September, 1889. 
175 
4 
Seeds of several kinds of annuals for win- 
ter blooming, such as Sweet Alyssum, Mig- 
nonette, Blue Lobelia, Candytuft, Browal- 
lia elata, Pot Marigold “Meteor,” etc., may 
still be sown. These are all desirable plants 
for the greenhouse, and some of them, such 
as Sweet Alyssum, Blue Lobelia, Browallia, 
and Pot Marigold, do well as room plants. 
They all begin to flower while quite small. 
Cliorozema varia is an old, but latterly too 
much neglected plant, that is worthy of a 
place even in a small collection . Few plants 
are more easily grown. It blooms during 
the whole winter, its handsome orange-red 
flowers being freely produced in long, ter- 
minal racemes. An old, well-grown plant 
may be made to cover a large space in the 
green-house, where its numerous bright, 
butterfly-like flowers would form one of 
the chief attractions. It will also bloom 
well when confined to a comparatively 
small pot, and may then be grown very 
well in a room. 
Fuchsias speciosa and Mrs. Marshall 
might now be pruned in and given a rest 
for winter blooming. From the cuttings 
young plants could be made, to take the 
place of the old ones when they become 
too large. The summer bloomers should 
be allowed to flower till frosi occurs. Cut- 
tings may be taken from them now. how- 
ever, when they will root readily. Se- 
lect cuttings from those which have proved 
to be most satisfactory. — P. B. Mead. 
Hoiv to grow Pansies. 
To obtain an abundant supply of pansies 
early nut spring the seed should be sown 
early in September in a finely prepared 
seedbed. Remove the soil to the depth of 
four or five inches replacing with rich, 
light soil. Sow the seed in rows two inches 
apart, cover by 1 dusting fine soil, over it 
lightly and presing firmly with a brick or 
board. Water from a pot with a fine rose 
sprinkler and shade the seedbed with a 
light frame covered with plant muslin. 
When the seedlings are fairly up they may 
be pricked out into cold frames about three 
inches apart, and given partial shade by T 
covering with lath. The soil should be 
kept well stirred and the plants remain in 
the frames until they become sufficiently 
large as to crowd each other, when they 
may be remoyed to their winter quarters, 
setting them in cold frames six inches apart. 
Garden Work for September. 
The most important matter now is the 
proper planting of Fall and Winter crops of 
Kale, Spinach and Lettuce. The green 
curled Scotch Kale is far the best for Win- 
ter and Spring greens, while the Dwarf 
German will last longer in Spring before 
running to seed. As before stated I always 
sow Kale broadcast, giving the soil a good 
coat of manure on top, after plowing, and 
harrow it in lightly on the surface sowing 
the seed and rolling at once. The manure 
thus helps the plants at once to a vigorous 
growth and acts as a mulch and protection 
in Winter. Spinach we sow in rows on low 
ridges made over a furrow in which ferti- 
lizer has been strewn. When cold weather 
comes on a scattering of strawy manure 
over the surface is a good winter protec- 
tion, but the Norfolk S .voy is so hardy that 
it is seldom needed in this latitude. Flat 
Strap Leaf Turnips may still be sown and 
though not growing so large will be better 
for table use than those sown earlier. Prem- 
ium Gem peas sown now in a deep furrow 
and curved lightly, so as to be in a slight 
trench when they germinate, will usually 
make a very fair crop. The earth should 
be drawn towards them as they advance in 
growth so that the roots may be kept quite 
deeply in the ground. 
Tomatoes for winter forcing should be 
sown at once, or cuttings made from se- 
lected smooth fruited plants outdoors, and 
struck in the propagating bed. Dwarf 
Champion does better from cuttings than 
any variety I have every tried, and can be 
forced nicely, if space under glass is scarce, 
in eight inch pots. Pot first into threes and 
shift before the plants get stunted, into 
fours, sixes and finally into eights. A fur- 
ther shift into ten inch pots is better if 
room can be had. A much better crop un- 
der glass can be had in a house specially used 
for the purpose. I prefer a rattier narrow 
house, either lean-to or three quarters span, 
with about ten-foot sash bars on the longer 
slope of the roof. Stretch wires below the 
glass just as for training grapes and plant 
the tomatoes on a well drained bench along 
the front of the house, in a bed of soil five 
or six inches deep. Plant two feet apart 
and train to single stems, stopping the side 
shoots one leaf beyond each flower cluster. 
The plants for this purpose should be trans- 
planted once outdoors and kept in good 
condition until there is danger of frost, be- 
fore putting them inside. The Lorillard is 
said to be well adapted to forcing; I have 
not tried it, but know that the Dwarf 
Champion did well for me in a limited test 
last winter. If a house is devoted to forc- 
ing tomatoes trained under the roof, all 
that part of the house back of the front 
walk can be profitably used in forcing Rhu- 
barb. Large stools of roots should be used 
packed closely together on the floor and 
covered with soil or sphagnum. The roots 
used will of course be exhausted and a 
fresh supply should be raised annually from 
seed so as to have good three year old roots. 
As celery advances in growth it should 
be straightened up and handled as hereto- 
fore directed, but that which is for Winter 
and Spring use should have no further 
earthing until cool weather. A little for 
Fall use may be earthed up as rapidly as it 
grows. 
Snap beans may be sown the first of 
the month with some prospect of a crop 
before frost, in the latitude of Virginia. 
Lettuce for fall and early w inter heading 
in cold frames should be sown the first of 
the month, but for plants to carry over win- 
ter the sowing had better be deferred until 
the middle of the month and in this latitude 
ten days later. For frame lettuce I have 
found none to surpass the Boston Market. 
A variety known among the Baltimore 
truckers as Lazy Lettuce is also fine for 
frames but grows larger and needs more 
room than the Boston Market. For winter- 
ing over out doors under evergreen boughs 
I use a good deal of the Black Seed Simpson 
as I have found it particularly hardy. It is 
fine and tender but does not make a hard 
head and is not so good for market. Some 
new frame lettuces are highly spoken of but 
I have not yet tried them. In the latitude 
of Central Virginia the Brown Dutch Let- 
tuce will always live through without any 
protection, and last winter all kinds came 
through unprotected. 
The late crop of Cabbage should be kept 
cultivated as long as they can be gone 
through without breaking. Brussels Sprouts 
in private gardens should be staked and 
tied up to keep them from spraw ling on 
the ground. If you have a particularly 
fine plant of tomato which shows qualities 
ahead of the rest save the seed, but if you 
have a greenhouse do not depend on keep- 
ing it pure in this way, but late in the 
month strike cuttings from it and winter 
over in a cool greenhouse. Plant these out 
in the Spring apart from any others and 
save the seed of the best specimens. In this 
way you may get a vaiiety better suited for 
your purposes than any you can buy. As a 
general rule however it is poor economy for 
a gardener to save vegetable seed. The great 
purity and excellence of the seeds now sold 
by our leading seedsmen is unquestionable 
— so much so that the results of the late ex- 
haustive tests of seeds made at the Cornell 
University Experiment Station were sum- 
med up by Prof. Bailey in the remark, 
“The investigation appears to indicate that 
there is no necessity for seed-control sta- 
tions in this country, for the purpose of 
preventing dishonesty and carelessness in 
the sale of garden seeds.” No higher praise 
could be asked by American seedsmen. — 
W. F. Massey. 
