THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 16, -907. 
182 
of flowers, from which to cut and come 
again. In the cut state they also last a 
long time in good condition when placed 
in water in a cool room. 
The cultivation of the plant is of the 
easiest. Any good, well-cultivated gar¬ 
den soil will meet its requirements. Like 
a great many other plants belonging to 
the Pea family, it does not object to light 
or sandy soil. The roots go deeply in 
search of moisture, and that is. one of the 
reasons why the plant succeeds so well 
in cottage gardens where the soil may not 
have been dug, except on the surface, for 
the past twenty years. Although they will 
grow in a poor soil with little cultivation, 
they grow more vigorously in soil that is 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters discussing any gar¬ 
dening subject. 
Letters must not exceed 150 words each in 
Cuphea strigillosa. 
This old-fashioned evergreen, half- 
hardy sub-shrub is not so well known as 
-the Cigar plant C. platycentra, but it is 
superior to it with its wealth of orange 
and red flowers, reminding one of 
Libonia floribunda, only brighter. It 
grows about 9 inches high. If once a 
plant is procured it can be propagated 
with the greatest ease either in heat in 
spring or in a cold frame in autumn, 
the latter being the better time. In 
these days when there is so much same¬ 
ness,among bedding plants, especially in 
urban districts, a bed of this attractive 
plant would create quite a sensation. 
C. C. 
Gumming 
Gumming or gummosis is an affection 
of stone fruits, and is about on a par with 
canker in pippin fruits. It is an 
exudation of gumming matter most com¬ 
monly observed in Peaches, Nectarines, 
Plums, and Cherries. It is often caused 
by careless pruning, i.e., too rash ex¬ 
cision of large branches, the making of 
jagged cuts, and pruning in frosty 
weather; also abrasions of the bark 
through branches being allowed to cross, 
especially with Plums and Cherries. The 
remedy here is careful pruning in the 
summer and early autumn, which in it- 
.self .will reduce it to a minimum. Also 
dressing the wounds with some good 
styptic, such a- Stockholm tar. If the 
disease has not got too far, benefit will 
also' result from generous feeding. First 
cut out the diseased branch and burn it. 
Then give food of best quality, also 
quantity and variety. Any form of 
liquid manure that has a pronounced 
nitrogenous element can be used. This 
will cause the tree to make vigorous 
growth, and so assist it to overcome its 
enemv. Over grossness in growth can 
be checked later by root pruning, etc. 
If the tree is eaten up with gum, it is 
be=t to burn it, and make a fresh start. 
J. W. H. 
Lockerbie. 
trenched now and again, and manured. 
The flowers will be larger, and the stems 
stronger with such treatment, and cer¬ 
tainly equal if not more lasting. They 
belong to a class of plants that puts up 
with a lot of bad treatment and neglect, 
but they .also pay for a little attention in 
renewing the ground, by trenching and 
manuring. A few new plants can be 
raised now and again by division about 
this time, or just when the shoots com¬ 
mence pushing up. Indeed, this could 
have been done early in November, and 
the plants would have been partly estab¬ 
lished before spring, and better able to 
resist drought if we should get a summer 
like that of last year. 
length , and must be written on one side 
of the ■paper only. 
T wo Prizes of zs. 6d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
A Good Keeping Onion. 
For several years past I have grown 
Bedfordshire Champion Onions for a 
general crop, and may say I have never 
found a better keeper • it is also- a good 
cropper. I once saw a large quantity of 
this Onion growing in a field at Rushwick, 
near Worcester. The grower said it was 
the best keeping Onion he knew of, 
superior even to James Long Keeping. I 
myself have found it so, and for many 
years have grown no other for early or 
late use. I admit it does not attain a 
huge size without special culture, but for 
keeping, size is not required. This old 
but good variety, is well worth growing 
where Onions are required late in the 
spring. 
My plan is to sow about the first week 
in March, in shallow drills, 10 inches 
apart. When well up, thin out the 
Onions to about four inches apart. 
Stourport. H. W. Matthews. 
Hippeastrums. 
Now is the time to start a batch of 
these useful spring flowering bulbous 
plants. I advise potting them every alter¬ 
nate year, to obtain the greatest success. 
Any that were not potted last year should 
be potted now if intended for the first 
batch, removing all the old soil and de¬ 
cayed roots and taking care not to damage 
the young fleshy roots during the opera¬ 
tion. A compost consisting of three 
parts fibrous loam, a quarter part leaf 
mould, with smaller quantities of sand 
and old mortar rubble. When potted, 
place them in a house where the tempera¬ 
ture does not fall below 60 degrees, syring¬ 
ing overhead twice a day, which will be 
all the water they will require until the 
flower spikes appear. Then a good water¬ 
ing should be given when rooted, though 
liquid manure water will be found bene¬ 
ficial at ever}' alternate watering. After 
flow'ering, grow on in heat until growth 
has finished, and then place them in an 
airy position and drv gradually down. 
H.‘ Booker. 
Wakefield. 
Starting Tuberous Begonias. 
It sometimes happens that when the 
whole stock of tubers are potted up in the 
ordinary way many fail to start properly, 
the reason 'being that no matter how 
carefully the watering may be done, the 
soil becomes too wet before new roots are 
formed, in which case the whole of the 
tuber rots away. A good plan is to lay 
out the tubers in shallow boxes, filled 
with cocoanut fibre, or sifted leaf mould, 
and fully expose them to the light. A 
sprinkling with the syringe once a day 
will be sufficient to keep them plump. 
Treated in this way and kept in a genial 
temperature for a time new growth will 
soon commence, and being easily seen, 
any signs of decay can be promptly dealt 
with before potting up. 
Worthing. F. A. 
Celery for Exhibition. 
Celery for exhibition should be sown a: 
once, if not already done. When the 
plants are large enough to handle, prick 
them out 3 inches apart into boxes, using 
oak leaves or rotten manure for the 
bottom of the boxes. Place in heat again 
and keep near the glass. When harden¬ 
ing off be careful not to give them a 
check. 
Get the trench ready to receive them 
by the middle of May, and see that there 
is a good layer of rotten manure in the 
bottom, but do not make the trench too 
deep. Shade from bright sun when first 
planted, and have covering ready for pro¬ 
tection on cold nights. Put the plant; 
1 foot apart, and see that they do not wan- 
for water. Give liquid manure twice a 
week when growing. Bleach the Celery 
with brown paper about a month before 
required. Dust the leaves when wet with 
soot to prevent fly. 
Leamington Spa. F. F. 
The Seed List. 
Choosing the seeds for the year i; 
always an important operation, for or 
that chiefly depends the successful rota¬ 
tion of crops. This applies to the vege¬ 
table seeds more especially, and one has 
to bear in mind the requirements of the 
whole season and with the numerous 
varieties of every kind of vegetable anc 
flower seed that are offered for sale b\ 
seedsmen, those who have had little or nc 
previous experience are at a loss to know 
which to decide upon. The average 
gardener, I may say, is choosing his seec 
practically the whole year round in hi- 
mind. By intelligently making notes a: 
to the success of each plant or variety 
he knows within a little what he requires 
but even then, when going through cata 
logues, some novelty catches his eye, oi 
some glaring testimonial attracts his at 
tention which makes the choice rnort 
difficult, more especially so if he i 
limited to a certain sum, which is ofter 
the case. The object of every one choos 
ing the year's seeds should be the amour, 
required for each crop, the space whiol 
it has been arranged for them to occupy 
the number of plants required for each 
and varieties that follow each other. Tin 
height of each should also be studied 
especially in regard to flower seed, other 
wise one may find tall plants growing 
where dwarf ones should be. 
B. E. G. Bowyer. 
Swinderby. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
