THE GARDENING WORLD 
28r 
April 25, 1908. 
dust; may be known by its weighty na- 
ure. 
Superphosphate.—Much lighter in col- 
)ur and weight, and has a distinct and 
disagreeable smell. 
Sulphate of Potash.—Light drab or 
irick dust colour, and practically odour- 
iess. 
These are all fine powders, and soft to 
:he touch. 
Kainit.—A mixture of bright red and 
dirty white particles, resembling red 
jranite ground to the texture of soda. 
Sulphate of Ammonia.—Lumps of 
duish-tinted, fine grained, soda-like sub¬ 
stance. 
Nitrate of Soda.—Much coarser looking 
han the above, and lacks the blue tint. 
R. J. Taylor. 
Worcester. 
-444- 
ImposUd QuchUs. 
Large consignments of these delectable 
and fascinating plants reach London 
,-eariv. They can, therefore, be obtained 
3y anyone for a reasonable outlay. When 
3uving imported Orchids it is essential 
.0 "observe the last matured pseudo-bulbs 
ire strong and healthy, bearing at their 
rase strong, healthy, dormant eyes, as 
:hev are known. Immediately they are 
received cut away all old and diseased 
parts. Afterwards give them a good 
washing in a strong solution of soft soap 
md water to exterminate insects. To 
induce them to start into growth lay' them 
an their sides on the shell or shingle in 
the stove house, covering the roots with 
lamp sphagnum moss. When they com¬ 
mence to grow place them into the 
smallest receptacle possible, using a mix¬ 
ture of equal parts fibrous peat, half- 
rotted oak leaves, and sphagnum moss; 
pot firmly. 
L. S. Small. 
Beckenham. 
-f+4- 
HOW TO PLANT 
\ Moon-Shaped Bed. 
Light colours would be most appro¬ 
priate in a bed of this design, and as the 
'ong ends would not be very wide, it 
would also be appropriate and convenient 
to use only dwarf plants. If the bed is 
of fair size, it could be planted with 
Pelargonium Flower of Spring, an up¬ 
right variety of bushy habit with broad 
A Moor.-shaped Bed. 
silvery white edging to the leaves. An 
edging of Echeveria secunda glauca 
would make a suitable finish. 
Some growers’ fancy might run upon 
tvhite Violas, and if so, it could be edged 
with Echeveria. This would be appro¬ 
priate for a bed of smaller size than where 
Pelargoniums are used. A hardy plant 
could also be advantageously employed, 
such as Snow in Summer (Cerastium to- 
mentosum) with or without an edging. 
Beet — 
Blood Red. 
Garden Beet is divided into two sec¬ 
tions, namely, long-rooted Beet and short 
or Turnip-rooted Beet, the last named 
being chiefly grown for the earliest sup¬ 
plies. Blood Red is a very handsome root 
when care has been taken to properly 
prepare the soil in which it is to be grown. 
The specimen photographed was fully 
18 in. long, and the usable portion about 
! 
Maclaren and Sons. 
Beet Blood Red, 
6 in. It may be described as a variety 
of medium size, of good shape under or¬ 
dinary good garden cultivation. It is 
therefore of first-class merit for exhibition 
purposes, and when intended for that the 
careful cultivator will take care in the 
preparation of the soil, which should be 
trenched or double-dug to a depth of 
18 in. The flesh is of the richest dark 
crimson red colour, and the flavour first 
class. The foliage is of a dark crimson, 
so that plants may be employed in the 
flower garden where something with dark 
foliage is required to produce a contrast 
in the colour of the foliage. 
Large roots of Beet are undesirable for 
table purposes, as they become coarse in 
quality and more resemble Mangel- 
Wurzel than the compact roots and rich 
flavour of the fine strains of Beet now at 
the command of the cultivator. The soil 
should be light and sandy if possible, and 
well enriched by manure which has been 
applied to some previous crop. To coun¬ 
teract any tendency to coarseness which a 
rich soil may encourage it is necessary 
to sow Beet rather late in spring, say for 
the main crop some time between the end 
of April and the end of May. This gives 
the roots a shorter season, and the sink¬ 
ing temperature in autumn induces them 
to ripen off before they get too large. 
The roots may then be stored in sand in a 
shed, where they may be otherwise 
covered up if necessary to exclude frost. 
The roots should be carefully dug up, 
avoiding all injury to the skin which 
would allow the root to lose in colour by 
the escape of the juice. Beetroot should 
also be boiled entire for the same reason. 
-f+4- 
HOW TO PLANT 
A Curved Bed. 
If variation is desired upon the oblong 
bed it can be rounded at the ends as 
shown in the accompanying pattern. I* 
might also be curved, as this form occa¬ 
sionally fits well in as a single bed in a 
garden in a position where its curved out¬ 
line would be most effective as seen from 
some door or window of the dwelling 
house. If of some size it should be at a 
distance and would still be effective. 
A line of Cannas could be planted 
along the centre, as the fine foliage has 
always a telling effect whether in bloom 
or not. A complete line of Zinnias en¬ 
closing the Cannas would answer well. 
The best double strain should be secured, 
and strong healthy plants should be em¬ 
ployed in a bold design of this character. 
An edging of white Pansies or Violas 
would complete this bed. 
-f+4- 
Nettle sprouts have been recently sold 
at a remunerative price by a West Lon¬ 
don greengrocer, 
