27G 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 5, 1883. 
manures bone phosphate is the best, but it is only placed in the drills 
and then no other manure is used. General Culture.—Planting 
medium-sized tubers whole has given better results than using small 
tubers, or cutting large ones into many small pieces. Having the 
rows too close is a great mistake. Two feet from row to row and 
1 foot between the sets is not too wide for compact-growing kinds, 
and from (i inches to 1 foot more is allowed the late varieties. Earth¬ 
ing up with a four-tined fork, opening the soil well and leaving it 
rough and free, is better practice than scratching up ridges with a 
drag hoe. The quantity may be increased by lifting prematurely to 
avoid the disease, but the quality suffers in consequence.—J. Muir, 
Margam Parle. 
Merionethshire. —1. End of March. Veitch’s Ashleaf, *Myatt’s 
Ashleaf, and *Beauty of Hebron. Soil.—Light, 700 feet above sea 
level. 2. End of March. Covent Garden Perfection, *St. Patrick, 
IXilmahoy, and Eortyfold. 3. Middle of April. *Schoolmaster, 
*Reading Hero, Magnum Bonum, and Paterson’s Victoria. Soil.— 
Light, stony, 500 feet above sea level. Manures and Application.— 
Stable manure applied under the Potatoes in the rows as planting 
progresses. General Culture.—First early varieties are planted on 
south borders from 22 to- 24 inches between the rows and 1 foot 
between each set in the rows ; second earlies 3 feet between the 
rows and 1 foot between the sets, thus allowing room for a row of 
Broccoli or winter Kale between the rows of Potatoes. The late 
varieties have field cultivation, and are planted in rows 30 inches 
apart and a foot between the sets.— George Cooke, Nannau Parle 
Dolgelley. 
Montgomeryshire. —1. March loth. Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf. 
Soil.—Medium. 3. April 12ch Scotch Champion in field. Manures 
and Application.—Lime and soot dug and ploughed in. We only 
grow two varieties for household purposes.— Wm.Lee, Powis Castle 
Gardens , Welshpool. 
Pembrokeshire. —1 . February and March. Veitch’s Improved 
Ashleaf, *Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, Walnut-leaved Kidney, and Gram¬ 
pian. Soil.—Light soil kitchen garden. 2. March. *Gloucester 
Kidney, Covent Garden Perfection, Snowflake, and Dalmahoy. Soil. 
—Medium kitchen garden. 3. April. Schoolmaster, Paterson’s 
Victoria, *Scotch Champion, and *Magnum Bonum. Soil.—Medium 
farm. Manures and Application.—Manure from the stables for 
garden use, and farmyard manure for field crops. General Culture.— 
Early crops are grown in rows 2 feet apart, the sets 1 foot apart. 
Field crops are planted 30 inches apart, 1 foot in drills. In the 
ordinary way all those sorts named are good croppers and do well 
here. Of Scotch Champion we had a grand crop last year in the 
open field.— .-George Sclater, Stack pole Court. 
Radnorshire. —1. February and March and April. Old Ashleaf 
Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf, ^Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, and *Myatt’s 
Prolific. Soil.—Light. 2. April or first week in May. *Trophy, 
*Triumph, and Bresee’s Peerless. 3. April or May. *Scotch Champion, 
*Magnum Bonum, and Paterson’s Victoria. Manures and Applica¬ 
tion.—Good stable or farmyard manure worked in the soil in autumn 
or winter, and a moderate dressing of lime cast over the drills at 
planting time, and in covering the Potatoes the lime is mixed with 
the soil, and proves very beneficial. General Culture.—In planting 
the early and second early varieties I put about four Potatoes or sets 
in a yard, the rows being 24 inches apart. I always select them as 
near one size as I possibly can to avoid cutting. In planting the late 
varieties I generally put three sets in a yard, particularly of Scotch 
Champion and Magnum Bonum. I find that distance suits them 
well, and in favourable seasons I have a very good crop. I generally 
allow 30 inches between the rows of the late varieties.— Henry 
Thomas, Boultibroolce , Presteigne. 
LA GROSSE SUCREE STRAWBERRY. 
Of several varieties tried for early forcing the above has again 
been the best. It is a very free setter, and invariably carries a 
good crop of large and well-coloured fruits. We find if ventilation 
is left on for an hour or two before gathering the fruits and the 
house is kept comparatively dry it will compare favourably with 
any other variety for flavour. Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury 
under the same treatment has been useless; we have not 
gathered a good fruit yet, although several plants were started in 
each batch. Can it be the soil that has something to do with it ? 
as some gardeners succeed in forcing it well. Later batches are 
showing well, but even at its best, when early forced, the fruit is 
small when compared with such varieties as La Grosse Sucree.— 
G. Summers, Sandbecli Parle. 
Home-grown Lii.y of the Valley.— Having tried on a small 
scale to grow Lily of the Valley for early forcing, I read with much 
interest the article by “ R. T.” in the Journal for March 29th. I pre¬ 
viously felt quite satisfied with my success, now I feel quite 
disappointed. Six dozen spikes in an 8-inch pot I had thought 
impossible from one clump. Will “ R. T.” give fuller details ? I feel 
certain many like myself would feel thankful for full cultural direc¬ 
tions from the time the roots are first lifted from the bed until the 
plants flower. I quite agree that home-grown clumps force easier 
and give better foliage if the ciowns are thoroughly ripe.— 
A. J. Sanders. 
CARNATIONS AND PICOTEES IN BEDS. 
As 1 before stated, October is the best month to plant these 
but owing to the wet autumn I for one have been compelled to 
let them stand over, and now for the last three weeks it has been 
a continued frost here. This has prevented planting in the open. 
Now that there are signs of a change for the better I shall, as 
soon as the weather permits, commence planting. In my last 
note I described how to plant them so as to be suitable for 
layering. To those who find it difficult, like myself, to perform 
the back-bending required in layering, I can recommend the 
plan started by my esteemed friend Mr. Dodwell—that is, to dig 
the plants up when ready for layering, place them in pots with 
a good ball of soil attached, and layer them in the usual way. 
Since adopting this plan I have found the plants root well, with 
fewer deaths amongst them than when grown in pots. Another 
thing, I have been able to get seed to ripen from the lifted plants, 
which I have never been able to do with plants grown in pots, 
where the flowers have been hybridised after layering has been 
done, the flowers of which always prove deaf or barren. 
Ground root plants of Carnations and Picotees are invariably 
stronger than when grown in pots. In this case it is wise to tie 
each plant to a short stick to prevent them being broken by the 
wind, until sticks are placed to them, when they can be tied up 
in the usual way. The growers in the Newcastle district grow 
them all in beds, with the result that they have the finest flowers 
from the ground roots the second year. They call it growing 
them on the bush. Another thing, they are able to have them in 
flower soon enough to compete at the National Carnation and 
Picotee Show at Manchester. 
Looking over my list of Carnations and Picotees which I grew 
in 1856,1 find that 1 still grow the following in scarlet bizarres :— 
Admiral Curzon (Easom), Sir Joseph Paxton (Ely), True Briton 
(Hepworth). Mr. Ainsworth (Holland) I grew at that time, but 
it soon died out, the reason in my opinion being that it was raised 
from an unripened seed. In crimson bizarres I grew the follow¬ 
ing, which I still grow :—Lord Milton (Ely), Black Diamond 
(Haines) ; this has sadly depreciated. Jenny Lind (Puxley) is 
a weakly sort with me now, formerly a very strong grower. In 
pink and purple bizarres I still find Sarah Payne (Ward), as then, 
the best in its class, it being the only one of those grown in 
1856 which I now grow. In purple flakes I grow the follow¬ 
ing, which I grew then :—Squire Mevnell (Bubbins), Squire 
Trow (Jackson), Premier (Millwood). In scarlet flakes I only 
grow Sportsman (Hedderly), which I grew at that time, it 
being a flower now of the best quality, then as now one of the 
best scarlet flakes grown. It was a sport from Admiral Curzon, 
which was obtained in 1854 by Mr. Hedderly ; it also sported with 
Mr. John CliHe of Wortley, near Leeds, in 1S55. Of late years 
Mr. Dodwell has also had another sport from the Admiral of fine 
quality, and which I have no doubt will be a telliDg sort in its 
class. 
In rose flakes I only grow Lovely Ann, which I grew then. It 
was raised by the late Mr. Ely, and bloomed for the first time, I 
believe, in 1S34. It was, and continued for a great number of 
years, the best flower in its class. Even now I consider it the best 
variety in its class as a seed-bearer, John Keet and Sibyl being 
raised from it. In Picotees I have only Mrs. Dodwell; it has, 
however, depreciated with me, and after several misgivings I have 
decided to try it another year. 
I find that the greatest advance has been made amongst the 
Picotees, as very few of the Carnations are in advance of those 
sorts which have already passed out of cultivation—for instance, 
Admiral Curzon, although nearly forty years old, is still unsur¬ 
passed and the best flower in its class or any other.— Geo. Rudd. 
FORCING FRENCH BEANS. 
The value of these is too well understood to call for any com¬ 
ment, while a few remarks from one whose duty it is to supply 
them the whole year round may not be out of place. For the 
autumn and winter supply we always grow them in 24-size pots. 
The soil we find to answer best is a medium loam with a third of 
dung from an old Mushroom bed. Our first sowing is made about 
the first week in September, the pots being half filled with the 
above compost and six or eight seeds placed in each. When 
