October 3, 1908. 
the gardening world 
635 
not dig them into the ground nor store them 
with others being kept to form leaf-soil, as 
you would thus harbour the insects in the 
heaps and retain them in the soil if they 
were dug into it, so it is better to burn them 
and, eventually, all prunings, and return 
the ashes to the soil. 
Planting- Raspberries^ 
It is a mistake to retain old Raspberry 
roots; when the clump covers a piece of 
ground about i ft. across the new roots made 
each year are smaller than is desirable, and 
the canes, too, get weaker and bear lighter 
crops. 
Therefore it is a wise plan to plant more 
canes, and in another part of the garden if 
possible. Single rows of plants generally 
prove most profitable, and it is a very easy 
matter to protect the ripening fruit with 
nets. A in Fig. 2 shows a weakly plant, and 
B a cane of medium strength. Deeply dig 
and well manure the ground. Next week I 
will give some hints on the planting of canes 
similar to the one B. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Cutting Down Asparagus. 
In the southern counties the “ grass ” is 
now ripe .enough for cutting. Possibly there 
will be a number of weeds growing amongst 
it, and if so, they should be pulled up and 
carefully placed in a box to prevent the 
seeds falling to the ground, and then taken 
to the garden fire. Cut off the Asparagus 
plants B, shown in Fig. 3, a few inches 
above the soil, as shown at A. The l ' grass,” 
too, should be burned. Then, if it be a fine 
day, and such a one should be chosen for 
this work, hoe off all small weeds and 
gather them up with a rake. But do not 
cover the bed with manure; leave it bare 
for a time. 
Winter Greens. 
Advantage should be taken of a fine day 
to get the ground hoed between the rows of 
Winter - Greens which have been lately 
planted. This hoeing will be sufficient, as 
the plants will prevent weeds later on grow¬ 
ing to any great size, as the earlier and 
larger specimens now do. 1 he hoeing will 
do good in another way, too; it will loosen 
the surface soil and promote a healthy 
growth. 
Broad Beans. 
Trench a plot of ground in readiness for 
the sowing of seme seeds later. Select an 
open position, but leave the soil in a lumpy 
1 state. 
Cauliflowers. 
Protect any flowers that are forming from 
frost by breaking two or three leaves over 
them. 
Mushrooms. 
Collect manure every morning from the 
stables, and place it in an open shed for 
making up more beds. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Housing the Tender Plants, etc. 
With the advent of October the rooted 
| cuttings of Zonal Pelargoniums and other 
; things should be got in before frosts arrive, 
j and if more are to be struck a little gentle 
bottom heat will greatly expedite matters, 
but it must be remembered that the eaily- 
struck plants stand better through the wm- 
ter than late ones, and make sturdier stuff 
in the spring. Overwatering must now be 
carefully guarded against, plants that are 
resting requiring only just sufficient to keep 
them from flagging. 
Insect pests must be looked for, each plant 
being thoroughly cleansed and examined be¬ 
fore admittance to the greenhouse, after 
Fig. 1.—Wallflowers should now he -plan¬ 
ted out where they are to bloom. Do not put 
out specimens similar to A, but those like B. 
which they should be periodically gone over 
for the purpose of removing any decaying 
leaves. All winter-flowering subjects should 
be encouraged into a compact and sturdy 
habit of growth, weakly plants never giving 
anything like satisfactory results ; keep them 
therefore as near the glass as possible, and 
allow a free play of air around each one. 
Tuberous Begonias. 
There are few things, if any, that make 
such a brilliant display as these when in 
full flower and artistically grouped. As 
they finish blooming, water should be gradu¬ 
ally withheld, in order to induce the foliage 
to die down, after which the tubers may be 
shaken out and stored for the winter in some 
dry and frost-proof place. Some of the later 
started ones will yet be full of blossom, how¬ 
ever, and in small greenhouses, where the 
space is required for the indispensable 
Chrysanthemums, they may be induced to 
ripen off more rapidly if placed outside in 
some sheltered position, being carefully 
guarded, however, against frost; in fact 
some gardeners invariably finish their Be¬ 
gonias off in this manner. 
Winter-f lowering and Foliage Varie¬ 
ties. 
The former, which includes the ever- 
popular Gloire de Lorraine, delight in a 
good rich soil, and should have received 
their final potting some weeks since, as ad- 
p,„_ 2.—A, weahly unripened Raspberry 
cane; B, cne of medium strength and well 
ripened. 
vised. They require a somewhat genial tem¬ 
perature, but nevertheless must not be 
coddled, or they will become weak and 
straggling. Give them a fair amount of ven¬ 
tilation, and when they are well established 
weak applications of manure water will keep 
them in good flowering form. 
With the glorious Rex family, the hand¬ 
some foliage makes them almost invaluable 
for greenhouse decoration. Where stove heat 
is not available, the chief aim of the grower 
during the winter season should be to pre¬ 
serve the matured leaves rather than to in 
duce the formation of new ones, although 
with a steady temperature of about 60 degs. 
they may be kept growing freely. 
A Striking Succulent. 
One of the brightest, and by no means 
the least interesting, plants which st’ll 
brighten the house is Rochea—or Crass ala 
falcata. Its terminal corymbs of bright 
crimson flowers at once attract attention, 
whilst its thick, fleshy leaves, if pulled from 
the stem when mature, and placed on a pot 
of sand, will soon throw out rootlets, lend¬ 
ing themselves, in common with other plants 
of the order, to this somewhat novel method 
of propagation. Cuttings may yet be taken, 
and should be laid aside to dry for a time 
Fig. 3.—Cut down Asparagus that is ripe 
enough. Cut off the plants B as shown at A, 
just above the level of the surface soil. 
before inserting them. When rooted, pot 
them off singly in the same compost as used 
for Cacti. 
Notes on Cyclamen. 
Cyclamen persicum, autumn-sown last 
year, will, if properly attended to during 
the summer as regards potting on, etc., now 
be showing for bloom, and may be removed 
to the positions in which it is intended to 
flower them. It is as well, however, to leave 
some of the plants to be brought in at inter¬ 
vals, thus prolonging the flowering period. 
Let those brought forward have the full 
benefit of light and air, and the size of the 
blossoms will be increased and the colours 
intensified if an occasional watering with a 
weak liquid solution of manure and soot be 
°iven them, varied now and again with one 
of the advertised concentrated fertilisers. 
For spring blooming, well-ripened corms 
should be now started in five-inch pots, using 
good fibrous loam, silver sand, and well- 
rotted manure for a compost. 
Snake’s Head Fritillary. 
We can scarcely have too many spring- 
flowering ‘bulbs potted up for use in the 
greenhouse, and nearly ever}’ amateur grows 
Hyacinths, Tulips and Narcissi galore; but 
change is charming, and a few pots of Fri- 
tillaFia Meleagris and the white variety F.M. 
alba, form a welcome relief and seldom fail 
to attract attention when in flower. 
Pot them up now, five or six together in a 
pot—treat them in fact the same as Tulips, 
