398 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 22, 1834. 
hand and buttonhole bouquets, while they are by no means 
to be despised for mixing in vases with other flowers or for 
specimen glasses. Indeed they can be utilised in so many 
ways that they are extremely valuable in gardens, and are 
deservedly becoming great favourites. —W. Iggulden. 
A SELECTION OF VEGETABLES. 
One of the most popular and useful prizes offered for com¬ 
petition at the meetings of local horticultural societies is for 
what is somewhat erroneously termed a collection of vegetables ; 
hut as the number of sorts to be shown is always limited, the 
title of this paper would certainly be the most correct of the 
two. But when a society can afford it there should always be 
two classes—one for an unlimited collection from large gardens 
of a given area, say from 2 acres and upwards, and another for 
a limited selection from smaller gardens. This would not only 
put competitors upon an equal footing, but it would induce many 
to exhibit in the second class who might otherwise not do so at 
all, from a mistaken idea that large gardens invariably produce 
the best vegetables. That large gardens do generally contain an 
abundant supply of good serviceable vegetables is undoubtedly 
-correct, but the fact of the labour power being spread over so 
large an area not unfrequently militates strongly against the 
production of specimen prize-winning vegetables, especially 
when the rigid economy of hard times has caused a serious re¬ 
duction in the staff, as is but too frequently the case now-a-days. 
The healthy spirit of emulation to which such contests give 
rise should, and undoubtedly does, lead to a general improve¬ 
ment in the garden produce, and this is the true end and aim of 
the society. Most local shows are held as summer plenty ripens 
iuto the fulness of autumn, and fruit and flowers are most abun¬ 
dant ; but after a month or two of hot dry weather vegetables 
are apt to be neither so fresh, crisp, or succulent as at midsum¬ 
mer. Well will it be now, therefore, to carefully consider ways 
and means which are generally available for the successful 
culture of, or rather for the maintenance of an unbroken supply 
of tender young vegetables during the heat of summer. Water, 
manure, and labour are our three indispensables, always to be 
regarded as an inseparable trio ready to our hands in due pro¬ 
portion, and which, if applied with due care and skill, render 
success a certainty. 
Peas. —These worthily come first as the most popular summer 
vegetable. It is not often that soil is either deep or rich enough 
to do full justice to them. Out of five gardens in which I prac¬ 
tised only two had re.illy suitable soil for the growth of full 
•crops of late summer Peas. Trenches a foot deep, prepared as 
if for Celery, must therefore be resorted to in most gardens. If 
they were 2 feet deep the Pea roots would quickly reach the 
bottom, but a foot is a reasonable and fairly safe depth. Sow 
in the first and third weeks of June for a late August and Sep¬ 
tember supply either Telephone or a similar tall-growing sort 
with large pods well filled with deep-green peas. If the weather 
is hot and dry, then water the seed well as it is sown, and 
cover with the warm moistened soil immediately. Germination 
will follow quickly and simultaneously in the whole of the seed, 
and not in part of it only, as is frequently the case when it is 
left to chance in unwatered soil. After growth is visible there 
must be no check from drought. A thorough drenching of the 
whole of the soil about the roots once a week, followed by a 
slight mulching to check evaporation, will suffice ; and if sewage 
can be substituted for the water after the pods appear the crop 
will be both abundant and fine. 
Tomatoes. —Whether grown in pots or not. a sunny airy 
position under glass is indispensable to the ripening of this im¬ 
portant crop. It is a gross feeder, and should have liberal daily 
supplies of sewage or other liquid manure as the fruit is swelling. 
Supporting them by stakes, nipping off the tips of the growth 
one joint above each flower truss, thinning foliage and crowded 
lateral growth, are the chief cultural points. Fruits of medium 
size, handsome in form, and without ribs are best for table, and 
ought therefore to obtain preference before very large fruit at an 
exhibition. Thei'e are many excellent varieties, of which Acme 
and Vick’s Criterion may be mentioned as standard sorts, with 
fruit of perfect form and high quality. 
Cauliflowers.— Really good heads of Cauliflower at the 
end of a hot dry summer so surely indicate skilful culture that 
they alone would materially affect the judges’ decision. Plants 
just through the soil, or seed sown early in May, should have 
good heads by the end of August; but this is a little uncertain 
and is immaterial, for as a full supply has to be ready before the 
late Broccoli is over in May, and has to be kept up till the early 
winter Broccoli is ready in autumn, due care has only to be 
taken never to let our supply of compact heads run short, and 
not only shall we always be ready for an exhibition, but for the 
household requirements. Trenches containing plenty of manure, 
frequent thorough soakings of sewage, top-dressings of rough 
half-decayed manure to check evaporation, and to encourage free 
root growth near the surface as well as deep down in the 
trenches, will insure that full development of leaves, without 
which we cannot have fine heads. Two sorts should always be 
sown at the same time for each successional crop; at the earliest 
spring sowing Snowball and Early London, next Walcheren and 
Early London, and for the late crops Veitch’s Pearl and Autumn 
Giant, thus insuring and prolonging the supply from each 
sowing. 
Kidney Beans. —With these there is no special difficulty. 
Our supply would be taken from the June sowings in a rich soil, 
preference being given to Ne Plus Ultra. The plants are 
6 inches apart, and some watering and mulching is requisite in 
parching weather. 
Mushrooms. —These should always be included in a selection 
of vegetables. Amenable to culture in so many ways, the pro¬ 
cess is more a matter of expediency than of rule, if only due 
care be taken to have the bed about a foot thick after it is well 
beaten; to insert the spawn at a temperature falling from 90° to 
85°, each piece of spawn being an eighth part of an ordinary 
Mushroom brick, and 9 inches apart in the bed; to cover if 
possible with pure loam fresh from a meadow ; to maintain the 
house at an equable temperature of 55", and to remember that 
the bed must be made about two months before the time when 
Mushrooms ai’e required. 
Brussels Sprouts. —Though these can hardly be regarded 
as an autumn vegetable, yet, as they are then frequently ex¬ 
hibited, I may mention Paragon as a distinct and handsome sort, 
which I had in cultivation for the first time last season, and 
which proved a distinct and valuable introduction. Under the 
ordinary treatment its sprouts were remarkably uniform in size, 
not large, but of the medium size, for which there is a general 
preference, very handsome, compact, and delicately flavoured. 
Potatoes. —Only those sorts should be exhibited in which 
we have high quality and abundant produce in combination with 
full eyes and handsome form. Of such I may mention Improved 
Snowflake of the kidneys and Porter’s Excelsior among rounds. 
Rich soil must be had to do full justice to them ; in a poor soil 
they prove comparatively worthless. 
Celery. —Sturdy plants should be ready for the trenches 
about the middle of this month. Especial care must be taken to 
keep this early crop growing freely, for if it sustains a check or 
suffers at all from drought it will bolt to seed prematurely and 
be spoiled; it must, therefore, be watered regularly and fre¬ 
quently. In hot dry weather a thorough daily watering is neces¬ 
sary. and before the earthing begins drain pip:s are set on end, 
the bottoms resting upon the soil in the trench, and the tops 
protruding out of the soil used for bleaching the Celery, so that 
water may be poured down them to the roots without risk of its 
lodging in the centre of the plants and causing decay. Select 
firm medium-sized Celery, crisp and well bleached, for exhibi¬ 
tion, rather than that which is large, soft, and stringy, always 
re-nembering that mere size is a secondary consideration. There 
are several good sorts, and among the best are Major Clarke’s 
fine Solid Red and Sandringham Dwarf White. 
Turnips. —A late June sowing would probably afford us our 
supply at the end of August, but the only safe plan is to sow 
small successional beds of Turnips throughout summer. As 
soon as one crop is nicely in leaf sow another, our succession of 
sorts being Early Milan, Early Purple-top Munich, White and 
Red Strap-leaf for summer, Snowball for autumn, and Chirk 
Castle for winter and spring. 
Carrots and other Roots.— For a few handsome roots of 
Carrot and Pai-snip, holes made in firm soil and filled with rich 
sandy soil is a sure and speedy way, a pinch of seed being sown 
at each station, and the plants thinned to one as soon as they 
are large enough. Of Onions take Banbury Improved, Beet 
Pragnell’s Exhibition, and of Leeks The Lyon. Jerusalem 
Artichokes should be grown in very sandy soil to have them as 
round as a ball if required for exhibition.— Edward Luckhurst. 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON VINES. 
In 18G3 I was called to take charge of a range of vineries, 
and though of course I had previously received some four years' 
tuition in general gardening, stil all this was very different from 
having entire charge, even though it was under the superintend- 
