86 
CONTEMPORARY WRITINGS. 
throat, and much veined with the same colour ; 
a most profuse blooming variety, and one of 
the best for the flower-garden. Height, 18 
inches to 2 feet. Pet (Ivery's). — A pretty 
little gem ; pale pink mottled, margined, and 
veined with bright lively purple ; requires 
careful management through the winter, and 
rather rich soil when planted out. Height, 9 
to 15 inches. Queen of May. — White, mot- 
tled with bluish-purple ; a distinct and beau- 
tiful variety when it comes in good character, 
but very uncertain. Height, 18 inches. — AB. 
Forcing Pot-Herbs. — Scarcely any one 
thing is more easily produced than mint and 
fennel out of season; and yet no persons take 
the trouble to provide it, though in great re- 
quest. Even in good establishments gardeners 
hardly ever provide those things so early as 
they are wanted. Lamb is frequently pro- 
duced in January or February; and there are 
those who care nothing for it if they are de- 
barred of their mint sauce. Pickled salmon 
and prime mackerel are had very early in the 
season, long before a bit of fennel can be pro- 
cured of the out-of-door growth. There are 
other uses, perhaps, to which these herbs may 
be put besides sauce-making; but nothing can 
be more simple than their production at all 
seasons by merely potting a few plants, and 
starting them in a common hot -bed or stove, 
or even a warm green-house ; but in a place 
where hot-beds are always at work, it is only 
necessary to put some strong roots of mint 
and fennel, and place them in the hot-bed 
from time to time, according as the supply is 
likely to be required. The period for potting 
them is when they are throwing off their seed 
vessels : cut the old plants down at that time, 
and put them into eight-inch pots ; dig up a 
patch of roots as large as this pot will take, and 
place it awhile in the open air. About Oc- 
tober, put a pot of each in a hot-bed ; and in 
November another of each ; in December a 
third of each, and you will have a succession as 
soon as they can be wanted. They are still 
less trouble if you have a. stove, because they 
are more regularly heated, and have more air. 
Chinese Agriculture. — We often apply 
the epithet of semi-barbarians to the Chinese, 
because they very properly wished to be inde- 
pendent of Great Britain, and because they 
think and act differently to ourselves ; and 
also, in consequence of their not being so 
skilful in some manufactures as Europeans : 
yet, we find this people increasing within their 
own boundaries, until their numbers are almost 
incredible : from the remotest ages, they have 
been in the habit of practising, in the most 
ingenious manner, many of the arts which, 
but lately, Europeans have become acquainted 
with : — their soil has been cultivated with the 
most arduous labour, and its fertility increased 
by a method, which we, who pretend to be 
more learned and civilized, have almost up to 
the present time neglected, despised, or at 
least been in great ignorance of ; but science 
has pointed out to us discoveries which demon- 
strate the means of securing to us the most 
ample harvests ; and the Chinese have thus 
been able to compel their limited soil to afford 
them sufficient food for a population almost 
unlimited in numbers, which is estimated to be 
upwards of 300,000,C00 of persons, and this 
being the case, a scientific agriculturist is 
tempted to follow so valuable an example. — 
The Plough. 
Cause of the Potato Rot. — Mr. Chap- 
man, of Brentford End, has published some 
curious facts respecting the disease in the 
potato crop-, from which we deduce the fol- 
lowing : First, that there are no symptoms of 
the disease among early potatoes, planted 
early, and taken up early ; but that parts of 
the same crops left in the ground took the dis- 
ease as much as any. Secondly, that the 
disease in a general way affected new sorts of 
potatoes, and even seedling potatoes as much 
as old ones. Thirdly, that the disease must 
have originated from purely atmospheric influ- 
ences, because it affected potatoes in all kinds 
of ground, wet and dry, poor and rich, stiff 
and light, high and low, and although there 
may have been partial and local exceptions, 
no kind of land was free from attack. 
Fourthly, that the disease is not inherent in 
the potato itself. Potatoes planted in the 
ordinary way in July and August, in Novem- 
ber were nearly all diseased ; a quantity of 
the same sets kept over and planted the first 
of October, have matured themselves com- 
pletely, and have not in the whole lot the 
slightest symptoms of disease. Fifthly, that 
the disease must have commenced in July, 
and ended in September, or thereabouts. 
Many particulars are given confirmatory of 
these conclusions in the Gardener's Gazette of 
January 24th, in which paper, Mr. Chapman 
has contributed an elaborate, but thorough 
British article. 
Sowing Seeds. — In saving the seed of 
Stocks and Wall-flowers, the single ones only 
avail you ; and as the double flowers have no 
organs of generation, they are useless. It is 
a fallacy to put a single one amongst double 
ones. The proper way of saving seed is to 
sekct any single one that has five petals in- 
stead of four, and remove all other single ones. 
In saving seed from Dahlias, Hollyhocks, Lark- 
spurs, China Asters, Camellias, Koses, or other 
double flowers which yield seed, choose the best 
that have the necessary organs and seed-vessels. 
In saving the seed of vegetables, select the 
very best, and let none other bloom within a 
mile if you can help it. — Gknni/s Almanac. 
