'nt Gardening Worth. Apru. 17, tqog. 
An Amateur’s Letter to Amateurs. 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“ Find earth where grows no w’eed, and 
>u may find a heart where no error grows.” 
Knowles. 
CONTENTS. 
.mateur’s Letter to Amateurs, An ... 249 
'arnations : Work for April. 254 
)ahlias, Propagating (illus.) . 253 
Inquire Within . 257 
'lower Garden, The (illus.) . 255 
'ruit Garden, The (illus.) .:. 255 
Ireenhouse, The Amateur’s ............ 256 
litchen Garden, The (illus.) . 255 
J avvns from Seed, Making (illus.) ... 252 
dagnolia, The Starry (illus.) . 251 
vlanuring. Hints on . 250 
Drchids for Amateurs . 256 
Peas for Exhibition, How to Grow ... 250 
Potatos, Experiments with . 252 
^rimrose, A Fine . 250 
saxifrage, An Early-flowering (illus.) 251 
Stocks for Cutting . 250 
Work of the W eek . 2 55 
Lo! where the rosy-bosom’d Hours, 
Fair Venus’ train, appear, 
Disclose the long expected flowers 
And wake the purple year ! 
The Attic warbler pours her throat 
Responsive to the Cuckoo’s note, 
The untaught harmony of spring: 
While, whispering pleasure as they fly, 
Cool zephyrs thro’ the clear blue sky 
Their gather'd fragrance fling. 
T. Gray. 
-- 
: ig Sunday. 
April 4th was Fig Sunday, v'hich from 
ime immemorial has been popular vdth 
he miners and operatives of the Mrd- 
ands. A writer in a daily contemporary 
emarks that weight for weight and price 
or price. Fig pudding contains more 
lutriment than meat. The Turkish lab- 
lurers, who subsist upon dried figs and 
:oarse bread for long periods of time, aie 
he strongest men in the world. 
CXCI. 
Planting Out Sweet Peas. 
Of course I refer to those that have 
been raised under glass, and have been 
carefully' hardened off in readiness for 
planting. The boxes of plants should be 
Avatered some hours before planting, 
rather than just previous to the operation, 
and each plant must be carefully lifted. 
To my mind there is no method of plant¬ 
ing to equal trench cultivation. For each 
row let the soil be deeply dug for a width 
of three feet, and then make the trench 
in the middle of this space. I find to 
have the trench about four inches below 
the level after planting is completed is a 
desirable depth. We must not forget 
that the old method of close planting has 
been quite superseded, and now anything 
from four inches to a foot is left between 
the plants. If the trench be made a foot 
wide, two rows can be put in. Some gar¬ 
dens far more than others lend themse’ies 
to the picturesque effect that hedges of 
Sweet Peas make, but where these beauti¬ 
ful hedges are impossible, then clumps 
will commend themselves. An open posi¬ 
tion is desirable, but Sweet Peas are 
among the few annual plants that flower 
satisfactorily in positions that do not get 
a superabundance of sunshine. Of course, 
the sunshine is desirable where it can be 
secured, but I have grown fairly good 
Stveet Peas in an eastern aspect, open, 
but with considerable even of this sun¬ 
shine cut off, and with a building behind 
the plants that shut out the western sun. 
Sticking of the young plants should not 
be neglected a day after there is urgent 
need for if, therefore the sticks should re 
held in readiness. 
The Wall Garden. 
In wet and showery weather we may 
well give a little attention to this. An 
old bit of wall generouslv planted between 
the stones with homely' and easily-grown 
rock-loving plants becomes a very attrac¬ 
tive feature in the garden. Last year I 
sowed a packet of mixed hardy rock-work 
plants, and these in some cases I am es¬ 
tablishing in an old space of wall. It is 
already partially planted, and has been 
for years, and I can strongly recommend 
Corydalis lutea for the purpose, so light 
and’ dainty is the foliage, and there are 
yellow flowers among it almost the sum¬ 
mer through. London Pride (Saxifraga 
umbrosa) is charming, especially if 
planted almost on the level with the eye, 
and Aubrietias, Cerastium, Linaria alpina, 
Draba aizoides, Campanula muralis, and 
C. garganica are all excellent subjects. 
But suppose our garden does not contain 
any length of Avail at all. In that case, if 
there be a desirable position for it we can 
construct a “dry Avail.” We build up soil 
to a height of, say, four feet, and face it 
as we go along, making it as firm as pos¬ 
sible AA’ifh slabs of rock, stone, or, if needs 
must, clinker, making these as flat on 
the outer face as possible. But our dry 
Avail must be of sufficient width of soil 
through it. Three feet is none too much, 
for the hot dry Aveather will otherwise 
prove too trying; but Avhat a splendid 
area for planting such a “ dry Avail 
affords us— the top and both sides, and a 
ground space of but three feet across. 
And not only two sides, but tAvo aspects, 
so that Ave may choose the sun-loving sub 
jects for the one, and those that enjoy 
cooler conditions for the other. I am 
quite sure that if I had but a very small 
garden this “dry wall " would greatly 
commend itself to me. The point I haA'e 
particularly to emphasise is that as the 
facing proceeds, the soil must be Avell 
rammed doAA'n. We can haA r e no cavities, 
no undue settling, but are bound to en¬ 
sure a good root run for our plants. It 
is as we 11 if the plants are established as 
the AA'ork proceeds, as it is then far easier 
to spread out the roots in faA'Ourable posi¬ 
tions, and good planting Avill be the secret 
of success. Such a Avail, in a small gar¬ 
den, might well dhude the flotver portion 
from the vegetables, or it might make a 
picturesque ending for the little laAvn. 
Water Lilies. 
April is the best month of the tAA'elve to 
procure plants of these delightful sub¬ 
jects. Perhaps the best way to establish 
them is to plant in baskets or “ skeps in 
a compost composed of loam of a rich 
nature, and well decayed manure. The 
baskets are loAA'ered into the Avater, and 
I may add the plants can be bought 
already in the baskets, and ready for im¬ 
mersion in the Avater. There is a pretty 
general idea that Water Lilies cost a good 
deal, and certainly some do, up to, and 
perhaps more than three guineas each, 
but, on the other hand, there are varie¬ 
ties, and beautiful ones too, for half a 
croAvn, Avhile our native Nymphaea alba 
may be had for one and sixpence. Where 
there is no suitable pond or other water 
it is interesting to grow W ater Lilies in 
tubs Avhich should enjoy the sunniest posi¬ 
tion possible. 
Edging's. 
Noav is the time to give a little especial 
attention to permanent edgings ; Edg¬ 
ings of Pinks, of Saxifrage, of Thrift, or 
Avhatever they may consist of, benefit by 
having a top-dressing of good soil put 
carefully around them notv. Such edgings 
as the effectAe AA-hite-leafed Stachys 
lanata may need to be divided, and we do 
well to remember hoAv effective this grey 
edging proA'es, homely and humble 
though the plant be. 
F. Norfolk. 
-- 
The Nutritious Pea. 
From the proteid standpoint the garden 
Pea is stated to be much superior to Oat¬ 
meal, being some So per cent, richer in 
this substance than the'latter, Avith a high 
percentage of carbohydrates and a smail 
proportion of water. 
