4 "THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
a a a re eet 
pieces of flat lampwick, about an inch wide, 
close against the side of the pot and ex- 
tending to the bottom inside—i.e., between 
the compost and the pet. The other ends 
of these two pieces of wick simply dipped 
into. the water. In the second pot I used 
no wick. This was done three or four weeks 
ago, and during the whole of this time the 
contents of the pots in which the wicky are 
used has been uniformly quite moist) (too 
moist for most things), while the compost 
in the other pot is absolutely dry. I have 
not proceeded further in the matter as 
yet, but am well satisfied with the result so ~ 
far. The method appears to me to be of 
wide and useful application, especially for 
such purposes as thaii of raising Ferns from 
spores, where it is so important that the 
spores should be undisturbed by the some- 
what violent process of watering. The de- 
gree of moisture to be attained under the 
above method admits of perfect control, 
and is uniform and constant day and night. 
The number and size of the wicks may be 
varied at will. There is also a practical 
guarantee that the water thus taken up 
from the wick by the compost is of the same 
temperature as the surrounding air. There 
are also an obvious saying of time and 
avoidance of any evil consequences arising 
from neglect. It will be seen that it is 
desirable to keep the tank fairly full of 
water, so that the height to which the 
water must be raised by ‘the wicks shall be 
2s small as possible. 
Hovston Srewarr. 
ee 
COLEUSES. 
These plants are valued on account of 
their bold and striking foliage, and either 
for table decoration or for interspersing 
amongst groups in a conservatory they add 
2 brilliancy that few other plants: equal. 
To the amateur the method of keeping old 
plants through the winter in the warmest 
part. of the house with a view to propagat- 
ing from them in spring is often. attended 
with disappointment, for it frequently oc- 
curs that just when cuttings are wanted 
the plants themselves aire in. a weakly con- 
dition ; it is therefore much better where 
only a few specimens are wanted, to resort. 
to the method of raising plants from: seed, 
The additional warmth to be found ina 
striking pit is just the place for them, and 
light loam and leaf mould with which 
silver sand has been mixed: make a desir- 
able compost. Young seedlings must: be 
potted on singly as soon as the second 
leaves have appeared, and. further repot- 
tings must not be delayed. ‘An addition 
to the soil of well-rotted cow manure will 
benefit them considerably. If possible a 
minimum temperature of 65 deg. should 
be maintained, and a humid atmosphere 
suits them admirably; this is the reason 
why they are so frequently recommended 
to be grown in houses where Cucumbers _ 
are cultivated, owing to the warm and 
moist conditions which these obtain. To 
sum up, to have Coleuses im perfection they 
should not receive a check, but be encour- 
aged to grow, and no better house can be 
selected for them than. a Cucumber house. 
It is the “express culture” and. utilising the 
sun’s rays by placing the pots on a shelf 
near the glass that enable one to obtain 
specimens with highly coloured foliage.— 
Linderslea. 
SEEDLING CARNATIONS. 
Having grown seedling Carnations for a 
few years with some success, I think that 
the following method of culture may be 
of interest to others who are desirous of 
cultivating these fascinating flowers. Pro- 
cure seeds from a reliable source. Moder- 
ate sized boxes, measuring about 14 by 10 
inches, will be found convenient to use. 
One inch or more of. crocks or cinders 
should be placed in the bottom and covered 
with leaves or moss to prevent the soil run- 
ning down among the drainage. The com- 
post, which should be prepared a week or 
two beforehand, may consist of 2 parts 
loam, | part of leaf mould, and 1 of sand, 
and should nearly fill the box; now press 
the soil lightly with a flat piece of board 
or metal, and, unless it is already suffici- 
ently moist, stand the box in water for a 
little while. 
Sow the seed thinly in rows about 2 
inches apart and cover with about  one- 
eighth inch of fine sandy soil. Now place 
a shect of glass over the box and remove 
to a warm frame or greenhouse, shading 
the box from strong sun. Tilt the’ glass 
frequently to admit air, for if air is not ad- 
mitted a white fungus is apt to appear on 
the surface and kill the seedlings when 
they appear.’ When the seedlings are 
through, put the box. close to the glass and 
gradually accustom the seedlings to full 
exposure to light and air. It is not, how- 
ever, necessary to have a frame or green- 
house to raise the plants. If neither of 
these conveniences is at hand, place the 
box in a warm, sunny place, and bringing 
it under cover at night. As the seed. was 
sown thinly, pricking out of the young 
seedlings into other boxes is not necessary. 
Bring the seedlings that! were sown under 
glass into the open. air. When they are 
hardened, plant them out in a nursery bed 
about 6 inches apart each way; it will be 
advisable to shade them for ai few days un- 
til they are established. 
Tn the autumn. a piece of ground in a 
sunny position should be prepared for the 
plants. If the ground is already suflici- 
ently manured only a light dressing of 
wood ashes, but earth, or burnt refuse of 
any description will be necessary ; but if 
the soil is poor a dressing of well rotted 
manure should be added, and if the soil 
is stiff some newly slaked lime must be dug 
in. Remove the plants from the nursery 
bed and plant in the prepared ground in 
rows about 2 feet asunder, so ag to allow 
plenty of room for walking between the 
rows. The distance between the plants in 
the rows will vary according to their size. 
When the flower stems rise, drive in a 
stake at each end of the rows, stretching 
March 1, 1905 
between them cocoanut cord, whichl baz 
been seasoned or previously wetted; to this 
cord tie the shoots—-this plan will obviate 
the necessity for having sticks. As the 
growth advances another cord or twe 
should be tied above the other. In dry 
weather the plants may be lightly mulehed 
and a few inches of earth dug from be~ 
tween the rows spread over the muleb; 
this also prepares the plants (af they are 
worth it) for layering in the autumn. By 
this means of cultivation I have had x 
plant produce nearly two hundred blooms 
and dozens of layers. 
HEDGING. 
While walls and fences have valuabie 
qualities of their own, a great deal can he 
said in favour of surrounding the gardex 
with hedges—the eye is pleased by the pre- 
ponderance of green, the floral colours: 
show up to best advantage against it, the 
hedge can be supplemented by a wire-net- 
ting fence if dogs are likely to enter 
through it, while the free pasaage of amr 
will in most situations be advantageous te 
the health of the flower and vegetable: 
crops within. 
Suppose the garden to adjoin a field ium 
which cattle are allowed, the best decidu— 
ous hedge will be one of Quick or Haw- 
thorn, which the animals will not eati: the 
best evergreen one of Holly. Of course,. 
Hoily grows slowly, but time is saved 14 
bushy plants are put in, as these will net. 
need topping to induce thick bottoms 
growth. The young trees should be set 
half yard apart, or rather less, and ought 
to be about 18 inches high when planted 
The ordinary soil adjoining grass land. wilk 
do, but heavy clay should be lightened by 
an admixture of sandy road’ soil, as Hollies: 
‘love sand, and are often seen at their best 
growing out of dry banks. Only trimming: 
into shape afterwards will be necessary un- 
less the base of the young hedge looks: 
bare; in that case the trees should be welk 
topped either in April or September. 
A Quick hedge grows on an average 2 
foot a year, and should last a century at 
least. Having obtained good, young, once 
transplanted Quicks, place them 4 inches. 
apart in. a single row, or 6 inches apart for 
a double one. A trench a spade deep 
should be enough for the roots, which, will - 
be about 6 inches long, and the more fib- 
rous the better. Cover in with sifted soik 
and tread firmly. In the autumn the hedge 
should be clipped back to within at least 
1 foot. from the base, the side shoots bemg 
cut also; if allowed to grow tall tea 
rapidly, it will be thin and bare at the 
base. Sometimes as many as three clip-_ 
pings yearly are necessary, sometimes 
scarcely any—all depends upon the nature 
of the young Hawthorns when first plax— 
ted. It is well to mulch the roots with, old 
manure, and to often stir up the surface 
soil round about, and no weeds should he 
tolerated near. 
A hedge of the Portugal Laurel (Cerasus 
Lusitanicus) is out of place at the back of 
