January 28, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
59 
thought of a gardening paper my thoughts at once turned to the 
paper I had so frequently seen but never read. I have watched 
fropa that date the growth o£ the Journal with great interest, 
an interest intensifled by the fact that soon after commencing to 
read this paper I found out from an old gentleman, a neighbour 
of mine, that I was then residing in the very spot where the 
founder of this Journal spent with his brother a portion of his 
youth, and were the first, I believe, to commence the manufac¬ 
ture of Epsom salts ; in fact, I found a layer of salts in an out¬ 
house there when removing the surface of the soil. My old 
neighbour also told me of an interesting trial of salt as a manorial 
agent and weed destroyer made by Messrs. Johnson. A chance 
meeting with our present revered head in Russia about twenty- 
four years ago also added to my interest. Now I cannot but 
good cropper, and^ the beans if picked in a young state only re- 
quire the ends stripped off, for it is nearly stringless. 
The Titan Runner Bean (Laxton) is true to its name, and will 
doubtless be in great request amongst exhibitors. It is also a good 
cropper, with beans of good qualitv, the seed being still in a young 
state when the pods are so large that they would not be thoucrht 
fib for table. 
^ C/clei icic is not in such request in England as it is with our 
neighbours. It is, however, a very useful vegetable, especially for 
soups. A new variety is the variegated, which is so beautiful in 
appearance that I should say it will be utilised for ornamental pur¬ 
poses, and its beauty does not deteriorate from its usefulness. 
Tnis I also obtained from Messrs. Vilmorin. 
loniatoes .—Early Ruby Tomato I found several days in front 
Fig. 9.—pear BEURRE BACHELIER. (See page G7.) 
recognise that as year by year has passed “ Our Journal ” has not 
grown decrepit with age, but rather has steadily and surely grown 
stronger and stronger, and increased in all round usefulness and 
interest ; and, further, I think I am not by any means mis-stating 
the case when I make the assertion that no gardening or other 
journal has a body of readers who take such a proprietary interest, 
if I may use such a term, in this our beloved Journal. The theme 
is so interesting to me that I find I have written far more on the 
subject than I intended. Let me, however, wish a prosperous 
New Year to all and every, both readers and contributors. 
Beans .—In French Beans I tried a dwarf purple-podded variety 
from Messrs. Vilmorin. The colour did not recommend it in the 
kitchen, and I had orders to grow no more before cooking, but 
when they were eaten this order was speedily rescinded, for we all 
thought it the best flavoured Bean we had ever tried. It is a 
of every other vaiiety. This is a distinct gain to the varieties now 
grown, for it is not only very early, but it is somewhat dwarf, 
a free cropper with medium sized fruits of good colour and flavour. 
No better Tomato can be griwn. It is an introduction from 
Messrs. Henderson of New York, whose Selected Trophy I also 
grew to a very large size. It is a very fine and good cropper, and 
much superior to the Trophy we usually meet with. Mikado 
Purple and Mikado Scarlet were also grown, and the white fly 
showed a striking partiality for these two varieties. The former I 
do not consider worth growing, but the latter succeeded fairly well 
outdoors and also under glass, and bore some truly immense fruit. 
A variety from New York, which Messrs. Henderson have not yet 
supplied with a name, but is numbered 400, was tried, but it was 
not a sufficiently good cropper to be recommended, although those 
who require a few beautiful and exceedingly large thick fruits for 
