198 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICDLTCKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 5, 1874. 



pots, placed in the stove until July, anil afterwards potted 

 in 48-sized pots. I then placed them in the greenhouse. As 

 they became stronger they were frequently placed in Tases, 

 kept in the drawing-room for a week or ten days without water, 

 and afterwards returned to the greenhouse. This treatment 

 they endured frequently, until they became too leggy for that 

 purpose. In February, 1872, I potted them in 36-sized pots 

 to grow them on for conservatory purposes, and there they 

 remained throughout the summer and autumn months up to 

 December, frequently throwing roots over the top and under- 

 neath the pots, but these roots were cut off. It may be well 

 for me to state that our conservatory was not heated the 

 same autumn, the thermometer often reaching 34°. 



In January, 1873, the heads were taken for cuttings, and the 

 old plants removed to the early vinery for a short time. When 

 they had started into growth I noticed at the axil of each 

 leaf something making its appearance as if for producing more 

 shoots, but found that it was bloom. This was in June, but 

 to my disappointment, hke the Fig, it bloomed inwardly. I 

 stiU waited, anxiously looking fom-ard to the ripening period. 

 I could not see any alteration in the fruit until September, 

 ■when it commenced to change colour. When fully ripe it was 

 of a very dark brown with light spots. The fruit increased 

 about three-quarters of an inch in length. Soon afterwards I 

 ■was tempted to taste it; it ■was quite sweet, agreeable, and full 

 of seeds. 



The compost which I find suits it best is one-third light 

 loam, one-third peat, adding leaf mould, cow dung, charcoal, 

 silver sand, and a small portion of soot in equal proportions, 

 — H. A. Maun, Brampton Park. 



CULTUEE OF "WINTER BROCCOLI FAR NORTH. 



In the Journal of February 19th I see an article on Winter 

 Broccoli by your correspondent Mr. Taylor, in which he com- 

 plains of the difficulty of getting it of a true strain, and I can 

 fully endorse what he says on that head from experience. 

 Winter Broccoli, in the north of Scotland, from where I write, is 

 often a very uncertain crop under favourable circumstances, 

 and of course much more so when seeds of mixed or inferior 

 quality are supplied. In several places of note as vegetable- 

 growing estabUshments ■which I have seen, the quarters selected 

 for winter Broccoli were generally the most favourable which 

 could be had as regarded exposure to the sun, and on 

 being appointed to a master's place, I, of course, followed the 

 same jilan with varying success, untD a few years ago a cir- 

 cumstance occurred which made me alter my system as far as 

 situation is concerned. Having received a packet of a variety 

 known as Carter's Champion, I had it planted along with the 

 others in a favourable position, as I supposed, sloping to the 

 sun, and in the autumn it looked all that could be wished 

 in a Broccoli to stand the winter and do good service. The 

 ■winter being a rather mUd one all went well till about the 

 middle of January, when I looked through my Champions, 

 expecting them to tum-in next month; but mischances will 

 occur between the garden and the kitchen, so it proved in my 

 case. 



The first fortnight in February we had hard frosts every 

 night, with bright sunshine by day, during which my Broccoli 

 almost succumbed or was rendered useless ; but fortunately a 

 few lines of the same variety were planted in another quarter, 

 where they were shaded in the early part of the day by some 

 trees at 20 yards from them, so that they were partially thawed 

 before the sun got at them. They came in during March, and 

 very good heads they were ; so from that time we have always 

 endeavoured to have room for winter Broccoli in such a posi- 

 tion as not to have the sun tUl partially thawed, and have 

 succeeded well since. 



It must be noted that ours is a rather light soil, and per- 

 haps the above practice would not suit on clay boUs. 1 know 

 it is the practice in some places to lift and store the Broccoli 

 in sand, and other means of protection afforded ; but for ouo 

 place ■with convenience for that, there are twenty where such 

 cannot be attempted. 



Another great mistake with Broccoli to stand the winter is 

 overcrowding, the consequence of which is that after a few nights 

 of severe frost, followed by sunshine, down go the leaves never 

 to rise more ; with the exception of a few near the crown there 

 is little to be expected from such plants. We give 3 feet by 2^, 

 and try to have the ground well trenched and manm-ed, and 

 by such means get stout robust plants tit to face all weathers. 

 The selection of proper varieties, and not too many of them, is 



of great importance for winter crops. In summer one can 

 make many shifts, but not in winter. 



Your able correspondent, " Old Friend," has pictured but 

 what is really the experience of many a gardener if willing to 

 confess it. Now, in the case of Broccoli, every year brings out 

 new varieties with high-sounding qualities recommending them 

 to the notice of the public ; they may or may not be what they 

 are given out for, but as (" Burnt bairns dread the iire"), I 

 always make a point of not dismissing the old tried sorts for 

 the stranger, but rather plant an extra line before trusting him 

 further till assured of his friendship by proof. 



There is one introduction of late years which is a great 

 acquisition to us in the north, whatever it may be in the 

 south — that is, Veitch's Autumn Giant Cauliflower. The past 

 two seasons we have cut it in fine condition from September to 

 January, and I do not know how much longer we might have 

 done so had more been planted, and such heads as to put the 

 autumn Broccoli into the shade; it is the only addition of 

 importance we have made to our old varieties, which in ordi- 

 nary seasons give us a pretty constant supply. We have, 

 first. Snow's Winter White, which succeeds the CauUflowers ; 

 then Granger's Spring White, followed by Wilcove White, a 

 really good sort which carries us well on to the Cauliflower 

 season again. Now, there may be many other varieties of 

 equal merit to these, but as they give ua a fuU supply I am 

 perfectly satisfied with them. 



I beheve much of success with Broccoli depends on not 

 letting the plants remain too long in the seed bed before prick- 

 ing them out, and finally planting them before they are too 

 large and drawn-up, for once in that condition they may as 

 well be thrown away. With plenty of room when planted-out, 

 and the soil well worked and kept constantly stirred with the 

 hoe, and only such sorts as are to be depended on planted, no 

 one on moderately light soil need despair of having winter 

 Broccoli. But as a great many readers of the Journal hav& 

 clay soils, an article on the management on such would no 

 doubt be very acceptable. — J. S., Aberdeen. 



ERANTHIS HYEJIALIS, OR "WINTER ACONITE. 



This cheerful-looking plant, with its bright yellow flowers, 

 is not half so often met with as it ought to be, for, Hke many 

 other favourites of former days, it is utterly neglected by the 

 fashionable flower gardener, who, in limiting his display to a 

 certain period, has totally ignored the remainder of the season, 

 and at least the first two and the last two months in the year 

 have no place in his calendar. The plant is of neat growth, 

 and produces rich-coloured blooms, equaUing in that respect 

 the best forms of the bedding Calceolaria ; and although it 

 blooms very often in January, and more abundantly in Feb- 

 ruary, at a time when flowers of all kinds are scarce, its im- 

 portance seems not to be duly appreciated, probably owing to 

 some idea of its being difficult to manage, and also, perhaps, 

 from its not being sufficiently known. Be this as it may, a 

 plant with bright shining foliage of a clear riuspotted green, 

 with flowers larger than the Primrose, supported on stalks not 

 more than 3 or 1 inches high, and appearing almost in mid- 

 winter, ought not to be lost sight of. It is by no means plen- 

 tiful; possibly it was more so half a century ago, and the 

 places where it is most likely to be found in quantities are 

 some of the old-fashioned gardens which it is a treat now and 

 then to meet with. 



Perhaps one of the causes of this plant's not being more 

 frequently met with in fashionable winter or spring bedding 

 is the fact that it does not transplant so well as many others, 

 and the best examples of it are seen where it has been let alone 

 for two or three years ; then it rushes up in luxuriance every 

 Christmas, and blooms at the proper time. The best examples 

 of it at this place are planted as edgings to Rose beds, and 

 also as edgings or rings round single trees or shrubs, where it 

 is not disturbed the whole year round. In such places it 

 ripens seed, sows itself, and often comes up amongst the turf, 

 or it may be on the gravel walk, and it also increases itself at 

 the root, but not very rapidly ; so that in most cases where an 

 edging of it is wanted I would recommend sowing the seed as 

 soon as it is gathered, and that care should be taken that it is 

 not disturbed till the ensuing spring, when it comes up thickly 

 enough. Excepting transplanting in order to fill-up defective- 

 places, I would leave the plants in the seed row, unless they are 

 very close together, in which case thinning may be necessary. 



Usually this plant thrives in a dry open soil, but our expe- 

 rience with it shows that it also succeeds -well in one of a 



