332 THE GARDENER. [JULV 



He says it may be a new method to some — as mucli as if he had 

 said, although it may be a new thing to " Under-Gardener " it is not 

 so to me — and then goes on to say that if I would look in upon some 

 growers for exhibition I would see Celery in pots. Quite true ; but 

 that is not the idea I started. It was to keep up a winter and early 

 spring supply where failure was the rule in the open trenches; and I must 

 say, that if Mr Temple had succeeded in keeping up a supply through, 

 the winter in Scotland, he would have been far more successful than the 

 majority of gardeners. The whole tone of Mr Temple's letter is simply 

 against the idea of growing a supphj in pots, as well as to make-believe 

 that the thing was common enough. It is a common thing for ex- 

 hibitors to grow Leeks in pots, but that is not the same thing as grow- 

 ing a winter's supply in pots ; and were anybody to suggest the plan of 

 doing so, wouldn't it be " new " ? only there is no use growing Leeks in 

 pots, for the simple reason that they are better outside. But it is^ 

 different with Celery, for reasons stated in my first paper on the sub- 

 ject, which, if carefully looked over, will show any one that the reasons 

 were given clearly ; and, indeed, Mr Temple has not ventured to say 

 that my reasons were insufficient, and the only unsurmountable diffi- 

 culty he points at seems the watering. "Well, I confess that is the one 

 point where the method will involve more labour than the way com- 

 monly practised ; but, taking one thing with another, I am perfectly 

 satisfied that, to keep up the supply, the one method will take no more 

 trouble than the other. 



I recommended the method to amateurs ; and what amateur would 

 require 2000 to supply his wants from Christmas onwards ? and where 

 that number is required, there are generally appliances reducing the 

 trouble of watering to a minimum. Say, for instance, where bedding 

 plants are hardened off, there are generally water-pipes and hose ; and. 

 I have even seen, at an amateur's too, a water-pipe laid along the top 

 of a wall with jets in it for watering hard-wooded greenhouse plants 

 which stood at the bottom of said wall through the summer, and alL 

 that was required was to turn on the water, when the jets commenced 

 showering, watering the plants effectually overhead and in the pots, 

 too. 



I don't say that the method I recommend surpasses the old except 

 in this, — with your Celery in pots you are independent of the weather,, 

 for you can stow them anywhere you please, provided it is safe from 

 frost and damp, and various means could be employed to retard them in 

 spring which may be impracticable in trenches. I am still convinced- 

 that it is practicable, and more, that one day many will practise it as. 

 the superior plan. Under-Gakdexer. 



