62 



JOUitNAL OF HORTICULTUllE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ January 28, 18(9. 



where it prodused six flowers, and at Christmas was our little 

 pet for the festive season. 



I was induced to make the trial from seeing plants of this 

 Epiphyllum in the window of a farmhouse in Romney Marsh, 

 where they have been grown for some years without being ever 

 removed, except for domestic purposes, and during severe frost. 

 The largest plant was in an ornamental pot between a 32 and 

 R 24, which was raised to prevent its touching the window sill. 

 The flowers on this plant numbered upwards of two hundred 

 (actually counted), and it was a most beautiful object, of which 

 the owners were not a little proud. 



I thank " J. W." for one thing, and that is, as to watering 

 during summer. I believe I was remiss in not placing a saucer 

 under the pot ; at the same time I do not understand "J. W.," 

 as to "keeping cool and dry in winter." Surely the plant 

 must not be kept dry when in full bloom. — W. J. B. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



TuE Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, the 

 0;h of February, at three o'clock precisely, and the chair will 

 bo taken by the President, or one of the Council of the Society. 



The Council, in accordance with the charter and bye-laws, 

 recommend for removal the following three members : — Lord 

 H. Gordon Lennox, M.P., Mr. B. T. Brandreth Gibbs, and Mr. 

 Sigismund Eusker ; and they recommend for election in their 

 places the following Fellows — viz., H.S.H. the Prince Teck, 

 Lord Londesborougb, and the Eev. Joshua Dix. 



The Council recommend the following as officers for the 

 ensuing year — viz. : — His Grace the Dake of Bucoleuch, K.G., 

 Tresident; Mr. John Ciuttou, Treasurer; Lieut. -Col. Scott, 

 B.E., Secretary ; Mr. James Nicholson, Mr. John Gibson, and 

 Mr. Robert Hudson, F.R.S., Auditors; Mr. Henry Cole, C.B., 

 Mr. John Glutton, and Lieut.-Col. Scott, E.E., Expenses Com- 

 mittee-men. 



A FEW GOOD KITCHEN VEGETABLES. 



The various trade catalogues, which come "thicker and 

 faster,'' are, generally speaking, carefully compiled, and convey 

 a great amount of useful information and seasonable advice ; 

 jot however sound this advice may be, and however honestly 

 it may be given, it in many instances fails to be decisively con- 

 viucing, and often affords cases of appeal to the higher tribunal 

 of disinterested practical experience. For instance : A trades- 

 man amateur comes with a bundle of trade lists in his hand, 

 and solicits my opinion as to which is the best early Pea or 

 the best Cauliflower to grow, as in one catalogue he finds an 

 article honoured with black type, and with a good character 

 appended, while the same article, or perhaps, more strictly 

 speaking, the same name, is in another catalogue simply given 

 in the orilinary way, and the character withheld, as if "it had 

 done something amiss. I am p.ware that these distinctive 

 features have little or no influence on many, yet, on the other 

 hand, I am equally well aware that they have a certain ef!eet 

 on others ; and when on comparison cultivators find the honours 

 BO differently accorded, a certain degree of perplexity of mind 

 is the result, and the case is forthwith taken to the " higher 

 court." 



A few decisions, then, direct from the said court will, I ap- 

 pieheud, be eminently useful. My list will be very short, and 

 will consist of old or new varieties which I have grown and find 

 good. I will give the character of my soil, also the name 

 of the firm that furnished the respective seeds, and thus make 

 the information as full as possible, so as to prevent as far as 

 1 can further inquiry or explanation. Let others do the same, 

 and the uninitiated cannot fail to have something reliable. 



My soil is light in texture. It is a black vegetable mould on 

 a substratum of limestone. It has been devoted to the growth 

 of vegetables for many years. 



I will commence by enumerating a few varieties of Peas 

 which answer well on such soU. The kind which I must put 

 down as the best early is Dicksous' First and Best. The seed 

 of this was procured direct from the raisers at Chester, and 

 was therefore genuine. There is no doubt of this being a most 

 valuable Pea ; it is early, prolific, and robust in constitution. 

 First Crop, synonyme Eingleader, was certainly two or three 

 days the earlier, but all other good points were in favour of the 

 Chester Pea. In another garden, on rather strong soil, I in- 

 spected the two varieties side by side, and First Crop there 

 sustained its celebrity. In this comparison I should say that 

 First Crop was obtained from Messrs. Carter, and Ringleader 



from Messrs. Sutton, and all received treatment in every re- 

 spect exactly alike. For a light soil, then, my advice is. Sow 

 First and Best. In stronger soil First Crop may be equally 

 prolific, and it is by a few days the earliest of the early wrinkled 

 varieties. I find Maclean's Epicurean an excellent variety. 

 It is a few days later than Advancer, but in all other respects 

 it was with me the superior Pea. I pronounced it in all points 

 excellent. Champion of England on this soil never fails ; but 

 for a second early, very good, and cheap Pea let me pay a tribute 

 to the merits of Princess Eoyal — nothing gives me a better 

 return than this very useful sort. As late kinds I suppose 

 Hairs' Dwarf Mammoth and Ne Plus Ultra are good anywhere 

 — at all events they are fine on this soil. Carter's strain of 

 the former Pea I find remarkably pure and good. The other 

 stocks were from the same firm, also from Messrs. Sutton, and 

 were equally true and fine. 



Peas, from their general importance, have received a moie 

 lengthy notice than I shall accord to other vegetables. I must 

 say a word in favour of Turner's Inomparable Dwarf White 

 Ci'lcri/, and I would ask cultivators not to condemn this variety 

 until they have sent a dozen stamps to Slough. This is the 

 only reliable way that I know of to obtain it pure. I grow no 

 other sort, for the simple reason that hitherto I have found 

 none answer my purpose so well ; and my purpose is to produce 

 a great quantity of the first quali'y from a small extent of 

 ground. 



I will now name a vegetable of a value which I consider 

 entitles it to a place in every garden. It is AsjMiagvs Kale 

 (Carter's strain). It is more hardy than Brussels Sprouts, and 

 in flavour is most delicate and delicious. If, as " D., Deal," 

 would say, one could fancy it had just a " whiff " of its more 

 aristocratic namesake it would be none the less enjoyable. 

 This is certainly a very valuable vegetable, and quite distinct 

 from all other winter greens. In addition to these remarks I 

 will give a sort of collective testimony in its favour. Three 

 years ago I distributed my surplus plants amongst the tenants 

 and tradesmen ; and so well did they like it that they treated 

 their neighbours with an occasional "boiling," and ev«ry year 

 I am now literally inundated with applications for " them light- 

 coloured greens." Applications are even now being made for 

 plants for fear of being too late. To those who have not already 

 grown it my advice is. Procure it true, and give it a trial. 



The few following vegetables which I will name were sent 

 me for trial last spring by the firm last named. I have not yet 

 given in my report. Beet. — After growing most of the popular 

 kinds of this root I find Carter's Perfection Salad supeiior to 

 most, and equal to the best, equally good in shape, colour, and 

 flavour, and in my opinion as a salad Beet it would satisfy any 

 one. Dwarf Mammoth CauUfou-er is a variety of sterling 

 merit. It withstood the tropical heat of last summer better 

 than three other varieties grown by its side, and up to the 

 present time continues to produce compact and serviceable 

 heads. Peabodi/ Pea. was of no use last summer on my hot 

 and light soil. Of Giant White and Giant Bath Cos Lettuce, 

 the former is a splendid summer Lettuce ; the latter is also a 

 fine kind, but I do not like it so well as its more compact pro- 

 totype the true old black-seeded Bath Cos. This has been 

 perpetuated here for private use for thirty years. Those, how- 

 ever, who prefer a large kind have it to perfection in the Giant 

 variety above named. 



I will not extend my list, but will leave room for other culti- 

 vators who may be so disposed to name anything which they 

 have proved to be specially recommendable. I have known 

 the time when such information would have been much valued 

 by myself, and I assume that there are many now in the 

 position which I once was, and to whom such experiences will 

 be particularly seasonable. On another occasion I will notice 

 a few of last year's novelties in flower seeds. 



I must add what a splendid late Broccoli is Cattell's Eclipse. 

 I saw it exhibited in June last in size and quality truly grand, 

 and it was grown by our excellent occasional pomological cor- 

 respondent " C. C. E." ; but of " C. C. E." and his fruit 

 garden more anon. — J. W. 



Potatoes in the United KiNonoM. — The total number of 

 acres in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and 

 Ireland, planted with Potatoes in 1867 was 1,500,624 ; and in 

 1868 there were 1,584,213 acres. 



The Maidenhair Fern. — Many years ago I was laughed at 

 for saying I had seen this Fern growing out of my reach in the 



