January n, 1908 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
Making a Fruit Border. 
flow to JVlake a Fruit Border. 
Perhaps an illustration on the above 
subject, along with a brief note, might be 
of more value to the amateur or beginner 
than columns of letterpress only, as 
“seeing is believing.” However, to com¬ 
mence the making of a border requires 
judicious management, by keeping the 
word thoroughness at mind, at the start 
especially, as the making of those beds is 
a highly important factor in horticultural 
success. Too often the failure of trees to 
grow might be traced to faulty methods 
of preparing the border. Perhaps this is 
the best of all methods in preparing the 
border, although it is a little more ex¬ 
pensive, but what of that, when rewarded 
in return. No time should be lost now, 
for November was really the best time to 
prepare a border. Therefore proceed by 
marking off 3^ ft. from the wall, set the 
line, and take out a notch, then commence 
throwing out the soil till you have got 
a depth of about 2 ft., also at the same 
time see that the soil has been taken 
equally out, so as to provide a level foun¬ 
dation. The next idea would be to place 
at the bottom of the border 6 or 7 ins. of 
fair sized stones. These should be well 
beaten down, between the stones ram some 
ashes or some such material as small 
stones or gravel. The best way to apply 
this , is to spread the material over the 
stones, then brush it in. Some water may 
be poured over the stones so as to make 
the material gather together. This done, 
commence giving a good coat of cement. 
This should be made as level as possible, 
or rather have it on a slight slope from 
the wall so as to run off any water that 
might become stagnant and sour. If left 
to remain too long, this would more es¬ 
pecially affect young trees that have not 
the roots to absorb the water, therefore it 
would be advisable to have the founda¬ 
tion of the bed slightly sloped. After 
the cementing is finished, let it remain 
for a day or two, then it will be dry and 
ready to receive a prepared compost. 
Durris House, N.B. J. W. Forsyth. 
-- 
Luminous Plants. 
■ Dr. M. C. Cooke, one of the greatest 
living authorities, has grouped luminous 
plants into : Flowers exhibiting electrical 
flashes of light on sultry evenings ; plants 
becoming surrounded by the vapour of es¬ 
sential oil, which readilv takes fire; roots, 
or rhizomes, which, under certain condi¬ 
tions, are luminous : and fungi, which are 
luminous either in their “mycelium” con¬ 
dition, or when matured- 
Geraniums 
. . And other Plants. 
How to Winter in a Frame. 
Now this is a subject often talked about 
with allotment gardeners, and often the 
reply is, “cannot keep them.” But I 
will bring to The Gardening W orld 
readers a simple method which I know for 
certain if carried out right can insure 
good plants in spring. First of all you 
must obtain a frame any length and 
width, but no less than 2 ft. deep. At top 
and bottom side cut a piece out about 
nine inches long and four inches wide and 
deep. Over these place a box with a slide 
in, so that you can regulate the air in the 
frame. Afterwards get a lamp, say a 
double No. 10 burner. Place on a slate, 
then obtain three or four eight-inch pots 
(flower), place the pots over the lamp, 
then obtain a chimney made of sheet tin 
about two inches wide and any length. 
Let this rest on the topmost flower pot 
with a rim to fit down the sides. The top 
end of the chimney should be situated out¬ 
side the frame so that the fumes of the 
oil lamp may escape. 
W-’ith this method young plants can be 
struck with ease, and good results in the 
spring obtained. 
WTlliam Bullough. 
Bolton. 
-- 
A Pretty and Long-Flowering . . 
- Heath. - 
Since the advent of this pretty little 
Heath, some 10 or 12 years ago, it has 
gained for itself many "friends, and is now 
one of the most widely cultivated of all 
Ericas. Its popularity is due in a great 
degree to its floriferous nature and neat 
habit. If a question was asked as to 
which had the longest contiuous flowering 
season, there would be little hesitation in 
saying Erica mediterranea hybrida, for, 
from the time flowers begin to open until 
the last fade, a period of fully six months 
elapses. Now, the end of November, 
many plants are nicely in flower, whilst, 
should the weather keep open, by Christ¬ 
mas large tracts will be well in bloom, 
and flowers will still be found at the end 
of April. The true parentage of this 
Heath is not known, but it is strongly 
suspected of being a hybrid between 
E. mediterranea and E. carnea, the 
general habit and formation of the flowers 
bearing a family likeness to these two. 
Like other Heaths, it likes peaty soil, but, 
providing the soil- is light and does not 
contain a large amount of lime, it is not 
necessary to provide all peat. Light soil, 
with a few inches of peat and decayed 
leaves forked into the upper 12 inches, 
forms an admirable compost for all the 
Heath family, and is in fact better than 
giving all peat, providing peat is not the 
natural soil of the locality. When 
mature, this hvbrid Heath attains a 
height of 12 or’15 inches, and forms a 
large carpet-like mass. The flowers are 
reddish purple when at their best, but 
paler when the first ones open. 
