66 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January 27, issi. 
flavour of all the Squashes is quite distinct from and richer than 
most of the Vegetable Marrow type. Of the latter class Early 
Cocoa-nut is a handsome oval variety of medium size and good 
quality, producing a great quantity of marketable fruit. 
Tomatoes .—Of these the earliest and best for open-air planting 
was Messrs. Vilmorin’s Pomme rouge ameliorde. Tried against 
Conqueror, Paragon, and other early sorts it is unsurpassed, as it 
is not only quite as early but of large size and handsome shape, 
and of a deep waxy scarlet colour ; flesh firm, and quality very 
good. In ordinary or cool seasons I think this will be the best 
market variety for open-air growth. 
Turnip .—The only Turnip grown at the Girtford Garden during 
the past season and worth eating was a round flat yellow Russian 
variety named Petrowskische, nearly all the white varieties being 
stringy and unsatisfactory in 1880.—T. Laxton, Bedford, 
IMANTOPHYLLUM MINIATUM. 
This superb-flowering Amaryllidaceous plant was introduced 
from Natal by Messrs. Backhouse, in whose nurseries it first 
bloomed in 1852 or 1858. It is nearly allied to the Olivias. It is 
an evergreen, having green lance-shaped leaves. The flower 
stem rises a foot high, surmounted by an umbel of flowers varying 
in numbers to fifteen or more, according to the age and vigour 
of the plants. The blossoms when fully expanded are about 
4 inches across, the flowers being red or salmon in colour, and 
yellow at the base of the petals. The flowers are produced suc- 
cessionally from the same head, and form a fine head for some 
time. The plant flowers at various times, continuing to make 
fresh growth in an intermediate temperature, but seldom flowering 
more than once a year in a greenhouse. 
I have now several in flower in a temperature of 55° to 65°, 
in which it generally commences blooming about the new year, 
and continues to throw up flower stems from the stools or several 
divisions of the plants over many weeks, and the plants being 
of considerable size from retaining the offsets when potting 
they have a fine effect. Grown singly in 6 or 7-inch pots they 
are useful for decoration. Potting is best done in spring after 
flowering, removing the old effete soil, draining efficiently, em¬ 
ploying a compost of turfy loam. Supply water freely when 
growing, affording weak liquid manure occasionally, and never 
fl'.ow the soil to become quite dry. A light airy position is 
essential.—G. Abbey. 
THE SEED ORDER. 
In continuing my remarks on this subject from page 23, as some 
correspondents have asked for quantities I will name the quanti¬ 
ties actually ordered of Peas and some of the more important 
vegetables, although I hardly think they will be of much service to 
other people. The establishment 1 have to supply is one of the 
largest, and I aim to have Peas from the end of May to the begin¬ 
ning of November. It is better to have too many at one time or 
at all times than to have a breakdown in the supply, and if varie¬ 
ties of the best quality only are grown there is little trouble in 
having the produce consumed. Of William I. Pea 4 quarts are 
needed, and these will be sown in two batches. Of Essex Rival 
8 quarts, to be sown in three or four batches ; the first sowing to 
take place simultaneously with the second sowing of William I., 
and the last sowing ten days or a fortnight after the first sowing 
of G. F. Wilson and Yeitch’s Perfection. Of G. F. Wilson and 
Yeitch’s Perfection 6 quarts of each are required when no other 
main crop Pea is used, and for the latest supply 4 quarts of Omega, 
or, if that cannot be obtained, then say 3 quarts of Ne Plus Ultra. 
Beans come next in the catalogue I have before me, and of these 
I order 4 quarts of Seville Longpod and 8 quarts of Broad Windsor. 
Of French or Dwarf Kidney Beans, as the main object is to have 
them for forcing, and to save some new seed for that purpose 
earlier than I could buy it, I order 6 quarts of Osborn’s Forcing, 
which is an excellent Bean for all purposes. Where French 
Beans are only required for outdoor work the old Negro Longpod 
is not easily surpassed. 
Of climbing varieties I am not yet tired of the flavour and 
peculiar roughness of the old Scarlet Runner ; indeed I prefer it 
to any other Bean either dwarf or tall, but it does not look quite 
so well when cooked as the best of the dwarf varieties do. It is, 
however, a most productive vegetable, and one sowing keeps up a 
continuous supply for servants and those who prefer it all through 
the autumn from the beginning of July. When I do not save seed 
of Scarlet Runners, which is the safest plan now there are so many 
reputed improvements, 1 order 4 quarts. 
Of Asparagus there is little choice but in names ; anybody’s 
selection will do if it has been saved from healthy plants, and half 
a pound is sufficient. 
The selection of Beet is much more difficult, for somehow a 
notion has become very popular that the darker-leaved varieties 
are the best to grow. This may be the case when they are grown 
for ornament, but we want flavour here as well as appearance, 
and my experience says there are none better than Pine Apple 
Short-top and Nutting’s Selected for eating; of each of these I 
have 6 or 8 ozs. in a doubtful season. Dell’s Crimson is grown 
largely for decorative purposes, but is made no future use of. 
Borecole is a very important vegetable, of which I grow Dwarf 
Green Curled in large quantities. The tops of these succeed the 
Savoys for common use, and the side shoots keep up a good supply 
in early spring. I order 2 ozs. of this, 1 oz. of Cottager’s Kale, and 
1 oz. of Asparagus Kale. The last-named supplies greens of ex¬ 
cellent quality long after spring Cabbages come in, and for my 
own taste I prefer them to Cabbages. 
Of Broccoli the most important variety is Snow’s Winter White, 
the hardiest cf all Broccoli, and one which affords the longest 
supply—viz., from November to February. But you must have it 
true, as there are many spurious varieties sold for it. I have three 
packets of this, or half an ounce if I can get it by weight, and 
no other autumn or midwinter Broccoli is necessary. Veitch’s 
Spring White makes a good succession to Snow’s, coming in during 
February in a favourable season, while Model and Lauders’ Goshen 
are splendid late varieties of hardy constitution and dwarf habit, 
one succeeding the other by about a week. A packet of each of 
these is sufficient for my purpose. 
Of Brussels Sprouts I prefer a selection of the variety with in¬ 
curved leaves, such as what is called the imported seed generally 
produces ; but of course I know that any good selection made in 
this country is equally to be depended on, only unfortunately there 
are many bad stocks about. This is probably the most important 
of all green vegetables, and brings the greatest amount of produce, 
as we gather continually from August to February off the same 
sowing. 
Of Cabbages I grow only our local variety known as Wheeler’s 
Imperial, which has been in existence here over thirty years. It 
is a very different vegetable from that sold by the London seed 
firms under the same name, and is probably identical with what 
is now called Heartwell Early Marrow. Half a pound of this is 
sown about St. Swithin’s day, and a pinch of it a fortnight earlier. 
Cardoons are a very important crop where there is a French 
cook. Sometimes I succeed admirably, but this year all but half 
a dozen roots ran to seed, for which I blame the stock, as the 
cultivation was most carefully attended to. 
Of Carrots, the French Forcing is used for a frame, and for one 
small sowing on a south border 4 ozs. suffices for this. Afterwards 
Early Nantes or a good selection of Early Short Horn only is used, 
and is sown in succession till the middle of July ; this takes 2 lbs. 
of seed. The crop sown last July is still in the ground unpro¬ 
tected except by its own foliage, and is in beautiful condition. 
—Wm. Taylor. 
Mr. Wm. Taylor admits this annual duty is a difficult one. It 
is. It is difficult for the practised gardener, as every such gardener 
knows and proves as he year by year wades through the almost 
interminable pages of present day seedsmen’s catalogues to find 
out those seeds he always relies upon, and those which he made 
notes of through the past summer to try in the coming one. To 
find these is difficult enough, and then to select the novelties 
he intends to experiment upon more difficult still. Speaking 
of novelties, I may say that every good gardener grows a few 
novelties yearly—always a few, but only a few, and in ad¬ 
dition to and supplementary of his usual crop. He never 
allows them to stand in the place of a crop, for he knows if he 
does he may have a bitter lesson taught him, as they may fail 
him utterly, and that in an important particular and at a most 
special time. So let me advise young gardeners to have a novelty 
or two by all means ; ’so only will you keep yourself abreast of the 
times. But only have a few, and let them be exclusive of the 
demands of the house ; then, if they succeed, you can always 
manage with an excess of production. 
But seeing the generally admitted difficulty of making a good, 
useful, and economical selection of seeds, even by the professional 
gardener, why not do publicly as I often do privately ? Advise 
small gardeners—gardeners who have more devotion to their 
garden even than many professional gardeners, but without much 
practical knowledge of seeds—to purchase one of the collections of 
seeds which most large seed establishments advertise to suit the 
wants of all sections of gardeners. These I can testify are all 
really useful, and generally adapted for the wants of any garden. 
We know that amongst gardeners there are many extraordinary 
