366 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 30, 1904. 
we generally experience at this season even the most stubborn 
is brought into a nice workable condition. Allow ample room 
between the trenches, from 3 ft, to 4 ft. being none too- much. 
Each trench should be 15 in. wide, the soil taken out at least) 
1 ft. in depth, and the bottom broken up 15 in., after which 
till up within a few Inches of the top with good manure. I 
prefer stable droppings to> any other, on to which should be 
placed lightly about 3 in. of the best of the soil taken from 
the trench and left in this condition till the time of planting. 
It is, I always think, a great mistake to plant Celery in deep 
trenches, as, providing sufficient channel is left to supply the 
crop with moisture, nothing is gained by it, and the plants do* 
much better and are much more easily and conveniently 
attended to. Lift and plant with a garden trowel when the 
plants are a fair size, but before doing so, make quite certain 
that the roots are thoroughly moistened and that the growths 
are not infested with green apliis, which frequently does much 
damage to the young leaves. Allow a distance of from 10 in. 
to 15 in. from plant to plant, according to the variety. Plant 
verv firmly, and well water in. Hardly too much water can 
lie given both at the root and overhead during the growing 
season, and hi addition a plentiful supply of stimulants must 
be applied : both sewer and farmyard liquid are excellent, and 
soot is also verv beneficial, not only as a stimulant, but in 
assisting to prevent the attack of Celery fly and slugs and 
snails. This should be dusted on the growths at least every 
ten days. During the summer months the crop should be 
frequently looked over and all side shoots removed, also de¬ 
cayed and split leaves. 
Blanching. -— Six to eight weeks should be allowed for this, 
always bearing in mind that the specimens blanch much 
quicker in early autumn and later. I have tried many methods, 
lint have found nothing so satisfactory as bands of stout brown 
paper, 5 in. in width, which should be added about every nine) 
or ten days, finally leaving about 6 in. or 7 in. of the tops 
uncovered. If this is well done, so that every particle of light 
and air is excluded, very little soil will be required : indeed, 
the less the better, but at each papering apply a little fresh 
soot. Once during the blanching process the paper should be 
removed, the specimens examined, cleaned and again covered 
as speedily as possible. 
Varieties for Early Shows. — Sutton’s White Gem and 
Veiteli's Early Pose are excellent, and for later work. Carter's) 
Standard Bearer is hard to beat as a red. Webb’s Mammoth 
Bed is also very fine. Wright’s Giant White and Sutton’s 
Solid White are unsurpassed. Ed. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Azalea Culture. 
When I was a boy in the garden my employer was one day 
speaking to some friends outside the greenhouse where I was 
weeding the walk. The gentlemen were about to leave, when 
he said: Just a moment : do come and see my Azaleas,” the 
said Azaleas being some three dozen plants from Holland a 
few weeks previously. It cannot be denied that these plants 
are remarkably well set with buds, and I have heard more 
than one gardener say they cannot be grown to the same per¬ 
fection afterwards. Some market growers buy fresh plants 
every year, being quite content with the return they 
get for cut flowers. This is all right enough for them, 
and were I in their place I should do the same, as the 
plants are comparatively worthless after such a cutting about : 
but it cannot be followed in a private place. Once they are 
bought in they have to last and put in a respectable appear¬ 
ance each year. They are generally getting past their best 
about the last week in April, and should then be overhauled. 
Any that require repotting may be seen to with safety. 
Some of the larger plants may be top-dressed only. It is 
astonishing what a number of years these plants will go with¬ 
out being potted. When it becomes necessary, however, choose 
a size of pot just large enough to allow the potting stick to be 
convenientlv used. Pot very firmly in a compost of three 
parts peat, leaf-soil and sand in equal proportions, with a 
little loam to steady the compost. V hen the work is finished, 
the collar of the plant should be seen to be the least bit higher 
than the soil at the edge of the pot. All seed-pods are best 
removed at this time, care being taken not to damage the 
young growths. 1 find a pair of Grape scissors the handiest 
thin" to use, and if the pods are nipped oft' with these, the 
pedicles will fall away during the summer. Place into an in¬ 
termediate temperature, and syringe twice daily. Any growth 
inclined to run away should be stopped before the end of May. 
This gives it a chance to grow again before placing out of doors, 
which should be done the first week in July. A position that 
is partly shaded is the besit, where they may be plunged up 
to the' rims in coal ashes. This keeps the roots nice and cool, 
and the plants do not require the amount of water they would 
do if stood on the bare surface. On warm days give a good 
syringing in the evening. 
The latter end of September they will have to be taken into 
the greenhouse or conservatory, and from this date great care 
wifi have to be taken with the watering. The plants will often 
o-o a fortnight without watering-, especially those that were 
potted in the spring. Weak liquid manure may be given with 
advantage when the buds are swelling. A bag of sheep dung 
put into a tub filled with water and allowed to soak for a few 
davs makes an excellent manure, using just enough of the 
prepared stuff to colour the water. H. Arnold. 
Selaginellas. 
Although to-day Ferns hold a premier place in the eyes of 
the general public, and doubtless possess a predominating in¬ 
terest for the professional gardener, yet in the genus Selagiu- 
ella, there are found forms of grace and beauty which equal, 
if not surpass, those found among the Filices. The unique 
beauty of this group of plants cannot fail to- provoke admira¬ 
tion, and, unlike many other plants, the closer the inspection 
the more intense will be the admiration for the beauty re¬ 
vealed, and, to say the least, I think they should be worthily 
represented in every Fern collection. Selaginella presents a 
m*eat diversitv of character, some bein" tall and tree-like, as in 
Wallichii and Willdenovii, while others creep along the ground, 
forming dense carpeting, as in kraussiana, delicatissima, and 
the like. < 
In colour and shades of colour there is also much variation ; 
the shades of green being many, while there are a few very 
prettily variegated forms, the prettiest, I think, in this direc¬ 
tion being watsoniana, a robust-growing species, the upper por¬ 
tion of the fronds being a distinct silvery-grey, while the lower 
is of a veiy pleasing green. 
The species Vogelii and uncinata are remarkable for their 
steel-like tinted fronds; the latter species especially, attracts 
much attention when grown in quantity. I may say in pass¬ 
ing that this blue tint is much more pronounced when the plant 
is grown in the shade, rather than strong sunlight ; in fact, 
the greater portion of the genus are best out of the direct rays 
of the sun. 
Selaginellas are quite as easy as Ferns to manage, and are 
very much less susceptible to the attack of insect pests, there 
being scarcely any danger in that direction under good culti¬ 
vation. 
To keep up a good collection cuttings should be annually 
inserted, which is usually done in February and March, hut 
they may be rooted at any time during the year, providing the 
right cuttings are taken, these being the young growing shoots; 
those which have the sp>ore-cones developed on them should he 
avoided. 
Square pans are best adapted for Selaginellas, and give a 
better effect than when grown in pots, but I would certainly 
grow a few of the most graceful kinds in 5-in. pots or pans, to 
be available for table decoration. In the majority of cases the 
pot or pan in which the cuttings are inserted are their per¬ 
manent quarters, but a better plan adopted sometimes (and a 
