October 26, 1907. THE gardening world. 
693 
luit Picking. 
Very little fruit should be hanging now; 
<jly the very late iron clad Apples and 
jars benefit by being left till November. 
Job Apples as Allen’s Everlasting will not 
pjp well if picked too soon. 
:.me Good Varieties to Grow. 
In case anyone should desire a short list 
j varieties of fruits to grow I mention a 
j(.v good sorts :—Apples : Blenheim Orange, 
ps s Orange, King of Pippins,, Gascoyne’s 
.arlet, Stirling Castle, Warner’s King, and 
iraniley’s Seedling. Pears : Doyenne du 
!>mice, Emile d’ Heyst, W. Bon Chretien, 
■inter Nells, Jargonelle, and Marie Louise, 
lie best Raspberry is Superlative. Monarch 
.d Victoria are fine Plums. Lancashire 
id and Whitesmith are fine Gooseberries. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Celery is now being lifted in splendid con- 
tion where early stuff is brought along, 
tie latest batches should now be fully 
rthed. 
jetroot and Carrots. 
Beetroots and Carrots should be up now 
id carefully stored. Do not bruise them, 
pecially the Beet. Damaged Beetroot 
eeds considerably, and such roots should 
L cooked at once. Always plunge Beets 
to boiling water, not cold, as many do. 
oiling water means a well coloured root 
en if it has been cut. Cold water makes 
Beet lose half its colour. A dry shed or 
liar is essential for the well-being of roots, 
ampness induces growth, 
sparagus. 
Glean up Asparagus beds and cut away all 
ead growths. 
eakale. 
Seakale should be lifted as soon as the 
iliage drops away. 
arsley. 
In very cold positions it is wise to lift a 
-w roots of Parsley and plant them in a 
rame. Parsley is pretty hardy, but it does 
}t like freezing and thawing, coupled with 
imp. 
: See that weeds are not hob-nobbing with 
lawly sown Onions. 
abbages. 
j Cabbage beds should also be kept free 
:om weeds. Watch for disappearing plants, 
hich tell that the leather jacket is abroad. 
Hunt round about each damaged plant, 
| here the pest is alwa3 r s to be found. A 
asty, fat, ugly maggot or catterpillar he 
with a hide like an elephant. 
Clear up all decajdng rubbish and burn 
1: whenever possible. 
“ Horti.” 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
•’ires and Firing. 
The amount of fire which it is necessary 
o keep at this time of the year must de- 
>end largely upon the kind of plants grown ; 
dso, whether it is necessary to keep a fire 
right and day, too, must depend upon the 
ame point. Personally, I think one’s own 
reelings at this season are an admirable 
guide when dealing with greenhouse or 
emperate plants proper. As evening closes 
here is a perceptible freshness in the air ; 
ve shiver, say ’tis getting chilly, and have 
a. fire to sit b} ! \ At such a time it is well 
o give the plants a little fire to sit by, too. 
Conversely, when we say it feels muggy 
his evening, we do without a fire ourselves, 
ind our plants may do so, too. This system 
)f firing is much better in the early autumn 
han keeping a fire constantly going and 
having to open the ventilators wide to keep 
down the temperature. By and bye, when 
we get settled cold weather, the fire must be 
kept In day and might, but along now do not 
use it more than is necessary. Closing the 
house an hour earlier will make a lot of 
difference in the temperature. 
Violets in Frames. 
Coddling is fatal to these, especially in 
wet weather. Keep the lights right off as 
long as possible—unless for some reason a 
few early blooms are wanted —and when the 
lights are on never close them tight unless 
severe frost is about. Stir up the soil be¬ 
tween the plants with a handfork, at the 
same time removing dead leaves. If the 
soil is at all dry give it a good soaking of 
water, doing this in the early morning and 
leaving the lights off to allow superfluous 
moisture to escape. A handful of soot 
dusted between the rows is useful in a double 
sense, d.e., it helps to keep down insect pests, 
and considerably deepens the colour of the 
flowers. 
Potting Spiraeas. 
Imported roots of Spiraeas will now be 
obtainable, and a good batch should be 
potted up. They are very useful indeed in 
spring, more especially where the green¬ 
house possesses few shrubby or large plants. 
Pots 5m. and 6in. in diameter are the most 
useful, but it is a mistake to give a larger 
pot than is really required. Always select 
quite sound pots, place a little old manure 
over the drainage hole, and then force in the 
biggest Spiraea that the pot will hold, if 
the clump is square or has angles, round 
them off by hanging on the potting shed 
bench. When in position, fill in with some 
fine soil, which make very firm with the 
potting lath. On no account overlook the 
newer forms of Spiraea, for they are very 
beautiful, especially the pale pink ones, if 
they can be obtained. Clumps from the gar¬ 
den make a fine show if placed in lard pails 
or very large pots; if they do not give much 
flower' they will give a very useful lot of 
foliage for cutting. 
Seakale for Forcing. 
This is such a delicious vegetable and so 
easily forced that every amateur should try 
his hand with it. As soon as the frost causes 
the leaves to 3'ellow', remove them, and dig 
up those clumps which have the most and 
best crowns. Lay them, as lifted, on the 
surface of the ground for a week or more, 
and then proceed to pot or box them. In 
doing this, cut away all thin and forking 
roots, -tie them into bundles, and bury them 
in soil for next year’s supply of crowns. 
Place the thick stems, each surmounted by 
a conical crown, in pots or boxes, allowing 
the crowns to just protrude above the soil, 
and keeping them about 2in. apart. Almost 
P'~y light soil will do for filling in between 
the stems or roots. Water them in, and 
stand them in a dark and warm place, such 
as beneath the greenhouse stage, _ not too 
close to the hot-water pipes. The soil should 
be kept nicely moist with a rosed can. 
Bedding Calceolarias. 
These should never be put in the green¬ 
house. If a lot of plants are wanted, make 
up a bed of light and sandy soil in a cold 
frame, and dibble in cuttings, 2m. apart, 
all over the surface. If only a few plants 
are wanted, crock and soil a box or two 
boxes, dibble in the cuttings closely, and 
keep them in a cold frame. There are some 
splendid cuttings this >‘ear. The best are 
to be found springing up near the centre of 
the plant, about 4.in. to 6m. long, and with 
no suspicion of flower buds in the top. 
Old Fuchsias. 
If these are in the way in the greenhouse, 
carry them to a spare bedroom or room of 
anv sort. Here ther - should be kept drv at 
the roots, and not too close to the_ window. 
In these quarters they will be all right until 
wanted in February for providing cuttings. 
Failing a spare room, put the plants in a 
light shed, and pack a nice lot of dead leaves 
round the pots. I detest giving up room in 
a warm greenhouse to old Fuchsias, and 
always get them out somehow, somewhere. 
Bulbs for Bedding. 
When bedding out is finished, collect the 
remnants of various sorts and proceed to pot 
them. Bulbs used for bedding are not gene¬ 
rally quite first class, but if placed rather 
close together in pots they prove of value at 
flowering time. They should be plunged be¬ 
neath ashes and treated in the usual way, 
but must not be hard forced, or failure will 
result. If short of pots, put the bulbs in a 
box, and pot them up when their flowers 
show; they do not mind this treatment in the 
least. 
“ Sunnyside,” 
♦++ 
Heating Apparatus. 
Now that the days are shortening and 
the nights getting colder, it is high time 
to think of how the greenhouse and con¬ 
servatory are to be heated during winter, 
so as to keep out frost and preserve the 
many plants that have been packed into 
such structures during the last few weeks 
or days. Hot water engineers are equal 
to the occasion, however, as several cata¬ 
logues of heating apparatus on our table 
testify. 
Thomas Green and Son. 
Saddle boilers have always been very- 
efficient apparatus for the heating of hot¬ 
houses, and amongst the most reliable for 
durability, Messrs. Thomas Green and 
Son, Ltd., Smithfield Ironworks, Leeds, 
and New Surrey Works, Southwark 
Street, London, have two very distinct 
types of this kind, namely. Green’s 
Welded Saddle Boiler and Green’s Im¬ 
proved Riveted Saddle Boiler. The first- 
named is made in various sizes, so as to 
fit the cubic capacity of greenhouses in 
the matter of heating. These boilers 
heat from 200 to 1,500 ft. of 4 in. piping. 
The Riveted Saddle Boiler merely differs 
by the outer surface being riveted to the 
narrow ends so as to make a complete 
water holding vessel. 
Messrs. Charles Toope and Son, 
A patent automatic safety lamp has 
been invented by Messrs. Charles Toope 
(F.R.H.S.) and Son, Stepney Square, 
Stepney High Street, Stepney, London. 
In the making of this lamp the sole aim 
was to avoid annoyances, anxiety, and 
inefficiencies in the heating of green¬ 
houses, incubators, and brooders. It is 
fitted with a reservoir to hold a gallon 
of oil, and this saves frequent refilling 
and much attention. 
Messrs. H. Birch and Co. 
Several types of a heating apparatus 
have been made by Messrs. H. Birch and 
Co., 19, Athelstane Road, St. Stephen's 
Road, Bow, London. One of these is 
named the “Fixer,” others the “Regina,” 
the “Vallance,” the “Victory,” the 
Steward,” and the “Rex.” All of these 
are constructed on a similar plan with 
variations to fit houses of different sizes. 
The heaters are intended to warm houses 
used for different purposes about private 
establishments, and also for greenhouses, 
conservatories, and frames. 
