August 17,1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
147 
ought to arise, as the marvellous specimen at Kew must have at¬ 
tracted the attention of professional and amateur horticulturists for 
many years after its removal thence from the Melbourne Botanic 
Garden. Giant Todeas may be obtained from South Australia 
(Mount Lofty Ranges), various places in Victoria, Tasmania, New 
South Wales, and Queensland, but specimens weighing over half a 
ton (without fronds) are rare. This colossal Fern has also the re¬ 
commendation of bearing a considerable amount of frosc, so that in 
temperatures like that of Arran it could be grown in the open air. 
In South Africa it seems never to attain to the enormous weight of 
extra large Australian specimens .”—(American Gardeners’ Monthly.) 
AN HOUR AT THE PRESCOT NURSERIES. 
CUCUMBER-GROWING. 
It is not my intention to attempt any description of this esta¬ 
blishment that has been referred to again and again in the pages 
of the Journal, but to point out some of the cultural details in 
Cucumber-growiDg and the production of plants for market with¬ 
out ventilation. 
Gardeners visiting the neighbourhood of Liverpool should not 
fail to inspect this establishment during the Cucumber season, for 
many useful and profitable lessons may be learned. I have before 
stated the “express” system, as it has been termed, is practised, 
not in one or two houses, but in thirty or more, varying from 
50 to nearly 200 yards in length. When I alluded to this esta¬ 
blishment on page 357 last volume I estimated the weight of 
fruits cut at about 3 tons per week, but should have been nearer 
right if I had written 5 tons. I also asked if it were possible for 
the plants under this heavy cropping and non-ventilating system 
to last as long as those more judiciously cropped and brought for¬ 
ward more slowly. I am now convinced they last equally as long, 
and will produce a greater weight of fruit. For instance, plants 
from which Mr. Whittaker commenced cutting during the mouth 
of November were only pulled out at the end of May. At that 
time several dozens of saleable fruit were hanging. These plants 
had been in bearing for at least seven months, and could not have 
been expected to last much longer under the system generally 
practised, 'there need remain no doubt about the crop being 
heavy, or the plants would have been removed long before. I do 
not doubt if Mr. Whittaker had removed all the fruits and cut 
back the plants they would soon have pushed growth and con¬ 
tinued fruiting for a long time, but preference was given to clear¬ 
ing out the whole and starting again with young plants. 
It is generally believed that small houses are the best for the 
earliest crop, and frequently such are built or used for the purpose 
in private gardens. We have seen this recommended repeatedly. 
Mr. Whittaker has, however, found from experience that this is 
really a delusion, and that he can cut fruit in his large house 
(nearly 200 yards in length) earlier from plants placed out in 
February than in any house he has of a smaller size. During the 
past two years the plants in his large house and a number of 
smaller ones were all raised from the same batch of seed to test 
this point. The plants in the large house have produced fruits for 
cutting before those in the smaller houses, which from all appear¬ 
ance are equally as suitable as far as heat and position are concerned. 
The idea that small houses can be kept warmer than those of a 
larger size has long since been abandoned by many practical men. 
Small houses are more variable in temperature, while those of a 
larger size are more uniform and a certain temperature is more 
readily maintained. Regularity is a great point to be aimed at, 
not only in producing early Cucumbers, but plants as well as early 
fruits. 
How frequently do we see advised that sj'ringing is to be done 
early in the afternoon for the foliage to be dry before night. 
However beneficial this may be to plants and fruit trees gene¬ 
rally grown inside, it should not apply to Cucumbers. Those who 
recommend it, if they saw the 2-inch hose with a large rose 
secured to the end at the Prescot Nurseries playing amongst the 
Cucumbers and thoroughly saturating the house after eight 
o’clock P.M. would at once abandon the practice of early syring¬ 
ing. The hose to which I allude is worked by two men. One 
directs the nozzle, giving the whole house and soil in which the 
Cucumbers are growing a thorough drenching, while the other 
supplies the water by means of a patent hydraulic pump from 
wells sunk into the earth and at certain distances along the 
centre path. Wells of this description rudely constructed are in 
all the houses. The ordinary syringe is not in use in this establish¬ 
ment ; it was found much too laborious an operation, besides the 
instrument being continually out of order. In my previous article 
1 omitted to say a little shade is used on the west side of the 
houses. 
To achieve real success the principal object appears to be 
in the selection of a suitable variety when grown under the 
“ express ” system. The majority of kinds are worthless ; on 
some the fruits are inclined to damp in their early stages, others 
are not free enough, while other varieties produce too long necks, 
and so on. This year there is a house full of a Cucumber grown 
well by Mr. Harrison, Knowsley Gardens ; it fruits abundantly 
under this close system, but is not so good for the market as Mr. 
Whittaker’s variety. 
PLANTS GROWING WITHOUT VENTILATION. 
Although Cucumbers are so largely grown in this establish¬ 
ment, attention is paid to the production of plants in large 
numbers and cut flowers for the market. The plants generally 
occupy the houses during the winter and spring months before 
the Cucumbers are planted ; in fact large quantities are grown 
under the Cucumbers until they shade the roof of the house too 
much. The above heading may startle some cultivators, who 
attach so much importance to the admission of air to their plants 
grown under glass. It is generally believed that ventilation is 
of vital importance to the production of a sturdy compact growth ; 
but it is nevertheless a fact that thousands are produced in this 
establishment without any ventilation except what is provided by 
the spaces between the panes of glass and when the doors are 
opened. There are no ventilators, and the doors are only opened 
when passing in or out. The plants subject to this close confine¬ 
ment are generally those to which the majority of us give abun¬ 
dance of air to keep them dwarf and compact. But 1 can assure 
all who read this that the plants grown on the non-ventilating 
system are sturdy and compact, in fact equal in appearance to 
any treated in the ordinary way. Harrison’s new Musk is grown 
early in the season by tens of thousands, and has a ready sale in 
the market. These are all grown in the Cucumber houses in 
5-inch pots. Of Zonal Pelargoniums, Vesuvius and Wonderful 
are most largely represented, and these are produced for market 
in enormous quantities. Happy Thought is also grown in quan¬ 
tity, and is sturdy and luxuriant. A large number of both single 
and double Pelargoniums are included, but those mentioned 
appear general favourites. The doubles at the time of my visit 
occupied a large cool bouse. These doubles are principally for 
supplying cut flowers. Fuchsias, Coleuses, and other plants are 
grown under exactly the same close conditions. In one house I 
noticed a number of healthy Eucharises and two or three half¬ 
specimen plants of Bougainvillea glabra profusely flowered, the 
blooms being of a remarkably rich colour. 
Chrysanthemums are cultivated in considerable numbers. Half 
an acre of ground is planted with them, and they will be lifted 
in autumn to flower inside. Thousands are grown in pots, but 
these appear to be principally Elaine. Some small plants of 
Mrs. Dixon were flowering, and Mr. Whittaker said they had 
scarcely been without flowers since last autumn. The young plants, 
although pushed forward in a close house, were strong in the 
spring, but are now standing outside. 
The outside grounds are devoted to plantations of Asters, Rhu¬ 
barb, Mint, Sage, and other herbs ; the second and third named 
are largely forced, while whole houses are devoted to the growth 
of small salads during winter and spring ; but in this branch of 
horticulture the palm must be given to our southern friends at 
the present. Young plants of Tomatoes occupied one house and 
were setting fruit freely.—W. B. 
LONICERA SEMPERVIRENS MINOR. 
When at Messrs. Veitch’s Chelsea nurseries about this time last 
year this Honeysuckle was pointed out as being a first-class con¬ 
servatory climber. Having previously heard it well spoken of, I 
decided to give it a trial as a substitute for Habrothamnus elegans. 
I did not much like cutting away two plants of the latter, as this 
Habrothamnus is decidedly a most useful climber, whether for 
supplying cut blooms or the enlivenment of the house for several 
months of the year. Unfortunately they were badly infested with 
our greatest enemy—mealy bug, and were besides rather too coarse 
for the position. However, 1 had long since been well satisfied 
with the substitute. Planted out from 5-inch pots into the ordi¬ 
nary loamy soil of the conservatory bed they quickly commenced 
running, and at the present time nearly cover two light archways 
about 15 feet high. 
The plant is always flowering, and we frequently cut handfuls 
of the sprays of bloom for vases or packing, as the case may be. 
The growth is wiry, yet sufficiently strong to support the beautiful 
sprays of trumpet-shaped reddish-yellow flowers. It is, in fact, 
much more elegant and serviceable than the heavy, drooping, and 
weakly-stemmed 6prays of Habrothamnus. Cutting increases the 
floriferousness, as every lateral, which the running growths pro¬ 
duce very evenly, will bear a spray of flowers from the axil of 
each leaf. 
