66 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



January 27, 1912 



EARLY VEGETABLES- 



Tilers was a time when green peas were 

 considered a great luxury in Jane; now 

 they are to be had in abunrhinre by the 

 latter part of April and early in ^May. But, 

 as a rule, private establishni^^nts uie not 

 provided witli the requisite u-eaiis lor tin'ir 

 produetion, so it is to tlie great market 

 growers tliat we looli for these most deli- 

 cious and dainty dLslies. iStili it is pos- 

 sible in most private places to get a lew 

 early dishes betore outside crops are reaUy. 

 Those who are provided witn brick pus 

 ou^lii iini lii have any difficulty in gatiier- 

 ing pvu.-, l)y the end of April or early in 

 May, as peas do not require any artihcial 

 heat, and tliey resent forcing, xf some of 

 the early varieties are sown at once in 

 brick pit^i, the seeds will soon germiiiatej 

 and tht^ plants be then brought on gradu- 

 allv. 



iiio varieties grown must in a measure 

 Ijo determined by the depth of the pits, 

 but as a ruU^ there is plenty of space for 

 tlie <lwail kinds. i>v sucli as do not exceed 

 a height ol eighteen inches. A mistake 

 oft-eQ made when growing such things under 

 glass is overcrowding tiie plants, and so 

 preventing the air from circulating freely 

 amongst them. Peas are fairly hardy, 

 therefore only need to be protected from 

 frost and cold winds to ensure suoces^^. 

 When grown in pits, if the seed is sown 

 any time during the first half of January, 

 with due attention, and if an ordinary 

 season. ]mh1s shonUl be ready to gather 

 i'arly in May, hut it rt'tniired l>efore that 

 tinu^ tIm'V may In- i;t ;(\vri m a cool hoiue. We 

 hav*' oticn had a <j;(>()d croi) in pots in the 

 late j»cach-h()ii.>(» until the foliage of the 

 peacii ti rtvs h»'n:;ni to sha<U^ the ])lants when 

 they wi'ir translnied to a temporary pit. 

 I fiave <;ri)u n many varieties under "^gl ass, 

 but havi' never grown the round-seeded 

 kinds, as tliey art- of poor quality. The 

 best of the mine recent introduction is 

 Hundredfold ; this is a good cropper, and 

 produces fair-sized pods and peas of a 

 deep green colour, and f)f excellent quality. 

 It grows under glass to the height of about 

 eighteen imhes. Some like a dwarfer 

 variety, hut we do not obtain the same re- 

 sults from extraordinary dwarf kinds. 



Cauliflowers. 



Cauliflowers in early summer are always 

 in request, and as there are now so many 

 dw^arf kinds that are well adapted for grow- 

 ing under glass, there i.s no need to sow 

 seeds in the autumn where a frame can be 

 provided in spring. Seeds may be sown in 

 a box or pan, and intro<lueed into a gentle 

 heat. Here they will soon germinate, and 

 when large enough to handle should be 

 pricke<l off to prevent dam]>ing. When 

 the plants have made three or four rough 

 leaves they should be planted on a slight 

 hot- bed and have a frame placed over them. 

 Air must be admitted on all favourable 

 occasions to keep the plants sturdy. Such 

 varieties as Early Forcing do not require 

 much room ; if planted about a foot apart 

 each way, and kept fairly close to the glass, 

 this will be found ample space for them 

 to develop. AVhen the weather is mild the 

 lights may I^e removed entirelv in the day- 

 time, but should be put on early in the 

 evening, and should there be any^signs of 

 frost, cover the glass with mats to'^ward this 

 off, but air should be admitted as early in 



the day as possible to keep the plants 

 sturdy. ^ 



French Beans. 



Of French beans there are now so many 

 good varieties to irrow nnd^^r o-Iqcc +i,o+ 



difficult to say which is best. At this time 

 of the year, if a hot-bed can be provided in 

 a pit, an abundance of fleshy pods may be 

 had a couple of weeks or so earlier than 

 from cold frames. The main thing ivS to 

 ];;^ep up a succession, and where the houses 

 in early spring are crowded with other 

 things, it is often difficult to find sufficient 

 space for all \ therefore if brick pits are 

 available good crops may be had from these 

 with far le^ss trouble than growing the 

 plants in pots. But it must be borne in 

 n)ind that French beans, unlike peas, re- 

 quire heat to bring them forward, and 

 luiless this can be provided failure is sure 

 to be the result. Where a three-inch pipe 

 runs round the pit there should be no diffi- 

 culty in keeping up the requisite degree of 

 heat, es}5ecially if fermenting material can 

 be given ^ but this should on no account be 

 excessive, as bean roots are very sensitive, 

 and often more harm than good is done by 

 trying to bring the plants on too rapidly, 

 especially before the pods have begun to 

 form. When grown in pits it is essential 

 that air be admitted both at the top and 

 bottom of the lights on all favourable occa- 

 sions, as there is not such a free circulation 

 in these situations as in light, airy houses. 



Lettuces. 



Ijottuces are always in demand early in 

 spring, and as there are now so many dwarf 

 compact quick-growdng kinds there is no 

 need to winter so many plants in frames as 

 of old. Seeds sowm early in the year in 

 gentle heat will give nice hearts by April 

 and May. As soon as the plants are large 

 enough to handle they should be pricked 

 out about four inches apart each way on a 

 gentle hot-bed, and as near the glass as 

 possible. One light will be sufficient at a 

 time for an ordinaiy e&tablishment, but if 

 more are required preparations should be 

 made accordingly. The tender crisp hearts 

 of such varieties as Golden Queen are much 

 appreciated as salads. 



Potatoes. 



A'o place should be witliout a continuous 

 supply of potatoes from the early spring 

 until they are ready to lift from the open 

 ground^ but there are very few gardens 

 provided with sufficient accommodation to 

 grow all that are required^ hence the reason 

 so many contriyances are made in order 

 to bring forward and protect the nume- 

 rous crops that are desired. Young pota- 

 toes are a dainty dish in the early months 

 of the year, and unless a gardener is able 

 to provide them he is not considered to 

 be a first-class and capable man; but it is 

 not at all times the man that is at fault, but 

 the means at his command. Where heated 

 pits are provided there should be no diffi- 

 culty in keeping up a supply, as sets may 

 be brought forward in the houses to take 

 the place of those that have l>een cleared 

 out, thus accelerating the growth of the 

 crop by two or three weeks, which is a 

 great consideration w^here space is limited. 



H. C. Prtxskp. 



UaulltlOWers.— No paine should be 

 spared to obtain these as early as possible 

 as they are g:reatly appreciated in most es- 

 tablishments. First Crop, Early Forcing, or 

 any of the Early London types are the best 

 for this sowing. Sow in light soil in-^oxes, 

 place m gentle heat, and prick off immedi- 

 ately the seed leaves are fully developed, two 

 inches apart. Later on some may be ported 

 in 6f>-sized pots, and others planted out on 

 declining hotbeds, the rest being gradually 

 hardened off and planted on a south border 

 and well protected. Magnum Bonum and 

 Wliite Queen, sown in the same manner 

 make a good succession to the above 

 varieties.— G. Ellwood. 



MICHAELMAS DAISIES IN 



THE NORTH IN 



1911. 



I had almost 

 Michaelmas daisies 



begun 



to 



that 

 be 



xpect 

 were going to ut- a 

 failure in my garden during 1911. They 

 <lid not like the extreme heat and dryiie>; 

 of the summer. Mine never recei\ed aiiv 

 artificial watering for the excellent reason 

 that I w^as climbing amongst the Italian 

 Alps wdien I should haye been atteiKhiu 

 to their mute appeals for moisture. 



But alxiut mid-October they largely it- 

 covered. The aster which I personally ■ 

 at present advised/' as lawyers say, admire 

 most, is Climax. I wondered when 

 would condescend to open its flowers; 

 did so on October 18^ and they were chann- 

 ing, though not so large as I have some- 

 times seen them. Beauty of Oolwall, from 

 whom , owing to the F .C .C . from the 

 R.H.S. J one is perhaps given to expect too 

 much was moderately good here. All the 



flowers were. I think, double. 



The Hon. 



though hardly 



while 



Edith Gibbs Avas hardly as good as usual 

 but this year one small-flowered variety 

 gave me great pleasure, to wit. Chastity. 

 I took some trouble in planting it in a 

 position where it Avould be able to show 

 its beauty, and it did not disappoint me. 

 The plant — not a large one— was a chanii- 

 ing thicket of white blossoms^ enhanced 

 by their golden centres. 



Of the pink or red varieties St. Egwiii 

 Avas as delicately pretty, 

 so profuse in blossoms^ as ever ^ 

 Ryecroft Pink, Lil Fardell^ and Mrs. Ray- 

 ner were all good. I used to place Mr>- 

 Rayner first, but the sight of a bread- 

 of Lil Fardell in the York Nurseries caiiM . 

 me to put Lil Fardell in front of my 

 former favourite. Some of the pale pink 

 varieties in my own border have been dis- 

 tinctly disappointing this season, e.g.. Mi's. 

 Twinam^ Miss Gainsford, and Thirza. 1 

 neAV variety Lustre, which is of a (K 

 pink or rose colour, pleased nie much. 



Of the blue, pale blue, and purpl:sh-bl 

 varieties, Feltham Blue — much paler 

 colour than last year— -was very attract!^ 

 Miss Southall was good — mucb (hirkof 

 colour than Feltham Bhu'. A varin 

 w^hich I haye under the name of Splendent, 

 wa.s praiseworthy; so also was A. puni- 

 ceuSj wdiich is very near it in colour. 



One of my favourites, Brightness, av;i^ 

 very late in opening, but, on the oth- 

 hand, gave us flowers when other yarietb^ 

 had ceased to bloom. As to whites, I 

 not yet satisfied. Mrs. Peters does not 

 well in my garden. A variety at the Yoi-^ 

 Nurseries, under the name of Mrs. 1^ 

 Thorpe, was last year certainly l>etter thaa 

 Daisy Peters. Silver Queen, also a wbit«. 

 with a suspicion of a flush of 

 blue, was pretty . I not iced one < 

 two varieties in blossom alwut 0 

 ber 18 which were certainly ph 

 i n g— E t he 1 Per ry , a good pink, n 

 much more than two feet high, and ^ 

 japonicus, a semi-dwarf blue of a tint v 

 difficult to describe. 



It will be observed that I have said J 

 thing of many well-known and praisewori 

 yarieties, either because they do not 

 peal to me personally, or because they <- 

 not seem to be particularly good this 

 son.^ One plant wdiich I do not generally 

 admire extorted from me a word of prai>*' 

 viz., William Bowman, whose pni']' 

 flowers, in the sunshine, were d<K-ide^'; 

 effective. 



The two chief points as to the culture 

 Michaelmas daisies ceem to me to be, 

 do not let the clumps get too big, or. 

 other words, divide them every year, ai^ 

 secondly, stake early. G. Yei^^^ 



York. 



1 1 



