SEPTEMBER 7, 1903 
THE AUSTRALIAN. GARDENER. 
5 
and  -Cinerarias. Chinese - Primulas imported, as colonial seed is really so. very A i { ‘ ( q { 
are specially nice for winter flower- much better; there is, in fact, no compari- nswers 0 Orrespon él] 8. 
ing pot plants, and I think if a son. Stocks are well known to all English 
little more, attention was given to say- 
ing our own seed ana sowing of it a little 
earlier than is generally done, an advance 
might be made with this flower. There is 
a general 1mj:ression about that seed of this 
and other things should be imported. . I 
think this is a mistake. It does not im- 
prove seed to come 11,000 miles across the 
ocean, and tarough the hot tropics. And 
our country is a good seed-producing coun- 
try; better, in fact, than where it comes 
_ from, only they go to more trouble in. look- 
ing after 1t. than we do. 
plants and saving the seed are matters of 
the first importance. The same remarks 
apply to Cinerarias. Our own saved seed 
generally comes freer and grows better 
than imported. The Cineraria is in the 
old country a great favorite as a pot plant 
for the spring decoration of conservatories 
and greenhouses. Here, in addition to 
these qualities, it is well adapted for plant- 
ing out of doors in beds and borders. Care 
is required in, raising and getting the young 
plants on through the hot weather, but 
when that is over they should not be too 
much coddled. Plants for putting out 
might be raised in beds of good soil planted 
out 1 ft. apart, and where they could be 
protected from frost, and in the spring of 
the year they are wanted to bloom. Calceo- 
larias are rather more difficult to do with 
us, as they are later in flowering than the 
Cinerarias, and the petals of the flower are 
thin and do not stand our hot drying 
winds. I have sometimes seen some very 
fair plants at some of our shows, but a 
house of herbaceous Calceolarias like I 
have seen in the old counitry, the Adelaide 
people have not seen yet to my knowledge. 
Some of the best of the growers save their 
own seed, and no doubt improvement in 
culture will follow. Mimulas are easier 
done than any of the above. They are 
suitable for pots and bedding. We have 
Gloxinias grown from seed and flowered 
the same year. There has been a wonder- 
ful advance in this flower. The flowers 
have got to be large bold, and atitractive. 
The plant does not like the very hot wea- 
ther, but through the mild weather in 
summer and on in to the autumn they do 
well. Tuberous Begonias if well attended 
to may be bloomed the same year from 
seed. They may be had in flower a long 
time, but Ithink they are best in the 
autumn. Few flowers are more popular 
than the Pansy among English people. 
Strictly speaking it is a perennial plant, 
and it likes a cool climate, but with us it 
is best treated as an annual. The seed 
may be sown about February in pans or 
boxes, the young plants pricked off when 
large enough in to a bed of good soil in a 
sheltered place, where they can be attend- 
ed to for water, &c., and when the rains 
come they can be planted out where they 
are wanted to bloom. Perhaps as an an-. 
nual there are few things to beat for gene- 
ral usefulness Phlox Drummondii.. It 
suits our climate remarkably well, and may 
be had in bloom the greater part of the 
year. It scoms strange to me that so much 
seed of this fing annual should have to be 
Selecting the. 
people that take any interest in flowers. I 
have an impression that they are consider- 
ed common ; if they were to be rechristen- 
ed with a more classical name perhaps they 
would be more admired than they are, for 
they are massive, beautiful, and deliciously 
scented when well grown. They should be 
sown if possible where they are wanted to 
bloom, but if that is not practicable they 
may be sown in beds of very sandy soil in 
March or the beginning of April, protect- 
ing them from heavy rains or too much 
wet in any way. When strong enough they 
can be planted out where ‘they are to 
bloom. A very pretty class of annuals are 
the everlastings, especially the Acroclinium ° 
and Rhodanthe, our climate suits them 
well, and mostly any one will be. pleased 
with them. Then there are the Balsams 
and Coxcombs. They are getting more at- 
tention, and as they do well in the open. 
borders if they have good rich soil and 
plenty of water, they are well worth a little 
trouble. The China Asters were reckoned 
the very cream ofautumn flowering annuals, 
and I suppose they are still; florists have 
improved them very much. Our summer 
is too hot and dry for them on, the plains, 
in the hills they do better. I have not 
had much experience with them, but I 
think they may be had on the plains at 
timeswhen they are better understood. Then 
there are Zinnias, Marigolds, and Gom- 
phrenas (Globe amaranths), which do well 
and do not require any particular care, but 
of course do better where they are well 
cared for; but the magnitude of the sub- 
ject of annuals quite appalls me. I cannot 
do better than draw attention. to the illus- 
trated catalogues of the seedsmen; they 
are full of information, and as it is all got 
up as a matter of competition in business, 
ii is as well done as it is possible to be. 
Even the seed packets, a good many of 
them at least, are covered with .informa- 
tion; the danger is, I think, that this sort 
of thing will be overdone; it belongs to the 
cramming system. of the age; there is no 
lack of information from many sources, 
only in cultivating annuals or any other 
sorts of plants, it is not what you know, 
or what you think, it is what you do that 
ig going to have any effect. To achieve 
success hard work is necessary, and the best, 
sort of knowledge as an aid to that is that 
gained by observation and experience. If 
a person has the cultivation of any parti- 
cular plant at heart, he will cultivate it 
well if he has never read one word about it. 
On the other hand, he may be crammed 
with information and yet do nothing. TI 
think it would be an advance if people 
were encouraged to think for themselves 
and act on their own honest opinions. 
More satisfaction, I think, would be gain- 
ed by thinking and acting independently. 
SUBSCRIBE TO . . 
‘The Australian Gardener.’ 
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= BS 6SSSeS 5584 
“QUEEN.”—+Tlhhe names of the ~ best 
Chrysanthemums are legion. Apply to any 
seedsman, who will be only too happy to 
supply you with a catalogue. 
“BUFFALO.” —Yes ; this is akout the best 
time to set out a lawn. Trench the ground 
well, and with a liberal supply of manure 
work the soil up well. The roots may be 
layered along in drills, bat the better plan 
is to set the roots in holes a few inches 
Apart. One of the best grasses for lawns is 
the old English meadow grass Poa praten- 
sis, which is very hardy, and does well in 
dry places. wre) 
“CARNATION.” —We cannot give a list of 
the latest introductions of Carnations from 
England. The latest we have met with is 
known as the Lawson, introduced from 
America. It is spoken of very highly in 
the last. English mail files. 
“Corracs.’—This is the best time to dig 
‘up and divide Chrysanthemums. It is best 
to have one strong main shoot on a single 
root to begin with. 
_ “Sweet Pga.”—No; we should say that 
Sweet Peas are more popular in, America 
than in England. The States have magni- 
ficent shows devoted entirely to them. No 
standard classification has been made. 
“Porson. —The specimen sent is the 
poisonous weed known locally as the cocoa- 
nut weed, the Cape weed, Cape Tulip, and 
Cape onion. The botanical name is 
Homeria Collina, or Maraea Collina. The 
generic names are synonymous. 
“AMATEUR.” —Grow them from slips. 
“Suow.”—Table decorating is an art 
that must be learnt by practice. Any num- 
ber of. designs can be obtained, but success 
lies within’ the power of those most highly 
gifted. E ; 
“RoseBeps.’—Cowyard manure is the 
kest, although a little bonedust: is helpful 
once in two or three years. Nothing is 
easier than overfeeding with liquid manure. 
“Pxsts.’”—The best plan we have seen. 
adopted for slugs and snails is to liberally 
place patches of salt upon the footpaths. 
It seems to attract the night marauders, 
and «ills them. 
“Trevuis.”—We like to recommend the 
Passiflora (passion flower) and Clematis 
for trellises as a variety. But for 
a permanent trellis nothing compares with 
the climbing Roses. 
“SUBSCRIBER,” Quorn.—Our best advice is 
to order Foster Mellier’s “Book of the Rose,” 
from a bookseller. You will get all the 
information required in the best form; but 
we thank you for the query, and will deal 
with the subject as space permits. The 
abbreviations in Mr. Sewell’s catalogue you 
will find explained in the heading to each 
division. See page rr1 for instance, 
