April 30, IBffl. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
839 
•Encharis similarly treated are preferred by tbe majority to ex¬ 
amples made up of several flowers, although there are endless com¬ 
binations of various kinds which may be made up into tasteful 
buttonholes. Single pips of Hyacinths wired, double Primulas, 
Pelargoniums both single and double ; any of these with a spray of 
>Spiraea at the back, a few Yiolets or pieces of Mignonette added, 
and some Fern arranged neatly a’-ound them are very effective. 
Five or six Lilies of the Yalley arranged loosely and fastened to a 
leaf, or three pips of Tuberose surrounded with greenery are 
.generally greatly liked. All sprays or buttonholes should be 
scented, and although I have touched upon this point last it is none 
the less a very important one, as whenever either are presented 
they are instinctively held up to the nasal organ, and a sense of 
disappointment quickly results if no scent is detected. Yiolets, 
Heliotrope, Mignonette, Boronia megastigma, scented-leaved 
Pelargoniums, the Lemon-scented Aloysia, and Sweet Peas, besides 
a host of other flowers in addition to those already mentioned, will 
supply scent at various seasons, and if at any time the scented 
flowers used do not harmonise in colour with the others, which 
must of necessity be employed, they may be placed underneath 
them, and be partially hidden by Fern, and though thus placed in 
the background where their charms cannot please the eye, their 
•delightful fragrance will not fail to give pleasure.—D. L. 
CULTUKE OF THE BEETROOT. 
The Beet is a hardy biennial, it is a native of the ssaciast of the 
■"South of Europe, and numerous varieties have been raised. Where seed 
■is saved from two or more varieties growing a short distance from each 
other the seedlings will partake more or less of the character of both or 
-ill. Hence the multiplicity of new and mixed varieties, some of which 
are improvements on the old varieties, whilst many others would be 
better left out of the lists altogether. The following, however, may be 
depended upon :—Pine Apple Short Top is a dwarf, compact-growing 
■variety, having leaves 6 or 7 inches high, dark purple, the sta'ks tinged 
with dull orange ; roots 6 to 9 inches in circumference, flesh deep 
■ciamson; when cooked tender, sweet, and well flavoured. Sutton’s 
Blood Red produces medium-sized symmetrical roots ; the colour of the 
flesh is dark, and the flavour when cooked is everything that could be 
<lesired. This variety produces dark rich crimson leaves. Carter’s 
Perfection, Pragnell’s Exhibition, Hooper’s Covent Garden, Frisby’s 
Excelsior, and Nutting’s Dwarf Red are also most reliab'e varieties. 
Soil and Situation .—Beet will do well in any light, desp, and 
moderately rich soil, but the latter should not contain traces of any 
recent or strong manure, inasmuch as a rank soil or one which has been 
dressed with animal manure shortly before sowing the seed will yield 
coarse roots. Therefore the seed must be sown in an open plot of 
ground which had been well manured the previous year. The best 
results will be secured from seed sown in a light loamy soil away from 
the shade of trees. It requires an open situation. 
Preparing the Soil .—Let ground be deeply dug some time before 
-sowing the seed, to be rendered mehow by exposure to the weather. If 
the soil is of a healthy nature it should have some c’nalk or leaf mould 
added as soon in autumn as the space is cleared of the summer crops, 
and ridged up for the winter. Take advantage of dry weather to level 
dowm the ridges, and dig the whole regularly just before sowing, 
treading the soil firmly as soon as it has been dug, raking and making it 
level preparatory to sowing the seed. 
Seed and Sowing .—A small sowing may be made in w^arm districts 
towards the end of March, with a view to securing roots for use 
between thoss of the previous year and those from the main sowing of 
the current year. This sowing, however, will run the risk of being 
ilestroyed by lite spring frosts. The seed can be sown in drills from 
1 to 2 inches deep, and from 12 to 15 inches apart. The seel—assum- 
'ing it to be good—may be sown about 2 inches asunder in the row. 
The soil should then be closed in with the feet, trodden and raked 
over. If the soil is heavy 1 inch will be deep enough for the drills, 
and if light 2 inches will be none too deep. The main sow-ing may 
be made the thiid week in April in wanm districts, and a week or ten 
days later in less favoured parts. 
After-treatment .—When the young plants are large enough to handle 
they should be thinned from 6 to 9 inches apart in the row, and if it is 
necessary to extend the crop the thinnings may be transplanted in 
ground prepared as recommendeil for the reception of the seed and at 
the distances indicated, doing the work in showery weather, and taking 
care that the roots of the individual plants arc not bent in transplanting. 
If the weather happens to be dry at the time, with no immediate prospect 
<-f rain, the plants should be watered when transplanted and every other 
nfternoon, more with a view to refreshing the plants until they have 
taken hold at the roots than moistening the soil about the latter. 
Keep the plants free from weeds, the Dutch hoe being run between the 
rows occasionally during the summer months, both for the purpose of 
■ilestroying wee is and stimulating growth. 
Taking up and Storing the iiocbv.—Towards the cud of October the 
roots should be stored, selecting a fine day for the work, when the plants 
Sind ground are dry. In order to preserve their freshness the roots 
should be packed in damp material which will not tend to absorb the 
moisture from them, and for this purpose the following is the most 
simple and effectual method :—The roots must be taken up before they 
are injured by frost, and with care, avoiding breaking or wounding them 
in any way, as that would cause them to bleed, and consequently to lose 
their colour. They should be taken to a dry situation, such as, for 
instance, a border next a south or west wall or wooden force. Earth 
should be taken out at the end of the border, so as to form a trench 12 or 
15 inches deep and about the same \sidth, digging the ground being 
proceeded with. When the trench is filled and the ground has been 
levelled in the ordinary way the soil should be cut straight down the whole 
width of the border, and two or three rows of Beetroot be placed perpen¬ 
dicularly in the opening thus formed, and digging be agam proceeded 
with until the roots are all covered, burying the crowns about 1 inch 
under the surface of the soil. The operation is thus continued until the 
work is completed. The leaves should not be removed from the crown 
of the root; they will afford sufSe’ent protection for the roots from 
several degrees of frost, but in the event of its being severe a protection 
of dry litter or fern will be necessary ; this should, however, be removed 
on every favourable opportunity, and returned in frosty weather. In 
the spring, before the roots show signs of growth, they may be taken 
up, the leaves (with the exception of those roots intended for seed), 
with a portion of the crown cut clean away, and the roots laid in again 
as before. The roots will thus keep fresh and of good colour. 
Saving Seed .—About the end of the third week in April the necessary 
number of roots of any variety of which it is intended to save seed 
should be planted fiom 12 to 15 inches asunder at the foot of a 
south wall, to which the flower spikes should be secured in due time 
with a length of string or thin flower sticks tacked to the wall or fence 
with a few nails and shreds, so as to expose the flowers wed to the sun, 
as well as to prevent the plants from being broken by the wind. The 
roots must be watered as soon as they are plantel, to settle the soil 
about them. Some time between the middle and end of October, 
according to the season, the flower spikes should be cut, tied together in 
small bundles, and hung up in a dry airy shed, to be rubbed out and 
cleaned a month or two later, and put away for future use. 
Insects .—The roots of young plants are sometimes attacked by the 
grubs of the dart moth (Agrotis segetum). This may be prevented by 
hand-picking, and by strewing sufficient fresh soot over the ground to 
cover it before drawing the drills for the seed.—H. W. Wabd. 
CURRENT NOTES. 
Tof-dressing Pot Plants. 
Probably this practice might be carried out much more 
extensively than it is at present, but whether it is a good plan— 
except in a very few particular cases—is an open question. 
Personally I do not approve of it either for large specimens or 
for small plants. My principal objection is that when the surface 
soil is removed from over or amongst the top roots and new soil 
added in its place, it is difficult to ascertain the true condition 
of the lower part of the ball in regard to moisture. Sometimes 
the old soil will be dry sooner than the new, and vice versa, much 
depending upon the nature of the plant, the state of its roots, the 
mechanical condition of the old soil and of the new, and on the 
density of both. Under such circumstances judicious watering 
is a difficult matter, even in most careful and experienced hands. 
I cannot help thinking that an occasional dressing with artificial 
manure would be preferable when it is desirable to keep plants in 
the smallest pots for the greatest possible length of time. To 
prevent misapprehension, I may add that I have followed—under 
orders—the plan recommended by “ D.” upon nearly all classes of 
plants in general cultivation, and upon many that are not, and 
by the experience gained then I have long since arrived at the 
opinion that it is not a practice to be genemlly carried out. 
“ D.” appears to have formed an opposite opinion, otherwise he 
would not recommend it. 
Cutting off the Roots of Palms. 
I have no doubt that “ D.” successfully practises the methods 
he sets forth, and that other people with the same knowledge, 
facilities, and carefulness may obtain the same satisfactory 
results. Probably it is quite within the knowledge of “ D.” 
that hundreds of Palms are annually killed by the disrooting pro¬ 
cess, and mainly because the operators either do not know the 
CDiiditions necessary to enable the plants to withstand that ordeal, 
or because they have not the facilities, or they may be lacking in 
both. Few, if any, plants are so unable to withstand the operation 
as Pa^ms. I have seen, and had to deal with large Palms so 
injured that their lives were in jeopardy for a long time, indeed 
until new roots were coaxed from the base of the stems, and were 
spoiled in appearance for years. The same results attend the 
operation in a proportionate degree upon small Palms. The 
fibrous rooted withstand the operation the best, and the strongest 
and thickest rooted are the most liable to injury. 
Cool House Orchids. 
Mr. Castle, in his valuable paper printed on pages 297, 293, 
gives the “key note” to the successful culture of th:s lovely section 
