932 
The Flower Garden. 
Plants with Scented Leaves. —Although 
often not possessed of showy flowers these 
plants with scented leaves add a great charm 
to our gardens, and were, perhaps, in greater 
favour many years ago than they are now. 
Planted judiciously here and there, either in 
beds of a kind or only as single plants, the 
pleasure they give is considerable. Scented 
Pelargoniums alone provide a wide variety, both 
as to sceut and foliage, as I should say there are 
quite a score of different forms, the scent of 
some, however, being the reverse of pleasant. 
These scented kinds are inclined as a rule to be 
more shrubby in habit than the ordinary forms 
of the bedding Pelargonium, but practically 
the same treatment is necessary as to propaga¬ 
tion, preservation in winter, and the time of 
planting out. A sunny spot in soil not over 
rich suits them well. The scented Verbena 
(Lippia citriodora) is also really a shrub and 
may be left out all winter if the base of the 
branches is protected with some straw or other 
litter, but cuttings of young side shoots are 
easily struck at any time in summer and may 
be wintered in a warm greenhouse, so that the 
old plants need not be mourned if they perish 
in winter. Planted in a sunny corner formed 
by the angles of a house, where the soil is dry 
in winter, the scented Verbena will flourish 
bravely and be a source of much pleasure in 
summer. 
Kosemary and Lavender are moderate sized 
plants which may be grown by anyone, and 
each has a distinctive pleasant scent, whether 
in flower or not. 
The Thymes, which I have mentioned before, 
are also worthy of inclusion, so freely do they 
flower, and exhale their sweet and lovely scent 
after every summer shower. Many others 
might be mentioned, the finer Balms and Mints 
and Sages ; indeed a truly enjoyable garden 
may be stocked with only scented leaved plants, 
and all have the merit of being easily grown 
and adaptable to the most modest of gardens. 
B. W. J. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
We are fast approaching the end of the 
year 1905, and the wise and painstaking 
gardener will have recorded his failures and 
the probable causes of such equally as much 
as his successes, with a view of successfully 
overcoming such another year, and the end of 
the dying year should really mean the begin¬ 
ning of the new. There is no branch of 
gardening which is more interesting or which 
brings more troubles in its trail, especially to 
the careless, than that relating to the cultiva¬ 
tion of vegetables, failures being clue to so 
many causes, a few, unfortunately, over 
which we have little control, but the large 
majority may be partially, if not wholly, over¬ 
come. A plan of the garden should be made 
at this season of the year, on which should 
be shown the crops cultivated on each plot 
during the past season and the intention for 
the coming year. If these are kept year after 
year, as they should be, they will prove very 
useful and instructive for future guidance. 
The plots of land, of course, required for 
various subjects will each need its own par¬ 
ticular treatment, and be prepared accord¬ 
TME GARDENING WORLD 
ingly. That which has been and is still 
occupied by Celery will generally form the 
most suitable site for root crops generally, 
and where time will allow, though this 
will of necessity have been deeply stirred to 
thoroughly trench the same, as by so doing 
the whole of the material which was used in 
the trenches will become thoroughly distri¬ 
buted and the soil generally will be in a 
much better condition than if merely dug 
over. Strew over the surface a thorough good 
dressing of soot, lime, and wood ashes, when 
it can be left in this condition till the time 
of seed sowing. That which is intended to 
be occupied by Cauliflowers, a most important 
crop, should, if possible, not have been occu¬ 
pied by any of the Brassica family for at least 
twelve months, but where this is impossible, 
if the land is well trenched at least 3ft. deep 
and a good dressing of lime applied to the 
surface, good results should follow. The 
ground should always be well enriched with 
good farmyard manure, and in all cases 
deeply stirred. 
Jerusalem Artichokes.— The whole of the 
crop can be lifted, assorted in their various 
sizes, all the larger ones being stored in sand 
for the winter supply, the ground should be 
well manured and trenched, and the smaller 
ones replanted. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Pancratiums. —The flowers of this bulbous 
plant are always much appreciated on account 
of their fragrant pure white blossoms. All 
those who have a warm glasshouse should 
take up their cultivation, for no particular 
skill is required to produce abundance of 
flowers for a great part of the year, provided 
a good stock of large-flowering bulbs are to 
hand and good management accorded. 
A compost of two parts fibrous loam to one 
each of peat and decayed cow manure, with 
sand and charcoal added, will grow the plants 
well. This is one of those plants that resent 
frequent disturbance of the roots, therefore 
when once the bulbs are potted in sweet com¬ 
post but little shifting should be practised. - 
The chief factor to success is a judicious 
application of water; when new growth is 
being made abundance should be given, both 
at the root and in the atmosphere of the 
house, but for a few weeks after flowering 
very little should be given until renewed 
activity is apparent. 
Primulas. —These will now be making a 
fine display, and the plants should be kept 
somewhat dry at the root, that is, no more 
water should be given than suffices to prevent 
flagging. The air of the structure should be 
kept dry and buoyant as far as the state of 
the weather will allow. Admit a little air at 
the top of the house early in the morning to 
dispel moisture, and increase it by degrees. 
This remark applies equally to all greenhouse 
flowering plants. 
Propagating Chrysanthemums.— As I re¬ 
marked in a recent calendar, there is nothing 
gained by commencing this operation before 
this date. The large-flowering kinds should 
December 9, 1905. 
receive first attention, as they require a long 
season of unchecked growth to ensure good 
results. Assuming that short sturdy cuttings 
are to hand, they may now be inserted, first 
arranging the frame for their reception and 
preparing the soil. This should consist of 
equal parts loam, leaf soil, and old potting 
soil, adding plenty of sand. The cuttings will 
strike well in hand-lights in any close tem¬ 
perate house. Spray the cuttings lightly 
twice or thrice daily, and shade. Admit air 
in small quantities for a few hours in the 
middle of the day to dispel damp. 
K. M. 
Fruit Garden. 
Outdoors. 
Pruning. —This operation has such an 
important bearing on the tree that only ex¬ 
perienced hands should be delegated for the 
work, as it is not so easily acquired as some 
would have us believe. In a weekly calendar, 
which must be curtailed to a certain extent, 
one cannot enter into full details concerning 
pruning, and even if one could, it is doubtful 
whether it could be made clear to all readers, 
a few object lessons being of far more value 
than a day’s writing would be ; yet a few prac¬ 
tical hints may be of some use to a beginner. 
It is not advisable to do much of this work 
during severe frost. The way we manage here 
is to start on the north walls first while the 
weather is mild, and in frosty weather get 
on to the sunny positions, where a few hours 
may be done most days when it is not actually 
freezing. Pruning and training go hand in 
hand with many fruit trees, especially 
Morelia Cherries, Plums, Apricots, and 
Pears ; and, taking the first named, it bears 
principally upon wood made the present year, 
therefore reserve some of the best-placed 
shoots for extension as well as filling in or 
covering bare wood of some years’ growth 
These shoots require no shortening, irnless it 
is a young tree that requires a foundation 
laid. Allow two or three inches between these 
fruiting shoots, while those not required or 
too far away from the face of the wall need 
spurring back to within an inch or so of their 
origin to form spurs, which in due time also 
carry fruit. Sweet Cherries bear principally 
upon spurs,' and require more space between 
the main branches. Plums require almost 
identical treatment as advocated for the 
Morello, but require a greater distance be¬ 
tween, as the leaves are larger, consequently 
would shade the wood if trained in too 
thickly. Apricots fruit mostly on spurs, 
although well-ripened shoots of medium size 
also bear ; therefore retain the best placed, 
as in the case of the Cherry. Short rosette 
growths of the past summer require no 
shortening, and endeavour to keep spur 
growths as near the face of the wall as pos¬ 
sible, cutting clean away any that persist in 
growing straight out, as they will do after a 
few years. Pears, too, fruit principally on 
the spur system, the main shoots requiring 
a space of ten or twelve inches, whether 
trained as cordons, fan, or horizontal, and, 
as a rule, the leading shoot forms a fruit bud, 
so must have the tip taken out where exten¬ 
sion is required. The above remarks apply 
