Gardening for Amateurs 



1085 



Propagation. If seed is sown in warmth 

 in February and the seedlings are subse- 

 quently potted, grown in a cool greenhouse 

 temperature, and planted out at the end of 

 May, fair-sized Potatoes may be had in 

 autumn. If seed is sown outside, it will take 

 two years for the tubers to reach a similar 

 size ; this method is to sow in drills in fine 

 soil late in April, and transplant the seed- 

 lings 12 inches apart. Take up the roots in 

 autumn and plant again the following year. 

 Propagation by eyes or buds is only resorted 

 to when a variety is scarce and it is desired 

 to increase the stock rapidly. In spring, start 

 the tubers in warmth in boxes of leaf -soil. 

 Practically every bud will grow, and roots 

 will soon form. Then each eye or bud is 

 cut out with a small piece of the Potato 

 attached, planted in boxes or pots of leaf- 

 soil, and grown in warmth for a time, finally 

 being hardened off in a cold frame until 

 the time for planting out of doors has 

 arrived. 



Lifting and Storing. After the haulm has 

 died down in autumn, the sooner the crop 

 is lifted the better. If the work is delayed 

 the soil becomes wet, making it laborious and 

 less satisfactory. The best place to store 

 Potatoes is in a cool outhouse on which the 

 sun does not shine, which is frost-proof, 

 and kept dark. They may also be clamped 

 safely out of doors. 



VARIETIES. Among first early sorts choose 

 Duke of York, Sharpe's Express, May Queen, 

 and Sir John Llewellyn. Second early : 

 Southern Queen, Britannia, British Queen, 

 and Windsor Castle. Later varieties : Up-to- 

 date, The Factor, and Langworthy. For 

 exhibition Sutton's Satisfaction is excellent. 

 Amongst coloured varieties the following are 

 good : King Edward VII., M. Breeze, The 

 Dean, and The Vicar of Laleham. 



Radish. There are two types of Radish, 

 the Long- and the Turnip-rooted. The Scar- 

 let and White Forcing are the best amongst 

 the Turnip-rooted sorts, and Wood's Frame 

 and Long Scarlet amongst the Long-rooted. 

 Radishes like rich soil ; if this is provided 

 they grow quickly and are consequently of 

 good quality. In poor soil the Turnip-rooted 

 sorts succeed better than the others. Sow 

 a little seed once a fortnight from early 

 March to the end of August, and then make 



a larger sowing for use in autumn and winter. 

 The Radish is quite hardy. 



There is a kind called the Rat-tailed 

 Radish, the pods of which are eaten when 

 young. These are excellent for salads and 

 for pickling. The plants are grown in rows 

 and staked like Peas. 



Rhubarb. It is not too much to say 

 that Rhubarb is amongst the most valu- 

 able plants of the garden. Although listed 

 amongst vegetables, it is used chiefly as a 

 fruit, coming in as it does in spring and 

 early summer for tarts and for stewing when 

 Apples and other fruits are scarce. 



Rhubarb roots forced into growth in light 

 soil under stage in warm greenhouse. 



The most satisfactory way of propagat- 

 ing the plants is by division of the roots 

 towards the end of March. Each root con- 

 sists of a number of crowns ; these are 

 separated and planted singly 4 feet apart 

 in trenched and manured soil. The stems 

 should not be " pulled " until the second 

 year. 



A stock of plants may soon be got together 

 by seed, but the varieties are usually in- 

 different when the plants are raised in this 

 way. Sow in slight heat early in March and 

 grow in pots in a cold frame, and plant out 

 early in May, after having previously 

 hardened the plants by the admission of 



