760 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
The Flower Garden. 
Storing Tuberous Begonias. —Although in 
many places Begonias are still making a brave 
show, and will do till the frost comes, yet the 
time is near when they must be taken up. 
Some difficulty is occasionally experienced in 
keeping the tubers through the winter, but 
with ordinary care they may be kept plump 
and ready to start again in spring. The usual 
complaint is that the tubers have gone quite 
dry and brown inside, and this is more often 
than not due to storing in too much heat. The 
practice, too, of covering the tubers with ashes 
is not a commendable one, as the ashes seem to 
draw the substance out of the tubers. When 
lifted the tubers should be laid aside in a sh idy 
place until the stems come away readily, and 
should then be shaken free of all adhering soil. 
A cool shed or cellar just free from frost is the 
best place to store them ; there the tubers should 
be laid out flat and lightly covered with some 
dry sandy soil or cocoanut fibre, which will 
keep them from shrivelling through exposure 
to air. The tubers should be examined 
occasionally through the winter, varying the 
conditions as the state of the tubers demand. 
Given the above conditions there should be no 
difficulty in having strong tubers ready to start 
away in March. 
Gannas, so useful for foliage as well as 
flowers, should have practically the same 
treatment. 
Lawns which have become worn or patchy 
through the summer may be dealt with now or 
just after bulb planting, etc., is finished. It 
is most satisfactory to lay fresh turves in bare 
places, though seed may be sown if necessary. 
All lawns benefit by being thoroughly rolled 
once or twice in autumn, as then the ground is 
generally softer and more readily yields to the 
influence of the roller ; this will be very evident 
next summer wffien a thicker growth ensues, 
giving to our British lawns that velvety appear¬ 
ance which has made them the envy of the 
world. B. W. J. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Box Edging.— This is undoubtedly the 
best month for replanting or renovating this 
when necessary. Though I am not much in 
favour of Box for the edging to the kitchen 
garden, owing to the large amount of labour 
it involves, in addition to that of harbouring 
many pests so worrying to the vegetable 
crops when in the best condition which, un¬ 
fortunately, one seldom sees, it is a pleasing 
and striking object; but only where ample 
labour is provided should it be encouraged, 
and the height, in my opinion, should never 
be allowed to exceed 6in. When gappy and 
in an unsatisfactory condition, by far the 
best plan is to take extreme measures and 
replant entirely ; and to accomplish the work 
properly, an intelligent man must be 
employed and the work must be well and 
expeditiously carried out. Frequently this 
suffers for the want of proper drainage, and 
when this is so, it must he rectified. It will 
always pay to add a little fresh soil when 
it is inclined to be poor. The lines should 
be kept perfectly straight, the bottom parts 
ttf the old roots cut away, and the tufts 
pulled well to pieces so that all can be 
planted of an even thickness. Make 
thoroughly firm by well ramming on either 
side, but especially so on that next the 
garden, or the traffic on the paths will 
quickly put it out of the straight. 
Grass paths or verges frequently become 
much worn during the summer months, and 
all bare places should be at once repaired 
with good fresh turf ; it is far better done 
now than in the spring. 
PotatOS _Lose no time in lifting all the 
main crops of these. Unfortunately, the 
dreaded disease is spreading rapidly, and 
should we be in for a spell of showery 
weather, all those left in the ground are 
much more likely to suffer. 
Turnips. —The late sowings of these are 
making splendid progress this year, but 
many of those which were intended for winter 
use, owing to the damp, showery weather, 
will be much too large, consequently several 
more small sowings should be made to ensure 
a regular and constant supply. 
Carrots. —All the main sowings of these 
should be at once lifted, or a large percentage 
of them will become split and spoiled. Store 
under a north wall or some other cool posi¬ 
tion, covering with sand or fine cinder-ashes. 
E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Hardy Herbaceous Border. 
Propagating. —As the majority of plants 
have now finished flowering, one can attend 
to this operation where necessary, and it is 
well to observe that several succeed much 
better when split up annually than when the 
old roots are left year after year, especially 
on heavy soils. Some of the choicer subjects 
have to be propagated every year to maintain 
a stock of them, and with others their vigour 
is much increased and far better results are 
obtained by so doing. Chelones, the species 
of Pentstemons, Lobelias, Rockets, Cam¬ 
panulas, etc., are some of the most im¬ 
portant, and where young growths appear at 
the base these can be taken off with the 
young roots attached, or made into cuttings, 
as the case may be. Some good porous soil 
should be used, and the pots or boxes stood 
in a cold frame during the winter months, 
but it is important to 1 give plenty of air on 
all favourable occasions to maintain them in 
a healthy state. 
Bulbs. —Where it is intended to plant 
such spring-flowering bulbs as Narcissus, 
Chionodoxas, Snowdrops, Camassias, and the 
like, these can now be got in, but when 
planting in any position in the grass, it is 
well to remember that they will amply repay 
any extra trouble expended on them. In 
some soils naturally suited to their require¬ 
ments they increase and become more 
vigorous year after year, but on heavy, wet 
soils, especially, they are often not so satis¬ 
factory as could be desired. In the majority 
of cases this is owing to the fact that winter 
rains cannot drain away quickly, and the 
bulbs frequently become waterlogged. To 
nearly all varieties this is fatal, so that when 
September 30. 1905. 
planting, time will be well spent in seeing 
that the drainage is good, and if the soil is 
unsuitable it should be taken out and re¬ 
placed- with some of a more porous nature, 
such as well-seasoned loam, decayed leaf-soil, 
and road scrapings. 
Where bulbs increase readily, it is also 
advisable to plant a sufficient distance apart 
to allow for this, otherwise when they become 
too thick, a mass of foliage and very little 
flower results. 
Old English Tulips —Years ago these 
were very popular, and single bulbs fetched 
high prices, but at the present time they are 
not nearly so largely grown as they deserve. 
During the spring and early summer months 
there are few things which produce a better 
display of bloom, and they are suitable alike 
for bedding or interspersing in small groups 
in the mixed borders, and need no support¬ 
ing when in flower. These can now be 
planted, and if the soil is good, will succeed 
for years in the same position. 
A. E. Thatchek. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Deciduous Dendrobiums.— This popular 
section of warm-house Orchids has been par¬ 
ticularly suited with the warm, dry summer, 
and in most cases unusually satisfactory 
pseudo-bulbs are observed ; and they are also 
in a harder and more matured state, un¬ 
doubtedly brought about by the effect of the 
bright light to which they have been subjected 
to during the growing season. Such species as 
D. wardianum, D. aureum (heterocarpum), 
D. nobile, and the hybrids of the D. Ainsworthii 
section, at any rate those that were started 
into growth early and are required again for 
early spring flowering, will have matured their 
growths and will require careful treatment in 
' the endeavour to prevent the plants from com¬ 
mencing secondary growths. 
It is not desirable to place early matured 
plants immediately growth is completed under 
strictly resting conditions, or the result will be 
unnecessary and injurious shrinking of the 
pseudo-bulbs and newly-made growths. The 
resting season must be as gradually reached as 
the conditions and state of the plants will 
permit ; root action, for instance, will go on 
with these plants for a considerable time after 
the growth is completed. It is not advisable 
to place plants altogether under resting condi¬ 
tions until the roots have become properly 
sealed. The first item is the proper adminis¬ 
tration of root moisture. Sufficient is neces¬ 
sary to sustain the plants in a normal state, 
therefore care must be observed to see that 
the potting compost becomes dry between 
waterings. 
No hard and fast rule can be laid down for 
watering plants of this description, because so 
much depends on conditions, such as the 
amount of atmospheric moisture retained 
in the house. The exterior conditions are 
the overcast skies which are so apparent 
in early autumn in the neighbourhood of 
London, other large towns, and in smoky 
manufacturing districts. It will thus be seen 
that discretion must be best left in the hands 
of those in charge of the plants. Avoid as far 
as possible sudden checks. The changeable 
conditions outside must be carefully watched. 
While it is advisable to afford reasonable venti¬ 
lation, it is necessary to guard against sudden 
falling in the temperature, particularly now, 
when the plants are in a semi-ripened state.:, 
There is nothing brings the dreaded black 
spotting on the foliage and pseudo-bulbs so 
quickly as a sudden drop in the temperature, 
