THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



39 



an early bloom. When we have grown 

 lobelia* in quantity we considered the 

 1st of February the best day in the 

 whole year to sow the seed. Then we 

 never pushed it so fast as they do at the 

 nurseries. The consequence was that 

 our edgings were not rich in bloom till 

 about ten days after other people's were 

 full out; but they lasted six weeks 

 longer, the lobelias being everywhere 

 shabby before the 15th of September, 

 whereas ours was good till the 1st of 

 November, or later, according to the 

 severity of the first frost.] 



Golden Ball Kail. — I enclose a small 

 leaf of a savoy that I picked up in a 

 cottage garden here, and I do so because 

 I promise myself the pleasure of send- 

 ing you some of the seeds, if I get any 

 seeds from the plant. This is very like 

 counting the chickens before the eggs 

 are laid, but I want you to see what a 

 valuable acquisition my Golden Ball 

 Kail will be if it can be secured. The 

 large leaves are very handsomely 

 marked, but, alas ! a cow got into the 

 garden and ate up the best of my purple 

 kails. — M.B. [The two leaves sent are 

 interesting. The purple leaf is richiy 

 coloured, and might be useful to cut for 

 bouquets as well as garnishing, but it is 

 in no sense a remarkable sport. On the 

 other hand the "Golden Ball" is the 

 best variegated kind we have yet seen, 

 the leaf a vivid gold yellow, with just 

 enough green in the centre to show that 

 there is no lack of vigour in the variety. 

 A few cuttings of the Golden Ball should 

 be struck in heat at once, or it may be 

 lost altogether; for though it will no 

 doubt seed freely, the chances are that 

 not one seedling will be like the pre- 

 sent. The only safe way to keep such 

 things is to take cuttings as soon as they 

 have made sufficient growth to furnish 

 them, and it would be better to strike a 

 few now than risk losing it. In 1862 

 we sowed several samples of seed of 

 variegated kail, obtained from first-rate 

 houses, and did not get a plant worth 

 keeping. Our object was to introduce 

 variegated kail into our scheme of out- 

 door decorations, and the effort was vain. 

 We have now some very pretty examples 

 in a piece of kail, and the seed of which 

 was of the ordinary green kind. Such 

 is the uncertainty attending the cultiva- 

 tion of these curiosities.] 



Neapolitan Violet. — B.T.— This ought, 

 so far as atmosphere is concerned, to 

 grow in perfection at Tulse Hill. The 

 reason yours neither grow nor bloom is 

 that they are not cultivated. It is too 



often the fate of plants of humble growth 

 such as violets, hepaticas, hardy 

 primulas, etc., to be treated as weeds, 

 that is, planted without regard to their 

 habits and necessities, and after that left 

 to thrive or perish as circumstances may 

 determine. To grow Neapolitan violets 

 in your garden, choose a piece of shaded 

 ground, and have it deeply stirred, and 

 liberally enriched with rotten stable 

 manure, and clean leaf-mould. If your 

 soil is heavy, add roadsandfrom a gravel 

 road. This should be done now, and the 

 ground left rough, and the best form will 

 be a four feet bed of any length you de- 

 sire. On the 1st of May plant the bed with 

 the violets, planting the large plants 

 in rows apart from the younger ones, the 

 former fifteen inches apart, and the 

 others twelve inches apart, and the rows 

 a foot apart, those outside six inches from 

 the alleys. Plant firm, keep the ground 

 clean, give heavy soakings of water in 

 dry weather. On the 1st of November 

 these will be fine plants to take up for 

 flowering under some sort of shelter, 

 such as a frame, or to force on a bed of 

 leaves, or some slowly fermenting mate- 

 rial. Plant hepaticas in strong loam 

 inclining to clay, and they will grow 

 anywhere.] 

 Cuttings in Boxes, Culture of Holly- 

 hocks. — In the August number of the 

 Floral World, p. 173, 1 read with great 

 interest an article on " Propagating for 

 next Season," and immediately set about 

 manufacturing a couple of boxes such as 

 you described. Your directions were 

 very faithfully complied with. I cannot 

 find any fault with the carpenter, but, 

 for some reason that I cannot discover, 

 the boxes do not answer. I filled them 

 with pots of cuttings of verbenas, lobe- 

 lias, calceolaria, ageratum, and various 

 other bedding plants, and all have by 

 this time died of mildew. The oldest 

 inhabitant has just died off, and is 

 covered with mildew, although the 

 cases have not seen water for several 

 weeks. The cases stand in the conser- 

 vatory, and are surrounded by many 

 plants in full health. I have been al- 

 ways accustomed to strike my cuttings 

 in the conservatory under the common 

 " bell-glasses," and with regular water- 

 ing they do not suffer as these have 

 without, but root almost invariably. I 

 fancy, from the depth of the cases the 

 pots ought to stand on something to 

 bring them nearer the glass. As it is, 

 they were placed on the wood. Will you 

 kindly inform me if you can divine the 

 cause or causes of my utter failure ? It 



