THE GARDENING WORLD 
ovember 21, 1908. 
s be given with discretion. It is a good 
a to let the potting compost become rea¬ 
lly dry between waterings. In very 
1 weather and when the outside atrno- 
jre is so heavily charged with moisture, 
isurprising how long the potting compost 
remain just sufficiently moist to keep 
eeedling plants in a desirable state. It 
ren in this state that the greatest care 
eded, for like all other seedling plants 
r ids are liable to damp off at their base 
(larger plants to become disfigured with 
, caused from damping or rotting. It is 
-able that where it can possibly be done 
liots containing seedling plants should 
pped just sufficiently to reach the sur- 
cof the potting compost. Watering over- 
4 is often desirable during the bright 
iaer months, but during the winter it is 
; to refrain as far as possible from wet- 
1 the foliage. 
' e water used is also another considera- 
j I do not think it will be possible to 
>\n any degree of success in raising and 
ang seedling Orchids where hard water 
;ed. Rain water should always be ob- 
jible by having tank storage sufficient 
vatering purposes. At the winter season 
: re yearj when changes are so frequent, 
e.re accustomed to having cold rains, the 
b riving snow water, and other elements 
1. haw a tendency to lower the tempera- 
r of the water in the tanks to such a de- 
t that if a thermometer is placed in them 
dnd it considerably lower than the nor- 
, temperature of the house. To use such 
; >r would possibly give undesirable 
r ks to and probably cause the destruction 
the young plants. It is advisable, there- 
;, to keep a tank or tub in the houses full 
fain water, ready for use at any time. I 
••Id advise that this water should be kept 
least two or three degrees above the nor- 
1 temperature of the house. If necessary 
< water should be added to raise it to the 
(red temperature. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
Aubergine. 
me of the least known of the little- 
: \vn vegetables to be seen at Covent 
Lden Market is the Aubergine. Its 
tpe is almost that of a very small In- 
l n club, and the skin is of a shiny 
1 pie. Skilfully prepared it is a most 
faury vegetable. 
i w of Home Bottled and Preserved Fruits 
1 Vegetables. 
'his show will be held under the aus- 
)es of the Royal Horticultural Society 
1 their hall at Westminster on Novem- 
) 26th and 27th, when awards of cups, 
tdals and prizes will be made. 
lerican Gooseberry Mildew and Black Cur- 
t Mite. 
t is suggested that purchasers of 
-oseberry and Black Currant bushes 
> mid insist on a guarantee being given 
: the vendors of such bushes that no 
lease has appeared in their stocks this 
jir. 
t onial Grown Fruit. 
I show of fruits from our British 
Clonies will be held at the Royal Horti- 
c tural Hall, Westminster, from Novem- 
26th to the 30th inclusive, the open- 
i I ceremony being performed by the 
I ght Hon. Lord Strathcona and Mount 
lyal. G.C.M.G. “The Cultivation of 
( rus Fruits” will be the subject of a 
1 ture to be delivered on the first day 
1 the show by Mr. Archibald J. Brooks, 
< the Agricultural School, Dominica. 
729 
Address : The Editor, The Gardening 
World, 37 and 38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
The Editor invites enquiries, which may 
cover any branch of gardening. Questions 
should be as brief as -possible and written on 
one side of the paper only; a separate sheet 
of paper should be used for each question. 
Replies cannot be sent by post. 
Garden Plans. —G ardeners who would make 
the. best use of this column are invited to - 
prepare and forward to us a rough outline 
drawing or plan of their gardens, indicating 
the position of beds and lawns, the charac¬ 
ter and height of the fence or wall; posi¬ 
tion of vegetable garden, orchard, etc. The 
north side of the garden and any over¬ 
shadowing buildings should be denoted. It 
should also be stated whether the garden is 
-flat or on a declivity, and all large trees 
should be marked. Particulars of the na¬ 
ture of the soil will also help us to give 
satisfactory replies. When such plans are 
received they will be carefully fled, with 
the name and address of the sender, and 
will be consulted by the Editor whenever an 
enquiry is sent. 
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE. ROOM PLANTS. 
3387. Keeping Coleus. 
I have two Balsams with leaves like en¬ 
closed. Are they annuals, or is it no use to 
keep them? (N. E. C., Kent.) 
The specimens y r ou sent us are not Bal¬ 
sams but Coleus, which are ornamental¬ 
leaved plants for warm greenhouses or 
stoves. They are perennials, but unless you 
can command plenty of heat in winter they 
cannot be preserved in an ordinary green¬ 
house. If you have any house which you 
keep at a temperature of 50 degs. by night 
during the winter, they would just pull 
through, and as the weather gets warmer 
in spring you could then take cuttings and 
rear plants again from them. In the spring 
they would be better fpr a little bottom heat, 
which could be secured by standing the pots 
containing the cuttings in a box or on a tray 
just over the hot-water pipes, not necessarily 
close to them, otherwise the pipes would 
dry them up too quickly. Balsams proper 
are flowering plants requiring a similar 
amount of heat, but they are annuals. The 
Coleus may be grown in any ordinary green¬ 
house in the summer time. 
3388. Repotting Calceolarias. 
I have a batch of Calceolarias in 3 in. 
pots with the leaves nearly covering the 
soil. When ought these to be potted and 
what size of pots should I use? Last year 
I got them spoiled with green fly just as 
they were coming into bloom. What should 
I do to prevent this in spring? (T. Ridley, 
Suffolk.) 
Repotting might have been done a little 
earlier to advantage in bringing the plants 
through November and December. You 
may, however, give them a shift into 45 in. 
pots, which will be sufficient to keep them 
growing and carry them on till February, 
when you can shift them again into pots 65 
in. to 8 in. in diameter if the vigour of the 
plants warrants the larger shift. Keep-a 
close watch upon the plants at all times for 
green fly, but especially when the weather 
begins to get warm again, and as soon as 
you detect the presence of fly on the leaves 
lightly fumigate the house with “ XL-All,” 
choosing a still night for the purpose. The 
secret of getting clean, healthy Calceolarias 
is to attend to them at once when only a few 
green fly are showing themselves 
3389. Treatment of Geraniums and 
Fuchsias 
What can I do with Geraniums that have 
grown too tall for a window and now look 
straggling? Should Fuchsias be kept dry 
in winter,, and when and how is the best 
time to prune them ? I have two tuberous- 
rooted Begonias that have now done bloom¬ 
ing. When is the best time to.repot them? 
(R. Dyke, Sussex.) 
You may cut back the Geraniums to a 
good bud on each of the shoots made during 
the past summer. Get the lowest bud on 
each shoot, as this enables you to commence 
again with compact plants, which are more 
likely to become bushy. Keep the plants 
rather dry and resting until they push into 
full leaf again, when more water should 
bs given them. The Fuchsias may be kept 
on the dry side, though not dust-dry. You 
can prune them into shape at the present 
time and that will reduce their bulk. If 
you desire the pyramidal shape, you will 
have to prune so that the lower branches 
will be longest and gradually^ shorter to¬ 
wards the top of the plant. Gradually with¬ 
hold water from the Begonias till they die 
down, then let them go fairly dry and keep 
them in a cool place till spring. Then, 
about the end of March place them in a 
sunny window and give them a little water 
to encourage fresh growth. When shoots 
appear above the soil repot them in fresh 
compost. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
3390. Best Pink Sweet Peas for Exhi¬ 
bition. 
I want to exhibit in three classes for pink 
Sweet Peas, namely', dark, medium and light 
pink. My selection for the medium is Coun¬ 
tess Spencer; the light one Princess Vic¬ 
toria. Now I want a nice dark pink, carry¬ 
ing four blooms of a giant size. Which 
would you recommend and what is your 
opinion of Audrey Crier and Olive Bolton? 
I do not want igoq novelties. Which is the 
best of the following three for keen compe¬ 
tition, Mrs. Hardcastle Sykes', Bobby K. and 
Princess Victoria? (Ernest William, Pem¬ 
brokeshire.) 
Countess Spencer and Princess Victoria 
are very good for the purpose you mention. 
