3 6 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited, to contribute to this 
coli.rnn short letters discussing any gar¬ 
dening subject. 
Letters must not exceed 150 words each in 
\ Good White Chrysanthemum for a Sheltered 
Position. 
Souv. de Petite Amie is one cif the most 
useful for cutting out of doors when white 
flowers are getting scarce. Last year I 
struck a good lot of cuttings of it in Febru¬ 
ary, planted them off in boxes till May, 
and then put them out in a side border 
about two feet apart. They were stopped 
in April and again in June. In October 
when they were in full bud I removed them 
to a border under the walls of the house, 
and at the end of November they had 
escaped frost, and were making a good 
show. It will be found a good plan to 
dig up the plants after flowering, and 
place in boxes in a cold frame for getting 
cuttings for the coming year. 
H. W. Wakely. 
Dorchester. 
The Gooseberry Sawfly. 
Where the Gooseberry sawfly has teen 
a.t work during the past summer, action 
should now be taken to prevent, or at 
least lessen, its ravages during the coming 
season. Three or four inches of the soil 
beneath and immediately around the 
bushes should be removed entirely, and 
deposited on some part of the garden as 
far removed from the Gooseberry plot as 
possible. Some freshly-slaked lime, or a 
good sprinkling of soot should next be 
placed over the roots, slightly pricking 
this in with a fork. Then the equivalent 
of soil removed should be brought from 
some other part of the garden, and lime 
or soot well stirred into this when put 
down, the whole being well firmed when 
finished unless the soil is in a wet condi¬ 
tion. 
Callander. 
G. F. 
Corn Salad or Lamb’s Lettuce. 
As the weather becomes colder and 
Lettuce scarcer. Endive and other sub¬ 
stitutes for it are of greater value. Among 
these substitutes the Corn Salad holds a 
high place, and as there is no difficulty in 
its cultivation, it should be grown by 
everybody. In August select a rich piece 
of ground, and having dug and raked it 
level, draw drills 12 inches apart and 2 
inches deep. Sow the seed evenly, thin 
out the plant's to two inches apart, and hoe 
frequently. If these details are carried 
out, a supply of tender, crisp leaves can be 
obtained at this season, and if alternate 
plants are pulled for use, those left con¬ 
tinue to increase in size until the spring, 
forming a splendid addition to the salad 
bowl at a time when other green material 
i.s very scarce. The Italian variety has 
the largest leaves. 
J. C. 
Sussex. 
length , and must be written on one side 
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Two Prizes of 2s. 6d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
Coleus thyrsoideus. 
As a winter flowering plant, Coleus 
thyrsoideus is an acquisition in gardens 
where much decorative work has to be 
carried out, a.s it produces long spikes of 
bright blue flowers at Christmas. The 
plant is of easy • cultivation, and cuttings 
strike very readily in early spring. When 
the young plants are established in small 
pots, pinch out the tops to induce them 
to become bushy. It thrives best when 
potted moderately firm in a compost of 
turf, leaf soil and sand. Whilst in full 
growth in the summer, it should receive 
plenty of liquid manure, and occasionally 
soot water. During the winter months 
ventilation should be afforded whenever 
the weather is suitable, so as to harden 
the plants for use in the mansion. Small 
plants, when placed in silver vases on the 
dinner-table, have .a very light and pretty 
effect. 
Hamilton. J. M. T. 
Pentas carnea. 
This plant makes a good addition to 
other stove-house flowering plants when 
grown for winter decoration. It may be 
raised from seed or cuttings, the latter 
being preferably taken in the spring when 
two or three inches high, and inserted in 
a 60 size pot, and removed to a tempera¬ 
ture of 65 to- 70 deg. under a hand light. 
A compost of equal parts loam and leaf- 
soil and plenty of sand to keep it porous 
will be suitable. When well rooted, pot 
them into large 60's, and when established 
pinch the tops out, allowing them to break 
tc; produce good bushy plants. For the 
final potting compost as mentioned above 
in a coarser state will be suitable, a five 
or six-inch pot being the most useful for 
decorative purposes. When well estab¬ 
lished a little sheep's manure and soot- 
water given twice weekly in a weak state 
will be found beneficial. 
W. Hughes. 
Bicton. 
Sehizanthus for Spring Flowering. 
When doing up the garden some weeks 
ago I came across some seedling plants 
around the parent plant of Sehizanthus. 
They were dwarf and sturdy, and worth 
saving, I thought, so they were carefully 
lifted and potted in small-sized pots, and 
after they had recovered from the change 
they were placed on a shelf near the glass 
in a cool greenhouse, where they got 
plenty of light and air. They will be re¬ 
potted into larger sizes as they require it, 
giving them a mixture of loam, leaf mould 
and sand. The excellent illustration in 
this week’s issue (Dec. 1st) of a plant of 
Sehizanthus wisetonensis encourages me 
to hope for a similar sight in my green¬ 
house in the spring. These butterfly 
January' 19, 1907. 
flowers are amongst the best of easily- 
raised plants; they are very pretty anc 
dainty, and one wonders they are not more 
grown. People unfamiliar with them etc 
claim about their daintiness and beauty 
when first seeing them. 
A. F. L. 
Sutton. 
The Management of Retarded Plants. 
There is no doubt that retarded plant; 
are being more generally grown and 
better understood year by year. They 
must, however, be carefully treated to oh 
tain the best results, or failure instead ol 
success will ensue. It must be borne 
in mind that for the greater part of a year 
the plants have been kept in an extremely 
low temperature (nearly freezing, in fact 
and that when brought from the store and 
placed in more genial quarters they com¬ 
mence growing very quickly; therefore ir 
order to- promote strength and some de¬ 
gree of hardiness, they must not be sub¬ 
jected to much heat for a time at least 
but brought along very steadily and undei 
cool conditions. No better place can be 
had than cold pits or frames for such 
things as Liiiums of sorts, Lilies of the 
Valley, Spiraeas, etc., etc., as they can be 
gradually inured to light and air and 
eventually taken to warmer quarters. 
Worthing. F. A. 
Charm and Novelty. 
Well wash a large Beetroot or Carrot. ; 
cut off the stalks within an inch of the i 
crown, and then, with a sharp knife, re¬ 
move a sufficient portion of the root, leav¬ 
ing it an inch or two in diameter. Scoop 
out the inside, leaving an outside thick¬ 
ness of a quarter of an inch all. round, 
and taking care not to cut down into the I 
crown. Fill with water and place a j 
Hyacinth or Crocus Bulb in position as 
when grown in a proper glass. Suspend | 
the root crown downwards by means of 
cord or wire, and supply water u'hen re- | 
quired. 
The foliage of the vegetable will grow 
and curl upwards, and the bulb will throw 
out leaves and bloom, simultaneously with 
the foliage. The light green feathery 
foliage of the Carrot contrasts admirably 
with the dark hue of the Beet, and the 
dark foliage and bright bloom of the 
bulb. 
Novus. 
Gloucester. 
Economy in Labour. 
Many gardeners are handicapped fox 
the want of sufficient strength of hands, 
hence they must adopt economy in 
labour, which often results in the work 
being done in a haphazard fashion. 
Every effort should * be made to do the 
work in as practical a manner as possible, 
and to adopt a systematic procedure, for 
' the best results. So with anotnfer JC'-T 
commenced the numerous writers who sus¬ 
tain The Gardening World, bright, 
interesting and instructive, should bear 
in mind to be as explicit as possible, and 
use the most economical and reliable 
methods to benefit the maximum of 
readers, also to insert as much intelli¬ 
gence and instruction as possible in a 
small space. For the gardener is a busy 
man, with many projects on hand, and a 
