378 
J0UR2s\iL CF HORTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDENER. 
3Iay 1889k. 
Auricula houses here hare no hot-water pipes or flues, though they 
have the advantage of a full south exposuie, and of the back wall 
being built against the solid earth, and s-o impervious to frost from 
behind. If need be, the plants are so shaded as to leave the sun¬ 
shine playing upon the back wall all day', and so supplying a gentle 
warmth at night, which is taken care of by strong sheets of sacking 
over the glass roof and sides. AVhen the plants are forward 
enough, the wall is allowed no sun, and the lights are left open far 
into a fair and balmy night. If I much need a plant or two that 
may require more generous warmth to perfect the bloom I may 
take it for the last few nights to the cool Orchid house, at a maxi¬ 
mum of 55°, a temperature no higher than that of a pleasant 
evening out of doors. I never take them into the intermediate 
house or the still higher Orchid temperature. 
Indeed, when heat is spok n of as applied to Auriculas, it means 
practically a heat no higher than such as these plants might natu¬ 
rally expect in a properly genial spring. When the weather denies 
them that at a critical time, why, I apologise to them for the 
weather and try to make it up to them, not so much by putting 
heat in as by keeping cold out. It is perhaps at least worth men¬ 
tioning this, because from reading some deprecations of “ heat ” 
for Auriculas, it might be inferred that some favoured plants were 
treated to the Cattleya house, or even to an evening with the East 
Indian Orchids, or, if kitchen company were congenial enough, to 
the early Cucumber frames. But I do not either see from theory, 
or find by practice, that a warmth equal to a kindly spring tempe¬ 
rature is other than helpful to the Auricula when close upon its 
time of bloom in a bitter season. Conserving of natural heat by 
early closing and coverings on cold nights, is by far the best wayq 
and a heated flue is by far the worst, in fact not safe. 
The Auricula will not bear any heat of an untimely or un¬ 
natural degree. An artificial temperature of 70° will cause the 
buds to open small, and one much over that will prevent the flowers 
from opening at all. The pollen is prematurely shed, and the tube 
and throat are enervated. If there be a natural shade temperature 
of 65° or 70° in spring it does not destroy the flowers, but they live 
very fast under it. Thus the cry that the Auricula growers of 
to-day use heat that would melt the spinal marrow of their great 
forefathers, ends in the little wool that after all we are but as the 
nurse to Nature, and treat our plants but as she would have them 
treated if she could, “ weather permitting.”— E. D. Houxer, 
Burton-in-Lonsdale. 
VEGETABLES FOR EXHIBITION. 
DWARF FRENCH OR KIDNEY BEANS. 
These are usually available before the Scarlet Runners, and in 
June and July have good weight in a collection of vegetables. At 
many shows prizes are also offered for a single dish, and in any 
case they well repay for good culture. Urdike the Runners they 
are not continuous bearing, and consequently the sowings must 
be timed so as to have the pods at their best when most wanted. 
As a rule the seed should be sown about eleven weeks before the 
produce is to be shown, but as these also transplant readily from 
pots or boxes, a few days will be gained by sowing under glass. For 
the June shows, and any held early in July, it is advisable to 
grow them under glass nearly, or quite, all the time. A few 
plants in a frame disposed on a gentle hotbed, or in a pit or frame 
in succession to early Potatoes, will, with very little trouble 
bestowed upon them, yield superior pods. Raise the plants singly 
in 3-inch pots, and in due time plant them in good loamy 
soil 18 inches apart each way. They will require staking, and 
ought not to perfect many pods at a time. For the July shows 
they may be started in a frame, this being removed or the lights 
taken off when it is seen the crops will be quite early enough 
without any further protection. In some districts they may be 
had good from south border's early in July, but for later shows a 
sunny open spot better suits them. A fairly liberal dressing of 
solid rnanure ought to be well mixed with the top spit, this en¬ 
couraging the roots to remain within reach of the warmth they 
appear to greatly need. The roots should be fully 2 feet apart, 
the seed sown thinly, and the plants eventually thinned to 10 or 
12 inches apart. They should be moulded up earlyq and staked 
before they fall over. It is only the thinly grown erect plants 
that produce perfectly straight and symmetrical pods, .and these, let 
me repeat, ought not to be he.avily cropped. Successional sow¬ 
ings ought also to be made, as there is no cert.ainty about the dura¬ 
tion of a crop. During dry seasons they need plentiful supplies of 
water and liquid manure, but as a rule on heavy and medium soils 
summer mulching is all that is needed. Can.adian Wonder is, on 
the whole, the most popular for either frames or the open air, but 
I rather favour the Negro Mammoth Longpod, this yielding 
abundance of straight d.ark green pods. 
CAULIFLOWERS. 
A friend of mine who grows wonderfully good CauliSowers is 
of opinion the secret of success may be summed up in three words 
—viz., “ plenty of manure,” and there is no doubt he is quite right, 
for it is useless to attempt to grow good Cauliflowers without 
plenty of manure. This, coupled with deep cultivation and good 
attention in the supply of water as required, and plenty of liquid 
manure, is necessary, whether the produce is required for home use 
or for exhibition. For the early shows or those held in June tlie 
Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth, Mont Blanc, Early London, and: 
Walcheren are all suitable, the plants being raised in the autumn, 
previous and wintered either in handlights or cold frames. These,, 
if dul}' planted about 2 feet apart each way, will give fine clean 
heads, which, if propei'ly blanched, much improve the appearance 
of a collection of vegetables. 
For the July shows Veitch’s Pearl and Sutton’s King of the 
Cauliflowers are good, the plants being raised in the autumn (seed' 
sown late in August) in common with the earlier varieties, and 
similarly treated. They form a natural succession to these, and! 
both may be grown to such perfection as to almost equal the 
popular Autumn Giant. Early in August it is possible to have- 
Eclipse fit for exhibition, and this may be truthfully described as- 
an early form of the Autumn Giant. To have this variety or 
Veitch’s Autumn Giant by the middle of August the plants must 
either be raised in the autumn previous, or else the seed must be 
sown in gentle heat early in February. In the latter case, when, 
the seedlings have developed the first rough leaf, they ought to be 
pricked off, four plants being put round the sides of each 4-incb 
pot. They should then be set on a sunny greenhouse shelf close to 
the glass, there to be kept aird well attended to until the first week’ 
in April, when they should be hardened off, and a fortnight later 
divided and planted out 3 feet apart each way. When growing 
strongly these or any Cauliflowers required for exhibition should 
receive a mulching of partially decayed manure, and in dry weather 
liberal supplies of liquid manure. Here let me add that if fifty 
plants cannot thus be favoured be content to grow half that 
number, and “ do ” them well. The watering should be no mere- 
driblets, but each plant ought to receive at least a 3-gallon can of 
water or liquid manure at a time. This will suffice them for ten to 
fourteen days, according to the weather or the nature of the soil, 
when more must be given. It must not be thought that no further 
trouble is needed. Remember that caterpillars soon disfigure the- 
hearts, and if the latter become green or open badly they are unfit 
for exhibition. Just as the “ curds ” are forming the caterpillars 
become very troublesome, and must be closely looked after and de* 
sfroyed. Hand-picking is the only remedy, and the plants ought to 
be examined two or three times in a week. The blanching, 
detail often neglected, ought to be commenced a fortnight previous' 
to the early shows ; and if either Cauliflowers or Veitch’s Autumn 
Broccoli are wanted for the November shows these should be taken- 
in hand a month or more before the date of the show. The leaves 
must be well brought up together, and kept so with the aid of a 
strand of matting, the aim being to thoroughly exclude the light 
from the heart. Unless the light can be so kept out greening 
occurs and the curds “ break ” or fly open, it may be several days 
before the date of the show.— Exhibitor. 
KEENS’ SEEDLING STRAWBERRY. 
This fine old favourite variety is now seldom cultivated anything- 
like so extensively as it deserves, and in some places it has lost favour 
altogether, or is ousted by newer varieties, which at first are often con¬ 
sidered superior, as owing to the extra attention they receive when 
fresh to hand they appear at first an improvement, and I confess that I 
am not exempt from this weakness. There are, however, fortunately 
many gardeners that wisely cling very tenaciously to the old tried! 
varieties, and safely depend on them for their principal supply. An 
excellent example of this practice is carried out in the princely gardens- 
at Penrhyn C.astle by Mr. Speed, who had his shelves at Eastertide 
laden with fine dark crimson fruit of the above variety, presenting a. 
sight rarely met with. I do not remember to have seen such handsome 
fruits so early in the se.ason before, and being the true old Keens’ Seed¬ 
ling, the quality is guaranteed. Mr. Speed resorts to no mechanical 
dodges to secure a good set, but depends on good cultivation, and by 
judicious watering and ventilation he secured rich colour and large size, 
evidently testifying their grand quality and capability to endure 
their 250 miles journey to Ijondon without serious damage.—J. 
Goodacre. 
PAULINE AS A STRAWBERRY FOR FORCING. 
Amongst the instructive notes which have already appeared anenff 
forcing Strawberries, I have been somewhat surprised to see no notice 
taken of Pauline as an early \ariety. It may be that its peculiar shape 
is not liked, but beyond that I cannot account for its neglect, as it 
colours well, fruits freely, and for an early Strawberry the flavour is 
very good. In that respect it is so much appreciated at the table that 
