March 18, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
217 
used, 1<> keep (lie muss in good condition, for it' hard water 
is used it will soon destroy the moss, and decay thus set up 
quickly spreads to the remaining potting material, and causes 
the whole to become unsuitable to the roots of the plants. 
Kegular fumigation or dipping must bo resorted to, to keep 
thrips in check. These are the most destructive and in¬ 
jurious pests to Miltonias, and more than ordinary vigilance 
is necessary to keep the plants free from attacks. 
H. J. Chapman. 
The Flower Garden. 
Without doubt the cult ivation of spring-flowering bulbs lias 
greatly increased of late years, and rightly so, for nothing 
lends greater charm to our gardens than the fresh white flowers 
of the Snowdrop, or the bright blue and white blossoms of 
the Chionodoxa; for some time now these two have been 
brightening our borders and shrubberies, and heralding the 
approach of spring. Already, too, some of the earliest Daffo¬ 
dils, like pallidus praecox, are unfolding their yellow flowers, 
and soon the garden and woodland will be gay with the nod¬ 
ding flowers of many other varieties. 
There, is, however, one class of bulbous plants too seldom 
met with in gardens; that is, the bulbous Irises, more par¬ 
ticularly the spring-floweri'ng section. The summer-flowering 
English and Spanish Irises are in general use for bedding, but 
those of the early-flowering section are seldom seen in private 
gardens. This, of course, is largely accounted for by the fact 
that they must have a sunny yet sheltered position, otherwise 
their success is problematical. However, in these days, inno¬ 
vations are welcomed in gardening- as in other walks of life, 
and I venture to think that a few clumps of the easier-grown 
bulbous Irises would be much appreciated by many owners of 
gardens. 
It is essential that a sunny position, preferably close to a 
wall, he chosen for these plants, and the soil should be rather 
light and sandy, as it i's absolutely necessary that the bulbs be 
well ripened off in late summer and autumn. 
Practically all the species and varieties are of considerable 
beauty, but some require great care- if anything like success is 
to be gained, and unless a collection is desired, it will be best 
to select such kinds as are fairly reliable. The bulbs should 
be planted as soon as they can be procured in autumn. 
Iiis alata., native of Spain, etc., may be called a winter¬ 
flowering species, often flowering in December, and on that 
account should be accorded a position sheltered from the full 
force of cold wind and heavy rain. It is a pretty species, with 
pale blue flowers and rather long lanceolate leaves. 
Iris Histrio is a spring-flowering species with lilac-purple 
flowers and long narrow leaves; it. is a native of Palestine. 
Iris reticulata, is one of the best known, and certainly one of 
the prettiest, of all the bulbous Irises : the flowers are deep 
violet in colour, with a yellow streak down the centre of the 
falls. The latter species is also Violet-scented. 
I. r. Krelagei differs from the type in not being scented, and 
in having flowers of a. purple colour; it. is, however, one of the 
easiest to cultivate, and should find a place wherever early 
flowers are appreciated. 
I. r. histrioides. as the varietal name implies, is very like 
l be species Histrio ; it also is a fairly good doer, and forms 
a suitable companion to others of the reticulata division. With 
the increase of sun-heat and the longer days, many bulbs and 
other spring-flowering plants are making rapid progress'. As 
soon as possible the Dutch hoe should be got to work in beds 
and borders, as this facilitates the growth of the garden plants, 
and checks weeds, Ahicli seem to grow at any time. 
Very soon lawn mowing will have to be taken in hand, and 
meantime we are busy sweeping and rolling grass to ensure a 
firm bottom. If not already done the lawn-mowers should be 
put in good working order. I?. W. .T. 
Readers’ Competition. —Particulars of weekly prizes, see 
centre page. 
Hardy Fruit. 
-^£ 8 - date one can determine what wood t«, di- 
pense wil I,, as even in this genial climate there are many brown 
tips that require cutting out, and in some instances the entire 
growth removed, so as to give more space to well-ripened wood” 
It is useless to attempt, cultivating this fruit with an exuber¬ 
ance of shoots trained in, as their large, leathery leaves pre’- 
vent. t lie sun from reaching, leave alone ripening, the wood for 
another year's crop. Therefore, a free hand is necessary in 
readjusting the shoots, cutting away all ill-ripened and barren, 
pieces, so that the fruiting wood lias ample space to develop, 
t welve in. to 15 in. is none too much between the branches so 
that young growths can 1)© trained in between during summer ; 
where a mistake is too frequently made is in neglecting dis¬ 
budding from the mouth of May up to August, The Fig-tree 
pushing a preponderance of shoots between those dates which 
require removal piecemeal; that is, going over the trees 
every few weeks, rubbing off extra strong as well as very weak 
growths, and pinching any that appear robust, so as to equalise 
the flow of sap to. all parts of the tree. In nailing or tying, 
allow for expansion, as many a shoot oft-times gets crippled 
with tight ligatures in fruit training, especially among stone 
fruits. The training finished and cleaned up, loosen the 
border with a garden fork, and apply a. light top-dressing of 
loam with a little bone-meal and mortar refuse mixed with it, 
or if the latter is not at hand, lime may take its place. 
Standard trees, if neglected many years, specially so if not 
carrying fair crops, are liable to get crowded, and would be all 
the better for thinning out. before growth is much advanced. 
Planting may be done during the next, few weeks, the pre¬ 
paration of which was given a month since, and those turned • 
out of pots should have all the roots uncoiled and evenly laid 
out, covering with 4 in. of soil, and made quite firm, frequently 
examining them during summer to see that they do not suffer 
from drought, and a strawy mulch given as the weather gets 
warm. 
Grafting. — This operation may extend up to this date in 
April, a. deal depending upon the weather and locality, but do 
not attempt it until the bark opens freely upon the stock, 
which should be slightly in advance of the scion. It is im¬ 
perative that all cuts be made clean and no dirt or grit be 
allowed to go between stock and scion; if so, no union will 
take place. Whip grafting is the common mode, especially 
in nurseries, but down W est saddle grafting is much in vogue, 
and is usually very successful, but whatever method is adopted, 
the bark of scion, also stock, must fit on one side at least, or 
the operation is sure to be a failure. Doubtless it is handiest 
when both are of equal size; but large branches can be effectu¬ 
ally dealt with if a little extra care be taken in the operation. 
In the first, place, cut off the stock at the desired height, and 
then a slip of bark and wood removed at the top of the stock, 
and a corresponding cut be made in the scion so that both 
fit exactly and having about four buds above and one at the 
bottom of the scion, though the latter is not absolutely neces¬ 
sary to form a union, but it is considered it assists to that end. 
A thin cleft, is made in the- stock, and a slit in the- scion which 
tends to keep it. in position. 
Saddle grafting is simple, the stock being cut wedge shape, 
and the scion cut up: the middle, so that it can be placed 
astride the stock: here again this latter is not essentially 
necessary, but it makes the graft firmer, and can only be 
adopted with medium size stocks. Cleft grafting, or crown, it 
done by making a. cleft in the stock with a chisel, and cutting 
the scion down each side so that it can be pushed into the 
slit. Two or more can be put iii, but, as before stated, see that 
bark meets bark, and do not cut the scion longer than there 
is depth made in the stock. All scions are best prepared from 
last season’s wood, medium in size, and whatever mode is prac¬ 
tised, the whole must be carefully bound with raffia to exclude 
air, not too tightly, but. film enough to bold it. in position, 
the next operation being to clay or wax the whole so that, light 
or air cannot penetrate, and if clay is used, be sure it is nicely 
worked up and quite free of gritty substances so that it can 
