January 17, 1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
45 
With a view to helping those who may at the present time be 
somewhat puzzled as to the right quantities of seeds to order I 
will give as nearly as can be ascertained the amounts required for 
a kitchen garden of an acre. It will then be easy to accurately 
calculate the quantity to order for gardens of any size ;—Peas, 
early, 1 quart; second early, 1 quart; midseason, 2 quarts ; late, 
1 quart ; Beans—Broad, early, 1 quart ; Longpod, 1 quart ; 
Kidney, 1 pint ; Scarlet Runners, 1 quart ; Cabbage, Brussels 
Sprouts, Broccoli, Borecoles, 2 ozs. each, in several varieties ; 
Savoy, Leek, Endive, 1 oz. each ; Onions, 6 ozs. ; Carrots, 3 ozs. ; 
Turnips, 4 ozs. ; Celery, two varieties, ^ oz. of each ; Spinach, 
1 quart ; Beet, 4 ozi. ; Parsnip, 2 ozs. ; Lettuce, in three varieties, 
3 ozs. ; Scorzonera, I oz. ; Radish, Long and Turnip, half pint 
each ; Mustard and Cress, 1 pint each ; Parsley, Curled, 1 oz. ; 
Shallots, 1 lb. ; sweet and pot herbs, packet of each. On the 
principle that everything can be done more economically on a large 
than on a small scale it will be found, for a garden 10 acres in 
extent, the quantities of the various seeds required may be set 
down at an average per acre slightly less than those given. 
It is a difficult matter to estimate with accuracy the quantities 
of flower seeds required for gardens either large or small, as so 
much depends on the way in which annuals and biennials are used. 
In some places the summer bedding is now almost entirely done 
with these, and in others they are confined to patches in a mixed 
border. If, however, a plan for the bedding arrangements the 
following season is thought out beforehand no great mistakes 
ought to be made in securing the requisite number of plants, 
always making a point to err on the side of plenty, so as to be able 
to help a neighbour who may happen to be less fortunate. 
In each department of the garden stock-taking should in turn 
take place, so that past failures may be profited by and the causes 
avoided. The whole stock of bedding plants should be carefully 
looked over, note taken of any which are in an unsatisfactory state, 
or of which the number is extremely limited. In such instances 
things may be greatly improved by placing the plants in extra heat, 
and by commencing the work of propagation as soon as possible. 
On the other hand, if the chances of increasing the stock to the 
necessary extent seem very remote a suitable substitute may be 
looked for, and propagated accordingly. In the reserve garden, 
too, many things claim attention. Spaces may be marked off for 
the propagation of hardy edging plants for flower beds and borders, 
as I find it is an excellent plan to always have a stock of these in 
readiness, as they seem to be wanted at all seasons of the year. If 
the ground is prepared as soon as the weather permits the stock of 
any particular kind may be lifted, divided, and replanted in March, 
and is then ready for use next autumn if required. 
Quarters of ground from which Spiraeas, Dielytras, and 
Deutzias have been lifted, may be manured and dug so as to be 
ready to receive similar plants as soon as they have completed their 
growth and been hardened after forcing. It is much better to 
plant them out again somewhat early in the spring should the 
weather prove open, than to keep them in pots till June, often 
without enough water being given them, which treatment brings 
them into a stunted condition from which they take several years 
to recover. Let it, however, be clearly understood that all forced 
plants ought to be properly hardened before being again planted 
out, and that favourable weather in April or May be chosen for 
planting. 
Notes may also with advantage be made now of the various 
spring bedding plants, of which a largely increased stock is 
required, so that when lifted from the beds by-and-by division and 
replanting to the required extent may be carried out. Now that 
the work of clearing leaves from lawns and shrubberies has been 
completed, any unsightly places or gaps should be noted, and the 
plants for filling them ordered, so that these odds and ends of 
planting may be completed as soon as possible. 
In the kitchen garden a careful survey will be necessary, as a 
little close attention now may prevent the occurrence of a break 
in the supply. To illustrate this point let me give a few practical 
examples. At early spring time it is usual for Parsley to be scarce. 
In all instances in which this is likely to be the case, if good roots 
are lifted at once, planted in boxes, and placed in heat, in a few 
weeks good pickings may be obtained from them. Again, a scanty 
supply of Lettuce may be greatly augmented by sowing in heat at 
once and transplanting the seedlings in a frame placed over a hot¬ 
bed. If this hotbed is made up now, while the newly sown seeds 
are germinating and the plants growing into the right size for 
transplanting, the frame may be planted thinly with Lettuce 
lifted from a warm border. By thus surrounding them with con¬ 
ditions under which constant growth can be made at a time when 
those in the open air are dormant the supply is considerably 
increased, because the frame-grown plants attain a greater size 
before being cut tor use. 
In the plant and forcing houses a careful scrutiny will show 
which plants and crops require special attention to keep up the 
necessary stock during the year. Old Crotons and Dracaenas may 
be cut down, the tops inserted as cuttings, and in the case of the 
latter the stems laid in cocoa-nut fibre refuse to induce them to 
send out young shoots. Good numbers of Panicum variegatum 
and the different varieties of Tradescantia and other trailing plants 
must be inserted, so that they will be ready for removal from the 
propagating cases by the time this operation begins in earnest. 
The sowing of Cucumber, Melon, and Tomato seeds for the 
production of early crops also demands attention. If a minute 
inspection in the way above indicated is made all round notes may 
be taken of work requiring attention later on, and by thus arranging 
it in a systematic manner early in the year much may be done 
towards turning the failures of past years into incentives to success 
in the present one.—D. W. C. 
Milton IA Joiceyana. 
This charming Orchid is a natural hybrid between M. Clowesi 
and M. Candida. Mr. F. J. Thorne, gardener to Major Joicey, Sunning- 
dale Park, who exhibited it at the Drill Hall some time ago, and 
received a first-class certificate for it, writes ;—“Miltonia Joiceyana 
(fig. 8) thrives admirably in the same temperature as its supposed 
parents. The growths have two spikes each, with from twelve to 
FIG. 8.—MILTONIA JOICEYANA. 
eighteen flowers. In habit it resembles Miltonia Candida grandi- 
flora, but is much stronger. It was purchased at Messrs. Protheroe 
and Morris’s salerooms amongst some Odontoglossum ramosissimum, 
and as that variety.” 
Mesospinidium sanguineum. 
This charming little plant was a surprise to me recently in a 
neighbouring collection of Orchids, as I have before seen it 
flowering only in the summer. The spikes are produced from the 
bases of the oval, furrowed pseudo-bulbs, and bear from six to 
nine flowers, each about an inch across. In colour these are a 
bright pink with a lighter centre. The genus Mesospinidium was 
established by Professor Reichenbach, and by this name the 
plants are generally known, although correctly they belong to 
Cochlioda, of which the best known is the comparatively recent 
introduction, C. Noezliana (M. sanguineum), The plants thrive in 
a compost consisting of good peat and sphagnum, and may be 
treated otherwise similar to Odontoglossums of the cool section. 
Cultuke of Ccelogyne cristata. 
It is often urged against Orchids that many of them, if not 
unsightly, are at least not ornamental when out of flower. Although 
to an enthusiast in their cultivation this fact does not detract from 
