73 2 
or branches of any kind should be left on 
the stems, and all incipient suckers 
should be cut away. Above all, do not 
mangle or bruise the roots more than is 
possible, and do not let them get dry. 
When preparing to plant the stocks they 
should be gone over with a sharp knife 
and all bruised and injured roots removed 
or shortened; they should be planted at 
the exact depth at which they had been 
previously buried, and separately staked. 
Dwarf and standard Roses should now be 
got into their positions as soon as possible. 
Tender Teas may be laid in in a warm 
corner until the spring, unless the position 
they are intended to occupy is a sheltered 
one. Do not . leave any holes or depres¬ 
sions around ( the plants, or water will 
collect and lead to fatal results. After 
planting is finished, run the hoe among 
the plants, as this permits air to get into 
the soil and prevents it setting hard. 
Arthur R. Goodwin. 
Worcestershire. 
- ♦++ - 
Sparmannia 
africana. . . 
A Beautiful Greenhouse 
Flowering Shrub. 
Any amateur with a greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory who can maintain a minimum 
winter temperature of 40 degrees, may 
successfully cultivate this beautiful ever¬ 
green shrub, which was introduced from 
the Cape of Good Hope a little over a 
hundred years ago, and belongs to the 
natural order of Tiliaceae. 
It blooms about the month of May, the 
flowers being borne on the extremities of 
the latest formed shoots, similar to the 
Camellia, and like it, it can be grown 
to a very large size. Although it has not 
the same tendency to drop its buds, it 
thrives best when given as small a pot as 
possible, a suitable compost being either 
peat and silver sand, or fibrous loam, 
peat and silver sand, although I have 
noticed that in the south it flourishes 
better when loam is used, whereas in the 
north it does best when nothing but peat 
and silver sand are used. Pot firmly, and 
give ample drainage. 
When it has finished blooming it can 
be placed in a warm part of the green¬ 
house to make growth for flowering the 
following season, syringing the plants 
overhead every morning. Then when 
sufficient growth has been made it will be 
found advisable to stand the plant outside 
on a bed of ashes, in full sunshine, keep¬ 
ing the plant well watered. Never plunge 
the plant in the soil or any other 
material. About September the plant 
can be then brought into the greenhouse, 
and placed in a light airy position. Al¬ 
though this plant is evergreen, it will not 
require very much water in winter. 
Propagation can be effected by taking 
cuttings of young shoots in April, and in¬ 
serting them round the sides of 5 in. pots, 
using the same soil as when potting an 
established plant. Then place the pots 
in a box with a piece of glass placed over 
it. The plants will soon root, and can 
then be potted on, giving the same cul¬ 
ture as for an established plant. 
Thos. Francis. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
—— Lteaves- 
Utilise Them. 
The season is once more with us when 
the trees begin to cast their summer 
mantle and put on that of winter. The 
rake and broom will be busy for some 
time in endeavouring to keep the gardens 
tidy. The value of these fallen leaves 
cannot be over-estimated, and every en¬ 
deavour should be made to procure as 
Boards for gathering leaves. 
many as possible and store up for future 
use. In large gardens a place is usually 
set apart for their reception. This is not 
so easy of accomplishment in small ones; 
still no place is so small but that some 
odd corner could be found in which to 
place them. With the aid of a few 
hurdles a place could easily be squared 
off or a hole dug in the ground for them. 
Hole in ground filled with leaves, show¬ 
ing tof covered with turf. 
It is surprising the amount that will go 
into a small space if thoroughly trodden 
down. When sufficient has been col¬ 
lected, some turf or soil may in either 
instance be placed on top, thus prevent¬ 
ing all fear of them being blown about 
with the wind. In this way they will 
readily decay, .with the result that a nice 
heap of leaf mould will be available for 
use as required. Its importance as a 
November 16, 1907. 
medium in potting soil is too well known < 
to need comment, whilst for addition to 
flower beds, borders, or anywhere where 
the soil is required to be kept moderately 
open, it is invaluable. Those which are 
best for the purpose are those from the 
Oak. As it is not possible always to 
single out one particular sort, the whole 
mixed together forms a plant food or 
fertiliser, which every possessor of a gar¬ 
den stands in need of, and which can be 
procured at so little cost. The trouble 
in collecting is later amply repaid by the 
uses to which they can with benefit be 
put. 
For gathering up leaves from walks, 
lawns, etc., the most useful thing is a 
pair of boards, about 9 or 10 inches wide 
and 16 to i'S inches in length. From a 
strip of feather-edged, or more properly, 
weather boarding, a pair can easily be 
cut, and is the exact thing for the pur¬ 
pose, since one edge is about 1 in. thick 
and the other by means of a gentle slope 
is about \ in. With these one is enabled 
to rapidly gather up the leaves and other 
rubbish far easier than would be the case 
with the hands or an ordinary shovel. 
M. L. D. 
-- 
Bo»r:, “ Onio ns.” 
ONIONS, by Horace J. Wrig-' r, 
' F.R.H.S., London: Agricultural » d 
Horticultural Association. Price < le 
penny. , 
The series of cheap garden books edited 
by Edward Owen Greening, F.R.H.S., 
has received a useful addition in this 
issue, the thirteenth in order. Everyone 
really likes Onions, although everyone 
will not openly make confession to the 
weakness. At all events, no grower of 
vegetables for home consumption would 
dare to leave Onions out of his list. This 
book explains to the amateur how to grow 
Onions properly and to advantage. The 
cultural details given by the author are 
thorough. The illustrations added by 
the editor are numerous and appropriate. 
Each one is rendered doubly useful by an 
explanatory footnote. The book con¬ 
cludes with a list of varieties of Onions of 
good sorts suitable.for various purposes, 
arranged in order for successional sow¬ 
ing and harvesting. 
-♦+*-- 
South-Eastern Agricultural College. 
Forty-two new students have entered 
this College for the session 1907-8, mak¬ 
ing a total of 120 students in residence. 
A new department of soil bacteriology is 
being formed, under the charge of Mr. 
C. T. Gimingham. 
Salisbury Gardeners’ Association. 
Through the generosity of the Earl of 
Pembroke the above-mentioned Society 
has been presented with some handsome 
tables for the purpose of staging exhibits. 
This Society, by the way, holds weekly 
meetings, at which lectures are given and 
discussions take place; it is, we are 
pleased to hear, in a prosperous condition, 
and is fortunate in having a very ener- 
getic secretary in the person of Mr. M il- 
liam Yandell, of Longford Castle Gar¬ 
dens, Salisbury. 
