September 9, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
719 
\ WEEKLY PRIZE COMPETITION. \ 
\ - RESULT - ; 
< The prize in the Headers’ Competition was > 
* awarded to “ J. C. Peebles” for his article ► 
i on “Practical Grape-growing,” p. 691. 
, A prize for a supplementary reply was J 
< awarded to’“ Douglas V. Erlam ” for his article » 
< on “ Substitute for Crocus ; ” and another to ► 
< “ Herbert Morris” for an article on “ Runner [ 
Novel Garden Implement, 
—♦— 
I beg to attach the annexed sketch and de¬ 
scription of novel garden implement for your 
approval or otherwise. The weeder simply 
consists of a wooden handle (am using an old 
garden broom handle), with an 8-in. old half- 
round tile driven suitably into same. An 
iron ferrule should be driven on as shown 
(see sketch) if a strong job is wanted, or bind¬ 
ing well with suitable wire will answer the 
same purpose (before driving in). I have 
found it most useful for lifting weeds out of 
lawn and garden, also for turning the soil 
when growth of plants becomes too heavy and 
^Novel Garden Implement. 
thick to get a hoe or rake between them. 
In lifting weeds from grass, the flat side of 
the file should be close up to.the weed, and a 
twisting action should be given ; the weed 
will then easily be drawn with a minimum 
amount of disfigurement, even if the root of 
weed is 6 in. long. The round part of the 
file materially helps the twisting action, and 
cuts round close to the root of weed. The 
rough teeth of the file help to withdraw rather 
than hamper the process. Of course, a 6-in., 
8-in., or 10-in. half-round file may answer 
equally well. L. B. Davis. 
V 
•tf— 
The Editor invites enquiries, which may cover 
any branch of gardening. Questions should be as 
brief as possible and written on one side of the paper 
only ; a separate sheet of paper should be used for 
each question. Readers are invited to give their 
fellow gardeners the benefit of their experience by send¬ 
ing supplementary replies—see Prize Competitions. 
Replies cannot be s nt by post. 
Garden Plans .—Gardeners who would make the 
best use of this column are invited to prepare and 
forward to us a rough outline drawing or plan of their 
gardens, indicating the position of beds and lawns, 
the character and height of the fence or wall ; position 
of vegetable garden, orchard, etc. The north side of 
the garden and any oversho/lowing buildings should 
be denoted. It should also be slated whether the 
garden is flat or on a declivity, and oil large trees 
should be marked. Particulars of the nature of the 
soil will also help us to give satisfactory replies. 
When such plans are received they will be carefully 
filed, with the name and address of the sender, and 
will be consulted by the Editor whenever an enquiry 
is sent. 
Filberts Dropped. 
As one of your subscribers, may I ask why are 
nearly all our Filberts bad, and drop on the 
ground? (M. S. S., Potters Bar.) 
We examined the Filberts, but were disap¬ 
pointed that you had smashed all the nuts before 
sending them on. We should have liked to see 
the nuts as they grew. We might have stated 
that the nuts had been knocked down and smashed 
by a bird known as the nuthatch, but the particu¬ 
lar kind of damage evidently indicates your own 
work. There are various evils to which the Fil¬ 
berts might have been subjected, but, as far as 
the specimens sent us ‘will allow us to glean, the 
nuts have been imperfectly fertilised. We suspect 
either that the male catkins had been destroyed 
by very bad ‘weather, or what is equally likely, 
that most of them had been cut away by too close 
pruning in winter before the flowers had expanded. 
We advise you, therefore, not to prune the trees 
until after the pollen has been shed in January 
or February, according to the state of the weather. 
We should, in any case, leave the trees much in 
their natural condition until the male catkins have 
entirely shrivelled up. You will then be certain 
t-bat the trees have had the benefit of the pollen. 
The nuts sent us did not show any evidence of a 
kernel whatever, but in its place an unusual 
development of corky matter and a thick shell. 
Variegated. Aloes. 
Could you please tell me through the medium 
of The Gardening World if any recognised 
authority in England knows a variegated Aloe 
other than Aloe variegata? I have seen one in 
which the variegation is similar to that of Yucca 
quadricolor. The plant is caulescent, with a com¬ 
pact rosette head. The leaves are curved upwards, 
a little over a foot long, about 3 in. broad, and 
| in. thick, margin line red, prickles red, not 
confluent. Often the tip has two confluent spines 
instead of one stronger. Colouring creamy-yellow 
and pile glaucous-green, tinged chiefly near the 
tips with reddish colour, peculiar to some Aloes. 
The lines of variegation run from tip to base. It 
is a conspicuously handsome plant. Also, has any¬ 
body ever described a yellow-flowered Aloe 
arborescens? Some flowers are enclosed. (W.H., 
Cape Colony.) 
Judging from your description, we should 
imagine you refer to Aloe striata, which has the 
leaves more or less lined and spotted with white. 
A variety of it, named A. striata rhodocincta, has 
the leaves edged with red. This would correspond 
to your specimen having a variegation similar to 
that Off Yucca quadricolor. Although the above 
are the correct names of the plants, they have 
received various other names, such as A. albo- 
eincta, A. hanburyana, and A. paniculate. There 
is also another species named A. striatula, with 
slightly striped leaves. Several garden forms have 
been raised, possibly between the species above 
mentioned, but their parentage does not seem to 
be recorded in gardening books. We refer to A. 
marmorata, A. obscura picta, A. saponaria macu¬ 
late, and A. s. variegata. Then there is the species 
mentioned by you, namely A. variegate. We have 
not seen or heard of a yellow-flowered variety of 
A. a r bore teens, the flowers of which are red. 
There are, howeveT, several other species having 
yellow flowers, though you are probably aware 
of that fact. 
Grass Seeds for Lawn. 
Will you inform me wliat is the best time and 
seed, and in what proportion to land, for laying 
down a lawn—turfing not possible? (John 
Berry.) 
I he best time to sow down a lawn is from the 
middle of March to the first week in May. This 
is the best time for the germination of the grass 
in this country to enable the roots to get firmly 
established before the hot and dry weather sets 
in. With regard to seed, the matter all depends 
upon the nature of the soil to be sown. In general 
terms, however, fine-leaved grasses should be 
selected in preference to those of a coarser-grow¬ 
ing nature. W ith regard to the proportion of 
seed to land, that depends upon whether you 
have plenty of patience to wait until the grass 
grows to properly cover the ground, or whether 
you want grass to quickly cover the whole surface 
in the shortest space of'time. Some of the best 
grasses are the crested Dog’s-tail (Cynosurus cris- 
tatus), Hard Fescue (Festuca ovina), Perennial 
Rye Grass (Lolium perenne), and Meadow Grass 
(Poa pratensis). If any parts of your lawn are 
shaded by treas or houses you would do well to 
add Poa trivialis and P. nemoralis, which succeed 
well in shade. Some lawns in towns are almost 
clothed with annual Meadow Grass (Poa annua). 
If your soil is gravelly or dry, it would be well to 
add some of the small Clovers, such as the creep¬ 
ing White Clover (Trifolium repens) and the 
Yellow Suckling (Trifolium minus). You will 
thus see that the selection of seed is -rather a 
complicated matter according to the nature of 
your ground. If you can wait for the develop¬ 
ment of the grasses, you can sow the lawn at the 
rate of 4 bushels per acre, but if you want the 
ground to be quickly covered, then you might 
employ 5 or 6 bushels per acre. If your lawn is 
less than an acre, you must use a quantity of seed 
in proportion to its size. 
Perennial Plants for Cut Flowers. 
I would like to stock my garden with plants 
that would bloom year after year, if you would 
please tell me what plants to get and where to 
place them as per enclosed sketch. My cottage 
is of wood, one storey high, formerly used as a 
forge, when the garden was used as a dumping- 
ground for ashes, old iron and general rubbish. 
The soil underneath being of light clay, I have 
turned it up two spits deep and mixed it well. 
The shrubs that are in the garden I would move 
if you think it best. I would gladly send postage 
for return of sketch if you would please mark it 
for me. (Ignoramus.) 
We do not think that your sketch requires the 
names of all the plants to be marked in any par¬ 
ticular site, as they will grow in any part of the 
garden beyond the dotted line indicating the por¬ 
tion of the garden reached by the sun. The shrubs 
we should move to the side of the ground next to 
the pathway leading from the porch to the gate. 
We presume they are ornamental, and you wish to 
