August 2, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



91 



I have of coarse isolated the plants, and shall forthwith ex- 

 amine the remainder of my collection. Happily they are not 

 the best sorts ; so as Mr. Worthington Smith says he believes 

 his salus would finish them off I shall, inBtead of repotting 

 now, try it, and if it does not cure them I oan but repot later 

 on. You can readily imagine what consternation this re-ap- 

 pearance has caused me. However, I have the advantage this 

 year of knowing it in time, and to be forewarned is forearmed. 

 — D., Deal. 



CULTURE OF ZONAL PELARGONIUMS IN POTS. 



At the summer show held at Wimbledon for three or four 

 years past visitors have been particularly impressed with the 

 well-grown examples of zonal Pelargoniums exhibited by Mr. 

 Roser, gardener to A. Shaw, Esq., Park House, Wimbledon 

 Park. A few days since I had the pleasure of seeing these at 

 their own home, and a finer lot I have never seen before. None 

 of that flat cart-wheel training, which is contrary to all laws of 

 Nature, is practised, but medium-sized sturdy plants are grown 

 in 6-inch pots with extraordinary and well-developed foliage, 

 and fifteen to seventeen large and massive trusses of bloom, 

 Euch trusses which it would be difficult to excel. The plants, 

 Mr. Roser stated, were only struck last July. I counted the 

 number of pips in a truss of a few varieties. The first trues con- 

 tained sixty-Bix fully developed pips and thirty-six more to ex- 

 pand ; a Becond had 103 expanded blooms with twenty-six more 

 to perfect themselves ; the variety was the Rev. A. Atkinson. 

 The tbird truss was Mrs. Tate, a very pleasing pink, on which 

 were 120 pips nearly all fully expanded. These heads of bloom 

 were fully 6 inches in diameter at the bottom, and measuring 

 from the bottom row on the one side to the same row on tho 

 other they measured just 10 inches over. They were truly 

 superb, and as decorative plants grown in the ordinary bush-like 

 form they are not to be surpassed by any summer occupants of 

 our greenhouses. I was so pleased with them that I asked Mr. 

 Roser to describe his practice for the readers of the Journal, 

 and the following is the practice adopted by Mr. Roser as 

 desoribed by him. 



About the middle of July, or as early after that period aB 

 possible, cuttings are taken off in the ordinary way and struck 

 in the open ground, where they remain until they become 

 well rooted, after which they are lifted carefully and potted 

 in 60-sized pots, placing them in a cold frame or pit near 

 the glass, drawing off the lights on all favourable oppor- 

 tunities, taking great care never to allow them to become 

 saturated with water. About the middle of October they are 

 placed on shelves near the glass in a larger struoture, allowing 

 them plenty of air on all favourable occasions, and between 

 then and March only just water enough given to keep them 

 alive. Early in March they are shifted into their flowering 

 pots ; the Bize employed the first year is 6 inches. After pot- 

 ting is completed they are again placed on the shelves until 

 the Becond or third week in April, when they are plunged in 

 ashes in a frame, the lights being drawn off during warm 

 showers and other favourable times, and under this treatment 

 the plants make rapid growth. All the flower buds are pinched 

 off until the pots become full of roots — indeed, until within about 

 six or seven weeks before the plants are wanted for exhibition 

 purposes or for home decoration. At this time the trusses of 

 bloom that are then throwing up are left, and now we arrive 

 at the seoret of success. In order to obtain these gorgeous 

 as well as massive trusses the points of all growing Bhoota are 

 taken off with a sharp penknife immediately above each truss 

 of bloom, and the strength of the plant goes to swell the size 

 of truss as well as the individual blooms. From this period the 

 plants are fed with stimulants two or three times a-week, and 

 with clean water as often as it is necessary to water them. 



Zonal Pelargoniums, Mr. Roser says, should be grown from 

 the time of inserting the cuttings until their blooming period 

 in as light and airy a position as possible, in order that the 

 wood may become very firm and matured, without which it is 

 impossible to expect substantial trufiseB. After a fair trial with 

 an extensive collection the following twenty-four varieties are 

 found the most effective. The varieties raised by Mr. George, 

 Putney, which have massive trusses, large pips, and the flowers 

 on the truss remaining until the whole are fully developed, are 

 Par Excellence (very large pips), A.E.Barron, Terence, En- 

 chantress, Lord Mayo, Mrs. J. George, Seraph, The Shah, 

 Salamander, and Rose Unique; and those of Mr. Pearson's 

 raising having the same qualities are Arthur Rogers, Corsair, 

 Harrie Helen, F. R. Clifton, Col. Wright, Lady Sheffield, Mrs. 



Turner, Mrs. Tate, Matilda, Rev. A. Atkinson, Chas. Barrows, 

 and Col. Holden. Rose of Allandale, raised by Dr. Danny, 

 and White Clipper, raised by Mr. Must, complete the number 

 specified. 



The plants continue in bloom for nearly two months. As the 

 present is the time for inserting cuttings or procuring plants, a 

 record of Mr. Bossr's practice is seasonable.— An Exhibitor. 



AUTUMN CULTIVATION OP SALADS. 



Lettuce. — It is not always in the hottest days in summer 

 that cool crisp Lettuces are most wanted. In very many 

 places they are in greater demand from now until the new 

 year than at any other time of the season. In spring, when 

 every inch of ground in small gardens in rigidly utilised for 

 the principal kinds of vegetables, the Lettuces are often planted 

 in all Borts of unsuitable positions ; but now, when many 

 early Potatoes are lifted and other things cleared off from 

 borders and such-like ohoice plaoes, the Lettuce should have 

 the best of theee. Ground from which the Potatoes have 

 been recently dug answers well for Lettuce. If plenty of 

 manure was put in when the Potatoes were planted it will not 

 be necessary to add more now, but the ground must be dug 

 over and made fine and level on the surface. . 



We generally make it a point to sow Lettuce ones a fortnight. 

 This keeps up an excellent succeeEion. Large or small patches 

 may be sown according to demand. It is about ten weeks. 

 from the time the seed is sown until the plants are fit for use.. 

 Those Bown about the beginning of August will come in by:- 

 the end of September. From then onwards is when wo want ; 

 an immense quantity, and I fancy many others do tho same.. 

 When the soil is very dry it is a great advantage to bow the 

 seeds immediately the ground is turned over. The surface is-, 

 moist then and in much better condition for germinating the 

 seed quickly than when the surface is dried up. Do not sow- 

 the seed in close patches in beds and then transplant, but 

 place it at once where the plants have to grow. Draw the 

 drills 12 inches to 15 inches apart and 1J inoh deep. Drop 

 the seed into these drills in patches from five to eight seeds 

 in each. The Cabbage varieties may be sown S inches apart 

 and the Cos 10 inches or 12 inches. It takes less seed to sow 

 them in that way than sowing the whole length of the drill, 

 and as five or six plants come up in eaoh patch there is plenty 

 for thinning-out and transplanting. 



Sow three times in August, and the same number of times 

 in September. The plants from the last sowiDg may not 

 grow quickly, but they will become of use in the spring. The' 

 August sowings are the most useful in autumn. As soon ae 

 the first are large enough to transplant this should be done, as", 

 they will come in a few days later than those left to form tie' 

 crop. The best situation for Lettuces in autumn is the most? 

 sheltered from frost and the most exposed to the sun. Fre- 

 quent surface hoeings never fail to keep down weeds and impart 

 vigour to the plants. 



In wet autumns I have sometimes found it naoessary to lift 

 many of the Lettuces in October when they were nearly fully 

 grown and plant them in frames as close as they would stand, 

 and cover them over with sashes in unfavourable times. I 

 have also potted some of them before placing them in frames,., 

 but this plan will not pay for the labour and space. The best 

 Cabbage variety for standing the winter is the Hardy Hammer-- 

 smith. Amongst the Cos varieties I have a strong preference ■• 

 for the Black-seeded Bath. 



Endive. — The cultivation of this does not differ materially;.' 

 from that of the Lettuce. It is mostly grown for autumn use. ■ 

 The principal crop of it should be in by the first or second 

 week in August. We sow both our Lettuce and Endive to- 

 gether on the same border and in exactly the same manner. 

 They come up about the same time, but the Endive is a little 

 later than the Lettuce in becoming ready. It bears trans-, 

 planting well and snails do not seem to relish it. On rich 

 soil the plants often spread out to a considerable extent, and 

 a distance of 12 inches to 15 inches is not too far to grow 

 them apart. In hot weather the Endive is far more liable to 

 "bolt" than Lettuce, consequently a thorough watering now 

 and again is never labour lost. Those coming to maturity in 

 August and September may be tied-up to blanch the centre ; 

 but when there is much rain and Bnow they soon rot if tied-up, 

 and then the best way to blanch them is either to lay thin 

 pieces of deal over them or lift the plants and lay them in by 

 the roots in a dark Mushroom house. I only recommend two 

 sorts, White Batavian and Green Curled. 



