December 4, 1878. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOSTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



437 



iug than S. sibirica, but the flowers are not so lasting. Both 

 are good for edgings. 



Utpaticas. — Angulosa is the cream of the Hepaticas, pale 

 blae. Of H. triloba there are single blue, double blue, single 

 and double red, and single white varieties. 



The Hepaticas have no equal in lines or other devices, and 

 in my opinion are the most effective of all early-flowering 

 plants. They should be moved in autumn to their flowering 

 quarters with all the soil that clings to the roots ; and the 

 same remark applies to their removal from the beds or borders 

 in spring after flowering. It is of no use cutting away the 

 roots if the object be to secure strong growth, good large clumps, 

 and a fall display of bloom. Light rich soil enriched with 

 leaf soil or thoroughly rotted manure is most suitable. In 

 summer they are the better of a slightly shaded position, and 

 should be well watered on removal from their flowering 

 quarters. 



Violets. — The only other plant that I shall name is the 

 Violet, and of it only one kind. The Czar. Runners put-in in 

 April or May on an east border in rich soil at a foot apart every 

 way, kept clean, and well watered in dry weather, will form 

 fine plants by October, and will then produce some flowers, 

 lifted with balls they will continue to bloom up to March, 

 and though the flowers are not so numerous as to afford a 

 blaze of bloom, they are nevertheless effective as a second line 

 to Snowdrops. 



Cruciisci are the intermediate link that join the very early 

 spring to the spring-flowering plants. They are out of bloom 

 before the spring flowers proper appear, and on this account 

 I claim them as edgings to beds of shrubs and coloured-leaved 

 plants ; and like the Snowdrop, Squills, Winter Aconite, Eul- 

 boeodium vcrnum, and Spring Snowfliike, also Triteleia, they 

 should remain as permanent margins, planting them so near 

 the edge of the borders or beds as not to be in danger of being 

 disturbed when the beds are trimmed for the summer plants. 

 Too many of these early flowers cannot be had, aud once planted 

 they take care of themselves, requiring only to be taken up 

 every third year and divided, enriching the soil, and replanting 

 the same day. — G. Abbey. 



LEAP SOIL. 



There seems to be great diiEculty as to the many uses 

 which leaf soil maybe put to ; but I have never seen pot plants 

 satisfactory in a compost containing one-third or one-fourth 

 part of it. There is leaf soil well made, and leaf soil badly 

 made. In my experience good soil that will suit pot plants 

 is made of leaves from the Oak. Bake them up when dry if 

 you can, and then store them in a large heap or open shed, if 

 any room can be spared for them, till wanted for fermenting 

 in a pit or such-like place where early Potatoes are grown ; 

 then take them from your store-heap, and well shake them up 

 in the bed, so that it may not settle in lumps or prevent their 

 heating regularly over the bed, and the next autumn there will 

 be a lot of half-decomposed leaf soil. I may add. Grow some 

 Cucumbers on the same bed after the Potatoes are off, aud 

 by the treatment the Cucumbers should have, the leaf soil will 

 turn-out all the better. Then, after the first year's proceed- 

 ings, I dust a little quicklime on it as it is taken from the pit, at 

 the same time put it into a heap to lay another summer, or to 

 be used as a top-dressing to the beds made-up for Cucumbers or 

 Melons to check the strongest of the heat before the soil is 

 put on for the plants. When the harvest is over, and summer 

 is ended, it is ready to form a part of composts, without being 

 doubtful of the hurtful substances which como from soil made 

 of what leaves come to hand first, through not waiting for 

 the Oak. 



I find the above answer very well, as I cannot find the soil 

 made in that way does injury to plants of any kind — at least, 

 I have not found anything in it to bring ill-health to plants. 

 How can we expect the herbaceous Calceolaria to grow in a 

 compost chiefly of leaf soil ? It wants a more substantial 

 soil, and not so much draining ; but I need not say any more 

 about that. 



Then why should gardeners be led to think that manure 

 which has been employed for Mushroom beds is of little value ? 

 I think it of great value for Zonal Pelargoniums and several 

 stove plants. The Alocasias will take it, and will make fine 

 strong foliage ; and for Pelargoniums it cannot be surpassed, 

 if used with equal parts of loam from a good feeding pasture, 

 and one part of leaf soil and river sand ; do not bo at the expense 

 of silver sand. Anyone wishing to have good success attending 



the application of leaf soil must depend on and wait for the 

 Oak leaves ; I have always found them true. — C. Meacock 

 Tlie Gardens, Morville House, Sherbourne, n'aricick. 



MACHINE-MADE NETTING. 



A coREESPONDENT has asked whether there is any machine 

 for making netting. I can strongly recommend wire netting 

 for garden purposes as much more efficacious, and in the end 

 probably cheaper than string netting. For Strawberries espe- 

 cially, string netting is most objectionable : it is troublesome 

 to move, and is always apt to cut off some blossoms or unripe 

 berries. I now surround nearly all my beds with wire netting 

 1 foot high, and on this I rest frames covered with wire netting 

 of lA-inch or IJ-iuch mesh. The frames are 7J feet long, 

 which is the width of my beds, and 3 feet ;i inches broad, which 

 admits of wire 3 feet wide being strained. The wood of the 

 frames is lA inch by 1 inch, mortised at the four corners, with 

 one piece through the middle. It is important that the wire 

 should be procured before the frames are made, as their strength 

 and durability depend on the wire being properly strained. 

 These frames so covered are easily moved when gathering the 

 fruit, aud are most convenient for a variety of other purposes. 

 In the spring we tie on a mat and use them to protect the 

 cuttings when first put out, and thus save much time and 

 trouble. Covered with a bit of muslin they make most useful 

 shades for the glass frames on a seed bed, or, with merely four 

 flower pots to rest on, for young Lettuces when put out in a 

 scorching sun. 



If a Gooseberry bed were surrounded with wire netting 2 or 

 3 feet high, and string netting used to throw over the top, a 

 great saviug of time and fruit would be effected. It is where 

 the string netting meets the ground that the blackbird finds 

 an easy access. The wire lies close to the ground and offers a 

 firm resistance. If fruit is worth growing it is worth protect- 

 ing at any cost. — F. M. K. 



FIFTEEN ACRES OP GLADIOLUS, TEN OP 



TUBEROSES, AND FIVE OF JAPAN LILIES. 



Twenty years ago there were only six or seven varieties of 

 the Gladiolus known. Now there are over one thousand dis 

 tinct varieties, aud all have been raised from the six or seven 

 original flowers, and the number is increased every season. 

 The pure white Gladiolus originally came from the Cape of 

 Good Hope ; but it was a small flower, and, at its introduction 

 ten years ago, was not much thought of. By careful cultiva- 

 tion, however, it has become one of the choicest flowers of the 

 field and garden. One of the rarest sights of the summer 

 season in a floral way is C. L. Allen's Gladiolus preserves. 

 These are on the line of the Central Eailroad of Long Island, 

 about fourteen miles from Hunter's Point, and the route of 

 the road is through the centre of a fifteen-acre field devoted 

 to the culture of this beautiful flowering bulb. 



One hundred thousand Gladiolus bulbs are planted to the 

 acre, aud but little knowledge of arithmetic is required to 

 figure-out the number of plants growing in this fifteen-acre 

 plantation. It may well be imagined that the sight of this 

 field of flowers in the late season of bloom was grand. In 

 passing through it by rail the sensation was that of entering a 

 fiery lake (for the red and crimson flowers predominate), and the 

 illusion was enhanced as the breeze swayed the spikes of flowers 

 to aud fro in the form of mimic waves. These brilliant flowers 

 are sent to the New York market daily, ten thousand, perhaps, 

 at a time, and are to be seen on every street-stand, as well as in 

 the more pretentious flower-stores. Gladiolus bulbs of the 

 best mixed varieties are worth ?25 a-thousand. As soon as 

 the flowering season is over with the Gladiolus the bulbs are 

 taken-up aud dried, and the largest are laid away for autumn 

 and spring sales, while the smaller sorts are replanted for the 

 next season's flowers. 



Mr. Allen's plantation of flowering bulbs also comprises ten 

 acres of Tuberoses, which embrace over 500,000 plants. This 

 section is just coming iuto flower ; but as it will only show a 

 mass of pure white, it will lack the beauty of the Gladiolus 

 display. 



Of the Lily tribe there are thousands of varieties of the double 

 Tiger, Japan, and other sorts. Indeed, the .Japan Lily forms 

 one of the leading sorts in Mr. Allen's collection, as five acres 

 are devoted to its cultivation. There are one hundred dis- 

 tinct varieties of Lilies in these grounds. It may bo asked 

 here, Where do these bulbs go ? for the production is immense. 



