September 16, 1905. 
i • "• 
THE GARDE KING WORLD 
fnrfl* 737 
A New Method of Fruit Packing. 
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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 
fallow 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 lawnf, 
the character and height of the fence or wall ; position 
of vegetable garden, orchard, etc. The north side of 
the garden and any overshadowing buildings should 
be denoted. It should also be stated whether the 
garden ts flat or on a declivity, and all 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. 
The question of properly packing fruit for 
transit by rail or post has long been a source 
of great trouble to those concerned. The 
demand for an inexpensive and attractive fruit 
box has been a desideratum by fruit growers 
and salesmen for a long time past. To meet 
tliis demand a new fruit box has been manu¬ 
factured by Messrs. Edward Spencer and Co., 
London. Being intended for valuable and 
easily damaged fruits, a wooden cylinder has 
been constructed for the safe keeping of each 
individual fruit to prevent it being bruised. 
The cylinders are light, and add very little to 
the weight, yet serve to greatly increase the 
strength of the box as a whole. The illustra¬ 
tion will show the method of packing a dozen 
of these cylinders in a box, which would mean 
that each box would hold a dozen fruits. 
The box is machine-made, dovetailed and 
rebated together, so as not to be dependent 
on glue to keep the corners intact. No nails 
or metal of any kind are used. The box is 
j also fitted with drop-over lid, flush with the 
! rest of the frame, and is grooved at the end 
! for sealing with wax or lead. This box is in¬ 
tended to carry a dozen Peaches. This size 
will be letailed at fid. each, and can be used 
for a number of occasions. Boxes may be had 
of various other sizes, and the cylinders also 
vary in diameter from 2^in. to 6±i n . The 
boxes can also be supplied without cylinders 
Fruit growers who use these boxes will save 
a considerable amount in carriage, and have 
easy minds as to their consignments arrivin°- 
safely at their destination. The second illus- 
' tration shows the box packed and closed. 
[Trade Notice.] 
Mr. Wood, sen. (of Messrs: Wm. Wood and 
Son, Wood Green) will be visiting the Inter¬ 
national Exhibition, Edinburgh, September 
12-14, and will be pleased to meet any garden¬ 
ing friends who may wish to see him. His 
address will be Darling’s Hotel, Edinburgh. 
[Tirade Notice.] 
Bellflowers for the Border. 
I have seen a number of tall growing Bell¬ 
flowers of different kinds, which I think are very 
handsome for growing in borders. Would you 
give me the names of half a dozen of the best 
of the taller sorts? (W. J. C.) 
In selecting half a dozen of the best of the 
tall growing kinds, it must not be assumed that 
the very best can be squeezed into that number. 
It will form a nucleus, however, to which you 
can add from year to year. It very much de¬ 
pends upon taste as to what particular species 
would most please you. We shall give you, 
therefore, some of the most common and useful. 
For instance, in growing a border of Bellflowers, 
you should not omit a good strain of the Canter¬ 
bury Bell (Campanula Medium), and likewise of 
the Chimney Bellflower (C. pyramidalis). These 
two are biennials, and by good methods of cul¬ 
tivation can be made very effective in the garden. 
More decidedly border species are the Peach¬ 
leaved Bellflower (C. persicifolia grandiflora), the 
broad-leaved Bellflower (C. latifolia), Van 
Houtte’s Bellflower (C. Van Houttei), and the 
Siberian Bellflower (C. glomerata dahurica). 
The last named is the dwarfest we have men¬ 
tioned, but it produces large heads of rich blue 
flowers, and could be planted more near the walk 
than the taller growing kinds. Indeed, this and 
the Canterbury Bells are much about the same 
height, the others being taller. 
Plants for a Balcony. 
I want a few plants of bold habit that would 
grow in large pots stood on a balcony, flower¬ 
ing ones for preference. Would you name some 
for the sake of variety as they cannot last a 
summer? (T. N. W.) 
The South African Lily (Agapanthus umbel- 
latus) and its varieties should not be omitted 
for such a purpose, as they delight in the heat 
produced in such situations, provided they are 
well watered. Another plant well calculated to 
withstand drought is Sedum spectabile, which 
flowers in September. Hydrangeas might well 
be used, especially if you have any cool and semi- 
shady positions for them, but if the pot is 
shaded that will usually be sufficient. Veronica 
Traversii in a large pot or tub answers admirably 
as a balcony subject, and flowers splendidly in 
July. Large plants of single and double Zonal 
Pelargoniums would give great satisfaction pro¬ 
vided they were well grown, so as to furnish 
plenty of flowering wood. A dry sunny situa¬ 
tion would suit them admirably, if properly 
watered. The same might be said of Mar¬ 
guerites. The green or variegated American 
Aloes would also make excellent subjects for a 
balcony. 
How to Get Rid of Twitch 
Some of my Rose beds are in a very weedy 
condition, owing to the amount of twitch in the 
soil. The beds have been hoed several times, 
but the grass continues to come up with great 
vigour. The roots are so mixed up with the 
Rose roots that there is no chance of getting 
them out. Can the twitch be killed by any 
means? (W. F. R.) 
We believe it would be possible to kill the 
twitch by very abusive means, but the weed 
killer that would destroy the twitch would also 
destroy the Roses. The best plan would be to 
wait until the middle of October, and have the 
Roses carefully lifted and laid in soil in some 
clean part of the garden until the ground 
occupied by them at present is dug and re-dug 
with the object of getting out every bit of twitch 
in the same. We think it would be advantageous 
to allow the twitch to grow late in the season, 
so that after the Roses have been lifted it would 
be a good guide as to where the underground 
stems of the twitch were most abundant. We 
have little doubt your Roses were planted before 
the ground was properly prepared. It might 
have been old garden ground allowed to run 
wild, or it may have been recently altered from 
a field of grass, but, in any case, the man who 
trenched the ground should have thoroughly! 
eradicated the twitch before planting any Roses - 
in it. 
Propagating Japanese Maples. 
I have two varieties of Japanese Maple, a 
purple and a green one. What is the best way to 
propagate them? (A. D. Lambert.) 
The best plan is to graft the young trees on 
stocks of the common green one in March or 
April. This might, of course, be done in the 
open ground provided you have stocks on which 
to put grafts that you may require. In the case 
you may not have any plants which you could 
use as stocks, we should advise you to layer the 
varieties you want to increase in the same 
fashion as a Carnation. The present is quite late 
enough to do it to get them well advanced this 
season, but it would even be advisable to let the 
layers remain upon the mother plant for another 
twelve months, that is, until autumn of 1906. 
Large Yucca in Conservatory. 
We have a large \ucca in the conservatory 
which we do not wish to destroy or dispense with. 
The space it occupies would be acceptable for 
various flowering plants in summer. It is grown 
in a 12-in. pot, and is 6 ft. high, and beautifully 
variegated. W hat would you suggest to do with 
it in summer? (William' Read))" 
We have little doubt the Yucca you mention is 
Y. aloifolia. variegata which is a slow growing 
and very handsome species if it has been well 
treated and well kept during the period you have 
had it. It would make a- very handsome object- in 
various parts of the flower garden, or could be 
stood in some prominent situation near the house 
during the summer months. These things are 
liable to be top heavy in windy weather, even 
although the roots are in large pots. Whatever 
use, therefore, you make of the plant, you must 
secure it thoroughly to prevent it being blown 
down by gales of wind, which would greatly 
damage the foliage. The pot might be sunk in 
the ground or stood in a situation where it would 
not be likely to catch anv of the gales of wind 
from whatever direction they may come. When 
housing bedding plants in autumn the plant should 
again be taken into at least a cool house. 
