174 THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



cucumber is Henderson's A 1 Uidge ; the best marrow for a hot season 

 is Hibherd's Prolific, whicb Messrs. Barr and Sugclen alone possess 

 true. Por late supplies of lettuce, choose shady ground, manure 

 abundantly, and sow thinly. Do not transplant, but simply thin 

 the rows, and let them heart where sown. The New Zealand Spinach 

 is a delicious vegetable, and will endure any amount of drought. 

 It is late to think of it now ; at all events, our plants cover quite a 

 square foot of ground already, and will soon measure a yard over. 

 If we had not any, however, we would endeavour to obtain good 

 seed and would sow at once, putting two or three seeds together at 

 distances of two feet. Half a dozen plants are enough for the most 

 spinach -loving family. If there is an abundance of marrow plants 

 on the ground, a certain few may be kept to supply spinach. Pinch 

 out the tender tops, and cook them as spinach. If properly done, 

 they are delicious. If cucumbers come in plenty, and other vege- 

 tables are scarce, some of them may be cooked to advantage. With 

 a stewed steak, slices of cucumber are delicious. 



Mulching is a great help in times of drought. Sea-weed makes 

 the best mulch in districts where it is obtainable. Half-rotten 

 stable manure is, of course, admirable, and it does not lose much of 

 its goodness by exposure to the sun. Grass mowings may be turned 

 to account amongst cauliflowers. In giving water to open-ground 

 plots, put abundance on a small plot, so as to soak it thoroughly, 

 rather than spread the same quantity over so large a space of ground 

 as only to moisten the top crust. It is easier to waste water than 

 to use it properly, for the process of wetting a large extent has the 

 appearance of business, but the next day's blazing sun will prove to 

 the thoughtful observer that mere surfacing is a delusion. A tole- 

 rably good substitute for water is frequent hoeing, to keep the sur- 

 face rough and broken, for this enables the soil to absorb immense 

 quantities of dew. S. H. 



A BHDaET POE AMATEHES. 



SPECIMEN PLANTS EOK WINTEE AND SPRING FLOWEEING. 



EOCHEE and sow in pans, as soon as you can get it, a 

 lot of the seed of Gyclamsn persicum ; grow on the 

 seedlings as fast as you can in cool pits, or in a low, 

 light, and moist greenhouse — the pits being best, how- 

 ever, for the summer work — and ^ee^ the plants growing 

 all along ilirougli ivinter and every other season. To dry off this 

 Cyclamen is bad gardening. It is no more in want of " drying off" 

 than a rush ! But it is only one of the many things that are often 

 *' done to death" or mediocrity by the drying process. In eighteen 

 months from the time of sowing the seed, any one with common 

 cultural skill may produce such plants as those shown by the Messrs. 

 E. Gr. Henderson at the spring shows in London— such plants as 

 may, in fact, be seen in their interesting Cyclamen house. 



