February 19, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
163 
Pollock, Happy Thought, Crystal Palace Gem, Vesuvius, and Christine, 
with, if you prefer, Madame Vaucher in the centre, it will look very well. 
Notice to Quit ( Ten-years Reader ).—In all cases of this kind it is best 
to consult a solicitor; however, if there is no agreement to the contrary, it 
appears to us that you can demand a month’s notice to quit. No doubt you 
must pay your rent to your new landlord if the purchase is completed. On 
this point you had better consult the individual from whom you took the 
premises. 
Sponging Plants {Young Gardener ).—The former letter to which you 
refer did not reach us. We very readily answer your question. Neither 
Gishurst compound nor softsoap solution, if used warm and the plants well 
syringed or sponged with clean water immediately, will leave any sediment; 
but if there are no insects, all you need do is to sponge the leaves with 
warm soft water. Soot water, as clear as sherry wine, applied with a 
sponge, is good for plants and distasteful to insects. An ounce of quassia 
chips soaked in a gallon of soft water for forty-eight hours makes a good 
insecticide; or if you boil the chips for twenty minutes the solution can be 
used as soon as it is cool enough. Perhaps the “ nice glossy appearance of 
Crotons, &c.,” you have seen at flower shows was in part the result of 
oiling the leaves—a pernicious practice that we advise you to avoid. We 
have seen plants disqualified, and rightly so, because their leaves had been 
smeared with oil to render them “ glossy.” A deep colour and naturally 
healthy gloss can be insitred by good culture, which includes cleanliness. 
Auriculas Dying (J. L .).—We are sorry to hear of your failure with these 
charming flowers. As you say there is no woolly aphis on the plants that 
are dead or dying the result must be due either to unsuitable soil or some 
error in management. You do not state what position they occupied in 
the summer. Are you sure there are no wireworms in the loam ? You say 
you gave them “ too little water if anything.” Possibly as the summer was 
very hot that is the source of the evil, and perhaps there may have been 
insects on the under sides of the leaves that escaped your observation. In 
the absence of more precise information on details of treatment we are 
inclined to attribute the misfortune mainly to drought, heat, and insects 
during the summer months, while the soil, too, may have been too rich. 
You do not say whether the plants rooted freely into it or not, but we 
suspect they did not. Whatever may have led to their present condition we 
should at once turn them out of their pots, wash their roots, cutting off any 
decayed portion, and repot rather deeply in clean, small, well-drained pots 
in a compost of two-tbirds of sweet turfy loam and the remaining third of 
leaf soil and bruised charcoal in equal parts, adding also a little silver sand. 
In potting place a little of the last three ingredients in immediate contact 
with the roots, then fill in with the general compost, pressing it down pretty 
firmly. If the roots just touch the sides of the pots when inserted the pots 
will be quite large enough, overpotting being an evil to be avoided in the 
culture of Auriculas. If the plants have scarcely any fibrous roots treat 
them very much as cuttings—that is, using sand freely, and insert them up 
to the leaves. The soil being in a proper state as to moisture and the roots 
damp, water will not be needed for a day or two, but when it is given let it 
be in sufficient quantity to pass quite through the mass, suiface dribblings 
being dangerous, and we should not be surpiised if that faulty system of 
watering has not something to do with your failure. Keep the plants rather 
close in a frame until fresh growth commences, then ventilate judiciously, 
slightly at first, then more freely as the leaves unfold, and protect them 
from frost. With great care in watering your plants ought to improve. The 
soil must never get really dry before water is given, nor should it be given 
before approaching dryness. It is, indeed, in the exercise of sound 
judgment in watering that success will mainly depend in restoring the 
plants. 
Names of Fruits (J. 0. IF.).—We regret we cannot identify your Apple, 
which is probably a local variety. {James Beadle). —1, London Pippin ; 2, 
Northern Greening; 3, Wyken Pippin; 4, Not known; 5, Beauty of Kent. 
Names of Plants {A. B. C .).—The yellow flower is Justicia calycotricha. 
The other was too much withered to be recognised. {D. P .).—The plant is 
Lamb’s Lettuce, Valerianella olitoria, for the culture of which see the reply 
above. {F. G .).—The double-spathed Richardia is very fine, and, as you will 
see, we have referred to it in another column. The Orchid flowers were 
quite unrecognisable in such a withered state. {G. 0.). —1, To enable us to 
determine this plant you must send a specimen in flower carefully packed 
in a box; 2, Abutilon vexilladum variegatum ; 3, Saxifraga sarmentosa. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— February 18th. 
Our market keeps very quiet, and prices generally remain as last week, but Grapes 
are steadily rising, supplies falling off considerably. Forced vegetables are short. 
FRUIT. 
Apples.J sieve 2 
Chestnuts .. .. bushel 16 
Cobs, Kent .. per 100 lbs. 55 
Currants, Red .. J sieve 0 
,, Black.. | sieve 0 
. dozen 0 
® ra Pes.. 8 
Lemons. . io 
d. s. d. 
6 to 4 6 
0 0 0 
0 0 
0 0 
0 0 
0 0 
6 0 
15 0 
Oranges.100 
Peaches.per doz. 
Pears, kitchen .. dozen 
,, dessert .. dozen 
Pine Apples English .. lb. 
Plums .. .. .. £ sieve 
Strawberries.lb. 
St. Michael Pines ..each 
s. d. 
4 0 to 
0 0 
1 0 
2 0 
1 6 
0 0 
0 0 
3 0 
s. d. 
7 0 
0 0 
3 0 
6 0 
2 0 
0 0 
o 0 
7 0 
VEGETABLES. 
Artichokes .. .. dozen 
Asparagus .. .. bundle 
Beans, Kidney .. 100 
®eet. Red .. ,. dozen 
" roccol i.bundle 
Brussels Sprouts .. 4 sieve 
Cabbage.dozen 
Capsicums .. 10 0 1 
£ an i?* 8 .bunch 0 
Cauliflowers .. .. dozen 2 
„.bundle 1 
Coleworts dcz. bunches 2 
Cucumbers .. .. each 0 
® nd,Te .dozen 1 
Leeks .bunch 0 
d. s. d. 
0 to 4 0 
0 8 
2 
2 
1 
S 
1 
2 
0 
3 
2 
4 
1 
2 
0 
0 
Lettuce ., .. .. dozen 
Mushrooms .. ..punnet 
Mustard and Cress punnet 
Onions.bunch 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
Parsnips.dozen 
Potatoes. cwt. 
,, Kidney .. cwt. 
Rhubarb.bundle 
Salsafy.bundle 
Scorzonora .. .. bundle 
Seakale .. .. r er basket 
Shallots.lb . 
Spinach.brshel 
Tomatoes .. . ..lb. 
Turnips .. .. bunch 
s. d. s. d’ 
1 o to 1 6 
2 0 
5 0 
1 0 
5 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
4 
2 
0 
SEED TIME. 
Once more bas the time come for a definite arrangement 
of the farm crops for the year, and we have carefully to consider 
ways and means for turning the land to best—dare we venture 
to say profitable ?—account. Yes, the home farmer at any rate 
may still do so, for he has a ready means of disposal for his 
choicest productions ; and as to the surplus, well, he must turn it 
to account in the best possible manner, and in this it must be 
acknowledged that he is put into competition with the tenant 
farmer. One thing is certain, that for a first-class article there 
will always be a ready sale at the highest market prices ; be it 
our care to see that what we have to dispose of is as good as it 
is possible to be, and also that it is something likely to command 
a ready sale. We must be careful to avoid extremes, there must 
be due balance about our arrangements, and we must have 
regard to soil, climate, situation. 
One of the things concerning which there are likely to 
be mistakes made is laying down land to permanent pasture— 
we mean it may easily be carried too far. We are bound to 
insist upon the production of the whole of our cattle food by 
the land if a farm is to pay its way. There must be no more 
heavy account for cake and corn, or for grinding; we must both 
grow the food and prepare it ourselves. Steam power is all very 
well, but when there must be horses kept upon the farm let 
there be horse gear for driving machinery, with a roof to cover 
it, and let wet days in summer and the days and weeks of winter, 
when horses must be kept off the land, be turned to full account 
by men and horses. If it be granted, as we think it must, that in 
this lies true economy, then remember that a due proportion of 
the land must be kept under the plough to provide enough corn, 
roots, and green crops to feed the live stock. For instance, we 
have now a splendid crop of Rye quite ready for folding, and 
which will soon be ready to mow for stall-feeding. That crop 
may fairly be considered invaluable ; we have no substitute for 
it. Without it we must either feed off winter Oats or wait for 
Rye Grass, Trifolium, or winter Tares; and so useful is the 
Rye that we never have quite enough of it. The dairy cows 
must have a regular supply of it to impart colour and flavour to the 
butter, and if some can be spared for forward lambs they have it ( 
but generally they are taken to the earliest piece of Rye Grass. 
Of corn crops enough Wheat is grown, at the rate of about 
40 bushels per acre to supply the household flour, and straw 
for the stable and for thatching. The quantity of straw required 
for the carriage and saddle-horse stables leads to more Wheat 
being grown than is required for flour, but the surplus is turned 
to excellent account either whole or ground for chickens and 
cattle. Winter Oats look exceptionally well, and we have to 
sow enough spring Oats to insure a full supply of Oats for 
all the horses upon the estate, also for cattle and sheep, as 
well as for grinding for oatmeal; the straw is used chiefly 
for feeding lean stock in winter, but no animals live entirely 
upon it; then it is either chaffed and mixed with other food, 
or hay is given once a day. Good land will produce, from 
50 to 60 bushels of Oats per acre, so that our calculation of 
the number of acres to be sown is easy. Then comes Barley, 
yielding 30 to 40 bushels per acre, as a supply of whole corn 
for poultry and meal for fattening pigs. Of Peas and Beans 
we got about 40 bushels per acre, also for meal, and some 
whole Peas for pigs. A certain margin must be allowed in 
all these crops for the effects of bad weather, for it would 
obviously be unwise not to allow a moderate surplus for an 
emergency. 
Root crops comprise Mangolds, of which an ordinary crop 
yields 20 to 30 tons per acre. This is decidedly a profitable crop 
taken at its lowest value of 15s. per ton. for under high culture 
it is so much heavier that we have heard it remarked that the 
crop of Mangolds was worth more than the land upon which it 
grew. Be sure and have plenty of it both for the dairy cows 
and ewes after lambing. The crop of Carrots, Parsnips, and 
Swedes may be put at a common average of 20 tons per acre. Rea 
Intermediate is our favourite Carrot, alike useful for horses and 
cows ; cattle are also very fond of Parsnips, and Swedes are very 
useful where many sheep are kept. Enough Potatoes are grown 
for home consumption and for pigs upon ordinary home farms. 
