146 
TUB QARDBN1NQ WORLD, 
February 29, 1908. 
levels down any obdurate lumps. This 
is called pointing over, and is an opera¬ 
tion which well pays for doing. 
Pointing in refers to getting rid of 
material used as a surface dressing. 
This may be gas lime used to kill insects, 
ordinary lime used to correct manure 
sickness, artificial manure spread on for 
fertilising purposes, or natural manure 
used for a mulch. In any case, the mean¬ 
ing is the same, viz., disturbing the sur¬ 
face soil slightly in order to bury some¬ 
thing. 
Runners —Scarlet and Otherwise. 
Everybody, I take it, knows what a 
Scarlet Runner is, and deserves “ beans” if 
he does not know. The other runners 
indigenous to gardens are the baby 
plants which Strawberries, Potenti-llas, 
and, alas! pernicious weed Crowfoot pro¬ 
ject from themselves as a means of in¬ 
crease. These are borne on long, string¬ 
like processes, and their mission in life 
is to perpetuate their species should the 
ordinary means, namely, seeds, fail. 
Gardeners take advantage of these run¬ 
ners to increase their stocks of the plants 
which bear them, and as they generally 
reproduce exactly their parent, they are 
very reliable and valuable. 
Spurs. 
This is a very confusing term to the 
novice, especially as it is used to indicate 
two quite different things. Thus, the 
spurs on Pear and Apple trees are very 
different from the spurs on a Vine, and 
we also have what is called the rod and 
spur system of pruning to still further 
confuse the beginner. 
To take spurs on outdoor fruit trees 
first. If any reader will examine a 
trained tree of Apple, Pear, or Plum, he 
will find at certain places on the main 
branches collections of short, stumpy 
shoots each capped by a large, round bud. 
Apart from the difference in length, the 
difference in appearance between these 
shoots and the others at the extremities 
of the branches cannot fail to strike even 
the casual observer. These clusters or 
collections of stumpy shoots are called 
spurs, and as it is on them that fruit is 
chiefly borne their presence is very de¬ 
sirable. Many of them form naturally; 
others are induced by pinching growing 
shoots hard back in summer, and restrict¬ 
ing subsequent growth. 
Spurs on Vines are the hard, woody 
knobs which project alternately on either 
side of the main stem or rod. From 
these spurs issue the side shoots or 
branches which carry the bunches of 
Grapes. But a Vine spur is not a collec¬ 
tion of stumpy, bud-crowned shoots. 
Only one shoot or branch is allowed—as 
a general rule—to issue from each spur, 
and when this has fruited and lost its 
leaves it is cut back to one eye or two 
eyes of its base; thus are built up the 
ugly excrescences called Vine spurs, the 
original foundation of which is the cut¬ 
back shoot which first issued from the 
bud on the main stem of the Vine. 
Rod and spur pruning I need not bother 
with, beyond stating that almost every 
Vine one meets with in a modern green¬ 
house or vinery is trained on the rod and 
spur system. By examining a Vine, 
readers will realise what the system is, 
namely, one main stem with all side 
branches spurred or cut close in. 
(To be continued.) 
Address : The Editor, The Gardening 
World, 37 and 38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
The Editor invites enquiries, which may 
cover any branch of gardening. Questions 
should be as brief as -possible and written on 
one side of the paper only; a separate sheet 
of paper should be used for each question. 
Replies cannot be sent by post. 
Garden Plans .—Gardeners who would make 
the best use of this column are invited to 
prepare and forward to us a rough outline 
drawing or plan of their gardens, indicating 
the position of beds and lawns, the charac- 
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE. 
2635. Caladiums. 
Can you give me names and addresses of 
Caladium growers—that is, nurserymen ? 
(H. H. C.) 
Many nurserymen grow a few of the more 
common Caladiums, but there are very few 
who actually grow large collections. About 
London they include Messrs. James Veitch 
and Sons, Ltd., King’s Road, Chelsea; 
Messrs. John Peed and Son, Roupell Park 
Nurseries, West Norwood, London; and 
Messrs. John Laing and Sons, Forest Hill, 
London. 
2636. Ferns and Asparagus in Jadoo 
Fibre. 
Do you think it at all possible to grow 
Ferns and Asparagus in Jadoo fibre? I have 
a quantity over after potting bulbs in 
autumn ; also some that was used for Roman 
Hyacinths, which are nearly over. Can I 
use this, ancl should it be used alone or 
mixed with the unused fibre? (T. B. W., 
Kent.) 
The fibre you mention can be used with 
good results in growing Ferns and Aspara¬ 
gus. You should mix the two lots of fibre, 
■because that already used for Roman Hya¬ 
cinths cannot be quite so rich as that which 
Is fresh. Pot rather firmly, using ordinary 
pots with holes in the bottom, putting a few 
well-placed crocks over the opening. Re¬ 
potting is done according to the tempera¬ 
ture, in which the plants are kept. They 
will commence growing early or late accord¬ 
ing to the temperature, but you can safely 
re-pot them just as the Ferns are commen¬ 
cing to throw up young fronds. 
FLOWER GARDEN . 
2637. Cuttings of Violas. 
Last year I had a few plants of named 
Violas. Some of them have lived through 
the winter, and lay about on the beds with 
stalks 6 in. or 8 in. long, and a few new 
leaves showing at the tips. Can 1 take cut¬ 
tings from them, when, and how? Is 
bottom heat required ? Also, are the old 
plants any good? (M. Fage, Middlesex.) 
Your best plan would have been to take 
cuttings of them about the beginning of 
September last, inserting them in boxes of 
sandy loam and leaf mould. In your dis¬ 
trict a frame would have been the best means 
of keeping the cuttings through the winter. 
In the absence of that you might have been 
able to support panes of glass on pegs over 
the boxes, to throw off the wet. As it is 
ter and height of the fence or wall; pos 
tion of vegetable garden, orchard, etc. T1 \ 
north side of the garden and any ove. I 
shadowing buildings should be denoted. , 
should also be stated whether the garden . i 
flat or on a declivity, and all large tret 
should be marked. Particulars of the n> 
ture of the soil will also help us to gii 
satisfactory replies. When such plans at 
received they will be carefully filed, wit 
the name and address of the sender, an 
will be consulted by the Editor whenever a 
enquiry is sent. 
you can wait until the young shoots she , 
signs of 'good life by growing freely. Yc 1 
can then take them off with, roots attaefc 
if any, and insert them in boxes of goo 
soil till they get established, after whic 
you can' plant them out in well-prepare 
and manured soil. Bottom heat is not nece 
sary, as Violas distinctly dislike heat. Yo 
may keep the old plants until you see tk 
the cuttings are going to grow, after whic 
the old ones may be thrown away, as the 
are distinctly inferior to jrnung stuff. I : 
taking off the cuttings, do so in such a wa 
as to get the lower part of the cutting i 
buried in the soil, and in many cases thes 
will have a few roots. Cuttings like tk 
will very quickly become established. 
2638. Tropaeolum speciosum in Erijj 
land. 
I have a plant of Tropaeolum speciosum i 
a pot as sent from the nursery. ' I am tol 
it will not grow in England. I have du 
down 3 ft., given it good drainage, manur< 
and mixed up a lot of burnt earth wit 
the soil, as I returned it to the trench. Tb 
position is north-west, so it would onl 
get a little sun late in the afternoon. (M 
Fage, Middlesex.) 
You have made a good beginning in prt 
paring a site for it in the way you mentior 
The north-west aspect is also suitable, a 
it will get less sunshine in that aspect, whic 
should be more favourable to if. It is wron 
to say that it cannot be grown in England 
because we have seen it flowering more 0 
less freely in gardens in Middlesex an 
Surrey. We have even seen it in your ow 
neighbourhood flowering in a cool 
somewhat shady situation. It is reall 
a moist atmosphere that .proves s 
beneficial to it in the Highlands, aiv 
you have done the best you can by selectin 
a north-west situation. Of course, a nort 
aspect would also have been good. It woul 
also succeed fairly well on an eastern a; 
pect, but we think it would succeed eve 
better if that was shaded by a tree at sob 
distance from it. It should not be overhun 
by anything for the sake of shade. V 7 
have also seen it succeed when plant© 
amongst Rhododendrons, so that the groun 
might be shaded while the stems clambere- 
over the Rhododendron. 
2639. Fixing- Sweet Peas. 
Being a regular subscriber to your papei 
1 often come across the term “fix” or “fis 
ing,” more especially in the articles regard 
mg Sweet Peas. I should be obliged b;- 
your informing me what is actually mean 
