April la, 1877. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEH. 



297 



dnoe the healthiest growth ; therefore, I Bay, Unless yon have 

 Bhy-frnitiDg varieties to deal with that new seed is as good as 

 old, and perhaps a little better. 



Besides the age of the seed, much depends on the quantity 

 of seed a plant is allowed to bear, the season of its ripening, 

 the health of the parent plant, the keeping of the seed, its 

 treatment after sowing, Ac. All of these points, and perhaps 

 many more, are of greater consequence in the case of Cucur- 

 bitacese than whether the seed is six months old or six years. 



The bolting of Celery, Beetroot, Turnips, Cabbages, &c., is 

 not a question of old and new seed. The principal cause, 

 supposing it is not the fault of the immediate grower, is the 

 manner in which the seed is produced. Take Turnips, for 

 instance, which are frequently grown for seed in the following 

 way : A lot of seed is sown thickly after some summer crop, 

 when it is too late for the plants to bulb, but siiflicieutly early 

 to produce seed in the following summer. This treatment, 

 if carried on for a few generations, would of course in time 

 produce plants which would refuse to bulb under any condi- 

 tions. Is it, then, a wonder that a few should turn out badly 

 even in the second or third generation ? 



To keep a stock from degenerating it is absolutely necessary 

 to save seed only from prime roots. This costs money, and 

 hence if you would ha\e good Turnip seed you must pay a 

 good price for it, and it is advisable to have it from the seeds- 

 man whose name is attached to the particular variety, and 

 consequently has his reputation at stake on it. — Wm. Taylor. 



PLANTING ORNAMENTAL GEODNDS. 



The following is part of an address delivered by Mr. E. S. 

 Carman before the New Jersey Horticultural Society : — 



Incomparably beautiful as are the scenes of Nature, they 

 cannot be copied because their majesty is the prime element 

 of that beauty ; the mountains cannot be copied — unless, in- 

 deed, molehills may be clothed with majesty. The river and 

 the lake require Nature's grand distances for their effect ; the 

 valley is pleasing but by contrast, and since we cannot have 

 the mountain we cannot have the valley. The sooner we 

 abandon the idea of copying Nature — that cannot in any two 

 places be found alike, or in any one place adapted to our 

 grounds — the sooner we may learn that Nature's lessons are 

 but our A E C's, which we ourselves must combine — by the love, 

 sympathy, power, and education of which we are possessed — 

 into original conceptions — original forms. Nature does but 

 give us the problem which we are to solve ; she merely gives 

 us the raw material out of which we are, so to speak, to manu- 

 facture our grounds, the same as she furnishes the raw material 

 out of which we are to manufacture our clothing. Let ua se- 

 lect Nature's choicest gems just as we would select the choicest 

 literature with which to store our minds, and, studying those 

 as best we may, unite them in original designs and in accord- 

 ance with the requirements, the characteristics, the expres- 

 sions of each iu the grounds of our homes. 



While we cannot remove the "mouniain glens and shady 

 vales," or any of the objects that there together so awaken 

 our appreciation of the charms of Nature, we should never 

 lose sight of one principle that pervades her every aspect ; it 

 is variety, and this we may copy to our heart's content and 

 yet be guilty of no " servile imitation." 



Our first motive in embelliehing our grounds is to render 

 them as attractive as possible, that they may become the 

 dearest spots on earth to us. Would that this simple doctrine 

 were indelibly stamped upon the memory of all ! T'o this end, 

 if we are to have but fifty trees and shrubs, let every one be 

 as different as possible. Let us have no pairs or triplets or 

 quadruplicates of anything — as if every tree needed a sentinel, 

 or as if it were afraid to stand alone, or as if two or more 

 individuals were needed for the completion of one another. 

 Here to the right we have a Maple, there to the left, situated 

 relatively to other objects precisely the same, another Maple — 

 each the ghost of the other. Both are thrifty, shapely, fine. 

 They are so nearly alike we can detect no difference. Nothing 

 is to be learnt, no impression formed, from looking upon both 

 that is not as well formed from looking upon one. Why, then, 

 have both ? Why not have in the place of one of them another 

 species or genus that creates a new impression and gives ad- 

 ditional food for pleasurable study ? And yet these monkey 

 grounds, as we may call them, are the rule whithersoever we 

 go. A mile or so from my own residence is a lawn planted 

 with Arbor VitjB (in rows aa we would plant an orchard), and 

 with little else but Arbor Vit.'e. They are perhaps lH feet in ' 



height, and all are of the same stiff, conical, monumental form. 

 I never pass this place without being reminded of a burial 

 ground with evergreen tombstones. 



Everywhere we see the Weeping Willow. While in health, 

 vigour, and youth few trees are more engaging. But let us 

 picture a lawn upon which Weeping Willows are the only trees, 

 and our impulse would be to weep too. It ever a tree expressed 

 a sentiment the Weeping Willow expresses sorrow, and its 

 place, to exist in numbers, is in cemeteries where we could 

 fancy that it sheds tears over the graves. If ever a tree ex- 

 pressed those peculiarities which colloquially make up an "old 

 maid," it is the Lombardy or Fastigiate Poplar; fastidious 

 would, perhaps, have been a more expressive specific name. 

 A lawn planted with this tree alone, if it did not too much 

 excite our pity from the above association, would be quite 

 likely to excite our laughter. Thus it is while all trees are 

 more or less beautiful, while many by their foliage, spray, 

 habit, &o., convey an individuaUty that we connect with some 

 sentiment which adapts them to particular situations, yet the 

 pleasing effect of one tree of a species in our grounds is not 

 proportionately increased by many of the same kind. Variety 

 is the principle which, while it secures to each all the beauties 

 that belong to it, imparts to our grounds a diversity of form 

 and character only limited by their extent. Thus even in mid- 

 winter we find much to observe, much to interest ; while in 

 spring, summer, and autumn our leisure hours are too few for 

 the feast of delight and instruction to which we are ever 

 allured. All trees and shrubs have their peculiar character- 

 istics — their personalities; indeed, their manners. They are 

 creatures that — planted perhaps by our own hands, reared 

 under our own eyes — we learn so to love that we seek this one 

 or that one as our mood may prompt. We accord to them 

 sympathetic powers, and we fancy that they whisper sounds 

 tiiat our hearts frame into words, and it is by an easy stretch 

 of the imagination that we may learn to fraternise with them 

 as we do with friends, and to deeply deplore their loss. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WOBK FOE 

 THE PEESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN GABDEN. 



Although the ground was previously well saturated, we had 

 another heavy raiufall last week. On two nights over li inch of 

 rain fell, and uow the soil is in a worse state for kitchen-garden 

 work than it has been at any time this season. We can readily 

 gauge the saturation of the ground by the water in the stoke- 

 holes, which has risen quite 3 inches higher than it had pre- 

 viously been this year. 



The early Peas, which have hitherto moved very slowly indeed, 

 have now assumed a very healthy appearance and are growing 

 freely. Early Potatoes are also pushing through the ground. 

 The earliest to appear was Fenn's Early Market. We have not 

 previously grown this sort, but many of the best growers recom- 

 mend it highly ; and as Mr. Fenn's aim has been to raise sorts 

 with short haulm, aud which are in other respects highly suit- 

 able for garden culture, we hope it will answer for our rich 

 garden ground. There are very few, if any, early kidneys supe- 

 rior or even equal to the old Ashleaved Kidney if it can be 

 obtaioed true; but we have generally some other sort sent under 

 this name of "improved " Ashleaves, which are generally more 

 prolific, producing much more haulm, and are a week or ten 

 days later. We shall, if weather permits, ruu the Dutah hoe 

 through the ground between the rows of both Peas and Potatoes. 



The crop of early Eadishes has been cleared from the ground 

 vineries, which has allowed air and light to penetrate to the 

 Early Horn Carrots and Lettuce plauts. The thinnings from 

 the Lettuce have been planted-out on a piece of prepared ground. 

 We grow only the White Cos, as it is preferred to any other. 

 Such young plauts under glass protection are much assisted by 

 being watered with tepid water, and this should be applied 

 with a fine rose iu the forenoon. 



We have sown a breadth of Seakale; this is done annually to 

 keep up a supply of plauts for forcing. Some of the best plants 

 are selected trom this sowing for forcing, and those of smaller 

 size are planted-out for the eneuing year. Wo have also made 

 a second sowing of Peas, including the early aud midseason 

 Marrows. The new variety Dr. McLean ought to be grown in 

 every garden, not only for its free-bearing habit but also for its 

 excellent quality. 



We shall plant-out the spring-sown Cauliflowers, but would 

 rather wait until the ground is in better order for the plants. 

 We draw rather deep drills and plant in the bottom of them, 

 which to a large extent protects tho plauts from frost and cold 

 wind'. Those who require a constant supply of Spinach should 

 sow the seed between the rows of Peas at each sowing. Keep 

 up a constant supply of saLda. Mustard and Cress may now be 



