274 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 4, 1877. 



prove the size and flavour of fruits we cannot doubt but that 

 those of the Fnohsia . . . will be amongst the first novelties 

 in the dessert?" Dr. Hogg, in "Vegetable Kingdom," page 

 358, says, "Fuchsia excorticata, a native of New Zealand, 

 yields fruit which is pleasant, very sweet, and eaten with great 

 avidity by birds." Is this species in cultivation? — G. Abbey. 



KITCHEN GARDEN CROPS IN THE SOUTH 



OF IRELAND. 



We have now come to the close of another active season, 

 and perhaps a few notes relating to my experience may be 

 acceptable to some of your numerous readers, especially to 

 those who, like myself, have to contend with an extremely 

 wet and cold climate. We have had an exceedingly unfavour- 

 able year, and I am sorry to say that in many cases the results 

 were anything but satisfactory. The spring was hard and 

 bitter, the summer cold and wet with a great deficiency of sun 

 heat, so that excellence among many crops of the kitchen 

 garden might be sought for in vain ; however, I will give a 

 few stray notes on those vegetables which in my experience 

 best suit a damp soil and a heavy dripping climate. 



Peas. — Those which I find do best in our climate are as 

 follow : — First sowings. — Dickson's First and Best, Carter's 

 First Crop, Sangster's No. 1, and Laxton's Prolific ; these, when 

 s-owu at the same time form a good succession. For second 

 sowings Laxton's Prolific, Laxton's Sapreme, and McLean's 

 Little Gem ; these also follow in well. Third and general 

 sowings. — Ne Plus Ultra, Williams's Emperor of Marrows 

 which is a splendid Pea, Veitch's Perfection, British Qaeen, 

 Hundredfold, and Hair's Dwarf Marrow. Fourth and last 

 sowings. — British Queen, Champion of England, and Laxton's 

 Omega. Those, if sown as described and at proper intervals, 

 give a loDg and plentiful supply, coming in well in succession 

 from the 20th of May till the middle of October. Everything 

 considered our crops of Peas have been very good. The last 

 two sowings particularly present a beautiful prospect, but are 

 just now at a standstill, waiting for Borne sun to aid them to 

 fill their pods. 



Bkoad Beans. — These have produced capital crops this year. 

 Those which I find do best in a damp climate are the Early 

 Mazagan, Green Long Pod, Green Windsor, and Beck's Little 

 Gem. 



Dwarf Kidney Beans.— In the early part of the year this 

 vegetable proved nearly a failure on account of the severity of 

 the spring. To replace those lost I found it necessary to sow 

 a quantity in pots and forward them by artificial means, which 

 after hardening off well I planted out to supply blanks, and 

 this answered the purpose well, giving a supply about the 

 25th of June. ThoBe with which I have been most successful 

 are Williams' Early Prolific, Negro Long-podded, and Canadian 

 Wonder, which is excellent both for exhibition and table pur- 

 poses. For the taller sorts I prefer the Champion, Scarlet 

 Runner, and Painted Lady. 



Cauliflowers. — Our spring crop was a thorough failure 

 owing to the severity of the weather. The only heads which 

 we expect to turn in now are the Walcheren and Veitch's 

 Autumn Giant, which we hope will be closely followed by 

 Grange's Autumn Broccoli. 



Broccoli in general does not come to perfection in this 

 locality. I give the preference to Grange's Autumn Giant, 

 Snow's Winter White, and Backhouse's Winter Broccoli, and 

 for spring and early summer use Frogmore Protecting, Veitch's 

 Protecting, Williams' Alexandra, Carter's Summer, and an ex- 

 ceedingly good variety, a cross between Cattell's Eclipse and 

 Knight's Protecting, this coming into use through May and 

 continuing until the middle of Jane ; it is quite dwarf and 

 compact. 



Brussels Sprouts do very well here, especially when planted 

 fiarly. I am quite content with Dickson's Improved. It is a 

 splendid variety, and suits our soil and climate well. 



Borecole. — I find this to be a most useful vegetable for 

 winter use, growing luxuriantly with us, Dwarf Green Curled 

 or Scotch being our favourite. 



Cabbages. — I may mention a few of the very many useful 

 -varieties of the Cabbage family. The Early Dwarf York is 

 very early, and consequently very useful ; Wheeler's Imperial 

 comes next, it is a splendid variety ; Cocoa-nut is also very 

 good ; so is Enfield Market, notwithstanding it being a late 

 variety. 



Savoy. — In this class our favourites are Dwarf Green Curled 

 and Drumhead. 



Spinach. — This useful vegetable when sown in succession 

 can be had at all seasons. I find for winter use none to equal 

 the prickly variety, and for summer use the round suits best, 

 sowings of which I make every eighth day during the summer 

 months. The New Zealand or Flanders is very useful, but 

 not a favourite with some consumers. 



Turnips. — We had much anxiety this season concerning the 

 welfare of the Turnip crop, all early Bowings having bolted 

 and were consequently useless ; but those sown about the end 

 of March and subsequently maintained the character for which 

 the south of Ireland is celebrated, having grown to a good size 

 and superior quality. The sorts which thrive best are the 

 Early White Stone, Early Snowball, and Robertson's Golden 

 Ball. For late sowings, Orange Jelly, Chirk Castle Black 

 Stone, and American Bed Stone. When sown at proper inter- 

 vals these sorts give a good succession. 



Carrots — For early sowings in frames the French Short 

 Horn, and for sowing out of doors the Early Scarlet Horn, 

 James's Intermediate, and Long Red Surrey. But the Carrot 

 requires much attention to bring it to perfection in our 

 climate, the wireworm being its greatest enemy. However, 

 all have done well this year ; but I may add that in the pre- 

 paration of the ground I applied gas lime liberally, and to 

 this I attribute the success of the Carrot crop. 



Parsnip. — This has been an unusually heavy crop with us 

 this season. Parsnips like a deep soil, consequently I trenched 

 to the depth of 3 feet, introduced plenty of manure to the 

 depth of 15 inches under the surface, with a good layer of 

 quicklime over all, which I had forked-in. The sorts I grow 

 are Student and Hollow Crown. 



Beetroot. — This has been anything but a success this year, 

 the seed being unusually slow in germinating, and those plants 

 which succeeded in making their appearance above ground 

 showed a great desire to run to seed. The sorts grown here 

 are Cattell's Blood Bed and Dell's Crimson. 



Onions have fallen far short of being an average crop this 

 year. The Globe Tripoli has not turned out as well as usual, 

 growing luxuriant tops, but little bulb. Spring sowingB are 

 rather small, but of good quality. The sorts which suit us 

 best I find to be Globe Tripoli for early use, and for general 

 use James's Keeping, Bedfordshire Champion, Banbury Im- 

 proved, and Williams's Magnum Bonum. 



Leeks are very good this season, Henry's Prize Leek being 

 a capital variety. 



Celery is quite a success with us this year. I have been 

 able to supply Celery of the very best quality Bince the 12th of 

 August. The plan which I adopt for blanching in the early 

 part of the season is to surround the plants with a quantity of 

 sawdust, and then bank-up in the usual way. The sorts I 

 grow being Williams's Matchless White and WilliamB's Match- 

 less Red, and for latest Laing's Solid Red. I would recom- 

 mend the above mode of blanching early Celery. 



Salads in general have given every satisfaction. A damp 

 season like that just passed suits this class of vegetables well. 

 — A. Campbell. 



(To be continued.) 



NEW BOOK. 



The Clematis as a Garden Flower ; being descriptions of the 

 hardy kinds, directions for cultivation, and the purposes for 

 which they are adapted in modern gardening. By Thomas 

 Moore, F.L.S., &a., and George Jackuan, F.R.H.S. New 

 and revised edition. 1877. 



The title page from which the above is copied tells the pur- 

 pose of the volume, and we readily record that the purpose is 

 thoroughly effected. The Clematis is now one of the most 

 ornamental and popular of our garden plants, but it took 

 nearly three centuries to establish it in its present position, 

 as is told in this extract from the introduction of the volume. 

 About half a dozen species of Clematis— all European — found 

 their way to this country about the end of the sixteenth century 

 —namely, C. Flammula, C. Viticella, C. cirrhosa, and C. integri- 

 folia, all in 1596, and C. erectain 1597. The two former still hold 

 an honourable position amongst the ornamental species, though 

 eclipsed by later introductions, and more especially by recent 

 acquisitions of hybrid origin. The catalogues do not credit the 

 seventeenth century with any additions to onr garden Cle- 

 matises ; but in the course of the eighteenth century some few 

 are recorded— C. crispa, C. Viorna, and C. orientalis in the 

 former half, and C. virginiana, C. ochroleuca, C. florida, C. caly- 

 cina, C. angustifolia, and C. paniculata in the latter half. 

 Since the beginning of the present century the acquisitions 



