January n, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
21 
The Flower Garden. 
The days will soon be perceptibly length¬ 
ening, getting brighter and more cheering. 
Primroses and Polyanthuses are already 
'throwing up their flower stems; indeed, 
many blossoms are fully open in sheltered 
borders, and Daffodils are breaking through 
the soil. But very severe weather may be 
experienced at any time, and any bulb- 
growths in the flower beds should be pro¬ 
tected with a nice surface dressing of cocoa- 
nut-fibre. This material will give to the 
beds a neat appearance ; it should be put on 
while quite dry. But it is a good plan to 
place a handful of fine sifted coal-ashes 
around each bulb-growth, in addition to the 
cocoanut-fibre, in order to protect the un¬ 
folding leaves from the attacks of slugs. 
Where decayed leaves are found on the beds 
near the edges they should be carefully 
gathered up and put to the general leaf 
heap. 
Manuring Lawns. 
As a rule we cut the grass regularly on 
lawns during the summer months, but do 
not feed the grass at that time. It is not 
desirable to feed it at that time, but we 
cannot expect to have a satisfactory lawn 
unless it is fed, and as winter is the best 
time some well-rotted manure should be put 
on where this work has been neglected in 
the past autumn. Last winter I saw a lawn 
covered with a nice coating of manure, 
which did a great deal of good, but the 
amateur was not content to let well alone, 
he had another, and heavier dressing put 
on rather late in the winter season ; result : 
the grass was destroyed in many places, and 
the bare patches showed throughout the sum¬ 
mer. You would do well to mix some good 
loam with the rotten manure and put on the 
compost thinly and evenly: when you find 
it fairly dry, gently brush the mixture to 
and fro, then bv the time March comes it 
will have all disappeared, except, perhaps, 
a few bits of stick, straw, and some stones; 
this matter should be sweDt up. and you will 
then possess a bright-looking lawn. 
Rose Cuttings. 
Hundreds of Rose cuttings are lost every 
year—when severe frosts prevail—through 
being partially lifted out of the soil by 
frosts, as shown at A in Fig. 1. Directly 
the frost thaws and the soil is dry enough 
to walk noon, examine your rows of cuttings 
and firmly press down each one so that the 
base rests on firm soil again, and then with 
the foot tread down the soil. This opera¬ 
tion should be repeated after every frost 
which is severe enough to grip the surface 
soil. The cuttings form a callus at the 
heel, and during the winter and directly the 
soil becomes warm in spring new roots are 
emitted. 
Border Carnations, and Pinks. 
Layers of the former and rooted pipings 
of the latter should be carefully examined. 
Frosts will loosen the soil around these also, 
and it is important that the soil be made 
firm around the roots by gently pressing it 
down with the hand. Watch the sparrows. 
Pinks, especially, often suffer very much 
through these birds eating the “ grass ” and 
partially pulling the young plants out of 
the soil. Scatter a small quantity of dry! 
A Rose cutting lifted, by frost. 
soot on the “ grass ” while the latter is 
moist; it is distasteful to the birds, and will 
also benefit the plants by improving the 
colour. 
Labels. 
While old labels are dry they should be 
examined, and if any be found with decayed 
Plum tree producing suckers on the roots; 
A, showing the way to bare the roots for the 
removal of suckers; B, the wrong way to 
remove suckers. 
ends, or the names on them illegible, lose 
no time in replacing them with new ones. 
It is a mistake to use very thin labels, as 
the part driven into the soil soon .rots. 
Furthermore, we generally paint one side 
only, whereon the name is written, but the 
Making a hotbed. 
whole of the label should be painted, the 
narpe written while the paint is wet, then, 
when it has dried, insert the label in the 
soil. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Removing Suckers. 
Some fruit trees, especially Plums, give 
a great deal of trouble through the growth 
of suckers from the roots. Fig. 2 shows 
how to effectually remove these suckers. If 
they are cut off above the soil level, as shown 
at B in the sketch, they will grow again 
and increase in number. The best plan is 
to take out the soil carefully and find the 
junction of the suckers with the roots, as 
shown at A, and then cut them clean away 
from the latter. Make the surface of the 
wound smooth with a sharp knife, and re¬ 
place the soil. 
Peach and Nectarine Trees. 
The branches of these trees should be 
loosened from the walls and duly pruned 
where this work has not been already done. 
Prune a portion of the tree at one time, and 
then carefully tie up the branches in small 
bundles with soft matting. Very strong and 
weakly shoots must be cut out, but those of 
medium strength which are well ripened and 
covered with buds should be retained in suf¬ 
ficient numbers to allow of all being thinly 
disposed at about four inches apart when 
the branches are nailed to the walls again. 
To prevent the tied-up branches being blown 
about and bruised, fasten them to the wall. 
If so treated the flowers will be later in 
opening, and so escape late frosts, but all 
must be nailed into position again before 
the buds burst. In the meantime, make 
good any holes in the joints of the brick¬ 
work. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Hotbeds. 
Do not delay in making up a good hot¬ 
bed. Fig. 3 shows how a hotbed should be 
constructed. It must be about 18 inches 
wider each way than the frame, as there is 
very little heat near the extreme edges of 
the bed ; and, moreover, a fairly wide one 
retains the heat longer than a narrow one. 
Collect the litter (and some freshly fallen 
leaves if available) and place the material 
in a heap, allowing it to remain so for three 
days before you form the bed; then open 
out the litter, and so get rid of the rank 
steam and gas. A hotbed will be of great 
service in the raising of young vegetable 
plants in boxes. 
Seed Potatos. 
Admit all the light and air possible to 
these, but keep them dry and secure from 
frost. Those which are in heaps should be 
laid out thinly on shelves. 
Onions. 
The above remarks apply to Onions. If 
one bulb decays it quickly contaminates 
others, so that all should be closely ex¬ 
amined every week. The smallest bulbs 
keep sound the longest, and these should be 
used later in spring, selecting for present 
use the largest and softest specimens. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Bedding Geraniums. 
Even in the best regulated greenhouses a 
percentage of the bedding-out Geraniums in¬ 
variably succumb to the rigours of the win¬ 
ter, and it is well to look over the stock as 
early in the year as possible. If from any 
cause the number of plants remaining is 
