328 
/HE GARDENING WORLD, 
May 16, 1908. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters, discussing any 
gardening subject. 
Letters should not exceed 150 words 
each in length, and must be written 
on one side of the paper only. 
Two Prizes of ^s. 6d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the 
best. 
Mushroom Growing. 
In addition to growing Mushrooms in 
prepared beds, they can be grown in pots, 
boxes, or baskets. To do so, proceed 
thus:—Five parts fill the receptacle with 
well-worked manure, and press it firmly 
down; then put in the pieces of spawn 
and top-dress with loamy soil, afterwards 
placing it in a warm place, such as a 
heated greenhouse, forcing pit, or a hot¬ 
bed frame. By this method they come 
into bearing rather earlier than in a bed 
in a Mushroom house. Water should be 
given when necessary, not too freely, and 
of a temperature rather above than other¬ 
wise that of the surrounding atmosphere. 
C. Turner. 
Highgate N.. 
Torersia Fournieri. 
This pretty compact-growing stove 
plant is an annual, having porcelain-blue 
flowers, spotted with purplish-brown, with 
an orange-coloured eye, and is worthy of 
more extensive cultivation than it receives. 
Seeds may be sown any time up to the 
end of May in pans containing a nice open 
soil, covering the seeds very lightly, plac¬ 
ing a piece of glass over the pans until 
germination takes place. Y\ hen large 
enough to handle, prick off the seedlings 
into pans three or four together. Keep 
them growing in a warm temperature on 
a shell near the glass. Pot them on as 
they demand it until they are in 5^-in. 
pots, which is a good size to flower them 
in. A compost of loam and leaf-mould, 
with a little sand and charcoal intermixed, 
is most suitable for final potting. When 
the pots are well filled with roots, feed¬ 
ing with liquid manure is beneficial. 
Hamilton. TORENIA. 
Water Lilies in Tubs. 
The cultivation of Water Lilies is ex- 
tremelv simple, and in gardens without 
natural water charming effects can be 
made by the use of tubs. Oil barrels 
sawn in two make suitable vessels in 
which to grow Water Hyacinths, Water 
Poppies, Nymphaeas, Water Lilies of all 
varieties, and perhaps a Lotus. The tubs 
should be filled about three-quarters full 
of good loam, the roots planted not very 
deeply, then place the tubs in a sunny 
spot and keep full of water. The follow¬ 
ing American plan was most satisfactory: 
Three tubs were sunk in a triangle with 
their inner edges supporting a fourth tub. 
In the upper tub was a Lotus several feet 
high, while the sides were hidden by trails 
of Parrot’s Feather; the lower tubs con¬ 
tained red, white, and blue Nymphaeas, 
etc. The spaces between could be filled 
with various moisture-loving plants, such 
as Primulas, Calthas, etc., the whole giv¬ 
ing a pleasing effect for the summer. 
Tac. 
Kington Langley. 
Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots. 
Trees in this department are very back¬ 
ward, owing to cold winds and sharp 
frosts experienced during this spring. In 
seasons such as the present artificial fer¬ 
tilisation of the blooms, i.e.,touching each 
flower with a soft camel’s hair brush, thus 
carrying the pollen from one flower to 
another, will always ensure an abundant 
crop, well repaying the grower for the 
little extra time spent on these valuable 
fruits. The operation should be carried 
out twice during the flowering period. 
When the flowers have fallen, syringe 
with “XL All,” or some similar prepara¬ 
tion. Select fine days in which to carry 
out these operations, and success will be 
assured. 
W. J. B. 
New Barnet. 
Striking Chrysanthemums. 
Here is a method of striking Chrysan¬ 
themums which, I think, is not generally 
known—at least, by amateurs. Procure 
boxes three inches deep, fill them with 
well-rotted stable manure, and cover with 
an inch of sand. Take stems of the 
Chrysanthemums, cut them in pieces be¬ 
tween each joint where small shoots are 
making their appearance. Plant these in 
the sand rather thickly, and cover slightly' 
with the sand. They will make small 
shoots with a flower bud, and from the 
base of this shoot there will come a strong 
one, which, when of sufficient size, should 
be taken off and rooted in the usual way. 
New or scarce varieties, or those that are 
shy of sending up cuttings, can be in¬ 
creased in this way very quickly. 
P. M. 
Stonehaven. 
Amateurs’ Plants for Cold Houses. 
A large variety of plants may be grown 
in unheated houses throughout the year. 
Many of these structures are not very 
attractive during a large portion of the 
y'ear. This can easily be remedied with 
a small outlay if a proper selection is 
made. 
Beginning with early spring. Tulips and 
Narcissus of the earlier-flowering kinds 
will make an attractive and interesting 
show. These may be succeeded by a few 
Carnations in pots, including some of the 
Malmaison kinds; also Campanulas, 
Dielytras, Spiraeas, Deutzias for foliage, 
Grevillea robusta, Aspidistras, Aralia 
Sieboldii, and Dracaena indivisa. The 
perpetual blooming Obconica is one of 
the best for giving a long succession of 
bloom. Some of the Veronicas, such as 
V. Andersonii, V. Blue Gem, and Genista 
racemosa, should also be grown. Dur¬ 
ing the summer and early autumn months 
Begonias, Fuchsias, Agapanthus, Iman- 
tophyllums, and a few of the hardier 
palms, viz., Latania borbonica, Seafor- 
thia elegans, and Corypha australis will 
provide a good display. 
For winter decoration, Aucubas, Cy¬ 
press, Silver-leaved Box, Kalmias in pots, 
with golden-leaved Hollies, ma,y be used 
with good effect. No collection will be 
complete without a few dwarf plants of 
Camellias and Rhododendron. 
. J. C. SCAMIvlELL. 
Wilton, near Salisbury. 
Small Bedding Plants. 
Many amateurs at the planting-out 
season have a way of discarding their 
small plants, and choosing the large ones 
for the beds; this is where they err, as 
with many kinds of plants the smallest 
give the greatest percentage of double 
flowers, and the brightest colours. Ten- 
Week Stocks, French Marigolds, and 
many other species are conspicuous for 
thii unexplained behaviour. It is quite 
obvious one should discard weaklings, but 
little plants, if they are healthy and 
strong, should certainly be planted out 
in the flowering beds, as experience 
teaches us that in many cases these give 
us our best flowers. 
Many scoff at this idea, but a trial 
will soon convince them. 
Joseph Floyd. 
Westhoughton. 
Bottle-Grafting Roses. 
Most gardeners are familiar with the 
art of bottle-grafting Vines, but may not 
have tried Roses. I have done this with 
marked success. The varieties I have 
worked as standards are Marechal Niel, 
Gloire de Dijon, Fortune’s Yellow, and 
a good white one, not known. My em¬ 
ployer takes a great interest in this kind 
of work, so I procured some sticks and 
potted them, to show him this method. I 
put the Rambler on about Christmas, and 
it has several growths, two of which are 
2 ft. 6 in. in length. I put two “ buds ” 
on these of another kind, which have both 
taken. The other three were put on about 
two months ago, and have made several 
growths about 18 in. long. One of the 
Gloires flowered. I started them in a 
heated house, but have removed them to 
a cooler place. 
J. Snell. 
Kirby Misperton. 
-- 
Seventy Guineas for a New Daffodil. 
There is warrant for the report, remarks 
the “Morning Post,” that a new seedling 
White Trumpet Daffodil, which was only 
for a few minutes on view at the fort¬ 
nightly exhibitions of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society on April 14th, was purchased 
by a prominent raiser of new varieties for 
70 gs. It may be that it will not reappear 
until it has been used for crossing and 
has substantially increased, and may re¬ 
sume acquaintance under a different 
name than that which it bore yesterday. 
All, therefore, that need be said in refer¬ 
ence to it is that on the inspection of a 
single bloom its colour, form of trumpet, 
strength, and character of perianth justi¬ 
fied the opinion that it is the nearest ap¬ 
proach to perfection in a so-called white 
Trumpet Daffodil yet raised. 
