144 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 21,1884. 
seen in Covent Garden Market, thus showing the great perfection 
to which the London market gardeners grow this. Still we are 
told we are far behind our French neighbours in the high-class 
productions of salad vegetables, especially Endive. There are 
many different methods in practice for growing good Endive, all 
of which possess some merit. The plan I find best is to sow 
seeds on a south border at the end of July. As soon as the 
plants are large enough to be transplanted they are placed out 
a foot apart on a well-prepared border in which the soil has 
been enriched by a fair dressing of well decayed dung. A little 
soot is sprinkled around the young plants, and if slugs are 
troublesome a little lime also; likewise see that they do not 
suffer from di>ought. By the end of September, or first week in 
October, the best plants are ready for lifting and storing in cold 
frames for late supply. Early in September, however, those that 
are not considered fit to lift and store away are covered with an 
inverted flower pot, taking care to stop the hole with a plug of 
moss to exclude light, or by placing ordinary fiat roof tiles over 
the plants of the curled section, and by tying a piece of bast 
around the broad-leaved kinds similar to the method employed 
for Cos Lettuce in order to blanch them. These come in for use 
until frost destroys them, when recourse is had to those in frames. 
After storing those in frames every advantage is taken of fine 
days to admit plenty of air by throwing off the lights and care¬ 
fully removing all decaying leaves. We have a quantity of dry 
leaves stored away in readiness for blanching the Endive when 
necessary. The dry leaves are spread over a portion of the 
plants to the depth of from 8 to 10 inches, which will perfectly 
blanch the Endive without producing or accelerating decay of 
the hearts, as is too often the case with other methods employed. 
The varieties we prefer best are the Moss Curled and Improved 
Bound-leaved Batavian. 
Celery. —This is a most useful vegetable, being suitable for 
stewing, flavouring soups as well as salads. I need not enter 
into details of its culture further than point out a few important 
points which must not be overlooked. To produce good Celery, 
then, it is of primary importance to pay strict attention to 
giving a proper supply of liquid nourishment wdien in a growing 
state; secondly, taking great care in earthing up to draw the 
leaves firmly and closely together with the hand, whilst with the 
other the soil is placed around the plants. If this be not done 
perfectly blanched examples of Celery cannot possibly be 
obtained. Thirdly, see that the tops of the ridges are covered 
with litter, or, better still, with boards nailed together at right 
angles to throw off the heavy rains of autumn and winter, other¬ 
wise the plants will be found rotten when lifting late in the 
season. I find the best varieties to be Major Clarke’s Red, 
Ivery’s Nonsuch, and Sandringham White. 
Beet. —Every gardener grows this favourite vegetable. It 
may be had in use all the year round. It requires a deep rich 
soil for p>reducing roots of excellent quality, and must also be 
lifted with great care from the open ground, otherwise its roots 
will be broken, and a consequent loss of colour will ensue. Beet 
should be stored in layers of sand in a cool shed or cellar, where 
it will keep fresh for a long period. 
I have now enumerated and described the. various vegetables 
useful for winter salads, together with brief notes on their cul¬ 
tivation. Some will say the Cucumber is omitted, but this was 
purposely done for this reason; It is rarely if ever used now as 
a constituent of a good salad ; but Tomatoes often are, and they 
are certainly more wholesome. The object of these notes is to 
include such vegetables as will make an agreeable salad for daily 
consumption from September till May, and these are chiefiy 
penned for the benefit of younger gardeners and inexperienced 
amateurs.—A Head Gardener. 
FLOWER SHOW SCHEDULES. 
I was very pleased to see “ A Mid-Sussex Gardener's ” letter 
on the above subject, page 110, and I think with him that many 
schedules need revising, as he says the entrance fees are very 
large at some of the Sussex shows. There are two things which 
may be said in their favour—they prevent, to a great extent, 
inferior things being shown, and also anyone from entering 
recklessly; I mean by that, entering and then not taking the 
plants, thereby causing trouble to the stagers, especially if much 
space is required. What may be said against them? They 
prevent or check competition. I believe many good jdants are 
left at home because of the separate entrance fee required. 
An exhibitor would probably weigh his chance thus—‘ ‘They 
are not so good as A and B showed last year, and I will 
not risk entrance money for chance of third prize; ” whereas 
if they had not to be paid for separately he would probably 
say—“Well, there will be better there, but I may get a prize; 
and if I do not they are no discredit to me, and will help to 
make a show.” I also think the entrance in the fruit classes 
is heavier than in the plant classes. Certainly the plants cost 
more to take to the show, but the prizes are generally better 
and less competition than in the fruit classes. I will instance 
the competition in some of the classes at the last Eastbourne 
Show. Morello Cherries, thirty fruits, prizes 5s., 3s. 6 d., 2s. 6 d .; 
entrance Is.; nine competitors (not entries). Black Grapes, 
three bunches, 15s., 10s., 5s.; entrance Is., ten competitors; and 
eight competitors in the class for white Grapes. Nine dishes of 
fruit, 20s., 15s., 10s.; six competitors, or thirty-three bunches of 
Grapes and forty-three dishes of other fruit for less than £2. 
Most of the fruit and cut-tiower classes were well contested. 
That does not bear out my idea that separate entrance fees check 
competition, but it certainly prevented me from showing in five 
fruit classes. I think a small fee for each entry up to 5s., and 
afterwards free entry, is quite enough. 
While on the subject 1 would like to mention the almost 
suicidal course pursued by the Eastbourne Gardeners’ and 
Cottagers’ Mutual Improvement Society, who made a rule 
last year to the effect that anyone residing outside the parish 
is not eligible to become a member of the Society. The entrance 
fees of this Society are excessive. At the Summer Show they 
range from 5s. to Is. for non-members, and there are thirty 
classes provided for members only to which no entrance fee 
is prefixed. At the Chrysanthemum Show the entry is 2s. 6rf. 
for the first, and Is. 6d. for each subsequent entry for non¬ 
members. It is also worth noting that for twenty-four incurved 
blooms (open) the prizes were 20s.. 15s., 10s. For twelve blooms 
(members only) the prizes were 15s., 10s., 5s., and the same for 
Japanese. I cannot think a Society so selfish as this will 
prosper. I think all shows should be open, but classes provided 
for the small growers, from which the larger ones ai’e excluded, 
as at Liverpool; but even the Liverpool gardeners reserve many 
of the classes to themselves at their Summer Show.—J. Gore. 
In your issue of February 7th, page 110, “ Mid-Sussex ” calls 
attention to the above subject. His very sensible article is, I 
think, well timed, especially his remarks on the schedule of the 
Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society. It is to be hoped 
the Committee will take the hint and make some radical changes 
in their schedule, which is far from being up to the times. 
Having been an exhibitor of Grapes at their shows for a number 
of years, I have been astonished and disappointed year after 
year that they do not offer prizes for other sorts than Black 
Hamburghs and White Muscats that would make a good display 
at their September shows. They evidently think that Muscat of 
Alexandria is an inferior Grape, and more easily grown than 
Black Hamburgh. The prizes for six bunches of the latter are 
invariably more than for six bunches of White Muscat, which is 
a mistake. The entrance fees are too heavy. I agree with 
“Mid Sussex” that to adopt some system of membership would 
pay better and give more general satisfaction. The younger 
members of the fraternity in Brighton have succeeded in estab¬ 
lishing a Chrysanthemum Society, and that their first show last 
November was a great success, must have been patent to all who 
had the good fortune to see it. I daresay the slight omission as 
to what constitutes membership will be rectified in the prize 
schedule for this year, and it is to be hoped that “Mid-Sussex ” 
and others in the locality will join in and make their success 
more complete.— Exhibitor. 
SHRUBBY VERONICAS. 
Our indebtedness to New Zealand and Tasmania for the many 
new and rare additions to our already large collections of garden 
plants can hardly be over-estimated when the surprising way in 
which some them adapt themselves to our average English winter is 
taken into consideration. That much remains yet to be done in the 
way of fresh introductions before we can form an adequate idea of 
the richness of the vegetation in those countries is shown in the words 
of a popular writer, who, in reference to Tasmania in particular, says, 
“ Somersetshire cannot surpass her orchards, nor Devon match her 
flowers ; ” and even in the handbooks of the floras the many plants we 
see described as exquisite garden plants that have not yet been intro¬ 
duced lead us to hope for not a few genuine surprises, and anxiously 
await the result of some enthusiastic and enterprising collector's 
researches. 
Of the New Zealand plants already introduced shrubby Veronicas 
form a fair proportion, and are useful in many ways, among which 
the decoration of the rockery and to give variety to the mixed flower 
border are not the least prominent, some few also being specially 
adapted for pot culture, and -when well growm are by no means to be 
