294 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
F April 12, 188S. 
Neuner and the pink President Garfield grow strongly and are 
quite as free flowering as the single varieties. In addition to these 
Mr. Roberts also grows large quantities of Dazzler, bright crimson ; 
and Vreelandi, white ; these being among the best single flowering 
varieties in cultivation. 
Many of Mr. Hudson’s plants were fully 2 feet through, well 
balanced, and crowded with flowers. They were growing in a 
neated pit, some in pots, others, if I remember rightly, planted out 
in a peaty compost. All would continue to be serviceable till mid¬ 
winter, after which time they would be partially dried off or 
rested, then cut back, those requiring it being potted, and all 
started in an early vinery. Those kept in pots are partially shaken 
out and repotted as soon as they break afresh, and all are duly 
stopped, this being necessary both to induce the formation of 
abundance of shoots, and also to prevent early fiowmring. Numbers 
of cuttings are struck each season, these being destined to take the 
place of the old ones when these fail. Early in June, and after the 
plants have been slightly hardened off, all are planted out in the 
open ground, where without much further trouble they form fairly 
strong healthy growth, which never fails to flower satisfactorily. 
They are potted up during the third week in September, and placed 
in gentle heat, where they soon recover from the temporary check 
given. The favourite single varieties aie Humboldti, corymbi- 
flora, Dazzler, Hogarth, and Vreelandi. ~ 
I ought, perhaps, to add that the soil at Gunnersbury House is 
of a light open chai-acter, which just suits the Bouvardia. Where 
the soil is of a heavy or clayey nature it is advisable to either plant 
the Bouvardia in cold pits in succession to Violets or forced vege¬ 
tables, or to prepare an open site specially for them.—W. I. M. 
VIOLETS. 
Tiik.se, I am afraid, are very often neglected. Like the ever- 
popular Lily of the Valley, when once planted in some out-of-the- 
way corner, there they are allowed to remain, and the flowers the 
poor plants are able to produce under such circumstances are 
gathered as a matter of course, and nothing better is looked for. 
But with the Violet as with man}’ other plants, good cultivation 
is in no respect thrown away. They flower more profusely ; the 
individual blooms are larger, the colour is better, and their season 
of longer continuance. Indeed the way to insure a small crop of 
poor-looking buds is insured by leaving them severely alone for 
three or four years. 
If anyone who favours these lines with a glance should have a 
close turf of Violets which, notwithstanding the neglect they expe¬ 
rience, never fail to produce their annual tribute. Supposing such 
a person, out of gratitude for the flowers yielded with such scant 
attention, should for once give the plants at least as much attention 
and as good treatment as that bestowed upon his Cabbage bed or 
his clump of gaudy Calceolarias, that surely would be no great 
return for the pleasure which this unassuming flow'er meekly offers 
year by year. But they do not even require so much as that. In 
our poorest soil they do well for two seasons, and in very strong 
soils I should imagine they would succeed even better. In any 
case, surely a biennial renewal of the plants, manuring and digging 
the ground, is not a very great tax on anyone’s labour and means. 
The present time is very suitable for starting fresh plants. By 
examining the old rows and selecting the rooted runners a good 
number of young plants is secured. As our plants are grown year 
after year on the same ground—that is to say, in lines under the 
shelter of walls, we remove all the old plants and select the young 
ones at the same time. In digging, a good thickness cf manure 
should be added, and if some of the exhausted soil is removed and 
fresh material supplied from the ground alongside, that will | rove 
of much benefit. As the digging is proceeded with so is the plant¬ 
ing. If the soil be dry water thoroughly, and in any case make 
the soil firm to the roots. A distance of 10 to 12 inches between 
the plants suits very well, and if they grow as they ought to do 
they will be close together by November, and af that time also 
will he producing flowers, continuing to do so for the foUowdng 
five month.o, w'eather permitting of course. 
The old common variety pleases me best of all. It is the 
sweetest, deepest in shade—violet, in fact—and in the spring days 
is smothered with flow'ers. Unfortunately for its popularity the 
flowers are small. Some of the large sorts are too tender for our 
climate. The foliage goes with the first moderately severe frost, 
and the large flowers do not appear in any appreciable quantity 
until late in spiring. Of the merits of the new' Wellsiana I cannot 
speak from experience, but next to the common small odorata I 
like for other people’s u.se the variety called The Czar. It stands 
the winters very well, and is always ready with flowers to open so 
long as frost keeps away. Double varieties do fairly well if allowed 
a very warm position at the foot of a south wall. A little dry 
bracken to turn over the plants during severe frosts is of great 
utility in saving the buds. The best double is Marie Louise, a 
fine blue and the freest to open ; and a fairly good companion with 
white flowers is Comte Brazza. We treat these somew'hat diffe¬ 
rently from the singles, as the rooted offsets are taken off and 
established in frames, and then transplanted in April out of doors,, 
either to the position they are to occupy when flowering or in some 
other warm spot. These do well with plenty of water, and appre¬ 
ciate good holding soil.—B. 
CROPS THAT PAY. 
MINT AND HORSERADISH. 
Mint is in demand for at least eight months out of the twelve,, 
in a green state, and none of the crop need be wasted, for it <»n 
be dried and easily disposed of in that condition. Few outside 
those who grow' it for the market would regard it as very remunera¬ 
tive, j'et few crops are capable of showing better returns. Early 
in the season—say during January—2s. a bunch can be had 
for it. Is. fid. during February, and it seldom falls below Is. a bunch 
until it can be gathered outside. The markets, of course, fluctuate 
according to the supply, and the bunches increase in size as the- 
season advances. The cultivation of this crop for the market, 
especially early in the season, is much better suite! to the farmer thaia 
the market gardener. Whatever may be urged in favour of heat 
from hot-water pipes, and for our earliest supplies they are indis¬ 
pensable, but a little later in the season Mint is forced better on hot¬ 
beds. It is far less liable to be attacked by aphides than when, 
forced under glass. 
If plenty of decayed manure is mixed with the fresh litter the 
bed will be found to retain a steady heat for a long time, and this- 
process does not do the manure so much harm as many think. A 
steady heat only is needed, not a violent one, and this can be readily- 
regulated by the free admixture of plenty of decaying manure.. 
If a bed is made 18 inches high and covered wdth a frame—one made- 
of rough boards will do very well—all really needed are lights^ 
to fit close over the frame. On the surface of the manure a little- 
ordinary garden soil may be spread, and on this the roots of Mint 
are packed closely together. These just covered with soil of the sanae-' 
nature, no attention is needed until they have commenced growth, air 
is then needed to prevent the shoots drawing w'eakly. When ready 
for nse it should not be cut too low, then a valuable second crop* 
from the roots will result. If the manure is not wanted after 
the second crop has been removed, a good watering will often start 
them vigorously again, and -valuable roots for stock purposes are^ 
the result. 
On some soils Mint will last for years and grow vigorously, but 
light soils must be heavily manured if it is to pay well. It should 
not remain on light soils more than two years, as if left too long: 
on such soils, or planted in the same place year after year, it is- 
liable to be attacked with a red fungoid -growth which quickly 
spreads over the whole flat and arrests growth. I have lost the 
w'hole of my stock from the causes pointed out. It is a good plan 
to change the stock occasionally by obtaining fresh roots, or by 
striking the first growths early in the season. The last method 
necessitates handlights in which to root the cuttings. They strike- 
freely, and in a season make some good roots. The quickest, 
method of propagation is by cutting up the roots, and planting can 
be done at any time preceding growth—the earlier the better. The- 
ground being manured and dug, shallow but rather wide drills- 
1 foot apart can be drawn out, and the portions of roots scattered: 
evenly in them, and the soil drawn over them with a rake. A 
little weeding may be needed when they first appear, but they 
quickly spread and take possession of the ground. When large 
quantities are planted, the best of all methods is to plant on beds- 
4 feet wide, with alleys between them 15 inches wide. In this case 
the roots for planting can be laid on the surface of the beds, after 
making them even, and then covered with the soil. 
Horseradish.— In some .seasons Horseradish proves a very 
remunerative market crop. This season it has not generally done- 
well, but those who have had it good have found a ready sale at a 
good price. Very rarely it realises less than Is. a bundle of twelve 
sticks, and often 4d. and fid. more for very fine samples. It does 
not entail a large amount of labour in production, but if a loose 
system of management is practised it tells enormously against the 
succeeding crop. Hor.=eradish, like Rhubarb, will grow anywhere,, 
but not that which finds a ready sale at a paying price. It requires 
w'ell-w'orked soil heavily manured. The finest roots are produced 
by planting the sets vertically, but this method for the market will 
not pay, simply because the base of the set is fi inches in the ground 
to commence with, and the roots descend into fertile ground to too 
great a depth. By this mode of planting they take too much 
lifting, and the land too much cleaning afterwards, for it is im. 
