De««mb«r 17, 1874. 3 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



639 



my lot to witness snch a fine lot of Chryeanthemnma at any 

 of our aatumn shows either in London or the provinces, all 

 are so healthy, and their large green leaves far below the rim 

 of their pots, which are not very large for the size of the 

 plants. 



Mr. Downs has been in T. Walker, Esq.'s, family for a 

 qnarter of a century as head gardener. He does not exhibit. 



The names of some of the most prominent varieties I noticed 

 were Qaeen of England, Empress of India, Prince of Wales, 

 Prince Alfred, Princess Beatrice, Bovela, Veuns, Mary Morgan, 

 John Salter, Lady Talford, Lady Slade, Jardin des Plantes, 

 Bronze Jardin, Guernsey Nugget, Mrs. G. Eundell.and Lady 

 Harding.— J. G. T. 



SEA-KALE AND HORSERADISH CULTURE. 



Some few weeks ago a correspondent in your Journal gave a 

 few excellent hints about Sea-kale. I have practised a similar 

 mode of cultivation for a few years with good results. I think 

 it is folly to have a great space of ground planted with Sea- 

 kale ;i or 4 feet between the rows for forcing on the ground, 

 when double the quantity can be grown on the same space to 

 be forced indoors. 



For these last two years I have practised the same annual 

 routine of culture on Horseradish, and find it succeed perfectly. 

 As soon as the leaves are off the plants in October or Novem- 

 ber we take out a trench at one end of the bed, as ia usual 

 in ordinary trenching, and by means of fork and spade turn 

 over the whole of the bed down to the clay, carefully picking 

 out the roots as whole as possible, and manuring as the process 

 goes on. The bed ia then made level ready for replanting. 

 The roots are then looked over ; all that is fit for kitchen use 

 are dressed and laid aside for that purpose, and all the long 

 thin roots of the thickness of a quill stripped of all side roots 

 are laid in bundles for replanting. With a long dibber for an 

 ordinary Dahlia stick will do), make holes 18 inches or 2 feet 

 deep, 6 inches apart, and 1 foot between the rows. Into each 

 of these holes we drop one of these long roots, and then fill 

 the hole up with fine dry soil from under the potting bench. 

 These make nice useable roots the first season, but of course 

 if they were left for two seasons they would be much better. 

 This annual planting has many advantages. In the first place, 

 a very small bed will grow suflicient for the supply of most 

 families. This struck me very forcibly on entering a very old 

 kitchen garden a few months ago, where was to be seen a bed 

 of Horseradish some 15 yards long by 5 or G wide, which ap- 

 parently had not been disturbed, except in digging roots up for 

 use, for fifteen or twenty years. In contrast to this we have dug 

 from a bed 15 feet by 8 sufiicient good roots to supply an ordi- 

 nary family for twelve months. In the second place, the ground 

 is being cultivated. It is annually improving ; and the plants 

 being in rows, it can be kept clean by means of hoeing, the 

 same as any other crops, instead of becoming a nest of weeds, 

 as is too often the case ; for it is no uncommon thing to find 

 weeds seeding in the Horseradish bed at places where they 

 would not be tolerated anywhere else. In the third place, there 

 is no snch thing as shouldering a pick when grim John Frost 

 resists the spade in the gloomy winter months. The roots are 

 laid regular in layers one above another with soil between, 

 covered over with soil. A little litter keeps out frost and mice. 

 It is always accessible without the aid of either pick or spade. 

 Would anyone who is acquainted with the system practised by 

 those who grow it for the market favour us with an outline of 

 their mode of producing the fine clean roots which they send 

 to market ? — B. Inglis. 



CHESTNUT TIMBER. 



There is evidently a confusion of ideas in the extract from 

 the " Household Guide," given at page 34G. 



The timber and the fruit of the Spanish Chestnut are as 

 distinct as possible from that of the Horse Chestnut. The 

 wood of the latter is white and soft ; that of the former so 

 much the colour and character of Oak as to be not easily dis- 

 tingnishable from it. I have more than once heard a timber 

 merchant say he had sold Spanish Chestnut for Oak. It is 

 generally considered a durable and valuable wood. My expe- 

 rience certainly does not agree with that of " A CoEBEsroNDKNT," 

 page 425. I have now some boards out of the butt of a fine 

 Spanish Chestnut which had not a flaw or crack about it. 

 These boards were selected for their superior quality for carv- 

 ing purposes. 



There have been some articles lately in the Journal on the 

 comparative merits of Strawberries. Some kinds are repre- 

 sented as worthless grown in one place, and everything to be 

 wished grown in another. What "A CoRREsroNDENT" says 

 of the Spanish Chestnut wood I could say very much of some 

 Oak, fallen and cut up where I am writing. There is no doubt 

 that soil and situation materially affects the growth and quality 

 of timber ; and under certain conditions of situation and 

 growth trees become " shaken " or " rifted ;" the seams may, 

 and do often, become completely obliterated, and the timber 

 proves what " A Cobkespondent " describes the Chestnut. The 

 old story of the chameleon will apply. — V. 



ARRANGING FLOWERS. 



One can scarcely be engaged in any pursuit more interesting 

 or that requires more study than that of arranging flowers ; 

 indeed it is nothing less than an art that few have thoroughly 

 mastered ; many have laboured to attain it without any very 

 great success. It seems almost, I think, like many other 

 branches of art — many will try, but few will attain the height 

 to which they aim. We may with perseverance attain much 

 ■ — with strict attention to natural laws and determined patience 

 may almost mount the pinnacle of perfection ; but how slow 

 and often discouraging to one that ia not really talented for 

 the particular object that is wished to excel in. One has often 

 more than enough at times to dishearten when, just as we 

 think we at last have dropped in the right path to reach the 

 top, alas ! to our mortification only to find another with that 

 particular vein of taste to drop in and deprive us of what we 

 have been labouring for with great hopes, and I may say cer- 

 tainty of obtaining. Well, there ia no help for it. It is only 

 vexing to think those parties have only just made the fresh 

 attempt, and then that to bring them to the height we have 

 worked so long to obtain. What a revolution has of late 

 years been wrought in the arrangement of flowers by prizes 

 offered at the various horticultural societies ! We all rejoice 

 of this : where is the one that would like to drop back to the 

 middle ages of dark heavy formality ? Gratified though we 

 are by natural and becoming changes with the professional 

 classes, I must drop a step lower to find the height of my 

 pleasure in the great change worked and working in the ranks 

 of the sinew of old England, the working class. They alwajs 

 did love flowers ; they are now, thanks to the many cottagers' 

 societies, coming to think them a part of that stupendous 

 whole that make up a happy existence. Much, very much, is 

 left to be done by the above societies to improve the arrange- 

 ment of fiowera by their exhibitions. 



Having been for a few years rather out of the line of attend- 

 ing any cottagers' exhibition in England, I was wont to tell 

 those that had sprung up around me how much better they did 

 things, not in France, but in England. Judge of my surprise 

 when attending a show or two in this neighbourhood to find 

 the arrangement of flowers still in all gaudy colours, still that 

 heavy, lifeless, and unnatural cramming all that hand can lay 

 hold of — all this with the hope that the more staring and clumsy 

 the mass the greater the chance of a prize. My experience cor- 

 vinces me that the most direct way to assist the better arrange- 

 ment of flowers, is for ladies and professionals to arrange some 

 specimens with precisely the same variety of flowers as the 

 cottager; and (though example is better than precept), I be- 

 lieve a few words in criticising those shown, and to explain 

 what would be an improvement, are equally calculated to foster 

 a better taste in the exhibitors. 



I had in my mind when I began this note two instancea of 

 the effect of taste in arrangement of flowers, though they were 

 both seen in cottages, humble but clean and happy I'll vow. 

 Those two specimens have very often presented themselves t.^ 

 my mind, especially when arranging stands, and I believemuch 

 to my edification. The first a large pie-dish filled well up to a 

 mound with nice green moss. What need we better for the 

 foundation for a beautiful graceful arrangement? As it was, 

 little were really wanted. Well, in this moss were studded 

 in as thick as possible very fair Asters and Dahlias. Here the 

 arrangement ended. We could be but pleased even to see 

 this ; and aa we always do, we showed our pleasure by con- 

 gratulating the hand that did it, &c. It was a well-meant be- 

 ginning, and we suggested fewer flowers of more distinct colours 

 with that little addition of gracefully-placed Fern leaves. 

 Grasses, and a few small flowers to stand out and from the 

 more heavy Dahlias and Astera which are best as a ground- 

 work. 



