April 2, 1904. 
273 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
worm are' extremely fond of, and these can be examined daily 
and the pest killed. Those which were planted in the autumn 
should have the soil pressed firmly about them, and a thin 
top-dressing will prove beneficial. 
Montbretias. — Those which were lifted and placed in boxes 
before' the winter can now be planted, and they are of great 
value for planting in, beds or borders 1 , or for cutting purposes. 
A deep 1 sandy loam is best suited for their culture, but if the 
soil is heavy one will be well repaid by adding a, little light 
material in which to start them. After planting a top-dress¬ 
ing of old Mushroonn-bed manure or other material that can 
be spared should be given, as this will prove of great benefit in 
dry weather. Montbretias should receive copious' supplies of 
wafer, both clear and liquid, manure during the summer 
months. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Among the Orchids. 
Shading. — The roof-blinds, on all the divisions of the: Orchid 
houses should now be placed in, position and used whenever 
the siuTs rays become sufficiently strong to be likely to be in¬ 
jurious to the foliage of the plants. Even the north houses 
which accommodate the cool-growing sections will require pro¬ 
tection from over-glaring light during the middle of the days. 
Care should also be observed to see that any uncovered por¬ 
tions, such as may often be found at the ends and between the 
meeting blinds in the' centre, although it is not advisable tor fix 
this to the glass in such a manner that- when wanted to be 
removed it will adlierei so firmly that there is: a danger of 
removing the paint from the woodwork in doing it. 
Turpentine and white lead mixed into a very thin solution 
makes a good screen for the roof-tops. Whitening and sour 
milk, with a little salt added, make one of the most desirable 
and easily removed of any I have had to deal with, but when 
put on early in the season the spring frost will often loosen 
it from the glass, and the first heavy rain that follows will 
partly clear and make it useless for screening purposes until 
it has been covered with the whitening again. 
Watering — The longer days and brighter conditions, outside 
cause- the potting compost to become dry on the surface much 
more quickly than was the case two or three weeks ago. It 
is at such a season, that one: has: to, be more than usually 
cautious to ascertain exactly what the potting material is like 
beneath the surfacing moss. Where a, good proportion of 
leaf-soil is used in the potting com post it makes things less 
difficult, because the. only water these plants should require is 
sufficient to keep the moss on the surface in a growing condi¬ 
tion. Saturation must, above all things, he avoided. The 
secret of the successful use of leaf-soil is the treatment that 
accompanies it. Where there is only a small proportion of 
leaf-soil in the potting compost, it is not, so easy to- afford the 
desirable quantities of water, and failure to carefully observe 
the state of moisture immediately below the surface frequently 
brings disagreeable results. 
At this time of the year, when both new roots and growths 
are being so freely produced, it is above all things necessary 
to see that, the moisture facilities are properly applied, both 
at the roots and in the atmosphere. In applying the atmo¬ 
spheric moisture it is well to study the: prevailing conditions, 
outside. With the- frequent, changes taking place outside it is 
difficult to prevent, altogether the inside temperatures being- 
affected accordingly. There is nothing more likely to be de¬ 
trimental to the foliage of tender subjects than, a saturated 
atmosphere with the temperature, falling below the normal 
degree. It, is obvious, therefore, that damping down should 
he done at the present season sufficiently early in the day to 
permit the excessive moisture thus brought into- the atmosphere 
to become distilled before the cooler evening temperatures set 
in. In, the cool divisions this is particularly desirable. Tlie 
unsightly spotting of the foliage in Masdevallias is caused by 
excessive moisture during the prevalence of a low degree of 
temperature. This is sufficient to illustrate its evil effects. 
H. J. 
The Flower Garden. 
The planting out of Carnations, Pansies, and Violas may now 
be proceeded with. For Carnations, the beds should he dressed 
with lime and soot as a deterrent to the ravages of wire-worm, 
afterwards forking over the beds and treading firm before 
planting. 
Violas require a fairly deep, moist soil to grow and flower 
freely, and where these conditions are afforded a fine display 
will be: had throughout the summer. In, the cooler climate of 
the North, Violas have long filled an important place in the 
bedding arrangements, and the excessive moisture of the last 
two summers lias given a fillip* t,o : their culture in the South. In 
gardens: where the staple: soil is: light and dry the Violas may 
be planted in, Rose-beds, the partial shade of the Roses suiting 
the Violas admirably. Violas and Carnations associate well 
in the same bed. The tall stems of the Carnations, rising above 
the Violas, make a, simple but pleasing effect., care, of course, 
being taken in, the arrangement of the: colours, using pink or 
red Carnation® with white Violas, and white Carnations with 
blue or yellow Violas. 
A bed of seedling Pansies is always worth a place in the 
garden, and although they may not last in flower over so long 
a period as do Violas from cuttings, yet there is a charm in 
the many colours to, be found in a bed. 
Preparations, must now be made for sowing hardy annuals. 
These are usually seen in, groups: in the mixed border or in 
beds or borders reserved for such. In a,ny case, a quantity of 
finely sifted soil, obtained by sifting old potting soil or such¬ 
like, should be got ready for covering the seeds; when this is 
done, the seeds germinate more evenly, and thinning, which 
is so essential to, success, is more easily carried out. 
The number of hardy annuals known to: gardeners is 
enormous, and such things as Kaulfussia amelloides, blue ; 
Brachycome- iberidefolia,, blue (Swan River Daisy) ; Coreopsis, 
tinctoria, crimson-brown; Coreopsis Drummondi, yellow; and 
Linuru grandiflorum rub-rum are- o-nly one or two of the best. 
The remainder of the half hardy annuals may be sown no-w 
and placed in gentle heat. No time should be lo-st in, pricking 
off the seedlings when, large enough, hardening off gradually 
as they advance. Of half hardy annuals: one might make 
special note of Phlox Drummondi, one of the prettiest and most 
floriferous plants available for the flower garden. It may he 
obtained in three colours-—red, white, and yellow—and beds of 
one colour have a fine effect. 
Tropaeolums-, whether of the dwarf or trailing section, are 
very useful on account of their bright colours. They are- best 
propagated by cuttings, the resulting plants being more flor- 
iferous than seedlings. One of the finest varieties of the trail¬ 
ing section is- “ Fireball.” As: the name suggests, the- flowers 
are intensely bright red, and when trained on, to a wall, trellis 
or verandah, a fine effect is produced. Propagation o-f Tro¬ 
paeolums:, either by seeds or cuttings-, may be proceeded with 
now. B. W. J. 
Fruit Prospects. 
It is- rather early to say much on, this subject, but the Pear 
and the Plum trees in this garden are bristling with flower-buds 
and the outer scales of these are rapidly falling; but as -such 
great importance is attached to wo-od ripening, as, some would 
make us believe, I fear there will be no fruit, for the conditions 
neces-sary to- wood-ripening were entirely absent during the 
whole of last year in, this part. When, we see Mo-reilo Cherries 
fruiting annually against a, north wall that hardly gets a ray 
of -sunshine, and when we read of Apples ripening on a. north 
wall in Denbighshire-, North Wales, one is inclined to think 
that wood ripening is a, minor factor in fruit, production. I 
have seen more harm done by wood roasting than weed ripen¬ 
ing. W. P. Roberts. 
The Cardens-, Cuerden Hall, Preston. 
