90 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  29,  1903. 
stretch  of  the  imagination  can  be  described  as  herbaceous. 
To  me,  with  its  annuals,  biennials,  and  those  plants  posr 
sessing  shrubby  characteristics,  this  will  always  be  the 
mixed  border.  A  place  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
hardy  plants,  provided  room  can  be  found  for  the  multitude 
of  great  and  small  which  may  now  be  met  with  in  this 
connection.  Some  of  the  plantations  one  meets  with  are, 
for  the  want  of  overhauling  and  replanting,  pitiable  objects. 
In  such  cases  the  dwindling  growths  and  poverty-stricken 
flowers  tell  their  own  outspoken  tale.  There  no  doubt  are 
folk  who  think  that  once  a  border  is  planted  it  should 
require  no  after  attention  beyond  routine  work  of  staking, 
tying,  and  cleaning.  These  in  their  season  are  important 
enough,  and  on  no  account  should  they  be  neglected.  But 
my  appeal  is  for  more  generous  treatment  in  the  autumn 
and  winter,  particularly  to  borders  that  have  been  in 
existence  for  some  considerable  period.  To  boldly  take  up, 
divide,  and  replant  in  well-manured  soil  will  usually  con¬ 
vert  a  poor  weak  plant  into  a  healthy  specimen. 
This  course  is  not  always  advisable,  several  of  our  hardy 
border  plants  resenting  removal ;  some  of  them  so  much  so 
that  death  is  often  the  result  of  interference  with  their 
roots,  even  at  what  is  known  as  the  resting  period. 
Tritonias,  for  instance,  I  have  found,  do  not  like  to  be  clis- 
turbecl  when  once  established,  but  careful  assistance  can 
always  be  given  to  these  and  similar  plants  by  mulching,' 
or  stirring  short  manure  under  the  surface  soil  in  close 
proximity  to  the  roots. 
Many  clumps  of  such  things  as  Phloxes  and  Cam¬ 
panulas,  which  have  become  large  and  spread  over  a  rather 
wide  area,  wohdd  be  greatly  benefited  if  taken  up,  the 
centres  turned  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  rubbish- 
heap,  and  the  strong,  healthy  outer  growths  planted  on  the 
original  site.  This  may  appear  a  simple  matter,  and  takes 
but  a  short  time  to  carry  out,  yet  a  very  great  change  is 
quickly  noticeable  in  the  growth  of  plants  so  treated, 
especially  when  a  fairly  heavy  dressing  of  well-rotted 
manure  is  stirred  into  the  soil. 
In  the  matter  of  summer  procedure,  there  are,  without 
question,  many  instances  Avhere  greater  generosity  of  treat¬ 
ment  is  much  to  be  desired.  With  the  best  of  intentions,  it 
is  not  always  possible  to  carry  out  in  Avinter  the  Avork  spoken 
of  above.  I  have  found  3oz  or  4oz  of  superphosphate  to  the 
square  yard  of  great  value  in  strengthening  and  stimulating 
groAAdhs  ;  particularly  has  this  been  the  case  AA^hen  supple¬ 
mented  by  an  ounce  of  nitrate  of  soda  to  the  yard.  -If  it 
is  Avished  to  get  the  fullest  value  from  these  artificials,  a 
commencement  should  be  made  Avith  an  application  of 
superphosphate  in  March,  giving  the  nitrate  Avhen  groAvth 
has  become  active  both  beloAA-  and  aboA-'e^the  soil  surface. 
Most  people'  are  noAv  acquainted  with  the  fact  that 
nitrate  of  soda,  eA^er  a  dangerous  manurial  agent,  is  doubly 
dangerous  used  amongst  floAvering  plants,  as  the  too  free  use 
of  it  Avill  surely  result  in  exuberant  leaf-groAvth  at  the 
expense  of  flower-production.  The  application  of  super¬ 
phosphate  may  be  repeated  two  or  three  times  at  intervals 
of  about  a  month,  and  provided  the  dose  is  not  stronger 
than  is  stated — 3pz  or  4oz  per  yard — nothing  but  benefit 
will  accrue  to  the  border  occupants.  Mulching  is  practically 
impossible  for  many  of  us,  oAving  to  the  objection  employers 
naturally  have  against  seeing  manure  lying  upon  the  sur¬ 
face  of  beds  or  borders.  Where  it  can  conveniently  be 
carried  out,  however,  there  needs  very  little  thought  as  to 
the  benefits  derivable  from  the  system. 
In  early  spring,  Avhen  the  various  plants  are  putting 
forth  new"  groAvth  from  the  earth,  it  is  a  Avise  plan  to  look 
them  over,  and  in  the  case  of  Phloxes,  Delphiniums,  and 
others  of  a  kindred  character,  to  remove  AA’eakly  and  ill- 
placed  shoots,  thus  alloAving  more  room  for  those  remaining. 
This  is  an  excellent  aid  tOAvards  the  production  of  large 
spikes  of  first-sized  blossoms. 
These  are  only  a  feAv  of  the  means  employed  towards 
making  the  mixed  border  a  home  of  order  and  good  living 
for  its  inmates  ;  a  place  Avhere  year  after  year  our  old 
favourites  appear  in  their  different  seasons  to  greet  us. 
Here,  it  may  be,  a  resplendent  Pseony,  or  there  later  on  Avill 
be  a  specially  good  Phlox,  the  black-coned  Rudbeckia,  or 
the  marvellously  beautiful  Iris,  Avhether  German,  English, 
or  Spanish.  Shrubby  Spiraeas,  and  in  this  shady  nook  a 
great  clump  of  S.  Aruncus  (I  know  this  is  not  included  in 
the  shrubby  section,  critics  please  note !),  Poppies  galore, 
from  the  flaunting  giant  Oriental  to  the  dAvarf  Iceland  gems. 
A  Rose  or  tAvo,  and  Dahlias,  with  the  inevitable  Stocks  and 
Asters.  “  What  a  broth  of  a  mixture !  ”  cry  the  colour 
experts.  True,  and  AA'hat  Avell-ordered  examples  of  sAveet- 
ness  and  beauty  many  of  these  old  borders  can  be  made,, 
and  truly  are !  Long  may  they  continue  to  give  pleasure 
and  joy  to  those  Avho  AA"ork  for  them  and  those  aaLo  oAvn 
them !  I  very  much  doubt  if  the  advocates  of  the  system 
of  planting  many  of  one  kind  of  plant  to  obtain  a  fleeting; 
scheme  of  colour  Avill  be  able  to  drive  aAvay  our  old  friend 
the  mixed  border  from  garden  or  pleasure  ground. ^ — 
J.  Wright,  NeAvent,  Glos. 
Etherisation  of  Piants. 
Etherisation  may  be  briefly  described  as  a  method  of 
abridging  by  some  months  the  natural  “  resting  ”  period  of 
plant  life.  By  this  process  many  plants  which  would  flower 
naturally  in  the  early  spring  months  may  now  be  obtained 
in  full  bloom  during  the  previous  autumn  at  a  cost  of  a  few 
shillings  per  hundred  or  eA"en  per  thousand  plants.  In  the 
case  of  Lilacs,  for  instance,  this  has  been  possible,  so  far  as. 
early  autumnal  floAvering  is  concerned,  only  by  means  of 
AA'hat  is  knoAvn  as  “  retarding  ” — a  long  and  costly  process, 
Avhich  involves  storing  the  plants  in  a  refrigerating  establish¬ 
ment  for  about  seA^en  or  eight  months,  from  late  winter 
until  the  next  autumn.  I  specially  mention  the  Lilac, 
writes  a  correspondent  of  “  The  Times,”  not  because  it  is 
more  amenable  to  the  neAv  process  than  many  other  plants, 
but  because  of  its  universal  popularity  and  utility  and 
because  of  the  vast  sums  of  money  involA'ed  in  its  culture 
for  early  forcing  purposes  in  France,  Gennany,  England, 
and  other  countries. 
The  modus  operandi  is  ridiculously  simple.  First  of  all 
is  the  construction  of  a  galvanised  chamber  or  tank  of  a 
yard  or  tAvo  square,  Avhich,  after  the  plants  are  stored  aAvay 
in  it,  may  be  hermetically  sealed  ;  the  ether  in  a  gAen 
quantity  is  poured  into  a  small  cup,  Avhich  is  fixed  to  the 
top  of  the  tank  or  house,  whence,  after  the  tank  is  securely, 
fastened,  the  ether  is  allow'ed  to  evaporate  for  forty-eight 
hours.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time,  during  Avhich  the 
plants  shed  their  leaA^es  and  may  be  described  as  being  in 
a  state  of  complete  intoxication,  they  are  then  exposed  to 
the  air  for  another  forty-eight  hours.  Then  follows  a 
second  period  of  forty-eight  hours’  etherisation,  after  which 
the  plants  are  remoA-ed  to  an  ordinary  forcing-house,  the 
floAvering  spikes  rapidly  develop,  and  within  tAvo  or  three 
Aveeks  throw  forth  their  pure  Avhite  heads  of  flowers. 
It  is  not  necessary  in  this  place  to  enter  into  minute' 
details,  but  it  may  be  mentioned  that,  whereas  the  pre¬ 
valent  system  of  retarding  involves  a  certain  percentage  of 
failures,  by  the  new  process  the  failures  are  not  only  practi¬ 
cally  nil,  but  the  ether  seems  positively  to  nourish  and  feed 
the  plants  subjected  to  it.  Indeed,  they  may  be  said  to  be 
more  floriferous.  One  of  the  most  extensively  cultivated 
varieties  of  Lilacs,  Marie  Legraye,  requires  only  one  dose  of 
forty-eight  hours  of  etherisation,  whilst  Charles  X  and  most 
of  the  other  varieties  require  two  doses.  Etherisation,  it  may 
be  mentioned,  is  required  only  in  autumn,  for  after  the  month 
of  January  the  Lilac  has  completed  its  period  of  “resting,”' 
and  readily  submits  to  ordinary  forcing.  But  successful 
experiments  have  not  been  confined  to  the  Lilac.  The 
Azalea  mollis.  Primus  triloba,  the  common  Deutzia  gracilis, 
Viburnum  plicatum  tomentosum  have  all  been  experi¬ 
mented  upon  with  more  or  less  success. 
So  far  as  England  is  concerned,  at  least  one  grower  has 
tested  on  an  extensive  scale  the  value  of  the  etherisation  of 
plants.  Mr.  T.  Jannoch,  of  Dersingham,  near  Sandring¬ 
ham,  immediately  on  hearing  of  the  discovery,  had  a  special 
ether  chamber  or  tank  made,  and  the  results  of  his  experi¬ 
ments,  which  I  haA"e  been  permitted  to  examine  carefully, 
are  far  beyond  any  reasonable  anticipations 
Next  season  Mr.  Jannoch,  doubtless  in  common  Avith  all 
other  cultivators  who  have  tested  the  system,  has  deter¬ 
mined  to  enter  into  yet  more  extensive  experiments.  The- 
developments  in  this  and  other  countries  Avill  be  AA-atched 
with  much  interest  bj"  a  very  wide  community  of  flower- 
growers  and  the  public  generally.  >■ 
