598 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 29, 1905. 
The Flower Garden. 
Those who would have their gardens as gay 
as possible through spring and early summer 
will find that seeds of many things may be 
sown in autumn with greater advantage 
than in spring. Antirrhinums, Pentstemons, 
Brampton Stocks, Reseda, alba, the white 
Mignonette, and many others may be sown 
in early August, and when large enough 
pricked off and wintered in a cold frame or on 
a shelf in a cold greenhouse. Such plants 
will grow away strongly with the lengthening 
days in spring, and when planted out in 
March will grow into strong plants, and come 
into flower much earlier than the spring 
sown. Brompton Stocks may often be planted 
in their flowering positions in autumn, but 
occasionally suffer from excessive moisture ; 
grown in boxes in a frame, however, they may 
be planted out with good balls of soil 
attached, and soon become established. 
Many who have hitherto thought it the cor¬ 
rect thing to sow annuals in April will be sur¬ 
prised to know that many of them may be 
sown in late September and October. It is 
an excellent plan to follow this autumn sow¬ 
ing method in conjunction with bulb plant¬ 
ing. For instance, those who grow groups or 
beds of Spanish Irise 9 will be well advised 
to sow Gypsophila elegans or G. e. rosea just 
after planting the Irises. Both will flower 
in early June, and we venture to think that a 
prettier sight cannot be imagined. One of 
the prettiest little annuals for autumn sow¬ 
ing is Ionopsidium acaule, wdiich will flower 
in March, and keep on for weeks.. The whole 
lant does not exceed two or three inches in 
eight, and might be suitably employed in 
conjunction with Crocuses, the tiny white 
flowers contrasting well with any colour. 
Other annuals which may be sown in autumn 
are Silene pendula- compacta, with lovely 
rose-coloured flowers, ana S. p. Triumph, 
with flowers of a deeper shade; also the 
annual Candytufts, Iberis coronaria, Iberis 
amara, and Iberis umbellata, with Lnn- 
nanthes Douglasii, Nigella damascena. and 
Linarias of sorts. In fact, the amateur will 
find it interesting to experiment with the 
autumn sowing of many annuals hitherto 
dealt with in spring. A light, well-drained 
soil is most conducive to success, but even in 
a heavy soil, if thoroughly dug and raked 
fine, autumn sowing is usually effective. 
B. W. J. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Cabbage. — The first sowing of these for 
spring use should be made about the 25th of 
the present month, selecting an open part of 
the garden. The ground should be finely 
broken up, but not too rich, and sown in beds, 
scattering the seed thinly. Before raking in 
give a good dusting of lime and wood ashes, 
also a thorough Soaking with water if the 
weather is dry, and net securely against birds. 
I know of no variety, when a good strain is 
secured, to equal Ellam’s Early. It has the 
good points of being hardy, extremely quick 
in maturing, very rarely runs to seed pre¬ 
maturely. and the quality is all one could 
Wish. FloWer of Spring is also a capital 
kind, aboitt a fortnight later than the above, 
and grow T s much larger. 
Coleworts. — The first batch of these 
should now be planted on a deeply-dug, well- 
enL'iched piece of ground. Plant one foot 
apart all ways, make very firm, and well 
water in. The soil should be constantly 
stirred with the Dutch hoe to promote a free, 
quick growth. 
Onions. — During the next fortnight those 
required for large bulbs, either for exhibition 
or home use, should receive two good water¬ 
ings a week if the weather continues to be 
dry, after which little more should be given. 
Late Peas. — The last sowings should now 
be well staked, and to ensure heavy crops of 
good quality the plants should be somewhat 
severely thinned, the ground well mulched, 
and abundance of water given during spells of 
dry weather. The under parts of the foliage 
should be well dusted with flowers of sulphur 
to prevent the spread of mildew, and it will 
be necessary in most districts to protect the 
pods against birds with garden netting. The 
tits especially have a particular liking for 
these at this season. 
Runner Beans. — These are looking re¬ 
markably well this year. Endeavour to get 
the whole of the sticks covered as speedily 
as possible, and to ensure this it will be 
necessary where planted thin, as they should 
be, to go along the rows to regulate and tie 
up some of the growth in the weakest places ; 
and immediately they have reached the ex¬ 
treme top nip off the points. 
E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Seasonable Reminders. — This cannot be 
said to be a busy period of the year in this 
department; I shall therefore confine myself 
in this calendar to remarks upon general 
work and preparing for the busy time to 
come. Much forethought is required now in 
the matter of working up a sufficient stock of 
the various plants that are known to be in 
demand next winter and spring. Cuttings ot 
most kinds of stove and greenhouse plants 
root readily at this time without having re¬ 
course to much artificial heat, and the young 
plants have time to become well-rooted and 
strong before the short cold days are upon us. 
Winter-flowering plants, such as Euphorbias, 
Eranthemums, and the like, must be re- 
shifted on as they advance in growth, and 
every means taken to encourage robust un¬ 
checked growth. All plants growing in pots 
and hanging baskets must be well attended to 
for water for the next few weeks, as the re¬ 
ceptacles in which they grow are full of feed¬ 
ing roots at this time and quickly become 
dry. 
Insect pests are the bane of all gardeners, 
and during hot droughty weather they in¬ 
crease at an alarming rate, therefore I advise 
frequent fumigations to keep- them in check. 
There mil now be a wealth of blossom in 
the conservatory, and as the various subjects 
become shabby they should be taken out and 
replaced by others. Frequent rearrange¬ 
ment of the plants should be carried out, and 
due regard paid to setting up the various 
subjects in groups, for without a doubt the 
intrinsic beauty of all flowering plants is best 
displayed by this system. On very hot days 
when full air is admitted it is a good plan to 
damp the floors of this structure about mid¬ 
day to cool the atmosphere. 
Those who intend purchasing such bulbs as 
Freesias, Roman Hyacinths, Lachenalias, 
and Lily of the Valley for early forcing should 
now place their orders. Generally speaking, 
the customers who order early are best 
served. I shall give a few cultural details 
with regard to potting up and after-treat¬ 
ment of these bulbs in next week’s notes ; in 
the meantime preparations may be made to 
deal with them immediately on arrival, as 
nothing is more harmful to the bulbs than to 
remain out of soil longer than is absolutely 
necessary. K. M. 
Hardy Herbaceous Border. 
Phloxes. —There are hardly any plants 
which repay the cultivator better than these, 
and at the present time they are making a 
fine display in the borders. The best results 
are obtained by thinning the growths as 
before advised and tying the shoots out 
separately, leaving not more than ten or 
twelve to each plant, so that each can develop 
perfectly. Either in groups or as single 
specimens they produce a fine mass of colour, 
but during dry weather copious supplies of 
water must be given both to those in flower 
and others which bloom later in the summer. 
It is important to make a selection of the best 
varieties, and for flowering at this season the 
following are specially good : Eclaireur, Miss 
Lingard, Tapis Blanc, Helene Vacaresco, 
L’Aiglon, Vivid, Coquelicot, Lord Kelvin, 
Mdme. Chauvry, and E. Boissier. 
The surface soil should be kept stirred with 
the Dutch hoe, and if the weather continues 
dry water must be given frequently at the 
roots of all subjects,, but especially those 
which are only surface rooting. Borders 
which were replanted last autumn or spring 
will be greatly benefited by mulching with 
any suitable material that can be spared. 
A. E. T. 
Fruit Garden. 
Strawberries for forcing require a long 
season of growth to perfect nice crowns by 
autumn, and should be placed in their fruit¬ 
ing pots early in the coming month. If the 
layers were well rooted before severing from 
the parent plant very few days need intervene 
ere this work be proceeded with, as it is bad 
practice to allow them to starve in these 
small pots after once- they are fit to transfei 
to a larger size. Although they are not s<. 
well for potting when very wet, yet the little 
plants must on no account be allowed to suffej 
for water from the time they are layered 
in fact, right up to the ripening of the fruit 
As'regards size of loots many prefer those o 
5in. in diameter, but we always go in foi 
those half an inch larger, usually called smal 
32’s, for the earliest batches, and 65 m. fo 
those ripening in May and early June. Se-' 
that the pots are perfectly clean, and plan 
a large crock concave shape over the drainagi 
