*54 
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March 7, 1908. 
the water gradually to escape from the 
pots and do damage. These china vases and 
others specially suited for the purpose 
are perfectly impervious to water, and 
can be used without fear. The next thing 
the cultivator has to do is to learn how 
to cultivate bulbs and other flowers under 
these conditions. 
The potting is accomplished much in 
the usual way, except that the fibre is 
not pressed so hard as ordinary compost 
would be. It is then watered, so as to 
wet every portion of it, and should there 
be water at the base of the vase an hour 
after watering this should be emptied out. 
Just sufficient water to wet the fibre is 
all that is necessary, and no more is to 
be given until it shows signs of getting 
dry, when the operation should be re¬ 
peated. After the success that has fol¬ 
lowed the experiment over a series of 
years, it cannot now be said that bulbs 
will fail to grow under such conditions. 
It is merely a question of a special form 
of experience or education, and that a 
very simple one, to enable anyone, even 
an amateur, to grow the plants with suc¬ 
cess under those conditions. 
The accompanying illustration shows a 
vase of bulbs 'of Lilium longiflorum 
flowered for the second time under those 
conditions. After the bulbs had finished 
flowering for the first time, they were 
shaken out and repotted in fresh fibre, 
when the results were obtained as shown 
by the illustration kindly put at our dis¬ 
posal by Mr. Sydenham. Several of the 
bulbs produced quite a number of flowers 
on the stem. After the bulbs had finished 
flowering for # the second time they were 
again repotte.cl with every hope of an 
equal, if not greater, success with them 
during the present year. At all events, 
we hope to hear that this has been the 
case. This is no small accomplishment 
to achieve, seeing that Lily bulbs so often 
fail after the first year, even when grown 
in soil under apparently the most favour¬ 
able conditions. 
- f+4 - 
The above is not a new variety, but 
it is scarcely cultivated so widely as its 
merits deserve, even by those who are 
fond of exhibiting. The pods are of great 
length, well filled, straight and of a rich 
dark-green colour, the latter character 
having a telling effect upon the exhibi¬ 
tion table. The number of Peas in a 
pod varies from eight to twelve, accord¬ 
ing to the soil in which it is grown and 
the treatment given it. It grows to a 
height of 5 ft., and is best described as 
a second early in advance of such well- 
known exhibition types as Telephone and 
Duke of Albany. ' For private use the 
Peas are of excellent flavour and quality. 
Seeds are being offered by Messrs. 
Alexander Cross and Sons, Ltd., 19, Hope 
Street, Glasgow. 
-- 
Calcium Cyanamide for Plants. 
In Italv there has been established a 
factory for the production on a large 
scale of nitrogenised products obtained 
by the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. 
The new process employs hydro-electric 
power of 15,000 horse-power, and the pro¬ 
duct has been called by its inventors cal¬ 
cium cyanamide. As a plant fertiliser it 
produces wonderful results. 
Be Prepared. 
Not very many weeks of dark evenings 
are left, fortunately, but what are should 
be turned to account, and seed boxes, 
labels, and even soil, prepared. Then, 
when the time comes, all necessary opera¬ 
tions can be done more expeditiously, and 
will not tire or hinder the busy worker. 
The seed lists are pouring in, and it is 
well when marking them to go over one’s 
wants two or three times, striking out any 
that seem either too much alike or other¬ 
wise unsuitable. Then one will get the 
list down to convenient proportions and 
not buy a lot of things one doesn’t want 
or cannot grow. 
Worthing. D. V. E. 
A Cheap Fumigator. 
A convenient and effectual method of 
fumigating plants attacked by green fly. 
etc., for those possessing only a few plants 
for window decoration is performed by 
procuring a tobacco pipe filled with 
strong black tobacco. Next take the 
■plant to be fumigated and wrap it closely 
round with newspaper, and then light the 
pipe and smoke till the tobacco is well 
kindled ; place a lid on the pipe and lay 
a handkerchief over it, pulling the loose 
ends tightly round the bowl of the pipe. 
Next push the stem of the pipe through 
the newspaper on a level with the rim 
of pot and blow through the lid till you 
are sure the space within is completely 
filled with smoke. The paper should be 
left oh for about an hour. 
Kincardine. W. C. 
Tomatos, 
The bulk of Tomatos raised in this 
countrv are grown under glass in beds 
along the sides of low houses. When 
plants are trained up the roof the beds 
need only be 18 or 20 inches wide and 
6 in. deep, if the soil be fresh every year, 
and especially if a turfy loam is made. 
Strong manure should be avoided. Plants 
put out at 14 inches apart, if properly 
attended to by pinching and giving a 
little warmth and plenty of air, will yield 
good crops. 
Sow the seed at the end of February 
or early in March and place in gentle 
heat. If sown in small pots they come 
away without a check. A mixture of loam 
and leaf-mould should be used. Pot them 
on as necessary to prevent their becoming 
pot-bound. Stake and tie them up and 
give air so as to prepare them for their 
final potting or boxes, as the case may be. 
They should be made very firm about the 
roots. As the plants come into bloom 
give them a sharp tap to help in the set¬ 
ting, or brush the flowers with a camel- 
hair brush each day. When the fruit is 
swelling the plants mav have weak liquid 
manure two or three time a week. Thin 
the fruit to three or four on a truss, re¬ 
serving all the most shapely. 
Fruits for exhibiting should be of good 
size and shape, smooth, deep, of good 
colour, uniform in size and free from eyes 
or blemishes. J. C. SCAMMELL. 
Jasminum primulinum for Pot Culture. 
Those who have not seen this magni¬ 
ficent Jasmine and who judge of it by the 
well-known J. nudiflorum. can have little 
conception of its merits. As its name in¬ 
dicates, it is primrose yellow in colour, 
but the striking difference between it and 
the older species lies in the size of the 
flowers. I have just been feasting my 
eyes on a moderate-sized bush plant of i, 
in a pot in a cool greenhouse. This plant 
was literally'smothered with flow'ers ave¬ 
raging fully if inches across. Very nice 
bushes can be grown in pots 7 or 8 inches 
in diameter. A compost of three parts 
turfy loam, one part leaf-soil, and a dash 
of sand, will suit them, giving some extra 
feeding during the growing season to 
established plants. Cut away some of the 
old wood after flowering. It blooms on 
the young wood. Stand out of doors dur¬ 
ing summer. C. C. 
A Floral Gipsy Kettle. 
Let me make a suggestion for a 
“Gipsy .Kettle.” Set three poles in a 
triangle five or six feet high from the 
centre. Suspend a kettle, not a hanging 
basket, but a genuine old kettle, with a 
hole in the bottom, within about 18 in. 
from the ground. Under the kettle plant 
a few scarlet Portulaca. Inside the kettle 
plant Alyssum Carter’s Snow' Carpet. At 
the foot of each pole plant Purple Japan¬ 
ese Morning Glory. Keep these pinched 
back along the poles, but let them drop 
somewhat at the top, u'here they will 
bloom most freely. Thus you will have 
fire, steam and smoke. 
I have a small bed on the lawn which I 
reseive for this, and the effect is very 
satisfactory indeed. 
Thos. Francis. 
Bromley Cross. 
Madresfield Court Grape. 
This is w'ithout doubt the finest 
flavoured black Grape in existence, and 
yet seldom is it grown to perfection simply 
because of the provoking cracking of the 
berries. My experience is that the crack¬ 
ing is due to close, low, humid atmo¬ 
sphere of the house, either by night or 
day, especially the former. To guard 
against this state of things a sharp look¬ 
out should be kept, and when it is ob¬ 
served that the berries have begun to 
change colour at once a little artificial 
w'armth should be given. And at all 
