January 4, 1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 18 
When properly managed growth is continuous if water is liberally 
supplied and a moist warm temperature provided. When spathes 
are not wanted until spring, or until the Chrysanthemum season 
is past, keep the plants growing slowly until a month before 
being wanted, then give a temperature of 55° to 65°, and as long 
as such a temperature continues the plants will grow and flower. 
We have plants which were housed in October and which were 
brought into flower in the end of that month ; they are still flower¬ 
ing, and will continue to do so until May, when their spathes 
will be no longer required. 
The general culture of these plants, briefly stated, is to pot them 
from the open ground in September, one strong growth in an 
8 or 9-inch pot, those with two and three growths being placed in 
larger sizes and in boxes. They grow and flower in any soil pro¬ 
vided they get plenty of water. A few years ago we accidentally 
found that placing each pot in a large saucer kept full of water 
was of great advantage, causing a more floriferous condition, and 
the blooms of a larger size. An occasional surface-dressing, with 
a mixture of manure and loam in equal proportions and a weekly 
application of sulphate of ammonia, are valuable aids to this 
plant. When the plants are placed in a temperature such as 
noted above a spathe will start from the sheath of one of the 
largest leaves. While this is growing upwards and opening other 
leaves are being formed from the main central growth. By-and- 
by a second spathe will appear behind the first. This will have 
developed before the central growth has produced another leaf ; 
but provided the temperature is high enough to favour the full 
development of the foliage, spathes will 
follow from about the third leaf from 
the one which produced the first, and so 
the succession of leaves and spathes 
continues as long as the conditions are 
secured for the proper growth of the 
plant. Further side growths attain con¬ 
siderable strength throughout the winter 
months, and in spring some of these 
produce spathes. Occasionally they 
come merely as white flowers with a 
tinge of green at the point, occasionally 
the spathes are doubled. 
In May the plants are placed out of 
doors, where they are protected from any 
late frosts (in autumn a few degrees of 
frost are not hurtful) which damage the 
tissue of the foliage if exposed. In 
June we divide the plants, planting the pieces out and tying 
the foliage to stout stakes. If the soil is dry a good watering is 
necessary. Last summer we used these as decorative flower- 
garden plants, and found them as useful in that position as they 
had been throughout the winter and spring ; this year they will 
occupy a prominent position in the flower garden. To return to 
its culture in pots. The offsets produced are useful if taken off 
at the time the plants are divided and placed into 5 or 6-inch 
pots, in which they may be had to flower throughout the next 
winter and spring. To illustrate the ease these may be managed, 
last June about fifty of these offsets were thus potted in leaf soil ; 
they were kept in a shady corner well watered. The strongest 
have flowered, and others are coming on in succession. Insects 
arc easily washed off with a syringe.—B. 
Pear Josephine de Malines. —In answer to the query concern¬ 
ing this very delicious Pear as to the time of its ripening, I may state 
that at Holme Lacy it was generally quite fit for table by the first week 
in December. Those from the cordons on a south wall were a few 
days earlier than those from a fan-trained tree on a west wall. The 
trees are on the Quince stock. I used to think it was the Quince 
stock that caused the earliness. A tree on the Pear stock on an east 
wall would not ripen its fruit at all.—A. Young. 
Fig. S.—Turf Lifting. 
or stout piece of wire 2 feet long, so that it project 1 foot on 
each side of the knife, as shown at a, fig. 4. This tool is used 
to cut the turf into the necessary widths. A line is used to cut 
the first width, as at b, c. Place the racer so that the end of the 
cross rod touches the line, and so guide the cutting of the first 
turf. The line is then dispensed with, as each cut made across 
the grass forms a guide to cutting of the next one. This simple 
tool saves many a weary hour’s work with line and edging-iron. 
The turf has next to be cut into lengths of from 4 to 6 feet and 
at right angles to the other, as shown at a, a , a., fig. 5. This is 
best done by placing the line at the proper distances and running 
the racer along on the top of it, the knife being close to it. 
The next point to be considered is the level. The best plan is to 
lift a single width of turf all along each end, and others across 
the lawn at distances of about 10 yards apart. By means of 
borning-rods insert level pegs in these bare spaces at every second 
length of turf. This will show where the ground has to be made 
up or reduced. If possible begin where it has to be reduced. The 
lifting should be done by two men and a boy. The men must each 
TURFING. 
The lifting and relaying a quantity of turf is generally looked 
upon as a very laborious operation, and it is so at best ; but with 
proper appliances, and a little forethought in devisiDg a regular 
plan and method of working, much may be done to expedite this 
operation, if but little to alleviate the real hard work that it in¬ 
volves. This sort of work may be done any time from September 
till March, but, like planting shrubs, the sooner it is done in 
the autumn the better it is for the turf. It should especially 
be avoided late in the spring, as it is so apt to be dried up and 
disfigured for half the season if there are a few weeks of dry 
weather before midsummer. Dull weather after a good rain is a 
suitable time to lift turf, as it works more freely when wet. 
We often see lawns not satisfactory in the way of evenness. I 
do not mean that all lawns ought to be level, only that they should 
be free from hollows. In stiff adhesive soils the rain forms minia¬ 
ture lakes for days, and thus makes the lawn wetter than if no 
lodgment was found for it, as in the case of an even surface be it 
level or sloping. Lifting round patches and filling up hollows is 
never satisfactory ; by far the best plan is to lift the whole. To 
anyone commencing such an undertaking I would commend to 
his notice the following mode of procedure. 
Suppose, for instance, that a lawn has to be made suitable for 
lawn tennis without materially altering the level of it. In the 
first place let him proceed to make what in Sussex is called turf- 
racers—-a very simple but useful tool. It is represented at fig. 4, 
and may be made of any similarly shaped piece of wood which 
may be found in the stick heap. The thick end of this may either 
be split with a saw, or a hole bored at a sharp angle to admit of a 
knife being fixed in the position shown. The latter may be made 
of the point of an old scythe blade, and should be fixed to project 
2^ inches from the wood. Now obtain a piece of stout zinc— 
corrugated zinc roofing beaten out flat will do—about 2 feet 
long by 6 inches wide. Cut this into the shape of a canoe ; 
but make one end taper to a sharp point about 9 inches from the 
broad end, and in the centre cut a very narrow opening, just 
sufficient to let the knife through, and w ith a few screws fasten 
this on as a sole-piece, bending it to fit the wood. Next bore a 
hole just in front of the knife, and fit j n t 0 it a straight round rod 
