December 26, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
795 
siseased ones found removed. Ventilate 
reely and admit all the light possible to 
hem. 
Manure and Trenching. 
Continue to wheel manure to vacant plots 
nd to carry on the work of trenching in 
ne, open wea/thex. 
:lean Tools. 
Keep spades, garden forks, hces, trowels, 
.nd all tools well oiled when not in use. 
I Sincerely Wish All Readers a Very 
Iappy Christmas. 
Foxglove. 
he Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
he Welcome Holidays. 
Many a busy enthusiast looks forward 
agerly to the holidays, when he can spend 
n hour or two of real delight—and daylight 
-in his cherished greenhouse, and what a 
leasure it is to pass the time looking over 
ne’s carefully collected stock of plants. 
,'or will there be any lack of congenial em- 
lcyment, for the young autumn-grown 
sedlings and struck cuttings will require 
ttenstion. 
If he has taken time by the forelock, the 
tructure will not be blossomless. Roman 
nd other Hyacinths, and early Narcissus, 
otted amongst the foliage plants, or 
rouped together if preferred; the lordly 
arums too, always thirsty, rearing their 
aowy spathes above the handsome leaves ; 
nhilst Cyclamen, Begonias, Veronicas, with 
erhaps a few Lamtanas or brilliant Jacoby 
leraniums, all lend the charm of colour to 
he scene. 
Such things as Viburnum Tinus, Lilacs in 
arietv, and the beautiful Deutzia gracilis, 
> say nothing of Spiraeas, Dielyitras, etc., 
lay be brought in from the plunging beds 
nd started into active growth in the genial 
■armth of the house. Then again, there is 
selection to be made for household use dur- 
ng the festive season, Ferns and foliage 
lants, many of which will suffer for some 
.me after, from the effects of their removal 
> draughty or gas-heated rooms, whilst for 
ible decorations, nothing can be better than 
re various bulbj, grown specially in fancy 
owls or vases containing moss or fibre. 
'op-dressing Vines. 
Grape-vines, or, for the matter of that, 
lost other climbers, planted out in the 
reemhouse border, will greatly benefit at 
has time of the year if a gcod top-dressing 
e given them. Some of the old soil may 
e removed and replaced with a like quantity 
f new, sweet compost of a richer nature, 
tith which some old, well-decayed manure 
ias been incorporated. If preferred, how- 
ver, the latter may be lightly forked into 
he existing top soil, care being taken not 
0 disturb the roots more than necessary dur- 
ng the operation. Some amateurs, more es¬ 
pecially the ladies, object to the use of stable 
ranure in the greenhouse, and these “ clean 
;ardeners ’’ should substitute one of the 
/ell-known and much-advertised artificials, 
hose containing potash being given the pre- 
erence, as they are especially beneficial to 
7 ines. 
lerbaceous Calceolarias. 
Whilst the shrubby or bedding Calceo- 
anias have to be content with winter quar¬ 
ts. in a cold frame, the choice herbaceous 
- ar<ieties are enjoying the protection of the 
,'reanhouse. Whether rooted cuttings or 
eadliings, the autumn-raised plants, need a 
;ood deal of attention during these dull, 
nodst days, when they are so liable to suffer 
rom “damping.” When necessary, potting 
:>n must be resorted to, as it is a bad plan 
0 allow them to become potbound, and 
vater must be given occasionally, as they 
■mist not be permitted to get really dry. Use 
1 fine-rosed can for the purpose, and at the 
■ame time remove any decaying leaves, 
which, if retained, soon become mildewed, 
and are liable to spread disease to other 
plants. 
Even in this simple operation,' however, 
some care is necessary, for if pulled away 
roughly the bud at the base of the leaf-stalk 
will ’come away with it. This bud, of 
course, means a new shoot, and its untimely 
removal may spoil the future symmetry of 
the plant. 
hard-wooded Plants. 
As a general rule it is not advisable to 
subject this class of plants, which includes 
the popular Ericas or Heaths, to over -much 
artificial heat, especially in the confined" 
space of a small greenhouse. Such heat na¬ 
turally dries the atmosphere, and must be 
counteracted by a more liberal use of water, 
and the water, condensing on the glass 
roof, is apt to drip on the plants beneath, 
to the detriment of both leaves and expanded 
flowers. 
It is better, therefore, to allow at this 
season of the year the minimum of fire-heat 
which is consistent with the safety of the 
plants, although during damp or foggy days 
sufficient heat must be kept going to render 
buoyant the muggy, stagnant atmosphere. 
Potting -Tuberoses. 
These very chaste flowers may be had in 
bloom at almost any season by successional 
pottings, and as the tubers are now on. sale 
there is -no reason why a first batch should 
not be started at once, providing a bottom 
heat of about 65 degs. or 70 degs.- can be 
easily maintained. 
Unlike the Narcissus, Hyacinths and other 
bulbs, they do not require plunging, but 
may be started in heat directly they are 
potted. It is usual to insert three or four 
together in a seven-inch pot, but a better 
plan is to start each tuber singly in a pot 
of small dimensions, repotting several to¬ 
gether if desired without disturbing the 
roots. The fresh compost then added will 
be greatly beneficial during the flowering 
sitage. Ordinary good potting soil will do 
for them, with the addition of some finely- 
pulverised cow manure when they are trans¬ 
ferred to the larger-sized pots. 
To obtain the best results, the scales should 
be removed, and all the small eyes rubbed 
off from the sides of the tubers previous to 
potting them, the ma.in growths at the top 
only being retained, thus concentrating all 
the energy of the plant into the flowering 
stem. 
Dwarf Beans Under Glass. 
Where they are not objected to, a useful 
crop of early Beans may be obtained by sow¬ 
ing now in a temperature of about 60 degs., 
either in eight-inch pots or in boxes, using 
light soil of a very leafy nature. Ne Plus 
Ultra is the Best forcing variety, and three 
Beans may be inserted in a pot, room being 
left for a good mulching of rich compost as 
they come into flower. Sown now, a picking 
should be to hand by the end of March. 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Cultural Remarks. 
At this season of the year, when the light 
offers so little encouragement to the growth 
■in plants, great care is needed to be on the 
safe side in affording anything like liberal 
treatment, such as a little extra fire heat 
and perhaps a corresponding increase in at¬ 
mospheric moisture. The outside conditions 
being so changeable, the least excess of mois¬ 
ture becomes detrimental to the well-being 
of any plants in a state of growth, and this 
is especially the case when a sudden change 
outside causes a rapid decrease in the tem¬ 
peratures of the houses. I have on previous 
occasions in The Gardening World pointed 
out the necessity of avoiding these sudden 
checks if possible, and also of keeping the 
atmosphere in the houses as dry as circum¬ 
stances will permit, so that should a sudden 
increase of artificial heat be required the 
atmospheric moisture may be readily dis¬ 
persed. I have found that plants rarely 
take injury if subjected for a period to rea¬ 
sonably low temperatures, providing they 
are kept without root moisture and that the 
atmospheric moisture is reduced accordingly. 
In my opinion it is far more beneficial to 
plants to permit the temperature to become 
a few degrees below the normal when severe 
conditions are prevailing outside, rather 
than to attempt to retain normal conditions 
through having to resort to excessive fire 
heat. 
I would like also to point out here what 
I consider a most important item, and which 
amateurs would do well to think out— 
that is, the question of having sufficient heat¬ 
ing surface, or in other words enough piping 
in the houses, so that at any time there 
should be sufficient heating power available 
to retain the desired temperatures in the 
houses, without excessive driving of tie 
boiler. The horticultural builder, when esti¬ 
mating for the construction of houses, natur¬ 
ally expects competition, and only provides 
for what is customary and usual, and in ad¬ 
dition to this it should be remembered he has 
■ not a grower-s experience. So that in all 
cases of new erections it will be advisable to 
at least double what is usually by the buil¬ 
der considered sufficient, and to have boiler 
power to a corresponding extent. The resuit 
will be such as to fully compensate for me 
extra initial cost; the saving of fuel alone 
will be considerable, and the greater ease 
of working will effect economy of labour 
The plants having the benefit of mere fa¬ 
vourable conditions, will not so readily be¬ 
come subjected to attacks from insect pests. 
Covering- the Roof. 
It is surprising the amount of difference 
the covering of. the roof and sides of the 
houses with a few mats makes, especially in 
windy weather. I consider the winter cover¬ 
ing of the roofs where lath roller blinds are 
used, to be a great advantage; in fact one 
of the greatest advantages that can be 
claimed for the use of this class of shading 
for Orchid houses. There will always be 
a considerable gain where an air space can 
be left between the covering material and 
the glass. The glass will then not be nearly 
so liable to become -covered with frost as 
when the covering comes into direct contact 
with the glass. The tiffany fold blinds make 
useful coverings for the sides and exposed 
ends, as they may be arranged so as to be 
readily fixed or removed as the conditions 
may require. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
French Gardening. 
M. Aquatias, the well-known French 
gardener, has accepted an engagement to 
forthwith undertake the development of 
French gardens at Tiptree, Essex. Tip- 
tree is a place noted for small holdings, 
there being no fewer than two hundred and 
fifty small holders there operating areas 
varying in extent from one to fifty acres, 
and growing chiefly fruit, seeds and 
flowers. The laying out of three French 
gardens has already been begun at Tip- 
tree, and in a few days M. Aquatias will 
personally superintend the creation of a 
fourth. The introduction of this system 
into Tiptree by Mr. F. Mynott, of Brook 
Hall, has provided employment for what 
is usually a slack season of the year, more 
than fifty men having been engaged lay¬ 
ing water mains, building hous»s on small 
holdings, and preparing the soil for 
French gardens during the last three 
months. 
