774 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 12, 1908. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters, discussing any 
gardening subject. 
Letters should not exceed /50 words 
each in lejigth, and must be written 
Autumn Treatment of Climbing; Roses. 
Climbing Roses, or so-called climbing 
because of the vigorous growth they 
make, enabling one to train them over 
arches and pergolas, or to fix them to 
walls or houses in espalier fashion, re¬ 
quire at this season special treatment. 
They have finished, or most of them have 
finished blooming, so do not leave the 
pruning till the spring. All the old 
wood, that has bloomed, should be cut 
away now; this will enable the tree to 
get plenty of air and light, and throw 
all the strength into the new shoots which 
will bear the flowers of next year, and 
also encourage fresh growth from the base 
of the tree. Do not fasten them too 
tightly to the arch or wall, but give 
them room to grow farther yet, and do 
not prune the long shoots until the spring, 
when the soft tips should be removed. 
Finally, make a small trench round each 
tree and give some liquid manure once 
or twice a week. 
Wimbledon. B. B. 
Colchicum autumnale. 
A few weeks ago these pretty little 
Crocus-like flowers were peeping above 
the ground, looking much like the 
Crocus of springtime, so much so that 
they have earned for themselves the 
name of autumn Crocuses. They thrive 
in almost any soil or situation. I saw 
some during the past season growing 
in a meadow beneath the shade of a 
Lime, while in the garden they seem 
equally at home in a sunny flower border. 
Propagation is effected by division of the 
corms, which have the reputation of 
being very poisonous. The best time to 
divide them is during early summer while 
the bulbs or corms are dormant. They 
look extremely well when planted in some 
sheltered nook in the rockery. The 
best varieties are album, purpureum, 
roseum and striatum. 
Harbledown. A. -Dennett. 
Treatment for Failing- Roses. 
It is a very common thing, in the 
latter part of June to hear people com¬ 
plaining of their Rose leaves turning 
yellow and the buds withering and fall¬ 
ing off. My Roses were affected in this 
manner last June, so I dug them up and 
found a cluster of bugs, very much like 
the common house bug, eating the bark 
off the stem close to the roots. I washed 
the trees, mixed soot and lime in the 
hole, and replanted them ; and now they 
have recovered and look healthy. I have 
treated two dozen in this manner, all 
Teas and H. Teas, and have taken some 
good specimens from Mrs. W. J. Grant, 
Antoine Rivoire, and others, on the 1st 
of October. 
Crowthorne, Berks. A. Gamble. 
on one side of the paper only. 
Two Prizes of 2s. 6 d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the 
best. 
Chrysanthemum uliginosum. 
This is a most valuable herbaceous 
perennial for the autumn, and should be 
grown by every amateur gardener. The 
white moon daisy-like flowers are borne 
in trusses of six or seven flowers on the 
top of stems four or five feet in height, 
and are most useful for house and table 
decoration, and it is a very effective and 
stately border plant. It is not at all 
particular as to soil and will thrive in 
any good garden soil, and is easily 
propagated by division and offsets. 
. Edwin G. Extence. 
Redland, Bristol. 
The Bladder Cherry. 
This is an old-fashioned fruit which 
is too often neglected nowadays, but is 
very useful for Christmas decoration. 
The fruit is a bright red cherry encased 
in a brilliant orange-hued crust, which 
is pretty in itself and may be used for 
decoration for a few weeks before being 
removed to leave the cherry exposed 
to view. Well-grown specimens hav-q 
stems from a foot to eighteen inches in 
height, bearing white flowers. Purchase 
a couple of plants now and set them 
firmly in good deep garden soil in a 
sunny position. A little liquid manure 
given during the early part of next sum¬ 
mer will help them to flower freely. 
The fruit will ripen during October and 
when a rich orange it should be gathered. 
It keeps best in water. The botanical 
name of the Bladder Cherry is Physalis 
Alkekengi, but a new and much larger 
variety is now on the market called P. 
Francheti. 
E. Vyner. 
A Hint for the Winter. 
Should bad weather make outdoor 
work for a time impossible, let your 
energies be directed towards a thorough 
cleaning of indoor foliage-plants. Sponge 
the leaves on both sides with warm water, 
in which Gishurst Compound, or soft 
soap with a very little paraffin has been 
dissolved.. Wash the upper side of the 
leaves with clear water, to give the 
brightest appearance possible ; but what 
remains of the soapy solution on the 
under surface can be left, as an assist¬ 
ance against plant-pests. Remove brown 
leaves, trim palms, etc. If pots have 
become dirty or green, and it is unde¬ 
sirable to disturb their occupants, scour 
the outside before cleaning the plants. 
The staging may suitably be cleaned 
before re-arrangement. Attention to 
these simple matters of cleanliness aids 
wonderfully in promoting healthy and 
vigorous growth in plant-houses, as well 
as in improving their general appear¬ 
ance. 
West Hampstead. Helen Colt. 
The Culture of Heaths. 
Ericas are highly esteemed as rod 
plants. They are easily propagated b' 
cuttings of the current season's growtl 
inserted in a compost of one part loam 
half a part of leaf-soil, half of peat, anc 
a good sprinkling of sharp sand. Plao 
five or six cuttings around the edge o 
a small pot and press firmly. Plao 
these in a cold frame under a bell glass 
every morning removing the moisturi 
that has collected on the glass with ; 
cloth or sponge, and shade from the sun 
When nicely rooted, transfer singly t< 
small pots in the same compost as previ 
ously recommended. Firm potting anc 
perfect drainage are essential; inade 
quate drainage is ofttimes the cause o; 
failure. Eventually plant out in tin 
open. I append a few of the best varie 
ties,, namely: stricta, carnea, mediter- 
ranea, ciliaris, cinerea, and E. Tetralix. 
H. Stevens. 
Woodbridge, Suffolk. 
Mushrooms for Amateurs. 
It is an easy matter to grow these in 
any cool shed or cellar if the trouble 
is taken to prepare the usual materials 
for making a bed. This may be of any 
size to suit, from 4 to-6 feet square, and 
from 1 foot to 15 inches in depth. Place 
the horse droppings, as gathered, in a 
dry airy place, protected from the rain, 
taking care to turn them every day to 
allow the fiercest heat to escape, before 
being finally made into a bed. No better 
time than the months of September and 
October can be selected for growing 
Mushrooms. When the heat has sunk 
to 80 degs. the bricks of spawn, broken 
up to the size of an egg, can be inserted 
8 inches apart. Allow two days to elapse 
before about two inches of maiden soil 
are spread evenly over the bed. After 
ten days cover with one foot of dry straw 
and, if the spawm is good, in five to six 
weeks a good crop of Mushrooms may 
be looked for. J. SCAMMELL. 
Planting- Roses. 
Many amateurs are going in for some 
Roses this autumn, maybe for the first 
time, therefore a little advice on the 
proper treatment of them may not be 
amiss. Don’t plant your Roses with 
other flowers unless‘you are bound to for 
want of space. I -did, when I first grew 
Roses, and paid the cost in inferior 
blooms and stifled trees. Roses want a 
bed to themselves. Nature should be 
studied. Roses want space, light, sun¬ 
shine and plenty of air. A lot of other 
plants amongst the Rose bushes draw 
the goodness from the ground for them¬ 
selves, take the sunshine and often the 
rain and keep it to themselves, and en¬ 
twine themselves about the bushes and 
prevent them making the necessary 
growth for next season’s blooms. Once 
bit, twice shy, therefore remember this 
word in season and get the best out of 
the Roses you are planting. 
Wimbledon. ,, B. B. 
- '-+++ - 
Preservation of Commons and Footpaths. 
The Commons and Footpaths Preserva¬ 
tion Society are acting as arbitrators in 
several Rights of Way disputes, and are 
dealing with 380 cases of the obstruction 
of footpaths and other highways, and the 
enclosure of common lands. 
