554 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 29, 1908. 
house for weeks, and especially sweet is 
the scent coming in at the windows above. 
This Honeysuckle has been planted for 
years; it is the common field kind, but 
responds nobly to generous garden culti¬ 
vation. Every year as it ceases to flower 
it is closely cut back, and in this way 
becomes a very neat and effective climber, 
covering a considerable piece of wall, and 
mounting above the window where it is 
not quite so closely pruned. 
We may be interested to remember that 
the Honeysuckle is one of our few true 
banes—“that sweet word ‘liane’” Ker- 
aer says in that wonderful book of his, 
■‘the Natural History of Plants”—a book 
that every flower lover should try to read 
at some time or another, for it opens out 
before him a veritable fairy world of 
Nature. Once I spent a whole winter 
studying these volumes, and I have never 
regretted it. No other book "will teach 
you quite what this book does, and you 
look at the whole nature-world with eyes 
that see more clearly, and a heart that 
wonders with greater wonder than ever it 
could before. 
Another use for the Honeysuckle is to 
make of it a subject for a garden arch, 
and here, too, it has a quiet beauty that 
appeals to one as greatly as more showy 
subjects, indeed, an arch that is a mass 
of sweet blossom has a charmingly decora¬ 
tive effect. It is curiously beautiful when 
associated with purple Clematis, for it 
will flower to a certain extent after the 
Clematis begins to bloom. 
F. Norfolk. 
-- 
HINTS ON WATERING 
POT PLANTS. 
^oft rain water is much better than hard 
or tap water for gardening purposes, and, 
if several tubs or butts are provided, it is 
usually possible to collect a sufficient 
supply of rain water from greenhouse and 
other roofs to last during two or three 
weeks of drought. 
Although, when a plant is flagging, it 
should be watered immediately, 'the best 
time, generally speaking, for watering 
both in garden and greenhouse is in the 
evening or early morning. To water 
plants in the middle of the day when the 
maximum amount of ventilation is being 
allowed in the greenhouse and the sun 
very powerful means that, not only is 
much of the moisture wasted by too rapid 
evaporation, but the leaves of many plants 
when wet quickly become scorched by the 
sun, when, of course, the appearance of 
the plant is spoiled. Mere sprinklings of 
water, no matter how frequently applied, 
are of little real benefit to plants, 
especially those grown in pots, because 
at the best only the roots near the surface 
of the soil are touched, those deeper in 
the pot remaining parched and dry. The 
whole of the soil in the pot must be 
thoroughly soaked with water, but it must 
also be borne in mind that wet, sodden soil 
is equally as harmful to plant life as dry 
soil, and to prevent this condition ade¬ 
quate and free drainage must be pro¬ 
vided in the pots. 
Although it is not possible to state how 
often water should be applied to pot 
plants, it is quite an easy matter to deter¬ 
mine the condition of the soil by rapping 
the sides of the pot with the knuckles. A 
dull heavy sound indicates that the soil is 
more or less moist and wet, whilst a hol¬ 
low sound denotes dryness, and when the 
soil is very dry it shrinks or contracts 
round the sides of the pot, in which case 
the best plan is to immerse the pot in a 
pail of water for fifteen or twenty minutes. 
The safest method of applying.moisture 
to pans of tender seedlings is to place 
the pan in a larger one filled with water. 
By this means all risk of injury, 
which often occurs when the seedlings are 
watered overhead through a coarse rose, 
overflooding them is avoided, but in cases 
where it is impossible to apply the mois¬ 
ture in an upward direction, as for in¬ 
stance when boxes are employed for seed 
sowing, a fine upcast rose should always 
be fitted to the can so that the water is 
sprayed gently over the seedlings. 
When applying water to foliage plants 
with the object of moistening the roots the 
water should be gently poured into the 
pot at or near the rim, and not, as fre¬ 
quently done, into the middle of the plant, 
careful syringing and sponging being 
the best way to moisten and cleanse the 
foliage. ORTUS. 
- a. w. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS.' —Competitors most 
write on one side of the paper only. Regular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con¬ 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any way,* any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be oare- 
fuily read. 
- *+* - 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINGS Will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, smch as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege¬ 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making the award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
following date of issue. Entries received later 
than Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OP 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the best papers in this competition 
are too long, and we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
A prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “ R. Thatcher ” for the article 
on “ Annuals for Pot Culture," page 540. 
In the Prize Letter Competition a prize 
was awarded to “A. Dennett,” for the article 
on “A Fruit Protector”; and another to 
“F. Robinson ” for the article on “ Asters for 
Exhibition,” page 547. 
Zonal 
Pelargoniums 
And their Culture. 
It would be difficult to name a mor 
popular plant for gardens of ever 
description. Throughout the whole yea 
Zonal Pelargoniums play a very impoi 
tant part in keeping the greenhouse ga\ 
Nothing is more cheerful in the dui 
days of November, December, and eve: 
through the first months of the year tha 
a well managed batch of these exceed 
ingly showy plants. Nor does thei 
beauty end here, though the genera 
dearth of flowers is by this time bein; 
considerably relieved by other subject 
coming more readily into bloom. 
One may have great success with thes 
popular flowers by the following methO' 
of culture. When cutting out the of 
plants about the first week in October in 
sert the points of the shoots in sand 
soil three in 4-inch pots, keeping them i: 
a temperature of 45 degrees at night wel 
up to the light, and on the dry side fo 
the winter. 
In March pot singly into threes in ligh 
soil, . and give the old position with 
slight rise ofitemperature for the first for: 
night, and pinch out the points whei 
growing vigorously. About the end 0 
May repot into their flowering (6 inch 
pots. The material for this shift shouh 
be turfy loam well broken up with a goo< 
supply of old lime rubbish or rough sand 
the proportion to be determined accord 
ing to the nature of the loam, but suffi 
cient to keep the latter porous. Firn 
potting is essentia] in order to have firm 
short-jointed free-flowering plants. Adc 
a 6 inch potful of bone-meal to the bar 
rowload of soil. 
The plants may now occupy a coo 
frame, which should be shaded from thi 
mid-day sun, and ventilate carefully fo: 
a week, after which they will get accus 
tomed to this position and gradual!; 
harden. 
Dew the foliage in the afternoon 
of warm bright days, which is preferabh 
to much watering at the roots, but whei 
water is given see that the roots are pro 
perly moistened through. Remove thi 
lights ultimately, only replacing them ii 
the event of heavy rains. Pinch-all flower 
and leading shoots until the middle 0 
August. The plants will come int< 
flower by October, and may be arrangec 
in the show house in the lightest possibh 
part. Keep a steady dry temperature 0 
about 45 degrees at night with a litth 
ventilation at all times if possible. Wate 
very sparingly, and give occasional appli 
cations of liquid manure. In March thi 
plants will be reinvigorated by removins 
carefully with a pointed stick a portioi 
of the surface soil, and replacing this wit) 
a good strong compost of sandy soil an< 
some approved artificial manure. Stab 
the plants as they need it, and they wil 
continue to throw up fine trusses in abun 
dance till October again. 
Tim. 
-- 
The gross liabilities of the Royal Bo 
tanic Society of London were, in 1905 
,£33,015; in 1906, ,£33,374; and in 1907 
^3 3 , 73 2 - 
