256 
THE GAHDEMNQ WOULD. April 17, 19 o 9 . 
Cabbages. 
Keep the Dutch hoe at work among the 
Spring Cabbages, both with a view of 
loosening the surface soil and letting in the 
sun-heat, and also to kill small weeds. A 
pinch of nitrate of soda sprinkled round 
each plant in showery weather, or watered 
in, will hasten growth and add colour to the 
leaves. Sow more seeds for creating a suc¬ 
cession of plants. 
Pickling: Onions. 
Sow a few seeds broadcast on a border 
facing south-west. The resultant plants will 
be \£xy useful. 
Savoys. 
The variety, Dwarf Green Curled, is a 
grand one for withstanding Autumn frosts 
and rains without splitting. Sow the seeds 
at once. Also sow seeds' of mid-season 
Cauliflowers this week. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Moisture and Shade. 
As the weather gets warmer and the sun 
increases in power, water must be given more 
copiously to all established plants that are 
in full growth, whilst any that are in bloom, 
or showing bud, may receive occasional ap¬ 
plications of something stronger, liquid 
manure in one of its approved forms being 
given at intervals. Once the amateur com¬ 
mences “ feeding,” however, he must con¬ 
tinue so long as the plants remain in flower, 
frequent doses in a mild'form being always 
preferable to strong ones at long intervals. 
The Chrysanthemums will by now be 
ready for a shift on, and the enthusiast must 
soon decide whether he intends to grow them 
as specimen or bush plants, and he will do 
well to have some of each; for the former 
“thirty-two” size pots will be sufficient, 
but it is as well to allow those intended to 
carry more wood a size larger. 
Both stove and cool-house plants that need 
more root room or fresh compost, should be 
repotted without further delay, keeping them 
somewhat close and well watered for a few 
days afterwards, whilst, during the brightest 
days, more shade will be necessary to pre¬ 
vent many of the tender-foliaged subjects 
from flagging under its influence. 
Rhodanthes as Pot-plants. 
The Rhodanthes in their several varieties 
are well suited for pot culture in a cool 
greenhouse, and well-flowered plants are ob¬ 
jects of real beauty in their season. Seed 
should be sown now (and again in about a 
month’s time for succession) in any light and 
fairly rich soil. In common with some more 
of our best annuals, they are impatient of 
disturbances, and should therefore be sown 
several together in small pots, when all but 
the most promising seedlings can be re¬ 
moved, thus obviating the necessity of trans¬ 
planting. 
Quaint and Beautiful. 
Like most things Japanese, the various 
forms into which they manipulate that lovely 
Fern, Davallia bullata, is either quaint or 
beautiful, according to the design, and, 
whilst there may be some who prefer them 
with an alleged resemblance to apes or ele¬ 
phants (which, by the bye, is entirely lost 
as the fronds develop) the spherical or ball¬ 
shaped ones are undoubtedly the most beau¬ 
tiful, and hanging in the conservatory, or 
even in a window, free from draughts and 
somewhat shaded, they are lovely indeed. 
Fresh importations may now be purchased, 
and if started in the greenhouse will be 
rapidly covered with delicate green fronds. 
Immerse them bodily for an hour or two in 
tepid water in order to thoroughly soak 
them, then suspend the balls in a moist and 
genial atmosphere, where they are not sub¬ 
jected to the direct rays of the sun; very 
soon they will show signs of active growth, 
and constant syringing or spraying will do 
the rest. . 
Freesias After Flowering-. 
Freesias will now be yielding their blos¬ 
soms, a little late perhaps owing to a some¬ 
what backward season, and if these same 
bulbs are to do duty again next year they 
must receive special attention just now. 
With the desire for fine flowers ever before 
them, most amateurs feed them up so long 
as the blossoms remain, but this is not suffi¬ 
cient. Continue to administer applications 
of some lasting liquid manure, alternated 
with clear waterings, until growth, ceases 
and the tops commence to die down. 
This enables the bulbs to collect and retain 
a reserve of vigour sufficient to carry them 
through another season. In three or four 
weeks’ time the pots containing them may 
be placed on ashes in some sheltered corner 
of the kitchen-garden, to complete the ripen¬ 
ing process. 
Campanula isophylla. 
If not already done, these graceful hang¬ 
ing plants should be taken in hand at once, 
and propagated both by division and cut¬ 
tings, for the amateur cannot be overstocked 
with them, as they are useful for such a 
variety of purposes. 
The young shoots, which are produced so 
plentifully when the old plants are watered 
freely and placed in genial warmth, should 
be nipped out when about two inches long 
and inserted, about the same distance apart, 
in pans, pots or boxes, according to con¬ 
venience and the number required, using a 
very light and sandy compost. If placed 
under a bell-glass or hand-light, and given 
a warm position over the hot water pipes, 
they will soon strike, an occasional light 
spraying only being necessary to keep them 
from “ wilting.” When the cuttings have 
fairly rooted the cover may be gradually re¬ 
moved, and the plantlets potted off singly 
into “ thumbs ” or “ small sixties.” 
The old stools may be shaken out of the 
pots and carefully divided, and each por¬ 
tion, being potted up separately, will soon 
develop into a nice plant. 
Petunias for Pots and Bedding. 
The seedlings resulting from earlier sow¬ 
ings should now be carefully pricked off into 
shallow boxes, before they become over¬ 
crowded in the seed-pans, in which case they 
will become spindly and weak, in their ef¬ 
forts each to over-top the other. Kept near 
the glass, partially shaded from the sun, 
and watered with a fine-rosed can, they 
should now develop rapidly and soon be 
ready for potting off singly, whilst those in¬ 
tended for bedding purposes should be 
transferred to other boxes, and gradually 
“hardened off” in readiness for planting 
out next month. Those in pots, however, 
should be pinched back, to induce them to 
make fine bushy plants, and prevent them 
running prematurely to bloom, steady 
growth being maintained the while. 
Young plants from cuttings of named 
double varieties are amenable to the same 
treatment; the earliest (those struck in Feb¬ 
ruary) will almost be ready for their final 
potting into five- or six-inch pots, and a 
suitable compost for flowering them in con¬ 
sists of two parts light loam, to one part of 
old decayed hotbed manure, and a dash of 
silver sand. 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Construction o.f Orchid .Houses. 
On two or three occasions recently, I have 
been asked to advise on the building of Or¬ 
chid houses by amateurs in this district, and 
this has led me to believe that a note on 
the subject would be, perhaps, of service. 
I do not wish to convey that there is any¬ 
thing in demand for the successful cultiva¬ 
tion of Orchids, any more than that which 
already exists in the cultivation of other 
classes of plants, but at the same time, where 
houses are being built with the intention of 
growing Orchids in them, there are certain 
points that may be considered desirable, and 
as these will not make any appreciable dif¬ 
ference to the initial costs of the structure, 
it may be as well to consider them. The 
first point to be considered is orientation. 
In my opinion all houses for plant-growing 
are best built north and south. From this 
the angle of the roof being east and west,- 
the full advantage of the light is obtainable, 
and as this is one of the most essential items 
to be obtained, this orientation must be pre¬ 
ferable. We have some of our cool houses 
with a lean-to north aspect, and I find the 
Odontoglossums grow equally as well in 
these houses as they do in the span-roofs as 
mentioned above. South aspect lean-to 
houses are suitable for most of the hot grow¬ 
ing kinds, but I do not consider it an ideal 
aspect for the intermediate temperature and 
cool house Orchids during the hot summer 
months. 
Side Walls. 
I have noticed of late years, in many of 
our prominent gardens, that brick side walls 
are superseding the horticultural builder’s 
orthodox method of side lights. The wall 
is carried up to the eaves or what may now 
be termed the wall plate. This I have long 
advocated. Glass sides are of little or no 
advantage as a means of affording light, as 
where they are used there is always the 
necessity of covering the glass with a per¬ 
manent shading, to prevent scorching, and 
in winter they afford little or no protection 
against frost and cold winds ; on the other 
hand a decided advantage is obtainable from 
brick walls during the cold winter months, 
in the fact that a more even and less fluctuat¬ 
ing temperature is obtainable, and that with 
a diminished amount of artificial heat. 
Heating. 
Another item is to provide ample heating 
apparatus. The greater the heating surface 
provided, the less excessive driving of the 
fires, and thus a considerable saving in the 
fuel cost will be effected. I would advocate 
laying all the pipes flat. One flow pipe and 
three returns even in the cool houses. I 
consider this gives the full advantage of 
heating surface. 
Rain-Water Supply. 
The greatest item now is to have a full 
supply of rain-water throughout the year. 
The ground should be excavated and tanks 
built either of brick or concrete, sufficiently 
large to supply the necessary requirements. 
Ventilators. 
The lower ventilators should be fixed in 
the wall, just on a level or slightly above 
the hot-water pipes, so that when air is 
afforded it may pass over the hot-water pipes 
and thus become chilled before coming in 
direct contact with the plants. The usual 
roof ventilators should also be fixed so that 
they may be opened at the discretion, of the 
operator. If the}' are worked on a worm- 
screw attached to a lever bar this is easily 
effected. The staging should be made so 
that it may easily be raised or lowered at 
discretion. This will be found of consider¬ 
able advantage in dealing with small or 
larger plants; they can be raised close up to 
afford light, or lowered to diminish its 
effects as may be desired. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
Sugar planters in Queensland" are 
offering is. 3d. a pound for beetles, whose 
grubs destroy the sugar-canes, and some 
men earn a week in the season. 
