The Flower Garden. 
Dahlias. 
Amateurs who wish to have a good stock 
of cuttings ready for propagating in March 
should at once place a number of old tubers 
in boxes filled with a good compost. When 
the tubers are plump and sound, new growths 
quickly appeaT on them, and become fit for 
cuttings. But the plants must not be over¬ 
forced, else the young shoots will be very 
weakly and unfit for propagation. Select 
boxes abdut 9 inches deep, so that the whole 
of the tubers, except the crowns, may be 
buried in a compost of .loam and leaf soil in 
equal proportions. Gently press the mixture 
around the roots with the hands, and then 
give the whole a thorough watering. After¬ 
wards apply water with great care. Place 
the box of tubers on a shelf or stage in a 
light position in a greenhouse, and be sure 
to retain the name labels of each variety. 
Fig. 1 shows how to put the tubers in a box. 
A, ciown of root; b, compost. If there are 
a few holes in the box, further drainage is 
not necessary. 
Polyanthuses and Primroses. 
The recent severe weather has affected 
these plants, spoiling many of the leaves, 
especially where the situation is a low one. 
The outside leaves' that are crippled would, 
eventually, dry or shrivel up, but where 
they lie limp across the heart of another 
plant it is advisable to remove them, as if 
left they would cause the heart of the plant 
to decay. And for the sake of neatness, too, 
the damaged leaves should be picked off. 
Violets. 
Stagnant moisture is a great enemy to 
these plants, especially where they are grown 
in frames. Keep all faded and damped 
leaves picked off, admit plenty of air every 
day when the weather is fine, and neatly 
stir the surface of the soil with a label or 
pointed stick. Maintain cleanliness and as 
dry surroundings as possible, and in due 
course a rich harvest of blooms will be 
reaped. 
Sweet Peas. 
Ground which was trenched in the autumn 
and allowed to remain in a rough state 
through’ the winter to bring it to a fit con- - 
dition for the Sweet Pea crop should again 
be attended to. Very clayey soil should 
have had some half-decayed leaves mixed 
with it at the time of digging in the autumn. 
Where this has not been done, use some good 
leaf mould now, to mix with the top 16 
inches. Put on the leaf mould and turn it 
in, leaving the soil still rough—lumpy. Do 
not be in a great hurry to put out the plants 
in such heavy ground, but wait until warmer 
weather comes. In the meantime keep plants 
(which are growing in pots) in a cool frame, 
and harden them as much as possible. 
Garden Paths. 
Gravel becomes loose owing to the action 
of frost on it, especially is this more marked 
where the paths are low-lying, as there is 
more moisture in such a place. But if due 
attention be given to the paths the freezing 
will result in good to them. Before walk¬ 
ing too much on such paths roll them thor¬ 
oughly. Indeed, it ought to be made a point 
to keep gravel paths well rolled from this 
4ate, 
1. Dahlia tubers should be -placed in boxes 
now to mahe new shoots. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Grease Bands on Apple Trees. 
The larva of the codling moth does a vast 
amount of damage every year to Apples in 
the country, and every precaution should be 
taken to prevent its ravages. The winter 
2. Grease bands should be wrapped round 
-fruit tree stems this week. 
moth is a terror, too, and as the female is 
practically wingless it cannot reach the 
branches of the trees by flying, but crawls 
up the trunk or up any supports which may 
be fixed to the tree. Procure some long strips 
February 22 , 1908. 
of cloth and thoroughly saturate them with 
cart grease, then wrap them around the stem 
of the tree—and also any props, if the latter 
be used—at least r foot from the ground, as 
shown in Fig. 2. The female cannot pass the 
grease bands, and as it is unable to fly it 
will thus be prevented from reaching the 
flower buds. 
Tree Suckers for Stocks. 
These should be taken up and examined, 
and where a long tap-dike root is found cut 
it back, then more fibrous roots will grow. 
Re-plant the suckers in a position where they 
are to remain for grafting purposes. 
Wall Trees. 
Continue to prune away trees that have 
not as yet been dealt with, and endeavour to 
finish the work at once. Also nail and tie up 
the branches. Old, decaying shreds should 
be taken away and burned. Rusted cast-iron 
nails taken from walls should be placed on 
an old shovel or spade and then burned on 
a brisk fire. This will cleanse them and 
render them fit for use again. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Potatos. 
Fig. 3 shows a good Potato “set” posses¬ 
sing sprouts of the right kind. But it is 
not necessary to leave more than two such 
sprouts on each tuber, so select the top one 
and another near it, if it is preferred to have 
two, and remove the others. Sometimes seed 
Potatos are kept throughout the winter in a 
darkened shed, or in a clamp, then they are 
considerably weakened through producing 
long sprouts which are quite useless for 
planting purposes. A planting of mid-sea¬ 
son varieties may now be made in an open 
quarter. 
Stored Roots. 
Beetroot and Carrots should be carefully 
examined now, and any that are decayed 
removed forthwith. If left they will con¬ 
taminate others near them. 
The Onion Bed. 
If the ground has been previously trenched 
and the top soil left rough through the win¬ 
ter, and medium lightness is being dealt 
with, make -the surface black with soot 
and then lightly fork it in, breaking up all 
lumps. Take the first favourable oppor¬ 
tunity of opening out drills and sow some 
seeds. The main crop may not be put in 
now, but a bed may be sown, as very often 
early plants escape the fly in spring. 
Seeds. 
Sow a few seeds of Celery, early Cauli¬ 
flowers, Brussels Sprouts and Lettuces in 
boxes; and a few rows of Parsley and 
Spinach in the open border. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Clivias or Imantophyllums. 
These are among the most useful of all 
amateurs’ greenhouse plants, for good speci¬ 
mens- are worthy of a prolninen-t place the 
year round for their foliage alone; more 
particularly is this true of the modern 
named varieties. The plants are evergreen, 
but as they possess semi-tuberous roots it is 
well to rest them a little in the winter by 
being sparing in the application of water. 
As they will soon be pushing up-their hand¬ 
some flower trusses they should now receive 
more water, and may also have a warmer 
corner if early flowers are desired. Plenty 
of weak liquid manure should be given to 
plants which have been some time in their 
pots as this will improve the size and colour 
