THE GARDENING 
WORLD . 
February 13, 1909. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters, discussing any 
gardening subject. 
Letters should not exceed 1 go words 
each in length, and must be written 
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. 
The Night-scented Tobacco (Nicotiana 
alata, better known as N. affinis) and N. 
sanderiana are well worthy of cultivation 
in pots for the decoration of greenhouses 
and conservatories. They may be profit¬ 
ably flowered in 6 in. pots and extra large 
plants may be flowered in 8 in. pots. 
Supposing the seedlings were first of all 
potted in 2 in. pots, they can next be 
potted into large 6o’s whenever the roots 
are well through the soil. The next shift 
should be into 48 size pots, that is, 5 in. 
pots or even 6 in. pots, according to the 
vigour of the plants. When the roots are 
well through the soil and interlacing 
round the sides of the pots, the plants will 
show less vigour of growth and at that 
time they may be fed with liquid manure 
once or twice a week, using it very weak 
to begin with. If larger plants are wanted 
they should be shifted into 8 in. pots be¬ 
fore they get root-bound. Feeding may 
be left off when the plants commence to 
flower. 
As the flower stem gets thrown up a 
stake should be put to it and even if there 
are more than one stem the lateral ones 
may be looped up to the central one, 
unless the plant is of unusual size and 
grown in large pots, when more stakes 
may be used to keep the stems well apart 
from one another. 
The same sort of compost used in the 
seed pans may also be used for trans¬ 
planting the seedlings into. It may be 
somewhat heavier for nlants potted off 
singly, but at the second shift a more 
substantial and richer compost should be 
employed. The relative proportions of 
this are well shown in the diagram at E. 
Beginning at the right-hand side of the 
diagram it will be seen that three parts 
of loam should be employed to one of well 
rotted cow manure, one of leaf-mould and 
one of sand. The loam should be broken 
up by hand or with the garden trowel 
and used in a lumpy condition. The 
manure should be rubbed through a half¬ 
inch sieve. The leaf-mould should be 
treated in a similar manner, to get rid 
of sticks and stones. The whole should 
then be thoroughly mixed and used at the 
second and succeeding pottings and made 
moderately firm. It should not be ram¬ 
med hard as in the case of hard wooded 
plants. 
-- 
The Swanage Horticultural Society 
will hold their show this year on August 
2nd. 
Correct Names of Two Sweet Peas. 
“The name Mrs. J. Wilcot given to the 
Spencer American Pea mentioned on p. 
36 of the ‘ Sweet Pea Annual ’ should be 
Mrs. Wilcox, and the variety there named 
Grace Wilson, which we hope to send out 
next season, has been renamed Mrs. B. 
Gilbert.” The above information has 
been sent us by Messrs. Gilbert and Son, 
Dyke, Bourne, Lines. 
A Profitable Apple Tree. 
“The Irish Farming World” mentions 
a fruitful old Apple tree of the variety 
Golden Harvey, grown by Mr. John Fahy, 
Kilmanham, Piltown, Ireland. The tree 
is about ninety years of age, and mea¬ 
sures 10 ft. in circumference at 18 in- 
above ground. Last year it bore 13,000 
Apples, which were sold at 6d. to 2s. per 
hundred, according to their quality, and 
the whole tree netted fy 10s. In former 
years the fruit was sold on the tree for 17= 
A Good Cactus Dahlia. 
Souvenir de Gustave Douzon is a good 
garden decorative Dahlia and one of the 
very best of that section. Its flowers are 
of an enormous size—quite rivalling a 
Sunflower in fact. But still it is not 
coarse or ugly. On the contrary it is 
both refined and attractive looking, while 
giving a bold effect. Its colour is a very 
pleasing shade of crimson-scarlet, and 
the individual petals being so unusually 
large, the intensity and richness of its 
colour is shown to splendid advantage. 
Grown singly as a pot plant in a border 
where brightness is lacking, it will be 
found an excellent helper, but planted in 
groups of three’s it is, of course, most 
telling. 
Highgate, N. C. T. 
Liliums. 
Liliums are the most beautiful and 
ornamental of bulbous plants. The soil 
best suited for them is peat, loam, and 
leaf-mould of good depth, and when 
planting them out of doors it is advisable 
Lo have a handful or two of sharp sand 
placed round them to preserve the bulb 
from excess of damp, and also during 
winter to place some other loose material 
over them. When potting it is advisable 
only to half fill the pots with soil, and 
only partially cover the top of the bulb, 
using moderately dry soil. They may 
then be placed in a greenhouse or frame, 
and only a slight syringing of water oc¬ 
casionally will be required until the 
growth has started, w'hen water may be 
given sparingly, and more soil added as 
growth proceeds. 
Frank Robinson. 
Hoyland Common, Nr. Barnsley. 
How to Grow Pentstemons. 
These lovely old-fashioned flowers are 
very easily grown and managed. The 
plants grow quickly, which is a consider¬ 
ation, and they like good soil, but thrive 
anywhere. Put in the young plants in 
March, and by summer there will be some 
show of bloom, increasing each year. 
The plants should not be disturbed or 
divided ; they hate to be tampered with, 
but if left to their own devices, grow into 
immense clumps. They should not be 
cut down when blooming is over, but in- 
April the old flower stems may be cut 
away, although it is not essential to do 
so, in fact, these old stems make good 
cuttings. 
Pentstemons are invaluable plants to 
have blossoming on, as they do, so late 
in the season when other flowers are fail¬ 
ing. To-day (31st October) my Pents’te- 
mons are in good bloom and have been 
so for many weeks, in spite of frost. 
C. M. Radcliff. 
Hurdlestown, Kells, Co. Meath. 
Trachelium caeruleum, 
This is a curious plant and not so ofte> 
seen now-a-days as it deserves to be. 
is a native of Italy, and far more beaut 
ful when grown under glass than in tl 
open border. It bears, very freely, larg 
corymbs of flowers of a rich violet-bh 
colour, and may be raised easily fro- 
cuttings, but a better way is to sow tl 
seed in February in a gentle heat. IVhe 
the seedlings are large enough to hand! 
pot them off in equal parts of loam an 
leaf-mould, with a dash of sand mixe 
with the soil, and if potted finally int 
54 size pots, will give a quantity of blooi 
through August and September for hous 
decoration or to furnish the conservators 
We have very few flowering plants of thi 
shade of colour, and this makes it th 
more useful. 
J. C. SCAMMELL. 
Veronica cupressoides. 
A clump of this Veronica lends i 
splendid effect to the rocker}-. It i 
really one of the best of the shrublr 
varieties for the purpose, being equal! 
as effective in winter as in summer. I 
grows about a foot in height and as th> 
name implies, is of a Cypress-like habit 
It does best in a good sandy loam, with 
a moderate dry position. 
When propagation is desired, put ; 
few inches of good soil round the base 0: 
the plant, then slightly bend over a few 
of the shoots and keep these in positior 
with pieces of bent wire (no cutting i; 
required). 
Very soon young shoots will break forth 
into the fresh soil, and in a few weeks 
time the young plants may be severed 
from the parent and taken away to form 
new plantations. 
Northampton. R. R. 
How to use Allamanda Flowers. 
Generally the flowers of the above are. 
considered useless for cutting purposes, 
yet to those who have houses and table 
decoration to do they will be found de¬ 
serving of cultivation for the above pur¬ 
pose. Remove the blooms from the 
plants when fully expanded, then takel 
some green wire of a size that will pass 
inside the stem of the flowers, but stout 
enough to prevent them turning round. 
Avoid bruising the flowers While pushing 
the wire into them. Then some shoots 
of suitable thickness can be obtained from 
the Privet (Ligustrum) or twigs of Lilac. 
In fact, there are many shrubs to choose 
from, but I advocate some wire, as you 
can bend it to take off the stiffness and 
unnatural appearance of whatever the 
arrangement may be. Finally go over 
the flowers and put inside the tube about: 
six drops of clean water, which will keep, 
them fresh four or five days. 
Weybridge. A. MIDDLETON. 
