THE GARDENING WORLD. 273 
April 20, 1907. 
i ensely green colour put on by the 
f iage of plants after its application to 
t: ground would seem to indicate vigor- 
(3 growth. Some of the finest Onions 
pvvn on light soil, as well as Potatos, 
Ire produced with the help of soot as 
] mure at the time of planting. 
For pot plants a small quantity (half a 
j c k to a bushel of compost) put in the 
tting soil, will help to make these grow 
irdily. Or the plants may be given a 
■ ekly dose of soot water, or even a little 
ener during seasons when much mois- 
e is required. 
.4 good deal of this manure can be ob- 
ned without expense, the only outlay 
ing that of a little labour and care in 
>ring. Have two or three boxes in which 
; weekly sweepings from flues can be 
>red, and when the sweep comes see that 
leaves you the soot behind. Then you 
11 always have a little ready for use either 
plants or ground outside or inside. 
: careful not to apply fresh soot to quite 
ung plants oir the ammonia contained 
it mav burn them. Soot water may 
: made by placing a peck of soot in a 
g and sinking to the bottom of the vessel 
ntaining water used for plants, a brick- 
t or two make good weights. Give the 
iter an occasional stir, and renew soot as 
■cessary. 
Albert A. Kerridge. 
-- 
Gardens are universal in the Nether- 
nds. There is not a cottage to be seen 
it has its garden attached to it. 
ums. 
There are now fully three hundred 
nds of cultivated Plums. All these 
ive been derived from two native species, 
rich are still found wild in the mountain 
illeys of the Caucasus range. 
eatb of Mr. Hugh Aiton. 
We regret to announce the death of Mr. 
ugh Aiton, which took place on April 
h at Deveronside, Arkwright Road, 
ampstead, London. The deceased 
mtleman came of a good gardening 
ock. and bore a surname well known in 
e annals of British horticulture. He 
as apprenticed to the late Mr. Charles 
i'urner, of Slough, in 1858, and later 
rved in various capacities with various 
rrticultural firms until in 1876 he went 
1 Messrs. Hurst and Son, for whom he 
aveiled all over the provinces till about 
iur years ago, when he retired. Mr) 
iton was esteemed by a very wide circle 
c friends. 
ature Study Post Cards. 
The Country Press, of Kensington, W., 
ave just issued two more of their six- 
enny packets of instructive nature study 
ost cards; onle packet including fac- 
imiles of six British trees in winter—the 
ther, facsimiles of the boles of the same 
ees—each tree form being accompanied 
y letterpress description. The current 
sues make the seventh and eighth — the 
revious ones comprising all the British 
erns on seven cards ; the leaves of the 
rincipal British trees and shrubs on 
velve cards ; trees in winter and tree boles 
n twelve cards, and a selection of 
•ritish grasses, popularly and botanically 
■anted, on twelve cards. For four shil- 
ngs and sixpence, therefore, the lovers 
f trees and Ferns can obtain a substantial 
tstalment of nature study reproductions. 
The Flower Garden. 
The Weather and Watering. 
I have just been reading an article by 
a French writer wherein he chides the Eng¬ 
lish for their perpetual complaining ajbout 
the weather. My system contains a good 
lot of English blood, I think, yet I am fain 
to confess that the writer referred, to is not 
very wide of the mark. Just now I feel in¬ 
clined to grumble about the drought. Were 
all my plants and shrubs established I should 
not mind so much, but one cannot but feel 
alarmed when recently-planted shrubs, 
Roses, Violas, etc., show signs of giving up 
the ghost through lack of moisture. The 
townsman with his water supply and hose 
■pipe can tide over a dry time, but in the 
country, where water is scarce and difficult 
to get, matters 'become serious. The early 
part of last year was extremely wet. This 
season rain has been very scarce, with the 
result that the soil is becoming dry before 
plants have a fair root hold. Personally, 1 
dislike watering very much, as it takes up a 
great deal of time, and is no light task 
when the water has to be carried. On my 
heavy soil I have found it necessary to water 
occasionally in midsummer, but the new 
patch on the chalky hillside was gasping 
for water before March was out. I daresay 
we shall have rain before these notes appear, 
at least. I hope so, otherwise many of my 
plants .will have passed in their chips. 
Where soil has dried out- like the above I 
expect readers have been very busy with 
the water can. I do not advocate lavish 
supplies of water if it can possibly be obvi¬ 
ated, especially at this period of the year. 
It encourages roots to keep near the surface, 
and they thus demand constant attention. 
The hoe is, without doubt, the best water 
pot. On trenched soil plants can go right 
through a season unwatered, save by rain, 
providing the top two inches of soil is kept 
loose by means of the hoe. 
On Hoes and Hoeing. 
There are hoes and hoes, and the good 
gardener will see that he has a set suited 
to his requirements. Keep the edges sharp, 
and grind the corners square if they wear 
too much. A sharp tool works much easier 
and is more deadly to weeds. Of course a 
sharp hoe makes no discrimination between 
weeds and 5s. plants. The wielder of the 
hoe must do that. This is a hint to new 
starters to exercise care when hceing among 
plants, especially when the latter are small. 
A lady friend of mine, when in Switzerland 
at various times, collected a number of pretty 
alpines, and brought them home. One day 
she employed a jobbing gardener and set 
him to hoe the borders. He found his way 
to the alpine bed later on, and looking upon 
the little mites as weeds he heed the lot out. 
The lady only discovered it when too late, 
for the sunshine dried them up completely. 
Roses. 
Roses in my neighbourhood are starting 
strongly, but I have already seen traces of 
auhides. Where these pests appear no time 
should be lost in taking action against them, 
■as they multiply very quickly. It is usually 
somewhere about now that I dig between my 
Roses. In many places it is the custom to 
mulch the beds with manure, but I do not 
care for the system, unless the soil dries out 
quickly. I much prefer to spread the 
manure in February or March and dig it 
in after pruning is completed. The hoe 
does the rest. Roses, when starting, appre¬ 
ciate frequent syringing, as it softens the 
bark, and encourages the buds to break. 
After a hot day, and we had some hot 
weather in March, a sprinkling with the 
water can or syringe will do a world of 
good. If spot disease or rust has caused 
trouble at any time, give the bushes a spray¬ 
ing with weak bordeaux mixture. Allow the 
lime to settle and use the clear liquid. It 
will be less conspicuous. 
Sowing: Annuals. 
Owing to the very dry conditions I have 
only just sown my out of door annuals. 
For reasons I have stated on many occa¬ 
sions, I prefer to sow in beds and transplant 
later. Such things as Poppies, Esch- 
scholtzias and Mignonette are somewhat 
difficult to shift, however, unless water and 
shade are available. These tender-rooted 
subjects are better if sown, in a bed or in 
patches in the border, where they are not 
likely to be forgotten. There is evidently a 
strong inclination among hybridists to im¬ 
prove many of the simple annuals. 
Mignonette and Poppies. 
The ever-lengthening list of Mignonette 
and Poppies is causing many people to look 
upon, them as something above the ordinary. 
Mignonette is steadily being changed into 
red, brown, white and orange. Poppies— 
well, one could fill a garden with Poppies 
alone, for there are dozens of types. 
Eschscholtzias. 
Eschscholtzias are always pretty, but most 
people think of them as being yellow only, 
whereas 'there are white, pink, lemon, 
crange and red Eschscholtzias. Intus Rosea, 
Carmine King, and Burbank’s Crimson 
Flowered are three red forms sent out within 
the past year or two. They approach each 
other in colour, however, although raised in 
widely different centres. 
Nasturtiums. 
I have previously expressed a fondness 
for Nasturtiums, and this year we have 
several new breaks. Strangely enough an 
English and an American firm are sending 
out new variegated forms. Anyone who has 
grown Queen of Tom Thumbs can. easily 
imagine how valuable will be a scarlet¬ 
flowering sort. The variegations have also 
been worked into the climbing sorts, and 
we have now a number of colours, the foliage 
being beautifully marbled and streaked. 
When handling these newer forms of an¬ 
nuals it is better to sow in pots or boxes, as 
it is unwise to sow outside when seed Is 
scarce. Last year I sow'ed my Nasturtiums 
a trifle earlier than usual, and they were 
nearly destroyed by frost. 
Sweet Peas. 
I have just planted out some of my Sweet 
Peas, but not all, however, for the seed 
came up very irregularly. In fact, I have 
come to the conclusion that the seed this 
season is not so good as it might be. I have 
met many people who complain about the 
rotting of the seeds. Some of my newest 
sorts germinated very slowly, some not show¬ 
ing for a month after the first ones ap¬ 
peared. I fancy weak vitality is the cause 
of it, for even after being chipped the seeds 
were difficult to germinate. I certainly be- 
