October 15, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
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. 
Aaonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, “The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Bulbs in the Grass. 
You might tell me the best way to plant bulbs in the grass. 
(W. D.) 
There are two principal ways of planting bulbs in the grass, 
and you will have to be guided according to circumstances or 
convenience. If the soil is fairly soft you might be able to 
insert them most quickly by the use of an iron-poihted dibber 
sufficiently thick near the point to give the bulbs proper room. 
The bulbs should not be planted regularly, but in irregular 
patches, as if growing naturally. This, then, will guide you 
in making the holes so as to form irregular patches with 
numerous holes at certain points gradually becoming thinner 
on the outer edges of the patches. We should not suggest any 
limit as to size of patch, as that will be determined by the 
breadth of grass you have got to plant and the surroundings. 
If there are any trees on the grass and the branches do not 
come too closely to the ground, some of the bulbs might even 
be planted beneath them. We refer to deciduous trees, as it 
would be useless to plant any kinds of bulbs under evergreen 
trees. While one man is making the holes, a boy could follow 
up closely, putting a bulb into each and dropping some pre¬ 
pared soil taken from beneath the potting benches or otherwise, 
and sifted so that it can be readily dropped into the holes and 
made firm as the work goes on. By treading the grass about 
the holes the effect of the latter will disappear before spring. 
We are presuming, however, that the soil is fairly soft, and 
can be moved with the foot easily. Should the soil be at all 
hard, a better plan would be to lift the turf in patches of any 
size desired and dig out the soil to the depth at which you want 
to plant the bulbs, this depending upon the kind of bulb to 
be planted. Then place the bulbs all over the ground thus 
prepared, fill in the soil, lay on the turf, and the operation is 
completed. It will be for you to determine which of these two 
methods will be the speedier, and this you can determine by 
trying both ways. 
Kitchen Garden Calendar. 
Mr. Edwin Beckett writes to inform me that his book, as 
above, is published by you. I therefore ask you to let me know 
the price of same. (J. H.) 
As far as we know, Mr. Beckett has no work known as the 
“ Kitchen Garden Calendar ” in book form. His articles on 
this subject are appearing in The Gardintng World fortnightly. 
Mr. Beckett has, however, written a book entitled “ Vegetables 
for Exhibition and Home 'Consumption.”' The publishers are 
Me srs. Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, and Co., Limited, 
London, and the price of the book is 3s. 6d. 
Lawn Sand and Sulphate of Ammonia. 
Could you tell me what quantities of lawn sand and sulphate 
of ammonia to mix together to kill Daisies on the lawn ? (W. D.) 
Lawn sand, as offered by various nurserymen and sundries- 
men, is already in a condition suitable for spreading on lawns 
for the destruction of Daisies and Plantains, and we presume 
that it already contains either sulphate of ammonia or nitrate 
of soda. The makers of this do not explain its composition, 
but it is a chemical preparation, which, judging from its ap¬ 
pearance, already contains nitrogen in the form of a salt, and, 
while injurious to broad and soft-leaved subjects like Daisies 
and Plantains, does not harm the grass when jmoperly used. 
If spread on the grass when dry the narrow leaves of the grass 
do not readily hold the lawn sand, as it is granular and rolls 
off, and thus acts as a fertiliser to the grass, while those plants 
with broad leaves would hold it and get injured or killed. It 
may be used at any time of the year, but is most favourable 
to the object in view if used from the time the grass commences 
to grow in March till the end of September." As the broad¬ 
leaved weeds get killed the grass grows, and thus covers the 
spots left bare by the weeds. Heat and moisture greatly help 
the lawn sand to destroy the weeds, so that this would plainly 
indicate the summer season as the most effective time to use it 
If the operation is successful the leaves of the weeds wither up 
m a few days. As originally prepared, the best way of using 
it was to scatter it broadcast on the grass at a rate not exceed¬ 
ing lg oz. or 2 oz. to the square yard. Modern preparations 
might possibly be different, but instructions for its use are 
usually sent with the lawn sand by those who make it or sell it. 
Sweet Chestnut from Seed. 
Last year I gathered some nuts of the Sweet Chestnut and 
sowed them in spring, but they failed to appear. Can you say 
if trees can be raised from home-saved seed? (W. H. G.) 
The Sweet Chestnut in favourable districts does certainly 
develop and mature good seed, which would germinate if pro¬ 
perly dealt with. In woods and plantations, where old trees 
are growing, seedlings may often be seen coming up plentifully. 
We presume, however, that you kept the seeds in a dry place 
until spring, and most probably they were killed by this opera¬ 
tion. If you can get good seeds, the best way to keep them 
from mice and other enemies is to keep them through the winter 
and sow in spring, when they should soon after germinate. 
The best plan would be to stratify them between layers of moist 
sand in some situation where their enemies will not be able 
to get at them. Boxes are the most convenient means of storing 
them with this end in view, but the boxes should not be entirely 
closed. There should at least be seams at the bottom to let 
air get freely to the nuts in the sand, and if seams are also 
left open at the sides, it will be all the better for the nuts, 
which will thus be able to maintain their vitality intact until 
spring, and at the same time be preparing to germinate. You 
must not keep them in any warm place, otherwise the seeds 
may germinate before it would be safe to plant them in the open. 
Autumn Sowing of Sweet Peas. 
Some large growers, I believe, sow Sweet Peas in the autumn 
for the purpose of getting early blooms. Would you say when 
this should be done and the kind of soil. (H. D.) 
You should select an open and sunny situation in a well- 
drained soil, and, if light, there will be less risk of losing the 
crop if the winter is severe. The seeds will germinate in favour¬ 
able or open weather during the winter, and make more or less 
growth. Sweet Peas are quite hardy, in the south at least, but 
if the soil is of a nature not to get water-logged in winter a good 
proportion of them will come through safely. Like Onions they 
must not be sown under the shade of trees, as that would have 
the effect of making them thin-leaved and weak. 
Worm Casts on Lawns. 
The soil in a certaiii part of the grounds here is inclined to be 
wet, and every autumn the worm casts make it difficult to walk 
upon because slimy and slippery. (T. S.) 
Considering the wet character cf the soil it might be an advan¬ 
tage to drain it, so that if there is no water underneath the 
superfluous moisture from the surface can be carried away. We 
should imagine that the soil either consists of clay and holds the 
water for a long time, or the ground is situated at a low level 
near a stream or pond, and cannot therefore drain away. If the 
latter is the case, it might be advantageous, if the situation will 
admit of it, to lift the turf at any time ini winter during open 
weather, and place a heavy layer of fresh material on the ground, 
but of good quality, so as to ensure the grass making good growth. 
This would have the effect of raising the surface level above the 
water of the stream or pond, and if sloped a little towards the 
water it would have the effect of carrying off the superfluous 
moisture. If the ground is moist and yet permits of drainage 
this might be seen to. If it is a case merely of surface water 
the drains need not necessarily be deep, provided they are 
sufficiently below the surface not to be influenced by the nature 
of the traffic to be carried over it. You could, however, get rid 
of the worms or excess of them by watering the grass with lime 
water and sweeping up the worms as they come to' the surface. 
Pruning Gooseberries. 
I have often heard that Gooseberries may be pruned on the 
spur system like Red Currants. Would there be any advan¬ 
tage in spur-pruning old bushes that have been allowed to grow 
for ten years, merely thinning them out ? (S. L.) 
Pruning Gooseberries on the spur system can be. more use¬ 
fully carried out in the northern parts of England and in 
Scotland, where the climate is cooler and more moist than in the 
south. The heat is often so great in the southern counties 
during the ripening period that the berries get more or less 
burnt by exposure, especially in very dry seasons. We do not 
think, therefore, that it would be an advantage to spur-prune 
your Gooseberries under such circumstances. It would also b? 
a mistake to try and convert old bushes to this system, as many 
parts of the branches must now be bare, whereas to get bushes 
properly furnished with spurs they ought to be treated with that 
object in view from the commencement. The berries would be 
