62 
THE GARDENING WORLD. February I, 1908. 
present time, indeed always, plenty of air 
must be admitted; the lights can have 
wedges-thrust in, and only in severe frost 
need these be withdrawn. 
F. Norfolk. 
-- 
Roses=^ 
d ~ ' 
On Light Soils. 
I am induced to give a few observations 
on this point, knowing The Gardening 
World is helpful to many amateurs. 
Undoubtedly all of these have not a 
strong loamy soil, and they may be de¬ 
terred from attempting their culture from 
an impression they will not thrive. 
After 40 years experience, during which 
time I have had to deal with many soils, 
I have come to see that light soils have 
more merit than many are apt to think, 
and this for Roses. During the past 
year I have seen some of the best Roses 
in this kind of soil. In proof of this, I 
may state that of Bournemouth. This 
summer, in several old gardens, I saw 
large beds of plants in the most robust 
condition. Nor can the soil at Farnboro, 
Hants, be classed other than light. 1 . 
a farm at Frimley Park, hard by, these 
do well. In a small garden I have at 
Camberley there are many fine bushes 
of the best kinds, and they are from five 
to nine years old, and have not been lifted 
during this period. This neighbourhood, 
which is near Bagshot, has reputedly a 
light soil. 
In all these, as in all heavy loams, 
some kinds are more vigorous than 
others; this is more a question of con¬ 
stitution than of soil. For about a dozen 
years I had one of these soils to deal with 
in North Hants. After leaving here I 
went to the west, on the borders of 
Devon, where I operated for nearly 20 
years; but I obtained better blooms 
in the former place, with no more labour, 
and I have come to regard these heavy 
soils and western climate as being over 
praised for many things. 
Were I asked for my ideal soil for 
Roses, I say a sandy loam that is deep. 
I have found that where the soil is very 
strong and heavy, this gets very close and 
hard, and many kinds get very weak in 
jt, and unless they are lifted frequently 
they soon are worthless. In a garden at 
Southgate, near London, where the soil 
is of this kind, a gardener said he found 
them so in this place. 
Regarding the treatment of light soils, 
if the subsoil is a poor sandy one, then 
this should not be brought near the top. 
When planting, the soil should be en¬ 
riched with animal manure, that from 
cows preferably, working it into the top 
spit. Where clay can be had, even if at 
r. little cost, a light coat of this should 
1 5 spread over the top, allowed to pul- 
\ ;rise by the action of the air, or it may 
be made into this state previously, and 
spread over the soil before or mixed with 
the manure, working all into the soil and 
allowing it to settle before planting. 
Another great aid to their culture in 
light soil is that of mulching. This 
should be put on early in the season. 
This keeps the roots cold and moist, and 
enriches them. I have found much ad¬ 
vantage by lifting Roses every two years, 
removing a portion of old and adding 
new_ soil. Here again this is only the 
same as is needed on very heavy soils; 
but this is not an expensive thing. 
I am aware some strong growing kinds 
do not need this. But one cannot be 
confined to this class, seeing many of the 
best Roses are not strong growers, conse¬ 
quently need consideration as to their 
soil, and this especially applies to the 
Teas and Hybrid Teas. The latter are 
amongst the very best to grow. This 
thought presented itself to me last 
autumn at several of the meetings at the 
R.H.S. Hall in London, as one looked 
on those glorious masses of colour in a 
cut state. The best Niphetos I ever 
saw was at Heatherside Nursery, near 
Bagshot, in a cold house. 
Con. 
-- 
Royal Horticultural Society. 
At the meeting of the above Society on 
the 28th ult. a lecture was delivered by 
Mr. T. Ernest Waltham on “Self-coloured 
Photographs of Switzerland and the Swiss 
Flora.” At this season of the year the 
Horticultural Hall at Vincent Square 
closes at 5 p.m. 
- G. W. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS— Competitors must 
write, on one side of the paper only. Regular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con¬ 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any wayj any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be care¬ 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINCS will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege- 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making f lie award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
folk wing date of issue. Entries received later 
th m Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OF 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the best papers in this competition 
are too long, an i we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
The prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “ Geo. A. Fisher” for the article 
on “ The Small Garden.” pa ve 58 
In the Prize Letter Competition a prize 
was awarded to “A. V Main.” for t lie 
article mi - Calceolaria cheli louioidrs ” : and 
another to “ Thos. Francis” for ti»r* article 
mi ‘‘ B goui-is and Gl xinias from Leaf Cut¬ 
tings,” page 48. 
Specimen Plants for . . 
- Lawns - 
The defect of many gardens is that they 
are too stiff and formal. The lawns are 
faultlessly level and well kept, the walks 
clean, well gravelled, and neatly edged, 
the beds and borders laid cmt with pre¬ 
cision, the plants in them well arranged, 
both as regards height and colour, the one 
thing only that is lacking being natural¬ 
ness. Many means might be taken to im¬ 
prove matters. I shall at present only 
deal with one of these, viz., the dotting 
of a few specimen plants about the lawns 
in suitable positions. There is consider¬ 
able choice of such plants, but I will 
confine my remarks to three, each of them 
graceful in habit, and suitable for culti¬ 
vation throughout the British Isles,- except 
in very cold and exposed places. ~ Here 
in Midlothian they all do well. 
Phormium TENAX (New Zealand Flax) 
is the first I will mention. Many people 
think this is a comparatively tender plant, 
but I have satisfied myself that such is 
not the case. I planted a small specimen 
here three years ago, and it is thriving 
luxuriously, and has received no protec¬ 
tion whatever. 
Gynerium argenteum (Pampas Grass) 
is another noble plant with a wealth of 
gracefully-recurving leaves and nodding 
plumes which appear in autumn. Both 
the foregoing can easily be raised from 
seed indoors and grown on in a pot for 
a year or two before planting out, but 
they are so cheap that it is not worth 
while waiting for seedlings. There are 
varying fotms of the Pampas Grass, some 
flowering a month or so earlier than 
others, and for northern districts especi¬ 
ally it would be well to secure one of the 
more precocious forms. 
Arundinaria japonica (Syn. Bambusa 
Metake) makes a striking specimen on 
a lawn, and is also quite hardy; here it 
attains a height of from 4 ft. to 6 ft. 
Much the same soil will suit all these 
three. When planting, dig out a pit about 
4 ft. wide and 2 ft. or 2-5 ft. deep, and if 
available fill it with turfy loam, but if 
not, use edging parings, half-decayed 
leaves, road scrapings, or such like 
material in whole or in part. If they 
have been grown in pots, plant out about 
the first week in May, but if taken from 
the open, plant a month earlier. Give 
copious waterings in the case of drought, 
and if the winters are really severe, mulch 
the roots to the extent of the pit indi¬ 
cated, which should not be turfed or 
sown. 
C. C. 
-- 
Sweet Pea James Grieve. 
This is a fresh advance towards a real 
yellow Sweet Pea, and though it does not 
yet reach the ideal of a full yellow, it is 
another step in the right direction. 
The “ G.W.” Diary. 
Mr. W. C. Harris, The Gardens, Fet- 
cham Park, Leatherhead, writes: “I must 
say I think you improve the ‘ G.W.’ Diary 
every year. There is a lot of useful in¬ 
formation in it.” 
