February I, 1908. 
69 
THE GARDENING WORLD.* 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Raising Early Peas. 
The Peas of which I am going to treat 
are not the omnipresent sort called Sweet, 
1 but their more useful, if not quite so beauti¬ 
ful, culinary brethren. I do not know that 
1 1 should have the temerity to mention these 
I in connection with the greenhouse had it not 
been for an amateur friend whom I saw 
I using his greenhouse for their raising re- 
j cently. It seems that he is in a City office 
where there is a good deal of rivalry in 
; gardening matters—a not uncommon thing, 
I believe—and the •■guv’nor” brags much 
^ of his ability to grow early Peas. For 
\ several years he has had matters all his own 
j way, but last year my amateur friend 
1 " wiped his eye,” to use the expressive lan¬ 
guage in which the feat was described to 
me. The way in which he did this, and is 
hoping to do so again this year, was by 
, sowing seeds in boxes in the last week of 
January. The boxes were stood in the 
warmest part of the greenhouse, and the 
young shoots appeared above the soil in 
about a week. When they were two inches 
high they were stood in a cold frame, and 
gradually hardened off until they were 
planted in the garden. On a warm site they 
came along very rapidly, and new Peas 
reached the office several days before their 
nearest rivals. 
Starting and Increasing Caladiums. 
To grow good plants for exhibition, or 
even to tease one’s neighbours, it is neces¬ 
sary to make an early start; if one wishes 
to increase the stock an early start is also 
advisable, as then tubers that will stand the 
winter will be formed. To start them it is 
only necessary to stand the plants in a light, 
warm place and give them a little water. 
When they commence to make new growth 
they should be repotted, and this annual 
repotting is essential to the growing of good 
Caladiums, as the plants like plenty of good 
food. Propagating is. also carried out when 
the plants are making their new shoots, the 
1 latter being taken off with a tiny slice of 
the old tuber adhering and placed singly in 
small pots. In a warm and moist place 
these detached shoots soon grow into nice 
plants. 
Sowing Cyclamen Seed. 
Different growers have their favourite times 
for sowing Cyclamen seed, but the present 
-s as good as any for the amateur gardener, 
who has to depend largely on sun-heat to 
help him out with his temperatures. These 
seeds are not sown in the usual way, as they 
are big enough to be placed in position by 
hand, and in that way they should be al¬ 
ways sown. A well-drained seed receptacle 
! is particularly necessary for Cyclamen, as 
the seeds often lie dormant in the soil for 
i some time, and even when growth does start 
it is very slow compared with that made 
by some plants. Use plenty of sand in the 
, soil also, and arrange the seeds about an 
inch apart. A layer of sand should cover 
the surface of the soil after sowing, as 
will do much to prevent the soil from going 
green and sour. 
Vaporising Cinerarias. 
Earl}'- Cinerarias are now beginning to 
open their flowers, and before this opening 
proceeds far it is an excellent plan to 
vaporise the plants. This saves much trouble 
later on, and also does away with the annoy- 
I ance of seeing the greenfly crawling over 
the tablecloth, as I well remember happened 
with one amateur of my acquaintance. Even 
if no greenfly are present, I would advise 
this precaution, for it is any odds that the 
pests will be present before the plants have 
finished flowering. 
In the Peach House. 
If any reader is contemplating the plant¬ 
ing of a Peach tree, I would advise him 
to get the work done at the earliest possible 
moment, as Peach trees start very early into 
growth. A few indoor Peaches are a wel¬ 
come addition to the summer dessert, and 
considering how easily they are produced, 
I often wonder that amateurs do not grow 
chem more often in their greenhouses instead 
of so many Roses. All work in the tying 
and training of trees should be finished up 
without delay, as it is impossible to do this 
ui safety after growth has started. 
Early Cucumbers. 
Some amateurs make the mistake of sow- 
ing Cucumber seeds at this time of the year, 
and it certainly is a mistake. I know that 
such a course is often advised in garden 
calendars, but these are written for pro¬ 
fessional gardeners, and for them the advice 
is all right. Amateurs, however, have no¬ 
thing like the necessary heat for growing 
Cucumbers now, and even the most ardent 
may well wait another month before sowing. 
Forcing Early Mint. 
This is a thing that every man who has 
a greenhouse and a few roots of Mint can 
accomplish ; and it is well worth the accom¬ 
plishing, for a little fresh Mint made into 
sauce will go far to help down the inevitable 
cold mutton and suggest to the consumer that 
spring is at last really at hand. A few 
roots may be dug up from the garden at any 
time now, selecting them from the outside 
of the bed if an old one. If not broken into 
short lengths in the gathering, they may be 
shortened to fit any receptacle that it is in¬ 
tended to use for them, as the length is 
quite immaterial. The roots should be 
buried about an inch deep in a pan or shal¬ 
low box, allowing an inch between them. 
If stood in the greenhouse fresh growths 
will soon be made. 
Sunnyside. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Dendrobium wardianum. 
Importations of this useful species have 
recently reached this country, and will have 
been liberally distributed in gardens 
throughout the country by now. Amateurs 
have every facility of securing plants at a 
reasonable outlay where plants are sub¬ 
mitted to auction, and I think those who in¬ 
tend securing plants would be well advised 
to get them from the early importations. 
Our summers of late years have been of 
short duration, and as the early imported 
plants of Dendrobiums generally get into 
growth at the time that they obtain the full 
advantage of the summer season, such ad¬ 
vantage must mean a considerable item, in 
the case of amateurs, where facilities are 
naturally more or less restricted for the ac¬ 
commodation of the plants. Dendrobium 
wardianum may be grown successfully sus¬ 
pended from the roof of an ordinary stove 
during the active season, and until the 
growths are matured, and when ripened 
they may be rested under reasonably dry 
conditions In a temperature of about 55 de¬ 
grees. I have also grown them even more 
successfully suspended from the roof of a 
cool Cypripedium house, allowing the 
growth to take its own course while grow¬ 
ing. It is strange, but the new growth of 
D. wardianum resents being tied up or inter¬ 
fered with in any way, while in an active 
state of growth. The pseudo bulbs should 
not be tied or staked upright until they have 
reached maturity. 
Newly Imported Dendrobiums. 
A note perhaps on the treatment of im¬ 
ported Dendrobiums may be of advantage 
at the present season. The plants of all the 
deciduous section of Dendrobiums may 
either be grown in ordinary pots, shallow 
pans, or baskets. The receptacle selected 
should be only sufficiently large to contain 
the roots of the imported plant comfortably. 
This will avoid a possibility of too much 
patting compost being placed about them. 
The pots, pans or baskets selected should be 
filled to about two-thirds of their depth with 
clean, broken potsherds. Having cleaned 
the plants of all dead, decaying and use¬ 
less material about them, they should be 
fixed into the centre of the pot. Take care 
to see that the leading eyes on the pseudo¬ 
bulbs are in such a position that they may 
be clear of the potting material when potting 
is completed. The space around the edge of 
the pots may either be filled in with broken 
crocks or with potting compost; I prefer the 
latter. 
As Dendrobiums only require a moisture- 
retaining material, and one from which 
evaporation may be rendered rapid, the com¬ 
post selected should be only of a light na¬ 
ture. Two parts sphagnum moss to one 
part fibrous peat freely intermixed with 
coarse sand or finely broken crocks, will be 
found ample. 
After Potting. 
As soon as potting has been completed the 
plants may be placed in a moist atmosphere, 
where the temperature is about 60 degrees. 
No water need be given for a few days, but 
as soon as the plants have become acclima¬ 
tised gently spray them overhead when the 
conditions are favourable, and afford suffi¬ 
cient moisture to the potting compost to pre¬ 
vent the moss dying. As growth advances 
more heat and moisture will be necessary, 
but as the plants will be in their most 
vigorous state of growth when the outside 
conditions are most favourable, the neces¬ 
sary requirements may be applied without 
much difficulty. By the month of September 
the pseudo-bulbs reach maturity, when they 
will need every facility to enable them to 
ripen the newly-developed growth. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
Some February Proverbs. 
Februeer, both cut and shear. 
Fogs in February mean frosts in May. 
February fill dyke either black or white 
(rain or snow), 
But if it be white it’s the better to like. 
All the months in the year 
Curse a fair Februeer. 
Februeer if ye be fair, 
The sheep will mend and nothing mair: 
Februeer, if ye be foul, 
The sheep will die in every pool. 
Electricity and Plant Life. 
The Royal Botanic Society has formed 
a committee to take charge of Mr. B. H. 
Thwaites’ experiments upon the applica¬ 
tion of electricity to plant growth. The 
committee is as follows : Mr. J. R. Diggle 
(chairman), Dr. W. Cooke Adams. Prof. 
Bottomley, Mr. G. Gordon, Mr. P. H. 
Craig, Mr. J. Green, and Mr. J. H. Witty. 
In addition, Mr. B. H. Thwaite, and his 
assistant, Mr. Bastin, will also serve upon 
the committee. Arrangements have been 
made for the growing of plants under 
comparative, conditions, and the day-by- 
dav results will be tabulated. 
