270 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Xpril 6, 1S«3. 
happy hunting grounds some fine beds on Stephen's G-reen are-i 
very prominent; two large beds of Sir Watkin, about 500 to a 
bed, others of maximus, Emperor, and Horsefieldi, all true, supplied 
by a Dublin firm who need not blush at seeing their name on the 
labels. 
At the College gardens they are now (March 29th) in full 
beauty, all a-growing, and how they do grow here ! and all 
a-blowing, and how they do blow ! Many of the inhabitants of the 
densely populated borders are also responding to the warmth. 
Very pretty are Orobus vernus, Primula Harbinger, and the unique 
dark College Garden Seedling ; and very quaint is Iris persica on a 
low wall, with greenish white flowers. A mass of the small 
doronicum is intensely yellow. Nature is lavish with gold at this 
season. Ranunculus montanus peeps up with golden eyes from 
cushions of green, with gold below, and golden sunshine flooding 
evsrytuiug ; the coerulean blue of Ceanothus rigidus clasping an 
old wall comes as a relief. Bat Narcissi is the menu to-day, and the 
inece de resistance the long west border under a wall. Here the 
chef has large masses of Sir Watkin, Emperor, and Horsefieldi, 
great fat beauties with broad luxuriant foliage. Clumps of Sir 
Watkin and Horsefieldi are prominent in all parts of the gardens, 
and the isolated plants of the stately maximus, with its distinct and 
elegantly twisted foliage, are very fine. This maximus is peculiar 
to the gardens, not the ordinary type. In secluded parts are great 
gatherings of the clan incomparabilis, of which Sir Watkin is the 
chief. 
One cannot pass without notice a huge scarlet Rhododendron 
in full flower, nor what was, to me, the most interesting plant seen 
to-day—viz.. Rhododendron Chamsecistus, 2 inches high, bearing 
pale pink blossoms. Returning to Narcissi, the more delicate 
varieties are sheltered in a frame, Triandrus, Corbularia, and 
Juncifolius, some hung like tiny lamps on filaments of green, others 
with delicate ivory tubes. Quite unexpected we come on that 
rara avis Madame de Graafe ; but Madame is coy, and but just 
rising from her bed. Oh, for a trowel and chance to burgle ! Pro¬ 
bably this enthusiastic young assistant who guides us round 
suspects nefarious thoughts, for he leads us back by devious paths 
till the heavy iron gate is reached, and closes with an ominous 
snap. Madame de Graafe safe inside, and safe outside in the 
chaos of a great city is—E. K. 
OVERCROWDED TOMATOES. 
Overcrowding Tomatoes is a phase of “ gardeners’ greed ” 
very many of us have been and probably still are troubled with. 
We begin by raising far more plants than are needed, and follow 
up this mistake—for a mistake it is to prepare many more than are 
wanted, especially when this means crowding in a young state—by 
planting them too thickly in their fruiting quarters. I hold that 
Tomatoes cannot well be grown too sturdily from the first, and 
also that starvation treatment does not pay. This sturdiness 
coupled with fairly luxuriant growth can only be maintained by 
allowing the plants plenty of room from first to last. When 
grown too thickly they shade and weaken each other, two plants 
very often not producing any more fruit than a single one would do 
occupying two-thirds of the room. Perhaps I am somewhat to 
blame in this overcrowding, but we live and learn, and it is my 
practice to avow any mistakes made when subsequent experience 
proves them to be such. The disease scare was responsible for 
many practices that otherwise would not have crept in, growing 
the plants rather thickly in comparatively poor solid soil being 
resorted to where it was not possible to save the foliage till such 
times as good crops were ripening. Starvation treatment, or what 
amounts to such, undoubtedly promotes a harder and more disease- 
resisting habit of growth, but it does not follow that this is to be 
recommended if there are any other ways of avoiding or defying 
disease. It would really appear that the diseases incidental to 
Tomatoes under glass are less virulent than formerly, a free use of 
fire heat and a good circulation of warm dry air being all that is 
necessary in most cases to ward off diseases. It is the more liberally 
treated plants, grossness, however, being guarded against, that give 
the best results. 
If the plan of growing Tomatoes in comparatively poor, solid 
soil is being resorted to again this season, by market growers more 
especially, then there will still be some excuse for planting rather 
more thickly than I am about to recommend. Even in these cases, 
though, it may easily be overdone, especially where the plants are 
grown in the body of the house and trained uprightly. Placing 
the plants not much more than a foot asunder in rows 2 feet apart 
will riot do. In all such cases it will be seen that it is the plants 
fringing the pathways that are much the most heavily cropped, 
those inside the rows unduly shading and weakening each other, 
the flowers dropping off or refusing to set fruit accordingly. Let 
them be not less than 2 feet apart each way, and then there ought 
to be no great difficulty in setting large clusters of fruit from near 
the ground up to the roof, each plant carrying on an average of 
not less than 12 lbs. of fruit. The heaviest crops are usually 
taken from plants trained up the roof, and this plan of training is 
certainly the best that can be tried in small span-roofed structures 
or those, say, not more than 12 feet wide and proportionately high. 
In this case the plants are frequently put out 12 inches apart in a 
ridge of soil along each side or front of the house, but if it is in¬ 
tended to depart from the system lately much in vogue and to grow 
them more strongly, then they ought to be not less than 15 inches 
apart. A more serviceable class of span-roof house would be 
14 feet wide, the same amount of hot-water piping being sufficient, 
this being a flow and return on each side. Here, again, a row of 
plants should be grown on each side and trained up the roof, and if 
they are disposed 18 inches apart it ought to be possible to take 
fairly heavy crops from two more rows of plants put out in the 
centre of the house, these being trained uprightly either with the 
aid of stakes or strings, the latter being much the cheapest method. 
These rows should be 2 feet apart, or else one on each side of 
central path, a distance of 18 inches dividing the plants in the rows. 
From the roof-trained plants an average of 18 lbs. of fruit should 
be taken, those less favourably situated in the centre of the house 
giving about 12 lbs. of fruit per plant. 
When the plants have their roots principally or wholly confined 
to a narrow ridge of soil there is less likelihood of grossness prevail¬ 
ing ; but it must also be remembered that they will require to be 
watered more frequently and fed more liberally than is the case 
when they are rooting in a bed of soil. There is nothing objection¬ 
able in planting in a level bed of soil, and if this is not excessively 
rich, and has been heavily trampled so as to make it extra firm, 
the Tomatoes will grow strongly without being over-luxuriant, 
and the watering pot or hose will not be required for use nearly 
so often. Soil that will grow garden vegetables, and especially 
Potatoes, well will usually answer equally satisfactorily in the case 
of Tomatoes, and under precisely the same conditions with respect 
to depth, drainage, and such like. There ought, however, to be one 
exception to this rule, solid or farmyard manure not being 
altogether suitable for Tomatoes. In addition to promoting gross¬ 
ness there is also the great risk of introducing the much to be 
dreaded eel worms with it, and for similar reasons an extensive 
use of decayed vegetable matter is to be avoided. Chemical and 
bone manures are most to be preferred, the latter, though slower 
in effect unless in a dissolved state, being the most lasting. Most 
horticultural sundriesmen supply manures very suitable for 
Tomatoes, and having tried many of them with results almost 
identical it would be manifestly unfair to give the preference to 
any one mixture. Soils also vary considerably in their character, 
and what may be most needed in one case would perhaps be 
almost wasted in another. A mixture that would hardly fail to 
suit the majority of soils consist of an equal weight, whether this 
be in pounds or hundredweights, each of superphosphate and 
kainit, adding sulphate of ammonia if the soil is somewhat clayey, 
and niti’ate of soda if lighter in character, in quantity equal to 
one-quarter of the bulk of the two former ; or to be plain, if 3 lbs. 
each of superphosphate and kainit is used add Ij lb. either of sul¬ 
phate of ammonia or nitrate of soda. This mixture should be 
applied at the rate of fully 1 lb. per square yard and thoroughly 
well mixed with the soil to a depth of not less than 12 inches. 
This I believe will be found a more economical way of using 
manure than by surface dressings, that is to say in driblets, and 
the least likely to engender a too rank growth. 
The plants being given the benefit of this fertile and fairly 
solid root run, and not allowed to form any surplus side shoots, 
will grow sturdily yet strongly, the lowest clusters of fruit are 
naturally most productive plants, reaching nearly or quite down to 
the ground. If any reader of the Journal of Horticulture can give 
particulars of practice superior to and at variance with what I have 
just described, and can advance good reasons for planting more 
thickly than I have advised in this article, he will confer a favour 
on myself beside many other readers.—W. Iggdlden. 
SIXTY YEARS OF HORTICULTURAL PROGRESS. 
(1760—1820.) 
(^Concluded from ])age 326, vol. xxv.') 
Though the subject of forcing both fruits and vegetables was 
but imperfectly understood in the reign of George HI., it was 
natural it should receive attention, because there were then no 
large supplies of either of these transmitted from the Continent, 
nor were means taken to obtain early crops in those western or 
southern parts of Britain where the weather promoted forward- 
