806 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 9, 1890. 
ready and valuable aid in the preparations, and thus largely con- produced till-warm spring weather is experienced, this being when 
tributed to the success of the Show to which these notes refer. they are frequently a glut in the market, while a forcing tempera- 
Mr. G. W. Cummins and assistants worked willingly and well in ture causes a spindly growth and an attack of aphides. A little 
staging the fruit, and the judging was completed by the appointed fire heat ought always to be provided, and air admitted freely 
time. whenever the weather is mild. I never look at the thermometer- 
FLOWER CULTURE FOR PROFIT. 
Richardias. 
At present there are no signs of any abatement in the demand 
for this popular plant, nor is there likely to be while church de¬ 
coration is practised on the same elaborate and expensive style as 
during the past decade, and memorial wreaths and crosses are so 
much in request. Richardias would really appear to be indispen¬ 
sable for these purposes, nor is this to be wondered at, seeing how 
serviceable it is. Those who are favoured with numerous orders 
for wreaths and crosses must find the spathes most profitable, and 
even those who market or sell at wholesale rates have not much 
cause to complain. At the festivals of Christmas and Easter the 
best prices are obtained, ours not unfrequently being sold locally 
at the rate of 9s. per dozen, and for rather less sums, or from 6s. 
to 8s. when sent to large towns. At other times, unless wanted 
for a special purpose, the price per dozen is about 4s. clear. Seeing 
that numbers of plants can be grown in positions, perhaps, which 
would not be otherwise utilised, such as newly started vineries and 
Peach houses, as well as the stagings of greenhouses and the con¬ 
servatory beds, they may be said to pay very well even if the lower 
figures only were reached. 
The best methods of culture have been so often discussed that 
there is not much necessity for enlarging upon them afresh, though 
I cannot avoid touching upon the principal facts I have tried 
preparing the plants in the pots in which they are to flower, and 
also by planting out and potting in due course, and lam of opinion 
that the latter plan is both simpler and better. "VVe have num¬ 
bers that were started early in 8-inch pots being intended to flower 
in December, and so doubtless they will, but those planted out 
have already commenced flowering, and are by far the most 
vigorous. At the same time I must protest against the assumed 
necessity for preparing Celery-like trenches for Richardias, in our 
case at any rate it is not required. It is not huge plants and great 
coarse spathes that are wanted, but rather a greater profusion of 
medium sized to small spathes, and the plants to produce the latter 
can be had with little trouble. Where many err is in too long 
delaying the planting out. There is no necessity to keep the 
plants in pots nearly or quite without water for several weeks in 
order to force them to rest, the better plan being to turn them out 
of the houses directly they have ceased flowering, and to take the 
first opportunity of pulling them to pieces, roughly trimming off 
the old leaves and planting out. 
A lumpy soil is unfavourable, as the plants start feebly in it, 
and cannot be well lifted out of this, but a breadth of well- 
pulverised ground that would grow Carrots and other root crops 
well is equally suitable for Richardias. Plant the divisions 1 foot 
apart in rows 2 feet asunder, keep the ground clean, mulch with 
strawy litter or manure, and little further trouble need be taken 
unless the summer be exceptionally hot and dry, in which case a 
few good soakings of water will prove beneficial. All ought to be 
potted before a frost cripples them, 4° or 5° being enough to seri¬ 
ously injure them. This season the lifting was safely deferred till 
the end of September, but there have been seasons when they had 
to be lifted a fortnight earlier. There is no need for lifting a great 
ball of soil with the roots, but every care should be taken of the 
roots. Whether they are placed singly in 7-inch or rather larger 
pots, or three in 9-inch pots, or in still greater numbers in larger 
sizes, ought to depend upon circumstances, the smaller sizes being 
handy for house and church decoration, and convenient for small 
or light stages, but if the plants have to be set on the floors or 
beds of houses they seem to do best when from nine to twelve 
strong plants are placed in 15-inch or rather larger pots. The 
drainage ought to be good, and any fairly rich compost suits 
them well. They flag but little in full sunshine in spite of the 
rough treatment given them, a good soaking of water and a few 
syringings soon putting them right. All should be housed on the 
first symptoms of a frost. 
A si a ly position under glass will not do for these plants, as 
the nearer the glass or the lighter the quarters they are kept in the 
sturdier and more floriferous they become. Therefore, give them 
good room, plenty of light and water whenever the soil is at all 
dry, though there is no necessity for or wisdom in standing the 
pots in saucers or pans of water. Liquid manure of some kind is 
needed frequently after the flowering period has commenced. 
They are comparative failures in cold houses, or those heated only 
when frosts are imminent, and high temperatures are equally 
objectionable. Under the former conditions spathes are sparingly 
except during very frosty weather, but should say our houses, in 
which Richardias are principally grown, are, during the winter and 
early part of the spring, seldom above 55°, and not often lower 
than 45°, the night temperature on an average being nearer 50°. 
Green fly is frequently very troublesome, and once this pest is 
allowed to gain a good foothold it is very difficult to exterminate. 
Yet this must be done, or the spathes will be of little value. 
Fumigations with tobacco paper directly the aphides are seen, or 
better still in anticipation of their visits, will keep the plants clean. 
The spathes keep better off the plants than they do left uncut, 
but it is a mistake to keep them long after they are fully grown,, 
or many of them will have lost their freshness and value before 
they reach their destination. In anticipation of the extra demand 
and better prices at Christmas and Easter, the flowers with a good 
length of stem should be kept in jars of water placed in a cool 
dark room. The stems being cut over frequently the flowers will 
keep fairly fresh for about ten days. Their own foliage is re¬ 
quired with them by decorators, an extra charge sometimes being 
made for these. We are content to give the leaves, and believe 
the spathes sell the more readily in consequence. All should be 
cut with long stems, and packed closely and flatly in long shallow- 
boxes lined with clean moss, clean tissue paper being placed over 
them, and sufficient cotton wool on this to keep the flowers from 
shifting, the lids closing tightly on this.—M. H. 
ASPHALT WALKS. 
As from time to time I have been asked by gardening friends 
who have called on me how we make the asphalt for our walks here 
I venture to hope that the plan I am about to describe may be of 
use to some of the readers of the Journal who are desirous of 
having a good hard walk at as little expense as possible. 
Everyone will admit there is nothing to equal in appearance a 
well-made gravel walk, whether in the kitchen garden or elsewhere 
but when that kitchen garden happens to be on a sharp slope they 
will also admit it is annoying to have to wheel all the gravel from 
the bottom of the garden to the top after every thunderstorm, so 
that the advantage of asphalt in a case like this is very apparent, as 
when once it is properly laid it requires very little expense to keep 
it in good condition. 
There is, however, one drawback which perhaps it would be as 
well to state at once, and that is it is a work that requires to be 
done in the summer, when, as a rule, gardeners have little time to 
spare for extra work of this kind ; yet when we come to consider 
the labour and expense of keeping ordinary walks clean the extra 
labour entailed is but trifling, and we have all the winter before us 
to collect materials and prepare the walks to be operated upon. 
In preparing an old walk for asphalting, if there is any doubt 
about the drains being in perfect order they should be examined, 
and if necessary taken up and relaid some time in winter, as then 
there will be plenty of time for the soil that has been moved above 
the pipes to become solid again, so that there may be no chance of 
it sinking after the walk is made. If edging tiles are used they 
should be looked to and placed down firmly, so as to have a straight 
and tidy appearance when the walk is finished. Materials may also 
be collected and everything prepared, so that there maybe no delay 
when the fine weather arrives. 
The ashes I have found to answer the best for mixing with the 
tar are those made from steam coal, such as comes from locomotive 
engines (they can be obtained from almost any railway company 
at a very cheap rate). These should be passed through a half-inch 
screen, the coarser particles answering well for placing in the bottom 
of the walk, or if there is sufficient ballast in the walk, say 
4 inches, it will not be necessary to disturb it more than to take off 
sufficient of the surface to allow for about 2 inches of the tar to 
be placed on when the walk is being made. 
The remainder of the work must be done in fine dry weather, 
The sifted ashes should be spread out thinly in a sunny spot, and 
turned over occasionally for the moisture to evaporate ; also procure 
some lime, old mortar rubbish, or gas lime, very dry, and screened 
like the ashes, as if this is applied at all lumpy it will sometimes 
spoil the surface of the walk by raising the tar and breaking it. 
When the materials are dry, add one barrowload of the lime 
(or lime rubbish, as the case may be) to two of the sifted ashes. 
Mix well, make a hole in the centre of the heap, and pour on 
sufficient tar cold, so that when mixed it will ba of the consistency 
of mortar. Care must be taken that there is no water added to the 
heap with the tar, as this will spoil it. 
All being in readiness for laying down the walk, sprinkle some 
