28G 
JCURyAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  17,  1898. 
THE  FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Slower  Beds  In  Wet  Weatber, — Once  more  the  Tuberous  Begonias 
have  demonstiated  their  superiority  and  reliableness,  in  wet  seasons 
eipecially.  Heavy  and  continuous  rains  appear  to  benefit  them  rather 
than  otherwise,  whereas  the  Zonal  Pelargoniums  present  a  very  sorry 
spectacle.  Begonias  ought  always  to  have  good  room,  and  if  any  less 
ornamental  plants  are  encroaching  on  their  space  trim  them  back  at 
once.  Marguerites  are  growing  far  too  strongly,  and  in  many  cases 
might  with  advantage  have  a  spade  or  long  trowel  run  round  them 
6  inches  clear,  or  rather  less,  of  the  stems,  so  as  to  cut  through  many  of 
the  wide  spreading  roots,  this  checking  top  growth  considerably,  and 
they  will  also  lift  more  readily  later  on.  If  the  tops  of  these,  as  well  as 
the  stronger  growing  Heliotropes  and  rank  Zonal  Pelargoniums  overgrow 
less  vigorous  plants  near  them  it  is  advisable  to  trim  them  hack  some¬ 
what,  as  we  may  yet  have  a  brief  period  of  dry,  summer-like  weather 
before  frosts  intervene.  Bedding  Asters,  notably  those  of  stiff,  erect 
growth  with  broad  flat  flowers,  have  failed  badly  and  are  now  not  fit  to 
occupy  prominent  beds  or  borders.  In  some  cases  they  ought  to  be 
cleared  off  and  the  beds  temporarily  filled  with  mixed  pot  plants. 
Propagating-  Zonal  Pelargonium*, — Cuttings  are  only  too  plenti¬ 
ful,  but  they  are  very  sappy,  and  more  than  ordinary  pains  must  be  taken  or 
they  will  root  badly.  A  start  ought  to  be  made  at  once.  Abundance 
of  cuttings  may  be  taken  eff  without  greatly  disfiguring  the  beds,  a  dry 
day  being  chosen  for  the  operation.  After  the  cuttings  have  been 
denuded  of  most  of  the  older  leaves  and  trimmed  to  a  joint  lay  them  in 
a  dry  sunny  place  till  they  flag  considerably,  the  wounds  also  drying. 
Thus  getting  rid  of  much  superfluous  moisture  is  a  step  in  the  right 
direction,  but  this  is  not  enough.  The  watering  after  they  are  inserted 
in  either  pots  or  boxes  must  be  deferred  for  several  days,  only  enough 
being  given  to  keep  the  cuttings  from  shrivelling.  The  commoner 
varieties,  or  those  of  a  somewhat  vigorous  habit,  will  winter  fairly  well 
in  pans  and  boxes  ;  but  the  more  delicate  sorts,  including  the  variegated 
and  bronze  Zonals,  will  not.  Three-inch  or  slightly  larger  pots  will  each 
hold  six  or  seven  strong  cuttings,  and  but  few  of  these  damp  off  during 
the  winter.  Added  to  this  they  can  be  arranged  very  thickly  on 
suspended  and  back  shelves  in  vineries.  Peach  houses,  and  other 
structures  from  which  frosts  are  excluded,  and  cuttings  well  established 
in  small  pots  also  keep  the  best  in  frames  ami  pits.  It  is  not  good  policy 
to  place  the  cuttings  in  the  open  this  season,  saturation  of  the  soil  being 
fatal  to  sappy  cuttings,  and  the  least  that  can  be  done  is  to  set  them 
in  dry  pits  or  frames  till  they  aie  well  rooted.  The  more  delicate 
tricolors  and  bronze  Zonals  rooted  late  do  not  often  winter  satisfactorily, 
and  with  these  the  wiser  practice  is  to  leave  the  plants  intact,  taking 
care  to  lift  and  store  them  somewhat  thickly  in  7-inch  or  rather 
larger  pots  before  they  are  frosted.  Kept  in  a  warm  dry  greenhouse 
few  or  no  plants  will  be  lost,  and  a  good  lot  of  cuttings  be  available 
next  spring. 
Propagating-  other  Bedding  Plants. — If  no  Iresines,  Alternan- 
theras.  Coleuses,  or  Heliotropes  have  been  kept  in  pots  no  time  ought  to  be 
lost  in  propagating  the  requisite  number  of  stock  p! ants.  There  are  plenty 
of  soft  young  tops,  and  if  some  of  these  are  duly  made  into  cuttings  and 
inserted  thinly  in  5-inch  pots,  the  latter  being  well  drained  and  filled 
with  light  sandy  soil,  they  will  root  quickly  in  a  fairly  brisk  but  not 
too  moist  heat.  Guttings  from  the  open-air  plants  are  apt  to  damp  off 
if  kept  too  close  or  moist,  as  they  are  very  different  to  the  less  succulent 
cuttings  obtained  from  pot  plants  Should  the  cuttings  fail  to  root 
then  must  the  required  number  of  old  plants  be  potted  up  before  frosts 
have  crippled  them.  Shrubby  Calceolarias,  Gazanias,  and  Violas  need 
not  be  propagated  before  October,  late-rooted  plants  wintering  the  most 
surely  in  cold  frames  or  pits. 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Open-air  Tomatoes. — Heavy  crops  are  to  be  seen  on  open-air 
plants  generally,  but  the  weather  lately  has  been  against  ripening.  The 
bulk  of  the  fruit  is  well  advanced  towards  maturity,  and  if  cut  in 
bunches  and  hung  in  a  warm  dry  house  or  ki'chenwill  colour  and  be  of 
fairly  good  quality.  If  those  plants  against  sunny  walls  could  be  tem¬ 
porarily  covered  with  pit  and  frame  lights,  this  would  ward  off  both 
frosts  and  disease.  In  the  case  of  very  backward  plants,  or  any  carrying  ! 
heavy  crops  of  green  fruit,  the  plan  of  lifting  and  replanting,  or  moving 
into  a  bouse  previously  occupied  by  either  Melons  or  Cucumbers  should 
be  tried.  The  soil  is  apt  to  fall  away  from  the  roots  wholesale,  and  for 
this  reason  it  is  advisable  to  lift  and  place  direct  in  either  flat  boxes  or 
large  pots,  using  ordinary  garden  soil  with  a  very  little  manure  added. 
They  can  then  be  carried  to  the  houses  and  given  a  good  watering. 
Market  growers  might  lift  hundreds  of  plants,  placing  them  in  herring 
boxes,  or  they  could  construct  a  tray  wide  enough  to  hold  two  rows  of 
plants,  fastening  the  stakes  connected  with  them  to  a  high  central  cross¬ 
bar.  These  trays  can  easily  be  carried  into  narrow  Cucumber  or  early 
Tomato  houses,  and  the  plants  be  carefully  slid  off  on  to  the  flat  side 
beds,  packing  them  closely  together  and  covering  with  fresh  soil. 
Tomat'^es  m  Emises. — Owing  to  the  slightly  enforced  rest  in  August, 
brought  about  by  a  wholesale  dropping  of  flowers  during  the  hot 
weather,  the  plants  are  holding  out  better  than  usual,  and  abundance  of 
fruit  will  be  forthcoming  up  to  midwinter.  If  late  crops  are  wanted 
there  ought  to  be  no  drying  off  at  the  roots,  or  the  fruit  will  be  hollow, 
light  in  weight,  and  poor  in  quality.  If  it  is  necessary  to  remove  the 
greater  portion  of  the  leaves  in  order  to  let  light  and  sunshine  reach 
plants  underneath,  water  must  still  be  given  as  often  as  the  soil  becomes 
somewhat  dry,  and  perfect  ripening  will  not  be  greatly  interfered  with 
accordingly.  Diseased  foliage  is  most  often  found  among  crowded  plants 
and  in  badly  ventilated  houses.  Remove  all  superfluous  growth  as  fast 
as  it  forms,  and  reduce  large  leaves  to  one-half  their  original  size.  Also 
admit  enough  top  and  front  air,  and  turn  on  sufficient  fire  heat  to  keep 
the  houses  comfortably  warm  and  dry,  this  being  favourable  to  the 
ripening  of  fruit,  and  also  acts  as  a  preventive  of  disease.  One  or  two 
good  clusters  ought  already  to  be  set  on  young  plants  that  are  to  give 
ripe  fruit  during  the  winter. 
Potatoes. — Those  late  planted  which  have  kept  fresh  and  green 
will,  disease  permitting,  continue  to  grow  at  the  roots  for  some  time 
longer.  The  great  bulk  of  Potatoes,  however,  are  quite  forward  enough' 
to  lift  and  store.  Few  complaints  of  disease  attacks  are  heard,  but  the 
weather  of  late  has  keen  favourable  to  its  propagation,  and  that  is  one 
good  reason  why  early  lifting  should  take  place.  It  is  the  haulm  that, 
as  a  rule,  is  first  affected,  and  if  this  is  drawn  directly  the  tubers  will 
part  readily  from  roots,  little  or  no  disease,  unless  already  washed 
down,  will  be  observable.  Whole  breadths  can  be  cleared  of 
haulm  in  a  few  hours,  and  the  lifting  can  then  be  proceeded  with  at 
leisure.  By  standing  on  the  hills  with  the  feet  on  each  side  of  the 
stems  the  haulm  can  be  drawn  without  bringing  any  tubers  to  the 
surface.  There  are  two  important  reasons  why  Potatoes  should  be 
lifted  as  much  as  possible  in  dry  weather.  It  is  most  injurious  to  the 
heavier  soils  to  trample  on  them  in  wet  weather  or  when  they  are 
sodden  with  moisture,  and  the  tubers  carry  away  too  much  earth  on 
them.  Then,  again,  a  crop  of  Potatoes  may  be  sound  when  lifted,  and 
yet  many  tubers  eventually  be  ruined  by  disease,  the  germs  having 
lodged  on  them  while  laying  on  the  top  of  the  ground.  The  way  to 
avoid  this  is  to  lift  during  dry  weather,  and  to  store  quickly. 
Storing  Potatoes. — The  crops  should  be  sorted  over  according  as 
they  are  lifted.  What  is  known  as  the  “  ware  ”  tubers,  or  those  of  a 
size  usually  sent  to  the  kitchen,  to  be  separated  from  the  rest,  reserving 
those  of  a  medium  size  in  sufficiently  large  quantities  for  planting 
purposes,  while  quite  the  smallest  should  go  to  the  pigs.  Store  the 
ware  tubers  in  moderately  large  heaps  in  cool  dark  sheds  or  cellars,  or 
else  in  heaps  on  a  well-drained  site,  duly  strawing  and  earthing  over  to 
a  sufficient  extent  to  exclude  rainfall,  snow  water,  and  frosts  ;  the 
planting  tubers  to  be  stored  thinly  in  cool  light  sheds  where  they  will 
not  sprout  prematurely,  aud  can  be  readily  covered  with  mats,  sacking, 
or  paper  whenever  severe  frosts  are  imminent.  There  should  be  no 
greening  of  planting  tubers  in  the  open,  as  this  may  lead  to  their 
becoming  dieeased  and  practically  spoilt  without  this  being  discovered 
till  the  spring.  Athleaf  and  early  Potatoes  generally  ought  to  be  stored 
!  closely,  sprout  end  uppermost,  in  shallow  trays  before  they  start  growing, 
!  the  loss  of  first  s-prouts  greatly  impairing  their  value. 
Protecting  Vegetables.— Severe  frosts  are  sometimes  experienced 
about  ihe  middle  of  September,  and  if  several  kinds  of  vegetables  are 
not  greatly  damaged  then  they  frequently  remain  in  a  productive  or 
serviceable  state  for  several  weeks  afterwards.  Runner  Beans  are  among 
the  first  to  suffer,  and  at  least  one  long  row,  or  afew  short  ones,  ought  to 
be  roughly  protected  as  often  as  need  be  either  with  branches  of  ever¬ 
greens,  mats,  blinds  or  strips  of  scrim  canvas.  The  stopped  rows,  grown 
market  growers’  fashion,  lend  themselves  the  most  readily  to  protective 
measures,  as  it  is  a  comparatively  simple  matter  to  fix  a  single  running 
wire  or  series  of  stakes  on  them,  mats  thrown  lengthways  over  effectu¬ 
ally  protecting  the  Beans.  Late  rows  or  breadths  of  Dwarf  or  Kidney 
Beans  should  be  similarly  treated,  and  will  most  probably  pay  well  for 
the  trouble  taken  with  them.  Tall  Peas  will  stand  a  moderately  severe 
frost,  or  more  than  those  close  to  the  ground,  and  good  results  sometime* 
attend  the  practice  of  covering  the  latter  whenever  severe  frosts  are 
anticipated.  Vegetable  Marrows,  in  many  instances,  are  only  just 
becoming  really  productive.  A  few  plants  might,  with  advantage,  be 
protected  with  frames  and  lights  or  with  benders  and  mats.  Since  the 
soaking  rains  have  fallen  Globe  Artichokes  have  recommenced  active 
growth,  and  numerous  flower  heads  are  just  showing.  Protect  these 
either  with  a  framework  of  stakes  and  mats  or  stakes  fixed  over  them, 
and  matted  round  gipsy -tent  fashion,  and  in  all  probability  several  good 
dishes  of  this  high  class  vegetable  will  be  the  outcome.  It  is  yet  full 
early  to  move  Lettuce  and  Endive  to  frames,  and  only  fully  grown  plants 
of  the  latter  need  protection  as  yet.  Cauliflowers  will  also  be  tolerably 
safe  for  a  few  weeks  longer,  but  the  precaution  should  be  taken  to  keep 
the  advanced  and  advancing  nearts  protected  with  old  leaves  tucked 
over  them,  these  serving  to  protect  and  to  blanch. 
PLANT  HOUSES. 
Camellias. — These  will  bear  stronger  insecticides  without  injury 
now  than  at  any  other  period  of  their  growth.  If  scale  or  other  insects 
exist  upon  them  they  should  be  thoroughly  washed  with  a  solution  of 
petroleum  and  water  at  the  rate  of  1  oz.  of  the  former  to  each  gallon 
of  the  latter.  Every  portion  of  the  tree  should  be  well  soaked  and  the 
trees  shaded  from  bright  sunshine  for  two  or  three  days  afterwards.  If 
any  traces  of  insects  are  left  the  application  should  be  repeated  in  ab  >ut 
a  fortnight.  After  the  trees  are  thoroughly  cleaned  expose  them  to  full 
light  and  sunshine  to  harden  and  ripen  their  wood.  This  is  necessary 
if  the  flower  buds  are  to  remain  on  and  develop  satisfactorily  at  the 
proper  time.  Abundance  of  air  should  be  given  both  day  and  night,  and 
the  syringe  should  be  used  freely.  Keep  the  plants  moist,  and  if 
confined  at  their  roots,  or  growing  in  poor  soil,  weak  stimulants  should 
be  given  every  time  they  need  water.  When  the  flower  buds  are 
swelling  the  plants  are  rooting  freely  and  need  feeding  more  than  is 
necessary  duiing  any  other  period  of  tbeir  giowth.  Occasional  doses  of 
soot  water  in  a  clear  state  are  very  beneficial  and  impart  a  fine  dark  hue 
to  the  foliage. 
Azaleas. — Plants  that  are  to  flower  early  and  have  been  standing 
outside  should  be  housed  at  once.  Before  doing  so,  however,  thoroughly 
