March 23, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTURB AND COTTAQK OABDENBB. 



237 



heada for snoh a purpose is a hngs mistake. If I oan produce 

 Celery perfectly blanobed for afoot iu length, and which is also 

 Bolid and quite clear, I know I shall not be found fault with. 

 If I grow it larger than that I must trim it down to reasonable 

 dimensions, and 1 count these trimmings as so much watte. 

 To grow Celery of the proper table size an extravagant amount 

 of manure is not required. The soil must certainly be good, 

 and copious supplies of water will do the rest. I find sprink- 

 lings of sont and salt to be particularly beneficial to Celery, 

 washing it in with the waterings. Salt, however, must not be 

 sprinkled on the foliage, or it will cause blistering ; but soot 

 may, and it will prevent blistering— the blistering by the Celery 

 fly, Tephritis onopordiuis — against which soot is an effectual 

 antidote. 



Waterings are supplemented by mulchings of lawn-mowings. 

 These short grass dressings in dry weather are very beneficial, 

 but they must not be applied thoughtlessly. If the grass is 

 placed very thickly on the surface of the ground and round the 

 collars of the plants, and a " dripping time " follows, it will 

 cause the plants to decay at the neck and seriously impair the 

 keeping properties of the Celery. I have seen entire beds 

 ruined by this cause alone, so that even the simple matter of 

 mulching with short grass requires to be intelligently performed. 



As to the earthing of Celery, I do not agree with the work 

 being done in driblets. Celery will blanch as perfectly in six 

 weeks as iu six months, and the longer the soil is surround- 

 ing it, and especially in summer, the greater is the danger of 

 grub-ravages. I tie each head with matting and remove the 

 suckers, finding that to be not only the best but the quickest 

 mode of earthing the plants. By deferring the earthing as 

 long as possible snfiSoient supplies of water can always be given 

 to the roots, and when that is the case bolted heads are seldom 

 seen. 



I have now only a word to add as to sorts. For the wide- 

 trench system, and for small solid Celery of high quality, I do 

 not hesitate to say that Turner's Incomparable White and 

 Hood's Dwarf Bed ara the best varieties in cultivation. If 

 these sorts are procured true to name no Celery can be culti- 

 vated with greater economy and which will give greater satis- 

 faction at the table. I cannot help thinking that those who 

 condemn these varieties have not had their seed from genuine 

 stocks.— E. Fish's Pupil. 



TWO FIRST-RATE HAEDY HEEBACE0D8 



PLANTS. 



Good hardy border flowers are always acceptable, and I beg 

 to recommend the two following to all who are interested in 

 this class of plants : — 



Geiim coccineum plenum. — This fine plant, which belongs to 

 the order Eosacffe, is a native of Chili, and resembles the 

 Potentillas, should be in every garden where hardy plants are 

 sought after. It grows about 2 feet high. The flowers are 

 semi-double, large, and of a dark crimson colour, and are pro- 

 duced freely from early summer until autumn frosts prevent 

 its continuing to bloom any longer. As the earliest flower 

 stems go out of flower they should be out away to encourage 

 the stronger growth of the successional shoots. It is perfectly 

 hardy ; and although I cannot just now name the date of its 

 introduction, it has not been in this country very many 

 years. 



Rudbeckia purpurea grandifiora. — This is a remarkably 

 showy Composite, which produces large flowers of reddish 

 purple on stems about 3 feet high, flowering in July and 

 August, and contrasts well with the yellow Kudbeckia New- 

 manii, an old plant that has been in this country for more 

 than fifty years. Both plants are well adapted for mixed 

 borders or vacant places in shrubberies, and are perfectly 

 hardy. — B. — {The Gardener.) 



EXHIBITIONS OF SPBING FLOWERS. 



MESSES. VEITCH & SONS, CHELSEA. 

 SniiNG flowers are always welcome ; they are cheering by 

 their diversified forma and varied colours, and are refreshing 

 by their delightful perfume. At the public exhibitions they 

 have many admiiers even when arranged in formal groups, 

 but the charms -of the flowers are enhanced by their more 

 simple and natural disposition by the growers at home. Fine 

 as was the collection which Messrs. Veitch recently staged at 

 South Kensington, there is little doubt that the Eyaoiuths, 



Ac, are more imposing as arranged in their nurseries at Chel- 

 sea ; they are also especially convenient there for selection and 

 comparipon. 



The Hyacinths are now arranged on the side stages of a 

 span-roofed house, the central stage being occupied by hard- 

 wooded plants, the dense greening of which brings out the 

 colours of the flowers to advantage. On the south side the 

 selected Hyacinths are arranged in four rows, and judging 

 them in the aggregate a more meritorious collection haa never 

 been staged by this firm, or, indeed, it may be said, by any 

 other growers. The difficulty is great to pick out the best 

 spikes, and — such is their level excellence — still greater to 

 select the worst. The new Hyacinths which were certificated 

 last week were noticed in the report of the meeting of the 

 Floral Committee; the selection which is now made is, there- 

 fore, confined to the best established sorts at present in cul- 

 tivation. 



Commencing with the Whites, La Grandesse must head the 

 list. In every instance the spikes of it are massive and are 

 really grand. Following it closely in merit are L'Innocence 

 and Mont Blanc. La Franchise has finely shaped bells ; and 

 Snowball is pure as snow, but with not large yet compact 

 spikes. Madame Van der Hoop has large and perfect bells, 

 and still larger are the bells of Lord Shaftesbury. Alba Superb- 

 issima is chaste and pure as ever. Baroness Van Tuyll is tall 

 and good. Leviathan creamy, stately, and robust, and Florence 

 Nightingale, semi-double, is very effective. The above are the 

 best of the White varieties. 



On turning to the Blues it is more difficult to make a limited 

 selection, seeing that so many sorts possess such high merit. 

 Amongst the dark flowers King of the Blues may, perhaps, 

 head the list, yet it is not more effective than Argus with its 

 rich colour and strik ng white eye. General Havelock, Prince 

 William the let, and Marie are also fine dark varieties. Of 

 the Light Blues the spikes are immense and the belU superior. 

 Czar Peter, Princess Mary of Cambridge, Blondin, Lord I3yron, 

 and Lord Derby comprise the beet ; and charming by their 

 white-striped petals are Princess Beatrice and Grand Monarch. 

 Lord Palmerston is also distinct by its bright csrulean blue, 

 but the spike is small. 



We now come to the Yellow or Buff section, the best being — 

 and these of about equal merit — Bird of Paradise, Grand Due 

 de Luxemburgh, Ida, Obelisque, and L'Or d'Australie. 



The Beds remain to be noticed, and of these Garibaldi merits 

 the foremost place, closely followed by Priuce Albert Victor, 

 Vurbaak, Prima Donna, and Maoaulny amongst the rich colours; 

 the best of the paler sorts being Koh-i-noor, Cavaignac, Fabiola, 

 Solfaterre, Etna, Prince of Wales, Duo de Malakoff, Piuk, 

 Charles Dickens, and the extremely delicate L'Ornament de la 

 Nature. The above comprise the ilite of this really fine col- 

 lection, and with the Tulips, Crocuses, &c., form a display 

 which cannot fail to be enjoyed by all visitors. 



The large Camellia house is also worthy of inspection, and 

 especially so are the Orchids. Tho Phalaanopses are in great 

 beauty, and the display of Odontoglossuma is unusually rich. 

 Of these may be seen triumphans in fine form ; Lindleyanum, 

 Pescatorei, Alexandra), Kossii major, gloricsum, Halli, the new 

 Andersonianum, and the rare Chestertonii. Aiirides, Vandas, 

 Dendrobes, and Acgra:ciim sesquipedale are in fine condition; 

 while of MafdevaHias, Veitchii and Lindeni have flowers of 

 unusual size and brilliancy. 



MESSKS. CUTBUSH & SON, 



Who have hitherto provided their display at Highgate, have 

 this year taken possession of the Alexandra Palace, where 

 their prize plants are now on view. The plants are airaiigcd 

 in four semicircular rows at the front of the orchestra in the 

 great hall, and they are worthy of the prominent position 

 which they occupy, imparting a charming finish to the hall, 

 and suggesting how effective is a fringe of flowers — floral foot- 

 lights — to the orchestral platform. 



A considerable number of Hyacinths here arranged are not 

 only of superior merit but they largely consist of varieties 

 which are moderate in price. The following are noted as 

 superior, the selection being useful and reliable. 



Blues. ^ Argus, rich blue and white, extremely effective. 

 Lord Palmerston, highly distinct by its pure bright blue; the 

 spike is of medium size, and the bells well formed and set. 

 Louis Philippe, semi-double, very striking by the deep blue 

 band on the porcelain petals ; it has a good spike and massive 

 bells, and is a fine variety. Garrick is another semi-double 

 striped variety worth notice. Mimosa, General Havelock, 



