226 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 30, 1997. 
a firsit-rate remedy, and cheaper and easier 
than Quassia. It must be thoroughly made, 
however. The Pear midge is another in¬ 
sect that brings disaster in its train. It is 
a tiny fly which lays its eggs on the young 
fruit. Strew 2 lbs. of Vaporite to a rod of 
ground, afterwards raking it in. This will 
kill all maggots that may be seeking roost 
later on. 
Raspberries. 
Newly-planted Raspberries should be cut 
down to three or four inches, if not already 
done. Mulch with manure afterwards. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
There are opportunities for more sowing 
now. Short-Horn Carrots and Early Tur¬ 
nips can be sown if the weather is favour¬ 
able. It may ibe necessary to net over the 
Turnips to check the bird's. 
The Birds, 
I note that someone gives us nine years 
to live if birds leave us. We don’t want all 
the birds to go ; there are some undesirables 
just as there are among humans. I wonder 
some crank does not tell us that the poor 
policeman would die if there were no 
criminals. I was reading recently' that a 
Kentish society last year disposed of 268 
bullfinches, 5,531 sparrows, and 2,192 rats. 
The numbers were not so great as in 1905, 
which indicates the onslaughts are thinning 
down the enemies. 
Peas, 
Another sowing of Peas may be made. I 
like to sow about once a fortnight. 
Potatos. 
Potatos may-, and should be, occupying 
people’s minds if they hope to get an early 
crop. If the sets are well sprouted, they 
will not be much, if anything, behind the 
earlier planted lots. Late sorts may be kept 
in the boxes for a week or two. 
Celery. 
Celery should now be reaching handling 
size. Prick out into boxes about one and a 
half to two inches apart. A little closer 
will not hunt, for a later shift can be given 
when more space is available. Keep clcse 
in the frame after shifting. Seed may' now 
be sown on a warm border outdoors. 
Sowings. 
Delay' no longer in sowing Broccoli and 
similar seeds. Small growing early Beet 
may go in, if the soil is suitable. Wait 
awhile before sowing the coarse growing 
sorts. 
Keep the hoe going among the Cabbages. 
Pull out any weeds showing on the As¬ 
paragus bed. 
Horti. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Old and Young Fuchsias. 
Old Fuchsias that were pruned and 
started as advised in a previous calendar 
should now have broken nicely into growth, 
and be in condition for repotting. To do 
this, remove the plant from its pot, shake 
away all the old soil, shorten back the 
long, strong roots, and repot into either the 
same sized pot, or a smaller one ; on no 
account give a larger pot. For this pot¬ 
ting use a compost of loam and leaf mould 
in equal parts,'with half a part of sand. 
Pot firmly, stand again in a nice warm and 
shady corner, and syringe twice or thrice 
daily. Cutt : ngs inserted at the end of 
February should now be fit for single pots. 
Give each cutting a 3 in. pot, use the com¬ 
post advised above, and give the same 
general treatment. As soon as the cuttings 
are established in their new pots, pinch out 
the points to originate shoots lower down. 
Abutilons for Bedding. 
Few plants give such a telling and 
“classy” effect in, flower beds as the beau¬ 
tiful Abutilon Thompsonii, one of the pret¬ 
tiest and easiest grown foliage plants our 
greenhouses can harbour. Good strong cut¬ 
tings rooted now will give splendid material 
for bedding out at the end of May', and I 
would advise all who have this plant to give 
it a trial in the flower garden. The cut¬ 
tings may be put in thickly, in a pan filled 
with sandy soil, afterwards potting them 
singly in 3 in. pots. A few of the best 
should be reserved for the greenhouse; in 
5 in. and 6 in. pots they make splendid room 
plants. Abutilon vexillarum is also useful 
for bedding, and may be treated as above. 
Marguerite Carnations. 
There is still time to sow these in .the 
south, as should the season be late the 
plants 'can be potted up and flowered in¬ 
doors. Old plants, which flowered indoors 
last autumn and winter should be placed 
in cold frames for a fortnight or so; after¬ 
wards they may be planted in an outside 
border to give blooms for cutting. 
Double Petunias in Pets. 
The favour which our forefathers be¬ 
stowed on double Petunias is not greatly 
in evidence to-day, though some of the 
modern varieties are marvels of floral 
beauty. If the greenhouse dees not contain 
a double white Petunia, rectify the omission 
now, grow the plant on well, in good soil, 
and it will probably attract more attention 
than anything in the structure. Such va¬ 
rieties as Mrs. Airdrie and the beautifully' 
fringed Vestale can be bought cheaply'. 
Seeds of double Petunias may also be sown 
now, and treated as half-hardy annuals 
generally are. Cuttings of old plants now 
strike freely, and may be used .of good 
length. Pinch the cuttings when struck, 
and grow them on quickly, never allowing 
the plants to become at all pot-bound until 
they reach their flowering pots. Six-inch 
pots will do for spring struck plants, but 
the old plants will form magnificent speci¬ 
mens in 9 in. and 10 in. pots, if kept pinched 
and trained. 
Poinsettias. 
I think our Editor will agree with me 
that it is quite useless referring to these 
as Euphorbias when dealing with gardeners, 
although botanically Euphorbia is now con¬ 
sidered correct. Old plants that were given 
a back 9 eat after flowering will now be 
showing anxiety to grow, and this should be 
encouraged by giving them a little water 
and an occasional syringing. Poinsettia cut¬ 
tings are rather ticklish subjects for the in¬ 
experienced to handle, and unless cne has 
good appliances and plenty of confidence, I 
advise them not to wait for cuttings. In¬ 
stead, cult the old stems down to within a 
few inches of the pat, and then cut up the 
severed stems into portions containing two 
eyes or buds, one at the top and one at the 
bottom. If the bottom eye is buried an inch 
deep in sandy soil in a pot or pan, growth 
will soon push from the top eye, and roots 
from the lower end of the stem. Warm, 
moist conditions should be afforded. 
Cockscombs and Celosias. 
Though a Cockscomb is a Celosia, a Ce- 
losia is not necessarily a Cockscomb, the 
latter name -being given to a Celosia with a 
flattened flower head suggestive of the comb 
of the farmyard rooster. Both Cockscombs 
and the Celosia known as C. plumosa are 
splendid greenhovjpe summer plants, but the 
Cockscomb should only be tackled bv those 
skilled in plant growing and possessing 
well-heated houses; Celosia plumosa is more 
easily managed, and should find a place in 
every greenhouse. The seeds are a fair 
size, shiny and black, so that if sand,is 
placed on the surface of the sowing pan the 
seeds can be sown as thinly as desired. 
Pricking off and after management do n 
differ materially from that given to othi 
plants, but Cockscombs are general! 
starved a little until their “combs” fort 
in order to keep them dwarf. 
Seedling Tomatos. 
If the y'oung plants come up too thickl 
pull out and throw away the weakly oni 
without compunction. Lightly prick up tl 
surface soil with a pointed stick, and k« 
the plants as close to the glass as possibl- 
As isoon. as the second rough or true let 
appears, place the plants singly in sma 
pots, and plunge these in a box of cocoani 
fibre refuse to save trouble in watering. 1 
possible, place the plants in the pets sc lo 
that their leaves touch the soil. 
Sunnyside. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Repotting. 
At the present season there are many c 
our plants that are producing new roots. . 
good opportunity is therefore afforded t 
attend to any repotting requirements ths 
may be necessary. In selecting plants fc 
• repotting, some consideration must be give 
to their condition with respect to flowerin' 
Plants that are showing their flower scape 
or that will flower within a short time shoul 
not 'be disturbed until after the flowers ar 
over. It is more desirable to run the ris 
of injury to some of the roots, than to di 
turb a plant for repotting just as it is abc-u 
to produce its flowers. The double strain 0 
being repotted and then having to flowe 
would cause, in mest cases, unsatisfactor 
blooms and undue shrivelling of the pseude 
bulbs, which would be detrimental to the fu 
ture well-being of the plants. Practical! 
all the autumn and winter flowering Cat 
tleyais and Laelias are now more or les 
root active, and the sooner they are attende> 
to the better. The whole of this class o 
plants does not require annual repotting, s< 
that if the compost is in good condition be 
low the surface the removal of decayin'; 
material and moss on the surface will tx 
all that is necesisary. One cannot be tc< 
careful in the removal of any dead or de 
oaying matter at the present season, fo: 
with the more or less resting conditions t< 
which the plants have been subjected th< 
surface moss will generally die, and if thi 
is not cleared away, now that the mor< 
liberal waterings are given, the decay 
quickly spreads to the remaining compost 
rendering it altogether unsuitable for the 
plants. 
The potting compost we use for the whole 
of this class" of plants consists of about 
equal portions of goad fibrous peat, chopped 
sphagnum moss and oak or 'beech leaves 
(dried and rubbed through a half-inch 
sieve), with sufficient finely broken crocks 
and coarse sand to render the whole porous. 
The pots used shall be clean, and just suf¬ 
ficiently large to contain the plants com¬ 
fortably. Nothing, looks more unsightly 01 
is so detrimental to the well being of the 
plants as overpotting. One large croci 
should be placed over the hole at the botton 
of the pot, and it may then 'he filled to one 
half its depth with chopped bracken ferr 
roots. See that the roots have beer 
thoroughly dried, and are free from al 
sappy matter, or there is a possibility ol 
fungus growth, which may spread and affec 
the remaining compost contained in the pots 
The plant from which all the old compos 
and decaying matter has -been removed mar 
now be placed in position, and when th< 
plotting is completed it should have its lead 
ing growth on a level with the rim of th< 
pot and slisrhtly above -the surface of th< 
Oompost. The compost should be mad< 
moderately firm about the base of the plant 
Finish with a layer of living chappec 
sphagnum mess. Sticks sufficiently firn 
