40 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January 11, 1883. 
vegetable salesmen and greengrocers there as to the vegetables most in demand 
and the prices that are usually obtainable, also to procure information as to the 
cost of transit from the ground to the market. As you say the vegetables would 
be grown by a “ professional man,” he ought to be competent to judge, after 
making the inquiries we have suggested, what kinds it would answer best to 
cultivate. Much forethought is requisite in work of this nature, as it is not 
uncommon for the inexperienced to produce good crops of a particular vegetable 
just when the market is overstocked and the prices consequently low. Much 
labour has been wasted and money lost by accidents of that kind. Be first in 
the market with good produce and you will find vegetable-growing profitable, 
otherwise you will not find the occupation equal your expectations. 
Gladioli for Scotland (Ayrshire ).—The following notes on culture and 
selection of varieties by a successful Scottish cultivator will answer your 
inquiry About the middle of February, if favourable weather be bad, trench 
your ground to a depth of at least 2 feet. See that the drainage be satisfactory, 
and incorporate with the soil some well-decayed manure. We believe cowdung 
is, on the whole, the best. Keep this at sufficient depth to avoid immediate 
contact with the corms, and if the soil be already in good condition do not 
enrich it too much. Weak liquid manure can be applied with more safety as the 
plants progress. About the middle of March, if the weather allow, plant the 
corms a foot apart each way, the smaller about 4 inches, the larger 5 or 6 inches 
deep. Rather delay for a week or two than plant in soil saturated with wet. 
Place each root in sand and cover it with it. Beds of three, or at most four 
rows, allow of the plants being easily reached for the purpose of staking, shading, 
&c. The former should be attended to by the time the plants begin to run to 
flower. The latter is essential to having clean and well-furnished spikes. 
Planted at the depths given watering will in your district be little needed, unless 
in exceptionally dry seasons. The following are twenty-four leading compe¬ 
tition varieties of moderate price Adolphe Brongniart, Camille, Carnation, 
Celimene, Daubenton, Be Mirbel, Giganteus, Horace Vernet, Jupiter, Leander, 
Le Phare, L’Unique Violet, Mary Stuart, Matador, Meyerbeer, Mons. Legouvb, 
Murillo, Norma, Ondive, Orpheus, Panorama, Pictum, Primatice, and Shakespeare. 
Should you wish you may safely add or substitute any of these six dearer sorts— 
Archduchesse Marie Christine, Baroness Burdett Coutts, Eclair, Flamingo, 
Marquis of Lothian, Victor Jacquemont. 
Edgings for Carriage Drives (IF. A. Newton ).—The question of 
edgings is very much a question of cost. We presume you desire a permanent 
earthenware edging, in which case you cannot do better than write for a priced 
illustrated catalogue from those firms who advertise them in our columns. In 
some places bricks placed diagonally are largely employed as edgings. The 
following description of this plan was forwarded to us many years ago by Mr. 
, . Robson :—For many years I 
/ v have been in the habit of using 
/ \ common kiln bricks as an edging 
/ \ to walks through dark shrub- 
N beries and similar places. These 
. are laid in a diago- 
_nal position — one 
/ edge and one flat 
/ side presenting each an angle of 
/ 45° to view, or, in other words, 
/ they are laid with an angle-edge 
/' upwards, thus—and, being placed 
' deep enough in the ground to 
allow only about 2 inches of the 
angular side of the brick to be 
seen, its appearance is pleasing, 
and it is not easily moved ; even 
a wheelbarrow driven over it 
does no further damage than chip¬ 
ping the angles off a little; and 
sweeping and all the other 
ordinary work of cleaning a walk 
only improve its appearance.” 
The bricks should be burned 
hard. 
CROUND 
(t 
\ 
\ 
/ 
Fig. 10. 
а, The corner of brick forming the edging, 
б, The buried portion of the brick. 
Inarching or Bottle-grafting Vines (Gardener ).—You need have no 
difficulty in carrying out your object, and you will find full instructions for 
doing so in No. 617, the issue of January 23rd, 1873, which can be had from the 
publisher in return for 3.in postage stamps, quoting the number_ and date 
that we have submitted. We cannot detail the practice so fully in this column 
as you will find recorded in the number in question. 
Peach and Fig Trees in Vinery (R. II. R .).—We gather from your 
letter that you propose growing the trees in large pots or tubs. You may very 
well do so, and with good cultural attention, and especially preventing red 
spider becoming established on the Peach, you may succeed in producing a few 
acceptable dishes of fruit without in the slightest degree injuring the Vines. 
Until the Vines cover the roof and cast a heavy shade below you can ripen the 
Peaches and Figs in the house if you choose, or you can remove them to the 
greenhouse, or even plunge the pots in a warm position out doors after the 
fruit is set. If the crop is allowed to ripen under glass it will be well to place 
the trees in a sunny position in the open air, plunging the pots or tubs, and 
applying water as may be necessary for maintaining the health of the trees. 
We are acquainted with a vinery in which a Peach tree is ained close to the 
glass at the end of the house, the roots being outside, and ough the roof is 
covered with Vines, from six to ten dozen of fine Peaches are gathered from the 
tree yearly. The gardener takes care to permit no red spider to infest the tree, 
and consequently he has none on the Vines, but instead a very fine crop of 
Grapes annually. Some years ago we planted and trained a Fig tree similarly, 
which has since produced thousands of excellent fruits without interfering with 
the Vines in any way. You cannot have a more useful Fig than the Brown 
Turkey, nor a better Peach than Grosse Mignonne. 
Name of Plant (R. H. /).).—Tussilago fragrans. Pee note on page 28. 
It is a native of Italy, but has been in this country since the commencement of 
the present century. It is commonly termed the Sweet-scented Coltsfoot. 
Dead Queen (E. T .).—At this season bees have no eggs and cannot rear a 
queen to replace the one you found dead on the flight board. Even if a queen 
could now be bred she would, in the absence of drones, remain unfertilised and 
be useless. The bees of your hive should be united to another stock having a 
queen, or otherwise the bees and queen of a le*s valuable hive united to it. 
The work of uniting bees at this cold season is best done by candlelight in a 
hothouse or warm room of a dwelling-house. First sprinkle a little warm 
syrup over the bees or on the combs of bees to be surrendered about sunset. 
Close the door of the hive and take it into a dark room for an hour, the bees 
will then be all astir and easily shaken from the combs or the hive. Smoke the 
bees a little, lift out the bees singly and rapidly, and with a hand-brush sweep 
the bees from the combs into an empty hive, keeping the candle as much out of 
sight as possible. All this is but the work of two or three minutes. The hive 
to receive the bees, previously treated with syrup like the other, should be 
placed on and over the bees. The caudle should be put out and the bees left to 
unite and fraternise. We have practised this mode of uniting bees in cold 
weather in scores of instances, and never once failed. The only risk is in losing 
a few bees that fly to the candle. But in the bands of an expert the work is so 
speedily done that the bees seldom have time to fly. Hives with fixed combs are 
treated differently. By giving them a sudden jerk or two all the bees fall from 
the combs to the floor, when the hive to receive them is placed over them. 
CO VENT GARDEN MARKET.—JANUARY 10TH. 
We have been badly supplied during the week with fruit generally, excepting 
Grapes, which have barely maintained Christmas quotations. Vegetables 
plentiful. 
FRUIT. 
8. 
d. 
s. d. 
9. 
d. 
3. 
d. 
Apples. 
J sieve 
2 
0to7 0 
Grapes . 
ft. 
2 
OtoS 
e 
,, .per barrel 20 
0 
40 0 
Lemons. 
case 10 
0 
20 
0 
Apricots. 
doz. 
0 
0 
0 0 
Melons . 
each 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Cherries. 
£ sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Nectarines. 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Chestnuts. 
bushel 10 
0 
12 0 
Oranges . 
100 
6 
0 
10 
0 
Currants, Black.. 
i sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Peaches . 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
„ Red.... 
\ sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Pears,kitchen .. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Figs. 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 0 
dessert . 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Filberts. 
ft. 
0 
0 
0 0 
Pine Apples, English ft. 
1 
8 
2 
0 
Cobs. 
100 ft. 
50 
0 
55 0 
Raspberries. 
ft. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Gooseberries .... 
4 sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Strawberries .... 
lb. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
8 
d. 
s. d. 
9. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
dozen 
2 
0 to 4 0 
1 
ntni 
Q 
Asparagus. 
bundle 
0 
0 
0 0 
Mushrooms . 
punnet 
l 
0 
j 
6 
Beans,Kidney... 
100 
1 
0 
0 0 
Mustard & Cress . 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
8 
Beet, Red. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 0 
Onions. 
bushel 
2 
3 
2 
6 
Broccoli. 
bundle 
0 
9 
1 6 
Parsley. doz.bunches 
8 
0 
4 
0 
Brussels Sprouts.. 
i sieve 
1 
6 
2 0 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage . 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 0 
Peas . 
quart 
0 
0 
a 
0 
Capsicums. 
100 
1 
6 
2 0 
Potatoes . 
cwt. 
6 
0 
7 
e 
Carrots . 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 0 
Kidney. 
cwt. 
6 
0 
8 
0 
Cauliflowers. 
dozen 
2 
0 
3 0 
Radishes.... doz. bunches 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Celery. 
bundle 
1 
6 
2 0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Coleworts_doz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Cucumbers. 
each 
i 
6 
2 0 
Scorzo'nera . 
bundle 
1 
fl 
0 
8 
Endive. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 0 
1 
o 
O 
o 
Fennel. 
bunch 
0 
s 
0 0 
Shallots. 
lb. 
s 
o 
o 
Garlic . 
a. 
0 
6 
0 0 
Spinach . 
bushel 
3 
0 
0 
0 
Herbs . 
bunch 
2 
0 0 
lt>. 
o 
« 
1 
o 
Leeks. 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 4 
Turnips . 
bunch 
0 
2 
0 
3 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
GOAT FARMING. 
Amongst other matters which are coming forward at the 
present time Goat farming is becoming prominent with amateurs, 
but it is likely also to attract more attention than it has done 
amongst farmers who may be so situated as to be able to turn it 
to advantage. It will, however, no doubt, receive most notice 
from those engaged in what we call suburban villa farming; still, 
there is an opportunity for the home farmer in some situations to 
profit by the management of Goats under special circumstances 
and in particular situations. We propose, therefore, to place 
before our readers such information as we have been enabled to 
obtain in connection with the subject, which may be not only 
interesting to amateurs but profitable to the farmer. We shall 
not only explain our opinions, but also the best and most ad¬ 
vanced practice of those who have taken a decided interest in the 
matter, and who have value i the Goat as an animal capable of 
furnishing milk, meat, and mohair. From these items the public 
and consumers have not hitherto obtained much benefit; it, 
however, remains to be seen how far their requirements in this 
direction can be met by farming this kind of stock. As, how¬ 
ever, a Goat Society has been formed, we assume that an amount 
of enterprise and spirit will be called into operation, so that the 
