787 
December 14, 1907. 
the gardening world 
The Flower Garden 
My ! How nice it must be to be able to 
rush off to the Riviera or some other such 
place, just when winter is knocking at the 
door. But we poor mortals have to be con¬ 
tent with things as they are; and, after all, 
I don’t know that we have any great cause 
to grumble. Holidays mean leaiing the gar¬ 
den to the mercy of others, and 1 know the 
feeling full well, especially when the green¬ 
house stove has to be attended to. I have 
been, however, holiday-making, and perhaps 
some day I may refer to the big nurseries 
that I have visited. But now it is work, 
hard and often ; in fact, there is no time for 
stopping, be the weather good or bad. 
Making; a Rockery. 
For real hard work I can recommend 
rockery-making, Now there are rockeries 
and rockeries, you know. Some people col¬ 
lect all the old clinkers, bricks, stones, etc., 
that some jerry-builder has discarded, dump 
them down in a heap, fill the cracks with 
soil, and lo ! the rockery is ready for plant¬ 
ing. A few months, or maybe weeks, later 
the rockery-maker attends the funeral of his 
plants ! 
Rockeries—that is, real rockeries—need 
careful making, for it must be remembered 
that many of the plants are deep-rooting. 
Moreover, when once a rockery is made, it 
becomes a permanent institution. One can¬ 
not dig over the soil with a fork, nor can 
manure be piled on to any great extent. There¬ 
fore, there should be plenty of soil for the 
stones to rest upon, and the soil should be 
good and well manured. Every stone should 
be set for a purpose, and not merely as an 
ornament or to keep the soil from tumbling 
down. The stones should be set so that water 
is carried into the centre, not thrown for¬ 
ward to run down the footpath. They should 
not be set so closely as a builder sets them 
when making a wall, nor so far apart that 
every bit of soil may get washed out. It is 
impossible to state on papeT how to make an 
ideal rockery, and no illustration will serve 
to show how the thing is to be done. The best 
thing is a visit to some park or garden where 
rockeries are a feature. By going to such 
shows as the Temple Show, one can laarn 
a great deal, but the Temple Show is afar 
off. 
“Now” is the tinje to make rockeries, so 
that everything will he well settled for early 
spring planting, but be prepared for cold 
hands and cold feet. These troubles can 
easily be obviated bv using thick leather 
gloves and a pair of Greenlees clogs. 1 
might mention that many common rock 
plants, such as Arabis, etc., may be planted 
at any time, if the weather is mild, but the 
pretty Alpine gems now so popular are safer 
at the nursery at present. It is as Well to 
point out that some rock plants require 
special peaty soil. 
Shrubberies. 
Those who have gardens large enough for 
shrubberies, always feel grateful that there 
are so many kinds which remain evergreen. 
I might mention that cuttings of Laurels, 
Aucubas, etc., if set in closely alongside a 
wall, will make fine little plants ready for 
shifting a few months hence. Such plants 
will not, however, make a big - show for 
several years, but still the mi, i with no 
superfluous cash who desires sbch.things, 
may easily work up a stock. Speaking of 
shrubberies reminds me that at this time of 
the year there are generally' a few weeds 
and plenty of dead leaves among the bushes. 
Anyone looking for a job should gather up 
the rubbish, and get a fork to work. A good 
coat of manure will not be resented by the 
shrubs, by the way. 
Carnations. 
Carnations, whether in frames or out of 
doors, should be tended to occasionally. 
Apart from disease trouble, mice are very 
partial to Carnations, and I have had many 
plants ruined by these pests. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Keep all decaying foliage picked off 
frame plants, but never keep the frames 
closed, save in wet weather. Any spare cor¬ 
ner in the frame should be occupied by early 
Chrysanthemum roots. Either potted or 
planted directly in the soil, these roots will 
send up cuttings early in the spring, which 
will enable one to propagate a stock without 
fear of loss. Many Chrysanthemum roots, 
when left out of doors, get killed by frost or 
damp, while slugs are always a great nuis¬ 
ance. 
The Lawn, 
The rumbling of the roller should be 
heard frequently, for no opportunity should 
be missed to give the lawn a good flattening. 
Keep the broom.at work also. 
Garden Paths. 
The present is a very good time for mak¬ 
ing gravel paths. Personally, I am not 
enamoured with gravel, as it is usually very 
dirty in wet or frosty weather. The success 
of tar painting on the roads makes me a 
whole-hogger for tarred paths, but the tar¬ 
ring must be done in the summer time, or, 
at least, when rain is a long way off. Those 
who have gardens on a slope are well ad¬ 
vised to tar the channels, .afterwards scatter¬ 
ing a little gravel over it. No gravel can 
withstand the rush of water down a slope. 
The Fruit Garden. 
It will scon be time to think about dusting 
bush fruits with lime, or, better still, spray¬ 
ing them with lime and salt wash for ward¬ 
ing off bird attacks. The soil around Goose¬ 
berries should be well dusted with soot, as 
it helps to get rid of the sawfly maggot in 
the soil. Give another heavy coating later 
on and stir it in. 
Pruning;. 
The pruning of established fruit trees can 
- be done at any time. 
Planting. 
Do not plant any trees unless weather and 
soil are really good. 
Spraying. 
Grease banding of standard trees is a good 
method for catching winter moths and may 
be done now. A good dose of some spray 
fluid may be given at any time, and now 
that ready-made preparations are proving so 
successful, I certainl}- do not advise small 
growers to mess about with caustic soda and 
the like. I take a little interest in market 
work, and have observed that many of our 
leading fruit growers are taking up the 
ready-made solutions. One big Kentish 
grower, who has tested ^ 1 fluid, says his 
apple crop is nearly ioo per cent, better on 
all points. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
I was amused at Lovewell Blake’s note rc 
weeds. 
Weeds. 
There is a story about a man who said 
he would clear ground of couch grass by 
growing Turnips, but he forgot that when 
he grew Turnips he had to keep hoeing, 
thereby destroying the couch. Did Loveweil 
Blake get a crop of roots, or did the spire 
grass simply die at the sight of the Turnips? 
I have never yet seen common weeds give in 
to any such crop as Turnips. 
Spinach. 
Spinach is not a very rapidly growing 
crop at this time of the year, and it is not 
advisable to pick it to any extent, or it may 
die off. Keep the soil stirred up. 
Mint. 
New Mint plantations may he made. 
Choose small healthy slips and plant on 
good soil if first-class stuff is wanted. 
Cabbage Stumps. 
If the green crop is not a large one, allow 
Savoy and Cabbage stumps to remain, as 
thev will give a nice crop later on. Pull up 
all'Cauliflower and Broccoli stumps as they 
are cut. 
Brussels Sprouts. 
In picking Sprouts, take a little care, as 
new sprouts will form at the joints if not 
injured. 
Examine the Store. 
Look over Potatos and Onions in the store, 
and throw away any suspicious-looking 
bulbs and tubers." Winter rot in Potatos is 
quite common. Always burn such tubers. 
Horseradish. 
Store Horseradish roots in moist soil or 
sand after trimming off the thongs, which 
should be planted right side up. 
Horti. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse, 
Early Daffodils. 
Misled by the success which attends the 
forcing of some Narcissi, to wit, the Double 
Roman and Paper White, amateur gardeners 
sometimes attempt to apply forcing methods 
to other members of the family, and gener¬ 
ally with disastrous results. Very few in¬ 
deed of what we may call the Daffodil sec¬ 
tion of Narcissi will bear anything like 
forcing; the bud cases shrivel and turn 
brown; the flowers are what are called 
blind. Of early Daffodils the sorts known 
as Spurius and Princeps are among the most 
tolerant of artificial heat I have ever tried, 
and I have invariably had good results from 
a hatch of bulbs taken to the greenhouse 
about now. The}' should be well rooted, and 
have a night temperature not higher than 
45 degs. for a few weeks. Afterwards it 
may rise 5 degs., and if the bulbs are kept 
nicely moist at the roots and not hurried too 
much, some very nice potfuls of flowers 
should be forthcoming. Feed when the 
flower buds show. 
Early Chrysanthemums. 
If a few giant specimen plants are re¬ 
quired for the decoration of the green¬ 
house next winter, cuttings may be put in 
now. By rooting them thus early the plants 
can be pinched several times during the 
season and a splendid framework built up 
for carrvmg hundreds of blooms. The best 
and sturdiest cuttings should be selected and 
placed singlv in well-drained 3 in. pots. 
If a propagating case is at hand, place the 
cuttings thereini if not, stand the pots in a 
deep box, place this on or near the hot-water 
pipes, and cover all with panes of glass. 
The o-lass must be wiped free from moisture 
each morning, and the cuttings may, at the 
