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THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 29,1903. 
flowers of sulphur, mixed thoroughly together, should red spider 
be lurking on. the branches, putting this on in the evening. Do 
not allow the pot plants 1 toi suffer for water, syringing the foli¬ 
age well underneath on evenings when, the weather is fine. Un¬ 
heated houses: require careful management, during September 
and early October, while the second crop are ripening, or much 
of the fruit will be spoilt, doing what necessary watering may 
be required early mornings, maintaining a, circulation fair 
throughout, the night, at, reducing time, which should not be 
later than. 3.15 p.m., gaining a few minutes each day during 
the next few weeks, until the crop is cleared, when throw the 
top and bottom ventilators wide open, removing all fruit 
that appear, which will be useless for next year. 
Bicton, Devonshire, James Mayne. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
The Stove ,—I invariably make a rule of thoroughly overhaul¬ 
ing the stove at this season. I have several reasons for 
performing the operation now in preference to the spring, when 
many people do the work. Generally speaking, the weather is 
sufficiently favourable for standing the occupants in the open 
for the day, whilst, the wood-work and glass are thoroughly 
cleansed with hot, water and soft soap. The plants; should not 
now be encouraged to make over-luxuriant growth, but the aim 
should be to solidify the growth already made, in. order that it 
will the better pass through the winter without having recourse 
to excessive fire-heat. The more matured the stems and leaves 
of plants are in winter the lower temperature will they with¬ 
stand without injury. One of the chief factors to ensure this 
are clean glass, thus admitting the maximum amount of sun¬ 
light. Owing to the large amount of humidity that is neces¬ 
sarily maintained in these structures throughout the spring and 
summer months, the glass and wood-work become much coated 
with filth, hence the necessity of removing it before the days 
become short. 
The leaves of all ornamental foliaged plants, as Palms, 
Crotons, Dracaenas, etc., should be sponged if time allows,, or, 
if not, the plants may be rearranged and the necessary cleansing 
done a,si opportunity offers. In. smoky localities, it is; advisable 
to, wash the exterior as well as the interior of the structure. Of 
course, there will be less need to shape as much as hitherto, for 
the same reasons as, stated above. On fine days admit air 
freely at the top, also a, little at the sides of the house, shutting 
up and syringing early in the afternoon. Dull days have been 
all too. numerous; this summer, and from this, time onwards 
every possible advantage should be taken of utilising that 
which we may be favoured with. 
Heating Apparatus. —If any alterations or repairs to boilers 
or pipes are contemplated this year no time should be lost in 
completing them, so that when, extra firing become® necessary 
every part is in good working order and equal to the strain, im¬ 
posed upon it. 
Painting and Repairs. —All exterior work on glasshouses 
should now be hurried on, for the time is at hand when the 
weather will prevent such work being performed satisfactorily. 
It is; important that all broken, and cracked glass be taken out 
and replaced with new. 
Marguerites.- —There are few plants more popular or useful 
for a, variety of purposes than these, and if nice plants are' 
Wanted to, flower next spring the present is, a capital time to 
insert cuttings. If the old plants were placed in the, open aft,e.’ 
flowering, and well attended to for water, there will now be an 
abundance of half-ripened cuttings, that will quickly take root 
if inserted in sandy soil and plunged in a lralf-spent, hot-bed. 
If such does not exist, they will as readily emit roots if placed in 
a handliglit or warm frame, keeping close and shaded from 
bright sunshine. When well rooted, gradually inure, to the air 
and full light, and pot off singly into 60’s for wintering on 
shelves in the greenhouse. K M. 
Letters to the Editor. 
Troubles of an Amateur. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,— I have just been reading your paper, given to me by 
a friend to-day, and am much interested in many of the articles, 
but I do not, understand above 5 per cent, of whai I am reading 
about. The description given of most of the choice plants and 
flowers worth growing is all lost to me. I can certainly tell 
a Wallflower from a Sweet Pea, but that is about all. The 
aiticle “ How Opinions Differ ” tempted me to write this letter. 
My position is this : My house and garden constitute about 
an acre of ground. I have lived here five years The subsoil 
is clay, and bad clay, too, there is, I think, no doubt. I have 
built a vinery 27 ft. long and a glasshouse 30 ft., and have 
applied the straw stable .manure from three or four horses to 
the garden during the five years, together with soot, gas lime, 
bones, etc. 
I employ one gardener, and have changed several times, hoping 
for better results, but this season we are little better than 
last, when we had only two boilings of Peas, and Cabbages almost 
nil. Potatos look fairly well, but the Peas do not grow even 
straw. I pulled several roots up to examine, and they seemed 
shrivelled and without vigour. My friend thinks wireworm is 
the cause. The Beans look weak ; of Carrots there are about a 
score left out, of three rows ; Onions are small ; Turnips, first 
crop all went back, second sowing doing fair ; Parsnips and Beet 
look best of all. 
Inside we are looking about as bad. The vines started and 
fruited well—that is, my four Black Hamburghs, but the Muscat 
of Alexandria has only one bunch. However, they looked like 
being a show crop for an amateur until about a fortnight ago 
when the leaves all turned rusty. I put several buckets of 
blood on the border just then, and whether it is this or red 
spider we cannot tell. The bloom on some of the lower bunches 
has gone off in specks, looking as if they had been syringed. 
Tomatos in my other house are diseased, leaves shrivelled up, 
and several of the very scanty crop of fruit have gone and are 
going rotten. I am inclined to think this is due to ground bones 
being mixed too freely in the soil, and, the house being kept 
shut up, the place got very damp. I suggested a little fire and 
more air. 
Well, Sir, these are some of my gardening troubles, and I 
often sigh for the advice of a practical man. What with bad 
soil, bad seasons, frost, wireworms, slugs and blight, combined 
with, I am afraid, bad judgment and indifferent management, 
the woes of an amateur gardener are truly many. Jones. 
Sambueus racemosa var. plumosa aurea. 
When at its best, in full fruit, the typical S. racemosa is 
one of the most ornamental of showy truited shrubs; but, 
unfortunately, it is seldom seen, in good condition m gardens 
about London. fiTowermg early, the- young fruits are sub¬ 
jected to many changes; of weather, and late frosts are often 
responsible for the loss of the fruit. The fruit, when ripe, is of 
a bright red colour, and as it is borne in dense clusters, its 
beauty can be imagined. If, however, the type is not often 
seen at its best, there are several varieties with handsome 
leaves which have a good appearance for the greater part of 
the year and are well worthy of cultivation. To this number 
the subject of this note belongs, it being possibly the most 
showy of all the varieties. It makes a dense bush well clothed 
with foliage, the leaves, being compound and composed of five 
leaflets. The leaflets are from 4 in. to 5 in. long, and 1 in. 
wide in the widest part, the margins, being deeply divided into 
five segments. In colour they are golden, as also is the bark 
of the young woods. The colour keeps, good for the greater 
part of the year, and the plant is well suited for massing or 
for forming isolated specimens. Like other Elderberries, it. 
does not require any elaborate cultivation. Given good soil 
when it is first planted, and an occasional mulching and thin¬ 
ning out, it will keep in good condition for a number of years. 
It, is increased by means of cuttings, which may be either of 
short, half-ripe shoots: in July, or of fully ripened shoots 9 in. 
long in winter. When the former method is adopted the cut¬ 
tings, should be rooted in a, close case, but if the latter way 
is taken they may be put in a border out of doors. W. P- 
