December 22, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE 
drcikTethrou^hib kX ° ut ° f tbe soil ™ d the air to 
KrdCIBw - 
3-inch nines fmm'l J th ° mam one . which will require 
from’3 feet to t f’ f 11 '? ^ Inch or pipes, should be 
dee P «* heavy cUy Ian” tatft £ZSS&i !!S TH 
^T^o’SL't’d" ’r'- “» “rpl.sTurfaVw.M 
r - * * 
S”‘iHf “ as 
v«mG X. “l. d °f.t he HP» it wm be much^better than 
drani thr- VlV?. S0ra6 ' but it is effective and lasting, and will 
idi ar 'dra . uf .f,,;' f ul “ ‘ h ™» times wider apart than the 
•uiuinarj arain will at the proper distance apart. 
a ^i^n^^eariier^ 01 ^) 5 ^ 8 ^ 
and laW Tf Z‘ J.Y , - • th u 8 V e want P len V of fi ne ballast 
aim laDour. It the soil be lo inches deep, 9 inches of ballast will 
:S0 °i This Tte.st° r done T Vld i ed \ h& th N ou S hl 7 mixed with the 
merely throw ifw,?■ '^trenching; but it is not enough to 
Sopped in n°i. th f next trench ’ the soil must be well 
.topped up and the fine ballast mixed with it as thoroufdilv as n 
taSme f tmu. S t nt d en i U 7 grower l would mix his compost f It may 
ballast wfll * do ’. but ^member it is an everlasting job. The 
b • ,?* Wl11 ne I er ?" am return to clay, neither will it decay but 
the sod ra0 ror Sd e !l 6ry ■ 3 ’ ear aS ft becomes better mixed with 
ballast i- amnle fs tv, ry d ', g P lng or P Iou ghing 4 inches depth of fine 
soil Whe? tedfX* '* , lm P° SSlble I . to P^perly mix it with the 
very fine or ft win ha bedS , borders the ballast should be 
™th the rain, from Its red cXurf M W iffwh™ his SfcY 8 ?* 1 
is^eeUenfefpr flow" If/T “ inCb a ‘ eve ' What Passe/through 
‘fhf mfrn fb fl flower beds, the remainder is good for crocking pots 
desenbed. The cultivator will afterwards find that hecan make a 
Rhod'd” h i S tr0W f’ r d that and shWof all 
p ha nts wi i! 
equally good results onSj & cTops 
bareZound owTnrtolh 0 ^ nei ^, b ° U rs have had to be content with 
and Sk in T P dir3 dr0U ^ r h *> . whlch caused th eir land to bake 
practical men that Zf 0 ^ ^ 18 a wel| -known fact amongst 
practical men that the finer and more friable a soil can be rendered 
j fl ®’ 1 / 61 ri retains its moisture, hence the advantage of fine 
pr^W^SS 1 ^ SOi ! S ’/° r Wh6n wel1 mixed ttm it 
prevents tne particles of soil from running together thus enabling 
the rain and air to pass freely through them. ’ enab 'mg 
m .„ tbis wa y- an otherwise unmanageable and unnro 
o£ p,easure to the 
GARDENER 
53? 
are bwtiSffd^ Cl t°h ely t-T 7 T f tand ’ while ^eir contents 
the approaches to the Marketin'llYdSLiions”*” 16 ” ^ thr ° ng 
nnd Flo ? v ® r Market should be first visited, as that closes at 9 v \i 
l d7f S h e eXt bef Tr n | t0 pern;it a correct 6 idea being 
lormeci of the extent and diversity of the business transacted* 
berriedSolanum^TS Pknt? T m °x St cons P ic uous are the scarlet- 
to billed Thev ( L ^ PS1 f? rUm) ’ W1 , th which the Market seems 
an,. °.S W^tS. 5 ' ft’&Sfi? 
they have been forced, and they are purchased either for their 
Heaths % f °r Pl - acin , g in P ots for general decorative purposes 
senfto theMaS® r } Ca hyGm l lis and E ' g™c«» autumnalfs are 
Palms Dracmn a k s Ve r n arg ° n , U ™ bers a " d seem to be in good demand, 
i aims, Uracamas, Ferns, and Cyperus alternifolius are the principal 
foliage plants, the Ferns being remarkably numerous PterLes of 
course predominate, but Polypodium aureum is also a favorite 
ov\ mg probably to its bold glaucous fronds, but several ^rowers sav 
it scarcely pays, as it is very slow compared with Pteris serrulata 
Many market complain that prices are low, and one expSnced 
barely reaSS ^ ^ bring £1 °° ^°SSl^ 
p., Jh the n Ut flo ' ver department Christmas Roses (Hellebores') are 
much m demand, the blooms realising from Is. to 2s fid nef 
dozen and the large pure white flowers of H. nicer maximus are 
M^rkif •"I 6 " 0 !' t0 Eucharis - Roman Hyacinths^ sent to the 
Market m large quantities, but they do not sell at remunerative 
prices and some hundreds of bunches are misold neX every 
market morning. Lilies of the Valley are in fair demand b7t 
for P f° r b ‘ UnCh ° f a d ?, Zen 8pikes at Christmas time can scarcely pay 
ViJ )rc,n ^> esp f lall -y^ hen they cost 25s. to 30s. per Sand 
Violets sell freely and English grown samples of good Wur 
ealise as much as 2s. per dozen small bunches, while much larevr 
2dT«h d Vt tS b nt g “ ,d i 
avenue at -d, each. A few late Chrysanthemums are seen also 
Ttfch! ?r d Eucharlses . but Mignonette is scarce. The spathes of 
Richardia sethiopica are especially numerous this week as thev are 
much valued for church and other decorations ; the spathes ar<f also 
used large y for wreaths. Some of the florists L the central 
avenue make a specialty of choice flowers, and one in particular has 
a number of Orchids, comprising Odontoglossums Insleavi erande 
and crispum, Cypripedium insigne, Lielia anceps and^W 
Oncidiums. Small bunches of Heliotrope or Violets and Mm 
m°nk Zonal 4 Ttr K 6d ' eaCh ap , pear to be favourite S- Scarlet an*d 
Lnii ft Pelargoniums, with a few red Roses and Bouvardias 
EuchSises! aifcSnii ^ With white Ca -nia s ; 
Mar k e ts are also well stocked. 
PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS IN COVENT 
GARDEN MARKET. 
in thPwS'hf 1 * t0 n C ,° V ! nt G ' ardenon one of the market morning 
", h ! ee , k before Christmas is extremely interesting and instruc- 
of ve f Xw n ° ° th G r ™ rt P r °bably coulTsuch an enormous supply 
of vegetable products be seen. The space of the Market is unde? 
Rb'Sr U T tan ? 3 r cb t0 ° restricted . but at this time of year 
Th! 1 7 lnadec ! ua * e /or the accommodation of sellers and buyers 
The consequence is that within the Market itself the wholeavailable 
space is-blocked with bushels, barrels, boxes, and crates of all sizes 
Lnfus^n"'ouTsid^T and apparent ‘y in the m ost inextricable 
tusion. Outside the covered space waggons of Evergreens 
Christmas Trees, Mistletoe, Holly, green vegetables, and TurnTps 
the fruit LNf ' are also well stocked. Of 
“ h f s , u PP Iles are the lon g flat cases of Oranges of 
which there are some hundreds, and the barrels of brightly coloured 
American Apples, which are nearly as numerous. Continental and 
SaUiaidhTba^? 68 ’ the f ° rmer j h ! ed y in barrels and the lattev 
li tlat handle baskets, are consigned in large quantities the finer 
samples of home-grown late Grapes being confined mainly to a few 
Ladmg fruiterers in Covent Garden and the West End. ^Therc are 
afe F Iears - and fbe best samples command good prices as also do 
the best of home-grown Apples. Nuts are invariably in considerable 
easTend of°the cent 8 ’ T* ^ tW ° leadin , g depbts for these at the 
It “i v “ central avenue are now barricaded with scores of 
sacks and huge baskets of the principal sorts. Small Barcelona 
Nuts, Brazils and Chestnuts are the chief, but Filberts, Cocoa Nuts 
the Sapucaia Nuts and a few Walnuts ’are also seen Amount 
imported tropical fruits the Pine Apple is the most important and 
tW Ie8 rj lntbe Mark et comprise some remarkably fine fruits 
r ta u m ma ‘ n y con ? ls / U)f Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Savoys' 
Greens, and Turnips, with Onions. Of the first there has bee/a 
ffair height! demand be ’ ng als ° keen has ke P t U P P^ces to 
th ® °u tside market the great feature this week is the immense 
supply of Hol y and MisGetoe, and it is astonishing how so much 
of the latter important adjunct to Christmas decorations can b6 
procured. A large proportion is imported from the north-western 
departments of France, where it is grown extensively in the Tuple 
orclmrds. It is packed in light crates about 5 or 6 feet square PP d 
some thousands of these are forwarded to the London markets 
(luring the second and third weeks of December. They are mostly 
sold by auction, as also are the bundles of Holly, which are in 
similar demand. The samples in the Market th/season are not 
