360 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



as it does not run to seed so quickly as some other varieties, but ' Early 

 Milan' is perhaps best of all. After April I rely chiefly upon 'Early 

 Snowball ' until the middle of June, when 1 Veitch's Red Globe ' is the 

 best variety. For the winter supply * Sutton's Green Top ' is hardy 

 and of good quality ; and for sowing in the middle of August, which is 

 the latest , ' Chirk Castle ' is best, as it keeps sound longer than others. 



Yajvtablc Marrow (Cucurbita Pcpo). — It is usually grown for summer 

 use only, but the season may be much extended both early and late by 

 growing it under glass. Sown in pots under glass the first week in April, 

 and planted out on a hotbed under handlights as soon as large enough, 

 the produce will be ready about the middle of July, and • will continue 

 until destroyed by frost. The variety I prefer is the ' Long White ; ' 

 1 Moore's Cream ' is also useful. 



Yam (Dioscorea Batatas). — Sometimes distinguished among other 

 Yams as the Chinese l^am. This was brought prominently into notice 

 about forty years since as a substitute for Potatos, at a time when the 

 Potato disease was very prevalent. In warm situations with a deep soil it 

 is easily grown ; the chief difficulty connected w T ith its culture is the excava- 

 tion of the roots, w T hich are very brittle and descend sometimes to a depth 

 of three feet. It is somewhat similar to a Potato when cooked. 



There are a few other plants which have been occasionally used as 

 vegetables, including Mercury (Chenopodium Bonus Henricus), the young 

 shoots of the Stinging Nettle, the young shoots of the Hop, the leaves of 

 Sorrel, Chou de Milan, Couve Tronchuda, the fruits of the Egg Plant, 

 Maize Cobs, the roots of Celeriac, Cardoon, Oxalis crenata, Stachys 

 tuberifera, and Tropceolum tuberosum. They need not be further noticed 

 here because they do not take with the public, and I do not think any- 

 thing I can say in their favour would overcome people's disinclination. 



Thus we find about thirty different kinds of vegetables are grown in 

 gardens, in addition to salads and herbs ; of these twelve may be had 

 throughout the year, and even in the winter months upwards of twenty 

 may be had if proper facilities are given for their cultivation, and enough 

 of each is grown to sustain the supply as long as it is required. Com- 

 plaints are sometimes made because no new kinds of vegetables are 

 introduced. Mr. Carrington (who has charge of the old manuscripts at 

 Belvoir Castle) lately showed me an old bill for garden seeds dated 1709, 

 which only includes ten kinds of vegetable seeds besides Radishes, which 

 shows that vegetables are cultivated much more extensively in these days, 

 as the bill appears to be the full account for the year, and I take it to be 

 a fair example of what would be grown in those days.* I do not con- 

 sider that more kinds of vegetables are required, unless something can 

 be found that is perfectly hardy in the coldest weather, and is quite 

 distinct from anything we have at the present time. We certainly need 

 <_' renter facilities for growing winter vegetables in the majority of gardens, 

 supplemented by cold-storage chambers, and possibly assisted by electric 

 light. The question of electric light, however, requires further experiments 

 before it is ndnpted extensively. 



* I give a copy of this bill, as it may be of interest to many. 



