April 13, 1907. 
TUB GARDENING WORLD. 
ROSES. 
1725. Rose Bushes. 
I planted some Rose trees last summer, 
but did not prune them, as I did not know 
if this was necessary. Should 1 cut them 
back now, and how much? S. C., Middle¬ 
sex.) 
The Rose stems cannot be in very fine con¬ 
dition, and should be getting crowded by 
this time, but you can make an endeavour 
to get them into proper condition by cutting 
back the stems within 12 in. of the ground. 
If thev are crowded cut out some of the 
oldest stems at the ground level. Ihis cut¬ 
ting will induce the plants to throw up 
shoots from the base, and when you manage 
to secure a number of them you can prune 
them regularly every year afterwards. When¬ 
ever you require to thin them, all dead 
shoots should be first cut away, then the very- 
weak shoots not likely to produce blooms, 
and, if still too crowded, cut out some of 
those which are more than two years old. 
TREES AND SHRUBS. 
1726. Cutting Down Laurels. 
I am an old subscri ber, and shall be 
greatly obliged if you will say in the next 
issue of The Gardening World when the 
right time is for cutting Laurels, especially 
a Laurel bank. How ought it to be done to 
make one good, thick mass ? Also please 
tell me if tree Lupins should be cut down, 
and when is the best time for cutting them? 
Should Berberis be cut down to make it grow 
strong? (Highcliffe, Yorks.) 
Early in March is the best time to cut 
down Laurels, or more properly speaking, 
Laurel Cherries, as that is the proper name 
of the plant which is grown for covering 
banks. When you cut them in March the 
severest of the weather has gone, and the 
stems left then have time to break strongly 
into new growth. This can still be done, 
although it is late- and the plants have not 
the same length of time to make and mature 
their young wood before autumn. The plan 
is to go over the plants and cut the old stems 
down within 6 in. or r2 in. of the ground. 
This makes them send up a number of shoots 
like a Willow stool, so that they cover the 
bank with a green mass. If the plants are 
very old, they may not shoot up very 
strongly the first year, but in March you 
can cut back the young growths about half 
their length, and they will no doubt form 
a close mass during the season. Some of 
the stems will be sufficiently thick to require 
a saw to cut them without splitting them, 
but all the smaller stems or shoots should 
be cut with a knife. We do not believe in 
the use of the shears, as that cuts many of 
the leaves in half, thus disfiguring the 
bushes for a long time. The tree Lupin 
requires regulating rather than cutting 
down, because if very much cut back it 
would be later in flowering and not bloom 
so well as if more of the young wood had 
been left. You should look round the bush, 
having an eve to its shape, and where there 
are long, straggling branches they should be 
cut back in line with the others. If you have 
reason to suppose the bush is too crowded, 
then you should thin out a number of the 
shoots, removing them to the lowest bud 
near the main stems. You do not tell us 
what Berberis you mean, as the various 
species, would behave differently when cut 
down. Deciduous ones'would, no doubt, make 
a good growth during the summer if cut 
hard down in spring, but these growths 
would be erect, possibly crowded, and would 
not bloom, or not to any extent, as if the 
bushes had been left to their natural size 
and merely regulated. Some of the ever¬ 
green species would make less satisfactory 
growth than the deciduous ones if cut down 
near the base. Indeed, B. Darwinii, B. 
stenophylla, and others of that class should 
merely be regulated by shortening back 
straggling shoots. By cutting them harder 
you would remove all of the blossoms, and 
we do not see what would be gained unless 
your bushes are bare low down. In that case, 
cutting back would help to restore them to a 
dwarf and bushy habit. Many of the ever¬ 
greens do not sprout very freely the first 
year, at least it hard cut down. 
VEGETABLES. 
17 27. Growing Cucumbers. 
I wish to grew Cuoumbers in a forcing 
house to be trained up the sash bars. Along 
one side I have a deep box erected, the 
bottom of which is 2 in. above the hot-water 
pipes. I intend growing the Cucumbers 
m this box, and wish to know what it should 
be filled with and at what temperature the 
house should be maintained? (W. C. D., 
Kent.) , 
Y’ou should make up a compost consisting 
of turfy loam two parts, manure one part, 
and a little sand. The loam should be 
broken up in pieces about the size of a fist. 
The manure should be fairly well decayed, 
and that should be thoroughly broken up to 
distribute it amongst the soil. Dram ihe 
boxes well, so that superfluous moisture can¬ 
not run freely away, as Cucumbers delight 
in a liberal supply of water when growing 
rapidly during warm weather. A tempera¬ 
ture, of 60 degs. by night will be sufficient, 
but that may be allowed to rise 10 degs. to 
15 degs. during the day, the latter tempe. 
rature being produced by sun heat. Of 
course, the ventilators should be closed 
rather early in the afternoon, to economise 
sun heat. The temperature may rise very 
high during this period, but the floor of the 
house, including paths, staging and every 
open surface should be damped down. The 
house then gets full of steamy vapour, and 
the sun can do no harm, although the tempe¬ 
rature may get above the figures we have just 
mentioned. At the same time, you should not 
neglect to give the proper amount of ventila¬ 
tion during the day, commencing sufficiently 
early to prevent the temperature from rising 
too high. At closing time, with moisture in 
the house, it is quite a different matter. 
1728. Planting Potatos. 
How should I cut seed Potatos for plant¬ 
ing—that is, how majiy eves should I leave 
on each piece, and should any of the eyes 
be rubbed out? (Amicus, Middlesex.) 
If the seed Potatos are only about the size 
of a hen’s egig no cutting will be necessary. 
A little larger than that they may be cut into 
two equal halves, cutting them in such a way 
that each half will have a good eye or 
sprout. Potatos that are twice the size of a 
hen’s egg could be cut in four pieces, especi¬ 
ally if you have any scarcity of seed. At 
the same time, you bear in mind that there 
is no fixed rule for the size of each set, al¬ 
though a good strong set should give the 
young stem a good start in life. One eye 
would be sufficient for each set, and if the 
eyes are numerous it would be an advantage 
to remove all but one or two of the best. 
You would, of course, get the largest Po¬ 
tatos from those sets which are allowed to 
develop one stem only. Under those condi¬ 
tions, and if plenty of space is left between 
the Potatos, the tubers may grow too large 
to be convenient for table purposes, and in 
that case you can regulate it so as to pro¬ 
duce a larger number of tubers of smaPer 
size. You should aim at a medium for table 
use. 
1729. Sowing Dwarf Beans. 
When will it be safe to sow Dwarf Beans 
out of doors? Last year mv first lot were 
destroyed by late frosts in May. I believe 
there is a way of sowing them in boxes and 
planting them out afterwards. Can vou give 
me any advice about this? (D. Wingham, 
Staffs.) 
We have seen some people sowing Scarlet 
Runners, or even Dwarf Beans, in March 
in the South of England, and the results 
may be good, provided we get no late frosts. 
These Beans, however, are very liable to 
be out down by late frosts in May, so that 
very early crops are always risky. You 
would be safer to sow the first crop out of 
doors about the middle of this month. Other 
crops for a succession can be sown at inter¬ 
vals to the end of June in the open garden. 
The method of sowing Dwarf Beans, or even 
Runners, in boxes is a very simple one. 
About the beginning of May vou can sow a 
sufficient number in boxes and stand the 
latter in a cold frame. They will germi¬ 
nate in a few days and make rapid progress 
under the influence of the elass. Towards 
the end of May they will begin to get quite 
thick in the boxes, and you should give 
more ventilation to harden the plants and 
make them sturdy. About the first week of 
J une you may plant them out where they 
are intended to fruit. Gardeners should al¬ 
ways -be on the outlook for frosty nights 
during May and the first part of June, and 
if it threatens to be frosty all such tender 
things as Dwarf Beans, Scarlet Runners, 
and Vegetable Marrows should receive a 
covering of something before leaving off at 
night. This may consist of sheets of tiffany, 
or, indeed, waste cloth of any kind, or a few 
Spruce or other evergreen branches, planted 
alongside of the rows so as to hang over the 
Beans, and the latter would' be quite safe. 
1730. Planting) Out Onions. 
I have some Onion seedlings which I 
sowed in the greenhouse in February ana 
transplanted into boxes. They are healthy 
looking plants, though not very stout. When 
is the best time to plant them out, and will 
they require any protection? (T. S. Miers, 
Essex.) 
Onions are hardy, but as you have been 
growing them under glass they would be 
somewhat tender if planted suddenly under 
the influence of cold nights, or even bright 
sunshine by day. About the middle of this 
month is a very good time to plant them out, 
and if it has recently been raining the plants 
will take all the more readily to the shift. 
Before attempting to plant them out, how¬ 
ever, you should harden them off by placing 
them in a cold frame for a week, so that you 
can give them ample ventilation during the 
day. This will harden the tissues and bene¬ 
fit the plants. If the soil is not wet at the 
time of planting, you should water the soil 
well down about the plants after putting 
them out. 
GARDEN ENEMIES. 
1731. Honeysuckle Eaten by Insects. 
A Honeysuckle I put in last year was very 
much eaten away by some insects (the young 
leaves). Would syringing well with soft 
soap be beneficial?' (Freda, Northampton¬ 
shire.) 
We are somewhat in doubt as to what 
remedy to apply, because you evidently have 
not detected the particular enemy, 
young leaves might have been eaten by cater¬ 
pillars or by snails. The large garden snail 
creeps up plants during the night and veri- 
soon devours a large quantity of tender 
young leaves. In- neither of these cases 
would syringing with soapy water be of any 
material advantage. If the culprits were 
snails, it would merely be like locking the 
stable door after the horses are sjolen^ as 
to syringe with soapy water during the day. 
The snails feed chiefly by night, and you 
might find them resting on some sheltered 
spot of the wall during the dav or amonest 
rubbish or clods of earth close by. 
make these suggestions so that vou can make 
an endeavour to discover what the rea 
enemy is. Syringing with soapy wafer is 
only the remedy for such soft bodied insects 
as green fly and red spider. 
