» 
2 54 THE GARDENING WORLD. April n, 1908. 
will either kill or drive out the eneimy whole¬ 
sale. We recommend you, therefore, to try 
this new and powerful remedy. Its effect is 
also of considerable duration, but the mere 
fact of once clearing out the ground is suffi¬ 
cient to enable you to bloom a crop to satis¬ 
faction. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
2771. Beans or Nuts. 
I have to thank you for your answer to 
my query some few weeks ago. I herewith 
enclose two beans or nuts, and would be 
obliged by your informing me the name of 
such. I may say that I have tried to get 
them to germinate in water, but failed. Any 
hints you may give me will be appreciated. 
(J. F. M., Midlothian.) 
The nuts you sent us were those of the 
Pecan Nut or Hickory (Carya olivaeformis), 
a tree belonging to the Walnut family, and 
growing to a height of 30 ft. It is a native 
of some parts of North America, and was 
introduced to this country in 1766, but it is 
still a very scarce tree here. The kernel of 
the nut is eaten in North America in the 
same way as we do the Walnut. We could 
not say whether the nuts would germinate in 
water. We should be afraid that this would 
simply cause the embryo to decay. Nuts 
of this character do not retain their ger- 
minative powers for a great length of time. 
To germinate them it would be necessary to 
get them direct from North America, while 
they are still quite fresh or recently gathered, 
and to sow them in boxes of soil immediately 
and stand the boxes in a cold frame. Ger¬ 
mination would take place in spring if the 
nuts were good when you had them. 
277 2. Books. 
I have bought your handbooks Nos. 1 and 
3. They are really splendid, and I value 
them very much. I am writing to ask you 
if you have, or will have, any on (1) Violet 
growing, (2) Carnation growing, (3) Roses 
under glass, (4) Chrysanthemum growing, 
and (5) Strawberry culture? (W. Lodge.) 
We have another small handbook No. 2 
on “ Select Annuals and Biennials ” at the 
same price as those you have got. We have 
a book on Carnation culture entitled “ Select 
Carnations, Picotees and Pinks,” at 2s. 3d. 
in cardboard covers, and 2s. gd. in cloth, 
post free. We have also one on Chrysanthe¬ 
mums in two editions, at is. 2d. and 2s. 2d. 
post free respectively. We have not books 
for the other subjects you mention. 
NAMES OF PLANTS . 
JW. Read) 1, Arabis albida; 2, Soilla 
sibirica; 3, Anemone Hepatica rubra; 4, 
Anemone blanda; 5, Vinca minor; 6, Crocus 
biflorus. 
(T. W.) 1, Olear.ia Haasti.i; 2, Buxus sem- 
pervirens argentea ; 3, Forsythia suspensa; 
4, Ligustrum ovalifoi.ium. 
(Chas. West) 1, Primula verticillata; 2, 
Boronia heterophylla; 3, Polygala myrti- 
folia grandiflora; 4, Acacia verticillata; c;, 
Mentha Requieni; 6, Cyperus laxus. 
(A. C. Headley) 1, Saxifraga burseriana; 
2, Saxifraga apiculata; 3, Arabis lucida 
variegata; 4, Veronica Andersoni variegata ; 
5, Pelargonium fragrans. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Francois Gerbeaux, Nancy, 21, Rue de 
CronsTdt, 21 (Meurthe-et-Moselle), France. 
—Special Cultures, Novelties, Hardy Ever¬ 
green Plants, Greenhouse Plants. 
J. Attwood, Engineer, Stourbridge.— 
Garden Rollers, Vases, Garden and Park 
Seats; also Boilers and Heating Apparatus. 
Amos Perry, Hardy Plant Farm, En¬ 
field, Middlesex.—Perry’s Catalogue of 
Water Plants. 
E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, England.-—Bee 
Keepers’ Supplies 
Hugh Low and Co., Royal Nurseries, 
Bush Hill Park, Middlesex. — Carnations; 
also 'Coloured Plates of Rose Baby Dorothy 
and Pempetual Flowering Carnations; and 
Black and White Plate of Ampelopsis 
Low.ii. 
Lean-to and Span-roof. 
There is little to puzzle anyone about 
these terms; still, 1 can remember the 
time when I wondered what they meant. 
A lean-to is a greenhouse built against a 
house, a wall, or another greenhouse. It 
thus has generally one blind or glassless 
side and a long, sloping roof, the other 
side and ends being normal, or of glass. 
The lean-to is highly favoured by 
amateurs, as it is cheap to build—-having 
one side already erected—and easy to 
keep warm, since it stands to reason that 
a brick wall keeps out more frost and cold 
than does a glass one. The chief ob¬ 
jection to a lean-to is that air can only 
be admitted on one side, which is awk¬ 
ward when the weathercock gets fixed 
due east and the ventilators open that 
way. A lean-to is not so light as a span 
roof, and is most economically utilised by 
building a tiered staging from about 2 ft. 
6 in. from the ground to within 2 ft. 6 in. 
of the roof against the brick wall. 
A span-roof house is almost equivalent 
to two lean-to’s, placed side by side, but 
with no intervening wall. It has glass all 
round, a roof which slopes in two oppo¬ 
site directions and so admits of ventila¬ 
tion from different quarters. It is lighter 
and more airy than a lean-to, and also 
naturally colder. For plants in flower 
and all others which like plenty of light 
and air, the span-roof is preferable to 
the lean-to. 
Hip-jointed and three-quarter span 
houses are mongrels between the above 
two. They are built by fixing a few feet 
of glass and woodwork slopingly on an 
existing or purposely-erected brick wall, 
and then building the house proper, or 
half a house, to meet this. In this way 
more light is obtained, together with a 
higher house, and means of ventilating 
on both sides of the house. Where a wall 
already exists, there is no question that- a 
three-quarter span makes a capital green¬ 
house. As with a lean-to, a tiered stag¬ 
ing should be built the whole height of 
the wall. 
Lantern roofs, curvilinear roofs, and 
sliding roofs are scarcely likely to trouble 
the amateur, so may be ignored. 
To Obtain Fins Spikes of Cannas. 
Tempted by the sight of the gorgeous 
pot Cannas to be seen at many of our 
exhibitions, the novice often essays their 
culture, only, in many instances, to fail 
miserably. The reason is not far to seek. 
He either pots up some of the clumps 
lifted in the previous autumn from the 
garden or pulls the plants to pieces and 
pots up the divisions. 
The exhibitor adopts neither of these 
methods. Early in the year he stands his 
old Canna stools on a bed of soil on the 
Leucojum vernum carpaticum. 
When the bulbs of this variety are 
strong they produce two flowers' on the 
scape instead of one, as in the type. The 
flowers are the largest of the Snowflakes I 
and the variety here noted has yellow, in 
stead of green, spots on the segments 0 
the white perianth. 
from p. 145). 
greenhouse stage, and when they havt 
made new shoots he detaches those at thi 
§ides which are sturdy and about 3 in 
long, and inserts them singly in smal 
pots of sandy soil. Watering follows re 
potting, feeding assists the developmen 
of the flower spike, and in the result w- 
see the gorgeous spikes in 5 in. or 6 in 
pots, which are such conspicuous object 
at our summer and autumn shows. 
Growing Big Dahlia Blooms. 
This is so much on a par with Canna 
that the one naturally suggests the other 
Here, again, the main secret of obtain 
ing exhibition blooms is to strike cut 
tings, instead of relying on old tuber; 
The stools are stood on a bed of ligh 
soil as with Cannas, and a little light soi 
is scattered over them so that the tuber 
are quite, but not deeply, covered. Whe: 
the cuttings are about 3 in. long they ar 
cut off and struck. 
It is important that Dahlia cutting 
should never flag, hence the pots shoul 
be quite ready and brought to the Dahli 
stools before a cutting is removed. Pot 
2\ in. in diameter are best, using a ver 
sandy compost and placing one cuttin 
in each pot. Shade should be given fror 
the sun, and the syringe should be gentl 
used twice daily, but no more water tha 
is really required should be given to th 
soil. When rooted, the plants should g 
into 4^ in. pots, and ultimately be hat 
dened off for planting out early in June 
If well looked after outdoors these young 
sters will give the finest possible flower; 
To Cure a. Mossy Lawn. 
Defective drainage is generally at th 
bottom of a mossy lawn, and where th 
ground is always wet it is practically in 
possible to keep moss from growing. I 
the majority of cases, however, a badl 
infested lawn may be cleared by a dres: 
ing of sulphate of iron some time durin 
winter or early spring. 
Crude sulphate should be obtained an 
crushed to a powder. Then estimate ho 
many square yards of lawn require dres: 
ing and weigh out the sulphate to alio 
i oz. per square yard. Next mix it we 
with some old, dry potting soil and scatte 
it evenly over the lawn. If there is muc 
moss present, some of it may be scratche, 
off with an iron-toothed rake before a) 
plying the sulphate. Where moss is n< 
due to damp, but to poorness of the soi 
a dressing of any of the advertised fert 
lisers will put things right by promotin 
the growth of the grass and choking 01 
the moss. 
(To be continued.) 
Jk ^ - 
Narcissus minor minimus. 
The least of all Daffodils is one of th 
earliest to bloom out of doors, and is 
gem for the rockery. 
Points which Puzzle the 
BY AN OLD HAND. 
(Cpntinued 
