798 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 8, 1904. 
tinct and beautiful appearance. The flowers are pale pink 
and really inconspicuous, but these are succeeded by bright 
red fruits, and the' colour of the foliage and stems 'being a 
reddish-plum colour the effect is very striking. It is a fast 
grower and makes a fine bed when pegged down, and the old 
growth is removed. It is also desirable for using as a pillar 
Kooe, but, off course, one does not get the same effect as when 
massed in quantity. 
Roses, Honeysuckles, Clematis and other climbers cm poles, 
etc., will now need pruning lightly and tying in for the last 
time this season, and if any are affected with mildew, as in, all 
probability some will be', another good syringing of a reliable 
fungicide should be given. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Palms.—Generally speaking, these plants receive somewhat 
rough treatment-by frequently utilising them for furnishing 
purpose® in the dwelling, and the present time is opportune 
for overhauling them in order to maintain them in good health 
throughout the' winter. I do> not, advise general repotting at 
this! time, but only those that have become loosened by con¬ 
stant removal from one place to another, air those that are 
cramped for rpot room. Early spring is the best time for the' 
general repotting of Palms. Avoid giving a, large shift at this 
time', as there is a risk of the new soil becoming sour, and a 
too vigorous growth is inadvisable now. One of the chief 
factors to success in the cultivation of Palms is to keep 1 the - 
foliage clean, and it should now receive a thorough sponging. 
Those plants growing in small pots that have not lately re¬ 
ceived a, shift should still be fed regularly with liquid farm¬ 
yard manure or guano water. Afford a fair amount of top air 
on fine mild days, and remove' any shading still remaining on. 
the Structure wherein they are growing. The shading should 
now be removed from all glass structures in order to admit 
full light to' mature the growths of the various plants. 
Cyclamen.— Assuming that seed was sown as advised ini a 
recent calendar, the young plants will by now be ready for 
potting off singly into, thumb pots. Lift them carefully from 
the seed pan with an old label, taking care not to damage 
the tender roots. The compost for this and subsequent pot- 
tings should consist of two' part® loam, to one each of leaf-soil 
and decayed manure, with plenty of sharp sand and a. sprink¬ 
ling of bone meal and small nodules of charcoal incorporated. 
The tiny bulb should not be buried deeply, but bei just under 
the surface when finished off. At subsequent potting the bulb 
should protrude one-third out of the soil. Place on a light 
shelf in, a genial temperature of 60 or 65 deg., and syringe 
lightly twice daily and shade from bright sunshine. Keep 
growing gently all winter, and when: the. pots are well filled 
with roots shift on into 60-sized pots. 
Gloxinias and Caladiums.— These bulbous plants will now 
be going to rest, and the amount of water must be gradually 
reduced until they are finally dried off. Place -the' plants in, a 
cooler structure in the full sun to ripen, and when the foliage 
has died down, store in, a warm, dry place for the winter. 
Hyacinths. — No time should be lost in completing the pet¬ 
ting of these', for 1 if the bulbs remain longer out of soil, they 
deteriorate. The aim should he to pot early, in order that 
abundance of roots may be formed before severe weather sets 
in. Place on a, hard coal-ash bottom in a cold frame, and cover 
with 2 in. of cocoa, fibre or similar material. Roman Hyacinths 
and other bulbs potted up earlier should he examined every 
few days, and those that have started into growth removed to 
a. light frame or shelf in the greenhouse ready for introducing 
into' warmth as required. 
Zonal Pelargoniums.— If not already done', these should be 
at once removed to the warm greenhouse where they will soon, 
make a display. The plants will he much benefited at this 
time by occasional applications of guano or farmyard liquid 
manure, and this should be regularly applied until they are in 
full blossom, when only clear water should be given. Avoid 
over-watering from now onwards, and maintain a, fairly dry, 
buoyant atmosphere about them. 
Propagating.—Note should be made of any plants of which 
the stock is short as this is a, good time to insert cuttings, and 
the resulting plants will be vigorous and altogether better for 
stock than older ones that, have already done good service. 
Stove edging plants, asi Panicum, Pilea, Fittonia, Sibthorpia, 
Selaginella, and the like may be readily struck from cuttings, 
a,s 1 may many other stove and greennouse decorative subjects. 
It should be understood that I do not advocate their propaga¬ 
tion in large quantities at. this time, as spring is the best 
time>, but it behoves usi to look ahead and see that sufficient 
young stock is worked up now for providing plenty of vigorous 
cuttings in early spring. Those who are not in the fortunate 
position of having a proper propagating house or pit can 
obtain fair results by utilising handlights or small frames in 
the stove. K. M. 
Letters to the Editor. 
Rose Ren Cant. 
To the Editor of Tiie Gardening World. 
Sir’,—-Your article on Ren, Cant' is rather interesting, but 
from personal experience most misleading. I got one plant 
two years, ago and budded on Briers all available buds, so that 
this year I had twenty-five plants all very strong. They gave 
promise of a splendid display, buds on top of every shoot, but 
I did not get a, single bloom worth cutting. They all seemed 
to stop' growing a,t, about two-thirds, and open, or rather half 
open, into very small badly-coloured blooms. I have tried all 
dodges' and feeding, but I cannot induce any change. I must 
also sa.y this is the experience of several large growers besides 
myself. 
Possibly you could suggest some treatment, or maybe 
Messrs'. Cant would give hints as to the best method of growing 
it, asi certainly it, is splendid as shown by them at the Temple, 
etc. Only from my experience I must define it “ good when 
caught right,” a,s explained on p. 226 of Rev. Foster Melliar’s 
“ Book of the Rose.” Chas. Douglas. 
Wasps’ Nests. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,—I see' a query respecting wasps’ nests, and having had 
more t han an average amount,of dealing.wit h t hese unmitigated 
fiends, I would have a word here. I would not on any account 
play about' with sulphur, as it has a, habit of catching fire when 
boiled, whilst the fumes are none too pleasant. I have tried 
and found it wanting, for the “ varmints ” get out, by making 
another hole, their home being in a, loose bank. 
Cyanide, as the editor state®, is very deadly, and few keep 
it on the premises'. This being so in my case, I bethought of 
turpentine, and having a bottleful, I one evening poured about 
half a pint down the hole. 
There instantly arose such an infernal buzzing underground 
that, I expected to see the insects tumble out, in thousands, but 
not one appeared, and I stood and pondered as to' why. It 
then, occurred that they might like a warming, so I poured a 
little turps on ai piece of hay, and set it alight. This I 
dropped on the hole, and instantly there was a, glorious blaze. 
I could seethe flames curling down the hole' and running round 
the clods with which the bank was made, and after sundry 
chuckles I left. 
Next morning I dug down and fished out the biggest nest I 
have ever touched, over 9 in. across. Between the galleries 
were hundreds of dead insects, whilst in the cells were many 
hundreds of larvae. The flames had burnt a portion of the 
nest, but whatever it was—fire or turps—the experiment was 
a huge success. C. 
