622 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 26, 190S. 
with powdered charcoal and sulphur to pre¬ 
vent fresh spores from entering by that 
wound. When once it has got inside the 
stem, however, it is a very troublesome 
malady to deal with. So long as the fruits 
are deriving any sustenance from the steins 
you can allow them to hang. You could 
also raise the temperature a little by arti¬ 
ficial means when the sun is deficient, at the 
same time giving a little ventilation to carry 
off the moisture created. The ventilation 
and the dry atmosphere will help a little 
to keep the fungus in check, but we are 
afraid it has already proceeded too far to 
be cured. When the stems are. no longer 
furnishing any sap to the fruits, you could 
cut the latter and lay them on a dry, warm 
s'helf and possibly some of them may yet be¬ 
come fit for use. We presume you will 
thoroughly clean out your Melon house after 
having removed the Melons. As a precau¬ 
tion, it would be well to give it another 
cleaning before making up a fresh bed next 
spring. After everything has been 
thoroughly washed with soft soap and 
water that is washable, you could then 
syringe all the surfaces with paraffin to kill 
any spores that may be there. Then use 
fresh soil from another source, if possible, 
for making up the bed. 
SOILS AND MANURES . 
3251. Best Manure for a Greenhouse. 
Would you please tell me the best manure 
to enrich the soil in my greenhouse, and 
will the same soil do for potting my plants ? 
(Urmston, Lancs.) 
There are no better manures for fertilising 
the soil in your greenhouse borders than 
Clay’s fertiliser and Thomson’s Vine 
manure. You speak of using the same soil 
for potting your plants, but if you mean 
the soil in the border of your greenhouse 
that would not be good material, as there is 
no fibre in it. Gardeners in country districts 
get their own soil by digging turf on the 
estate in situations where the soil will be 
fairly rich and filled with the roots of 
grass. This means a spot of ground similar 
to an old pasture, and even that is sometimes 
employed. This is built up in a stack to rot 
for six or twelve months, and is then fit for 
mixing with the other ingredients of which 
composts are made. In towns and other 
places where it is impossible to secure turf 
in this way you can obtain it by the bushel 
or ton from dealers in garden sundries. At 
the same time you may obtain from the same 
source good sharp, silver sand and leaf- 
mould. " These form the bulk of the composts 
used for potting plants, and they are made 
up in various proportions according to the 
plants to be potted. Manures and fertilisers 
may be mixed with the soil at potting time 
or they may be used in the form of liquid 
manure when the plants are in full growth. 
The soil of your greenhouse border would 
contain no fibre in it, and after it gets 
watered for a time it assumes the condition 
of mud when wet, and as it dries it gets 
hard and close, so that when water is applied 
it does not run freely away unless it runs 
down between the pot and the soil. In that 
case the water does no good whatever. 
There is very little nourishment likewise in 
such soils, and no gardener who respects his 
plants would use it. Such a small quantity 
is used in each pot that it must necessarily 
be cf good quality to get good results. 
NAMES OF PLANTS. 
(S. Hyde) The fungus is the Stink Horn 
(Phallus impudicus). 
(Whetstone) The Rose is Rosalind. 
(]. Henry) Phacelia tanacetifolia (The 
Tansy-leaved Phacelia). 
(W. C. H.) 1, Aster Amellus; 2, Helian- 
thus multiflorus flore pleno3, Solidago 
Virgaurea; 4, Sedum spurinm splendens; 5, 
Sedum speotabile. 
(F. R.) 1, Spiraea japonica alba ; 2, Spiraea 
Anthony Waterer; 3, Oleacnia Plaastii; 4, 
Berberis Wallichi ; 5, Rubus rusticanus flore 
pleno. 
(Reader) 1, Fatsia japonica (an Aralia, 
not a Castor Oil Plant); 2, Begonia welto- 
niensis ; 3, Nepeta Glechcma variegata. 
NAMES OF FRUITS . 
(Firs, Farnborough) Apple Duchess’s Fa¬ 
vourite. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Carter and Co., 237, 238 and 97, 
High Holbein, London. — Bulbs. 
Smith and Simons, 36-38, West George 
Street, Glasgow. — Bulb and Nursery Cata¬ 
logue. 
Agricultural and Horticultural Asso¬ 
ciation, Ltd., 92, Long Acre, London, 
W.C. — One and All Bulbs. 
- +++ - 
Prize Letter 
Competition. 
Roman Hyacinths. » 
There is no manner of difficulty in 
growing a succession of Roman Hya¬ 
cinths to be in flower from November on¬ 
wards if they are started in good time. 
Early blooms are the result of a long 
and gradual growth of roots during the 
autumn months, before the leaves make 
any appearance. They are best grown 
in boxes about six inches deep filled 
with light sandy soil, which should be 
moderately firm, pressing the bulbs well 
into the soil. They may now be placed 
in a sheltered corner of the garden, 
where they can get the rainfall in the 
usual way, covering the boxes with three 
inches of ashes, to exclude the light. 
When the green points start, some of 
the boxes may be removed to a frame, 
others to a greenhouse, where, with 
slight warmth, the flowers will soon 
appear. When colour is shown, they 
may be raised separately, and used to 
fill bowls or any other receptacle. 
Hamilton. Rosea. 
An Autumn Display of Pyrethrums. 
How often one sees in the gardens of 
amateurs—and sometimes in those of the 
professional also—the withered blooms of 
Pyrethrums, which are allowed to remain 
on the plants half-way through the sum¬ 
mer. Not only are the plants weakened 
bv this, but the owner is only getting 
half the flowers which the plants are cap¬ 
able of producing. 
Bv simply removing all the flowers, 
directly they are past their best in the 
spring and stirring the soil between the 
plants by means of a hoe, and then giv¬ 
ing copious supplies of water alternated 
with liquid manure, luxuriant growth will 
result, followed later by a wealth of 
bloom little, if any, inferior to the spring 
display. _ ' 
Coming, as these blooms do, slightly 
in advance of the early-flowering Chry¬ 
santhemums, the slight trouble involved 
will repav one tenfold. 
Sheffield. J. W. W. 
Canker in Apple Trees. 
In this district of South Wilts, many 
growers of Apple trees, of the espalier 
especially, have been troubled a great 
deal with canker. It has occurred to me 
that the following way of treating it, 
which 1 have tried, may prove not onlv 
of interest, Tut may help a good many 
others who may not know of this method 
of dealing with the disease. 
Wherever canker has attacked the trees, 
if it is not too far gone, cut away at once 
as far as possible the affected parts with 
a very sharp knife made thoroughly clean 
by washing with soapy water. Then 
thoroughly paint over the whole of the 
affected part with painter's knotting, 
which will practically make it rain- and 
weather-proof as well. Should there be 
an-" small holes which the knotting will 
not seal up, fill these with ordinary graft¬ 
ing wax. Thus new' growth will be en¬ 
couraged, which, if looked after, will 
eventually heal over and again become 
a healthy tree. 
Wilton. J. SCAMMELL. 
Malmaison Carnations. 
Very few growers of these delectable 
flowers seem a-war-e that they are suffi¬ 
ciently hardy to withstand an ordinary 
winter in the open border. My experi¬ 
ence is they will not only' withstand the 
winter unKarmed, but will be a great deal 
better in every way. I treat them as 
follows. When they have finished flower¬ 
ing they are planted out on a south bor¬ 
der, rather deeply, a mound of soil con¬ 
sisting of loam, leaf soil and sand, being 
placed round each plant. The lower 
leaves of each growth are then carefully 
removed with a' sharp knife, and the 
plants are layered in the usual way, 
being pegged down firmly into the soil 
and kept watered through a rose water¬ 
ing can when the weather is dry' to hasten 
root formation. There they remain tc 
Take care of themselves till the following 
March, when they are lifted with a ball 
of soil adhering to each plant and placed 
in 48 pots. Afterwards they are growr 
along in a cool greenhouse and splcndic 
plants are the result. 
L. S. Small. 
Beckenham. 
Earthing- Up Celery. 
The majority of amateurs generally fine 
the process of earthing Celery a somewha 
tedious one. Various methods are em 
ploy'ed, but one of the simplest and bes 1 
I have come across is as follows, Procur 
a good length of string — ordinary garde 
line will do — and place a stick at th 
end of the row. Start from here wit 
the string and take just one turn roun 
each plant, running from one to the othei; 
taking in all the leaves and seeing th; 
the string will not be much below tli 
earth when finished. If there is a doub) 
row of Celery, cross over when the eni 
of the first is reached and finish by s<j 
curing round the stick started with, 
will then be found That the plants a 
stand well up and compact, when th 
whole of the earthing up may be dor 
with the spade. The string is easily r, 
moved when the job is completed. 
A. J. Hartley. 
Parndon. 
