The Flower Garden. 
I find by looking up last year’s calendar, 
chat we are one day ahead of last season, 
i'hat is, the first April number of the 
Gardening World was dated April 7th. 
The present number is one day ahead. But 
that does not make any difference as regards 
gardening work. 
We are not going' to argue that what we 
did on April the 7th last year we must da on 
:he 7th this, are we now? Besides, the neigh¬ 
bours would be inexpressibly shocked to see 
us dragging the garden roller, or repairing 
the greenhouse roof because it allowed a spot 
or two of rain to fall upon a pet Fuchsia. 
Being sensibly-minded people, we should, of 
course, move the plant for the time being. 
Despite the keen winds of the past few 
weeks, things have been steadily moving, and- 
we have now quite a few blossoms in the 
garden. 
Would that I had the soul of a spring poet, 
that I could sing of the beauties of the 
spring flowers ; hut I haven’t, and therefore 
I am content to draw attention to the fact 
that the Daffodils and Forget-me-nots are in 
bloom, instead of discoursing about the 
nodding bells of golden hue, which reflect 
the gleam of the sunbeams as they gyrate 
under the influence of the Zephyr’s kiss, etc. 
Sweet Peas. 
I was mentioning recently that I intended 
inoculating my Sweet Peas with microbes, 
and as my supply did not arrive in time for 
treating the seed before sowing, I have just 
given the pots a dose of microbe soup. I 
hope to be soon planting out my Peas in 
their flowering quarters, when I intend to 
make up another microbe stew for treating 
some of the stations. 
I intend to note the difference, if any, 
between the plants grown on microbe in¬ 
fested stations, and those dressed with Thos. 
Jon; s’ special manure. 
Shrubs. 
Newly-planted shrubs should not be over¬ 
looked. Not having a grip on the ground, 
as it wire, they feel the effects of drying 
winds. Not only do they get loose, but 
moist:;- -• is taken from them rapidly. There¬ 
fore n .te weather keeps dry, the plants 
should have a good soaking, and after a 
Frg’-w sunny day a douch with the syringe 
is appreciated. More especially is this so 
with muard to evergreens. 
i" —’■! any shrub look untidy, a little 
care ui pruning will be of service, but it 
rr.'-.s, be remembered that flowering shrubs, 
if 1 . r, -ned now, will not yield the flowers 
they would otherwise do. It is the general 
custom to- prune such shrubs after flowering. 
Forsv+hia suspensa, which blooms rather 
ear’; , should be cut back well after flower¬ 
ing. T t will then send up new growths, 
which will flower next season. 
Planting Ferns. 
Fern planting should not be delayed, as 
they suffer badly when disturbed after 
growth has pushed strongly. One often sees 
hawkers vending wild Ferns, which have 
half developed their fronds. It is advisable 
to leave such stuff alone. 
Violets. 
If an attempt at Violet growing is to be 
made, the preparation of the ground should 
be dealt with. Well dug and heavily 
manured ground does Violets well. Do not 
choose too sunny a situation. Violets like 
semi-shade in summer. 
Sowing Annuals. 
Seed sowing out of doors should claim 
attention now, for it is safe to sow any ot 
the half-hardy kinds. Sunflowers, Nastur¬ 
tiums, Convolvulus, Coreopsis, etc., may be 
sown where they are to bloom, or a little 
bed may be made, transplanting the seed¬ 
lings later. 
Further sowings of all hardy annuals 
should be made at intervals. 
When sowing the seed in the open border, 
label each batch, or an accident may occur 
when the hoe is at woik. Prick out seed¬ 
lings raised in frames, keeping the lights 
closed for a day or two afterwards, then 
allow plenty of air. Always ventilate by 
blocking up the frame light, not by sliding 
it up or down, which stops a certain amount 
of light. 
Dahlias. 
Old Dahlia roots that have started well, 
may be divided and hardened off in cooler 
quarters. Do not plant outside for awhile, 
however, unless the shoots are covered 
nightly, to protect against frost. 
Begonias. 
Keep Begonia corms just moist and shade 
from hot sun. The planting out of bedding 
stuff which has been wintered in cold frames 
should not be delayed. 
Violas. 
I have just been putting out a newly- 
arrived batch of Violas, including that 
beautiful new variety, Jessie Baker. It is 
clear white edged with a beautiful dark blue. 
I am strongly tempted to enumerate a num¬ 
ber of sorts, but it would be superfluous to 
do so. 
The hoe should now be at work among the 
beds and borders, as weeds are appearing 
everywhere. 
Sowing Grass Seed. 
The present is a good time to sow grass 
seed. If the ground has been well prepared, 
it should be in fine tilth, so that the seed, 
helped by the light showers we usually get 
about now, will quickly germinate. Scare 
off birds after sowing. Speaking of birds, 
I think they become more audacious than 
ever. After I had sown my Asters, etc., 
the wretched sparrows crept in through a 
small chink in the frame, and mauled my 
seed pans terribly. 
I fell back on my old remedy, paraffin 
emulsion, lightly sprayed over the pans, and 
some highly seasoned tit-bits for the birds. 
There are not quite so many of the latter 
now. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Peach Trees. 
Remember that protection is necessary for 
Peach trees coming into bloom. Disbud 
superfluous shoots on wall trees, as soon as 
they begin to grow. Young Peach and other 
fruit trees planted against hot walls should 
have their main stem shaded from hot sun. 
The great heat generated by walls in sum¬ 
mer-time is frequently the cause of young 
trees failing. 
Look out for aphides on Cherry trees. 
The pest must be dealt with early, so as to 
prevent it gaining a strong hold. 
Strawberry planting may be taken in hand 
during the next week or two. 
Trees that usually suffer from leaf scald, 
should be frequently sprayed with Bordeaux 
mixture. 
241 
•pray for Currant Mite. 
An improved and simpler form of spray 
for Black Currant Mite has been introduced. 
This is made by mixing one part pulverised 
freshly burnt lime, with two parts sulphur. 
This powder must be allowed to cool before 
using, as the re-action between the two is 
very great. The bushes should be first 
damped with water, and the powder after¬ 
wards pulled all over them. Three or four 
applications are necessary, as the mite con¬ 
tinues to migrate until early May. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Potatoa. 
Potato planting may go ahead strongly 
now. Give the late sorts plenty of room— 
3ft. between the rows and 15 inches from set 
to set. 
Sowing Greens. 
Late Savoys, Broccoli, etc., should now 
be sown. Personally, I mark my drills for 
seed sowing, but some prefer to sow broad¬ 
cast, as it gives the plants more room. 
Protection against birds is essential where 
seed of the Cabbage family is sown. 
Cucumbers and Marrows. 
Cucumber and Marrow seed should be 
sown, giving a little heat. Marrows and 
Ridge Cucumbers will frequently do well 
sown outdoors, but a warm start off gets 
them going earlier. Those who have frame 
room should certainly cultivate the green¬ 
house Cucumber. 
A hot bed, after other things are removed, 
will do splendidly, and a fine crop of 
Cucumbers will be obtainable if pinching 
is attended to. 
Other Vegetables. 
Further sowings of Peas and Spinach 
should be made. Early Carrots and Salsafy 
want to go in now. 
Sow Radishes frequently, so as to keep up 
a continuous supply. The same applies to 
Lettuce. 
On warm soils, French beans may go in. 
It is astonishing how new forms of Dwarf 
Beans are being introduced. For general 
purposes Canadian Wonder still leads. 
Make up new Asparagus beds at once. 
Earth over Seakale, to blanch it. 
Hortl 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Hardening Bedding Plants. 
Some of the hardiest bedding plants, such 
as Marguerites and Geraniums, may now be 
transferred to a cold frame if space is 
urgently wanted. If the cold frame is occu¬ 
pied by Calceolarias, plant these outdoors, 
in a sheltered position. Move other bed¬ 
ding plants near to the greenhouse door, and 
keep the warmest inner part of the house 
for striking cuttings and raising seeds. Do 
not unduly coddle anything that has even¬ 
tually to make its home outdoors for the 
summer. 
Ten Week Stocks. 
If the first sowing has failed, get in another 
now ; this sowing will often give the finest 
plants. Seedlings should have abundance 
of air as soon as they are well through the 
soil. I have found it an excellent plan in 
preventing damping off to sprinkle a layer 
of sand and lime on the surface soil, or 
powdered charcoal and lime. If, however, 
a good surfacing of sdiid is used at sowing 
time, and plenty* of air is given to the young 
plants, there should be little damping off. 
Perhaps I should explain that damping off 
means the formation of a little discoloured 
ring on the stem near the soil. This is 
caused by a fungus, and makes the plant 
topple over and die. 
Grape Vines. 
If these have been treated properly several 
new shoots will have probably pushed from 
