182 



JOURNAL OF HOETICCLTtJEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( March 6, 1868. 



the eupply of moisture should be slightly increased, and im- 

 mediately there is any appearance of growth the pot must be 

 brought up to the light. I have shelving boards put beneath 

 the stages to prevent the drip from the other plants reaching 

 the Lilies. Drip is death. 



Most persons advocate repotting in the autumn, but I prefer 

 doing it in the spring. AMien shifted in the autumn there 

 is no root action going on for months, and there is great 

 danger of the bulb suflering either from the soil being too dry 

 or too wet ; but if potted in January or February, the roots 

 lay hold of the soil at once, and grow vigorously. Last March 

 I had some choice Lilies from Prussia ; they were shaken out 

 of the pots, and sent to me packed in damp moss. I potted 

 them carefully, and although some of them had made con- 

 siderable growth when received, none of them suffered from 

 the late removal ; in fact, they ^^erJ some of my healthiest and 

 best plants. 



I have said nothing about keeping the plants clean and free 

 from blight, and properly tied. Lovers of the beauty of the 

 Lily cannot be tolerators of filth and deformity. 



I am neither an artist nor a botanist, and, therefore, fear 

 that my attempts to describe the various Lilies noticed, will 

 not convey a correct idea of their forms and colours, but I ask 

 pardon for all my errors and shortcomings. — Hesi'erus. 



8. Cheshire Piuk Eye. 



9. Prince of Wales Kidney. 



10. Somerset Keds. 



11. Ash-top Fluke (Carter's). 



12. Fortjfold. 



13. Patersou's Victoria. 



14. Flake. 



ESTIMATE OP SOME VAIilETIES OF POTATO. 



Befoee stating the result of my trial of fourteen sorts of 

 Potatoes, I must describe the garden and soil. The garden is 

 about half an acre in extent, or a little larger, surrounded with 

 huildings and walls, yet well exposed to the sun ; medium 

 garden soil, rather poor. It grew a good crop of Potatoes the 

 season before, and received no fresh manure for the trial crop. 

 All the sorts were somewhat injured by the late frost in May, 

 l)ut being all near together were injured aUke. The sorts were 



1. Albiou AsMeaf Ividnev. 



2. ilivers's Eoyal Ashlcaf Kidney. 



3. Ashleaf Kidney (old variety), a 



very iine true stock. 

 4 Mona's Pride Kidney. 



5. Myatt's Prolific Ashleaf Kidney 



6. Milky White (Wheeler's). 



7. Early Oxford. 



Of each of the above fourteen sorts I selected four good, 

 medium-sized tubers, taking great care of them. This is a 

 point much neglected by Potato-growers. From my experience 

 and observation, I fully believe that if growers would pay 

 more attention to the seed they plant, they would obtain far 

 larger crops than they do. I have at this moment received a 

 sample of four tubers from a person who has bought a ship- 

 load from France or Ireland, with a message that they are only 

 fit for planting ; but on examination I should say they are 

 very unfit, being so terribly bruised. Parties are buying these 

 at 12s. per sack, because they are cheap, without a thought 

 of the crop in future. However, say what one will, some 

 people will throw away a pound to save a shilling. To proceed, 

 then — 



1. Albion Ashleaf. — The four tubers yielded 2 lbs. 2 ozs. of 

 produce of good flavour and quahty. The yield of this sort 

 where not touched by the frost was much larger. It is a first- 

 class kind, being good in quality and very prolific. 



2. i.'iivcs's Hoyal Asldraf. — Yield only 1 lb. of small roots, 

 quality only moderate. Somehow this sort varies very much ; 

 on some soils it is almost worthless, takes the disease, is a 

 poor cropper, and almost flavourless ; while on other soils it is 

 quite different, being good in crop and quality. 



3. Ashleaf (old variety).— Yield 2 lbs., very good in quality, 

 but not so dry as or equal to Albion. 



4. Mona's Pride. — Yield 3 lbs., not quite so early as No. 1, 

 but a first-class prolific Potato, and a sort that seems to suit 

 all soils alike. 



.5. 2Ji/atfs Prolific Ashleaf.— Yield 2\ lbs., but badly diseased. 

 A well-known second early Kidney, which certainly does better 

 on some soils than others. On mine it is of very "poor quality. 



0. ililki/ IVhite. — Yield 1 lb. 5 ozs., of first-class quality and 

 appearance. It was very weak iu growth, and in consequence, 

 I believe, the frost had more eilect upon it, hence the light 

 weight ; and while we ought, I think, to grow the strong kinds, 

 yet this is a favourite with me, and I mean to continue growing 

 it, as the yield of other plants not injured by the frost was 

 very good. 



7. Early O.vford. — Yield 2.5 lbs.; quality only second-rate. 

 This being yellow, and preferring a white Potato, I have dis- 

 carded it ; yet to those who do not object to a yellow Potato, it 

 is a passable sort. 



8. Clieshire Pink Eye. — Yield 1.J lb. First-class in point o£ 

 quahty and whiteness, but weak in growth, and variable in 

 crop on different soils. 



0. Prince of tVales Kidney. — Y'ield 5 lbs. This possesses 

 one good quaUty and two bad ; its good quality being, that it 

 is a very heavy cropper. It is certamly the heaviest cropping 

 Kidney I ever knew, but this will not compensate for its two 

 bad qualities — namely, that it is one of the kinds most liable 

 to the disease, which spreads most rapidly ; and, secondly, it is 

 worthless in point of quality. Presuming this is its true 

 character in the eastern counties as well as in the western, I am 

 not surprised that we see no advertisements of the raiser this 

 season. 



10. Somerset Beds. — Yield 7 lbs. Extremely white, and equal 

 in flavour and every other good quality to the Early Fortyfold, 

 but a much heavier cropper. It is a strong grower and resists 

 the disease ; a truly first-class second early sort. 



11. Asli-top Fluke. — Yield 3J lbs. I wish Messrs. Carter had 

 sent a " new thing," better worth the high charge than this. 

 In quality I do not consider it anything like equal to either of 

 its reported parents, and a much weaker grower than the Fluke. 

 If we are to have a second-early Potato, let the Early Forty- 

 fold be a standard of quality. 



12. Early Fortyfold. — Yield 3 lbs. A well-known first-cIaSS 

 sort, if true, needing no comment here. 



13. Paterson's Seedlinri Victoria. — Y'ield 9 lbs. Having given 

 such a full report of this sort recently (page 135), nothing more 

 need be sai4, excepting that I have sent the Editors a sample 

 to try and report upon. 



14. Fluke. — Y'ield 33 lbs. Very good in quality, but stringy 

 at the tail end, and a poor cropper unless it has a change of soil 

 every year. — D., of Somerset, Dorset, and Wilts. 



TLEROMA ELEGANSAND STATICE HOLFORDI 

 CULTURE. 



All who love gardening have their own favourite flowers 

 which are more carefully watched and tended than the general 

 collection. The best positions in the greenhouse are assigned 

 to them ; they are more carefully handled in the potting shed ; 

 and on busy days, if the others are indiscriminately watered, 

 more care is besiowed on the favourites. But some sorts of 

 flowers are general favourites, and the two I wish to make a 

 few remarks on are of the number. 



The first, Pleroma elegans, is admired for its noble appear- 

 ance as a greenhouse plant, its glossy green leaves, and its 

 large, circular, purple flowers. The other, Statice Holfordi, ia 

 distinguished for its handsome branched spikes of bright blue 

 flowers, and the length of time it continues in flower. They 

 are generally considered greenhouse plants, but both of them 

 are benefited at certain times of the year by a higher tempera- 

 ture than is generally kept up in a greenhouse ; I will, there- 

 fore, describe the system of cultivation by which I grow them 

 successfully. 



Pleeoju elegans is increased by cuttings of the half-ripenecl 

 wood in August ; and a good way to manage this, as well as 

 numbers of other greenhouse plants, such as Azaleas, Fimeleas, 

 Leschenaultias, and others, is to place a 5-inch pot within a 

 larger pot, filling the intervening space with sand. After care- 

 fully placing the drainage in the 5-incli pot which is to contain 

 the cuttings, spread over the drainage a little moss or fibre of 

 some sort, to prevent the soil from mirdng with the drainage ; 

 then fill the pot three parts full with the following compost — 

 viz., two parts turfy peat chopped fine, one part loam, and 

 one part silver sand, witli a layer of silver sand on the top. 

 After pressing the whole down rather fiiaaly insert the cuttings ; 

 then place the pots on a shelf near the glass, but shaded from 

 the sun, and water them until the water runs through the hole 

 in the bottom of the pot. Do not give the water in the potting 

 shed and then carry the pois into the greeahouse, as the cuttings, 

 being inserted in sand, will be loosened and thereby injured. 

 It is also necessary to place a bell-glass over the cuttings ; the 

 rim of the bell-glass will rest on the sand which is contained 

 in the space between the two pots. This system of propagating 

 greenhouse plants is the best for those who only re(}^uire a 

 limited number. The bell-glasses will require to be taken off 

 daily, wiped dry with a cls>Jh, and replaced almost immediately, 



