3 8 THE GARDENING WORLD. January 16, 1909 
What is the best and easiest method of doing 
this and when should it be done? (N. J 
Ford, Hants.) 
If you have plenty of shoots that you can 
readily bend down to the soil, you could try 
some of them at present or any time between 
this and the end of March. The plan is to 
make a tongue or cut on the under-side of 
the slender stems similar to that of a Carna¬ 
tion when being layered. A shallow hole 
could be made in the ground and some sandy 
seal and leaf mould placed in this. The 
layers should then be placed in position, 
fixing them down with a strong peg just at 
the cut. This would keep the bend open so 
as to encourage the emission of roots. If 
you are not likely to be successful' by layer¬ 
ing in spring, you could be prepared to make 
a fresh cut in them in July and to layer 
others during that period. Proceed as al¬ 
ready described, but give frequent watering 
during dry weather to encourage the emis¬ 
sion of roots. The best plan, would be to 
leave the layers on the plant until next 
spring when they are about to commence 
growing. Examine them, and, if rooted, 
sever them from the parent and transplant 
them. 
3545. Name and Propagation of 
Climber. 
Can you tell me the name of the shrub 
fiom a leaf ? It is growing on the wall of 
our house and no one can tell me the name 
of it. I have seen something like it used as 
an edging to a walk, and it you think it 
is the same thing, how can I get young ones 
to make an edging? (Duffer, Middlesex.) 
Your plant is a variety of Euonymus radi- 
cans and apparently Silver Gem, but the pre¬ 
sent is not a very good time for telling the 
names of all the varieties of this Euonymus, 
for there are several variegated forms of 
them in cultivation, differing but slightly, 
and their true colours can usually be best 
seen after making new growth ox at least in 
summer. We think it is quite likely to be 
the same as you have seen, as this shrub 
behaves very differently according to treat¬ 
ment. It is well adapted for making edg¬ 
ings and for climbing when fastened against 
a house to give it a start. 'Cuttings may be 
rcoted if inserted at various times during 
the summer and in autumn. You can insert 
them either in pots of light soil or in the 
same sort of material spread out in the bot¬ 
tom of a cold frame to the depth of 3 in. 
or 4 in. and made firm. The cuttings should 
be taken off after the young growths are fully 
developed and the leaves getting fairly firm. 
It would, of course, be well to have a piece 
of last year’s wood at the base of these young 
growths. Remove a pair of leaves to give 
you a piece of clean stem for insertion in 
the soil. Make them quit'.- firm, water them, 
and if in pots stand these in a cold frame 
ot else under a handlight. They will root 
during the course of the summer, when they 
can be potted off singly or planted out in a 
frame and encouraged to make growth until 
large enough for planting out as an edging. 
VEGETABLES. 
3546. Sowing Onions in Spring. 
Will you kindly answer the enclosed in a 
number of The Gardening World? As I 
thought my house was to be pulled down I 
did not trouble about my garden in the au¬ 
tumn. Will Red Tripoli and Giant Rocco 
seed come sowed in early spring without 
bolting to seed? (W. M. A., London, S.E.) 
Some of the Tripoli and other Italian 
Onions are well adapted for sowing both in 
autumn and in spring. Giant Rccco is suit¬ 
able for either of these seasons. The Red 
Tripoli, also known as Red Italian, gives 
most satisfaction when sown in the autumn. 
We see no reason why it should not be of 
some service to you if sown :in spring. They 
usually give most satisfaction by having a 
long season in which to develop, but if sown 
in spring that should not encourage bolting. 
Indeed, we think they would be more likely 
to bolt if sown in autumn than in spring, 
because they get checked in winter, and 
being biennial, some of them would be liable 
to bolt. We think there will be little risk 
in sowing in spring if your seed was ob¬ 
tained from a reliable source. 
3547. Sowing Tomatos in a Cold Green¬ 
house. 
I have a cold greenhouse. Can I sow 
Tomato seed this month to get them early? 
I want to grow some in pots and plant out 
the rest. If so, please tell me how to pro¬ 
ceed and oblige. (One in Doubt, Notts.) 
The present is not a good time to sow any¬ 
thing in a cold greenhouse, as the light is 
bad and the temperature low and uncertain. 
Tomatos require a good heat in the early 
stages in order to make them germinate and 
produce plants ready for potting off. They 
should at least have a temperature of 60 degs. 
by night, rising somewhat by day. Your 
better plan, therefore, would be to wait until 
the sun gains more power in March and your 
plants will just be as far advanced as they 
would likely be if you start now. Even al¬ 
though you have a greenhouse we consider 
the best plan would be to make a hotbed of 
sufficient size to give you the requisite heat 
for germinating the seeds. After they have 
been potted off and have taken to the fresh 
soil in the pots, you could then, with ad¬ 
vantage, transfer them to the greenhouse. 
FRUIT. 
3548. Fruit Tree for a Shady Wall. 
We have a Peach tree on a wall of the 
house facing south and two Pears on the 
ends. Would you recommend any fruit tree 
for the north side of the house? (Planter, 
Surrey.) 
The only fruit tree that we should recom¬ 
mend for the north aspect of the house would 
be the Morello Cherry, and then the light 
must be good, otherwise the growth made 
will not be very satisfactory and the crop 
would be poor. Whether you have sufficient 
light to give this satisfaction you must de¬ 
termine on the spot from the surroundings, 
but if the light is good the fruit may be 
allowed to hang there until it becomes nearly 
black, when it will prove useful for cooking 
purposes, or for dessert.if you like a fruit 
that is slightly acid. 
3549. Red Currants and Gooseberries. 
I have a piece of ground 20 ft. by 20 ft. 
that I intend planting with Red Currants 
and Gooseberries. If I have an equal num¬ 
ber of each, how many of each would I re¬ 
quire, and how far apart should I plant 
them ? Can I grow any other kinds of fruit 
between them? (F. Williams, Herts.) 
Gardeners often allow 6 ft. each way be¬ 
tween bushes of Gooseberries and Currants. 
You can get good satisfaction, however, if 
you plant them in rows 5 ft. apart each 
way. That piece of ground would take 
four rows each way, which would mean six¬ 
teen plants or eight of Currants and eight 
of Gooseberries. The outside row should be 
25 ft. from the edge. This will allow 5 ft. 
between each of the second, third and fourth 
rows. You will notice that the outside rows 
are exactly 2^ ft. from the edge ef all four 
sides. Before starting mark off the ground 
and put in a strong peg where each bush 
should be. You can then dig the holes regu- 
larly, so that each bush may be put in the 
centre of its hole. The only other 
kind of fruit that you can grow between 
them would be .Strawberries and that 
only for the first few years until the 
bushes thicken up. You could plant one 
row of Strawberries in the middle lin 
between the rows of bushes, and you mi<d 
also have plants between every two bush; 
in the row, but these rows of Strawberry 
should run in one direction, so as to mak 
it easy for you to go amongst them for th 
purpose of hoeing. The bushes will deri\ 
much benefit by keeping the hoe goin 1 
amongst them all through the summer, s 
that the ground should not be overcrowde- 
with Strawberries. Any varieties may b 
grown, but Royal Sovereign is a stron 
grower and good fruiter. 
3550. Pruning a Vine. 
I have a young Vine in my greenhous 
planted last spring, but the leader gc 
broken accidentally t and it made two leader 
6 ft. and 4 ft. How should I prune it 
(G. N. W., Essex.) 
If you have room to take up two rods a 
3 ft. apart both leaders might be en 
couraged to grow, but if you are in any \va\ 
confined for space one rod may prove suffi 
cient. In any case it is advisable to cu 
back the Vine within 3 ft. or 4 ft. from th 
ground. This encourages the foundation c 
a good Vine. By cutting it back you cam. 
the side shoots to develop and thus forn 
fruiting spurs later on. 
SOILS AND MANURES . 
3551. Value of Fowl Manure. 
We have a fowl house that is cleaned out 
every week, and have now a good-sized heaj. 
of manure that consists chiefly of droppings. 
Is it of any value as a manure T If so, what 
crops would it be of most use for? I grow, 
flowers and vegetables chiefly. (W. Bevax, 
Herts.) 
Fowl droppings make a very useful 
manure if properly employed. It is a very 
strong one it properly cared for, and you j 
must avoid using it in too great quantity 
The most economical^ method of keeping it 
is to place it in a shed or under a cover that' 
will throw off the rain and thus keep it dry | 
The most valuable ingredient in it is nitro¬ 
gen, and if exposed to rain much of thk 
would be washed away and lost. Even then' 
it may be valued for the phosphate which it 
contains. We should use it chiefly for vege¬ 
tables, although you can use it for making 
liquid manure for watering Roses, Fuchsias, 
Pelargoniums or other plants in pots that 
may require it. It is very useful for 
Onions, Leeks, Tomatos and Potatos. It 
should be chopped up very finely with the! 
spade if in lumps and then distributed^ 
evenly over the ground either in the trenchesl 
in which Potatos are to be planted or in the) 
case of Onions it should be turned in a few 
inches by pointing over the ground when pre¬ 
paring it for sowing. 
3552. Improving 1 Soil for Strawberries 
Is there any way of improving a rather 
heavy soil in a cold district like this to get: 
the fruits of Strawberries to ripen earlier? 
The varieties I grow are Garibaldi, Presi¬ 
dent and Sir Joseph Paxton, which come 
much earlier in other gardens not many 
miles away. (J. R., Midlothian.) 
When about to make a fresh plantation;, 
of Strawberries you should trench the 
ground at least 2 ft. deep, using plenty of 
rank stable manure. The surface of the soil 
could then be thrown mp in a series of ter¬ 
races, all sloping to the south. This couk 
be done by throwing the soil from one edge, 
of each terrace up to the other side of the 
space, so as to make a slope facing south. 
Destruction of vermin.- 
Most gardens are pestered with RATS and MICE. 1 
Every effort should be made at this time of the year to? 
exterminate them before seeds are sown. Banysz Virus 
is first rate stuff for killing these vermin. Single tube 2/*,‘ 
three tubes, 5/-. Post free from—DANYSZ VIRUS LTD., 
52, Leaden hall Street (Box 138), London, E.O. 
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