April 14-, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



273 



not to do so ; and by bis own liberality and that of others whom 

 he interested I was enabled to begin again ; and whenever he 

 could do so he always was ready to add to it some choice sort 

 of which he had a small piece to spare, for a more liberal florist 

 I never knew. 



I am sure that I shall be excused if I add a few words of 

 what I knew of him as a Christian and a pastor. Endued with 

 powers of mind of no common order, it was his delight ever to 

 preach the simple Gospel of the Lord Jesus. His heart was 

 large; and whenever he recognised a love to the Saviour, there 

 lie was ready to acknowledge a brother. Placed in a parish of 

 which the emoluments were a mere nothing, and where neglect 

 had long prevailed, he endeavoured to raise the standard of 

 religion and morals ; and having buib a parsonage, was engaged 

 in plans for the restoration of his church when death put an end 

 to "them all. His life was all in accord with his teaching ; and 

 that best of all teaching — example — in him was thoroughly 

 carried out. Over all that concerned his domestic life I must 

 draw a veil. It will readily be believed that one who so 

 thoroughly lived the life of a true Christian would shine in the 

 home circle ; and as a husband, father, or brother, there are 

 those left behind who with tears can bear witness to him in all 

 these ; while as a friend, there are many who will be ready to 

 feel that his loss cannot well be replaced. 



I little thought, when writing to me a few weeks ago, this 

 passage occurred — " I never worked harder in my life, but it 

 will not be so for long," how it was to come true in another 

 way than he himself anticipated. But " marvellous are Thy ways, 

 O King of Saints!" I may use his own words in allusion to 

 Mr. Beck : — " It was floriculture that brought us together, but 

 the Gospel of Christ cemented that friendship." As he was a 

 man of prayer, we may well believe that He who answers 

 prayer will watch over his dear ones left behind, and that the 

 remembrance of his loving Christian life will cheer them on in 

 their future journey. — D., Deal. 



TEEE MIGNONETTE. 



The following rninutife, it is hoped, will meet the case of 

 others as well as that of "A SmBSCBrBEH," who has been 

 " trying in vain to raise such trees." 



In March or April, better the middle of the former, select 

 rather more of nice clean 60-sized pots than you wish for speci- 

 mens of Mignonette trees, to make allowance for a few not 

 turning out so well as the rest. Drain these pots, and fill them 

 to within a quarter of an inch of the rims with rich light loam, 

 such as might be made with two parts of brown hazelly loam, 

 one part of very decomposed sweet leaf mould, half a part of 

 heath soil, and less than half a part of silver sand ; than drop a 

 few seeds — say four — in the centre of each pot, covering them up 

 nicely. The common Mignonette answers very well. The large- 

 flowering Mignonette will produce stronger stems and larger 

 trusses ; but we think the old common sort blooms in general 

 more profusely — but either kind will bloom abundantly if well 

 treated. When sown the best place for the pots is the back of a 

 Cucumber or Melon bed, where the pots can be plunged, and 

 air given to the young plants as soon as they appear. In such 

 circumstances they will not be long before they make their ap- 

 pearance. 



As soon as the plants are half an inch in height examine those 

 in each pot narrowly, and select the one that seems the most 

 bold and luxuriant, either pulling the others out, or, what is 

 better, cutting their stems below the surface with the point of a 

 penknife, so as not to injure the roots of the one plant left in 

 eacb pot. Were it not for this power of selection, and the cer- 

 tainty of getting a good plant, it would be as well to sow only 

 one good seed in a pot at once. By the time the plant is an 

 inch in height, any side shoot that offers to come should be dis- 

 budded, picking it out, but allowing the leaf next the stem to 

 remain. When the centre shoot is from 2 to 3 inches in length, 

 a little twig should be set against it, and the little stem tied to 

 it to encourage it to mount, nipping out every side shoot that 

 shows, but allowing the leaf to remaiD, as that adds strength to 

 the stem, and, besides, gives it a more furnished appearance. 

 The little twig stake should be 1 or V, inch from the stem ; and 

 in the process of growth, as a larger and stouter stake becomes 

 necessary, the lesser stake should be carefully taken out and the 

 larger one inserted in the same hole, so as to run as little risk 

 as possible of injuring the roots. 



As soon as these little pots are getting full of roots, and 

 before the roots meet the sides of the pot, shift each plant into 

 a large 48-sized, and plunge the pot, and keep training the main 

 stem and disbudding all side shoots as before. As soon as that 

 pot is filled, shift into a 32-sized pot, and let the soil be » little 

 rougher, and give a little bottom heat as before. If the main 

 shoot go on without showing flower it will be all smooth sailing, 

 the disbudding of all side shoots being the principal thing ; but 

 if the leading shoot show bloom it must be nipped off, and then 

 the best-placed shoot that comes you must train on as a con- 

 tinuation of the first stem ; and sometimes if jou want a tall 

 stem, you may have to do this several times before you obtain 

 the desired height. Whatever the height of the Btem before the 

 head forms, be it 1 foot, or a couple of feet or more, no flowers 

 should be allowed to remain until the stem is as high as desir- 

 able; nor even then until the head of the tree is pretty well 

 formed. 



When the 32-sized pot is about full of roots, I prefer placing 

 the plants in their flowering-pots, and a pot of 12 inches in 

 diameter and depth will support a very nice specimen. In this 

 last potting — and the pot may be larger if an extra-sized speci- 

 men is desirable — the drainage must be well attended to, and the 

 soil chosen of a more lumpy character, so as to avoid anything 

 like stagnant water ; and to help this still more, a few additional 

 pieces of fibry heath soil, and some bits of charcoal the size of 

 beans, may with advantage be added to the compost. This 

 rough material should be squeezed together pretty tight, and 

 the surface covered all over with fine material to the depth at 

 the sides of at least half an inch, which will prevent the air 

 entering the soil too freely. In all such shifting?, care must be 

 taken that the soil in the pot is moist, but not deluged, before 

 shifting; and this will be best secured by watering thoroughly 

 four hours or so before repotting. After this final repotting, if 

 the pots can be partly plunged in a mild heat for a fortnight or 

 so, it will be all in their favour ; but by July they will stand 

 well in any pit or house where they can receive moderate atten- 

 tion. In sucm. places the plants will do better when the pots 

 stand on a shelf, or on the bottom of another pot reversed ; as 

 when the pots stand on the ground the drainage is apt to be 

 injured, and the exhalations that rise from such wet ground are 

 not at all in their favour. 



Until the head is formed it is advisable to have a frill of Ieave3 

 all along the stem, but no side shoots ; that, as above stated, 

 not only furnishes clothing, but gives strength to the stem. 

 As the head swells in diameter, the leaves on the stem will most 

 likely be robbed, and will then fall off. In general it would be 

 best to have the shortest-stemmed plants for winter-blooming, 

 and the tallest for spring-blooming, as the former may be sup- 

 posed to perfect their heads sooner. In both cases the treat- 

 ment is much the same, as the plants should not only be kept 

 airy, but in a temperature of from 45° to 48° or 50° in winter, 

 with a rise from sunshine. 



In training, many contrivances may be adopted, with wire, &c, 

 for supports. I will describe a very simple mode. I will sup- 

 pose that the stem is high enough for the lower branches of the 

 future tree. Well, the plar.t is held carefully, the old temporary 

 stake removed, and a stout one, fully half an inch in diameter, 

 is inserted firmly in the same place, and as much higher above 

 the lower branches as we wish the point of the tree to be — say 

 some 15 inches above the lower branches. Well, after tying the 

 stem securely to the stake, the next operation is to make that 

 secure in the pot, so as to carry the weight of the future head ; 

 and no simpler plan exists than taking two pieces of wire at 

 right angles from the stake across the rim of the pot, and fasten- 

 ing them there. Then two holes at right angles a little apart from 

 each other about the level of the lower branches — say 18 inches 

 from the pot— will do for putting through two stout wires like 

 the spokes of a wheel. A wire fastened to the points will form 

 the circumference, and lesser wires between will furnish the means 

 for tying the branches. Six or 8 inches higher up other two wires 

 should be inserted for a smaller circle, and thus the o.bicular 

 pyramidal head may be easily secured. There must be regular 

 stopping and training, and nipping-off of all flower-buds until 

 the head is formed, and then each shoot may bloom as it likes. 



When the head is forming, and also when in bloom, clear 

 manure water, and not too strong, may be pretty freely used, 

 except in very dark weather in winter. To keep the plants long 

 healthy and producing abundance of bloom, no bloom should 

 be allowed to remain when it is old or showing signs of seeding. 

 One truss with seeds swelling will injure the plant more than a 



