April 5, 18S8. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
273 
same exhibitor and on the same date ; Amelia Lechi (Bull), March 
20th, 18G6 ; Triomphe de Loddi (Veitch), April 3rd, 1866 ; 
Princess Mary (Salter), April 17th, 1866 ; Lavinia Maggi rosea 
(Bull), April 16tb, 1867 ; Kelvingtoniana (Baxter), January 19th, 
1869; La Maestosa (Ball), February 16th, 1869 ; Princess 
Alexandra (Henderson), April 16th, 1873 ; C. M. Hovey and Mrs. 
A. M. Hovey (Hovey), March 25th, 1875 ; and Commendatore 
Betti (Williams), March 24th, 1885. 
Though so many varieties have been obtained in different ways 
the old Double White still remains unsurpassed in symmetry of 
form, but in the past few years the single and semi-double varieties 
have come into favour as being lighter and more suitable for 
firranging with other flowers.—C. 
VEGETABLES FOR EXHIBITION. 
GLOBE ARTICHOKES. 
A GOOD dish of fine succulent heads ought to be a strong point 
in every collection. They should either be grown well or not at 
all, as it is very certain the miserably dry heads are not appreciated 
by either a judge or cook. The ground for them ought either to 
be enriched to a depth of about 2 feet. Five or six years is quite 
long enough for plants to be grown on the same ground, and in our 
case a large space is given up to them, one or two rows being rooted 
up every spring and as many new rows planted. Old plants produce 
heads early in the summer. It is the young plants that usually 
produce the finest heads late in July and during August, or while 
most shows are held. Towards the end of March or early in April 
a few rooted suckers about 12 inches long may be placed in 6-incli 
pots,-or larger if need be, and set on a gentle hotbed till well rooted, 
being hardened off and planted out before they become seriously 
root-bound; they will be the first to produce serviceable heads. 
Others taken off the old plants at the same time may be planted 
out at once for succcession. Every pains should be taken to induce 
a quick and strong start. The Artichokes ought to be grouped in 
threes, the groups not less than 3 feet apart each way, being firmly 
fixed in the soil as deeply as possible without actually burying the 
heart of the plants, giving water when needed for promoting free 
growth. Before hot, and may be dry weather sets in, the ground 
about the plants should be heavily mulched with strawy manure, 
■and occasional thorough soakings of water will greatly assis j in the 
formation of fine heads for exhibition. Three strong growths are 
always ample for each group or old stool, and when they are drawn 
from for propagating purposes the three strongest and best placed 
suckers should be reserved and all the rest stripped off. At the 
same time remove much of the surface soil down to the roots, 
returning this after a liberal dressing of manure has been applied. 
Those that have been long on the ground may well receive a soak¬ 
ing of sewage or liquid manure in the spring and summer. 
If seedling plants could be relied upon to come true to name, 
these would be found to produce the finest heads. Unfortunately 
it often happens that 50 per cent, or even a greater per-centage, 
are little better than Cardoons, producing large branching flower 
stems and a great profusion of spiny but quite useless flower 
heads. Those with plenty of garden space, however, may feel 
disposed to raise a few seedlings, and wi’l perhaps be rewarded with 
a few fine varieties. The seed may be sown early in April in 
patches 3 feet apart each way, and the seedlings eventually thinned 
to three plants in each instance. Seedlings raised in the open air 
arrive at a bearing stage rather late in the season, and those who 
Avant them early should sow seed in a pan of fine soil in March or 
April in gentle heat, and treat them for a time as half-hardy plants. 
The Green Globe is the best, being superior to the Purple Globe. 
CELERY. 
Unless Celery is extra well grown it is unwise to include it in a 
■collection of vegetables shown either in July or August. In the 
neighbourhood of Sherborne, Dorsetshire, any quantity of grand 
Celery is seen at all the shows, one of the most successful growers 
being Mr. G. H. Copp, gardener at Holnest Paik, Sherborne. To Mr. 
Copp I am indebted for several serviceable hints upon growing 
Celery for exhibition, and which he has not the slightest objection 
to being made public. For the earliest shows a vigorous-growing 
white variety should be grown, and on the whole I am of opinion that 
Wright’s Grove White is the best. The seed should be sown late 
in January or in February, thinly, in a pan or pot, and set or plunged 
in gentle heat. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle 
they should be pricked off thinly in a pan or pans of good fine soil, 
and set on a shelf near the gla.ss. Being properly attended to they 
soon become sturdy and well rooted, and ought then to be placed 
singly into 3-inch pots and returned to the shelf. Before they are 
badly root-bound they must be shifted into 9-inch pots, a suitable 
compost consisting of loam and decayed manure in equal propor¬ 
tions, a good sprinkling of burnt clay or soil from a “ smother ” 
being added to keep the whole porous. All this can be done in an 
early vinery, and here the plants may remain until the Vines shade 
them too heavily, when they ought to be taken to a shelf in a cool 
house to harden prior to being set in the open air. By the middle 
of May the plants will be reaciy to stand in the front of a house. 
For their final reception select a sheltered yet open place, say 
about 8 feet square. This will, when prepared, hold twenty-five 
plants, which number will in most cases be ample for the early 
shows. At each corner drive in a short stout stake, and one mid¬ 
way between them, to these being nailed a strong wide board. Next 
remove a depth of about 2 feet of the inside soil, and supply a com¬ 
post similar to that in which the plants were last potted. In this the 
Celery should be planted the first week in June, being disposed 
18 inches apart each way. They ought to be in a moist state at the 
roots when planted, and should have the soil trod very firmly about 
them, this being necessary in order to cause the growth of solid 
leafstalks, looseness of the root run being liable to encourage a 
“pipy” or hollow growth. From first to last Celery ought not to 
suffer by want of water, and when well established copious supplies 
of liquid manure should be given about twice a week. When grow¬ 
ing strongly insert a stout stake to each plant, and tie the leaves 
lightly to these. 
The blanching is the next consideration, and is a very simple 
proceeding compared with the other details. About five weeks 
before the Celery is wanted for exhibition, carefully wrap up the 
stems and much of the foliage in several folds of brown paper, so 
as to effectually exclude the light, and out of this the “ sticks’’ turn 
in a perfectly blanched and beautifully clean condition. For the 
later shows Carter’s Incomparable Crimson and Major Clarke’s 
Solid Red are very suitable, and wonderfully fine samples of these 
and other red Celeries are frequently to be seen in the autumn 
hereabouts. The seed may be sown early in March, and the seed¬ 
lings pricked off on a firm shalloAV bed of manure placed on a hard 
bottom, or exactly as the bulk of Celery is raised for ordinary pur¬ 
poses. Transplant with a good ball of soil and manure about the 
roots. They may Avell be groAvn in Avide trenches prepared as 
advised for the earliest and gUen the same room, or be disposed 
12 inches apart in a single trench. The other details are much the 
same as already given, the blanching also being carried out in much 
the same manner. Mr. Copp never thinks of blanching by earthing, 
but the late plants are enclosed in canvas, and bracken or dry litter 
is banked around them to prevent its being frozen. The fine 
Celery exhibited in the midlands by cottagers is usually groAvn on 
the surface of the ground, or only just deep enough to render 
watering an easy matter, and with the aid of soot water, seAvage 
and occasional sprinkings of salt, Avonderful groAvth is made. The 
blanching is always done Avith broAvn paper, or some substitute for 
it, and by no other means can such fine clean stalks be obtained. 
I have also seen very good Celery groAvn Avith the aid of 5-inch 
draining pipes. These are placed over the plants e irly, and effect¬ 
ually exclude the soil banked up around them from reaching the 
hearts, worms and grubs also being less liable to disfigure the stalks. 
CARROTS. 
A good dish of Carrots, although not exactly indispensable in 
a limited collection of vegetables, is yet frequently quite a 
feature in them, and I would always stage them if fairly large, of 
good form, richly coloured, and clean. Judging from Avhat Ave 
meet with in the” neighbourhood of London, the sandy peaty soil 
prevailing in some parts of Surrey just suits the Carrot. At any 
rate it is impossible to surpass the productions of Surrey gardeners 
and market growers. By good culture, hoAvever, it is possible to 
equal them, and that is all that is needed. It is the heavy clayey 
soils, such as prevail in the Weald of Kent and Sussex, and Avhich 
Ave also have to contend with, that are the most unsuitable for 
Carrot culture. They Avill groAV strongly enough in such soils, too 
much so, in fact, but land that binds badly, and which also cracks 
in aU directions, produces more Avedge-shaped ugly roots than Ave 
care to lift when searching for a good dish for exhibition. The 
land ought to be in such a free-Avorking order as to admit of roots 
being drawn from it in almost any Aveather. This may be par¬ 
tially accomplished by early digging, the ground being then AveU 
pulverised by the action of frosts, wind, sunshine, and rain. 
Supposing the ground is dug late in the autumn in February, it 
may well^receive a liberal dressing of any fine sandy soil, notably 
that sifted from a heap of old potting soil. Add to this a heap of 
burnt garden refuse, leaf soil, and spent tan, and again dig over 
the ground for further pulverisation. When the time arrives for 
seed-sowing, fork the ground so as to Avell mix that added Avith the 
now finely°separated surface soil, and a good seed bed should be 
the result. On no account should heavy land be meddled Avith irt 
