September 15, 1863. ] JOXJENAL OF HOETICULTUEE ANB COTTAGE GARDENER. 



211 



of disease), and had witli Mm some little conversation on 

 the point. His opinion (which rather coincides with my 

 own notions and ia opposed to that of Mr. Standish), is that 

 it is the result of the excessive moisture of last summer, 

 -and, indeed, I may say of the last two years — at least the 

 autumn of IHGl, when bvdbs were maturintj, was so ; and 

 that hence the bulbs were not sufficiently dried-off. I am 

 the more confirmed in this from my own slight experience. 

 My stock consisted of a quantity of my own harvesting, 

 some that my friend Mr. Standish was gooil enough to send 

 me, a few of the new sorts obtained from MM. Thibaut and 

 Keteleer of Paris, and a few from Messrs. Barr & Sugden, 

 also French roots. In only the two latter, and that in not 

 more than five or six instances, have I had failures ; and 

 «ven they were not in the manner described by your cor- 

 respondents, but simplj' the rotting-away of the roots. 



My own plan of drying is very rigid, and I know Mr. 

 ■Standish is equally particular, although, from having an 

 immense stock and larger means of harvesting at his dis- 

 posal, he adopts more effective plans. But I watch carefiiUy 

 the beds ; and as some sorts are earlier than others, I take 

 them up as they ripen-off, and put them into a smail flower- 

 pot with their label, and bring them into the house. In 

 the back kitchen there is a copper close to a patent kitchener, 

 where there is considerable heat, and here I place them. 

 They remain for a couple of weeks until they are quite dry, 

 when I put them into paper bags and lay them bj'. That 

 they wiU bear some considerable drying-off I have proved, 

 for a small box of mixtures was forgotten for some weeks, 

 and when taken out I did not think they were good for 

 much. I, however, planted them out in an out-of-the-way 

 ■place under the shade of trees, and there they have grown 

 and bloomed most vigorously. I have not watered this 

 summer — at least one of my beds, and that the most vigor- 

 ous, has not had a drop, so that I do not think M. Loise's 

 notion is likely to be correct ; however, as I have said, we 

 hardly have data enough to go upon as yet. 



Those of your correspondents who fancy that the bulb 

 formed will be all right, %vill be, I fear, mistaken ; but at the 

 same time I would not have gTowers discoui-.aged. It would 

 seem almost hopeless at present to grow them on heavy 

 sods, unless very materiallj' lightened by a good admiiitnre 

 of leaf mould and sand ; but I shovild say that in aU light 

 or hghtish soils they may be again attempted. 



The disease seems in some way to be connected with 

 climatic influences, and results, probably from exceptional 

 causes. These may be removed, and the bidb itself acquire 

 more hardiness. Hollyhock-growers mil remembei', as I 

 was reminded by Mr. Laing, that some years ago the same 

 thing took place in that plant. Collections were cut up, 

 and the attempt to grow the flowers pronounced hopeless. 

 It, however, alter some years of much heart-birrning to 

 growers, wore itself out, and the plant is now seldom at- 

 tacked with it. So with the Gdadiolus, I believe. We may 

 hope to see it tide over its present dilEoulties ; and no one, 

 I think, who has seen a collection of them as cut blooms 

 Ijut vrill desu-e to see them extensively grown. As orna- 

 mental plants for gai-dens I question if they will ever be 

 very effective, but as cut flowers they have few rivals. They 

 bloom so well in water, dady expanding their flowers, and 

 are so vivid and varied in their colour, that they must be 

 great favourites. 



My ideas on their cultivation would be. Dry the roots 

 well, keej) them in a cool place to prevent their growing 

 too eai-ly, mamu-e highly in the autumn, and again give a 

 slight coating in spring, and do not plant too early. — 

 D., Deal. 



most beautiful rich crimson that could be wished for, each 

 leaf shining in the sun ; and many would have pronounced 

 this at first sight to have the best-coloured root. But on 

 examination it was found not to be so. The best one of the 

 three kinds grown was the one with the large coarse-looking 

 top, thereby affording another illustration of the proverb, 

 that we are not to be led away by outward appearance 

 only, and as this is not the first time I have observed the 

 same thing in Eed Beet, I thought it would be well to record 

 it. Eed Beet of good quality has always been an article 

 anxiously looked for, and as the best kind is apt to dege- 

 nerate, new varieties, or rather the maintaining of a good 

 quality in its colour and character is an important aft'air, as, 

 like most other objects of merit, seed from the very best is 

 much less plentifully produced than from a common sort. Soil 

 and situation have also some influence on its colom-, not that 

 a really good variety would come bad on an unsuitable soil, 

 but simply it would be a shade less beautiful than the same 

 on a, soil better adapted to it. The dark sandy soOs border- 

 ing some rivers produce the best Beet that I have seen- 

 while on the other hand the best varieties degenerate in two 

 or three years if confined to a chalky district, and, conse- 

 Cjuently, require to be renewed by importation of seed from 

 a more favoru-ed locality. Beet, therefore, like everything 

 else, requires renewing ; and although it may, under favour- 

 able circumstances, have reproduced itself in good condition 

 for a great number of years, such success is chiefly due to 

 the care evinced in removing all defective roots, and each 

 year cultivating it on fresh ground. But the question has 

 yet to be asked, Ai'e not a great number of the roots reared 

 yearly from seed saved on the same spot deflcient in some 

 point necessary to entitle them to be regarded good, which 

 might not be the case if a change or cross took place ? 



It is needless here entering into the details of cultiu-e 

 which have been given elsewhere, but I may state that a 

 too rich soil is by no means wanted for Beet, as the amount 

 of watery juice it there imbibes drains away after the root 

 is cooked and sliced, and the root assumes a withered ap- 

 pearance. As my object was more particularly to direct 

 attention to the deceptive character of the foliage as in- 

 dicative of what the roots are, I must leave to other hands 

 the task of explaining the necessary points in the culti- 

 vation of this vegetable. — H. T. 



STEAY NOTES O^ RED BEET. 

 Happening lately to be in a nobleman's garden in the 

 north of England, in passing along the kitchen garden a 

 plot of Red Beet attracted the attention of my fi-iends, and 

 it was determined by the head gardener, a shrewd, weU- 

 informed member of his profession, to examine a root of each 

 of the three kinds there grown. One of the varieties pre- 

 sented a rather coarse-looking leaf, much veined with green ; 

 another was somewhat like it, but ivith less top ; whde the 

 third would have been a great acquisition to the flower 

 garden, its foliage being small and firmly set on, and of the 



PEOPAGATING CLOTH OF GOLD 

 PELARGONIUM. 



In answer to an inquii'er signing himself " North Bkiton" 

 in No. 126, I am a&'aid that by the time this is in print it 

 win be too late to do much hi propagating the Cloth of Gold 

 Pelargonium from leaves. Succeed he may to a certain 

 extent, but he wOl perceive presently that the season is too 

 far advanced to cai'ry out the principles on which this mode 

 of propagating is best conducted. But I hope that "North 

 Briton " and others who may read this wiU remember that 

 I am only an amateur, and that, while I describe my own 

 process, others may be able to give a far better ; and no 

 doubt exj^erienced propagators at nurseries would laugh at 

 a poor parson daiing to leave his pidpit to occupy their 

 bench and lecture on jiropagating Pelargoniums. But as I 

 believe numbers of your readers are, like myself, amateurs, 

 who would be glad to give others the benefit of their own 

 limited experience, or any discoveries they may make ; and 

 as I also know it to be a fact that many first-rate profes- 

 sionals in gardening are unacquainted with a very simple 

 but rapid mode of propagating Pelargoniums, I venture, 

 very humbly, to lay my own little secret before them. 



In order to convince you, ladies and gentlemen, that my 

 process is a really good one, I beg to inform you that when 

 Pelargonium Christine first came out a small spring-struck 

 cutting, with only some four or five leaves on it, was given 

 me in a certain month of May, and, believe me, the May 

 following was a very men-y one to me whenever I looked at 

 the children, gi-andchildren, and great-grandchildren of my 

 spring-struck mother Christine ; tor there they were, eighty 

 of them, as blooming, hearty, and strong as if I had gone 

 to Messrs. Henderson or Kinghorn and paid 24s. per dozen 

 for them, which was about their price that season. 



With reference to Pelargoniums, the phrase " Propagating 



