August 5, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
providing it was well manured in the first instance, it may be 
planted with breadths of Savoys, white Broccoli, sprouting Broccoli, 
Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Coleworts, Endive, and other quick-growing 
crops. The drills for the Turnips may on good ground be 15 inches 
apart, and suitable varieties are Snowball, Yeitch’s Red G-lobe, or the 
American Red Stone and Chirk Castle Black Stone. A distance of 
15 inches each way will also suit the Coleworts and the small Savoys. 
Although it is late for planting Brussels Sprouts they may during a 
mild winter prove remunerative. These, and also Broccoli, greens, 
and the Drumhead Savoys, may be planted in drills 2 feet apart, and 
the plants 18 inches asunder in the rows, as in most localities they 
will not grow to a great size. The small varieties of Endive, such as 
the Moss-curled, may be planted about 9 inches apart each way, and 
the larger, of which the best is the Improved Batavian, about 12 inches 
apart each way. It is not too late to sow the former and also some 
of the Cabbage varieties of Lettuce, and any seed there may be left 
of the summer Cos varieties. The latter should not be thinned very 
freely ; they will then form hearts quickly, and be found useful with 
Endive in salads. Parsley if sown now may perhaps be found useful 
during the winter and spring, and if some of the spring-sown be 
transplanted it will be improved, and is less liable to run to seed 
early the following spring. 
The drills, for whatever purpose drawn, should be thoroughly 
soaked with water if at all dry some hours previous to planting or 
sowing. The Broccoli and greens ought to be planted very firmly, as 
they then take more readily to the soil. Water them in, and when 
found to be established draw the soil up to the stems. 
Strawberries .—The present is a good time to form a fresh planta¬ 
tion of these, and if strong well-rooted plants are properly planted on 
good soil they will yield a crop of excellent fruit next season. The 
earliest runners are usually layered during July into 8-inch pots, but 
this season being rather showery plenty of well-rooted plants may be 
taken up with a trowel from between the lines of old plants. It is a 
mistake to cling to any old and perhaps worthless variety, Trollope’s 
Victoria for instance, or to any other presumably good variety, should 
that not do well, especially seeing how cheaply plants of any good 
variety can be purchased. Keens’ Seedling is a good old early variety, 
but Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury is a much heavier cropper. Sir 
J. Paxton is a good second early variety, but does not succeed on all 
soils, and both The President and Sir C. Napier are more to be relied 
on for yielding heavy crops of fruit of the best quality. Good profit¬ 
able late varieties are Dr. Hogg and British Queen, the former some¬ 
times succeeding where the latter fails, and vice versa. Ground that 
has either been trenched or deeply dug and cropped with early Pota¬ 
toes will be found suitable for Strawberries, and after being prepared 
as above advised for the vegetables, should, previous to planting, be 
heavily trampled. Draw shallow drills 30 inches apart, and on rich 
soil 3 feet apart, and place the plants 18 or 20 inches asunder. Plant 
very slightly below the level, and make the soil about them as firm 
as possible. Those plants received by post or otherwise that have no 
soil attached to their roots should first be immersed in water for a 
few hours, and when planted the roots should be spread evenly in the 
soil. The best crops are usually obtained in the open ground, but in 
many small gardens they are substituted for Box on each side of the 
walks, and are certainly very profitable edging plants. Any esta¬ 
blished plants that have not borne more than two or three good 
crops, and which it is thought advisable to save, should have all the 
runners and a few of the outer leaves trimmed off; the beds hoed to 
destroy the weeds, and these and the loosest of the mulching cleared 
off. Cut off the exhausted plants with a spade, hoe the bed, and 
rake off loose rubbish. Do not dig the grorrnd, but at once draw drills 
between the old lines, and plant out Broccoli or Savoys. Broccoli thus 
treated make very sturdy growth, and are less liable to be destroyed 
by frost. Any of the varieties above recommended are suitable for 
culture in pots. Those who intend growing a few are referred to the 
remarks on the subject on page G4 of this series. 
Cabbage seed should now be sown in order to obtain strong plants 
to stand the winter. Suitable varieties are Heartwell Marrow, 
Enfield Market, Snttons’ Imperial, and Early Rainham. Sow' thinly, 
and protect from birds. 
125 
TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 
Jules de Cock, Faubourg St. Lidvin, Ghent .—General Catalogue of 
Plants. 
*** All correspondence should be directed either to “ The Editors ” 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Mr. Johnson or 
Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoidably. We request that 
no one w’ill write privately to any of our correspondents, as doing 
so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than tw T o or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Culture of Double Pyrethrums ( C. L.). —Full particulars of the 
treatment double Pyrethrums require appeared in No. 1003 of this Journal, to 
which we cannot do better than refer you. 
William Tillery Melon (A Young Gardener). —The following is the 
description of this Melon, which was certificated by the Royal Horticultural 
Society in 1879—Fruit large and handsome, having a dark green skin, and 
regularly netted. Rind very thin. Flesh pale green, juicy, sweet, and of excel¬ 
lent quality. 
Early Rose Potatoes (A Young Gardener). —Your crop of 683 lbs. from 
19 lbs. of seed, occupying ground 36 yards long by 6 yards wide, is not excep¬ 
tional. The crop from 33 yards by 13 yards of ground is much better; 61 lbs. 
of seed yielding 1794 lbs. is at the rate of a little over 8| tons per acre. The 
results are satisfactory, but they have been more than doubled. 
Grapes Shanking (Subscriber). —We are glad to hear that our advice has 
proved so serviceable to you. Shanking is generally caused by overcropping or 
defective root-action, the latter arising from stagnant soil causing the roots to 
decay, or a very dry border causing them to shrivel. The berries always stop 
swelling for a week during the stoning period. Your Vines are probably rather 
overcropped. 
Beetles Infesting Parsnips (J. E.). —The insects sent belong to the 
genus Hister, one of the group of beetles called “ Mimic,” from the readiness 
with which they feign death. Hence they may be easily shaken oil the plants 
on which they are feeding and then destroyed. But their usual food is animal 
and vegetable substances in a state of decay, and probably their attacking the 
leaves of Parsnips and Potatoes indicates an unhealthiness in the plants from 
some cause. 
Chrysanthemum frutescens ( Subscriber). — The plants intended for 
winter flowering should have the flower buds removed until -within a month 
of the time that flowers are wanted. Cuttings inserted now will form small 
plants that will flower freely during the winter, five or six being grown in a 
5-inch pot. Cuttings for producing plants for bedding-out next year may be 
inserted in September in sandv soil, the pots to be placed in a frame or propa¬ 
gating house, and shaded and kept close for a few days just to prevent flagging, 
then inured to light and air. 
Heating Stove and Fernery (II. It. 1.— You will require four rows of 
3-inch pipes to heat the stove, two' along each side, or, if the house is a lean-to, 
at the front or in the pathway, and for bottom heat two rows of 3-inch pipes 
will be sufficient for a bed 3 feet wide. They should be surrounded and covered 
to a depth of about 3 inches with rubble, and over this place the plunging 
material. The same number of pipes as for the stove will be required for the 
fernery if to be kept at stove temperature, or two rows— i.e., a flow and return, 
if for greenhouse Ferns. 
Cnltnre of Gold and Silver Ferns (V. B.). — The genus Gymno- 
gramma, which you designate by the above popular name, includes many beauti¬ 
ful forms, all of which are of easy culture, and are from their distinct appear¬ 
ance especially deserving of attention. The compost they require is a mixture 
of fibrous peat and silver sand, the pots being of moderate size and carefully 
drained. A light position should be selected for the plants in a stove fernery, 
or a slightly shaded place in an ordinary stove would suit them ; but in either 
case care must be exercised to avoid wetting the fronds when syringing, or the 
delicate “ farina ” will be washed off. Abundance of water is required at the 
roots, and if the plants are allowed to suffer in the slightest degree from inatten¬ 
tion to this bad results invariably follow'. 
Culture of Euphorbia splendens (A Young Gardener).— The plant of 
which you sent a specimen is Euphorbia splendens. it is of easy culture, requir¬ 
ing a stove temperature, and a soil of fibrous loam and sand, with a small pro¬ 
portion of lime rubbish. The pots should be well drained, as any stagnant 
moisture is especially injurious to the plants, as their stems are very succulent. 
When the plants are growing freely water may be liberally supplied, liquid 
manure being also beneficial occasionally. Although succeeding well in pots 
this Euphorbia is more useful if planted" out in a border against a wall in the 
stove, where flowers will be freely produced, showing a considerable portion of 
the year. 
Culture of Vincas (Ibid). —Vinca rosea and V. alba, to which you refer, 
are useful quick-growing stove plants that require no special treatment, and 
flower freely. A rich light compost of loam, sand, and a small proportion of 
well-decayed manure suit them admirably. Abundance, of water is required 
whilst the plants are growing. To form bushy specimens it will be necessary to 
pinch the shoots back and shift the plants as they fill their pots with roots. 
Characteristics of a Good Pansy (F. G. S.). — In reply to your ques¬ 
tion we append from our Manual, “ Florists’ Flowers,” the following description 
of the chief qualities a Pansy should possess to be fit for exhibition “ 1, Each 
