B84 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ November 21, 1878. 
purpose of excluding light and preserving to the seeds uniform 
moisture. At no stage of growth ought the soil to be dry, but 
at this, the most critical, attention should be given to keep 
the germinating seeds always moist. Placed in a temperature 
of 55° to 65° little time elapses before growth commences. 
The brown paper will be better dispensed with then, though 
the attention must not be relaxed. The plants will keep 
on adding one small leaf after another, the little bulb at the 
same time steadily increasing in size. By-and-by the plants 
will require transplanting, but do not be in too great haste 
over this. Use the same kind of boxes for pricking them off 
into, also the same kind of soil, only richer, and leave them 
awhile longer in the same structure. As natural warmth in- 
creases transfer them to a cold frame and keep them growing 
on there until about the middle of September, then pot them 
into 4-inch pots and keep them in a cool place until established. 
In the beginning of October transfer them to a structure where 
the temperature is kept warm enough for their progressing 
gently through the winter. Each plant will produce on an 
average two dozen of flowers. I use these as cut flowers, 
thereby saving larger plants from being in any way damaged 
in appearance. 
About the end of May I have our stock planted out ina 
warm border in the kitchen garden, keeping the top of the 
bulbs slightly under the surface of the soil. If there is a 
necessity to water it is better to mulch the surrounding sur- 
faces than to have to make continued applications of water, 
which always have a tendency to sour the soil. Until the 
time of lifting the plants, during the latter part of September, 
no further attention will be required more than keeping weeds 
down. The young plants are mostly all potted into 5-inch 
pots; the older plants, which are managed the same way 
during summer as these, are placed in pots 5 and 6 inches in 
diameter. The pots are drained with a few coal ashes, and a 
thin layer of moss is placed between these and the soil to keep 
the drainage clear. ‘The soil used is composed of loam, a very 
slight addition of decayed manure, and a liberal quantity of 
sand. The soil is pressed firmly round the balls, the top of the 
bulb being kept on a level with the surface of the soil. The 
plants are then placed out of doors in a sheltered and shady 
position for two or three weeks to allow the roots to get hold 
of the soil, and are then placed in the same winter quarters 
as formerly. Some of the earliest varieties (they vary con- 
siderably in this respect) will be in flower at this season, and 
if more are wanted they are easily brought into bloom by 
placing as many as are required in a warmer structure. 
With regard to watering, I like the soil kept in a moist 
condition ; numbers of roots are pushed from the corms during 
winter, and inattention to watering is inimical to these. Where 
regular watering is neglected the foliage and flowers are apt 
to damp off at the junction of their stalks with the corm ; this 
tendency is further increased by growing the plants in too low 
a temperature. By the time the plants are three years old 
many of the corms are too large for the sizes of the pots we 
grow them in, consequently there is a weeding-out of these 
every season after flowering. Those desirous of growing large 
plants would doubtless find these just at their best for that 
purpose ; but assmall decorative plants meet our requirements, 
as noted at the beginning of this paper, young seedling plants 
are what we rely on. The foliage, especially in a cut state, is 
here held in nearly as much estimation as the flowers. To the 
amateur with little time to spend over his greenhouse I know 
no other plant so easily grown and capable of giving as good 
returns during the winter and spring months as the Cyclamen. 
—R. P. BROPHERSTON, Zyninghame. 
ABOUT VINES.—No. 3. 
UNDER the superintendence of Mr. Hunter I planted my 
first Vines on March 12th, 1876. Those along the front and 
back wall had their roots carefully spread out, and those along 
the centre, for supernumeraries, were turned out with the balls 
unbroken, the better to produce a few bunches that season. 1 
particularly noticed that the latter made the stronger growth, 
notwithstanding their crop. -A few days later I had my acci- 
dent with the glass. Immediately after the wind we had snow 
and bad weather, and the men working on the border made it 
firm, which was undoubtedly beneficial to the Vines. 
No fire heat was given until August, and this also I have 
since looked upon as an advantage. During May and June I 
was, twice in particular, twitted about the slow progress my 
Vines were making, and had friendly invitations to have others 
planted. My Vines, unaided by fire heat, I grant made slow 
progress at first, but they have since proved that a slow start 
was not a disadvantage. By the end of the season they 
branched out and covered the roof. With the aid of fire heat, 
for young Vines at the right time, in the autumn I had them 
sufficiently ripened to carry a fair crop, and it was a day Iam 
still proud of when with the first Grapes I ever grew I took 
first prize at our Newcastle Show amongst fourteen competitors. 
During February this year I planted a second house, but only 
along the front and middle, as I haye made the house half 
span to enable me to grow Peaches along the back, thus secur- 
ing the Peaches light. The house is a plain wooden structure 
with two rows of posts for support, the second row being 
under the apex or 6 feet from the back. Having proved that 
the Alicante colours better and has a denser bloom on the back 
wall than when immediately under the glass, at every fourth 
post I have planted an Alicante, and I mean, with the excep- 
tion of necessary openings, to run one rod the whole length 
about 4 feet 6 inches from the ground, that we may both see 
over the top from the path and get underneath when necessary. 
At this height these Vines will be no additional shade to the 
Peaches. Intending next spring to raise Cauliflower plants 
largely,as I did this, I do not intend having fire heat until after 
they are cleared out, then I intend to heat with flue and hot 
water combined. I have this autumn run a flue through my 
other house, and that I find is a great advantage. I do not in- 
tend to use the flue when starting the Vines, a damper being 
provided to turn the smoke either to the chimney or to the flue. 
I have dispensed altogether with early closing since July, the 
house from that time, as a rule, being open night and day. 
My canes have done fairly well, six or eight of them. being 
18 feet long, and I counted in one fifty joints. On the 6th of 
June I planted out several Vines of my own raising this year, 
and I see one (Alnwick Seedling) is now 17 feet long with 
forty-eight joints. They have also branched out in the most 
robust manner, but during these last six weeks I have taken 
all the laterals off. In this house the Peaches have ripened 
off admirably, and have produced clusters of fruit buds, and 
the bottom leaves of the Vines are now beginning to fall. It 
may interest some to know somewhat of a freak I played with 
a Duke.of Buccleuch. Being disappointed of a Vine promised, 
and yet being determined in some form to try to grow this 
noble Grape, I planted a stunted cane I already had on the 
6th of June. I had previously been kind to it, but with little 
satisfaction. After being planted it continued for a short 
while to make joints from an inch to 1} inch long. Having 
some healthy young canes of Waltham Cross I planted one by 
its side and inarched it. Some three weeks or so after the 
Duke gave evidence of fresh life the two had become united, 
and it has since made a fine fresh growth of rather over 2 feet. 
When I commenced Vine-growing I had an impression that 
plenty of liquor of moderate strength was the best treat- 
ment. Now my firm conviction is, if you have good turf to 
grow in the less liquid manure a young Vine has the better. 
In my second house this season I have watered only with pure 
water. In my next your readers shall have some account of 
the trials, disappointments, and perplexities of an amateur. 
—JOSEPH WITHERSPOON, Chester-le-Strect. 
ROSE OLLA PODRIDA. 
OTHER than the election the rosy talk in our Journal has of 
late been copious as to blooms, with here and there just a 
suspicion of thorn. With much I have been amused. For 
instance, we have had suggestions for an election from ‘“ ONE 
OF THE MILLION,” endorsed by our friend Mr. Radclyfie, for 
1, freest bloomers; 2, hardiest ; 3, best for bouquets; Mr. 
Radclyffe adding 4, best for scent; 5, best in bud for button 
holes. Then comes the privately sent suggestion from “A. C,.” 
as to the best Roses for travelling, and then Rey. C. P. Peach’s 
idea for the newer Rose election, but confining the electors to 
six nurserymen selected by amateurs, and vice versd. And 
in the same number comes my friend Mr. Beachey with his 
classification. Now to the latter gentleman we owe a most 
interesting paper as to certain rules for deciding the best Roses 
for general purposes. This paper was published in the Journal 
some five years ago; it singled out nine points, I think, in 
Roses, and each point as highest value had the mark 3. He 
made out his return by this list, and, tried by this test, Gloire 
de Dijon, I recollect, came out as his best Rose. For general 
purposes this is a yery good plan, but I ask my valued friend 
how many returns would he obtain made in thisway? In these 
