January 19 , 1882 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 47 
all the virtues and accomplishments that make success certain minus 
this, and failure, at least of health, sooner or later may be predicted. 
I defy a young man of even ordinary intelligence, with self-reliance, 
perseverance, an anxiety to please, and, above all, temperance, to fail 
in the battle of life. At all events if he does from fortuitous causes 
beyond his control, his conscience will never upbraid him. I speak 
from upwards of twenty years’ experience of temperance, and from 
some knowledge of gardening in Ireland. England, and France.— 
W. J. M., Clonmel. 
CAMELLIAS LOSING THEIR BUDS. 
We are much annoyed by the buds of our Camellias falling, 
and, what adds to our chagrin, the plants are in robust health. 
They are in pots, and the only available structure for them in 
winter is a small conservatory which opens into the mansion. 
The door is often left open, and a current of air then rushes 
in, most inimical to plant life. One other thing we suffer from, 
and that is, as the place is often used as a lounge, the tem¬ 
perature has to be kept as near 55° Fahr. as possible, rather 
over than under. Under these conditions our Camellias lose their 
buds, but they make their growth early. This enables us to place 
our plants out in summer, and causes the plants to flower early. 
This year, owing to the extreme mildness of the season, we were 
enabled to keep them out very late, and have the smallest in 
a cold pit. Although these small plants were not in such robust 
health as the others, and had before invariably dropped their 
buds, this year every one expanded beautifully. Before, we 
always considered the high temperature was the cause of the 
mischief, and now we have proved it. Much discussion has 
occurred from time to time on the subject, but too high tem¬ 
perature is the cause, we are convinced, of plants in vigour and 
carefully watered losing their buds. 
It is not easy to grow many different plants in one structure, 
and when comfortable temperatures have to be kept, whether 
injurious to the plants or not, sometimes blame is laid where 
it is not due. Matters are not much better when we have to 
make a compromise between suiting Camellias on the one hand 
and Primulas on the other, or even such temperatures as will 
preserve without injury valuable Orchids when in bloom. Those 
who have not different structures thus fail to attain the results of 
those more happily situated.—A Scotchman. 
SOWING AND PLANTING EARLY CABBAGES. 
The answer given to “ Inquirer” on page 40 induces me to 
detail my practice in growing early Cabbages. Some sorts, such 
as Early York, almost invariably run to seed without hearting if 
sown for autumn planting. I find also that the large-growing 
kinds, such as Enfield Market, Suttons’ Imperial, and others, do 
not stand a hard winter so well as dwarfer and more compact¬ 
growing varieties. I make a first sowing about St. Swithin s day, 
a second at the beginning of August, and a third, sown thinly, 
about a fortnight or three weeks later to stand the winter in the 
seed beds for planting out in the spring. My first batch is always 
planted after Onions, the ground for which has been well trenched 
before sowing, so that no digging is required for Cabbages, as they 
make a sturdier growth in rather firm soil. I merely hoe and 
rake the surface, and put the plants 15 inches asunder in drills 
drawn 18 inches apart as soon as the Onion crop is cleared. The 
advantage of the drills is twofold, as it renders watering easier if 
dry weather makes it necessary, and one or two hoeings after the 
plants start to keep weeds in check serve to fill in the drills ana 
steady the plants. The plants from the second sowing are planted 
out towards the end of September, and similarly treated in every 
way. I sometimes find that, should the autumn be very warm 
and conducive to rapid growth, that those first planted show signs 
of hearting towards the end of November, as was the case in the 
autumn of 1880. The very hard winter which followed destroyed 
numbers of the hearts ; but in an ordinary winter I have never 
seen this occur, and I usually cut good hearts early in March. 
The second sowing succeeds these, and a planting made early in 
spring from the third sowing carries us on through the summer. 
It will at once be seen that, planted as thickly as I advise, no 
thinning of the plants or Coleworts is required, and on the whole 
I find this the best system. The Cabbage is everybody’s vegetable, 
and is, perhaps, with the exception of the Potato, the most useful 
we have, but its chief value is when it comes in for use during 
March, April, and May, when there is often, especially after a 
hard winter, such a scarcity of green vegetables. 
I venture to send the above notes on a very simple subject, 
should you think them worthy of insertion in the Journal.— 
A Gardener. 
[Notes so practical as these are, and on subjects so useful, 
always meet with acceptance ; and that one of the most skilled 
and accomplished gardeners in Britain should choose the Cabbage 
as a theme is somewhat suggestive.—E d.] 
CHOICE IRIDS. 
CYPELLA. 
Though several plants are grown in gardens under this name 
most have now been referred to other genera, and only one—viz., 
C. Herberti, is retained. Two of the best known that have been 
removed from Cypella are C. gracilis, now included among the 
Maricas, and C. plumbea, now Phalocallis plumbea. Like many 
Iridaceous genera the plants have received several dilferent names, 
the number and variety of synonyms in some cases being very 
confusing. But Irids are not singular in that respect, for in 
nearly every family of plants it is similar, as botanists have always 
appeared to display a great partiality for new names, and no 
doubt the new edition of Steudel’s “ Nomenclator ” will be an 
alarming example of this. 
C. Herberti. —This pretty bulbous plant is of easy culture 
either in pots or the open ground, but it has never been abun¬ 
dantly represented in English gardens, and it is now very rarely 
seen. When grown in pots a light sandy loam with a little leaf 
soil and good drainage are requisite to its welfare. In the ground 
a moderately sheltered position and light soil must be chosen, 
and if the bulbs are allowed to remain in the ground during 
winter efficient protection must be afforded. It is better, however, 
to take them up and plant again in spring. The leaves are taper¬ 
ing, but much broader than most of the Irids previously referred 
to. The flowers are produced several on a stalk, being yellow 
varying from a light shade to a deep chrome tint. The sepals are 
ovate at the tip, somewhat constricted in the middle, and spotted 
or barred with a darker colour at the base. This plant has been 
