480 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
July 13, 1907. 
conical mound for each plant and putting 
the plant on, the top of the mound and care¬ 
fully drawing the soil up round the collar 
or the main stem of the plant to within two 
inches of the lower leaves, or would you al¬ 
low the whole surface of the bed to remain 
quite level, leaving the roots to force their 
way through the whole bed the best way 
they could ? I have seen Cucumbers tried in 
this way several times, but the results were 
the reverse of satisfactory. I unhesitatingly 
assert that the proper way to grow Cucum¬ 
bers is to form mounds, and as the surface 
of the mounds becomes a network of small 
white roots, give an additional top-dressing 
of fresh soil every six or eight days, which 
encourages rapid growth so essential in 
Cucumber culture. How can plants on a 
level surface be assisted without additional 
top-dressings ? I am speaking from an ama¬ 
teur’s point of view, with practically little 
or no bottom heat at command. Kindly give 
me some information on this point. (P. J., 
Fdfeshire.) 
We quite agree with you on making a 
little hill of soil in the frame on which to 
plant the Cucumbers. We would do, and 
have done, this both in frames heated by 
fermenting manure and in a proper heated 
house. Besides facilitating the placing of 
fresh soil over the surface at intervals, it 
also keeps the plant rather dry at the collar, 
where is the most danger of canker and other 
ailments. If it is kept too wet in that posi¬ 
tion, it frequently succumbs to one or other 
of the common diseases, and when that hap¬ 
pens, the whole plant is ruined. We do not 
saj r that we would apply a fresh top-dressing 
every six or eight days, as it would depend 
entirely on the growth of the Cucumbers. 
Whenever the young roots appear outside the 
soil we should apply a fresh top-dressing. 
You speak of mounding up the soil to within 
two inches of the lower leaves, but if the 
plants were properly exposed to light in the 
young state very little mounding up should 
be necessary, as the first leaf comes very 
close to the seed leaf and we do not see 
any reason why the seed leaves themselves 
should be buried. Indeed we do not think 
it necessary to plant Cucumbers any more 
deeply than they were in the pots when first 
potted off. By covering up the stem too 
much with soil you keep it soft, whicvh 
would encourage attack by fungi. The 
mounds of soil should be put on the bed at 
least 24 hours before the Cucumbers are 
planted, so that it will get heated. In 
planting we should simply make the soil 
firm around it with the fingers, but would 
make no attempt at beating it down hard, as 
the young roots would have a difficulty in 
penetrating it. If the soil is simply laid 
down, it soon gets firm enough. 
FRUIT. 
2012. Summer Pruning, 
Last year I planted in my garden some 
Pear, Apple, and Plum trees, which I had 
at my previous house. They had not borne 
fruit there, but now, on my carrying out 
your advice, I have fruit on the Apple and 
Plum. The Pear has not bloomed. Will 
you kindly tell me, shall I pinch back all 
the new shoots now on each tree, or has the 
Plum to be treated differently to the Pear 
and Apple? Also, can you tell me why the 
Plum tree that was already in the garden 
has only two or three Plums on it, although 
it was a mass of bloom? Should I cut this 
back, and when? I have gained a lot of 
valuable information through The Garden¬ 
ing World, but am still only a (Learner, 
Middlesex). 
We should summer prune the Apple, Pear 
and Plum trees towards the end of July, 
when they would be getting firm and not so 
likely to start into fresh growth again. You 
do not let us know whet hey the trees are in 
the open or upon walls, but we presume they 
are in the open. While shortening back all 
unnecessary shoots, it would be well to bear 
in mind that the leaders must be left to each 
branch if you desire the trees to grow lar¬ 
ger. Then again, if not quite shapely, there 
may be openings in the trees that require 
filling. A shoot should be left to fill that 
gap. You thus see that it is a matter for 
discretion. Those shoots which are intended 
to increase the size of the trees should not 
be pinched back very hard, if at all. All 
those not required permanently should be 
cut back to four or five buds, and even then 
can be reduced in length at the winter prun¬ 
ing if there are unnecessary extensions. It 
wouild be difficult to say why the Plum tree 
already established did not have fruit, al¬ 
though a mass of bloom. There are several 
reasons to account for it. In late spring we 
often have frosts that do damage to certain 
trees in the garden where others escape. If 
the frost should occur when the blossom is 
newly expanded or not very old, the embryo 
fruits are liable to get killed. That is a 
matter for observation at the time. Some 
varieties do not fruit well every year, but 
bear lightly or not at all, and in the course 
of three or five years, perhaps, produce a 
heavy crop. It should be grown in a sunny 
position. If the branches are too much 
crowded, they must of course be thinned out 
to allow light and air to ripen the young 
wood properly. We should subject it to sum¬ 
mer pruning, but if it has an unusual 
amount of wood upon it, you can still treat 
it in that way, but remember to root-prune 
it in October if the tree is a large one. 
GARDEN ENEMIES. 
2013. Plague of Snails. 
For some time past I have been troubled 
with a plague of snails eating the leaves and 
crowns of my plants. Indeed, nothing seems 
safe from them. They are just as likely to eat 
the crown out of my choicest plants, as the 
most common things. How can I get rid of 
the pests, or so reduce them that my plants 
will be safe? (A. T. Medland, Suffolk.) 
A good plan would be to go round your 
garden every evening when the air is still 
and moist, because then you are most likely 
to find the marauders at work. You should 
look, not merely upon the ground, but on 
the stems of the plants, and on hidden por¬ 
tions, even the under-surface of a leaf being 
sufficiently stable to bear the weight of a 
snail. Sometimes small ones may be found 
on the under-surface of the leaves. You could 
leave traps about for them of something that 
would draw them away from the plants, and 
inspect these traps at intervals during the 
evening or early morning. These traps 
might consist of fresh Lettuce leaves, bran 
or oatmeal, which might be laid down in 
little heaps at suitable places, and thus at¬ 
tract your enemies. 
2014. Woodlice in Cucumber Frame. 
I have a couple of Cucumbers in a frame 
but for some weeks have been troubled with 
something eating the young flowers, and I 
can see nothing but woodlice, which hide 
among the dung, especially down the sides 
between the frame and the hotbed. Can you 
tell me how I can get rid of them? 
(Troubled.) 
We presume that you visit the frame often 
for the purpose of airing, syringing or giv¬ 
ing other attention. On those occasions you 
may find it convenient to give the plants a 
casual inspection for the presence of pos¬ 
sible enemies. Woodlice should be destroyed 
whenever it is possible to get in contact with 
them. There may, however, be small and 
large slugs in the same situations as the 
woodlice. The latter like the situation to 
be rather dry, but slugs prefer mo ;<s ture. A 
wholesale way to destroy these enemies 
would be to get a can or two of boiling 
water and to pour this down the opening be¬ 
tween the soil and the sides of the frame. 
By this means you will destroy large num¬ 
bers of woodlice, and also of slugs. If you 
have reason to suspect large slugs you 
should tempt them with baits of Lettuce 
leaves or young Cabbage leaves, laying them 
down in convenient places and inspecting 
them once or twice a day at least. 
SOILS AND MANURES. 
2015. Soot and Soap-suds. 
These two forms of fertiliser are obtain¬ 
able by every amateur gardener. I believe 
that many in common with myself are in 
doubt as to their special value as fertilisers, 
and when, and how they should be used. I 
have heard that soot burns some plants, and 
that soap-suds may be applied too strong. 
(W. M. M., Surrey.) 
Soot owes its value as a fertiliser to a 
small percentage of ammonia. This, of 
course, supplies the important element of 
nitrogen, which is one of the most valuable 
that can be applied to plants generally, be¬ 
cause it is so soluble and liable to be washed 
away when plants are not in a condition to 
take it up. A small dusting may be spread 
on the ground at the present time if you have 
used none previously. The common practice 
is to put it over the surface of the ground 
either before or just after sowing seeds. 
Soap-suds are an uncertain kind of fertiliser 
because they do not always contain the same 
amount of impurities. It all depends on 
what the soap-suds were used for in clean¬ 
ing. It is not a very dangerous fertiliser, 
however, and may be used at any time, dilut¬ 
ing it to about half its strength. Another 
way would be to water young growing vege¬ 
tables with clean water and then apply the 
soap-suds to the moist soil. In dry weather 
it should be more diluted than in wet 
weather, because a greater amount of water 
is necessary to moisten the ground. 
NAMES OF PLANT8. 
(Alice) The Oriental Thorn (Crataegus 
orientalis).—(G. T. Wills) 1, Centaurea mon- 
tana; 2, Anap'halis margaritaoea or White 
Everlasting; 3, Lathyrus rotundifolius; 4, 
Geranium praten.se; 5, Saxifraga tri- 
furcata.—(W. iM. S., Cardiff) 1, Phalaris 
arundinacea variegate; 2, Calamintha 
grand iflora ; 3, Campanula persdeifolia; 4, 
Campanula glomerate; 5, Armeria mari- 
tirna or Thrift; 6, [Spanish Iris (Iris Xd- 
phium).—(A. C. W.) Red-flowered Bladder 
Senna (Colutea cruenta).—(M. M. C.) 1, Bei- 
beris vulgaris folids purpureis; 2, Crataegus 
Pyraoaintha; 3, Euonymus japonicus albo- 
marginata; 4, Rhus typhina; 5, Syringa 
Emodi.—(A. D. C.) 1, Sedum sarmentosum; 
2, Sedum reflexum; 3, Veronica Teucrium 
dubia; 4, Alyssum maritimum; 5, Geranium 
striatum. 
-- 
Trees from Walnuts. 
Pretty miniature Walnut trees for pots 
or window boxes may be easily grown by 
using new (not dried) Walnuts. Put them 
in water, where they should remain three 
or four weeks. Those only that sink to 
the bottom are productive ones. After¬ 
wards plant them point downwards, about 
three inches deep, in good soil, and pro¬ 
tect from frost with inverted flower pots. 
Cucumbers are said to be capital puri¬ 
fiers of the skin. 
Much havoc has been wrought through¬ 
out the extensive fruit-growing districts of 
West Norfolk, North Cambridgeshire, 
and South Lincolnshire by caterpillars 
a.nd the red spider. 
