THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
95 
down a stick is as good as the crown, and it is better to trench them into the 
ground than to make holes for them. 
Carrots. — Sow some early ones in a sheltered situation, first breaking the 
ground well to a spit and a half deep ; rub the woolly seeds apart in some sand, 
and sow in drills nine inches apart from each other, covering them very lightly. 
Cauliflowers. — S ow some seed in a warm situation and in rich ground. 
Cabbage. — Sow some of the early sorts in a warm border or quarter. 
Celery. — Sow some seed in pots or hoses to put into a cucumber frame, and 
grow it for early planting, or to enable you to, in some measure, shelter it if 
necessary. 
Leeks. — Sow in a warm situation ; a moderate patch will be sufficient for a 
tolerable crop when planted out. 
Lettuce may be sown, and if you have any that has stood over the winter 
under shelter, plant a few out. 
Mint. — The roots may be dug up and parted, and fresh plantations made ; 
some potted and put into a frame, or even into a warm room, will be found useful 
perhaps, especially as it in such great request. 
Onions. — Sow for a first crop. The ground should have been laying in 
ridges through the winter ; strong, well-decomposed manure should be plentifully 
dug in and mixed with the soil, which should be levelled, and the seeds sown 
thinly and evenly all over the bed, unless the appearance of drills be preferred. 
The seed mii3t be well but not deeply covered, and well trodden or rolled in. 
Peas. — Sow more peas for a succession ; the earlier sown ones already up 
must be cleaned and earth drawn to their stems in a ridge on the shady side of 
the row, and pretty high up to protect them from the cold winds ; also stick 
those that require it as soon as possible, as it protects them from wind and frost. 
Borage, said to be excellent for bees, may be sown wherever they are kept, 
and be allowed to take their chance without any other culture than clearing them 
from weeds. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Russian Violets. — J.B., Bournemouth. — These may be divided and planted 
out as soon as they have done flowering. Runners make capital plants ; remove 
them in May. A shady but not confiued place is generally recommended for the 
Russian violet, but wo have seen it thrive and bloom admirably in an exposed 
situation. 
Mushrooms. — Subscriber. — Too much moisture, either in the atmosphere or 
bed, is doubtless the cause of your mushrooms rotting off soon after they appear 
above the surface. As to the woodlice, a toad or two kept in your house will 
help greatly to lessen their number. 
Grapes. — C. S., Brixton. — You canno f do better than plant Black Hamburg 
in a span-roofed greenhouse, well exposed to the morning, mid-day, and afternoon 
sun, but without fire-heat. 
Hoya carnosa. — Lucius, — If you had space it might be worth while to pre- 
serve the seedlings, but, limited as you are as to room, we should not advise it, 
as it is not one seedling out of a very large number that rivals the parent plant 
in beauty, and H. carnosa itself is undoubtedly one of the best of its species. We 
do not recognize the other plant by the name you have given it ; but we think, if 
its name is a guide to its species, that you could not go far wrong in treating it 
as you would Primula sinensis. 
Camellias. — J. Jones. — Many reasons may be assigned for your camellia 
dropping its flower-buds, as, for instance, sudden changes of temperature, etc. 
A sudden rise of temperature causes them to push rapidly ; on the contrary, a 
decrease of warmth at that time checks growth ; and from both causes buds will 
fall. A variation of a few degrees will considerably affect them when in bloom, 
particularly in winter. If the soil in the pots is allowed to get dry during 
autumn, or after the buds are set, that will cause the plant to cast its buds ; for if 
ilarab. 
