March 8, I8£S. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTu'kE AiSU VOTTAGE GARDENER 
191 
and perfect its buds for another season, and when forced to per¬ 
form these functions under tlie burning heat of the summer sun 
the work is, as it were, overdone —in a word, a large proportion of 
the buds never are perfected, and soon die, although they remain 
attached to the trees until the rising sap pushes them off. I do not 
believe we can insure complete immunity from bud-falling in early 
houses which are forced every year, but by carrying out a judicious 
system of cultivation it may be reduced to harmless limits. One of 
the best means to adopt as a preventive is frequent lifting and 
relaying tlte roots, wholly or in part supplying them with fresh soil, 
and keeping them near to the surface of the border. Over-cropping 
should not be indulged in, and insects allowed no quarter. There 
is no excuse for allowing the foliage to be devoured by red spider, 
for the syringe if properly used is a most effectual check to this 
pest. Lastly, give plenty of water at the roots and over the foliage 
of the trees. Make sure the borders are thorougldy soaked, and 
give the foliage an evening bath daily.—A. Barker, Hindlip. 
RECORDS OF EXPERIENCE. 
WINTER ACONITE (ERANTHIS HYEMALIS). 
Though growing anywhere and anyhow, it is only in open 
spaces in shrubland or woodland arrangements that the wealth of 
bright yellow flowers and deeply cut leafage of this plant are seen 
to advantage. It seems to like a cool soil—a good loam over clav, 
not disturbing it, but give it a chance to spread. It is the first 
flower of consequence to the bee-keeper, as it affords the fii'st 
gathering of pollen and nectar, especially to the black bees. 
HELLEBORES. 
Of other flowers Helleborus niger altifolius (maximus) has 
been grand with flowers 4 to 5 inches across, one to three on a 
stalk, roise tinted outside and in bud, leaves large, green, their 
stalks mottled with purple. We have it on a narrow outside south¬ 
west border of a conservatory along with H. atrorubens, which 
bears numerous reddish-purple flowers. 11. niger is poor beside 
H. niger angustifolius (Scotch variety), which has its flowers 
tinged with rose externally, white inside, and yet the most flori- 
ferous and finest of the Chi-istmas Roses, the plant being dwarf 
and compact. There is a variety—viz., II. niger angustifolius 
(Manchester variety) with large pure white flowers, freely pro¬ 
duced, and very fine. Hellebores like a cool soil, good loam over 
clay, and a protective and enriching mulch of leaf soil or partially 
decayed manure. They are all the better for shelter, flowering 
best when covered with handlights or frames. Their chief 
requirement is to be left alone—be., plant properly, and let them 
grow into masses, when they charm everybody. 
CHIilONANIHUS FRABRANS. 
Chimonanthus fraginns is a bush with us about fi feet high, and 
rather more through at the base. It is at the south-west end of 
a vinery, and has been flowering since the end of January, and will 
probably last, as it did last year, until April. The early floovers 
are borne on the short stubby shoots in the interior of the bush, 
the late ones proceeding from the stronger growths of last year. 
It needs to have a warm situation, either in front of a W'all or 
building with a south to west aspect, or trained against w.ills or 
buildings with the aspect cited. La the north a wall is absolutely 
necessary. Close pruning is essential, so as to have the principal 
branches well furnished with young wood, as the flowers are pro¬ 
duced on the previous year’s growth in the axils of the leaves 
of the preceding year. Pruning should be done after flowering, 
cutting in close to the main branches all young shoots e.xccpt the 
leading ones, which may be cut back half their length, moie or 
less, so as to induce side shoots for furnishing the bushes against 
walls. Our bush merely has the oldest of the old wood thinned 
out, and any straggling or overgrown shoots shortened. The 
result is a good crop of wood, bearing flowers freely the following 
season. Where sweet scented fl )wers are in request in winter they 
are much appreciated. A few sprays with brighter flowers in 
vases afford the charm of delicious aromatic fragrance. It is 
generally considered to thiive best in deep rich sandy soil ; but I 
have not succeeded with it in such unless the soil was firmed as 
for fruit trees, so as to induce sturdy, short-jointed, well ripened, 
floriferous wood. Our plant is in strong loam over clay, and a 
mulching of partially decayed leaA'CS or spent hotbed in autumn 
is sufficient enrichment. 
VIOLETS. 
Violets in frames dispute with Chimonanthus fragrans the 
claim to acceptance as general f.ivouri'^es in winter. There is none 
to equal (and I have grown nearly, if not (juite, all Viola odorata 
vars.) the Neapolitan varieties. Marie Ijouise, deep mauve, red 
streak, and white eye ; De Panne, I'gh.t mauve, with white eye ; 
and Count Brazzi’s White Neapolitan. Count Braz 2 i does not 
claim any credit for the last variety beyond making it known. 
That I had personally from him. I find these varieties have the 
best constitutions, give larger and finer Llo )ms than any others, as 
avell as more of them over a longer peiiol, and with most scent. 
There is another characteristic in that they never vary, are always 
reliable, and yet there is an advairce in IMarie Louise (tlie true 
Marie Louise is light mauve or lavender, with a white eye, without 
any red streak) towards two flowers on a stem, which is more 
pronounced each year, though I have not as yet had two fully 
developed flowers on a stem. De Parme, on the other hand, is 
just the same as it was received from Florence in 1870. AVhat I 
wish culturally to state is that Violets are most floriferous, have 
most substance, and most scent when grown in strong loam than 
in light. There is a sturdier more solidified growth, plumper 
crowns, and more flowers. 
CELERAL 
Celery last year'had a trying time. It seems strange we should 
dig ditches to grow it in and yet omit to provide the water. In the 
fen districts the fmest Celery in the world is grown ; the black 
vegetable soil and the water enable the plants to luxuriate under a 
broiling sun in the dog days, -whilst that in gardens relied most on 
the reservations of moisture in the manure, which in the quantity 
used never made the crop pay, except it be as preparatory of the 
ground for other crops, particularly Onions. I find there is more 
virtue in drenchings of liquid manure, say three or four during the 
hot weather in the early stages, than in great thicknesses of soapy 
manure. The slops of the house and laundry run alongside of the 
Celery trenches cause less stench than results from overflows in 
ditches, besides causing the Celery to shoot ahead. Another thing 
in making Celery trenches is digging-out the good soil—a capital 
thing, no doubt, to grow Lettuces on the ridges—leaving vary little 
beyond the manure and the stubborn unameliorated soil for the 
Celery to grow in. Surely Celery likes good soil. There is no 
need to plant on the flat, but a moderate excavation, or if one is 
made enough good soil as well as manurial matter should be placed 
in the trenches to insure a full growth. The better plan would be 
to have the ground trenched ; it sounds more like cultivating a 
ditch plant, and then the Celery -would have a chance to root 
according to its own “sweet -wili.’’ The best Celery I have seen 
and had was on deeply cultivated gi-ound. It cannot be practised 
on all soils, as some are a mass of stubborn material beyond a few 
inches of ameliorated surface. In such it is a good plan to prepare 
the trenches some time befoi-e they are wanted, not less than t! feet 
wide, removing some of the bad material and loo.~enmg that at the 
bottoi-n. I prefer the waste of the potting bonch, vegetable refuse, 
i .-c'uding weeds not of a rooted character, such as Couch, Bind¬ 
weed, Plantain, Dandelion. Ac., which have been sprinkled with a 
litt'o salt, an<l charred or burnt clippings and prunings of hedges 
and trees and shrubs, altogether—the rooted weeds even burned on 
the fire of trimmings, Ac.—incorporated and put in the trenches 
4 to () inches thick, mixed with that depth of the soil. Then a 
similar thickness of fresh short manure is given, leif soil, and goed 
surface soil well mixed. Nothing further is needed but to wait for 
planting time, forking over the trenches every fortnight. Make 
the trenches as soon as time and ground admit after the seed 3S 
sown for the respective crops. There is another point—viz., I have 
dug the trenches with wall-like sides, also with a good slope. There 
is no comparison of the two. The slope shoots the water of any 
passing shower into the trench, also the liquid given ; the Celerj" 
grows with a much sturdier base, and it is bulk as measured by 
stoutness rather than weight, resulting of length that is wanted. The 
Celery is useless unless solid and crisp, with a sweet nutty flavour ; 
to obtain it rich sweet and firm matei'ial is necessary, along with 
plenty of light, so that the growth may be sturdy from first to last. 
Cf white, Sandringham is good alike as an early or late variety. I 
had last year for the fii-st time Veitch’s Early Rose. It is a very 
good sort, and not given to bolt. Those two I recommend as earljn 
Foi' main crop I do not think more is to be desired than is found in 
Wright’s Giant White and Major Clarke’s Red. Ivery’s Nonsuch 
I’ink and Sulliam Prize Pink, the one large and the other medium 
size, are excellent. For late use I have found Standard Bearer 
(red) and Sandringham first-rate : indeed, if I was restricted to two 
varieties, those would be honoure.l for their good and reliable 
qualities.— Utilitarian. 
RECLAIMING SANDBANKS. 
Mr. Muir’s excellent article on the above recalls to my memory a 
practice which has been ado[>tod for many years (about fifty) on the 
coast of Sussex. Stretching from three to four miles from Rye Harbour 
are extensive banks of the finest sand, which are securely held together 
and form miniature hills by a Rushdike Grass provincially called “ Biiid- 
whc.it.” On inquiry at my only vis t a few years since 1 w.is informed 
