472 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [November i, i88. 
should not be heavily manured, but plenty of water 
should be given. In storing carrots it is a good precau- 
tion to cut off the tops a day or two before raising the 
roots. When taken up and tolerably dry, store in sand 
or friable dry soil in large earthen vessels. 
Celery (Apium graviolens). 
This root may be grown to as great perfection in 
tropical climates as in England. The secret appears 
to he to keep it in constant growth by a liberal supply 
of water and liquid manure. Sow as soon as possible 
after August for earliest crop, and again later for suc- 
cession. Sow in gumlahs in a light soil, where the 
plants should remain until they are 3 or 4 inches high. 
The seed is sometimes six weeks before it germinates. 
Dig trenches 18 inches apart, 18 inches wide, and the 
same depth. At the bottom place a liberal supply of 
cow-dung, well decayed, on the top 4 inches of mellow 
mould, and in this plant the seedlings 18 inches apart, 
and water liberally. Do not commence earthing up much 
before the fourth month from time of sowing. It is 
generally in best condition for the table when five months 
old, for, though not full grown, it is of far better 
flavour than when more advanced. To obtain a very 
early crop the following season it is possible to sow 
at the end of January, and keep the plants through 
the hot and rainy seasons for planting out in September 
or October following. 
Cauliflower (Brassica Botrytis cauliflora). 
All the directions given for the cultivation of cabbage 
apply equally to cauliflower. The soil cannot be too 
rich, nor the application of liquid manure too great. 
It is well worth while to pot off the young seedlings 
when very young, and keep them thus until the time 
for planting out. The cramping and starving the plants 
materially modify the tendency of cauliflowers to form 
leaf instead of heads. 
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus). 
This is particularly difficult to bring to perfection in 
India, on account of the ravages committed by a small 
red beetle, which infests the plants from the commence- 
ment. Muslin guards are an efficient protection against 
the attacks of these insects. Sow the seed at the end 
of October in good rich leaf mould, friable and well 
decayed. The plants may be placed in large pots or 
pans, and made to grow up a palisade or verandah. 
Cress (Lepidium sativum). 
This may be sown almost all the year round in small 
pans, thus keeping up a succession. A few days after 
sowing it is ready for cutting. The seed should not be 
covered, but sown broadcast on the surface after the 
soil is well watered. 
Water Cress. 
During the cold season this is raised without any 
difficulty. Sow in shallow pans with holes in the bottom. 
Stand these in a running stream or a pond so that t]ie 
bottoms only are immersed. It is important that the 
water should have free access through the holes so as 
to keep the roots of the cress always wet. 
Dandelion (Leontodon Taraxacum). 
This plant is valuable as a medicinal salad. Its 
cultivation is very simple : sow as soon as the rain 
commences, in drills 10 inches apart, on a bed of rich 
soil not too heavy. Water frequently, and thin out to 
8 inches in the rows, and when fairly grown keep the 
leaves off the ground by means of gravel or dry earth, 
covering with an inverted flower-pot. In the district of 
dhinesh Khind several acres are grown for the supply of 
the Indian Medicinal Department. 
Egg Plant (Solanum ovigerum). 
This is most successful when sown during the rains. 
Select a seed-bed of well-prepared soil, and when the 
plants are large enough transplant to 18 inches apart, 
on well-manured land prepared for irrigation. Water 
with liquid manure about once a week. 
Endive (CicJwrium Endivia). 
Sow about the middle of October, broadcast. As they 
do not bear transplanting well it is best to thin out 
the plants to 9 or 12 inches apart. Blanch by tying 
up the leaves into a cone with plantain leaf fibre. 
(To be continued.) 
THE NEED OF SPECIAL CULTURE FOR THE 
FINER GARDEN FLOWERS. 
(Field, 3rd September 1881.) 
In these days, when so many people are wishing to 
do something for the improvement of their flower gard- 
en and the fuller embellishment of their places with 
hardy flowers, many mistakes are being made every day 
as regards the selection and placing of the plants. The 
selection is a serious business, owing to the immense 
number of things that are offered, and the little know- 
ledge people generally have of them. But, supposing 
we get over this difficulty, and get the finest collection 
of plants possible in Em-ope, much may go wrong if 
we do not place the plants rightly. The common way 
is to put almost every choice thing in what is called 
the mixed border, and placing it there very often means 
losing it in quick time. No doubt the well-made mixed 
border is one of the prettiest sights one can see ; but 
the knowledge of plants and the taste requisite to make 
it are very rarely found. We have not seen three good 
mixed borders in twenty years. This is caused (1) by 
the repetition of the same thing, where it happens to 
be a popular or showy plant, all along the border ; (2) 
by allowing a number of subjects to exist in the bord- 
er, which speedily overrun it, and exhaust the others ; 
and (3) by the ill-placing of nearly all the plants. The 
gardener who made a really satisfactory mixed border 
without much naked earth throughout the spring, sum- 
mer, and autumn, and without filling up his gaps with 
weedy bedding plants and annuals, would be deserving 
of honourable distinction. Besides, the mixed border is 
not fitted to be brought into the open garden landscape, 
so to say, when made as it generally is ; it is rather 
suited for the quiet walk or on the kitchen garden bord- 
ers. However, the point of this article is to show that 
if we are to succeed with our finer races of hardy 
flowers, it cannot be in the mixed border. Each im- 
portant family of flowers is worthy of special culture, 
and without it no satisfactory result can be obtained. 
Whether we take to carnations, pinks, pansies, phloxes 
or lillies, stocks, double wallflowers, cloves, tall scarlet 
lobelias, or any of the beautiful families of plants now 
obtainable, in every case they ought to have special 
culture in fresh soil if we are to have the best result. 
Even an annual that one fancies, such as the Rhodanthe, 
or a beautiful ornamental grass like one of the Brizas, 
it is not easy to succeed with, unless the plant has a 
fair chance apart from the confusion and weariness of 
the ordinary border. 
Now this special culture is possible in two ways at 
least — either in the beds of the flower garden or on 
the lawn, and also in a plot of ground which ought 
to be set aside for nursery beds of the choicer flowers. 
Such plants as carnations, cloves, stocks, and pansies 
last a considerable time in bloom, and, therefore, may 
be introduced with taste into almost any position — not. 
perhaps, into a set pattern of carpet beds ; but still, 
by themselves, on a lawn or associated with other things, 
the tasteful gardener will find a good place for them. 
It is not that they always want a bed to themselves, 
but they may often be grouped with other plants. For 
instance, carnations may go with a thin crop of stand- 
ard roses, or may be followed by late-blooming gladioli, 
rising thinly over the carpet of grey leaves. So, again, 
pansies have admirable uses for rnixtiues of this kind, 
But the mixture must be " balanced " — plants put to- 
gether that help each other, not rob or injure each 
