots as it is possible to get them. Shade and 
syringe for a few days, and when they are somewhat established 
place on a shelf in a cool house, and give careful watering until 
the end of December or the first week in January, when it will 
be advisable to give them their final sniff, 24’s being the most 
useful size, although some plants may not require that size, some 
being weaker growers than others. The compost should consist 
of three parts turfy loam, half a part dried cowdung, and half a 
part leaf mould, with enough sand to make the whole porous. 
A good firm potting will be required, and after they are back 
on the shelf they may be syringed, but keep the soil rather on 
the dry side. When the flower buds are showing instead of clear 
water weak guano should be given, and a fumigation is ad¬ 
visable before they come into flower. 
Cuttings should be taken the first week in August, and in¬ 
serted rather thickly in a handlight, with about 4 in. of sand as 
a rooting medium. When rooted pot off into 60’s. No further 
potting will be required the first year. 
Zonals.— Cuttings of these snould be inserted in boxes of 
light sandy soil in. February, and rooted in a mean temperature 
of 60 dogs. As soon 'as they are rooted pot them off into 60’s, 
and when -established in these - pinch out the tops to induce 
shrubby growth. The latter end of May is the best time to put 
them into their flowering pots. The compost, as for the show 
varieties, with a little soot added. Place the plants in a cold 
frame until established, and about the middle of June stand 
them out in the open, on boards or slates. Any growth inclined 
to run away should be stopped, and all flower buds picked off 
until the end of August. These operations should then be dis¬ 
continued. Stimulants will be required all through September. 
I found blood the -best—-about half a gallon to- 30 gallons of 
water. The last- week of the month they must be taken into- the 
greenhouse. Care will then have to- be taken with water, and 
on foggy days hardly any will be required. A little heat in the 
pipes, and air at the top of the house, the floors and stagings 
kept as dry -as possible, and picking all dead blooms, are little 
details of importance if the plants are to flower until the end of 
J anuaay. 
When the blooms are wanted for use they should be forced 
away from the axils of the leaves amid not cut. One drop of 
florist’s gum dropped on the stigma of each flower will be suffi¬ 
cient to cause sterilisation and prevent the petals from falling. 
It should not be dropped on the petals themselves, as it dis¬ 
colours then. H. Arnold. 
The Culture of Cattleyas. 
Wnere possible a house or division should be devoted to 
Cattleyas and Laelias ; (but- in 'any case the house should be a 
roomy light one, fully supplied with means of ventilation at the 
top, bottom and sides. A double stage should be provided, the 
lower one to cany sufficient ashes or -gravel to hold a quantity 
of moisture, and support above it a trellis stage on which to 
stand the plants. All the strong growing plants can be success¬ 
fully grown in pots, but those which throw forth long roots, or 
are of lowly gi'owtli, are best: placed in teak baskets, and sus¬ 
pended near the roof. Free drainage is of the utmost import¬ 
ance, and when pots are used these should be two-thirds fuil of 
crocks ; over this place a layer of sphaguum, and then place the 
plant on that, and commence at one side and place a compost 
of two-thirds of fibrous peat to one of sphagnum among the 
roots, carefully working around the plant. 
Cattleyas should be slightly raised above the rim of the pots 
they occupy, and the compost made firm. The best time to pot 
Cattleyas is when the new roots are being emitted from the 
young growths, and this rule should be rigidly adhered to. As 
some varieties make a greater length of rhizome in a season 
than others, this must be taken into account when preparing 
the receptacles for the plants, always allowing room for expanse 
of growth for two or three years, as Cattleyas do not like to be 
disturbed. The temperature for Cattleyas should be 60degs. by 
day and 52degs. to 55degs. by night during December, January 
and February; 65degs. to 70degs. by day and 60degs. by night 
in March and April; a minimum of 70degs. by day and bOiegs. 
by night during May, June, July, August, and September; and 
65degs. to 70degs. by day and 60degs. by nignt during October 
