December 
1, 1904 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
Or 
a weak-constituted plant produces the best 
flawers (especially in doubles) ; * his aim is 
then, to cross on to a robust-grawing kind. 
In the matter of the colors of flowers they 
ought to be clean and distinct; also even 
shapes should he used. The next thing 
is to tie a piece of twine round the bot- 
tom of flower, and when the seed vessel has 
turned brown the seed is ready for gather- 
ing. 
: Som. 
It is wel] not to have any set rule in the 
quantities of soils to be used, such as two- 
thirds of one kind, quarter of another, and 
so on. ‘The principal thing is to get the 
body first, which should be composed 
chiefly of good virgin loam of a sandy 
nature, using some cow manure three to 
four years old, peat, plenty of sand, and 
some burnt ashes from a rubbish heap, the 
whole to be well mixed. Leaf-mould is pre- 
ferable to peat, but is not: always to be 
had. 
: SEED Sow1neG. 
* Iffor greenhouse culture the first sowing 
should be made in the first week of April, 
making the soil much lighter than used for 
potting. A seed pan or shallow box is 
best for sowing in; well drain it, fill to top 
with soil, make surface firm and smooth 
by pressing soil down with bottom of a pot, 
after which put pan or box in some vessel 
up to the brim in water, to soak soil. Sow 
thinly. barely cover with soil, then put a 
pane of glass over top and keep in shade. 
When the seeds have germinated remove 
the glass by degrees, but do not allow the 
soil to get dry. If water is required use a 
small syringe, because this docs not allow 
the water io fall so heavily as to wash 
plants out of soil. 
Porrine. 
In the first place, the pots should he 
thoroughly clean. Dirty pots are very 
often. the cause of plants becoming un- 
healthy. Good drainage is essential to the 
plant; in fact, it is half the battle in grow- 
ing any plant. First place a piece of con- 
cave pot over the hole, then some rough 
pieces of pots or bricks, and a few smaller 
pieces over these, covering all with some of 
the lumps that usually fall to the bottom of 
notting soil, Over-potting is to be avoided 
in this and many other plants, as the soil 
is liable to become_sour before the roots 
can come through the ball, so advise small 
shifts. When the seedlings are fit to handle 
place them in two and a half inch pots, 
leaving the necks of plants clear of soil, 
which should be fairly dry. As soon as the 
roots are showing all round the ball shift 
into four-inch pots. potting moderately 
firm ; but before doing this cut the point 
of central shoot out to make them stool 
or throw side-shoots, and this should be 
continued until they are in their flowering 
nots. By this means bushy plants are ob- 
tained. They should be kept close to the 
glass, as otherwise they are inclined to run 
leggy. Plenty of light and air is essential. 
Pot again into five and six inch pots, which 
will be large enough for flowering in (unless 
large specimens are wanted). When in 
these pots the shoots should be staked ont 
e 
individually, to form a well-shaped plant ; 
the sticks to be thin, and kept out of sight 
as much as possible: 
_ Warerrne axp Ligtip Manure. 
Although the Petunia can withstand 
great drought, 16 likes moisture during the 
summer months, also occasional supplies of 
liquid manure, more so when confined in 
pots. Small doses, and often, is better than. 
too much at one time. The best and safest 
manure to make liquid from is fresh cow- 
yard, but change of food is as beneficial to 
plants as to animals. Sulphate of ammonia 
is a good artificial manure, commencing 
from one quarter up to’one teaspoonful to 
the gallon of water; but this must not be 
cor.tinued for any length of time, say, once 
a week for two or three weeks, then change 
to soot-water, cow manure, or Peruvian. 
euano, which should be used in a dry state, 
putting a five or six inch potful to an ordi- 
nary barrowload of fine soil, and applying 
to the top of pots after taking away a little 
of the top soil. Liquid manure is not re 
quired till the pots are filled with roots. 
CurrinGs. 
The best time to strike these is in spring 
or early summer; the wood is then fresh 
and full of vigor. If small side-shoots can- 
not be had, a part of the plant should be 
cut back, and after two or three weeks the 
breaks will be ready to take off, when they 
may be put round the sides of pots or pans, 
in very sandy soil, then cover with some 
class, keep close and shaded from bright 
sunshine, and in about a fortnight to three 
weeks they will have rooted; pot into two 
and a half inch pots, and treat as seedlings. 
Cuttings of flowering branches or old wood 
should never be used, as these will never 
make good plants. Seedlings are preferable 
to cuttings, as they are generally more 
robust than plants raised in this way. In 
perpetuating named or good kinds, cut- 
tings ought to be taken often during sum- 
mer months, so as to have young plants 
in stock. The old ones sometimes turn yel- 
low, and are not fit for cuttings if left in 
pots through the winter. 
DIsEAses AND Insect Persrrs. 
Of all the florist flowers the Petunia is 
the least attacked by disease, and this 
ought to be considered another point in 
favor of its more general cultivation. It 
sometimes happens that an old plant gets 
attacked by a rust or fungus if kept too 
wet. If we had nothing more than this 
to contend with, there would be little cause 
of complaint, but the slug, the snail, and, 
worse than these, the sparrow, have the 
oreatest liking for the Petunia. One rem- 
edy for the slug is to get some lime, and 
air-slack it before using; put some into a 
emall flourbag, and shake over the ground, 
about 8 in the evening. Tf a few particles 
of dust get on the slug it will kill it. The 
surest way is to hand pick this and the snail 
for a few nights. In regard to the sparrow 
nuisance. it ig a difficult, matter to find a 
remedy. It is only while the plants are 
‘young that anything is to be feared: from 
“these pests eu nal 
PuantinG Oor. 
July and August 1s soon enough to sow 
seed for outdoor planting. When the seed 
lings are strong enough they may be prick— 
ed out in shallow boxes four inches part, m. 
sandy loam, and when nice plants, shift 
with a ball of soil to their flowering quar 
ters, in sandy loam, enriched with rottem 
manure. Pinch the points of the shoots 
out as the plants grow, and mulch the 
ground to keep the sun from roots; alsa. 
pick off decaying flowers, thereby inducing 
others to take their places. Little atiten— 
tion is now required, except to give water 
and occasional doses. of liquid manure. 
After they have been flowering some time, 
one part of the plant should be cut back 
to within six inches of the roots, and whem 
the young wood has grown three or four 
inches the other part is to be cut in the 
same way; by this means the flowers are 
produced on young wood again. . 
In closing this paper it will be noticed” 
much stress is laid in the matter of hybrid— 
ising, and although a great deal has beem 
done by amateurs, it is to be hoped that 
they will still continue to take a greater 
interest in this part of cultivation. Noé. 
only do they raise their own seeds, but: 
look forward to getting something superier’ 
to the original ; and if not successful, therer 
is not the same amount of disappointment 
as if the plants or seeds were bought else- 
where. Again, it is an inducement to ama 
teurs to love floriculture, which is consider= 
ed the most healthy of recreations, Theres 
is one other point, and that is never tat 
throw away the smallest seedlings in Petu~ 
nias, and a great many other florist flowers, 
as they invariably turn: out the best, but a: 
great’ many people would disregard this, 
and choose large plants, thinking they had 
more for their money. - 
—— 
CULTIVATION OF THE ROSE:-. 
, By Mr. E. Suuru. : 
The Rose has been elected from hundreds 
of thousands of beauties from all parts of” 
the globe by universal consent the queen of 
flowers, and well she deserves the title.-- Tt 
has not only been appreciated at all times, 
but in all climes, and is found in every 
quarter of the globe—in deserts, in glaciers, 
on mountains, in marshes, forests, valleys, 
and on plains. That our climate is well 
adapted for the cultivation of the Rose may 
be seen by the splendid. displays at our 
Shows. At a Show held in Adelaide in Oc 
tcber, 1869, the Duke of Edinbureh.-was 
present, and stated that-he had never seer 
a finer display of flowers at any of the Rose 
Shows held in England. Well, to ohtamr 
good Roses you must cultivate them,-and 
Twill endeavor to give in-as coneise a fernr 
as possible my experience and practice. E 
will therefore begin with He, 
Som Anp Srruarion., =~. 
I know of no soil but what the Rose wilF 
grow in with the exception of drift sand 
and goil that contains salt’ or magnesia, but 
‘the best of all is a strong alluvial loam in- 
clining to clay ; It also grows well in heavy 
-caleareous clays. Care, howéver. should 
