December 30, 1905. 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“ Flowers like persons be, 
And life pulsates in rock or tree.”— Emerson. 
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AN AMATEUR'S LETTER 
TO AMATEURS. 
By the Author of “ The Garden Decorative 
etc ., etc. 
XXI. 
The Most Important Winter Work. 
Undoubtedly this consists in keeping the 
soil in a good and healthy condition. The 
novice is far too much inclined to underrate 
the benefit of keeping the soil “ sweet,” which 
means preventing it from becoming “ sour ” 
He does not sufficiently realise how working 
the soil is one of the best, means of keeping it 
in good heart. It allows nature to step in 
and do all in her power to help us, for 
the frost can then penetrate, pulverise, and 
sweeten it, kill disease germs, and cause it to 
be in the best condition for future usefulness. 
I have repeatedly seen empty beets, long 
borders, etc., left the winter through undug, 
thus losing much of nature’s benefits for 
months. Even the ordinary perennial border, 
where well stocked with plants, should be 
lightly forked over between the plants. Heavy 
rains beat the soil down into a hard, sodden 
state, so that where cold would not have 
killed damp does. In the small enclosed 
garden where it is impossible to get a free 
current of air to dry it, I go so far as to sav 
that to stir the soil between the plants at 
least twice between the present time and next 
April can only prove of benefit. Of course, in 
larger and more airy positions it will not be 
necessary. 
Sometimes the effect of a good top-dressing 
of lime is simply wonderful. Gas-lime applied 
now to some unplanted portion of the garden 
and allowed to remain on the surface for a 
considerable time before being dug in will do 
much good, especially if manure has been used 
for many seasons. Fresh lime from the kiln, 
too, makes an excellent top-dressing for heavy 
soils at this season. Both it and gas-iime 
should be put on after the ground has been 
dug and may remain on the surface until 
the spring, then be dug in. To dig in mortar 
rubble or ashes in a soil that is heavy and 
retentive is also of real benefit, and should be 
done at this time. 
Care of Autumn-sown Annuals. 
I would rather have, when the time comes, 
a dozen plants of autumn-sown hardy annuals 
than on the same space fifty of similar 
varieties that have not been sown until the 
spring. Every year the value of these 
autumn-sown plants impresses me afresh. A 
growing period, lengthened by some months 
before they need to flower, the bracing effect 
of a winter’s cold upon them, and the oppor¬ 
tunity in some cases of pinching back, go to 
make plants with which spring-sown specimens 
cannot compare. A little attention may well 
be bestowed upon them from time to time at 
this season. For obvious reasons care will 
have been taken to sow them on light and 
porous soil, therefore we should not have to 
protect them from excessive damp, but if they 
have been thickly sown it will be well to thin 
considerably; any dead leaves that may have 
blown in among them should be cleared away, 
and during open weather, in the case of such 
useful varieties as, say, Cornflowers and Salvia 
Horminum, the tops may be pinched out to 
induce a dense, bushy growth. Such plants 
will flower for months, and prove models of 
what annuals may become if grown after 
nature’s own principles. 
Some Important Winter Pruning. 
Flowering shrubs and climbers that flower 
on the young wood of the current year’s 
growth may be looked to now. Many a 
flowering shrub is ten times more decoi-ative 
and picturesque if the pruning knife never 
once comes near it. But circumstances alter 
cases, and if shrubs are growing close 
together and are crowding and choking 
one another, then it is the best service 
we can render them to cut away much 
of the overcrowded growth and so main¬ 
tain moderate-sized bushes. It seems to me a 
great pity to alter the natural shape of a well- 
grown shrub more than is necessary, and on 
this account I prefer to thin out weak, poor 
growths rather than ruthlessly to trim the 
strong, robust growths to one regular and 
neat, conventional regularity, just tipping 
back any unduly long shoots. Then, again, in 
~N 
the cases of shrubs throwing up a number of 
suckers which quickly come to flowering matu¬ 
rity—as the Kerrias, for instance—an oid, 
worn-out shrub, perhaps thirty years old or 
more, may be given a new lease of life by 
cutting clean away much of this old wood and 
allowing its place to be presently taken by 
new shoots. I may say here I have known 
tree Paeonies that had remained flowerless for 
many seasons successfully treated in this same 
manner. 
The Care of Climbers. 
When I started to write the above para¬ 
graph I had more especially in my mind the 
case of climbers at this season. Where the 
fragrant and delightful Honeysuckle (one of 
the climbers most of all to be prized) is used 
as a covering for house walls, it should, if not 
already done, be severely pruned. This is 
necessary in such a position, and every slioot 
may be shortened back to the basal pair of 
opposite leaves, and all long and strong young 
growths should be carefully “ laid in 
(growths, I mean, that come up from the 
root). Attention, too, may be given to 
Clematises of the Jackmanii type. Many 
authorities advise the cutting down to be 
postponed until February, but I have proved 
over and over again by careful experiment 
that if the specimen be planted in some warm 
and sheltered aspect and position, then open 
weather in early December is a more satis¬ 
factory time for the operation. It may be cut 
down to within 6in. of the ground. 
F. M. Wells. 
Plates of Chrysanthemums.— The follow¬ 
ing extract from letter was received from one 
of the best-known growers of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums:—"I must say that your presentation 
plate of Chrysanthemum Mrs. Knox is very 
fine; in fact, you present these large blooms 
in a more beautiful way than I have ever seen 
them on paper.” 
The Finest Botanical Gardens. —The 
finest botanical gardens are, it is said, justly 
claimed by Calcutta. There is here a wonder¬ 
ful Banyan tree of immense size. When a 
branch of this tree is sufficiently long its ex¬ 
tremity becomes embedded in the earth, takes 
root, and in turn sends out more branches. 
The tree now measures 959ft. in circumfer¬ 
ence at its base, and has attained a height of 
85ft. 
Our Allies the Birds. —The Board of Agri¬ 
culture, in a recently published leaflet, re¬ 
minds us that by far the greatest natural 
checks to the increase of insect pests are birds, 
■ especially the Thrush, which not only eats 
many slugs, but is very partial to snails, 
breaking their shells against a stone and pick¬ 
ing out the mollusc.” Blackbirds devour 
large numbers of slugs, as also do starlings. 
Toads are great devourers of slugs and small 
snails. Moles and shrew mice also help to 
keep down the number of slugs. Poultry 
and ducks eagerly search for them. Centi¬ 
pedes attack slugs, and ants frequently kill 
snails, but birds do most to keep down an 
excess of these molluscian creatures. 
