JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 21, 1883. 
512 
distinct departure from the ordinary type, the bright scarlet and 
orange flowers with a light centre being freely produced on scapes 
of moderate strength. 
public two or three years ago, having become personally ac¬ 
quainted with its beauties whilst on a visit to the south of Europe. 
Unlike the generality of the genus, the perfume of Allium neapoli- 
tanum is of an a greeable and refreshing character. — J ames 
Carter & Co. 
PLANTING AND EARTHING-UP CELERY. 
During- the next few weeks the main plantings of this much- 
esteemed vegetable should be made. There are various methods 
of growing it, some growers planting from two to four rows in 
a bed, and others only one row in a trench. The latter mode of 
procedure is adopted where quality rather than quantity is the 
object in view, and generally practised by gardeners. We shall, 
therefore, confine our remarks to the single-row system of 
planting. 
It is almost impossible to keep Celery too moist at the roots 
during the growing season ; but after the plants have completed 
their growth it is necessary that there be no lodgment of water, 
as that would cause the blanched heads to decay ; therefore if the 
ground be low it will be absolutely necessary to plant in shallow 
trenches—that is, on the surface of trenches which had been 
previously opened and filled again with short dung and soil. 
The rows should run north and south, be 16 inches wide, 9 inches 
deep, and 4 feet from centre to centre. Where the ground is 
high there need be no apprehension of the roots and lower part 
of the stems being saturated during the winter months ; therefore 
the trenches may be made 15 inches deep and half filled with 
rich manure, which, as in the preceding case, should be dug into 
the trenches. The ridges, which are formed between the trenches 
by the soil excavated, should be made to slope inward with an 
angle of 50°, so as to allow the Celery the full benefit of summer 
showers. 
The plants in the nursery bed should be watered a few hours 
previous to being taken up, as they can then be removed with 
plenty of soil adhering to the roots. They should be planted 
9 inches apart in the rows, and watered through a rose to settle 
the soil among the roots, care, in the meantime, being taken to 
remove the offsets, if any, from the individual plants. 
In earthing-up Celery the soil should first be pulverised with 
the spade, placed around the plants with the hands, care being 
taken not to let the soil get into the hearts of the plants. But 
before the soil is applied a few of the outside leaves should be 
removed, with any suckers that may have sprung from the 
crown. Moreover, instead of being earthed-up when only 6 or 
9 inches high, as is not unfrequently the case, it will be advisable 
to defer the work until the plants have attained a height of 
12 or 16 inches, thereby not only economising labour, but also 
lessening the chances of the soil choking the plants ; and the 
primary object—the blanching of the head—is secured as com¬ 
pletely as by adding the soil at more frequent intervals. At each 
stage of the earthing process the soil should slope from the sides 
to the plants, so as to form a receptacle for water, of which, 
as already stated, they cannot well have too much at the roots 
while growing. A fine day, when the leaves of the plants are 
thoroughly dry, should be selected for earthing the crops.— 
Hortus. ' 
CCELOGYNE CRISTATA. 
In drawing the attention of amateurs to the easy and successful 
manner in which this useful Orchid may be cultivated in any 
ordinary plant house in which a little heat is regularly applied 
through the coldest part of the year, Mr. A. Young (page 463) has 
done them a good service. One point in his notes may, however, 
be with advantage more particularly noted, and I think corrected. 
Instead of cutting out what are termed exhausted pseudo-bulbs, 
by which I judge are intended pseudo-bulbs in the centre of an 
overcrowded plant which have cast their foliage, I would strongly 
advise dividing the plant as your correspondent advises, but by 
all means retain all the bulbs which are seen to be alive, potting 
in separate pots. Treat as advised for others, and in a short time 
almost every pseudo-bulb will start one or more growths. 
I have this season from plants divided in this manner, in addi¬ 
tion to growths from pseudo-bulbs carrying foliage, twenty-four 
growths from bulbs without any foliage. In some pots I have 
eight pseudo-bulbs with six young growths coming away freely. 
I lately saw a pot having about a dozen so-termed exhausted 
pseudo-bulbs starting eight capital healthy and strong growths, 
which was taken from the centre of a plant 3 feet across and 
potted for experiment.—T. P. Geindrod. 
Allium neapolitanum. —We can confirm the high estimation in 
which this charming novelty, referred to at page 452 of the Journal 
of Horticulture, is held. We introduced it prominently to the 
PARAFFIN OIL IN VINERIES. 
Those who fear to syringe Vines with water which contains 
paraffin oil, even though emulsified with soap, may try the 
following plan, which is perfectly harmless, and is said to be 
efficacious in the prevention of red spider in vineries. It is 
simply to damp the hot-water pipes every now and again with 
the pure oil. About Stirling and near Falkirk this system has 
been practised for a couple of years, and certainly when per¬ 
sistently carried out red spider never appears in the houses. 
We know of one grower whose earliest house was invariably 
badly attacked by May, or just as the Grapes began colouring. 
Spider has put in an appearance this year in many places sooner 
than usual; but in this vinery, in spite of a hotter drier season 
than has been experienced for some years, no insects have appeared, 
and the only preventive measure employed was the bi-nightly 
painting the pipes with paraffin oil. The heat volatilises the oil, 
and going into a house so treated one’s eyes and nostrils smart, 
yet no harm ever happens the foliage or fruit. Of course an hour 
or two dissipates the oil.— Observer. 
[While the above is without doubt an accurate record of facts 
communicated by an excellent gardener and close observer, we 
would yet advise caution in the use of paraffin in the manner in¬ 
dicated, as by its application to hot-water pipes in a house of 
Camellias in Belgium this spring much injury was done to the 
plants, and the owner regretted he had adopted the practice that 
he had seen recommended in an English paper. We examined 
the plants in question, several of which were seriously damaged, 
while some were dead.] 
We are requested to state that visitors to the Pelar¬ 
gonium Society's Exhibition on Tuesday next will have to 
pay Is. to enter the Fisheries, and an additional 2 s. Qd. to enter 
the flower show ; members’ tickets, as a matter of course, admit 
to both. Saturday next is the last day for entries of exhibitors. 
- Mr. C. Waring informs us that there is at the present 
time to be seen at the Rhododendron Gardens near Bidston 
Hill, Cheshire, the best display of flowers seen there for many 
years, and admirers of this flower who are in the neighbour 
hood will be well repaid by a visit, the public being admitted 
at certain hours while the plants remain in flower. 
- Mr. Allis sends us flowers of Azalea indica alba from 
a plant that has been growing in the open ground at Old Warden, 
Biggleswade, for upwards of twenty years without any protec¬ 
tion. Our correspondent never having seen it grown out of doors 
before in the midland counties has induced him to send the 
blooms to show that this plant is hardy. It flowers more or less 
every year. 
- A correspondent, who is evidently an excellent florist, 
suggests the desirability of holding an Auricula Show in 
Scotland. This is a good suggestion, but whether it can be 
successfully carried out depends on the support that would be 
accorded by professional and amateur cultivators of the favourite 
alpine. There is no doubt that the pure air and cool breezes of 
the north are favourable to the growth of Auriculas, and we 
believe many are grown in Scotland, as it is certain they are 
produced in the finest condition in the north of England. We 
will readily publish any suggestions that may be sent to us by 
northern florists on the subject in question. 
- The start in life to plants, as well as human 
