February 28, 186J. ] JOUENAL OF HOETICTTIiTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



173 



process, and allowing the ground to remain some time ex- 

 posed to the sun, air, and weather. It is then tolerably 

 firmly trodden over the lines at the time of planting. I 

 plant as early as I can possibly raise luy 2)lants (the British 

 Queen annually, from which I get the largest crops ; the 

 plants are then dug in), and under this treatment I know 

 of no kinds more hardy, or that stand the most inclement 

 weather better than La Constante and British Queen. 



Add to the above CaroUna Superba, and you have the best 

 three varieties at present in existence. Any private grower 

 who thoroughly understands the culture and requirements 

 of these three sorts for his main crops, can afford to specu- 

 late with the almost endless candidates that compete for 

 his favours for early and late production ; but after all, to 

 the above varieties he can always appeal for a never-failing 

 supply of the handsomest and best fruit in size, form, colour, 

 and flavour combined that the greatest connoisseur ne^d 

 wiah, throughout the principal part of the Strawberry sea- 

 son.* There are, unquestionably, several others of very great 

 merit, which it would be almost invidious to particularise ; 

 but every disinterested grower must, I think, admit that the 

 above three sorts are um-ivalled. 



I am anxiously looking forward to the results of next 

 season, to test the merits of La Fertile, Modele, and one or 

 two other seedlings, from the extensive repertoire of that dis- 

 tinguished raiser, M. de Jonghe, the raiser also of La Con- 

 stante. I am informed on the best authority, that the 

 former will be found to possess all the leading characteristics 

 of La Constante, added to which it produces larger fruit, is 

 extraordinarily prolific, ajid is more easily propagated. 



With regard to this latter point, I have already expressed 

 my opinion. Time, however, wiU show whether La Con- 

 stante will thus be doomed to the tomb of the Capulets. 

 TiU such is the case I shall pin my faith to La Constante, 

 as one of my greatest favourites, and enlarge my stock of it 

 accordingly. — William Eode:^, M.D., Tlie G-range, Kidder- 

 neiiister. 



YAGAEIES OF MUSHEOOM SPAWX. 



I hav:e been a successful cultivator of the Mushroom in 

 a proper house, and, not having one of those houses at 

 present. I made up two beds in November with dung pre- 

 pared in the usual way, and spawned them at a declining 

 heat of about 80°. These beds I made in a cold shut-up 

 shed. I formed them at the end, -i feet from the ground, 

 the face of the bed having an angle of about 30°. Under 

 these beds I have a chamber, in which I kept up a regular 

 fermentation with dung and leaves, and I always maintained 

 a heat in the beds of about 70° for at least six weeks, with 

 a covering of hay on the top. I then allowed them to cool 

 down by degrees to 55°, which heat they have been at for 

 a month, and yet I do not see the least sign of itushrooms. 

 I have examined the beds, and I find them one mass of 

 spawn, the threads of which are as thick as a stocking 

 needle. The average temperature of the shed is about 40°. 

 _Do you think this is high enough? or can you give any 

 instructions about them ? Do you think, if I raise the tem- 

 perature of the house, that I shall be successful ? — H. Leah. 



[It is quite possible that you may yet have a good crop 

 of Mushrooms, though the description of the spawn in the 

 bed, run as thick as stocking needles, makes the matter 

 doubtful, unless there are also plenty of small threads not 

 much thicker than the points of needles. By the bed being 

 so Slled with these threads, it seems to prove that all the 

 first operations were well and successfully performed ; but 

 it is just possible that your fermenting material, in the 

 chamber below the bed, made the bed at times too hot, 

 whilst the atmosphere of the place was becoming rather 

 cool. In such a bed, in a shed, applying heat from below 

 must be done with great caution. It' is safer to keep the 

 bed about 60° by top-covering ; and, if the bed is so kept, a 

 lower temperature of the atmosphere around the beds is of 



* La Constante will fruit nearly as late ia the season as Elton, and other 

 late kinds, and it mav not he ffenerally knowQ as yet, that in consequence 

 of Its fine colaar, unique, penetrating, racy flavour, and its firm texturs, it 

 makas one of the very hest preserves. I am aware it will require more than 

 ordtniry fortitude to commit so good a fruit to the preserving-pan, but so 

 long 35 the same spaca will grow an equal qudntitv of fruit fit for all -pur- 

 P?5|^' ^liy not, as mth everything elso in horticiiitnre, grow the superior 



less consequence. Even to keep up a moist atmosphere 

 of 55° we would prefer the fermenting-heap to be on the 

 floor of the house, and not below the bed. AVhat we should 

 advise now is, if the beds are dryish, to water them with 

 water at about 80"^, leaving them, however, rather dry than 

 wet ; then place a little clean straw over the beds, and over 

 that some hay, or even some warmish litter, increasing the 

 quantity until you find the bod, on the surface, warm 

 (about SO*), when you put your hand on it, beneath the 

 straw. A little fermenting matter might also be placed at 

 each end of the bed, so as to block up the outlets of the 

 chamber. As soon as the Mushrooms begin to appear, 

 lessen the thickness ot the covering. This heat on the 

 surface will encourage the working and productiveness of the 

 spawn upwards ; but too much heat, and continuous, must 

 not be given, or the spawn wUl thread, and not produce. 

 The heat, thus applied moderately at the surface, does little 

 to heat the spawn, or injure it, to any depth. We ha.ve 

 more faith that this system will answer, because you have 

 allowed the beds to be not higher than 55° for a month. 

 Try this addition of temperatore at the sm-faoe. Of course 

 the temperature of the shed (40°) is too low, but then, by 

 this covering, you can make the atmosphere, near the sur- 

 face of the bed, 60° or more. Treat yom- bed out of doors 

 in the same way. Examine the bed, and, if cold at the 

 surface, clear it aU.over; lay on some clean straw, then a 

 little warm litter, and then a good portion of the present 

 covering, but see that the hea^ does not increase too much. 

 Perhaps the bed with this 2 feet of covering was too hot. 

 We never had better Mushrooms than in ridges out of 

 doors ; but they require some care in changeable weather, 

 and the covering to be proportioned accordingly. We shaE 

 be glad to hear how you succeed. We have had fine crops 

 five or six weeks after spawring. We have had, also, fine 

 crops three months after spa^vning ; and we could not tell 

 why the latter were so long in coming. From six to seven 

 weeks is a common time.] 



EOYAL HOETICirLTITRAL SOCIETY. 



At the weekly Show, on the 25th instant, the objects 

 specially invited were Narcissus, and of these no exhibitors 

 came forward. A few, however, belonging to the Society, 

 also a number of Lilies of the Valley, were placed upon the 

 table. Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith, sent Phaljenopsis 

 SohOleriana, Dendrobium speciosum, Franoiscea confertiflora, 

 in exceEent bloom, and a nice specimen plant of Hedaroma 

 fuchsioides ; Mr. Bull, Chelsea, a fine pan of the Irish Fern 

 (Trichomanes speciosum), Cyperus alternifolius vai'iegatus, 

 and Pandanus elegantissimus ; Mr. E. Cox two seedling 

 Cinerarias, of no particular rr.erit ; and Mr. Greeves, Bays- 

 water Eoad, a window-box, flc wer-basket, and bouquets for 

 sale. 



GLAZING WITHOUT PUTTY. 



This is by no means new. I remember the late Mr. 

 Knight, of King's Eoad, Chelsea, pointing out to me, some 

 twenty years ago, a house that was glazed in the way your 

 correspondent speaks of. The bars were painted and the 

 glass fitted on, and three or four coats of thick paint filled 

 up all the crevices and fixed the glass ; but the plan had no 

 particular advantage over putty, as thick paint was, on the 

 whole, more costly, and the work was no better done. There 

 was another contrivance adopted at the same time to save 

 the lower squares of each light from breaking ; for the con- 

 densed moisture penetrated between them and the timber end 

 of the light they overlapt, and the water expanding in frosty- 

 weather broke the glass. To rjmedy this a plate of zinc 

 was put across, and it yielde 1 to the expansion of the 

 frozen water. I believe Messrs. Cottam & Hallam, whose 

 position as hothouse builders was very high about thirty 

 years ago, introduced a plan of glazing -ivithout putty, but 

 I cannot call to mind what. It must, however, not have 

 succeeded very well, or it would have been well known ere 

 this. There are serious objections to putty, I for one admit, 

 but with aU its faults we have not yet found a substitute for 

 it that is not otherwise still more defective. I hope, how- 

 ever, to see this remedied. — J. E. 



