December 1, 1909 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
NOTICES. . 
ALL COMMUNICATIONS, literary 
or business, must be addressed to ithe 
Managing Editor “ Australian Gardener,” 
corner Wyatt aud Pirie Streets, Adelaide, 
‘nd not to any individual member of ihe 
staff, eae 
SUBSCRIPTION.—Posted to any 
address in Australasia, 3/6 per year, in 
advance. Subscriptions can commence 
at any time during the year. Specimen 
copy free. : 
WHOLESALE AGENTS have been 
appointed in every State in the Com- 
Monwealth, viz. : 
-Aprnatpe: Messrs, Atkinson & Co. and 
W. ©, Rigby 
Sypxny : Messrs. Gordon & Gotch 
Mutnournnr: Messrs, Gordon & Gotch 
Hosarr: Messrs. J Walch & Son and 
Gordon & Gotch 
Perri: Messrs. Gordon & Gotch 
Briszann: Messrs. Gordon & Gotch 
also 
Wetiinaron, N.Z.: Messrs. Gordon and 
Gotch 
CANVASSERS WANTED in every 
town to solicit subscriptions. Very 
liberal commission. 
TO ADVERTISERS.—Particulars of 
Yates will be supplied on application. 
Alterations of advertisements must be in 
‘our hands not later than the 15th of the 
Month, 
Questions and Answers. 
QUERIES.-— Readers are invited to send 
Us queries on any matters on which they 
Want information. No charge is made for 
the insertion of questions, but the following 
Conditions should be borne in mind, 1. 
he question only should be written on 
‘One sheet of paper, 2. One side only of the 
Paper should be written upon. 3. Querists 
Must forward their names and addresses 
(Zot necessary for publication), 
ANSWERS TO QUERIES,—The queries 
Sent us will be answered by men who know 
he subjects, but at the same time we shall 
© glad to receive answers to any published 
rom readers who caa give the information 
asked for. Our aim is to get our readers 
to help one another, and no one is better 
able to help & small gardener than another 
Owner of a small garden who has gained 
€xperience in dealing with the many diffi- 
. “ulties that have to be faced. 
HEAVY CLAY SOIL. 
O.M., Grenfell-street.—The coal ashes. 
Will do admirably for improving the 
texture of a heavy clay soil. This is, 
‘deed, the best use to which, used alone, 
they cin be put. The manurial value is 
Yery slight almost nil, but their 
“echanical effect in such soils is useful, 
HYACINTHS FROM SEED. 
‘ Beginner,’ Wayville.—Hyacinths can 
be raised from seeds. All new varieties 
are obtained in this way, 
* * * * 2% 
CUTTINGS OF FRUIT TREES, 
‘Dan,’ Freeling.—The best time to 
plant cuttings of fruit trees of all kinds 
is as soon as the leaves are falling —abont 
in the autumn. 
* * * * * *w 
-¢MATDEN’ ROSES. 
‘Amateur, Goodwood.—Roses are 
ealled maidens one year from the buds or 
graft. The same term is applied to 
fruit trees when one year grafted. You 
will do right in pruning as you propose. 
* * * * * e 
STAKING PEAS. 
F.M., Bowden.—The proper method of 
putting sticks to Peas is to slope them at 
an angle of 30 degrees or so, and fet the 
aticks of the two sides of the row cross 
each.other in a diagonal form. The Peas 
are then not so liable to grow or fall 
through the sticks. The sticks at the 
top should not be crowded into each 
other, as this reduces the space for the 
peas. 
ae * Pk * * 
INCREASING PANSIES. 
‘Pansy, Norwood.—If you wish to 
inrease any particular variety of Ransy, 
the way to do so is to strike cuttings, 
Pansies come fairly true from seed, but: 
seedlings cannot be relied upon. “The 
best plan is to sacrifice the bloom for the 
year on any kinds that it is desired to 
perpetuate, pinching the bloom buds off 
as fast as they appear. Feed well with 
dressings of leaf mould pricked in among 
the roots; peg the first shoots down so as 
to leave the crown of the plant exposed ; 
fresh, healthy shoots will rise from that, 
and afew of these should be taken off 
when they have made three or four pairs 
of leaves and planted in light soil, sand . 
and leaf-mould under a hand-ylass, and 
kept moist and shaded, The pegged- 
_down stems will produce shoots, which 
may be treated in the same way. 
SAMPLE OF SOIL. 
‘Constant Reader,’ Bowden.—Cer- 
taiuly poor, but we cannot undertake to . 
make analyses of soils, and it would be 
impossible to give you the full particulars 
that you ask as to its capabilities without — 
doing something of the kind. However, 
there can be no doubt that the best 
manure you can use is that made in a 
farmyard or stable. This will suppy food 
and also humus, in which the soil appears 
deficient. Jf you can get some good 
loam to incorporate with it,doso. Grow 
in the shaded part of your garden such 
things as Primroses, Polyanthuses, spring 
bulbs, and Ferns. You need anticipate. 
no difficulty in growing annuals and 
most of the common garden plants if you 
enrich the soil slightly. 
* * * * * * 
FOWLS WITH DISTENDED CROPS. 
‘Constant Reader’ Belair, writes:— I 
‘shall be glad if you will tell me, through 
the medium of The ‘Australian Gardener,’ 
whether fowls suffer from water in the 
crop, and, if so what is the cause. If 
havea pullet now with an enormous- 
looking crop, which seems to hang to- 
wards one side, and feels like an india- 
rubber bottle three parts full of water. 
I have been told that it is water in the 
crop, and that there is no remedy. 
Before killing it, I shall be glad to know 
if there isany treatment I can adopt. f 
may add that it has been removed from 
the other fowls, and given. very little 
food. It just stands about the run all 
huddled up. 
Distended crops are sometimes due to 
obstructions, or to excessive feeding, 
These cases are termed ‘crop bound’ and 
the remedy is to try gentle kneading of 
the crop with the fingers, a teaspoozful — 
of water or salad-oil being poured down 
_the throat. This, repeated at intervals, 
is often effectual, but when it fails the 
opening of the’ crop and the removal of 
the contents are tried. This is trouble- 
some to the inexperienced, though the 
practised hand may make little of it 
But we do not think your case is one of 
the binding of the crop. It reads more 
like a case of crop dropsy, which has a 
deeper cause, Treatment may be attemp- 
ted if the bird is valuable; it consists of 
