May 17, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICUIiTUSE AND COTTAGE QABDENEB. 



361 



thoroughly decayed mannre for the plants to grow in. Pot- 

 ting i3 best done in early spring, the plants having been kept 

 rather dry over the winter. In potting most of the old soil 

 should be removed, in fact all that can be removed with a 

 pointed piece of wood, and the plant be returned to the same 

 or a slightly increased size of pot. Young plants will, of 

 course, require an increased size of pot ; but a 7 or 8-inoh pot 

 is quite large enough for those with three or more flowering 

 bulbs. At potting there ia no need to remove the offsets, 

 they take nothing from the parent bulb ; yet when eaah bulb 

 has not room to swell, then the offsets should be removed. 

 Water should be given rather sparingly; but as the plants 

 produce fresh foliage water should be given more copiously 

 until growth is complete, and then only sufficient need be 

 given to maintain the foliage fresh. After the middle of June 

 a position outdoors in a sunny situation is as good as any, 

 affording water freely, removing the plants to a window when 

 showing for bloom. 



When grown in a greenhouse very similar treatment is 

 required, but as larger plants can be accommodated there than 

 in a window, they may have a slightly increased size of pot 

 each year, only removing any bulbs that crowd too much, in 

 which way very effective plants may be had. Single bulbs are 

 always useful ; they may be grown in 6 or 7-inch pots. If a 

 portion of the plants are placed outdoors in June on ashes in 

 an open situation sheltered from winds and duly supplied with 

 water, they will flower later than those retained in the green- 

 honse in a light airy position, forming, if moved under glass 

 when the flower scapes appear, a good succession. We do not 

 repot our plants oftener than every second year, and no plants 

 could be more satisfactory. The plants are kept moist at all 

 times, drier of course after flowering than when growing, in- 

 creasing the supply with the growth. No plants could flower 

 more freely ; all they want is abundance of light and air and 

 free watering when growing. 



For a display outdoors a situation should be chosen open 

 yet sheltered from winds, the plants being planted in the beds 

 early in June, and duly attended to with water if dry weather 

 ensue. In September and early October a display of bright 

 flowers may be looked for that will eclipse in brilliancy the 

 most sensational of bedding plants. They should be planted 

 closely, so as to form a mass. After flowering, or in October, 

 they may ba taken up, potted, and wintered in a greenhouse 

 or pit — any place having light — with safety from frost. — A. 



CULTIVATION OP TURNIPS. 



The Turnip is such a useful vegetable that every person who 

 has a garden grows it to a certain extent, but in many oases it is 

 not cultivated so largely as it ought to be. I do not moan that 

 it should be grown in great breadths, but small quantities 

 should be grown for succession over a perioi of eight or ten 

 months. Turnips may be had nearly all the year round with 

 very little trouble, provided due attention is paid in selecting 

 Buitabln varieties and they are sown at the proper time. 



For the earliest supply I sowed about two dozen 12-fe6t rows 

 of Snowball on a south border the first week in March. The 

 weather since has been against them, and although they are 

 now showing large rough leaves, subsequent sowings will soon 

 come up to them. However, in favourable weather those sown 

 about the beginning of March will be ready for use by the end 

 of May. From the Ist of March until now two sowings are 

 sufficient to give a fair supply, but after this time a row or two 

 should be sown every fortnight until the end of July, as during 

 the hot weather of July and August the bulbs soon become hot 

 and stringy, and sowing often is the only and never-failing mode 

 of insuring a constant supply of tender young Turnips. 



I never sow any Turnip seed in open spaces until all the 

 vacant parts between Gooseberry and Currant bushes have been 

 filled np. A row is also run down between the Raspberries 

 and young plantations of Rhubarb. All these shaded parts 

 do wall for the early crops, but the autumn and early winter 

 crops must have an exposed situation. 



In choosing the ground avoid clay soil, and select a part that 

 has had some early Potatoes or some such opening crop on it. 

 Soil that has been mixed with ashes does capitally for Turnips. 

 I have sown Snowball until the end of June, and no better 

 could be had until then; but after the beginning of July, and 

 especially at the end of that month when the winter crop has 

 to be sown, a hardy sort must be selected. I have tried a 

 number of sorts for sowing then, and I now prefer Chirk 

 Castle to any other. It is exceedingly hardy and swells out 



freely until .the new year, and after that I know of no quick- 

 growing variety that will not bolt ; therefore to matte sure of a 

 supply in the spring months a good patch of the Swede must 

 be sown. This is a splendid hardy Turnip, and always good 

 in flavour from November until March. I have sown about 

 a score long rows of it to-day (May 8 th), but it may be sown 

 with the same results for the next three weeks. — .^ 



Never sow Turnip seed thicklv, as it germinates very freely. 

 The rows should be from 15 to 18 inches apart. The drills 

 may be from IJ to 2 inches deep. Always leave the soil over 

 the seeds rather rough, but at the same time never let any 

 large clods remain that will hinder the young plants from push- 

 ing up. Thin-out from 8 to 12 inches apart as soon as the 

 young plants have formed from four to six leaves. Hoe 

 amongst them frequently, and never allow them to become 

 choked with weeds. — M. M. P. 



CRYSTAL PALACE SUMMER SHOW. 



May 12th. 



When the schedule tor this Show was issued and it was found 

 that third prizes were abolished, also that such short notice of 

 the events was given to exhibitors, it was considerad by many 

 that the Show would not be equal to the exhibitions of previous 

 years. Beariag in mind that " general impression," the Exhi- 

 bition of last Saturday mast be described as satisfactory. A 

 principal factor contributing to the result ia, thati it was the 

 lirst metropolitan exhibition of the year where liberal prizes 

 were provided for specimen plants. The time was also favour- 

 able, for other shows closely following gave distant exhibitors 

 the advantage of staging in more than one place at a cost of one 

 "through journey." The schedule also, it must be admitted, 

 was well arranged. Without consisting of a large number of 

 classes (there were only twenty-eight), it was sufficient to ensure 

 a large Show. In nearly every class there was competition, and 

 every exhibitor save one who had entered the lists occupied the 

 space, or more than the space, allotted to him. The Show, 

 therefore, was a large one, and in most respects it was good, but 

 not in all. 



To begin with, the £25 provided for nurserymen's stove and 

 greenhouse plants in bloom was not well won, or rather it should 

 be said was not won at all, for we only noticed one collection 

 staged in this class. Orchids were not so numerous as we havo 

 seen them at the Palace; and Pelargooiams, Calceolarias, and 

 Cinerarias were below the standard of quality of plants staged 

 in former years, the deficiency on this occasion being a result of 

 the protracted cold weather preventing the plants being "in." 

 On the other hand, however, the picture had a very "bright 

 side," for the stove and greenhouse plants exhibited by ama- 

 teurs were excellent; and especially so, perhaps, were the 

 ornamental-foliaged plants. Roses were also wonderfully good 

 considering the weather, and Azaleas were both numerous and 

 superior. 



IJesides an innovation in the compilation of the schedule there 

 was a change also in the arrangement ol the plants. At former 

 exhibitions the plants have been disposed on both sides of the 

 central transept, leaving the centre open for promenade. On 

 Saturday, however, the collections were arranged down the 

 centre of the building, and the visitors were divided into two 

 distinct streams. Both plans have their advantages; the latter 

 maybe the more convenient, but the firmer readers an exhibition 

 the more imposing, inasmuch as it presents a much better 

 " general view " being had of the display as a whole. The Show 

 was better, therefore, than at the first glance it appeared to be, 

 and was in fact both an extensive and excellent display. We 

 will now refer to the classes, commeucing with 



Stove and Greenhouse Punts in Bloom. — In the nursery- 

 men's class for twelve plants Messrs. T. Jaokaon & Sons, Kings- 

 ton, were the only exhibitors, and a second prize was awarded 

 for their collection. In this group wh noticed a good Imanto- 

 pbyllum, Apholexes, and Azalea. KbododB.drou PrinocES Alice, 

 with fine campanulate flowers, was also highly attractive. Bo- 

 ronia pinnata, Heitbs, Statice profusa, aud Anthurium Scher- 

 zeriannm completed ttie collection. 



In the corresponding class for amateurs (nine plants) the ex- 

 hibitors were Mr. Chapman, gardener to S. Spode, Esq , Hawkes- 

 yard Park, Rugeley ; Mr. Peed, gardener to Mrs. Treadwell, St. 

 John's Lodge, Lower Norwood; and Mr. E. Tudgey, gardener 

 to T. F. G. Williams, Esq., Henwick Grange, Worcester. Mr. 

 Chapman won with Chorozema Chuudlerii, 5 feat in diameter, 

 splendid; Anthurium Scherzerianum, 1 feet across and nearly 

 a hundred spathes; Pimelea mirabilis. Erica odora rosea, and 

 DracophvUum gracile, each I to 5 feet in diameter; a capital 

 Ixora ; Erica Cavendishii, aud two large aud well-bloomed 

 Azaleas. Mr. Peed was second. He staged an admirable Iman- 

 topbyllum 4 feet in diameter with twenty fiiia heads of flowers ; 

 fine oval-shaped specimens of Francifoea calycina and conferti- 

 folia, Olerodendron Balfourii, an immense Epacris, Erica Caveu- 



