THE GARDENING WORLD. J“ ua ^ 25 ' KjrjK 
Forced Seakale Roots. 
Fig. i shows at B how to cut off the top 
of a forced root, and at A new growths ap¬ 
pear. But these new growths will not show 
until later in the season, after the forced 
roots have been planted close together in 
rows in a light, sandy soil, as shown in 
Fig. 2. The plants will be of much service 
for making new plantations two years hence, 
and also for placing close together in boxes 
for forcing again at the end of that time. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Forcing Asparagus. 
Probably there are not many amateur gar¬ 
deners who go in for such luxuries as forced 
Asparagus, but the operation of forcing this 
delicious vegetable is a very simple one, 
should there be any reader who would like 
to try his hand. The first essential is the 
proper kind of roots, for it is found that 
roots that are on the one hand very -old, or 
on the other very young, do not give profit¬ 
able returns. Roots that are from three 
years to five years old are considered the 
best, and the man who has a supply of four- 
year-old roots may therefore count himself 
to be exceptionally well placed for forcing. 
But we want a greenhouse, too, or at least 
a well-heated frame, for a temperature that 
ranges between 65 and 70 degs. is generally 
considered essential for forcing Asparagus. 
It can be done with less than this, but the 
risks of failure are increased. The roots 
are laid in on a stage or in a bed of soil 
on the floor, so that they just touch each 
other, and are then covered with a few inches 
of soil ; this should be light in texture, and 
it must at all times be kept nicely moist. 
Starting Old Fuchsias. 
Fuchsias that have been rested in the win¬ 
ter will now be in condition to start into 
active work again. If not pruned before 
they were put aside for their winter rest 
they should be cut back now. It is well to 
be somewhat severe in this operation, as we 
want our plants to be well furnished with 
shoots from their base upwards, and not to 
bear a few shoots at the top of the stems 
only. All growth made last year should be 
cut back to two or three eyes of the old 
wood ; never mind if only one new shoot 
should push ; it can be pinched to make 
several. After pruning, keep the old stems 
syringed, and as soon as new shoots half 
an inch long are forfned, shake away the 
old soil and repot the plants info small 
pots. 
Forcing Seakale and Rhubarb. 
After the turn of the year, and especially 
after such a rest as the late severe weather 
has given the plants, Rhubarb and Seakale 
may be forced with the greatest ease, even 
in a warm outhouse. As I have so recently 
described the treatment of these plants when 
forced, I do not now intend to enter into 
details, but would just point out that the 
flavour of Rhubarb is greatly improved by 
keeping the soil nicely moist at all times, 
and that Seakale must be kept quite dark, 
as it is upon its perfect blanching that its 
table quality depends. It must also have 
water in moderation, as Seakale that gets 
dry at the roots is apt to be bitter. 
Sweet Peas in Pots. 
The practice of sowing Sweet Peas in 
pots is certainly extending, and the system 
has so much to recommend it that I unhesi¬ 
tatingly urge its adoption by all who want 
a few early flowers, or who are dealing with 
any of the novelties that last year’s bad 
seeding season have made so expensive. One 
seed per pot is the latest cry of the up-to- 
date grower, and as readers of the “ G.W.” 
wish to be considered up-to-date, they must 
fall into line. There are benefits accruing 
to this system; for instance, if a seed in 
a certain pot does not come up when it ought 
to do, one can put it in a place where the 
seed is sure to germinate, if only out of 
sheer self-respect for itself. As soon as the 
young plants possess a pair of true leaves 
they must be put into a cold frame, for it 
is a great mistake to coddle them in a heated 
greenhouse; the heat is very helpful in 
assisting the seeds to germinate, but is not 
wanted to help the young plants. 
Sowing the Sweet Scabious. 
The Sweet Scabious is a biennial, there¬ 
fore those who wish to treat it as an annual 
should make, an early start in sowing, or 
they cannot expect the plants to bloom well 
this year. In many gardens this plant has 
come to be looked on as a failure, but the 
failure is almost, if not quite, due to sow¬ 
ing too late. A pan should be crocked in 
the ordinary way, and the seeds sown thinly 
in a light and sandy compost. Pricking 
out into other pans and boxes should follow 
in due course, and the plants shoujd be 
well hardened off before putting them into 
the flower beds. They must be grown as 
cool as possible all the time that they are 
in the greenhouse. 
“Ringing” Various Stove Plants. 
Ringing is a very easy way of rooting 
the tops of any stove or foliage plant in 
general which has lost its lower leaves, and 
for this reason become unsightly. It con¬ 
sists of removing a strip of the bark all 
round the stem just beneath the lowest good 
leaf; this makes a ring of white on the 
stem, and so gives the process its distinc¬ 
tive name. After the band of bark is re¬ 
moved, a handful of fresh moss is tied over 
the exposed stem with a strip of raphia, 
and the syringe is employed to keep the 
moss constantly moist. When roots pro¬ 
trude through the moss the stem is severed 
just below it, and the mass of moss and 
roots is put in a small, well-drained pot. 
Very careful wavering is necessary for a 
while, but as soon as the roots start working 
in the soil the plant may be treated as .an 
ordinary specimen, and potted on according 
to its requirements. Plenty of heat and 
moisture are necessary when ringing such 
plants as Ficus elastica, the India-tuhn—- 
Plant, but such things as Dracaenas and 
Fatsias, or Castor Oil Plants, can be rooted 
in almost any greenhouse. 
Sunnyside. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Mexican Laelias. 
L. autumnalis, L. albida and others of the 
small growing class will now have passed 
out of flower. Some of the typical varieties 
of L. anceps still being in flower, and many 
of the white kinds have yet to expand their 
buds, but as these pass out of flower they 
must be subjected to cooler and drier con¬ 
ditions. The same treatment must be af¬ 
forded to the other members of the group 
mentioned above. It is remarkable to what 
extent of drought this section may be sub¬ 
jected without the bulbs showing signs of 
shrivelling; especially is this so when they 
can be subjected to dry, airy conditions, 
where the temperature can be maintained 
at .a normal 55 degrees during the daytime 
with a fall of 5 degrees as the night mini¬ 
mum. The plants should also be subjected 
to all the advantages of light. There can 
be no doubt but that a great deal of the 
successful flowering of the so-called shy¬ 
flowering white type depends on the resting 
and properly maturing of the previous year’s 
growth. Cultivators are likely to be 
alarmed at losing the growing moss on the 
surface of the potting compost, but this can 
easily be replaced with new at a later 
period, when the plants show renewed signs 
of vitality. 
Providing a Succession of Flowers. 
To successfully produce a cycle of flowers 
whereby we may have something in flower 
at all seasons is by no means an easy matter 
for amateurs, where accommodation is natur¬ 
ally more or less limited, but where two or 
three houses are at command this obstacle 
is considerably minimised. Where the de¬ 
ciduous section of Dendrobiums are grown, 
which have been treated as advised in pre¬ 
vious notes appearing in this column, some 
of the early flowering kinds such as D. 
aureum, D. Gassiope, D. Ainsworthii, and 
others, will have their flower buds in a for¬ 
ward state. The most forward of these may 
be gradually transferred to warmer treat¬ 
ment, and thus provided with the conditions 
most favourable to their development. Such 
species as Coelogyne cristata, which have 
their flower scapes advancing, may also be 
placed in warmer conditions, where they 
may be more liberally treated. The lovely 
pure white variety C. c. alba is always a 
few weeks later than the typical forms, and 
is by no means a good plant to force ; it is 
much better to allow this plant to come on 
naturally, when it will produce its flowers 
in the month of March. Masdevallia tovar- 
ensis is one of the most beautiful of our 
early flowering Masdevallias. Its pure white 
flowers, produced either in pairs or four 
flowers on the scape are very attractive. 
These plants should now be placed in a tem¬ 
perature of about 55 degrees; in fact, they 
are better suited if grown altogether under 
such a temperature during the winter months. 
They do very well in the cool house in sum¬ 
mer. They are vigorous growers when fa¬ 
vourable conditions are provided, and should 
be far more generally grown than they are 
at present. M. Schroderae is another in¬ 
teresting and beautiful Orchid, flowering 
at the present season. The plants are best 
suited when grown in baskets and suspended 
near the roof glass of the cool Orchid house. 
There is also a most interesting class of Mas¬ 
devallias which are worthy of attention by 
amateurs, those included in the M. Chimaera 
group. There are a number of varieties and 
allied species, nearly all of which are usetnl 
in igiving a succession of flowers during the 
spring "months. The more robust growing 
type of Masdevallias, such as M. ignea, M. 
Veitchii, the varied M. coccinea, better 
known in gardens as M. harryana, are 
worthy of every consideration by amateurs 
and even where required by orchid speci¬ 
alists for exhibition purposes. There is 
nothing gives more varied and brighter con¬ 
trasts than these plants when good speci¬ 
mens are shown. They commence to pro¬ 
duce their flower scapes early in the year 
and can easily be accommodated either with 
the Odontoglossums or in a cool fernery. 
H. J. Chapman. 
East Anglian Horticultural Club. 
At the annual dinner of the members 
of this club, held at Norwich on January 
8th, it was stated that there was now a 
total of 331 members; the credit balance 
of the club was _£i2g. 
Croydon Gardeners. 
Mr. Harry Boshier (62, High Street, 
Croydon), hon. secretary of the Croydon 
and District Horticultural Mutual Im¬ 
provement Society, writes to remind us 
that the eighth annual dinner of the 
society will be held at the Greyhound 
Hotel, Croydon, on the evening of Janu¬ 
ary 22nd. He also sends us the repcit 
and balance-sheet of the society for IQ 07 , 
from which it appears that the organisa¬ 
tion has enjoyed a very successful year. 
The receipts have amounted t» abeut ^55 
and there is a small balance in hand. 
