948 
THE Hardening world 
December 9, 1905. 
American Carnations. 
I intend getting some of the American Carna¬ 
tions of which I took down the names in Novem¬ 
ber. Are they propagated by layering like other 
kinds, and when is the time to do it for flowering 
in autumn? (C. B. W.) 
It is usually more convenient to take cuttings of 
American Carnations than to layer them, as the 
shoots are usually too long to bend conveniently 
into the pots in which they are growing. These 
cuttings should be about two or three joints in 
length, and consist of the tips of the longer 
branches, or you can take off the short side shoots 
usually termed pipings. After carefully preparing 
these cuttings, insert them firmly in pots of sandy 
soil, and plunge the pots in a moderately warm 
hot-bed. This will encourage rooting, and as 
soon as this has been effected the plants should 
be potted off singly in small 60 size pots, giving 
them larger ones when they require it. 
Sweet Scented Verbena. 
Should the sweet-scented Verbena lose its leaves 
in winter, as mine are now bare, though the 
shoots seem alive? What treatment should I give 
them*? (L. Davis.) 
We presume your plants are in pots, and if so, 
they may be kept in a greenhouse, frame or 
window, according to convenience, during the 
winter. Some time in February or March you can 
prune them back. Each shoot should be cut down 
within two or three buds from the base of last 
year’s wood. With the rising temperature and 
the lengthening days in spring they will com¬ 
mence growing again. If they are getting too 
large for the size of pots they are in, they can 
be repotted after the young shoots commence to 
move, using a compost of two-thirds fibrous loam 
and one-third of leaf-mould. A little well- 
decayed cow-manure, if rubbed fine, would also 
be an advantage. Sand, of course, should also be 
used to make the superfluous water pass freely 
away after watering. 
Plants Under Holly Tree. 
We have a fine Holly Tree at the lower end 
of the garden, but the ground is bare underneath 
it as grass will not grow. Can you recommend 
anything to cover the ground? (H. D. T.) 
If the leafy branches of the Holly come within 
3 ft. of the ground it will be difficult to get any¬ 
thing to grow right up to the stem of the tree, 
but if the lowest branches are 5 ft. or 6 ft. from 
the ground the matter becomes greatly simplified. 
In the way of flowering plants, Periwinkle, 
Hypericum calycinum and H. moserianum would 
form a sufficiently dwarf covering, and at the 
same time be interesting on account of their 
flowers. The first-named, being evergreen, would 
make the most complete and perennial carpet. 
Ivies would also cover the ground, but they 
present a rather sombre appearance, especially in 
the summer time, when you desire brightness in 
the garden. 
Apples for Cooking. 
Please name half a dozen good cooking Apples 
that will be fit for use at various times from 
autumn tilL. spring. (D. Parsons.) 
We have selected the under-mentioned varieties 
nearly in the order in which they ripen—that is, 
become fit for use after being stored in the fruit 
room. These are:—'Lord Suffield, Blenheim 
Orange, Stirling Castle, Dumelow’s Seedling, 
better known as Wellington, Peasgood’s Nonsuch, 
and Lane’s Prince Albert, which will keep good 
till May. 
Chrysanthemums on a Wall. 
I have read somewhere that Chrysanthemums 
can be grown upon walls to flower in the open 
during November. There is a wall in our garden 
about 4 ft. high which would look all the better 
with a covering of some sort, and Chrysanthe¬ 
mums would grve us late flowers Would they 
succeed? (T. R. C.) 
November flowering varieties of the Chinese 
Chrysanthemum have been very successfully 
flowered against a wall, and there is no reason 
why they should not succeed in your garden if 
you select varieties that are not naturally very 
late, and allow them to grow with little disbud¬ 
ding. The amount of disbudding that may be 
with propriety given will depend largely upon the 
varieties you plant. To get size of bloom it is 
necessary to partly disbud those which produce 
crowds of small flowers together. You should 
fasten them up to the wall by some ready means 
that would not necessitate nailing every individual 
shoot. For instance, two or three rows of nails 
at intervals of 3 ft. would probably be sufficient 
to enable you to fasten the plants loosely to the 
wall by means of some strong string of a soft 
character not likely to bruise the bark of the 
stems. 
Sowing Sweet Peas. 
Is it too late to sow Sweet Peas now to get an 
early crop of cut flowers? Please reply in your 
next issue. (P. 6 . Sudbury.) 
It is too late now to sow Sweet Peas out of 
doors. You can, however, bear it in mind and 
sow some in small pots towards the end of Feb¬ 
ruary or the beginning of March. They readily 
respond to a genial atmosphere, so that after ger¬ 
mination they must be stood in a welblighted 
place where they will get plenty of ventilation in 
mild weather. Towards the end of March or some 
time in April, when the weather is sufficiently 
genial, the Peas should be transferred to a cold 
frame or a sheltered place out of doors to harden 
for a week, and then plant in the open where 
they are to bloom. 
Small Bulbs of Tiger Lilies. 
A clump of Tiger Lilies in the border pro¬ 
duced a lot of small bulbs at the base of the 
leaves, and I gathered them a few weeks ago. 
Can you tell me through the medium of your 
paper if they will give rise to plants, and how 
1 shall treat them? (L. D.) 
You rightly state that they are small bulbs, 
though that is not the usuaj name given to them. 
They are, however, to all intents and purposes 
very small bulbs, and may be grown into plants. 
If you have a half-shaded border you should 
prepare a place to receive them. This could be 
done by giving a good dressing of leaf mould and 
well-rotted manure from old Melon or Cucumber 
beds. Some sand might also be employed to 
lighten the soil and make it porous. When the 
ground has been prepared and raked level, plant 
the bulbils, or little bulbs, in lines on the pre¬ 
pared ground by simply flashing them a little 
way into the soil with the thick end downwards. 
When this is done, give them a top-dressing 
with leaf mould. Keep an eye on the birds, that 
they do not scrape these leaves off the bulbils; 
and if there is any evidence of this, place some 
branches of trees over the ground, such as the 
fine spray of Birch, Beech, or Spruce without 
the leaves. When the bulbils commence to grow 
in spring, the brushwood may be removed. The 
bulbs should be left in the same position next 
winter, simply giving them a fresh top-dressing 
of leaf mould. If they succeed with you, they 
will in a few years produce strong flowering 
bulbs, and the flowers will be precisely the same 
as those of the mother plant. 
Tree Roots and Vegetables. 
Our Cauliflowers and Greens made a very poor 
growth last year, and I blamed the roots of some 
large Elms in my neighbour’s garden. Can I 
have any remedy? (Elm.) 
On your own side of the fence you can cer¬ 
tainly deal with the soil in such a way as to 
prevent the roots from interfering with your 
vegetables. It is probable that the ground has 
not been dug for a number of years, and in that 
ease, it would be much improved by trenching it 
2 feet deep, and using manure between the 
trenches. You could then see whether the 
ground was occupied with roots, such as you 
suspect. If the trees are at some distance from 
your fence, you can open a trench inside your 
own wall or fence, so as to cut any roots which 
are coming through into the garden. If such 
a trench were opened once every second year, it 
would effectually prevent the roots of trees 
from straying into the vegetable ground, as they 
could scarcely go far in the course of a single 
year. 
October Flowering Chrysanthemums. 
Please name half-a-dozen varieties of Chrysan¬ 
themums to flower in October in the open border. 
They must be double and of different colours. 
(J. Lindsay.) 
The following are all good kinds, and we think 
would meet your case:—Mine. Marie Masse, 
mauve; Meduse, old gold ; Rabbie Burns, rosy- 
cerise ; Ryecroft Glory, golden-yellow; Mine. 
Desgranges, white; and Mrs. E. V. Freeman, 
deep crimson. These may be propagated from 
cuttings in March, and planted out when the 
weather becomes mild and settled. 
Large Beet. 
Our crop of Beet made excellent growth last 
summer, but the cook says they are not Beet, but 
Wurzels. I had seed of Cheltenham Green Top, 
which was recommended as a good one. What 
would you advise me to do? (Beet.) 
The variety you mention is a good one pro¬ 
vided you do not sow it too early, otherwise it 
is liable to get too large to be of good quality 
for table purposes. You must have been sowing 
too early. Next year this could be done in 
April and May, so as to give them a shorter time 
to make growth and prevent coarseness. Other 
good varieties with rich dark-red flesh of smaller 
growth are Pragnell’s Exhibition, Blood Red, and 
Nutting’s Red. If you desire a variety for 
early work you can get Egyptian Turnip-rooted, 
which produces a root like a Turnip, and is 
therefore suitable for thin and poor soils, and 
gives you something to use until the main crop 
is ready. 
Pruning Tall Bush Roses. 
Many of our bush Roses have made long stems 
—5 ft. high— and, our garden being exposed, they 
get’ shaken about in winter. Would it be proper 
to prune them now? They are perpetuals. 
(R. I. W.) 
To prevent your Roses being driven about by 
the wind and broken, you can remove about a 
third of the length, so that the remaining portion 
of the stems will be quite firm and better able 
to resist the wind. You must remember that 
we may get mild weather during January or 
February, causing the Roses to make fresh growth. 
This is liable to get destroyed if we have a re¬ 
currence of frosty nights, so that it would be 
unwise to prune them before the proper time. 
About the middle of March is a safe tune to 
prune Hybrid Perpetuals. 
Names of Plants. 
(W. B. Russell) The pink-flowered shrub is 
Escallonia macrantha ; the white one is the -Straw¬ 
berry Tree (Arbutus Unedo).—(L. M. H.) 1, 
Primula obconica; 2, Chlorophytum elatum varie- 
gatum; 3, Pelargonium Radula; 4, Veronica 
speciosa ; 5, Veronica Andersoni variegata.—(Wm. 
Hardman) 1, Pteris tremula; 2, Camptosorus 
rhizophyllus ; 3, Adiantum caudatum ; 4, Adian- 
tum formosum 5, Adiantum cuneatum gracilli- 
murn; 6, Selagiuella emiliana.—(G. B. R.) 1, 
Osmanthus Aquifolium ilicifolius; 2, Jasminum 
nudiflorum ; 3, Berberis Aquifolium ; 4, Viburnum 
Tinus. 
Trade Catalogues Received. 
Vilmorin-Andrieux et Cie, 4, Quai de la 
Megisserie, Paris.—Catalogue of Seeds of Hardy 
Trees and Shrubs, and Seeds of Plants for the 
Orangery and Greenhouse. 
W. J. Godfrey, Exmouth, Devon.—Descriptive 
Catalogue of New and Select Chrysanthemums. 
Important Appointment eor a Well- 
known Scottish Gardener. —Mr. J. H. 
Cumming, for several years head gardener to 
Lady Stewart, Grantully Castle, Perthshire, 
has been appointed superintendent of Ball’s 
Bridge Grounds, Dublin. Mr. Cumming was 
successful out of no fewer than 280 applicants. 
He entered on his duties at the beginning of 
November, and took with him the best 
wishes of a large circle of gardening friends 
in Scotland.—C. B. 
