December  3,  1903. 
JOURJSAL  CF  HOB.TICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
523 
Young  Gardeners’  Domain 
The  Editor  welcomes  .short  letters  from  under-gardeners.  Letters 
•  .should  be  confined  to  500  words  in  length,  should  be  written 
only  on  one  side  of  the  paper,  as  clearh^  as  possible,  with 
one  inch  space  at  both  top  and  bottom,  as  well  as  at  the 
sides. 
Christmas  Roses  (Hellebores). 
Few  plants  have  a  better  claim  to  a  place  in  the  herbaceous 
borders  than  the  various  species  of  Helleborus,  especially  the 
old  favoured  H.  niger,  commonly  called  Christmas  Rose.  In  a 
little  village  of  East  Kent  there  is  a  cottage  which  has  in  its 
humble  collection  eight  crowns  of  Qiristmas  Rose,  and  these 
have  been  in  the  same  position  for  twenty  years,  and  annually 
they  .send  up  thirty  or  more  pure-white  flowers  from  each  crown. 
The.se,  I  may  say,  are  in  a  good  loam,  with  a  chalk  subsoil,  and 
grow  on  the  north  side  of  the  cottage.  The  soil  is  seldom  moved 
or  manured.  The  flowers  of  this  variety  are  very  useful  for 
small  vases,  and  travel  well. — F.H.  W.,  Yorks. 
Freesias. 
The  Freesia  seems  to  be  gaining  in  popularity,  and  I  should 
like  to  give  to  the  readers  of  the  Journal,  a  small  note  on  the 
culture  of  these  most  popular  bulbous  plants.  I  have  been  most 
succes.sful  with  them.  The  best  method,  I  think,  is  to  place  the 
bulbs  about  half  an  inch  deep,  in  5in  pots;  and  the  best  compo,st 
for  them  is  two  parts  of  good  loam,  one  part  of  leaf  soil,  and  one 
part  of  spent  manure,  with  suflBcient  sand  to  make  the  whole 
open.  Place  the  pots  in  a  cold  frame,  and  cover  with  a  mat  or 
cocoanut-fibre,  and  when  the  majority  of  them  are  through  the 
soil,  the  mat  should  be  removed.  They  can  still  remain  in  the 
frames,  as  they  delight  in  cold  treatment.  When  the  growths 
are  two  or  three  inches  high  they  should  be  staked,  placing  four 
neat  sticks  round  the  sides  of  the  pots ;  but  if  time  can  be 
spared  they  should  be  staked  singly,  as  they  look  much  better 
and  neater.  They  .should  then  be  taken  into  the  greenhouse  as 
required.  So  soon  as  the  flower  spikes  appear,  liquid  manure 
should  be  given  frequently,  as  this  helps  to  give  a  better 
floraison.  After  passing  out  of  flower,  do  not  allow  them  tO'  be 
neglected,  but  still  feed  the  plants,  as  this  helps  to  increase  the 
size  of  the  conns  for  next  year’s  flowering.  But  sO'  soon  as  they 
show  signs  of  ripening,  water  should  be  gradually  reduced  until 
they  are  finally  dried  off.  They  should  then  be  placed  in  a 
.sunny  position,  so  as  to  ripen  them  well. — H.  J.,  Journeyman. 
Culture  of  Steptaano  is  floribunda. 
The  way  generally  adopted  in  propagating  is  by  cuttings  put 
in  during  the  winter  months  from  the  hardened  growths.  All 
that  is  nece.ssary  is  to'  secure  pieces  of,  say,  about  four  joints, 
which  must  be  cut  with  a  sharp  knife  to  make  sure  of  a  perfect 
callus.  Some  Join  pots,  neatly  drained,  and  a  compost  of  fibry 
loam  and  leaf  mould  in  equal  parts,  also  some  coarse  silver  sand, 
may  be  employed.  Insert  three  cuttings  in  each  pot,  and  dew- 
over  with  a  fine  rose,  when  the  pots  may  be  placed  in  the  cooler 
part  of  the  stove,  only  just  watering  sufficiently  to  keep  the 
cuttings  from  shrivelling.  As  the  year  turns,  the  pots  may  be 
plunged  in  a  propagating  case,  when  new  growths  will  soon  be 
perceived.  If  a  new  stock  is  now  required,  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  attending  to  the  work,  and  I  prefer  stout  shoots  taken 
with  a  heel  and  about  six  inches  long.  When  rooted  they  may 
be  removed  into  Sin  or  S^in  pots,  using  the  same  compost,  and 
pinch  the  shoot  when  about  a  foot  high.  This  will  induce  back 
growths,  which,  w’hen  large  enough,  ought  to  be  trained 
separately.  The  .syringe  is  indispensable  if  in.sects  appear.  As 
autumn  approaches,  a  rather  drier  position  should  be  given,  also 
less  water,  nothing  more  being  required  until  about  the  follow¬ 
ing  February.  Then  it  must  be  determined  as  to  how  the  plants 
are  to  be  grown — whether  planted  out  or  for  pot  purposes.  In 
the  former  case  some  good  sound  loam  is  required,  with  a  little 
leaf  mould,  charcoal,  coarse  silver  sand,  and  good  drainage. 
Many  people  prefer  a  mixture  of  peat,  but  I  have  always  found 
a  shorter-jointed  growth  produced  and  flowers  equally  fine  from 
the  use  of  the  former.  The  syringe  must  again  be  kept  going, 
and  the  growths  evenly  trained  in  a  horizontal  position  on  the 
wires.  Avoid  an  undue  .shading  of  the  plants  below.  Water 
may  be  given  freely,  and  a  little  artificial  manure  top-dressing, 
or  liquid  manure,  will  give  a  tone  to  flower  and  foliage.  If 
grown  in  pots,  lOin  will  be  found  a  most  suitable  .size  for  the 
fir.st  season,  training  each  shoot  .separately  to  upright  pieces  of 
string  or  very  thin  wire  fa.stened  to  the  roof,  which  can  be  un¬ 
loosed,  and  the  shoots  fastened  to  the  trellis.  The  same 
routine  may  be  carried  out  during  the  winter.  The  pinching 
back  of  weakly  shoots  will  induce  more  vigour,  and  if  an  eye  is 
kept  on  the  pots  as  they  become  fillecl  with  roots,  and  larger 
ones  given,  huge  plants  will  soon  be  the  re, suit. — P. 
Fruit  Forcing. 
VINES  ;  HOUSES  STARTED  ExVRLY  IN  NOVEMBER.— 
W  hether  Vines  are  in  pots  or  planted  in  inside  borders  the 
temperature  will  need  to  be  increased  to  GOdeg  at  night  in  mild 
(55deg  in  severity)  weather  after  the  buds  break,  gradually  in¬ 
creasing  it  from  that  stage  to  GOdeg  at  night  when  the  Vines  are 
in  leaf,  Godeg  by  day  in  severe  weather,  and  70deg  to  75deg  in 
mild  weather.  Ventilation  .should  be  given  at  70deg,  just  a  little 
to  iusure  a  change  of  atmosphere,  increasing  it  with  the  sun 
heat,  having  it  rather  free  at  75deg,  and  above  that  temperature, 
for  it  is  important  that  the  foliage  be  well  formed  and  solidified. 
Avoid,  however,  sharp  and  drying  currents  of  air,  as  that  cripples 
the  foliage,  stunting  the  growth.  Sprinkle  the  Vines  in  the 
afternoon  of  fine  days,  and  damji  the  floors  twice  a  day  according 
to  external  influences,  avoiding  a  saturated  atmosphere  on  the 
one  hand  and  a  dry  one  on  the  other.  If  there  be  evaporation 
troughs  charge  them  with  liquid  manure,  the  clear  drainings  of 
stables  and  cow  byres,  but  avoid  those  of  pigstyes.  Peruvian  or 
ammoniated  guano,  loz  tO'  a  gallon  of  water,  is  suitable  for  filling 
the  troughs,  also  for  watering  Vines  in  pots  or  planted  out,  the 
liquid  being  applied  at  the  same  temperature  as  that  of  the 
house.  Disbudding  must  not  be  practised  until  the  bunches 
.show  in  the  points  of  the  shoots,  but  the  Vines  should  be  tied  in 
position  as  soon  as  the  growdh  has  well  commenced,  and  before 
the  shoots  are  so  long  as  to  be  liable  to  be  damaged  in  the 
operation. 
LATE  HOUSES. — Take  every  possible  precaution  against 
damp.  Drip  is  fatal  to  late  Grapes,  a  single  drop  getting  inside 
a  bunch  being  sufficient  to-  .spoil  it,  a,s  the  decay  rapidly  spreads. 
Drip  is  often  caused  by  keeping  the  house  closed  and  the  pipes 
cold,  so  that  moisture  condenses  on  the  glass  and  falls  from  the 
rafters  and  sash-bars  on  tO'  the  Grapes.  This  is  common  where 
early  ventilation  is  neglected  on  fine  days,  the  moisture  being 
condensed  on  the  berries.  A  little  air  and  genial  warmth  in  the 
nipes  dissipate  the  moisture  and  prevent  decay  in  the  berries,  but 
too  much  heat  and  too  dry  air  cause  the  Grapes  to  shrivel ;  seek, 
therefore,  a  dry,  cool,  and  equable  temperature,  40deg  to  45deg 
bein'T  sufficient,  keeping  the  house  closed  in  damp  weather,  and 
when  clear  admit  air  freely.  Remove  all  leaves  as  they  become 
ripe,  avoiding  sweeping,  as  dust  greatly  impairs  the  appearance 
of  the  Grapes.  Look  over  the  bunches  occasionally,  and  promptly 
remove  any  decayed  berries. — St.  Albans. 
Kitclien  Garden. 
RHUBARB  FOR  FORCING. — Strong  clumps  of  roots  ought 
now  to  be  dug  up  froni  the  position  where  they  have  been 
growino-.  Large  roots  are  very  suitable  for  the  purpose,  as  it 
is  possible  to  divide  them  into  a  portable  size,  and  thus  readily 
transfer  them  to  the  forcing  house.  Any  warm  place  where  the 
roots  can  be  accommodated  so  as  to  admit  .soil  round  them  will 
do  for  forcing.  Should  the  place,  in  addition  to  being  warm,  be 
also  fairly  well  charged  with  moisture,  it  will  be  an  advantage 
in  accelerating  the  growth  and  rendering  the  supply  of  water 
less  necessary  but  in  a  dry  atmosphere  surround  the  roots  with 
soil  which  should  be  kept  moist.  Hard  forcing  is  not  desirable, 
though  until  the  turn  of  the  year  more  heat  is  required  than 
after  to  induce  the  crowns  to  push.  A  temperature  of  GUdeg 
to  G5deg  need  not  be  superseded.  55deg  to  GOdeg  will  induce 
growth,  but  rather  slower,  though  the  stalks  will  be  stronger. 
SEED  POTATOES. — It  is  as  well  to  select  these  from  the 
general  store  and  keep  them  to  themselves,  or  if  the  selection 
were  made  at  the  time  of  harvesting  look  over  the  tubers  now  and 
place  m  a  light  position  safe  from  frost.  Laying  them  thinly 
in  shallow  boxes  is  the  best  of  all  methods  of  pre.servation. 
c.ir.nrl  +11V10VC  (if  ofood  sbane  are  the  best. 
CABBAGES. — The  plot  containing  the  plants  which  have  been 
planted  this  autumn,  should  be  cleared  of  any  accumulation  of 
weeds  and  the  flat  hoe  run  through  the  soil.  If  there  are  any 
vacancies  in  the  rows  these  may  be  filled  up  by  the  introduction 
of  strong  plants  from  the  seed  bed  or  nursery  bed,  lifting  them 
with  a  ball  of  .soil  and  roots. 
LETTUCES. _ Plants  in  the  open  ground  should  be  cleared  of 
weeds  and  masse.s  of  decaying  tree  leaves  about  them,  stirring 
the  surface  soil  also.  A  light  dusting  of  .soot  will  be  beneficial 
in  warding  off  small  slugs.  Give  the  plants  under  gla.ss  plenty 
of  air  in  favourable  weather. 
BROCCOLI. — Forward  plants  of  winter  Broccoli  may  be 
lifted  and  planted  in  pit.s  or  some  place  where  they  can  be  tern- 
