JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
50 6 
[ June 22, 1882. 
How often water should be given is a question impossible to 
answer. In continuous hot weather we have found once a 
month often enough ; but, be it understood, we always give 
water equal to 3 inches of rain to our borders. Under other 
conditions we might supply water more frequently or not so 
often ; but at any rate borders should on no account be allowed 
to become dry before being watered.—A Nor’-Easter. 
WINTER SALADS. 
The time of sowing and preparing winter greens is now here. 
From November until the end of March is the period when a good 
supply of salading is wanted in many cases, and by growing the 
crops named below and following the instructions given all that 
is wanted may be secured. 
Chicory ancl Witloof .—These are named together, because as 
seen growing side by side in summer, or forced and placed on the 
table in winter, an expert could scarcely tell the difference between 
them. So much do they resemble each other in every way th t 
only one need be grown, and it does not matter much which. 
Seed must be sown annually, as roots after they are more than 
twelve months old push up flower stems, and then they are of no 
further use. When sown early in the season this is also liable 
to occur before the end of the year ; but if sown at once, or about 
this time, there is no danger of that happening. Moderately rich 
ground will grow them well. The seed should be sown in rows 
15 inches apart. As soon as the plants are large enough to handle 
they should be thinned out to 1 foot apart, and after this, hoeing 
between the rows to kill weeds is the only attention wanted. By 
October roots will be formed not unlike in size and shape good 
Salsafy, and it is these which will produce a choice supply of 
salad throughout the winter. About a fortnight or three weeks 
before this is wanted a quantity of the roots should be lifted and 
placed in 8-inch or 10-inch pots, almost as close as they will stand, 
with some light soil amongst them ; and then, if placed in a 
Mushroom house, cellar, or any dark structure where the tempe¬ 
rature is 50° or so, fine compact crowns and delicate cream- 
coloured leaves will quickly appear. 
Lettuce .—These are always grown largely where much winter 
salad is required. Winter varieties should be selected with some 
care, as the best of the summer kinds are too tender for the winter. 
In Cos varieties Bath Black-seeded and Moor Park are two good 
sorts, while in the Cabbage section Hardy Green Hammersmith 
and Stanstead Park are of proved value. A sowing of each of 
these should be made at once, and another in a month hence, and 
the plants from these will come in well all winter. The plants 
should be grown in rather rich soil, as good Lettuce can never 
be had from poor land. The most profitable way is to fill up 
ground with them which has lately been cleared of other crops. 
A south border is a good position for the main crop of winter 
Lettuce?. Having the plants a foot apart each way is a good dis¬ 
tance for all, and they should be hoed amongst frequently. So 
long as the weather remains mild protection will not be wanted ; 
but when frost comes covering up or lifting and storing in frames 
may have to be resorted to. This, however, is work which may 
be pointed out at the proper season. 
Endive .—In culture this does not differ materially from the 
preceding. In fact in this respect they are so much alike that 
they may be sown on the same day and be grown side by side 
afterwards. Early-sown Endive is always most liable to bloom 
prematurely, and it is of little use sowing it before this time, while 
a sowing may be made as late as the beginning of September. 
Sometimes Endive is used in salads early in the autumn, but it is 
in winter when it is most in demand. Green Batavian and Green 
Curled are two of the best varieties. 
Radishes .—A few crisp tender Radishes are always acceptable, 
Black Spinach and China Rose are the best sorts for the season 
we have in view. The China Rose is undoubtedly the better of 
the two, but it is not so hardy as the Black one, and on this 
account if it was not included we might find ourselves without 
Radishes in the middle of a severe winter. Two sowings only 
need be made, one at the beginning of August, the other early in 
September. An open sunny position is the best position for them. 
The seed should be sown thinly in drills 12 inches apart. When 
they come up very thick in the rows it is well to thin some of 
them out early, but they need not be left very wide apart at first, 
as when they begin to bulb the large ones can be drawn for use 
and the others thereby given more room. All should be of fair 
size by the beginning of November, as after that time they grow 
slowly, if at all. Protection may sometimes be wanted, and if the 
roots are lifted and stored in a cool shed among leaf soil, they 
will remain good for two months or more. 
A supply of Mustard and Cress is secured throughout the winter 
by sowing the seed in cutting-boxes, which are 4 inches deep, 
14 inches wide, and 2 feet 6 inches in length. I need not describe 
the mode of sowing and growing this simple but serviceable crop. 
Cucumbers, Celery, and Beet all come under the heading of 
winter salads, and valuable additions they make. Unless with 
proper accommodation winter Cucumbers are difficult to produce, 
and are only grown by the experienced and the few, but Celery 
and Beet may be grown by all. Now is the time to plant Celery, 
rich moist soil being essential. Dell’s Crimson Beet is a fine 
variety, and the plants should be sufficiently thinned out to pro¬ 
duce good roots ready for storing in October.—J. MUIR, Maryam. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN IN SPRING. 
On page 444 “ W. I. M.” admits the soundness of my notes on 
page 406 under the above heading, and the beauty of spring 
flowers, but evidently is afraid some should be stimulated to com¬ 
mence raising a stock of plants for the spring garden. It was 
far from my intention to incite overworked gardeners to embark 
into another undertaking when they have already enough, and in 
many instances too much, to do with the means and labour at 
their disposal. Many, I feel confident, who take an interest in 
flowers and in seeing their gardens attractive would not begrudge 
a little extra labour for a week or fortnight to help if the general 
staff were inadequate. But my notes were not intended for such 
practical gardeners as “ W. I. M.,” but for those who have small 
gardens and are anxious to have them gay, and delight in tending 
and dressing them after business hours. There are many of such 
who could make their gardens attractive during the whole of the 
spring, and when once in possession of plants they would cost 
them nothing afterwards but the labour, which should prove a 
pleasure rather than otherwise. Some years ago I gave a hamper 
of Daisies, Pansies, Aubrietia, and other flowers to a cottager, and 
his little garden this spring was the most delightful in the village. 
Many more are now following his example, and what will add 
more to the beauty and cheerfulness of their home, however 
humble, than spring flowers ?—Wm. Bardney. 
LAYERING STRAWBERRIES. 
Through pressure of other work we did not layer any of our 
young Strawberry plants last year, but lifted them from where 
they had rooted, and potted them ; but we shall be busy indeed 
if the practice is repeated, as we were anything but gainers by 
the economy in labour in so doing. Although the young plants 
had plenty of roots, they did not start into growth so freely after¬ 
wards as those we were formerly in the habit of rooting in small 
pots and potting or planting out afterwards. Some of them 
which were potted into C-inch pots straight from the quarters 
almost failed to fruit this spring ; this we attribute to the way 
they were treated when quite young, and also to their being very 
severely injured in the leaves by the great gale we had in October. 
There is no plan of raising young Strawberry plants for any pur¬ 
pose to equal layering them in small pots. Operations cannot be 
started too soon. Before June is past many of ours will have been 
layered, and all will be finished as soon as possible. Three-mch 
pots are a good size to employ. Each one should have a single 
piece of drainage placed at the bottom, the pot afterwards being 
firmly filled with a mixture of loam and leaf soil or decayed ma¬ 
nure. A small hole is then dug in the ground close to the runners, 
and each pot is put in level with the soil. If the runners have 
rooted into the ground they must be gently freed from it, and the 
young plants secured in the pots with pegs. As soon as they 
are well rooted, which will generally be the case in ten days 
after layering, they may be detached, and after this they may be 
placed along the edge of a walk or on any hard bottom for a week 
or so, when they will be in good condition to shift into their 
fruiting pots. Only the best of them should be used for this pur¬ 
pose, and the weaker may be planted in the open to form fresh 
plantations. A few weeks or even days gained now in preparing 
young Strawberry plants are worth a month of late coddling. The 
ripeness and proper development of the crowns are the principal 
points to secure to insure fruitfulness, and attention devoted to 
this will be amply repaid the following season.—A Kitchen 
Gardener. _ 
By this time those who live in the earlier districts of our 
country are preparing the layers of Strawberry plants for forcing 
and also for planting out. It is a matter of some consequence 
which is the best way, for assuredly it is the early bird which 
catches the worm in this case. The earlier strong plants can be 
placed in well-prepared soil the better will the crop be the follow- 
