August 26, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
671 
Propagation must now be taken in hand as 
the season advances. Geraniums may be 
dealt with now, and if a system of thinning 
out is followed little harm will result to the 
appearance of the beds. In taking these cut¬ 
tings, fairly firm shoots of medium strength 
are the best. Insert these in pots or boxes 
of sandy soil, making the cuttings firm, 
finishing off with a thorough watering. They 
may be stood by the side of a wall or such 
like position for a week or two if the weather 
is fine, but should not be allowed to get 
severely soaked by rain, afterwards re¬ 
moving to a cold frame or house. The cut¬ 
tings may droop or “ flag ” for a week or so, 
but this is of no account-, as they will soon 
pick up. No further watering will be re¬ 
quired for quite six week or two months, after 
which a bright sunny day should be chosen 
to give another watering, doing so early in 
the day. 
Violas may also be propagated about this 
time. Cuttings of young shoots springing 
right from the base of the plants should be 
chosen. If these do not appear plentiful cut 
over the flowering shoots of a few plants of 
each variety when plenty of young growths 
will soon appear. The cuttings may be 
dibbled into a cold frame or in boxes, where 
they can remain till next spring. Sandy soil 
should be provided, keeping the frames shut 
and shaded until the cuttings are rooted, 
afterwai’ds admitting air on all favourable 
occasions. B. W. J. 
Fruit Garden. 
INDOORS. 
Pot Vines for fruiting early next spring 
should be fit for removal -to a cool structure, 
or placed outside against a sunny wall, where 
the final ripening may take place. Remove 
laterals as they appear, and do not overwater, 
and to counteract the sun’s rays on the pots 
place litter or old mats around them, or they 
will require water several times a day during 
bright weather. Make the canes secure 
against winds so that they do not become 
crippled, and syringe the foliage towards 
six p.m. after hot days. Those raised from 
eyes this spring may receive like treatment 
as soon as growth is finished. 
Permanent Vines, relieved of their crop, 
and considered unsatisfactory at the root, 
should receive attention shortly. In the 
meantime the necessary amount of loam, the 
top spit with grass attached, should be got 
in readiness, so that the work may be ex¬ 
peditiously canted out. If the roots of the 
Vines occupy both inside and outside 
borders, very little check ought to be felt if 
one border only be tackled this autumn, leav¬ 
ing the other part for another year, which is 
the best practice. A trench should be taken 
out near the back wall, and the soil carefully 
removed with forks and cleared out to the 
drainage, taking great care of all healthy 
roots, and covering with mats after well 
syringing the former. Put the drainage in 
order if necessary, and cover with good thick 
turves, grassy side downwards, before re¬ 
placing the compost, laying out the roots 
evenly at different depths, but keeping all 
within a foot of the surface if possible. Cut 
back extra long ones or decayed portions, 
making the soil quite firm, and applying a 
^ood soaking of water. When finished, keep 
die foliage w 7 ell syringed and the glass roof 
■haded for a. time. This, combined with a 
lesser amount of ventilation, is essential to 
success. About three bushels of broken 
nick-bats, about the siz 5 of a hen's egg, to 
every cart-load of loam, with a moderate 
-prinkling of wood-ashes, soot, mortar 
rubble, and Vine manure form an excellent 
compost. Mid-season and late Vines may bo 
so treated towards the end of October, or a bit 
later if more convenient. 
OUTDOORS. 
Although rain ha* fallen pretty generally 
since my last contribution, it has been slight 
in many places, and has not relieved the 
water-can nor the syringe. Set aside the 
leaves shading Peach and Nectarine fruits, 
cut away all laterals, and give a further tie 
or nail to extension shoots. Figs are ripen¬ 
ing, and require almost daily attention ; yet 
do not gather until quite ripe. These, of 
course, will have been netted ere this ; the 
birds have seldom been a greater pest than 
they have this season, and the like may safely 
be said of the wasps. The tropical weather 
has been all in favour of keeping small fruit, 
(our prize competitions. 
General Conditions. — Competitors must 
write on one side of the paper only. Regular paid 
contributors to The Gardening World, or other 
gardening journals, are debarred from entering, 
but occasional contributors may compete. The 
name and address of the competitor must appear 
on each article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right to re¬ 
produce, in any way, any article or photograph 
sent for competition. The conditions applying to 
each competition should be carefully read. 
WEEKLY PRIZES. 
A Prize of Ten Shillings will be given for 
the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propagation or 
cultivation of flowers, fruits or vegetables, 
eradication of pests, etc. The paragraph or 
article must not exceed a column, but value 
rather than length will be considered in making 
the award. Mark envelopes “ Competition,” and 
post not later than the Monday following date of 
issue. Entries received later than Tuesday 
first post will be left over until the following 
week. 
Two Prizes of Two Shillings and Six¬ 
pence each will be given for the best supple¬ 
mentary replies to questioi.s asked in “ The G.W. 
Enquire Within ” column. These replies should 
be brief. 
A Prize of Five Shillings will be given for 
the best novel device for saving labour, protecting 
lants, or a garden utensil, which reaches us 
uring any week. A rough sketch must accom¬ 
pany the brief description. 
V _ J 
such as Gooseberries and Currants, thus ex¬ 
tending the season of these fruits, Black 
Currants hanging well into the third week of 
August even down west. Ripening Plums 
must be gathered daily, we find the wasps 
going for them so badly ; and it is a big order 
to put wasp-proof netting to a number of 
trees occupying different sites. But the 
dessert varieties are worthy of this, as they 
are not over plentiful. 
Keep the surface soil well stirred with the 
hoe wherever the roots of fruit trees or 
bushes extend, which prevents quick eva¬ 
poration of the ground, as it is not every 
garden that has a plentiful supply of water, 
even where strength is to put it on. See that 
young Strawberry plants recently set-out are 
afforded sufficient w r ater to keep them grow¬ 
ing, removing strings so soon as they can be 
handled. Plantations from open runners 
must be postponed until later, as the ground 
is parched in many places, the end of Sep¬ 
tember being a good time to plant these, as 
the nights will be getting cooler, giving the 
plants a better chance to recuperate them¬ 
selves for a warm day. Give the fruit store 
a thorough clean in readiness to receive the 
fruit of the season, and as they are not over 
plentiful, the most must be made of those 
that are given us. James Mayne. 
Bicton Gardens, Devonshire. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Seasonable Notes. —As the season is now 
commencing to wane and the days are visibly 
shortening, those in charge of Orchids must 
adopt the facilities offered that the plants 
may obtain the greatest possible benefits that 
will enable them to produce their flowers to 
the greatest possible advantage. One of the 
principle requirements at the present season 
is the discreet and proper use of the light, 
which will enable the plants to mature and 
properly ripen their pseudo-bulbs and 
growths. No one expects to get a satisfac¬ 
tory blooming season, which is the fore¬ 
runner of a crop of any kind of fruit, without 
having first provided every facility and pro¬ 
cured a satisfactory ripened wood in a tree. 
Without the same conditions it is impossible 
to procure flowers in perfection of any class 
of plants ; therefore I would impress on 
amateur Orchid growers the desirability of a 
close observance of the advantages derived 
from affording ample light, but at the same 
time refraining from scorching or disfiguring 
the foliage by shading when the sun’s rays 
are too strong. 
Permanent Shading —it. is often a cus¬ 
tom, and a good practice, to whiten the glass, 
in addition to the canvas blinds, as an addi¬ 
tional protection during the hottest months of 
the year. However thin this permanent shad¬ 
ing may have become from washing by recent 
rains, I would now advocate its entire re¬ 
moval, the ordinary blinds being now quite 
sufficient for screening the most tender 
plants. Sides and ends that have been 
whitened should have the whiting removed 
as soon as ever it may be done with safety, 
and thus afford the plants the benefit of the 
light that would otherwise have been unable 
to reach them. Discretion should also be 
used in applying the roof blinds, and they 
should onlj- be drawn down when there is a 
possible danger of scorching the foliage, and 
they should be removed again immediately 
this danger is past. 
Ventilation. —By the. proper use of the 
ventilators a great deal may be acquired that 
will be beneficial in aiding the proper 
maturity of growth. I am not an advocate of 
free ventilation as the proper sense of the 
word would imply. Such a word one might 
apply to nothing short of throwing open the 
whole of the ventilators, and leaving them 
without any thought or consideration of the 
prevailing conditions outside. At all times 
direct draughts from ventilators coming in 
contact with plants must be deplored, and to 
produce too dry conditions in the atmosphere 
by excessive ventilation is equally undesir¬ 
able ; but with proper precautions ventilation 
plays a very great part in the successful culti¬ 
vation of all plants. I would advocate a 
system of entirely closing the houses when 
they are damped in the afternoon. After allow¬ 
ing sufficient time for the moisture to be¬ 
come distilled, the ventilators should be 
opened again, according to the prevailing 
outside conditions. 
