June 10, 1906. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
46a 
ill sow the seeds thinly and evenly, then 
Ivor with a sheet o£ glass and place on a shelf 
stage in tho greenhouse. When through 
L S oil remove to a cold frame and pot off 
ugly into thumb pots. Maintain a cool, 
List atmosphere about them, at all times, 
nd shade from sun. Frequent fumigations 
re absolutely essential to success in the cul- 
ure of these gorgeous flowering plants. 
K. M. 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
Newly planted evergreen or deciduous trees 
nd shrubs will need much attention through- 
ut the dry weather to induce them to grow 
way freely, and nothing will assist the 
rowtli more than frequent dampings over the 
oliage and stem's. A watering may be given 
■ocasionally at the roots, but this in excess is 
•ery detrimental, and little will be needed in 
his respect if a good mulching is given over 
he surface of the soil, which will keep it 
noist and greatly assist the root action. 
Climbers. — All varieties of climbing 
ihrubs, such as Roses, Clematis, Vines, etc., 
vill now need to have the young growths tied 
n or nailed, as the case may be. A good 
vatering of weak manure water will prove of 
;reat assistance to all those which are grown 
or the beauty of their flowers ; but such as 
he Vines and the like, cultivated for the 
leauty of their foliage, particularly in 
lutumn, are better without feeding material. 
Roses should receive a mulching of decayed 
cow-manure if obtainable, which keeps the 
[ground moist, thus helping to prolong Hie 
flowering period. Green and black fly will 
doubtless make their appearance now, and 
hese should be killed at once by giving a good 
syringing of insecticide, such as Bentley’s, 
.vhich is excellent for eradicating these pests. 
In a well-chosen shrubbery there is at this 
season of the year a wealth of flower, but the 
Various forms of Lilac stand out conspi¬ 
cuously as among the best for general culti¬ 
vation. Either grown in bush foam or as 
[Standards they succeed well, and are admir¬ 
ably suited for those who have a limited space 
at command. They wall also flourish on the 
majority of soils, the only attention neces¬ 
sary being to water well in dry weather, to 
piune back the young shoots when fairly hard 
after flowering, and to remove any growths 
which appear from the stock on which the 
ibetter kinds are worked. 
1 There are numerous varieties, but Mdine. 
ILemoine will be found the best of double 
, whites, and those who desire a good purple 
I should include Souv. de Ludwig Spaeth. 
A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenbam House Gardens, Elstree. 
Hardy Herbaceous Plants. 
At this time of the year, especially after tin 
j weather we have experienced of late, it gene 
rally happens that insect pests make theii 
j unwelcome appearance, and if these, are noi 
checked as soon as observed they will quickh 
[increase and do considerable damage, whicl 
i will greatly mar the appearance of the foliagi 
I arid flowers. Fortunately, herbaceous plant; 
are not attacked by a large number of pests 
but two of the worst are maggot and fly. 
Where the latter is noticed a syringing shouk 
be given in the evening with a good insecti 
. vide, and well washed off next morning 
Maggots appear among the young unex 
| panded leaves, where they eat away the centre; 
unless killed. This is best done by pinch in; 
the growths between the thumb and finger 
Un heavy soils the ground is now commencin' 
to open, and the hoe should be kept busy 
among the plants to prevent this. Those 
who have light soils to deal with should give 
the plants a good watering occasionally at 
the roots, and in either case a thorough 
drenching over the foliage is a great help, 
especially if given in the evening after hot 
days. 
Wallflowers. —Seed of these charming 
spring plants should now be sown in a good 
open position. Rake the soil down finely, 
and scatter tlie seed thinly over the sui-face, 
as nothing is gained by overcrowding them in 
the seed bed. 
Early Chrysanthemums. —For small gar¬ 
dens particularly there are few plants which 
surpass these, and when given the necessary 
attention one may be sure of obtaining a good 
display of bloom. These will now need sup¬ 
porting, and the results will in every way be 
( 3UR PRIZE COMPETITIONS. 
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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 and a half, but 
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Two Prizes of Two Shillings and Six¬ 
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mentary replies to questions asked in “ The G. W. 
Enquire Within ” column. These replies should 
be brief. 
A Prize of Five Shillings will be given fo 
the best novel device for saving labour, protecting 
plants, or a garden utensil, which reaches us 
during any week. A rough sketch must accom¬ 
pany the brief description. 
far better if several stakes are placed to the 
plant and the growths tied out separately. A 
mulching of decayed manure, such as that 
front an old Mushroom bed, placed over the 
ground about an inch thick, will be of great 
value, as it keeps the roots cool and the 
ground moist. If fly is observed in the tips 
of the growth, give a syringing of insecticide 
or a dusting of tobacco powder, and well wash 
off the following day. If the dry weather con¬ 
tinues, give frequent waterings, both at the 
loots and overhead, and little manure ; farm¬ 
yard liquid well diluted is excellent, and may 
be given occasionally. A. E. Thatcher. 
Readers experiencing any difficulty in 
obtaining “The Gardening World” from 
newsagents will oblige by communicating 
with the publishers. 
Fruit Garden. 
Melons. —From this date Melons thrive 
well in cold pits or partly-exhausted hot-beds 
when well cared for in the matter of husband¬ 
ing sun heat, and are frequently utilised for 
the purpose as the structures become emptied 
of early Potatos, Carrots, or bedding plants. 
About three bushels of fairly retentive loam 
with an 8-inch potful of bone meal placed in 
the centre of each light within 18 in. of the 
glass will be sufficient to give the plants a 
start, adding about 4 in. more over the whole 
bed after a set has been secured. Good plants 
are necessary, placing two in each light, stop¬ 
ping the leader to encourage three bines on 
each plant, which will be quite enough, train¬ 
ing half to the front, the other half to the 
back, and pinching out their points when near¬ 
ing the side. From these, lateral growths 
will push out and show female fruits, which 
must be fertilised in a similar manner as those 
in heated structures, and stopping the said 
lateral one joint above the fruit, maintaining 
a dry atmosphere while in flower ; before this 
and after they are set, the plants should he 
syringed lightly towards 3.30 p.m. on bright 
days. Melons planted in firm soil need no 
shade after a couple of days at first, and 
should aphis show on the plants, it is safest to 
fumigate with X.L. All when the foliage is 
perfectly dry in the evening. Plants in heated 
houses or pits will need abundance of water 
while the fruits are swelling, aided with farm¬ 
yard drainings or guano squeezed up in the 
water. Our earliest crop has been cleared, 
and tlie division planted afresh, always tho¬ 
roughly washing glass and woodwork pre¬ 
viously. 
Peaches. —Trees with ripening fruit should 
not be syringed, gathering what are fit early 
mornings. Those swelling their fruit need a 
plentiful water supply, and under such bright 
weather are benefited with a mulch of manure. 
In succession houses attend to the tying of 
the shoots, and the final thinning of the crop 
in the latest houses, exposing the fruit to the 
full sun where possible, ventilating before the 
temperature advances above 70 degrees, and 
closing about 3.30 p.m., unless the fruit are 
required as late in the season as possible, 
when full ventilation must be given day and 
night. 
Strawberries. —These promise a full crop, 
although the weather throughout May proved 
very dry, but where straw or litter was placed 
between the plants early in that month they 
will have suffered but little from drought; 
still, rain would be beneficial to the crop in 
this locality, and it is hoped it will come 
before these lines get into print. Get the nets 
in order so that they can be put on in good 
time, as wiiere birds are plentiful they begin 
to sample the fruit before colouring com¬ 
mences. The perpetual varieties such as St. 
Joseph and St. Antoine de Padone should 
have all flower scapes pinched out for some 
weeks yet; also the runners, which they push 
out in quantity while they have no fruit in 
support. Unless we get a nice soak of rain 
between now and the middle of June the fruit 
will be small, I fear, as at the time of pen¬ 
ning these lines many tilings are suffering 
from drought, and it is a big job to water 
strawberry beds. 
Thinning Fruit. —Tlie weather has done 
much towards this in some places, but where 
trees escaped tlie cutting winds of April 30th 
and May 1st, as well as the severe frost of 
May 23rd, 1 here may be a surplus to be dis¬ 
pensed with in tlie case of Apples and Pears, 
these often setting five or six in a bunch, 
which naturally are far too many, in most 
