February 8, 1908. 
TUB OARDBMNO WORLD. 
89 
Potatos in Frames. 
I suppose these do not come within the 
sphere of practical politics for many ama¬ 
teurs, but all the same, a dish of early 
Potatos is so highly appreciated by the 
good wife when the mother is coming to 
dinner that it is worth while trying to 
please them both — for once! A bed of 
dead leaves well trodden down will give 
off just as much, and just the right kind 
of heat as is suitable for early Potatos. 
On this a layer of light soil, a foot in 
thickness, should be spread, and in this 
the Potatos planted from six inches to a 
foot apart, according to the size of the 
sets and the size crop required. No water 
will be required unless the sun plays very 
much upon the frame, and even then the 
cultivator should “gang warily” with the 
watercan, for any excess of water means 
soapy Potatos. Until the tops are well 
through the soil the grower may forget 
all about the Potatos, but when the shoots 
show, a little air must be given and also 
some protection on cold frosty nights. 
Cytisuses or Genistas. 
The plant which the gardener calls a 
Genista is, in my opinion, almost the 
sweetest scented of all greenhouse occu¬ 
pants, and nothing gives me greater plea¬ 
sure than to go into the greenhouse the 
first thing in the morning when there are 
several of these charming plants in 
bloom. They should now be regularly 
syringed, at least twice a day, in a heated 
house, for thrips have a nasty habit of mak¬ 
ing their home upon the leaves; if well 
syringed before the flowers open this pest 
will be kept at bay, and the plants re¬ 
main clean during their flowering period. 
A little food is helpful at this stage, and 
it may be given right up to when the 
plants are in full bloom. 
How to Prune Plumbagos. 
Once or twice of late I have been con¬ 
sulted as to the pruning of the handsome 
Cape Leadworts, or Plumbagos. This is 
exceedingly simple, and if one is accus¬ 
tomed to pruning a Grape Vine and will 
follow the same procedure with the Plum¬ 
bago, good results must be obtained, that 
is, provided thrips are kept from the 
leaves. 'Just now is a good time to both 
prune and get rid of thrips. All the 
shoots made in the last season should be 
cut back to within an inch or so of the old 
wood; that is, if they are not wanted for 
filling in on the trellis or roof. After 
pruning, dress the whole of the plant with 
some approved insecticide, well rubbing 
it into the wood with a paint brush if the 
plant is an old one. This will clear off all 
insects already in possession, and make 
things unpleasant for any others which 
may be thinking of effecting a lodgment. 
The blue and white Plumbagos are both 
amenable to the same treatment. 
Starting Dahlias for Cuttings. 
It is a well known fact that the finest 
Dahlia blooms are obtained from plants 
struck as cuttings early in the year, and 
anyone who has a greenhouse and likes 
good flowers should try his hand at strik¬ 
ing a few cuttings. To get the cuttings, 
the old plants are now taken into the 
greenhouse, and stood in a box or upon a 
bed of light soil, according to the number 
dealt with. A little light soil, such as 
leafmould and old potting compost in 
equal parts, should be placed over the 
tubers, and the whole kept just moist with 
the syringe. V hen the shoots are a few 
inches long, they should be taken off and 
inserted in small pots, singly if extra 
good plants are wanted. Some propaga¬ 
tors hold that it is essential to secure a 
portion of the old tuber at the base of 
each cutting, but I have struck scores 
without this, and would certainly advise 
readers to do likewise if the variety is a 
new or scarce one; of course, if one has 
plenty of tubers one does not mind cut¬ 
ting them about a bit. 
Sowing Golden Feather. 
Those who wait till the usual sowing 
time of bedding annuals, viz., the middle 
of March, before sowing seeds of this use¬ 
ful edging plant will find themselves “left” 
as our American cousins say. I like to 
get it in before now, but there is still 
time if the pan is stood in a warm corner 
of the house. A temperature of 55 de¬ 
grees will soon force germination, and 
when this takes place the seedlings should 
have cooler quarters. Prick out early, 
and give the plants plenty of room, throw¬ 
ing away the very strongest, as they are 
often green and not nicely curled. 'On 
no account should the young plants be 
allowed to become dry or crowded badly, 
or they will start throwing up flower 
trusses, a most undesirable proceeding. 
SUNNYSIDE. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Sowing Seed. 
In gardens where Orchids are cultivated 
it would be difficult to find an instance where 
there is not a desire to raise seedling Or¬ 
chids, and very few places indeed but that 
have seedlings home raised from the material 
at command. The process of hybridisation 
and the raising of young plants is always 
of great interest,’ and so fascinating is the 
work that the cross-breeding of plants has 
not only provided occupation for numbers 
of professional gardeners, but the results 
they have obtained has also proved of the 
greatest interest and utility to those engaged 
in scientific pursuits, especially so where 
they have been brought to bear upon the 
studies of “laws of inheritance.” This 
being the case a few notes on 1 the sowing of 
seed may be desirable. I think where such 
generic species as Epidendrums, the mem¬ 
bers of the allied Cattleya family, and in 
fact most of the epiphytal kinds of Orchids 
that ripen their seed vessels during the 
closing months c-f the year, the sowing of 
such seed should be postponed, or at any 
rate another sowing should be made at the 
turn of the days. 
Now is the Time to Sow. 
The present is undoubtedly a most suitable 
time in which to make such sowings, as the 
daily increasing light and the anticipation 
of better conditions outside will prove ad¬ 
vantageous- to the germination of seed. 
There are various methods of sowing this 
class of Orchid seed. The practice of sow¬ 
ing seeds on the plants of Cattleyas and. 
other epiphytal kinds has not been in favour 
so much of late years. I have no doubt but 
that the methods adopted for the more rapid 
germination of the seeds have caused the dis¬ 
carding of this method, but where facilities 
are limited -the seed may be sown on the 
potting compost of a plant of any of its 
own kind, providing such compost is in a 
good state of preservation. In fact I think 
there is little gained in sowing Dendrobium 
seed in any but their own pots or baskets. 
Rough sawn pieces of deal, where the grain 
of the wood is left coarse, is another good 
way, where there is no propagating case at 
command. This deal may be cut to fit 4 or 
5-inch pots, with plenty of free drainage 
underneath and a little chopped sphagnum 
moss, pressed around the sides to fill up 
any space between the wood and sides of 
the pots. This will not only secure the 
wood in position, but will also aid in keep¬ 
ing the seed from being floated off when 
supplying the necessary water. The wood 
should be well soaked before the seed is 
placed upon it. The seed when sown should 
be thinly scattered over the surface. 
Sowing on Canvas. 
Where a propagating case with heating 
arrangements is at hand, the seed may be 
sown on cocoanut fibre refuse intermixed 
with sand, or chopped sphagnum moss, 
rolled inside open canvas or silk to form a 
ball; fix> these in suitable sized pots, and 
when well wetted the seed may be thinly 
sprinkled over the surface. The atmosphere 
in the case should be kept saturated and 
every assistance given to aid germination. 
If properly treated the seed commences ger¬ 
mination in a few days and rapidly develops 
into leaf growth. 
Calanthes, Phaius, 
Cypripediums and Odontoglossums are 
best suited by having the seed sown on the 
surface of the compost on a pot containing 
a member of their own species or genera to 
which they belong. Select plants on which 
to sow seed that have, their compost in such 
a state that they will not require repotting 
for a year or two. It must be distinctly 
understood that the germination of this class 
of seeds varies from a few months to a year 
or even two years, so that a good compost 
is necessary. The seed should be sown 
evenly and in several pots. See that the 
seeds do not become dry, and when water¬ 
ing be careful not to float them from the 
surface on which they have been sown. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
Professional Gardeners’ Lodge. 
The 41st annual report of this success¬ 
ful Lodge, whose headquarters are at 
Leeds, has been forwarded to us by the 
very energetic secretary, Mr. George Car¬ 
ver. From this we gather that the Lodge 
continues to enjoy a large measure of 
success. The total income last year was 
^184 5s. 2id., and the payments ^73 
19s. 8^d., leaving a saving for the year 
of /jiio 5s. 6d., the total funds being now 
^1,424 3s. yd. The Lodge numbers 137 
members. 
Mjdland Counties Sweet Pea Society. 
The Schedule of this newly-formed so¬ 
ciety is now to hand, and we take this 
opportunity of complimenting the com¬ 
mittee on their enterprise. We note with 
pleasure that the Rt. Hon. the Earl of 
Plymouth is president of the society, 
whilst amongst the vice-presidents and 
on the Floral Committee we find many 
noted Sweet Pea enthusiasts, including 
several names connected with the Na¬ 
tional Sweet Pea Society. The society's 
first show is to be held in Wolverhamp¬ 
ton on July 29th, 1908, and on totalling- 
the prizes offered we find they amount to 
/70, while in addition to this several 
medals will be awarded. This will un¬ 
doubtedly attract the leading exhibitors 
from all parts of the country. We hear 
that the hall where this show is to be held 
is a fine one, and it is certain that the 
Sweet Pea exhibition will be an eye- 
opener to all who are fortunate enough to 
be able to visit it. The Schedule, which 
also contains the rules of the society and 
regulations for exhibitors, should be in the 
hands of all Sweet Pea lovers. Copies 
may be obtained on application to the 
Hon. Sec., Mr. Owen F. Trott, 104. 
Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton. 
