THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[January 2, 1882. 
VEGETABLES FOE THE TKOPICS. 
(From Sutton's Tropical Garden Guide.) 
( Continued from page 540.) 
Tomato (Lycopersicum csivlentum). 
Sow in October in see>"pans, and transplant on any- 
spare piece of ground. Fruit becomes ripe in February. 
No great care or attention is required for this plant, 
as it grows almost like a weed. 
Turnip (Brassica Bapa). 
It is not desirable to sow Turnips until the middle 
of October. Tbe seed may either be sown broadcast or 
in drills, but in either case the land should previously 
have been well trenched, and care should be taken that 
if the seedlings come up too thickly they are thinned 
out as soon as possible. Eventually, when well estab- 
lished, hoe out to 1 foot distance between the plants. 
Vegetable Mabeow (Cucurbita esculenta). 
Cultivation same as for Pumpkin. 
ENGLISH ANNUAL FLOWERS. 
There is nothing more calculated to recall pleasant 
home memories and early associations than the sight of 
these flowers in the tropical garden. Though shortlived, 
their variety is so great and their beauty so engaging, 
that now the great difficulty of transit is overcome, 
Annuals may brighten every foreign garden. Some amount 
of care and trouble is doubtless necessary to ensure 
success, but attention to a few guiding principles will 
avoid much disappointment. A few remarks as to the 
times when seeds should be sown in India are neces- 
sary. In Bengal do not sow before the rains are well 
over. In the Upper Provinces, on the contrary, it is 
often well to sow much earlier to ensure good growth 
before the cold weather. In Bengal Asters, Cinerarias, 
and Salpiglossis should be sown very early, or they 
■will not flower before the following hot season. Some 
of the quicker growing varieties, as Nemophila, Larkspur, 
and Virginian Stock, should not be sown before No- 
vember. 
Mode of Sowing. 
Sow the seeds in pots or pans, or in a seed gumlah 
supported on an empty flower pot standing in a pan of 
water, in a compost of leaf mould and sand. Be care- 
ful not to bury the seed too deeply under the soil. 
Keep shaded but give plenty of light and air, and at 
night when the weather is favourable stand the pans 
out in the open. Of course where pots and pans are 
not t< 
grown. 
open 
tendei 
from 
bad, the seeds should be sown in the open 
but any place. When sown in the 
care must be' taken to protect the 
rmi the scorching rays of the sun and 
er at night. To effect this make ' a 
, on a bamboo frame about 3 feet 
The red ants commit such ravages 
;o sow sparingly in the open ground, 
d, those seedlings which survive are 
stronger than those raised in pots.' 
from the gi 
that it is 13 
On the otl 
far healthie: 
We would recommend th 
such as Miniums, Aster, 
those which delight in a d 
Lupins, l'ortiduca, Poppy 
&c, are often irrevocably 
some of those which will 
yet require some sort of ^ 
ing plan is recommended :- 
is to be -soivn scoop out 
throw in some old leaf m< 
cici Jar drill of 6 or 8 inch 
1 inch *dcep. Cover lighi 
flower-pot imortod over th 
the Heeds begin to germint 
propped up on one side 2 
plant.-, are able to bear ex 
implanting of all varieties 
arariai Balsam, Ac, but 
andy soil, as for instance 
•sehtehijltzia, Mignonette, 
•ed by the process. For 
bear transplanting and 
stion at first, the follow- 
tho spot whero the seed 
earth of the border and 
lain until 
d then lie 
until the 
Annuals sown on the border require daily watering, 
and the morning should be chosen in preference to any 
other period of the day. 
One of the greatest pests of a tropical garden is the 
ant. Every care should be taken to prevent the ravages 
of these insects, or they will destroy the young seedlings 
as they appear above ground, and often eat the seeds 
before they germinate. The result of this is not only 
disappointment to the purchaser, but is frequently the 
cause of complaint to the seedsman, who is charged with 
supplying bad seed. A saucer of sweet oil is an irre- 
sistible bait to them, into which they will rush and kill 
themselves. Captain Weston says : — 
' The usual way of getting rid of the red ant is, I 
believe, by powdered turmeric or hid iee. I however- 
found a plan my malee had last year more successful. 
When the seeds were soivn, a cocoanut with the kernel 
in it was cut in halves and laid near the seeds ; the 
ants flocked to it, and when it was full of them it was 
imm ersed in hot water. The nuts were watched during 
the day, and in three days no more made their appear- 
ance. A few days after they made their appearance 
again, when they were treated in the same way and 
again Similarly disposed of. My plan when I find a nest 
of red ants is to band the spot round with clay and 
pour in boiling water, and I have found it efficient in 
the destruction of the red ants.' 
FLOWER SEEDS. 
, Abeonia. 
A very pretty trailing annual, with heads of flowers 
resembling the Verbena. Sow in October to bloom in 
February. 
Acboclinium. 
Highly ornamental, producing large everlasting flowers. 
Sow in October, and transplant to the open border. 
Agebatum. 
A very attractive annual, either for bedding purposes 
or for planting singly in the border. Sow in August, 
prick out singly, into pots, and transplant to the open 
ground in October. 
Alonsoa. 
A small showy annual, v.ith bright scarlet flowers. 
Sow in October. 
A pretty dwarf annual, more valuable for its delicious 
fragrance than for any special showiness in colour. Sow- 
patches in the borders during October, to bloom the 
middle of December. 
Amabanthus. 
Veiy handsome and ornamental. A few 
at intervals along a border produce a goo< 
in July. 
Antibkhinum (Snatdbagox.) 
A beautiful and well-known .flower. Sow 
The plants will generally bloom the sail 
sown, but it is better to keep them over 
cold season and replant in good soil. 
The Aster is one of the finest garden flowers, and is 
of easy cultivation. Sow on a bed of fine rich mould, 
or in a pot, any time from May till November. When 
a few inches high transplant carefully to where they are 
intended to flower, about 8 inclies apart, the tallest 
kinds in the centre of the bed. 
Balsam. 
This is one of the finest annuals, 
India. Imported seed produces flow 
Camellias, but native seedlings should be destroyed, 
not at all equal to plants from a carefully selected 
stock. Sow in the early part of September, as plants ' 
from seed sown in July or October do not thrive half , 
so well — the rain injuring the plants in the former case, 
and the cold in the latter. 
(To be Continued.) 
is placed 
it. Sow 
in October. 
the next 
,nd is a native of 
rs much like large 
