786 
December 19, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Zealand Spinach answer the purpose? (F. 
Hodden, Norfolk.) 
Y'ou must refer to the plant properly known 
as Good King Henry, which is perennial and 
sometimes used in the same way as Spinach. 
Its botanical name is Chenopodium Bonus- 
Henricus. You can either get seeds or plants 
and raise it much in the same way as you 
would Sage or Sorrel, giving the plants 
about a foot apart each way. It could be 
sown at the beginning of April in the open 
ground, or if you get plants you can make 
a plantation in March or beginning of April. 
We are afraid that New Zealand Spinach 
would not answer the purpose for winter 
work. It is an admirable substitute for 
Spinach lin the summer time, as plants in 
good soil cover a good extent of ground, 
and you can pick leaves during the great 
part of summer. In that case you should 
sow seed in March in heat and plant out 
when the weather gets fine in May, or if you 
plant earlier, shelter the plants with bell- 
glasses if the weather is rough and un¬ 
settled. The plants then get well estab¬ 
lished early in the year and will give you 
a good return. 
3476. Forcing French Beans. 
Will you please tell me through your 
paper how to grow French beans in pots in 
a greenhouse and how to treat them? 
(G A. W., Soms.) 
Seeing that you have had no experience, 
the best plan would be to begin some time 
early in the New Year, as the light would 
then be better. Dwarf or French Beans 
might be grown in boxes or in 8 in. to 10 in. 
pots, putting five seeds in each pot at regu¬ 
lar distances. They are, perhaps, more easy 
to grow in boxes by the inexperienced. Use 
a rather light, rich compost of two parts 
mellow fibrous loam, one part of leaf mould 
and well-decayed cow dung in equal por¬ 
tions and one-third sand. Crock the pots 
or boxes well. Cover the Beans with 1 in. 
of soil. Do not fill the pots at first, but 
leave at least 3 in. below the level of the pot 
for 2 in. of top dressing, consisting of equal 
portions of fibrous loam and well-decayed 
cow manure. The top-dressing should be 
given when the Beans are above the rim of 
the pot. About this stage pinch out the 
tops of the plants to make them throw 
branches. You will require plenty of heat 
to grow Beans during the winter season. 
You should begin with a minimum night 
temperature of 60 degs., gradually rising 
to 70 degs. as the Beans geit into full growth. 
Syringe them twice a day with water at the 
temperature 1 of the house. As the stems get 
up, you will require to support them with a 
few short twiggy sprays to keep them from 
falling over. When pods have foxmed give 
weak liquid manure warmed to 80 degs. 
\\ hile growth is proceeding ventilation 
should be given according to outside condi¬ 
tions. Even a chink of 1 in. at the top 
.would be better than none at all. 
3477. Growing Potatos in Pots. 
Would you describe how to grow Potatos 
in pots, etc. (G. A. W., Soms.) 
Your best plan would be to begin by put¬ 
ting some Potato sets in boxes and standing 
them in a greenhouse or other warm struc¬ 
ture with sufficient heat to cause them to 
sprout before putting them into the pots. 
Use pots 8 in. to n in. in diameter, putting 
one good set in the smaller size and three 
in the larger. Crock the pots first, place a 
little soil on this, plant and cover the 
Potatos, leaving 3 in. or 4 in. at the top to 
permit of top-dressing with a good rich soil 
later on. It should also contain plenty of 
sand, as a light soil is better than a heavy 
one. As soon as potted place the pots close 
to the glass in a -house with a minimum night 
temperature of 50 degs. to 60 degs. This 
will cause the Potatos to come along rapidly 
and although the temperature may be al¬ 
lowed to rise during the day by sunhea-t, you 
should give air so as to make the plants 
dwarf and sturdy. When the stems are well 
above the level of the pots use a top-dressing. 
Wat(|r them when required. If you desire a 
succession you should commence potting the 
sets in batches during January, February 
and March. 
3473. Plan of Growing Scarlet Run¬ 
ners. 
b or some years past I have grown my 
Runner Beans against a wall facing south 
for the sake of the heat from the wall, but 
this year they did not do so well. The 
leaves turned yellow, and a friend told me 
they had got red spider. Do you think this 
the true cause of it, or was the ground ex¬ 
hausted by too frequent croppings ? I could 
make tall hedges of them, but I am told they 
would shade so much of the ground as to 
make the other crops unprofitable. What 
would you consider the best thing to do? 
(R. C. King, Herts.) 
Red Spider was most likely the cause of 
the leaves turning yellow, as it was preva¬ 
lent during -the past summer. If you sow 
or plant the Beans in lines running east and 
west there will be a considerable amount of 
shade on the north aspect, but if you can 
sow the lines so as to run north and south, 
then one side of the rows would get the ad’- 
vantage of the morning sun, and the side 
facing west would get the advantage of the 
sun in the afternoon. Beans may be grown 
on the same ground for many years if the 
soil is well prepared and manured. 
3479. How to Grow Big- Leeks. 
As I should like to grow some big Leeks, 
I shall be much obliged for information as 
to how -this can be done. I have some frames 
and heated greenhouse. When should the 
seed be sown? (E. Cooper, Hants.) 
Those who grow Leeks for exhibition sow 
them in heat under glass quite early in the 
year. Some would commence in January, 
but good results may be obtained by sowing 
any time up to the end of February. The 
seed boxes -may be kept in a temperature of 
55 d©gs. to 60 degs. until they germinate at 
least. When well up, the boxes may be 
stood in a cooler place near the light, where 
the seedlings will come along slowly and 
not get drawn. When of sufficient size to 
handle with plenty of -roots you can trans¬ 
plant them into other boxes, giving a little 
more space. In these boxes they may be 
grown for a while in the -greenhouse, and 
then transferred to the cold frame in March, 
when the weather gets fairly warm. In 
your case, the beginning of February would 
probably be- the best time to sow. About 
the beginning of April harden them off, and 
plant them out some time during that month 
in ground that has been well prepared. 
FRUIT. 
3480. Moss on Apple and Pear Trees. 
I have some old Apple and Pear trees in 
the garden which are very much infested 
with moss, and besides being unsightly, it 
makes the trees unhealthy. Can you tell me 
of anything that would clean them ? Is 
there any wash I could apply and effect a 
riddance of the moss? (J. Hawke, Devon.) 
A good plan would be first of all to see 
that the land is properly drained, and that 
there is no stagnant moisture about the roots 
of the trees during winter. If draining is 
necessary, this should be seen to. The moss 
or lichen may, however, be entirely due to 
the action of the moisture in the atmosphere, 
or partly so. The soil should also be well 
stirred in summer if not covered by grass. 
A wash that may be used at the present time 
would consist of 5 lbs. of caustic soda, 5 lbs. 
carbonate of potash, to 50 gallons of water. 
This would be sufficient to spray a large 
number of trees. You should use a very 
fine spray, so as to jus-t moisten every part 
of the stem and branches. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
3481. Books. 
Can you kindly let me know through The 
Gardening World w-here I could procure 
any copies of recent lectures on any interest¬ 
ing subject in connection with gardening, 
such as, the cultivation of fruit or Roses, 
and how to grow them ? Is it possible to 
get them, and what do you think the price 
would be? (D. W. D., Sutherland.) 
Usually such papers belong to private in¬ 
dividuals, except they are claimed by the 
society before whom they are read. You can 
get excellent information on Roses; for in¬ 
stance, “ Hints on Planting Roses,” by the 
National Rose Society, if still in print, may 
be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, Mr. 
Eid-ward Mawley, Rosebonk, Berkhamstead, 
Herts, price 7-d. “ The Handbook on Prun¬ 
ing Roses,” by the National Rose Society, is 
also an excellent work, and you could pro¬ 
cure a copy for 2s. 6d. if you happen to 
know any member of the National Rose 
Society. We may, however, get something to 
send you in the particular Line of gardening 
you desire. 
3482. School of Gardening. 
Can you tell me where it is best for a lady 
to learn garden making and the culture of 
flowers and plants? Is there not a school 
-in the country here in England? I have 
come from Finland, and am interested in 
garden work. (Anni Lagerborg-FitIing, 
Middlesex.) 
There are several schools of horticulture 
where ladies may study and practise gar¬ 
dening. Write to the Principal, Horticul¬ 
tural College, Swanley, Kent. If not suited 
you might try the Secretary, Royal Botanic 
Society, Regent’s Park, London, where 
lady pupils, are taken. You could also 
write to the Principal, Reading College, 
Reading, Berks. Another school is Studeley 
College, Warwick, and you should write to 
the Warden there. 
NAMES OF PLANTS. 
(T. .R. S.) 1, Epiphyllum truncatum ; 2, 
Asplenium bulbiferum fahanum; 3, Nepeta 
Glechoma variiegata ; 4, Begonia metallica. 
(R. Hiillward) 1, Jasminum nud.ifloxum : 
j2, Fiery Thorn (Crataegus Pyracant-ha); 3, 
Clematis Yiifalba; 4, Aucuba japonica; 5, 
the oval-,leaved Privet (Ligus-trum ovalifo- 
liu-m); 6, Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fra- 
. grans). 
(H. Warner) 1, Bromus hrizaeformds; 2, 
Ai-ra caespitosa; 3, Briza maxima; 4, S-t-ipa 
pennata; 5, Agrostis nebulosa. 
(G. Wilson) 1, a variety of border Auricula 
blooming out of season (Primula Auricula); 
2, Berberds Aqudfol-ium. 
NAME OF FRUIT. 
(Crosthwaite Radcliffe) Apple Pennington 
Seedling, a late-keeping dessert Apple of 
first-rate quality. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Barr and Sons, ii, 12 and 13, King 
Street, Covent Garden, Loudon.—Annual. 
Cash Clearance Sale of Daffodils and Nar¬ 
cissi ; also Annual Cash Clearance Sale of 
Spring-flowering Bulbs. 
-- 
British Columbian Apples. 
A magnificent display of Apples grown 
in the “dry belt ” of British Columbia has 
been on exhibition at Salisbury House, 
London Wall, arranged by the British 
Columbia -Development Association. 
