July 11, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOliTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 



29 



iiitroJucad by the t^hineso gardeners is what i» called the Chiua 

 Cabbage, a vps''table wlii(rh is not mnrh esteemed by the 

 English palate, because, wlieii boiled, it beeonins tasteless and 

 flavourless, and reduced to a iiuiiiy mass, as if it were decayed. 

 This, however, is not the case if it be properly cooked in the 

 same way as it is by a Chinese Soj-er. The China Cabbage 

 ought to bo Ixiiled, or ratlier stewed, in a small quantity of 

 water, not sntficient to cov(>r the vegetalile. The Chinese 

 usually cook it in a frying-pan after cutting it into small pieces. 

 WHieu it has been so boiled for a sliort tinnv -no cover being 

 put over the vessel — the water is partially strained off, and 

 some oil or pork fat added ; piroljably to most tastes, except 

 tliOBo of Chinameu, butter would be preferable. So prepared, 

 the China Cabbage would please tlie most fastidious i/ouniiet. 

 Tlie China Pea is another excellent vegetable, btiiug remarkable 

 for the great length of tlie pods and its proliti(- crops. The 

 Chinese use the Pea before the pods are thoroughly tilled, as they 

 cook the Peas in the pod and eat l)oth, in the same wily as 

 French Beans are used. 



Probably the eliief secret of the success of the Chinese gar- 

 dener, in addition to the liberal manuring, is that the vegetables 

 are kept constantly sup)died with water. They are watered 

 three times a-day — -in tht! morning, about midday, and in the 

 evening. A large number of barrels, sunk in the ground at 

 the end of the plots, are distributed throughmit the garden. 

 These are tilled from the weUs or creek during the intei-vals 

 between the hours for watering, by the partner whose duty it 

 is to iici-torm this work. Prom there the watering-pails ai'e 

 filled at tlie proper time, and the liquid poured eo)nously over 

 the vegetables, for they consider it most essential to water the 

 plant as well as the soil, although English gaidpiiers will 

 frequently be seen pouring in only a little water at the roots of 

 a flower or other plant. The plots are likewise frequently and 

 regularly saturated with the liquid manure. English gardeners 

 think it injurious to water any kind of plants during the day 

 while the sun is shining; and so, indeed, it 'S, if the watering 

 be not continued regularly. A Chinaman's vegetables are kept 

 constantly moist, and he would water them at the apjiointed 

 hour, although it were evident that a perfect torrent of rain 

 would descend in a few minutes. The Chinese are quite as 

 diligent in weeding as in watering, and the former is carried on 

 as constantly as the latter, for they will not allow their manure 

 to be exhausted by a profitless crop. No trifle is considered 

 beneath notice, and a gfutler and more careful crdtivator than 

 the Chinese gardener it would he difficult to imagine. He 

 seems to be passionately fond of his plants, and nurses them 

 most .affectionately. For a picture of patience, nothing could 

 surpass a Chinese gardener washing blight from the blades of 

 his Cabbage. With a keg of soapy water, and a piece of stick 

 with a rag tied to the end of it, he moves slowly along the side 

 of the plot, tenderly lays hold of one blade after another, and 

 carefully rubs otf the bliglit with the cloth after he has dipped 

 it in the water. To wash many hundreds of Calibages in this 

 fashion seems an extraordinary undertaking, but the Cliinaman 

 thinks it the most natural thing in the world, and, persistently 

 persevering, it is astonishing what rapid progress he makes. 

 In no respect are the wisdom, foresight, and accurate calcula- 

 tion of the Chinese gardener more wonderfully displayed than 

 in his arr,augement of his crops, so that he has always some 

 description ready for sale, and yet never has a glut ; or is com- 

 pelled to sell immature vegetables, or allow them to become 

 overgrown. He sows and reaps something every day all the 

 year round ; -with him it is always seed time and always harvest. 

 In the garden are to he seen vegetables in all stages of develop- 

 ment ; and as soon as one plant is taken from the ground new 

 seed is put in its place. The soil is never allowed to remain a 

 day irlle, but it is too liberally treated ever to get exhausted. 

 It ought not to bo omitted to mention, before closing, as many 

 may be ignorant of the fact, that Chinese gardeners .alwavs 

 steep the seeds they are about to sow in liquid manure, until 

 they are considerably swollen and have begun to germinate. 

 The elJeet of this is that they spring up very rapidly, and 

 escape the ravages of insects to which seeds and tender blades 

 are so liabli'. Our best horticulturists and agricidturists could 

 learn many a valuable lesson from the Chinese gardener. — 

 (Australian Xmcs.) 



ST1^A^VBERRY CULTURE. 

 TnEEE seems to be a prevailing opinion that the Strawberry 

 crc^) this year is a failure. I never had a better, and I think if 



my system were carried out there would be no complaijit.H. My 

 ground is well dug and heavily manured, the Strawberry plants 

 dug up and ]mt in with a trowel in July, 2 feet every way from 

 plant to ])lanl, the surface of the ground covered with manure 

 in the end of JIarch, no sjiade or fcu'k ever allowed near the 

 beds after they are made till they are destroyed, the weeds 

 hand-|)icked, the roots kept single instead of being allowed to 

 run one into another, and the barbarous mowing the leaves off 

 strictly ])rohibited. I have Iiad as many as .seventeen clusters 

 of fruit on a root tlie hrst .lune after jilauting. After the 

 second year they are dug up and a fresh piece of ground planted. 

 — J. W. Chalonei'., Ncwtuii Kyme, Xudcaiter. 



CUTTING ROSES AND TAKING THEM TO A 

 DISTANT EXHIIJITION. 



Woin.n one of your contributors, skilled in preparing Roses 

 for exhibition, give a few hints as to the best means of con- 

 veying them to the place of exhibition ? Should they be ar- 

 ranged beforehand in the boxes as they are to be exhibited ? I 

 mean in case of having to convey them c^ne hundred miles or 

 more. Or, if carried to the place of exhibition and arranged 

 there, would a basket or close-fitting box be the best in which 

 to convey them ? Now that this flower is becoming so gene- 

 rally exhibited at our horticultural shows, a few hints on this 

 subject will, I have no doubt, be acceptable to many of your 

 readers, and especially so to — A Country Curate. 



[In answer to the above two questions I reply, that I live 

 more than one hundred miles from London, and that, by care- 

 ful attention to blooms, I have carried them sutBcieutly fresh to 

 win two hrst prizes against the amateurs, and a second prize 

 against the nurserymen. The distance of one himdi-ed miles 

 entails night travelling. I, therefore, cut from 5 to 7 p.m., and 

 leave the box sufficiently open to take in the moist evening air 

 from 7 to 9. J^t that hour I start for Wimborne Station, seven 

 miles distant, ,and travel about three miles and a half an hour, 

 ])ulling up at every dip, and driving in the centre of the road 

 to keep the box level. At Wimborne I water the Roses, haWng 

 a quarter of an hour to do so. I an-ive at Waterloo Station at 

 4.30 A.M. They are then watered .igain and hoisted .as level as 

 possible on to the cab. Having arrived at Kensington I water 

 them again and shut the box as close as I can to keep out heat 

 and prevent evaporation. In this case I place over the box a 

 wet cloth to prevent the action of heat on the box. I have 

 always arranged them beforehand, but I also take a number of 

 supernumeraries. I may say, that as decay is sometimes rapid, 

 Roses just relaxing their petals will oftentimes be better next 

 morning than Roses that left home fully expanded. It is best 

 to take both, but futile to take blooms that have been wetted. 

 The stems cannot be kept too wet, nor the blooms too di-y, as 

 heat and wet are the elements of decay. It is a great help to 

 Roses that are to travel to keep the plants watered pre-vionsly. 

 Before putting the blooms into tlie box dip the stalk into water 

 and sponge the leaves, but do not wet the blooms. On arrival 

 at the exhibition cut off a small slice at the bottom of the stem, 

 as they wiU suck the better for it. This is my reply to the first 

 question. 



In answer to the second question, I have an opinion that the 

 following would be the best way of all for cut flowers to travel : — 

 Tlie mischief, of course, is evaporation. When a bloom is open 

 it is at its zenith. It must, therefore, more or less decline. 

 Our jiainted boxes draw the heat. The top, therefore, of the 

 show-box should not be painted. Mine is painted ; but to 

 counteract heat I travel with a wet sack over the box. I have 

 never travelled with cut flowers in a box, or basket, but I 

 imagine that a box lined with lead, and having ice at the 

 bottom, witli a newspaper between the ice and the flowers, 

 would be the best way of all. The flowers should be laid thinly 

 in layers, with w-etted grass, or moss, over their stems, and a 

 bit of paper between the blooms. I have often sent Roses to 

 London in linendraper's boxes without ice, but treated as 

 above, vnth success. The great point is to prevent evaporation 

 or the action of heat. Camphor is a very cooling thing, and, 

 therefore, if travelled with water-cups a little spirit of camphor 

 would help to keep the water-cool. 



Finally, having put your Roses on the stand and having 

 removed the cover, keep your eye on the box as long as you can, 

 and, above all, keep your temper. As Mr. W. Paid justly 

 observes in his admirable book on Roses, page 177 : — " Let us 

 ask ourselves again, if there is any disgrace in being beaten? " 

 Certainly none. Every place here is honourable. If our plants 



