May 16, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
333 
The Flower Garden. 
a Weather. 
lid-winter weather at the end of April 
s not encourage the gardener to go out 
l proceed with the usual routine work in 
warden. In many counties the tempera- 
3 °has been nearly 30 degrees below the 
mat for the time of year, and in some 
tricts as much as 10 degs. and 12 degs. 
frost has been registered. Heavy falls of 
>w have been experienced in nearly all 
ts of the country, and it certainly pro- 
ted numbers of plants from the severe 
ets. But, of course, it has damaged 
ers. Many ornamental trees in the flower 
rden and the shrubbery were bent down 
that the tops touched the ground through 
! great weight of snow with which they 
re laden. But they recovered their up- 
ht position, only a few branches in some 
lances being broken off. With regard to 
(rty-planted shrubs and trees it is a differ- 
r matter. Owing to the looseness of the 
1 some specimens are displaced, especi- 
y those that were not supported by stakes. 
1 such trees should now be examined and 
,de secure. 
mning-out Herbaceous Plants. 
Herbaceous plants are now growing 
ely, and such kinds as Phloxes would be 
lefited if some of the weaker growths 
re thinned out, as shown in Fig. 1. The 
x)ts must not be out off as shown at A in 
s accompanying sketch, but carefully 
Lied out. They are shown in the sketch 
denote the crowded state of clumps when 
growths are left. The removal of the 
akly shoots will give the strong ones, B, 
.pie room to grow in,, and the heads of 
wars will be extra strong. 
>lets. 
Did plants do not bear as fine flowers as 
nog ones, so that a good stock of the latter 
Juld ibe raised by layering every year, 
here plants are grown in frames, layers 
•y be obtained earlier than from outdoor 
mts, and if the requisite numter of layers 
ve not yet been secured and the frames 
• i needed for other purposes, the clumps 
>uld be taken up and some of the best of 
: rooted runners severed and duly trans¬ 
lated in a prepared border. Violet plants 
not- thrive if the soil be trodden down 
much at the time of planting, so the best 
m is to deeply dig the soil, put in some 
11-rotted manure' and plant the rooted 
Liners in rows as the work of digging goes 
' The large-leaved varieties, such as Prin- 
1 ' s of Wales, should be put out in rows 
inches apart and 16 inches from plant 
plant in -the rows. The small-leaved 
‘ ts, such as Marie Louise, may be put in 
vs 16 inches apart and 14 inches from 
nt to plant. 
; 'eet Peas. 
Hants recently put. out in rows and 
< mps should have sticks put to them forth- 
-h. Nearly all Sweet Pea plants raised : n 
I-S produce a number of strong young 
x>ts from the base of the stems. Watch 
-se closely, and protect them from slugs, 
ne dry ashes scattered around them is 
lerally sufficient to guard the tender 
lots from the pests. 
edlings for the Flower Beds. 
1 ..ontinue to transplant seedlings of tender 
d half-hardy annuals, so as to have a 
ck of strong plants to put out shortly. 
Fig. /.—Thin out herbaceous -plants now, 
removing the weakest shoots. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Suckers on Fruit Trees. 
The best time to remove suckers from frud 
trees is during the autumn and winter 
months. But where this has not been done 
and root suckers are now growing, do not 
hesitate to remove them. So long as you do 
not injure the roots of the trees, you need 
not be afraid to take away the soil and lay 
bare the suckers, as shown at A in Fig. 2. 
If the suckers be simply cut off at the soil 
level as shown at B,, more shoots will g-row 
and prove troublesome all the summer. 
Fig. 2.—Suckers are now growing from 
fruit tree roots. 
Blackberries and the Wineberry. 
Instead of allowing the young shoots of 
these to lie on the ground or penetrate 
through the centre of the clumps make a 
juidio’ous selection of the best of the new 
growths and place some stakes for their sup¬ 
port just clear of the old wood. So treated, 
the young shoots will have a better chance of 
ripening and bear full crops of berries ; n 
due season. I have often seen the young 
growths of these useful fruits gathered up 
in the autumn from beneath the old 
branches, and their appearance was that of 
partiallv ripened canes. 
Fig. 3 .—Transplant winter greens in nur¬ 
sery beds. It improves the quality of the 
plants. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Transplanting Winter Greens. 
Thousands of nice, promising seedlings 
are spoiled every year through being left 
too long in the seed beds. Instead of allow¬ 
ing the young plants to remain in the seed 
quarters until there is a vacant plot on 
which to put them, prepare a nursery bed 
and transplant them in it, as shown in 
Fig. 3 - 
Pick out the best of the plants, those grow¬ 
ing near the outside of the bed, and care¬ 
fully plant them in rows about 9 inches 
apart and 6 inches from plant to plant. This 
treatment would result in the obtaining of 
splendid plants for putting out later in the 
season. 
Beetroot- 
No time should be lost in getting in the 
seeds of Beetroot. But it is better to err in 
delaying the sowing a week or so than in 
sowing too soon. The best roots are gene¬ 
rally obtained from late-sown seeds; the 
coarsest and largest from early-sown seeds. 
Mulching Peas. 
The old saying that " it is never too late 
to mend ” dees not apply very forcibly h 
the matter of mulching Peas late in the 
season. A mulch of mlanure ot other 
material applied to a row of Peas when the 
haulm has commenced to turn yellow will 
not avail much—it will not appreciably 
mend that particular row. The best time to 
apply the mulch is while the Peas are young, 
vigorous, and growing freely; then the 
manure applied will maintain the soil in a 
moist state and so greatly benefit the roots 
of the plants and enable them to bear well 
filled pods. 
Vegetable Marrows. 
It is too soon as yet to put out Marrow 
plants, but you must not allow the plants 
to suffer in any way. If the pots in which 
they are now growling are full of roots, re¬ 
pot the plants at once. Keep them growing 
and in a healthy condition. 
Cucumbers in Frames. 
If the heat in the hotbed is found to be 
declining, put on a lining of littery manure. 
Pay regular attention to the ventilation, and 
add a top-dressing of good soil when the 
first fruits are formed. Pinch off the shoots 
at one joint beyond the set of fruit, and in 
this way secure a regular supply of Cucum¬ 
bers from a small space. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
The greenhouse will by this time be prac¬ 
tically cleared of all but the most tender of 
the summer bedding plants, and such things 
as Calceolarias and the hardy annuals 
should, after being thoroughly hardened 
off, be planted out at the earliest oppor¬ 
tunity, thus providing more space for the 
tender subjects. Having effected sudh whole¬ 
sale clearance, the house can now be re¬ 
arranged with the plants that are intended 
for its summer decoration, and the work of 
propagating many such subjects may yet 
be carried forward. It is always advisable 
to retain some of the most promising of the 
bedding plants to grow on in pots for the 
greenhouse or conservatory. Ten Week 
Stccks, for instance—that is, the double 
varieties—are capital in this respect, and 
when selecting seedlings of this most useful 
annual, it is well to remember that as a rule 
the taller and more robust looking plants 
turn out to be the singles, and may be 
picked out of the seed-pans and thrown 
away. 
Treatment of Epacris. 
These are rather more easy of culture than 
the heaths, which they somewhat resemble, 
