193 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
March 11, 1905. 
house in boxes and syringed daily, but not planted until the 
spring. Where they are to be planted should receive con¬ 
sideration beforehand so that it will not be necessary to replant 
after becoming established. 
The White Daphne. — Daphne Mezereum has long been, 
and still is, a very popular early flowering shrub, but. the white 
form does not appear to be so largely grown as it deserves, in 
spite of the fact that it is far superior to the older form. The 
pure white blossoms are larger and expand a little later than 
the type with us, and are produced so thickly as to completely 
hide the stems. The foliage has a distinct glaucous hue, and 
the scarlet fruits are also very ornamental. This shrub should 
be planted in a well-drained, loamy soil, and either in a sunny 
or shady position will prove very attractive. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. A. E. Itiatcheh. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Mushrooms, — In most large places these are in request at 
all seasons of the year, and to ensure an unbroken supply beds 
must be constantlv made up not only in the Mushroom house, 
but. in every available place where they are likely to succeed. 
As I have frequently pointed out, the best results are often 
obtained without the aid of a Mushroom house proper. A 
simple shed, well thatched inside at the back of a north wall, 
witnoilt tire-heat, will grow these to perfection at all seasons 
of the vear, and especially so during the summer and autumn 
months. Caves and cellars are equally good for the purpose. 
This is a capital month for preparing and making up as many 
beds as possible, as the droppings are quickly and easily 
brought into a suitable state if placed and turned frequently 
in an open shed, and where sufficient convenience does not 
exist for making up the beds under cover, the best results will 
follow by forming ridge-shaped beds in not too sunny a posi¬ 
tion, and where the water can drain away freely from them. 
These should be put together as firmly as possible, spawned in 
the usual way when the heat is well on the decline 1 , covered to 
the depth of 2 in. with finely chopped, fibrous loam, over which 
should be placed a good thickness, say 10 in., of fresh stable 
litter, when in from ten to twelve weeks these beds should begin 
to produce Mushrooms. Beds which are in full bearing will re¬ 
ceive much benefit if a good watering of farmyard manure used 
in a tepid state be given occasionally. The paths and walls 
should be damped twice daily, morning and evening. 
Potatos.—Attend to the earthing up of successioual plant 
ings which have been made in pits and frumps. The compost 
should be warmed to the temperature in which they are glow¬ 
ing, and the work should be carried out expeditiously in the 
mfddle of the day, when mild. There is yet time to make 
another good planting in cool pits, frames or prepared places 
where protection can be afforded them. 1 hese will form the 
connecting link between the last planted under cover and those 
which are about, to be planted in the open. In warm situations 
and in sheltered positions the earliest batches should now be 
got in if the land is in a dry or suitable condition. Plant fairly 
deep, and be prepared to protect them in some way as soon as 
thtt voung tops appear above the ground. Examine all main 
crop varieties which are being prepared and laid singly on 
trays before planting, thin out the breaks to three unless 
wanted for propagation, and reject any which have not started 
satisfactorily, as these seldom do well when planted. 
p eas _Those growing in pots or planted out in cool orchard 
houses will now need their final supports. Give a good top¬ 
dressing, and use brushy sticks to the height required, and 
keep as cool as possible. Nothing will be gained by attempt¬ 
ing to force them. Very dwarf kinds, such as Chelsea Gem 
and American Wonder, which have been raised in boxes will if 
planted out into portable frames on disused hotbeds be found 
ro crop much more heavily and some time in advance of any 
planted in the open at the same time. Sow small quantities 
about every eight or ten days of such varieties as Edwin 
Beckett, Duke of Albany, Telephone, Telegraph, and Aider- 
man, all. of which are excellent sorts. These should be raised 
in quite a cool house and kept as hardy and sturdy as possible. 
Trench Beans. —These may now not only be sown in pots, 
but also on well-prepared beds in heated pits or low, warn, 
forcing houses. Ne Plus Ultra and Canadian Wonder are both 
reliable and heavy croppers. Plants in bearing must be kept 
supplied with manurowater, the foliage well syringed twice 
daily, and the atmospheric conditions generally must be moist. 
Sow more Lettuce, Cauliflowers, Brussels Sprouts, Leeks, 
Celery, Capsicums, Radishes and herbs. Introduce good 
batches of Chicory to the darkest part of the Mushroom house, 
which is invaluable for salading at this season. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. E. Beckett. 
Rhododendrons. 
The sections which come under indoor treatment are the 
Himalayan and Javanese, the former merely requiring protec¬ 
tion from frost; but the latter, which I am going to treat 
upon, require a much higher temperature, a. minimum of 
50 deg. suiting them best. They are usually distinguished by 
their narrow, green, glossy leaves and tubular flowers in a 
terminal umbel. R. jasminiflorum, hailing from Malacca, is to 
my mind one of the prettiest, R. javanicum, native of Java; 
R. retusum, also coming from Java, are some that are well 
worthy of attention; these species and some others are the 
progenitors of what are undoubtedly a handsome class of plant. 
They are all more or less of a dwarf habit and rather slow 
growth, although many of the varieties are more rapid of 
growth than the species. They succeed well in a good fibrous, 
peaty soil, with a liberal mixture of sand. 
Attention should be paid to drainage and firm potting, or 
failure will be the result. During growth they should be kept, 
a little closer and well syringed, with frequent applications'of 
rain-water and soot-water, which prove vety beneficial to them. 
After growth has been completed, more air may be given to 
ensure the wood being well matured. They are generally in¬ 
creased by grafting, done in winter. The stocks should he 
seedlings or cuttings of some of the strong-growing species or 
varieties. Cuttings taken of the half-matured wood and in¬ 
serted in sandy peat and kept close for a time root readily. 
Where opportunity arises planting-out should be resorted to. 
A well-drained border of a mixture of peat- and sand, with a 
few old tree-stumps strewn about, suits this section admirably. 
The young fibrous roots of the plants cling to the old tree- 
stumps, which plainly shows their valuable addition. W here 
this method is adopted—and most decidedly the best—a very 
pleasing combination of colours can be obtained and the plant* 
themselves arranged according to their habit and mode of 
growth. Plants such as Brilliant, a very deep scarlet, might 
be associated with Taylorii, a pure white corolla tube, with 
a tinge of pink; or Maiden's Blush, a very pleasing blush- 
white. Duchess of Edinburgh, a rich crimson, might be 
grouped with Favourite, of a delicate rose colour. Princess 
Alexander is a very pure white. Princess Frederica is of a 
buff colour, with large trusses, and very effective. Aphrodite 
is also worthy of attention ; it has large trasses of bright crim¬ 
son flowers, but- of a straggling, habit, and when seen or a 
dull December day has a very bright appearance. This quality 
in itself is, I think, a special recommendation to any plant. 
These and a great many more are well worth cultivating, 
blooming at a season (winter) when there is not much pise to 
be seen in flower. . Mack. 
A Bishop Planting an Apple IheeV— the other week the Most 
ev Dr. O’Dwyer, at the opening of a new technical school at 
ervoe, co. Limerick, expressed satisfaction at the growthoi 
iterest in education amongst the people, and at the cone ^ f 
E the proceedings planted an Apple tree. Lady Em j 
pinion that the tree would prove the foundation of remunera 
ve horticultural industry in the district. 
