August 17, 1871. ] 



JOUENAIi OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



119 



Saeh simple facts are too limited to permit one to draw a 

 safe inference, but they miglat afford a bint in a promising 

 direction in the case of all late Potatoes where the tubers are 

 far from ripe. When the tubers, as in the case of the early 

 kinds, are mature, it would be the wisest policy to take them 

 up at once and keep them dry and cool. — R. Fish. 



CULTURE OF CLIANTHUS DAMPIEPJ. 



Until this year I have failed to flower this most lovely plant. 

 It is known by the name of the Parrot-beak Plant and the 

 Glory Pea of New Zealand. The first and the only time I 

 saw it in flower was at one of the Regent's Park Shows in 1861. 

 I was so struck with its beauty that I determined to grow it, 

 but I have failed from then until now. I sowed seeds year 

 after year as recommended in the catalogues and books. The 

 seedlings came up, attained 6 or 8 inches in height, and then 

 damped off. 



This Clianthus is an annual or biennial. Some sow it in 

 the autumn and flower it in the following summer, treating it, 

 in fact, as a biennial — a bad plan, as the chances are that it 

 will not survive the winter. I now give what I consider to be 

 the whole secret of success. On the lat of February put two 

 seeds in the pot in which the plants are intended to flower — an 

 8-inch pot is quite sulEeient. For soil use turfy loam and a 

 little well-decomposed dung, with a mixture of silver sand ; 

 charcoal drainage is good, and a little turfy fibre to surround 

 the collar of the plant I consider is of great importance. 

 Plunge the pot or pots to the rim in a brisk bottom heat, and 

 if a square of glass is placed over them the seeds will ger- 

 minate sooner. If one seed come it is well, but if two vegetate 

 it is better. By no means separate them, as two plants make 

 a splendid specimen, or rather a better display. Over-watering 

 is fatal ; give only a little when they are in need of it. Plenty 

 of light and air must be afforded.— C. M. McCiiow, Nash Court, 

 Faversham. 



THE BROAD-LEAVED DANDELION AS A 

 WINTER SALAD. 



Chicohy and Endive are, as Mr. Record observes in his paper 

 on winter salads, very useful and excellent, but it is nothing as 

 compared with the new hybrid Dandelion introduced into this 

 country by Messrs. Stuart & Mein. This is a decided improve- 

 ment on the Chicory, and is equal to and as fine-looking in the 

 salad-bowl as the Broad-leaved Eatavian Endive (Soarole of 

 the French). The culture recommended by Mr. Record for the 

 latter will suit this well in an ordinary way, but when this 

 Dandelion is two years old it is extraordinarily large and fine. 

 Sown even now, the plants by next year's winter will fill a 

 bushel measure. 



Instead of lifting the roots we put pots or boxes over the 

 crowns, and cover them with a little litter or leaves as with 

 Sea-kale. The same plants, of course, will last for several 

 years, whereas the Soarole requires to be sown every year. I 

 should be glad if Mr. Record would try it, and I am confident 

 he and others will thank me for bringing it to their notice. I 

 used to bo amused to see the cultivated beds of Dandelion at 

 the potager of Versailles ; and when I left France my friend, 

 Mr. Hardy, told me he expected this large-leaved Dandelion, 

 which was then newly introduced, would prove a great ac- 

 quisition to his salad supply. I have no doubt but it will be 

 used extensively everywhere in France, and especially about 

 Paris, where diuretics are much required by the people. 

 M. Andrg Leroy once told me he employed hundreds of people 

 in his department to gather iu spring immense quantities of 

 the Dandelion for the Paris markets. It is a remarkable fact 

 that most French people study the medicinal qualities of every- 

 thing they eat more than we do. Asparagus they eat, not so 

 much as a matter of taste, but because it is good for the system. 

 I am not speaking of Parisians, who are very like ourselves in 

 liking doctors and medicine always in sight, but of the genuine 

 French country folk, who understand at least the preservation 

 of health in its natural simplicity. I never saw a country 

 house, for instance, without a bag of Lime flowers to use as a 

 tisane, or the garden without the guimauve or Marshmallow, 

 the roots of which make a most valuable wash iu a family in 

 certain eases, whether for a cold in the head or any annoyance 

 where the mucous membrane is affected. 

 _ But I find I am wandering from what I really had to say — 

 simply to recommend the improved Broad-leaved Dandelion to 

 the notice of gardeners generally as quite a superior thing in 



its way ; and I would further impress on those who constitu- 

 tionally require a diuretic to use this as a salad in a relishable 

 form, grown and blanched as has been recommended by Mr. 

 Record. — H. Knight, Floors. 



POT-VINES. 



In the following paper I will relate what has been my suc- 

 cessful experience in growing pot-Yiues with limited con- 

 venience iu one place for several years, and although I may 

 not describe anything uncommon, my remarks may prove of 

 interest to some of your readers. 



It is usual in many gardens during spring to have one, two, 

 or, perhaps, even three, hotbed frames put up in the course of 

 the season. In the first of these, then, among the other things 

 a lot of Vine eyes are inserted in a pan iu the usual manner. 

 As they become nicely rooted, they are placed singly in small 

 pots. They are still kept in a corner of the frame, and grown 

 on. As they advance they are encouraged in similar quarters, . 

 and by-and-by, perhaps, shifted into a fresh frame where there 

 is a greater heat. 



They are kept as long as possible under such circumstances, 

 and about the middle of May, or when the bedding plants are 

 getting out of hand, they are transferred into ordinary-sized 

 cold frames. In these a row of plants is set along the front 

 of the frames, almost as close together as the pots will stand. 

 A few pieces of strong cord are tacked tightly across the frame 

 to act as a trellis to keep the canes off the ground, and at a 

 regular distance from the glass. When placed in these quarters 

 the Vines are encouraged as much as possible by good at- 

 tendance, shutting-up early to husband sun heat, and I have 

 often seen many canes with roots and tops " as sound as a 

 bell," produced in this way by the end of the season. 



Canes thus grown may not be nearly so good-looking nor 

 BO strong as those reared in bottom heat in houses by them- 

 selves, or in other hothouses, all through the season, but for 

 their size they are often by far the best ; for second-sized canee- 

 with good sound roots and well-ripened stems produce often 

 better crops of Grapes than others twice the size and apparently 

 sound enough. I could prove this by an instance under my 

 own observation at the present time. 



These canes in the cold frames in a good season can be 

 ripened to perfection. The sashes, according to the weather, 

 can be moved at convenience, and any amount of air can 

 be given. When their full season of growth is over it is 

 generally the plan to take them away to a back place and plunge 

 the pots in coal ashes to insure the roots from being injured 

 by too sudden changes of temperature, till the time arrived for 

 their being put into the forcing-pit, which was generally in 

 November. They have always done well, producing very good 

 dishes of Grapes in May. 



This plan of growing young canes would certainly not be- 

 resorted to if I had better conveniences, but in many cases 

 we have to make the most of things as they are. In this 

 instance there is a small stove for fruiting the Vines in, but 

 not another for growing a young lot of Vines. I have known 

 of other cases in which good fruiting pot- Vines could have 

 been reared in a similar way, but the attempt was not made. 

 — Robert Maokellab. 



CUCUMBER FAILURES. 



CncuMEEK plants well established, with healthy growth, 

 large green foliage, and the soil filled " with fine, white, clean, 

 healthy-looking roots," and yet without sufficient stamina to 

 produce or rather to mature any fruit — what can one infer 

 from such a statement but the presence of a faulty soil or tem- 

 perature, or both? Will "D., Deal," thin the vine, only re- 

 taining the strongest shoots, apply soil, and feed with liquid 

 manure, as I have suggested, and tell us the result after the 

 trial, for which there is still abundant time this season. I 

 detest mysteries, and do not believe we have one in this in- 

 stance, la it possible that the soil used is of too light a 

 nature? I have now four large plants clothed with huge green 

 foliage, and laden with fruit in all stages of growth. They are 

 iu 10-inch pots, which were long ago concealed from view by 

 the sods of turf packed around them, layer after layer of turf 

 having been added as often as the roots became visible, and the 

 plants are maintained in full vigour and frni fulness by the 

 constant use of sheep-dung water, as much as sis gallons 

 having been given to each plant daily during the late hot 

 weather. The sods are completely laced together by the roots, 



