The Flower Garden. 
Erder Chyrsanthemums. 
Tie wise gardener will not rest content 
Vi h merely providing plants to make a dls- 
p y of blossom during the summer months, 
b. he will duly consider ways and means 
f making a useful display for as long a 
t le as possible. I say useful display, and 
tj that I mean an abundance of flowers 
r ich will make the borders look bright, and 
to afford'plenty of flowers for cutting pur- 
pses, and that at a season when blooms are 
tx>ming scarce. 
Border Chrysanthemums should be taken 
<re of at this season, as they are so useful 
; d beautiful during the autumn months. Too 
cen, I am afraid, the gardener is content 
■ leave all the old stools (roots) of Chry- 
..ltheinums in the border and to depend 
on the resultant flowers from them. It is 
. ite true that the old plants bear many 
Poms and are useful, but they should be 
pplemented by young stock. 
Cuttings are usually plentiful, and at this 
ason they may be propagated and grown in 
xes until the time comes to plant them 
t. 
Fig. i shows a box of }’oung plants. The 
>it, A, should be of good quality and at 
-ast 4 inches deep, independent of any 
rainage material. At the present time a 
x>l frame will do for the plants nicely, 
order Carnations. 
I am now referring to rooted layers in 
rames, which should be exposed now fully, 
! > as to harden them for planting out dur- 
ig the month of April. In the meantime 
le outside borders should be prepared for 
iem. But do not touch the soil while it 
in a very moist condition. Take the first 
pportunity, however, to get the ground 
loroughly broken up, and when it is dry 
ake it moderately firm by treading, and 
ave the surface loosened with the iron- 
tothed rake, 
erbaceous Borders. 
These are now becoming more interesting 
/ery week. The tender shoots of various 
lants are to be seen dotted here and there 
n the soil, giving premise of a plentiful har- 
estof blossom ,in the near future. Help these 
lants as much as you can by lightly point - 
ig in well-decayed manure where this has 
ot already been done, and keep the surface 
til loosened with 'the Dutch hoe, and 
aughtar all weeds while fhev are in their 
ifancy. 
edding Plants in Pots. 
Continue to pot Zonal Geraniums, Ivy- 
taved and scented-leaved varieties. Those 
potted nearly a month ago will now be estab¬ 
lished, and should be placed in a somewhat 
cooler house or frame to make room for 
newly-potted plants, which will be benefited 
by being grown for a few weeks in a warm 
temperature. While engaged in moving the 
earliest potted plants, take off all faded 
and very yellow .leaves. 
Half-hardy Annuals. 
Early seedlings should be duly trans¬ 
planted. Select the strongest and give them 
ample room to grow in. Fine plants will 
result. 
The Fruit Garden. 
The recent cold wave which has swept 
across the whole of the country has done 
much good in that it has checked somewhat 
the fast developing fruit buds. But it is 
enough to startle one when one sees beauti¬ 
ful Pear trees, with buds almost open, 
covered with snow, and the icy wind that is 
blowing suggesting more storms of snow and 
sleet. With night frosts and hot spells of 
sunshine, one fears for the well-being of 
advanced fruit trees. 
Readers of The Gardening World should 
be ever ready to protect their fruit blossom. 
It is a difficult—nay, an almost impossible, 
task to satisfactorily cover large standard 
trees, but small bush trees may be dealt 
with by spreading a herring-net over them ; 
such a covering will keep off several degrees 
of frost. _ •! 
Apricots, Peaches and Nectarines. 
These are chiefly grown on walls, and the 
preservation of the blossom from frosts is 
an easy matter. Besides the coverings re¬ 
commended in a recent calendar, persons 
who live near to Pine woods may readily 
protect their wall trees by nailing a few fan¬ 
shaped Pine branches, stem uppermost, to 
the wall amongst the branches of the fruit 
trees. I have found this plan answer very 
well. 
Strawberry Plaints. 
All growers of these useful and popular 
plants would put on top-dressings of litter}’’ 
manure during last autumn. But as most 
of the manure so applied has retted and 
partially disappeared, more littery manure 
must be put on. It is well to give a dress¬ 
ing of soot first, just sufficient to darken 
the surface of the bed. Before applying the 
manure, root out all weeds found. After 
the manure is put on pack some clean straw 
Fig. 2.—Pack clean straw round Strawberry 
Plants 
201 
under the leaves of each plant, as shown at 
A in Fig. 2. Keep the heart of the plant B 
free from manure. The clean straw will 
prevent the fruits, when ripening, getting 
soiled. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Cucumbers. 
Fig. 3 shows the right way to sow a Cu¬ 
cumber seed in a pot. The seed is shown 
at A, 1 inch below the soil B, good drainage 
material being put in at C. 
Fig. 3. — Tin's sketch shows the right 
way to sow a Cucumber seed. 
The compost should be a light one. Mel¬ 
low loam two parts, leaf-soil two parts, and 
a small quantity of coarse sand, all well 
mixed together, will do. But do not starve 
the young plants. If possible, plunge the 
seed pots in a hotbed, and when the }’oung 
seedlings appear place the pots on the sur¬ 
face of the bed and give air with due 
caution, so as not to subject the plants to 
cold draughts. 
Late Broccoli. 
These are now valuable, and due care 
should be taken of all “flowers” turning 
in. If they are exposed to strong sunshine 
they become green and are then bitter to the 
palate. Break a few leaves over each one. 
Winter Greens. 
Clear the ground forthwith of all old 
stumps, as if they remain they rob the soil 
of much nutriment. 
Digging. 
Sometimes it is necessary to put out win¬ 
ter greens on ground previously occupied 
by such plants. Where this is the case dig 
in one peck of agricultural salt to each 
square rod of ground. 
Preparing Ground for Seeds of Broccoli, 
etc. 
•Select a border in an open quarter,- put 
in some rotted manure, and then deeply dig 
the soil ; leave the top 1 portion lumpy. In 
due time this- border will be useful for 
.raising a stock of winter greens in, being 
mellowed to receive the seeds. 
Early Potatos. 
Protect these on warm borders by scatter¬ 
ing litter on the young growths during 
frosty weather. 
Foxglove. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Cattleyas. 
In the Cattleva house at the present sea¬ 
son there is a good display of blooms. In 
addition to C. Trianae we have the numerous 
hybrids and bigeneric hybrids that have been 
derived from intercrossing the various Lae- 
lias and Cattleyas. Those derived from the 
influence of Laelia harpophylla, L. flava 
and L. cinnabarina are quite a break away 
from the ordinary occupants of the Cattleya 
house. The different tints of j’ellow and 
