THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



251 



In garden culture, the first sowings 

 may be made in February, either on 

 a warm border or on a gentle hot-bed, 

 and they will come in for use during 

 April. Early white Dutch and early 

 stone are the best for this purpose. 

 After the first of March, they may be 

 sown at any time till the end of Sep- 

 tember. But for the winter supply, 

 which is the most important, because 

 the wether legs are then prime for 

 them, a good breadth should be sown 

 at the end of July, and if possible 

 another at the end of August. These 

 will come in during winter and curly 

 spring, and furnish greens as well as 

 bulbs, at a time when both are prized. 

 For all general purposes the common 

 white, large round white, and early 

 stone are the best, but for allotment 

 culture, Swedes are the most profitable, 

 and most generally useful, especially 

 where there is a little live stock to be 

 thought of. It is best to sow turnips 

 in drills, dropping a few seeds along 

 the drill twelve inches apart, but they 

 do very well broadcast, and should be 

 sown thinly, just after rain. When 

 the plants have three or four leaves 

 each, thin them out to ten or twelve 

 inches asunder, and give the ground 

 one good hoeing through. After that, 

 the turnips will spread and choke all 

 weeds and need little further attention, 



except during drought, when they 

 should have plenty of water or liquid 

 manure. Just before Christmas, it is as 

 well to take up a lot of the best bulbs, 

 remove the tops, and store them in sand, 

 though if the winter is not very severe, 

 they will fight it out in the open ground. 

 Since turnip-greens are much valued 

 as a spring vegetable, I would suggest 

 the use of Swedes in gardens expressly 

 for the purpose, for the green tops are 

 more sweet and tender than any of 

 the other kinds. Early in December, 

 get some of the largest bulbs, and on 

 a piece of rich mellow soil, draw drills 

 a foot apart, pack the Swedes close to- 

 gether along the drills and soil them 

 over with ashes six inches deep. They 

 will sprout through the ashes, and may 

 then be cut ofF close to the bulb ; the 

 ashes being clean, are easily removed 

 for that purpose, and any uncovered 

 and not cut, must be covered over 

 again. This plan will give you a sup- 

 ply of the most delicate vegetable you 

 can eat from the end of January to the 

 end of March, especially if some were 

 got in a month or six weeks earlier, 

 expressly for a first crop. Ordinary 

 turnip-greens give no idea of the deli- 

 cacy of these blanched stems, which 

 are equal to asparagus, and among the 

 most timely of things at a season when 

 greens are scarce. 



THE CITY OF LONDON FLOWER SHOW. 



TnE beautiful garden in the Temple is now attracting hundreds of the lovers and culti- 

 vators of flowers, to take note of Mr. Broome's chrysanthemums. These gardens have for 

 some years past had an annual display of chrysanthemums not to be equalled in any other 

 part of England, and the chrysanthemum owes much of its fame, as a town flower, to 

 what Mr. Broome has done for it at the Temple. From the middle of October to near 

 Christmas, this garden is considered one of the sights of London; and a curious sight it 

 is, too, for it is a flower show in the open borders of nearly two hundred feet long ami six. 

 feet wide, containing therein plants loaded with blooms as large as dahlias, and of every 

 colour except blue and scarlet. Besides these, there are from thirty to forty beds of 

 pompone varieties, and with such success as proves the chrysanthemum to be a first-rate 

 bedding-plant, pegged down, like verbenas. For other purposes of decoration, there are 

 about two hundred potted plants, some measuring twelve feet in circumference, and one 

 foot high, in pots only eight or ten inches wide. These complete the display, and make 

 it more novel and interesting ; in fact, our City garden may challenge all England in 

 November, and have no fear of being outdone by either town or country. This year, 

 the chrysanthemums bid fair to surpass all former seasons, and the plants will be in their 

 prime about the 1st of the month, from which, to about the 20th, will be the best time for 

 strangers to visit it. Mr. Broome, the gardener, feels a pleasure in giving information to 

 any one wishing to grow this best of Loudon flowers ; and if those who " do up " and 

 tidivate our London squares were to take a lesson from him, it might end in making those 

 places a little more cheerful than they are. There is nothing to prevent them but want 

 of spirit in both gardeners and proprietors. Seeing what Mr. Potter has done for some 

 of the City graveyards, we hope to see City gardening prosper in that direction also, and 

 this is the season for churchwardens to wake up and be doing. — City Press. 



