October 8. 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
813 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of gardening. Questions should be put 
as briefly as possible, and written on one side of the paper only; a 
separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
of their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressed 
envelope is enclosed, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, “The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
How to Obtain the Edelweiss. 
So much has been said about this plant lately that some of 
our people would like to see it, and ask if I could grow it "W oukl 
seeds or plants be the best to get in order to establish the plants 
successfully P (Edelweiss.) 
Many people, we are! aware., collect, or endeavour to collect, 
the Edelweiss in its native habitats to. the risk of their own necks, 
but we do not consider that the best, wa.y of getting plants for 
establishing in gardens. Mostly every good seedsman offers seeds 
of the plant at relatively cheap prices, so that you cannot do 
better than apply to your seedsman for a packet of seeds. The 
raising of it is quite simple if you sow the seeds and give them 
the same treatment as. you would Stocks or China Asters in a 
o-entle heat, and afterwards planting them out when of some size 
and sufficiently hardened. The plants will flower the second 
season from the time of planting, if you select a situation where 
the roots will be relatively dry during the winter. 
Lifting Turnips. 
A sowing of Turnips occupies a piece of ground that we desire 
to trench along with the remainder of the square. The Turnips 
are still growing. Would they keep if the tops were cut off and 
the bulbs placed in heaps covered with Soil ? (A- J- W.) 
If the Turnips were sown very late, they will keep grow¬ 
ing for some time yet, and would be likely to grow when placed 
in a heap, unless the tops were very closely out off. A better 
plan, perhaps, would be to' dig them, up with good roots, select 
the best of them, and lay them in rows in some other part of the 
garden, where they might grow during the next month or six 
weeks, after which it would be safe enough to 1 pit them. 
Getting Long Necks to Leeks. 
I understand that the long-necked Leeks to be seen at flower 
sh ws are drawn out by means of paper collars. Would you be 
good enough to explain the process.? (F. S.) 
The Leeks are sown under glass early in the year jmd,grown 
on exactly the same lines as is dome with Onions, intend e<jl to be 
grown to large size. Trenches are prepared for the Leeks similar 
to those for Celery. After- being properly hardened, they are 
planted out in those trenches, and watered, if the weather is 
sufficiently dry to make it necessary. When the Leeks have 
attained some size, and the grower wishes them to have long 
necks for exhibition, he gets pieces of stiff brown paper and rolls 
this round their necks, covering a portion of the base of the 
leaves. The Leeks then commence lengthening, with the object 
of more fully or properly exposing their leaves to light. When 
this has taken place, a little soil is placed round the base of the 
Leeks, and the paper collars are lifted a bit higher, so as again 
to cover the base of the leaf blades. This process is continued 
until the Leek® have developed necks as long, as may be con¬ 
sidered necessary or suitable for exhibition, purpose®. After they 
are sufficiently long they are carefully earthed up in; the same 
way as Celery. 
Mossy Cushion, on Rose. 
A very curious growth like a tuft of red moss has appeared on 
the stems of a single Rose here. Could you give us any idea 
what it is, and if harmful F (W. R.) 
The peculiar growth you mention is in the nature, of a gall 
produced by an insect. It is popularly known as Robin’s Pin 
Cushion, and is the' work of an insect known as Cynips Rosa©. 
The insect pierces the soft bark of the young wood, depositing 
eggs there and probably some irritating fluid, whioh has the effect 
of causing’ the plant to grow out into the peculiar process just 
described. If numerous, the Pin Cushions would be harmful, but 
this is seldom the case. 
Fruit or Vegetable. 
I shall be very pleased if you could tell me whether a Vege¬ 
table Manow is a fruit when ripe or a vegetable, as I have been 
told it must be a vegetable by a well-known gardener. (Reader.) 
Speaking from a botanical point of view, a vegetable Marrow 
must be a fruit, whether green or ripe. For .gardening pur¬ 
poses, however, a Vegetable Marrow must always be regarded as 
a vegetable. The distinction usually made is that those things 
which must be cooked before they are eaten are vegetables, 
while those that may be eaten .in the form of dessert are truly 
fruits. It is merely a matter, however, for ordinary usage, 
because a sharp line of demarcation cannot be made. For 
instance, Tomatos may be eaten raw or cooked. Cucumbers are 
usually, if not always, eaten in the raw state as a salad or in 
conjunction with fish. In garden phraseology, however, Vege¬ 
table Marrows are always spoken of as a vegetable because they 
are only eaten in the cooked state. 
Late Flowering Chrysanthemums. 
We have a collection of late-flowering Chrysanthemums in the 
open intended for the production of flowers. Would it be safe 
to leave them where they are and put old sashes over them when 
the weather becomes bad, or would it be safer to pot them and 
place them indoors? (W. T. A.) 
If the weather continues mild, you would possibly be able 
to get a fair supply of flowers from the plants where they are 
growing if you take the precaution to cover them up at night, and 
occasionally by day in stormy weather. There, is always a risk 
of bad weather, and the chances are that the flowers you would 
get from late varieties would be soi badly damaged after the 
end of November as to make the trouble of protecting them 
almost worthless, unless the weather was unseasonably mild 
and open. It is rather late in the season for lifting them now, 
as they would have given better satisfaction if put into pots 
about the beginning of September, and afforded shade fora 
few days until the roots took to the fresh soil. We think, 
however, it would give you greater satisfaction to pot them up 
even nlow than to leave them to chance in the open. The flowers 
will be in better form under glass, and the foliage certainly 
better, than they could be in the open, as the temperature fre¬ 
quently sinks too low to maintain the foliage of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums in fresh condition. The houses in which they are put 
may be kept closed for a day or two if the sun is bright and 
there is a clanger of the foliage flagging. After they have taken 
to the soil they should receive all the light and air possible. 
Spanish and Other Irises. 
A batch of fine bulbs of Spanish Trises has just been potted 
ami plunged 1 outside beneath cocoanut fibre. Would it be 
possible to get them into flower just after the new year ? (W. D.) 
By dint of hard forcing you might get a number of the flowers 
to open by that time, but they would be short-lived, and not at 
all satisfactory. They should be brought on gently in a low 
temperature with plenty of ventilation in fine weather. Under 
this treatment they would probably come into bloom some time 
in March. None of the Irises respond well to hard forcing;, 
though they may be brought into bloom earlier under glass than 
out of doors, while their beauty will largely depend upon light, 
and air which they receive. If you particularly want Irises 
during the early part of the new year it would be well to try 
some of the early-flowering species, which though dwarf have 
fairly large flowers. We refer to such species as Iris alata, 
I. histrio, I. histrioides, I. persica, I. orchioides, and others of 
that class. Those we have given will give a succession of bloom 
commencing with I. alata and I. historio, and, as they naturally 
flower early, it is unnecessary to force them and undesirable 
to do so. 
Varieties of Heather. 
Having seen some beautiful varieties of the common Heather 
at flower shows, I should be pleased to have the names of a few 
of the best varieties, including the white one. (Erica.) 
The Purple Heather or Ling is best known under the name of 
Calluna vulgaris. There are several white varieties, but some 
of them are more effective than others, owing to the racemes or 
flower spikes being longer. Two of the bestm this respect are 
C. v. Hammondii and C. v. pilosa, with hairy stems and leaves. 
The flowers of both are pure white and very handsome in the 
garden or the cut state. A fine dark red variety is C. v. 
Alportii, and C. v. flore pleno has very effective and durable 
double pale purple flowers. Some varieties are grown for the 
sake of the foliage and the golden leafed C. v. aurea is the best 
the leaves m the early part of summer being of a decided yellow 
hue. J 
Apples and Pears from Seed. 
I have some pips saved from several of our best varieties of 
Apples and Pears in the hope of getting som ethin a cr 0 od. 
Should these be sown outside or under glass in spring ? (Pyrtts ) 
If you have a large number of seeds we think the best plan 
would be to sow them in well-prepared beds in the open -in 
spring, when the sod may be put into a good condition of tilth 
for the reception of the seeds. In the meantime, however, the 
