1873-] SEAKALE: SEEDLINGS. 461 



and consists of a sheath of " copper placed over or incasing a row of 

 the front pipes. The diameter of the sheath is one inch more than 

 the hot pipe it encloses, consequently there is an open space of half an 

 inch all round the pipe inside the sheath. This cavity is fed with 

 fresh air from the exterior of the house, by a pipe 5 inches in diameter, 

 which springs from the lower surface of the sheath and passes through 

 the front wall of the house to the external air. There is a valve in 

 this feed-pipe to modify the supply of fresh air at pleasure. In the 

 upper surface of the sheath is a double row of holes, so that the mo- 

 ment the cold air comes into the chamber round the pipe and gets hot, 

 expanded, and lighter, it makes its exit through these holes into the 

 general atmosphere of the house." 



SEAKALE: SEEDLINGS. 



I HAVE no hesitation in saying that, under ordinary circumstances, 

 there is no necessity whatever for growing Seakale two years befoie 

 forcing; it is labour lost. Plants grown from chopped roots make a 

 lot of spray which has to be regularly thinned out, and during the 

 growing season the crowns left have to be watched, and the seed-stems 

 removed when they appear, which further induces the plants to make 

 lateral growths, which have again to be thinned out in their turn, and 

 in the end, though perhaps two or three good crowns will be secured 

 to each plant, they will be no better than seedlings of one year's 

 growth. I say this after having adhered to the seedling plan, and no 

 other, for nine years. We never have a successional quarter of Seakale ; 

 we cannot afford the room, but force a whole quarter of seedling 

 plants every year. Without extraordinary culture, we have had 

 plants from seed more than 5 feet across by October. At this date, 

 Sept. 15, we have them above 4 feet, generally, with robust crowns, 

 and roots like Carrots, seed-plants which will throw heads, when they 

 come to be forced, that ought to satisfy any one. Before long, gardeners 

 will be planning their crops for another year ; I should therefore advise 

 them to go in for the seedling plan without fear — for very many yet 

 stick to the dibbling process — and they will save both time and space. 

 Our Seakale quarter is not always trenched, but just as often only dug ; 

 generally following Potatoes or Celery. To guard against failure of a 



Treatise on the Vine,' now in its seventh edition. And I may further add, 

 that I consider anything that I can say, in the light of such a work, to he, in 

 a certain sense, a work of supererogation ; only, writing a work on Fruit Cul- 

 ture under Glass, I could not, of course, omit the Vine — it would be like the 

 play of Hamlet with Hamlet omitted. 



