442 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
form  of  the  flowers  were  of  great  merit.  Messrs.  T.  Rivers  &  Son,  Saw- 
bridgeworth,  sent  a  group  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines  in  pots.  The 
specimens  shown  were  grown  in  the  very  best  style,  the  wood  and  foliage 
being  clean  and  healthy  and  the  fruit  richly  coloured.  Cardinal  Necta¬ 
rine  was  superb.  Mr.  W.  Bull,  Chelsea,  sent  a  few  new  plants,  and  M>. 
Keif,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Abbot,  Regent’s  Park,  splendid  Royal  Sovereign 
Strawberries  in  pots,  besides  Peas  and  Lettuces. 
Mr.  W.  Rumsey,  the  only  exhibitor,  secured  the  first  prize  for  nine 
Roses  in  pots,  while  in  the  class  for  a  group  of  greenhouse  Azaleas 
equal  first  prizes  were  given  to  Messrs.  Kemp  and  Wilson  and  Mr. 
W.  Holmes,  the  latter  showing  the  better-grown  plants,  and  the  former 
larger  numbers.  Messrs.  Kemp  and  Wilson  were  again  first  for  six  Azaleas 
in  pots.  Gloxinias,  Orchids,  and  Ferns  were  also  shown,  but  in  each 
ease  there  was  practically  no  competition. 
GARDENERS’  CHARITABLE  AND  PROVIDENT 
INSTITUTIONS. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. — Secretary, 
Mr.  G.  J.  Ingram,  50,  Parliament  Street,  London,  W.C. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. — 
i Secretary ,  Mr.  W.  Collins,  9,  Martindale  Road,  Balham,  London,  S.W. 
Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund. — Secretary,  Mr.  A.  F.  Barron, 
The  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund,  Chiswick,  W. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Forcing  French  Beans. 
“  W.  W.”  (page  419)  claims  for  the  growingof  French  Beans  in  small 
pots  to  gather  a  week  or  two  earlier.  As  we  can  gather  Beans  from  our 
large  pots  in  six  weeks  from  sowing,  I  take  it  that  “  W.  W.”  can  gather 
them  in  a  month,  and  that  in  the  depth  of  winter.  I  know  it  is  easy  to 
produce  good  Beans  in  November  from  autumn  sown  plants,  but  dare  not 
hope  to  reach  or  break  “  W.  W.’s  ”  record  of  time  or  quantity  in  winter 
or  in  spring.  Also  he  claims  for  the  potting-on  system  that  it  must  be 
better  on  account  of  the  fresh  soil  used.  With  good  drainage  and  care¬ 
ful  watering,  I  fail  to  see  how  the  soil  can  get  stagnant  in  the  time. 
With  regard  to  liquid  manure  we  have  tried  both  ways  with  plants  side 
by  side,  and  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  the  crop  is  larger  or  heavier  by  the 
use  of  it.— Stone  Warrilow.  . 
Geraniums  for  Winter  Blooming. 
Correctly  speaking  these  are  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  but  the  old 
incorrect  name  clings  to  the  plants  with  a  sort  of  loving  tenacity. 
Having  secured  strong  well  rooted  young  plants  we  pot  them  in  60’s, 
using  light  generous  soil.  After  we  have  grown  them  for  about  a  month 
in  a  temperature  of  60°  to  75°  they  are  shifted  into  32’s,  using  a  compost 
of  sound  loam  two  parts,  leaf  mould  one  part,  bonemeal,  wood  ashes, 
and  soot  in  equal  proportions  to  form  one  part,  also  a  dash  of  coarse 
sand.  They  are  potted  moderately  firm.  We  give  them  similar  treat¬ 
ment  to  the  above,  keeping  the  syringe  going  among  them  for  six  weeks, 
after  which  we  gradually  harden  them  outside.  The  blooms  are  kept 
picked  until  the  last  week  in  September.  The  feeding  they  get  is  soot 
and  manure  water,  with  about  four  applications  of  nitrate  of  soda.  The 
treatment  I  have  mentioned  produces  for  us  any  amount  of  bloom, 
plenty  of  plants  bearing  six  and  seven  fully  developed  trusses  at  a  time. 
Out  of  the  fifty  varieties  we  grow  I  prefer  these  twelve  Brilliant, 
F.  Arago,  Mrs.  Johnson,  Olivia,  Omphale,  Aphrodite,  Lady  Chesterfield, 
Constance,  Mrs.  Keeler,  Madame  Chr&tien,  Rev.  F.  Atkinson,  and 
F.  V.  Raspail.— Elvaston. 
[If  “  Elvaston  ”  desires  to  see  more  of  his  notes  in  print  he  must 
leave  at  least  twice  the  amount  of  space  between  the  lines  for  the  purpose 
of  revision.  Some  of  his  lines  had  to  be  eliminated."! 
A  Few  Notes  on  the  Dahlia. 
Where  summer  bedding  is  practised  on  a  large  scale  the  Dahlia  is 
grown  extensively  and  to  great  advantage.  In  some  cases  it  occupies 
large  beds,  and  forms  the  centre  of  others.  It  is  also  grown  in  mixed 
borders  and  in  beds  set  apart  for  cutting  purposes,  being  one  of  the  most 
useful  flowers  for  house  and  harvest  festival  decorations.  Plants  that 
were  started  in  March  in  a  moist  and  brisk  bottom  heat  will  now  be 
making  free  growth,  and  should  be  gradually  hardened  for  planting  out 
at  the  end  of  the  present  month  or  the  beginning  of  June. 
The  Dahlia  is  a  gross  feeder,  and  if  fine  flowers  are  required  the  soil 
in  which  the  plants  are  to  be  grown  must  be  made  very  rich.  The 
ground  should  have  been  deeply  trenched  and  thrown  up  roughly  the 
previous  autumn  or  winter.  It  is  not  necessary  to  manure  the  ground  at 
that  time,  as  at  planting  the  sites  can  be  marked  out  for  the  plants, 
which  should  be  from  4  to  6  feet  apart,  two  or  three  spadefuls  of  soil 
thrown  out,  and  as  much  manure  added,  thoroughly  mixing  the  manure 
with  the  soil.  Planting  can  then  be  done,  placing  some  fine  soil  about 
the  roots,  and  pressing  the  whole  firmly  about  them. 
At  the  time  of  planting  a  strong  stake  must  be  provided  for  each 
plant,  and  to  this  the  plant  tied  and  made  secure  against  harm  from  winds. 
The  plants  should  then  have  a  thorough  watering.  The  principal  work 
afterwards  will  consist  in  attending  to  watering,  tying,  and  looking 
afcer  insects.  Earwigs  are  the  most  troublesome  pests  of  the  Dahlia, 
eating  as  they  do  the  young  foliage  as  well  as  the  blooms.  They  can  be 
trapped  by  placing  a  small  flower  pot  inverted,  with  a  little  moss  in  it, 
on  the  top  of  the  stakes. 
As  the  plants  make  growth  it  will  be  necessary  to  keep  the  young 
shoots  securely  tied  to  the  stakes,  and  during  hot  weather  the  plants 
will  be  benefited  by  having  the  soil  about  them  slightly  loosened,  and  a 
mu'ching  of  rich  manure  placed  over  it.  Disbudding  should  be  attended 
to,  and  if  fine  blooms  are  required  four  to  six  shoots  should  be  grown  on 
each  plant,  according  to  the  variety.  Those  producing  large  flowers 
may  be  allowed  to  carry  the  most  shoots.  I  think  the  Cactus  varieties 
are  now  ihe  most  popular,  although  the  single  Dahlia  is  extremely  useful 
for  decorative  purposes. — Young  Practitioner, 
Hanging  Baskets. 
What  cold,  bare-looking  places  our  conservatories  and  greenhouses 
would  be  without  a  few  hanging  baskets.  They  seem  as  it  were  to  put 
the  finishing  touch  to  a  well-arranged  house,  no  matter  whether  it  be 
occupied  by  foliage  or  flowering  plants.  In  these  days  of  copper  wire 
and  artistically  made  wooden  baskets  let  us  not  foTget  that  for  anything 
to  look  really  well  it  must  be  as  natural  as  possible.  Fancy  wood  and 
wire  baskets  are  good  for  a  change,  but  they  are  less  natural  than  the 
old  rustic  baskets  with  pieces  of  cork  projecting  among  the  plants, 
improving  the  general  appearance. 
Plants  should  be  selected  suitable  for  the  positions  the  baskets  are  to 
occupy.  For  a  light  stove  we  have  the  beautiful  Centropogon  Lucyauus, 
which,  with  its  masses  of  bright  rosy-coloured  flowers,  is  a  gem  for 
winter,  and  the  old  stems  are  flowering  now  profusely.  This  may  be 
alternated  by  baskets  of  Nephrolepis  exaltata,  with  an  edging  of 
Panicum  vnriegatum,  or  Tradescantia  zebrina.  Asparagus  deflexus  also 
looks  well  in  the  stove. 
AmoDg  those  which  succeed  under  shady  and  cooler  conditions  are 
the  Platyceriums  (Stag’s  Horn  Fern),  Pterises,  Adiantums,  Davallias, 
and  Woodwardias  ;  while  for  companions  of  pendent  habit  to  associate 
with  them  I  may  mention  Selaginella  denticulata,  Panicum  variegatum, 
Pilea  muscosa,  and  Tradescantias. 
Turning  our  attention  to  the  conservatory  and  light  flowering  houses, 
we  have  plants  almost  without  number  suitable  for  baskets.  Ivy -leaved 
Pelargoniums,  Fuchsias,  Tropteolums,  of  which  “  Coolgardie  ”  is  a 
deliciously  scented  variety  with  large  ye'low  flowers  ;  Lachenalias, 
which  ought  to  be  basketed  in  August,  placing  the  bulbs  all  round  the 
sides,  top,  and  bottom  of  the  basket  as  it  is  made  up.  Winter  the 
baskets  in  a  cool  structure,  giving  little  o>-  no  wa’er,  and  place  them  in 
gentle  hpat,  in  early  spring.  Achimems  require  to  be  treated  much  the 
same  as  Lachenalias.  except  they  may  be  ba  k  ted  iD  February  and  placed 
in  heat  at  onee,  removing  them,  together  w  tb  the  Lachenalias,  to  a  cool 
house  as  food  as  they  are  well  on  the  move.  Lobelias,  Musk,  Campanula 
isophylla  alb#,  with  the  dark  species  purpurea,  and  a  host  of  others 
make  a  grand  display  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  Thus  we  see  by  the 
few  pan's  enumerated  that  we  are  not  without  material  with  which  to 
furnish  our  rustic  receptacles. 
The  preparation  of  these  is  as  follows  : — Procure  some  live  moss,  or, 
if  difficulty  is  experienced  in  obtaining  moss,  turf  that  has  been  in  stack 
for  three  months  will  answer  the  purpose ;  line  the  baskets  with  the 
same,  plac.e  'he  centre  plant  in  position,  and  add  soil  as  the  work  of 
planting  proceeds,  fini-hing  with  a  ring  of  small  plants  of  the  chosen 
creeping  kinds  Water  well  in  bright  weather,  which  will  be  almost  all 
the  attention  requ'red,  except  perhaps  a  few  peg*  may  be  needed  to  keep 
the  trailing  plants  within  bounds  until  they  c  -ver  the  baskets,  after 
which  time  they  may  he  allowed  to  hang  down  naturally. 
Touching  the  Editor’s  note  on  page  349,  I  eg  to  say  that  at  the  time 
of  writing  in  the  Midlands  we  have  n  >t  yet  finished  playing  football, 
though  possibly,  a«  he  suggests,  the  “  willow  ”  will  have  an  irresistible 
charm  in  the  near  future. — Youngster, 
[We  should  be  sorry  to  deprive,  if  we  could,  any  “  youngster  ”  of 
healthy,  enjoyable,  reasonable  recreation,  but  some  Midlanders  seem 
almost  to  go  mad  over  football,  and  cricket  cranks  are  not  unknown. 
Not  very  long  ago  a  young  gardener,  and  we  believe  a  good  one,  was  so 
proud  of  hi->  accomplishments  in  the  field  that  amongst  other  testimonials 
that  he  presented  in  seeking  a  much-coveted  situation  was  one  that 
recounted  bis  ability  as  a  cricketer.  This  lost  him  the  position  he  sought 
as  head  gardener  and  a  salary  of  £100  a  year,  with  et-ceteras.  We  have 
seen  the  testimonial,  also  the  young  man.  a*  well  as  the  gentleman  in 
question,  who  could  not  be  induced  to  change  his  mind  and  give  the 
young  gardener  a  trial.  Trouble,  he  said,  had  arisen  through  an  abuse  of 
privileges,  and  he  would  run  no  further  risks.] 
Nature’s  Larder. 
The  prolongation  of  life  in  the  vege'able  kingdom  consists  in  its 
members  during  growth  receiving  a  fair  abundance  of  readily  absorb¬ 
able  nutritive  mat'er.  The  agri-horticultural  brotherhood,  aided  by 
chemists,  have  unitedly,  by  observation  in  practice  and  laboratory 
experiment,  massed  many  valuable  principles  for  our  guidance  in 
vegetative  culture. 
By  Mr.  W.  Dvke’s  process,  recently  described  in  this  paper,  we 
might  classify  soiL — namely,  weighing  a  quantity  of  a  certain  kind 
(perfectly  dry)  and  burning  it  to  find  the  loss  of  organic  matter  ;  or  by 
shaking  samples  of  soils  in  jars  of  water,  to  separate  the  clay  from  the 
sand.  Thus  we  have  sandy  soil,  90  p^r  cent.,  of  sand  ;  Bandy  loams, 
10  to  40  oer  cent,  of  clay  ;  loamy  soils,  40  o  70  per  cert,  of  clay  ;  clay 
loams,  70  to  85  per  cent,  of  clay  ;  and  so  on  A  marl  is  a  soil  with 
5  per  cent,  or  so  of  calcium  carbonate  (Ca0O3).  Calcareous  soils  have 
over  20  per  cent,  of  lime. 
Mr.  Dyke  in  his  instructive  chemistry  lessons  has  explained  how  soils 
