706 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 2, 1907. 
Plants that have 'been, rudely disturbed are 
not likely to start so early in the spring as 
established trees, so that there is little to 
fear as regards injury by frost in the - 
spring. The majority of shrubs, especially 
deciduous kinds, are better if planted about 
now than in 'the spring. Evergreens and 
conifers, however, do better when planted in 
spring, as a check now would probably re¬ 
sult in complete loss of foliage. 
Liliurns and Other Bulbs. 
The majority of Liliiitns' are now avail¬ 
able fdf planting, and the sooner they are 
under the soil the better. Never plant 
Lilies in poor soil. These stately flowers 
like a decent station. Heavy clayey soil, 
unrelieved by well rotted manure, leaves, 
and sand, will not do for Lilies very well. 
Bulbs that have not yet been planted should 
be dealt with at once. Ranunculuses re¬ 
quire a fairly light soil,. and they may be 
planted any time onward. The same ap¬ 
plies to Anemones. 
Lawns. 
Lawns need quite a deal of attention still. 
The mower may be 'dispensed with in most 
places, but the broom should frequently be 
at work. Worm lasts are everywhere, and 
there is no better way of dealing with them 
than by using a broom, following this up 
by the roller. Eager novices should bear it 
in mind that there is no necessity for run¬ 
ning with the roller. The slower the move¬ 
ment the mere pressure it exerts. However, 
I do not suppose many readers feel equal to 
dragging a 3 owt. roller at full gallop. 
Dahlias and Begonias. 
Dahlia and Begonia roots not yet lifted 
should be taken up whenever time permits. 
Even if frost has not injured them, they can 
do little good now. Dahlias should be cut 
down to within eight inches or so. Lifting 
may be done later if desired. Do not store 
such roots until thoroughly dry. Begonias 
need to lay a few days before the stalks 
part from the tubers. 
Calceolaria and Other Cuttings. 
It is not too late to get. in a batch of 
Calceolaria cuttings. A final lot of Pent- 
stemon and Antirrhinums may also be set 
out if frame room is available. 
Cutting Down Perennials. 
All perennials should be cut down and the 
Tubbish cleared away. Hollyhocks should 
have about a foot ■if stalk left. In cold 
districts it is a wise plan to cover these 
Toots with a spade or so of soil or ashes. 
The Fruit Garden. 
When Olley, the record breaker, was out 
on his : thousand mile jaunt and had been 
travelling about three days his timekeeper 
urged him to “ get on with it.” 
Planting. 
Those who intend planting fruit trees this 
autumn should also “ get on with it.” If 
anything prevents planting, the trees should 
be unpacked and carefully laid in trenches. 
If the trees have become dry at the . roots 
plunge them into water. 
Fruit Gathering. 
No fruit need be left on trees of any kind 
now, as it- cannot benefit in any way. Al¬ 
ways handle fruit carefully, as a slight 
bruise is sufficient to make an Apple or Pear 
useless for storing. 
Raspberries. 
Never omit to cut back Raspberries when 
planting. If not so treated they make very 
poor growth in future years. Bush fruits 
are better pruned at planting time. 
Gooseberries. 
Make sure that Gooseberry bushes when 
received are not suffering from mildew in 
any form. The much talked of American 
mildew seems to be prevalent in not a few 
places. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Asparagus- 
Asparagus is such an important vegetable 
that it should never ibe neglected at any 
time. All old growths should be cut away 
and burned. The ground should be cleared 
of weeds, and if the soil is fairly light a 
■mulch of manure may be given. 
Cauliflowers. 
If severe weather threaten lift. Cauli¬ 
flowers that have reached cutting size and 
keep them in a cool store. 
Celery Maggot. 
Make sure 'that Celery is fully earthed. 
The foliage in most places looks very sickly 
owing to the maggot pest which has been 
exceptionally prevalent this autumn. The 
leaf miner, however, does not seriously in¬ 
jure the plants when it comes late, as the 
plants have well nigh finished growth. It 
is as well, however, to pick off the damaged 
foliage and burn it as the maggots still 
remain under the epedermis of the leaf. I 
am not cognisant of what becomes of them 
if .left, but I assume that like most other 
larvae they pass the winter under the surface 
of the soil and appear as flies the following 
season. There are -several insects that prey 
upon the Celery -maggot, but it is useless 
to wait for them -to come along. 
Artichokes. 
Loose litter, etc., should be placed over 
the crowns of Globe Artichokes, the roots of 
which are not fully hardy. 
■ No roots such as Carrots, Salsify, etc., 
should remain in the ground. 
'Potatos. 
Potatos should be thoroughly overhauled 
before storing for the winter. Blight has 
developed a great deal among the tubers I 
have found. Do not keep seed Potatos too 
dry. To my mind it is a mistake to allow 
such tubers to rest qn shelves where varying 
temperatures affect them. Potato seed 
should be kept perfectly cool. 
Horti. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Sponging and Cleaning Plants. 
If I may be allowed to amend a favourite 
proverb, I would say : A sponge in time 
saves nine. Certainly that is very true 
indeed at this time of the year. Many of 
the plants have been summered out of doors, 
or grown so hardily that the various .mealy 
bug, scale, and thrips legions have either 
been exterminated or reduced to one or two 
solitary survivors. When placed under 
glass and the fire is started, these pests find 
conditions very much to their liking, and 
the solitary survivor of to-day may well be 
the mother of a thriving family to-morrow. 
In these circumstances I would strongly ad¬ 
vise every reader to devote as much as pos¬ 
sible of his spare time to sponging and 
cleaning bis plants, more particularly such 
notoriously dirty kinds as Palms, Ferns, 
Crotons, and Dracaenas. 
How to Sponge. 
I always invest in a few of those penny 
sponges sold to school children for slate 
cleaning; they are not so soft as better- 
quality sponges, and .so do their work better ; 
moreover, they are a very convenient size. 
Cut a piece off one of them about as big as 
a Cedar pencil and an inch long. Then slit 
a Bamboo Stake into quarters lengthwise, 
and fasten the- sponge to one end with a bit 
of rap.hia. The other end should be sharply 
pointed, the whole being .about 6. in. long. 
The sponge end will be found very useful 
in cleaning the hollowed or furrowed stalks 
of sheathing leaves; the point is an ideal 
weapon for prodding fat mealy bugs or 
removing obstinate scale insects. Quite hot 
water should be used for sponging, and it 
should have enough soft soap dissolved in 
it to turn it a deep milk colour. Use a 
very wet sponge at startingj to well soak 
the dirt, but finish with the sponge wrung 
out as dry as possible. 
Hanging Grapes. 
It was an exceptionally well-built glass¬ 
house that the gales of mid-October and 
onwards did not drive rain into, and where 
these raindrops entered unperceived intf> 
hanging bunches of ripe Grapes much dam¬ 
age has been done. I always like to care¬ 
fully look through the -house when a driven 
ra in is on the rampage, and take some means 
of diverting raindrops from bunches of 
Grapes. The simplest way I find is to use 
some squares of old zinc. These have a hole 
and a nail in. them, and where possible the 
nail is driven into the woodwork, the plate 
then throwing off all rain. Sometimes the 
plates have to be fastened to the trellis 
wires, and sometimes affixed to the laterals; 
but, however used, they are invaluable. 
Bunches not protected should be frequently 
examined, especially at the centre, and all 
decaying berries should be cut out. A little 
fire heat should always be kept on in wet 
weather. 
Late Chrysanthemums. 
In the glamour of the big blooms now 
unfolding, do not overlook the claims of 
plants waiting to supply late flowers. Un¬ 
less disbudded, these late flowers will not 
be of any size, and when all buds are left 
on, development of -the best is often inter¬ 
fered with. I always aim at securing a nice 
lot of sprays for plants which are to remain 
in the greenhouse, but, at the same time, 
disbudded flowers on long stems are so valu¬ 
able for the house vases that we must secure 
our quota of them. By rubbing off a few 
buds each morning, when watering is 
finished, the work is reduced to a minimum; 
besides, this gives one an excellent chance 
of catching earwigs and caterpillars, or 
checking the ravages o-f black fly. Keep the 
late plants near the door, allow them to 
have all the air possible, and give them 
liquid manure twice a week to keep their, 
growing. 
Chinese and Star Primulas. 
Both of these—really forms of the same 
species—should now have a minimum tem¬ 
perature of 50 degs. if plenty of flowers 
are wanted. Water them early to allow 
moisture about the stems to evaporate, and 
do not give water until it is required. 
Primulas will stand plenty of feeding now, 
and the Star or StelLata section will bloom 
for months if liberally fed. As it is diffi¬ 
cult at this season to give alternate water¬ 
ings of liquid manure and water with 
sufficient frequency to do much good, it is 
best to use the manure in dry form, and 
depend upon the water-can to wash i.t in. 
Any of the advertised chemical manures 
may be used, Clay’s and Thomson’s being 
great favourites with gardeners. 
Cinerarias and Calceolarias. 
Where these are still in cold frames 
an excellent place for them—they should 
be watered with care, and as early in the 
day as possible. Never allow the soil to 
become really dry, and after watering open 
the frame a little to allow the foliage to 
dry. In the evening, if the weather s 
frosty, close the light tight, and secure a 
mat or two to cover the glass and the chinks 
where the light and frame meet. The latter 
is important, as frost often gets into frames 
through these chinks, even when a mat is 
on top of the g!a-- 
