August 2, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
103 
tained for three months from the date of entry, after 'which the parcels 
will be finally disposed of. 
Parcels without Address. 
Parcels found without addresses will be sent at once to the proper 
Returned Letter Office. 
Parcels found to contain dangerous or offensive matter will be detained. 
Pural Carriers Forbidden to Collect Parcels from the Public. 
Rural Letter Carriers on foot are forbidden to collect parcels from the 
public. Mounted Rural Carriers are also forbidden to collect parcels from 
the public except under special authority. 
Delivery of Local Parcels by Mounted Rural Carriers. 
A parcel handed by the public to a Mounted Rural Carrier authorised to 
collect parcels, will be delivered either on his outward or inward route, 
provided it shall first be taken to a Sub-office in order that the stamps 
may be defaced. 
Parcels above Weight or Size, or Insufficiently Paid. 
Should a parcel exceeding the prescribed limits of weight and dimensions 
be accepted by a Mounted Rural Carrier or Mail Driver authorised to 
collect, it will be stopped at the office at which he hands it in, and returned 
to. the_ sender by the person who accepted it. Should a parcel be accepted 
with insufficient postage, stamps for the amount of the deficient postage 
•will be affixed to the parcel, which will be sent on to its destination, and 
the amount will be charged against the person who so accepted it, and 
who will have to collect it from the sender. 
Parcels not to be Accepted near a Post Office. 
Mounted Rural Carriers or Mail Drivers, even when authorised to collect, 
may refuse to accept parcels tendered to them close to a Post Office. 
Rural Letter Carriers not to Carry Parcels on their own account. 
Rural Letter Carriers or Parcels Carriers on foot are forbidden to carry 
parcels of any kind on their own account. In certain exceptional cases, 
in which special permission has been given to carry newspaper parcels, 
this rule will not be enforced as regards such parcels. 
Neiospaper Parcels carried by Morse Posts. 
Mail Cart Contractor's or their Drivers, and Mounted Rural Carriers may 
carry on their own account parcels of newly published newspapers, addressed 
to a news-agent, without restriction of weight, so long as the carrying of 
such parcels does not interfere in any way with the due performance of the 
Mail Service ; but they are not allowed to carry on their own account parcels 
of any other description except in cases where they hold a special authority 
to do so, and such authority will in no case include parcels which are within 
the limit of weight prescribed for Postal Parcels. 
Parcels by Passenger Conveyances. 
Contractors for the carriage of Mails by passenger conveyance are not 
subject to any restriction as to the parcels they may convey. 
Detention of Parcels under special circumstances. 
The Postmaster-General has power to delay parcels when it is necessary 
to do so in order to secure the due despatch of the Letter Mails, or when it 
is expedient for the safety and protection of Parcels Mails. When, therefore, 
a Postmaster is satisfied that the despatch or delivery of letters would be 
delayed by the despatch or delivery of parcels, such parcels, or any of them, 
may be detained until the following despatch or delivery; or if it be 
necessary for the safety and protection of parcels that any of them should be 
forwarded or delivered by a later despatch or delivery than that for which 
they were intended, a Postmaster may delay such parcels, or may make some 
special arrangement for the despatch or delivery thereof, such as he may 
deem necessary or expedient in the circumstances of the case. In no case, 
however, must the delay exceed 24 hours. 
Private Bags. 
Postmasters are not prohibited from enclosing parcels in private bags, 
but under no circumstances will the restriction as to the weight of a private 
bag when empty be relaxed. 
A Parcel not to be Given Bach to the Sender. 
The rule forbidding that a letter should be handed back to the sender 
applies equally to a parcel. 
Bankrupts’ Parcels. 
The Post Office rules which apply to bankrupts’ letters apply equally to 
bankrupts’ parcels. 
Deception as to Place of Posting. 
Postmasters are forbidden to be parties to deceiving the addressee of a 
parcel in regard to the place of posting. 
If a parcel reaches a Post Office under cover with a request that it may 
be posted, it will be endorsed according to the rule applicable to a letter 
similarly received. If the parcel bears the necessary postage it will be 
forwarded as addressed. Should the postage not be prepaid, the parcel 
will be sent to the Returned Letter Office. 
Damaged Parcels. 
A parcel found open, or in a torn or injured condition, will be refastened 
as carefully as possible and secured with an official seal, or by means of a 
label similar to those provided for securing torn letters, and initialled by the 
responsible Officers. 
Non-Liability of Postmaster-General. 
The Postmaster-General is not liable to make good any claim in respect 
of lost or damaged Parcels. 
Gratuities. 
The Post Office regulations, which apply to the solicitation of gratuities 
from the public by persons employed in the postal service, apply to persons 
engaged in parcels work. 
Suggestions. 
(u) Mercantile firms and others who may have to post a large number 
of parcels at one time, will facilitate the despatch of the Parcels by sending 
them to the Post Office in batches, and as early as possible. 
( b) The risk of delay in the transmission of parcels will be largely 
obviated if senders of parcels in large quantities (whether it be the intention 
to post the parcels daily or at regular or irregular intervals) will so far as 
possible notify their intentions to the nearest Postmaster or Sub-Postmaster 
as early before-hand as convenient. It is not essential that the number and 
weight of the parcels and the frequency of posting should be specified with 
absolute precision : it will be sufficient if a general idea be given so that 
some provision over and above the ordinary means available may be arranged 
for in advance. 
(c) The Public will greatly assist the work of the Post Office, and help 
towards the safe delivery of Parcels, by taking care that they are in all 
cases strongly and securely packed, especially those with fragile or perishable 
contents. It must be borne in mind, although of course every care will be 
taken by the Officers, that such a Parcel must be several times handled 
before it reaches its destination, and will probably have to be packed with 
many others of a different kind and shape, or more weighty and bulky. 
Id) It is not intended to apply to postal parcels the practice which obtains 
of adding to the address, in the case of letters for the Metropolitan District, 
the Postal District Initials, and such initials should not be used in addressing 
a parcel to London or the Suburbs. 
By Command of the Postmaster-General, 
S. A. Blackwood, 
General Post Office , Secretary. 
July, 1883. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Endive .—For autumn and winter salads there is nothing more useful 
than this, and now is the time to sow seed to produce plants which will 
come in for use from October until after the new year. Endive does not 
grow much after the first frosts, and it is best to have it well advanced 
by November at the latest, and plants which are full grown by that time 
mav be kept good for some months afterwards. The Broad-leaved Bata¬ 
vian and French Moss-curled are excellent varieties. The seed should 
be sown in drills H inch deep and 1 foot apart. Thin sowing should be 
the rule. As soon as the plants have a few rough leaves and are large 
enough to handle they should be thinned out of the seed rows and be 
planted on the south borders, where they will have a good soil and be 
well exposed to the sun. If a plant is left every 6 inches or so in the 
seed rows these will be ready for use some time before those transplanted. 
Sowing Onions .—Onions of the Rocca and Tripoli types should now 
be sown, and as this s wing will supply young Onions throughout the 
winter and many plants for transplanting and growing in the spring, 
they cannot have too much attention. The ground for the reception of 
the seed should be in good condition, and if a heavy coating of soot or 
a light sprinkling of salt is dug in with the manure it will prevent grubs 
doing damage to the plants. In market gardens where thousands of 
plants are wanted it is a common practice to sow broadcast, but in all 
private gardens we like to see them in rows, and these should be from 
12 inches to 15 inches apart. The seed must not be more than 2 inches 
below the surface, and when it is in and covered over it may either be 
very firmly trodden or rolled. W hen the plants are showing hoe between 
the rows and keep them free from weeds. 
Winter Cucumbers .—As yet it may appear early to speak of winter, 
but we can never be tco well prepared for it; and in the case cf many 
things, particularly Cucumbers, there is always much advantage in having 
the plants well established, strong and healthy before the weather 
becomes sunless and the days short. By sowing seed now the plants 
will be well up in a month hence, and by October they will be capable 
of bearing fruit. Cardiff Castle is a kind most suitable for fruiting in 
winter, and after this comes Telegraph. The seed should be sown singly 
in pots of moderately rich soil, and they may be plunged in a gentle 
bottom heat near the glass. Where old Cucumber plants are showing 
signs of exhaustion young plants had better be obtained to secure a heavy 
crop through the autumn. 
Chicory. —Early-sown plants of this are always liable to seed prema¬ 
turely anil become worthless, but if seed is sown now a quantity of 
young roots will be produced by October, which will be of the utmost 
use for lifting and blanching throughout the winter as an excellent 
addition to our salads. 
Earthing up Celery .—Much of this is ready for earthing up, but it 
should only be done when the leaves and soil are dry. If left too long 
without earthing the stems are apt to bend over and break ; but there is 
no reason that this should happen, as it will always pay well to earth up 
and give timely attention in every way to it. Before the first earthing 
WORKJW™ WEEK 
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