May 16, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
331 
gists which Puzzle the Novice. 
BY AN OLD HAND. 
(Concluded from ■p. vii., May 2.) 
. Sow Fine Seeds Thinly. 
With seeds almost as fine as snuff, it is 
, ite impossible to accomplish thin sow- 
■_y, unless special pains are taken. For- 
nately, there is no great trouble in- 
lved. An ounce or two ounces of fine, 
v silver sand should be placed in an 
.rthenware flower-pot saucer. On this 
e packet of seed should be scattered, 
rring it meanwhile with the finger or a 
id pencil. When thoroughly mixed the 
: ;d and sand should be scattered on the 
:rface soil of the seed pan, the white 
:nd forming an infallible guide to the 
:wer as to whether he is distributing the 
xture evenly. 
len to Water Cactaceous Plants. 
Almost all of these will fare safely 
rough the winter without water from the 
d of- October till the end of February, 
the latter date, sufficient tepid water 
:ould be given to nicely wet the soil, but 
t to saturate it. If during the resting 
riod any plant shows signs of shrivel- 
' ig, a tablespoonful or two of tepid water 
: ruld be given to revive it. 
SINGLE 
Dahlia Peggy. 
The accompanying illustration shows a 
’ ~y common method of exhibiting single 
ihlias. Sprays of -Dahlias may consist 
< six or ten, according to requirements, 
■ d be arranged much as they are here 
s )WI V To keep them exactly in this posi- 
1 n it is, of course, necessary to wire 
< :h bloom to hold it in position. Some 
1 iV complain of the artificiality of such 
; system of exhibiting Dahlias, but it is 
< tainlv a convenient way of giving the 
I ;t effect to every bloom on a stand. The 
1 .vers then all look one way, and one 
< 1 scarcely think of a more suitable or 
1 iter way of showing them to the best 
‘ 'antage where the visitors have to in- 
5 ct them from one side only. 
hose who raise single Dahlias from 
t d could be guided by the shape of the 
om, which has been selected for 
cdity. The ray florets are very broad 
rounded at the end, and overlapping 
T another so that no openings may be 
s n between these rays. The centre of 
j ; beautiful variety was crimson f.fl- 
e d by a -zone deeply shaded wi r h 
c nge, while all the rest is of a beautiful 
y mauve. The above variety was 
c t shown by Messrs. J. Cheal and 
- is, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawlev, Sus- 
c ' wh ° exhibited it at Regent’s Park in 
'' ^taker^ laSt ’ where our Photograph 
-- 
P tto Pencils. 
I f ° ^ eart h of Cedar wood 
s 1 m * 1 * * * 5 * * * * * * * * * 1S now making an excelle 
uenl °V he C * dar CaStin ^ of blac 
1 pencils from Potatos. 
Border Carnations. 
In the course of a week or two it will 
be time to plant the seedling Carnations 
raised in March. In the meantime the 
ground should be prepared and the Car¬ 
nations hardened off to be ready for plant¬ 
ing out. The ground should be levelled, 
raked to clear it of stones and trodden 
firm previous to planting. It is customary 
to give the seedlings 12 ins. of space either 
way, but if ground can be afforded they 
will repay a space of 15 ins. Seedlings 
produce a much larger number of stems 
than layers, and it is better to have a little 
space for layering any of the choice seed¬ 
lings which may be selected. Make the 
seedlings quite firm in the ground, and if 
any plants are over it would be as well 
to retain a reserve in pots in case any of 
the seedlings may be destroyed by wire- 
worms during the summer. 
After so much rain and snow it would 
be well to go over the beds and borders 
of named varieties and hoe the ground for 
the purpose of keeping down weeds and 
aerating the soil. Some of the taller 
growing varieties may require staking in 
advance of the rest, and this should be 
seen to before the stems get broken down 
by heavy showers and wind. 
Show Carnations and Picotees. 
Recently potted plants will not require 
much water unless there is a great change 
in the weather compared with what it has 
been for some weeks past. This refers 
to plants potted, it may have been, as re¬ 
cently as the middle of March. They 
should be frequently examined, however, 
to see that they do not suffer for want of 
water, as some of the pots vary in propor¬ 
tion to the amount of roots. See that the 
beds of ashes on which the pots are stand¬ 
ing is worm-proof, as they have been giv¬ 
ing some trouble on account of so much 
wet weather. Some of the plants may 
require staking, and this should be done 
in good time to keep the stems from get¬ 
ting broken. Examine the tips of the 
Single Dahlia Peggy. 
Maclaren and Sons. 
