GARDENING NOTES. BY EXPERIENOE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 09, 11 January 1908, Page 12

GARDENING NOTES. BY EXPERIENOE.

THE GREENHOUSE, Progressive work will include sowing calceolla-ria seed- » This is a vace of plants but seldom seen well grown in this part of the world, th© chief reason being that it is not amenable to half measures ; it is succeed or fail, there is no medium. Easy enough to grow by those who understand it ; no plant is ea&ier spoiled. Its great beauty when well grown should incite amateurs to the attempt. Tho great secret, is thorough cultivation and cool treatment. Afc all stages of the growth of the plants a dry atmosphere and draughts are fatal to them. Their succulent appearance often leads to the erroneous idea that they require a lot, of water, yet no plant is > more certainly and suddenly destroyed by over watering. A cool and moist, but not stagnant atmosphere is what, they require, with careful watering, never allowing tho soil to become dry, but never sodden. The ?eed must be raised in a cool place ; they will nbt bear forcing, which produces weakly plants. The best place to raise tho seed is in a cool frme away from the sun, but not under heavy shade. Where this cannot be had judicious shading must be resorted to. Having selected the position, and it may bo, if most convenient, in a sheltered place on the shady side of a. fence or building, with a very small frame, or even none at all, simply relying on a sheet of glass for protection ; tho first care should bo to guard against slugs and snails. Thoroughly clean the surroundings ; removing all weeds and rubbish, and give a good dressing of freshly slaked lime. Prepare some eight inch pots by filling nearly halffull with broken' brick ' or pots for drainage; over that place a layer ot moss or rough fibre from the soil. The soil should consist of the best of loam, with about one-third its bulk of good leaf mould, or finely sifted jadoo fibre. Sand must be adcted in sufficient quantity to keep the whole in a porous conditionj the quantity needed being dependent on the quality of the loam, whether it is heavy or light. material need not bo madb 'very fine. Fill the. pots nearly full, find give a thorough watering through the rose ot a watering pot; let them stand foe about an hour, ao that tho surplus wafer may drain off, ' then prepare some soil for surfacing by riddling the sams compost through a fine 'mesh. Water this through a fine rose, and let it stand afew minutes. Get a clean "sheet of" glass, and turn the seed out of the packets on to it, this will enablo the saed, which is "exceedingly small, uo be evenly and thinly' distributed over the surface, the usual way being k> push it off a few at a time with the edge of a. knife. . Following this, some growers stray a little fine" Sana over the surface — very little, .not enough to coyer the surface, but providing a kind of shelter the germinating seed. The pots may now be placed in position; if not in a frame the ppts should be/ plunged in the ground. First pu& a good handful of salt in the hole to keep worms away, and strew abundanco of salt around the pots to keep off slugs. Cover the pots with a shaet o,f paper, with a sheet of glass ovor the paper. No 1 watering will b^e required till the seedlings are up. After about ten days lift the, paper to see if the seed is germinating; watch daily, and as- sb<in.'as'it begins. to 'grow remove thg paper, but keep the glass on at' first, tilting' it a little, more and more as the plants grow. If too light, the glass, may be- shaded wifch a little whitewash. When the seedlings first appear is the critical time. Watering when needed had best be' done by immersing the pots to the rim in a tub of /water, which, will soak up through the hole in . tho bottom of the pot. The reason for doing this is because there is danger pf washing out . tho Render seedlings ' if top watered. Admit' more' air as 1 ihe plants strengthen'; but be careful not to expose them to draughts or sunshine.' .', ■ . i Sow the last lot of cineraria ; tnesa will be in time to form tire main batch. Sow in a cool place, giving plenty of light, without direct sunshine, and abundance of air as (soon as the plants are up. Primulas will require more room. If it is not convenient to pot into 4in pots, they may ' be > transferred to other boyes ,at a greater apart, ."tint op bo account let' thejn' gefe drawn, for if tho leaf stems get lo.ng they never make good plants. These plants require more air and cooler treatment than they usually get. Jf in frames, push off the lights for an hour or {wo every 'evening. Pot seedling begoniaa. These require a free and rather light soil, rather than a rich compost. I "have, found it best to avoid manure unless it is very old, tout I nave nVivajß had command of a plentiful supply of good leaf mpiild, not always to be had. Jadoq fibre makes an excellent substitute, out not in its crude state. I cpnsider ij; useless in that condition, though tho inventors recommend/ it for use in that state. Rub the fibre, all that will go of it, through a tine meshed sieve. Use. tho fin© as leaf mould, and the remnant j, for drainage. For begonias usa good fibry loam, withcaqst of ,th_e eqil shaken, out, one-third its bulk of fine" ' ja'doo, with plenty of sand to give substance. This produces a less, sappy- and shorterjointed growth than a compost containing stable manure. Begonias require cool treatment, with only moderate shade ; heavy shading, such as sacking, prevents robust growth, and discourages" their attempts to produce numerous flowers. Plants of begonias that havo filled tbeir pots with roots must have the assistance of liquid manure two or three times a week. Attend carefully to plants summering in' the open air; azaleas and camellias are ruine"3 by a little neglect in watering.