THE a ARDEN I NO WORLD. 
269 
April 20, 1907. 
owing Small Seeds. 
The patience of a young gardener is 
ften tried when he has to transplant seed- 
, ngs of such plants as Lobelias, Begonias 
uberous and fibrous). Gloxinias, Strepto- 
! a rpus, Nicotiana, etc., which have been 
awn in pans or boxes as thickly as hairs 
n a cat's back. All small seeds should be 
awn evenly and thinly, the result being 
trong healthy seedlings, which, after 
eing pricked out soon make good strong 
jiants. The same thing applies to the 
awing of many sorts of vegetables, 
•hether sown early in boxes and frames 
r in the open ground. Much seed is 
asted yearly through being sown too 
fickly. 
Surrey. A. V. PARRATT. 
chimenes in Baskets. 
Achimenes for this purpose should be 
anted in shallow pans, using sandy soil. 
Uren they are about three inches high 
rev are ready for transplanting to the 
uskets. These should have a layer of 
loss placed on the bottom, and a few 
lants put in facing downwards. Cover 
le roots wit]; soil and then put more moss 
ound the side, and another row of plants, 
nd so on until the top is reached, plant- 
ig a few upright on the top. The soil 
hould be loam leaf soil and peat in equal 
uantities with some sharp sand added, 
’hev make most beautiful baskets. The 
est way to water them is to dip the whole 
asket in so that they get a good wetting, 
’hev must be frequently syringed to keep 
own the thrips. 
Kent. A. Dennett. 
-*+>- 
Self-Sown Plants. 
One often hears that self-sown plants 
re the best. They certainly do well, and 
he reason I take it is that they are not so 
rowded as those which come up in drills; 
Iso those which have germinated in the 
utumn and survived the winter make 
ood root growth, and so produce sturdy 
igorous plants. 
The winter of 1899 was so mild that 
iweet Peas which were self-sown the pre- 
ious autumn flowered late in the spring, 
nd these not only bloomed earlier by a 
ouple of months than those sown early in 
he year, but they made more vigorous 
ind bushy plants. All self-sown annuals 
an be transplanted if they are lifted care- 
ully with a fork, so that the roots are not 
noken. 
It is worth while sowing some hardy an- 
rnals in the autumn such as Sweet Peas, 
ihirley Poppies, Cornflowers, etc., and let- 
ing them take their chance. A great 
lumber of plants sow themselves, and in 
ooking lover the garden in spring be care- 
ul to notice any seedlings of annuals or 
lerennials worth saving. Fork up the soil 
o a good depth so as to thoroughly loosen 
t, then the seedlings can be taken up with- 
>ut injuring the roots, and replant at once, 
naking the soil firm around them, and 
veil watering if necessary when planting. 
Although they say in most books on horti¬ 
culture that such things as Poppies and 
dignonette cannot be transplanted, it 
omes to this, that any seedling can be 
noved if care is taken to prevent injury to 
he roots, especially the long tap root. 
Kent. R. Waite 
The Portugal Heath. 
Some or other of the hardy Heaths may 
be grown in any part of the British Isles 
where the soil is suitable or can be made 
so for this particular class of plants. The 
Portugal Heath is only hardy, however, 
in the southern and more favoured coun¬ 
ties, particularly those along the sea¬ 
board. The reason of this will be appar¬ 
ent when we take into consideration the 
fact that it commences blooming some¬ 
times at the commencement of the New 
Year in mild winters. That being the 
case, it would also be preparing to bloom 
during the waning months of the year. 
It has been somewhat later in coming 
(Erica lusitanica). 
beginning of the month. The flowers of 
the Heaths do not fall away, but wither 
on the plants, and consequently are 
effective until they become discoloured 
by age. 
Ali the Heaths of this class like sandy 
and peaty soils in preference to those that 
are clayey or chalky. Those whose gar¬ 
dens do not possess a sandy or peaty and 
fairly moist soil can make it so by the 
introduction of a large proportion of peat 
or leaf mould in the soil. Sometimes 
ponds have been cleared for the purpose 
of getting sandy mud, and after this has 
lain for a twelve month to sweeten it, be¬ 
comes suitable for this and other members 
\Maclaren and Sons. 
The Portugal Heath (Erica lusitanica). 
into bloom this year than usual, but 
Heaths have the recommendation of main¬ 
taining their beauty for many weeks to¬ 
gether. If it had commenced to bloom 
at the beginning of January the flowers 
would have withered several w r eeks ago, but 
owing to the late season it is still an effec¬ 
tive bush. Its relatives, the tree Heath 
and the garden hybrid known as E. 
Veitchi, were still in perfection at the 
of the Heath family. Anyone, therefore, 
who has a garden in a sufficiently favour¬ 
able climate and not too much under the 
influence of a smoky town, can so im¬ 
prove or alter a portion of the soil in their 
garden as to grow these beautiful shrubs 
to great perfection. The illustration 
shows a clump .of this Heath in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of other shrubs which help to 
break the wind and give shelter. 
