590 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 28, 1882, 
Webbs’ New Kinver Mammoth is the best Broad Bean we possess. 
Its habit is most prolific, pods enormous and flavour perfect. As 
a show Bean it is unique. Carter’s Leviathan gave great promise, 
as its pods were very large, but they were not produced freely 
enough ; but Seville Longpod is fully established in this class, 
and as a very early sort Beck’s Green Gem deserves to be grown. 
The Windsor varieties are prolific, but the pods are too short to 
give satisfaction. 
Beetroot .—Size of root should not be the first or only consider¬ 
ation here ; but compactness and good colour are the points to 
secure, and having regard to quality alone Dell’s Crimson is the 
best. The Egyptian Turnip-rooted is the best for early use or 
shallow soils. The Seakale variety is a good vegetable in the 
hands of those who know how to cook it. 
Borecole or Kale .—This is an excellent winter vegetable, as no 
frost or severe weather will injure it in the south—in fact this 
improves the flavour ; and of kinds there is no better than the 
Cottagers’, Scotch, and Curled. Ragged Jack is the hardiest of 
all with me. The variegated-leaved Kale is most valuable for 
supplying leaves in winter for garnishing. 
Broccoli .—These are of much importance, and the selection 
must be made with care, as of all vegetables none is more erratic 
than Broccoli. There are some, said to be autumn sorts, which 
do not head until far on in winter, and winter varieties so called 
are often of no use until spring. These results are sometimes 
brought about by the weather, but variety has much to do with 
it. Some years’ experience and observation are required to secure 
the right sorts, and these we give below under three headings. 
Autumn : Yeitch’s Self-protecting. Winter : Osborn’s Winter 
White, Backhouse’s Protecting, Cooling’s Matchless, and Leaming¬ 
ton. Spring : Lauder’s Late and Suttons’ Queen. Veitch’s heads 
from November to January, the others following ; and Leamington 
does not come in until well into spring, when it is replaced by 
the two last-named, which are superb Broccolis. Suttons’ Queen 
is a variety we would never be without.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
(To be continued.) 
RELATIVE VALUE OF STRAWBERRIES. 
In a recent number of the Journal a correspondent, replying to 
someone who inquired which is the best Strawberry, states that, 
taking all things into consideration, he would grow Keens’ 
Seedling in preference to any other one variety. This, no doubt, 
he finds best for his soil; but as showing how much Strawberries 
may be influenced by the soil they are grown in, I wish to state 
my experience in growing them on a poor heavy soil near Maid¬ 
stone. On this soil Keens’ Seedling grew vigorously, but fruited 
very poorly, while Yicomtesse Hericart de Thury or Garibaldi 
grew well and fruited very much more abundantly than Keens’ 
Seedling or the other varieties I grew. Perhaps the following 
list may be of use to some of your readers situated on a similar 
soil, as the results were very carefully arrived at, and each of the 
fruits that were picked was weighed, and also the value of them 
noted according to their size, &c. 
Average Weight produced bt One Plant. 
First 
Second 
Third 
year. 
year. 
Year. 
1. Vicoratesse Hericart 
Ounce. 
Ounce. 
Ounce. 
Ounce. 
de Thury . 
n 
6 
8 J 
15f 
2. Premier. 
i 
n 
2 
4} 
3. President . 
Of 
1 
2 
3$ 
4. Roden’s Early Prolific 
1 
Of 
If 
H 
5. Black Prince . 
°i 
lj 
Not grown. 
— 
G. Keens’ Seedling . . . 
0} 
of 
2 
3 
7. Souvenir de Kieff .... 
Of 
Of 
Not grown. 
— 
8 . Dr. Hogg . 
- 6 . 
1& 
16 
If 
2? 
9. British Queen . 
4V) 
S 6 0* 
Not grown. 
— 
10 . Sir J. Paxton . 
04 
None. 
If 
li 
11. Elton . 
Of 
None. 
None. 
Of 
The order according to the average money value of their 
produce is nearly the same, the value being reckoned at low 
market prices varying from 8 d. to 2d. per pound, according to the 
size of their fruit and the time of its ripening; and again, the 
Yicomtesse is much before the others, showing that the berries 
were of good size compared with the others. Nos. 3 and 4 
changed places, and likewise Nos. 7 and 8. 
Elton will be seen to be decidedly the worst. The plants grew 
very large. They fruited the first year, probably only because 
their roots were shortened by transplanting. I think such sorts 
as Elton and Keen’s Seedling would thrive on a light soil. 
Here I have a different soil from that previously mentioned—a 
fertile medium loam, and not having been here long enough to 
test the varieties myself, have to go by the experience of others, 
being indebted to Mr. J. Groom, late head gardener at Linton 
Park Gardens. This summer I planted twenty-four of the best 
varieties for comparison, and in time hope to state the result. 
I am planting 58,000 for market all of one variety—Sir. J. Paxton. 
I would have planted a large proportion of the Yicomtesse, but 
could not obtain the plants in quantity, as it is now superseded 
by Sir J. Paxton on the soil—light, I believe—from which I am 
getting my runners. This shows which is considered the best 
variety in certain districts by those who earn their living by them. 
At the same time I do not suppose it has been tried against some 
of the newer and earlier varieties which have been grown in 
gardens. 
All those of the above 58,000 we have as yet put in have been 
planted in a cut made by the spade, instead of a hole made by a 
dibber as has been recommended in the Journal for Cabbages 
and their tribe. We previously dipped them in liquid manure 
to sustain them until new rootlets were^Sroduced ; and although 
we cannot plant them in such large quantities in the same manner 
as they could be planted in a garden, those planted in October 
and later have taken well, the large leaves not having died off, 
and new ones having made their appearance. In fact they seem 
as good, or better, than some varieties obtained from a nursery in 
July for my garden, planted in the same manner, but without the 
liquid manure, and which had to be watered afterwards on 
account of the dry weather. I have planted a few plants of 
twenty-four of the best varieties this summer, so I hope to be 
able to see for myself which I think best on this soil, and to state 
the results.—W. Kruse. 
BOUGAINVILLEA GLABRA. 
The above superb flowering plant is well worthy of a place in 
either large or small establishments. For growing in a pot as an 
exhibition plant, against a wall or up to the roof of either a stove 
or greenhouse, it has few equals. It is one of those accommodating 
plants that may be had in flower at almost any time of the year 
with those who know how to retard and forward it. When we 
take into consideration its accommodating character in every 
respect, the profusion of its somewhat uncommon-coloured flowers, 
their lasting properties and suitability for associating with other 
cut flowers, it is surprising that it is not more largely grown. It 
is of very easy cultivation ; anyone who possesses a house with 
sufficient heating power to keep out frost may grow and flower it 
successfully. 
It is not very particular about the soil it grows in. However, 
when grown in a pot it should have some good compost with an 
admixture of broken bones. When in a healthy growing state it 
should be liberally supplied with water, and when the pot is full 
of roots occasional supplies of weak liquid manure are very bene¬ 
ficial ; as a stimulant I find diluted cow urine excellent. With 
those who have a stove temperature at command it may be kept 
growing and in flower almost continually. When, however, it is 
grown in a cool house it is deciduous and should be treated 
accordingly. Here, it is growing up the roof of such a house, and 
commences flowering about the middle of July, and continues 
doing so until October. In January it is pruned like a Yine on 
the short-spur system, and the growths untied and rearranged on 
the trellis again about 18 inches apart. It is not very trouble¬ 
some as regards insects; green fly appears to be the only one to 
trouble it, and this can be easily kept down by fumigating with 
tobacco paper occasionally.—J. Richardson, Calverton Hall. 
\ __ 
SPRING v. AUTUMN MANURING. 
It is an important question to cultivators whether manure for 
spring crops is best applied in autumn, winter, or spring, and as 
there appears to be much haphazard work in these applications 
a discussion of the matter may prove serviceable. For Potatoes 
especially it is often recommended to apply the manure in autumn, 
so that it may not be too fresh and rank at the time the sets 
are planted ; and, again, it is frequently recommended to wheel 
manure on any ground which requires it during frosty weather, 
so that the ground itself may not be injured by trampling on it. 
Now in the matter of Potatoes I have no doubt it is a bad plan 
to place large quantities of rank manure close to the 6ets. Espe¬ 
cially is this the case with some varieties which do not make a 
great amount of haulm. The old Ashleaf, for instance—(or, as I am 
told it ought to be called, the old Walnut-leaf, and certainly its 
leaf is more like that of the Walnut than the Ash, it being 
roundish at its extremity instead of pointed, as is the case with 
Rivers’, Veitch’s, and Myatt’s Ashleaf)—becomes black and hollow 
in the middle if the soil in which it grows is a little too strong. 
