556 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 26,1889 
sowing. I sow thinly, and if too thick I draw when very young and 
transplant. These often make the best Onions. Since I have adopted 
this plan I have not suffered so much with the grub. Does the system 
prevent it ? Good sorts are Bedfordshire Champion, Danver’s Yellow, 
James’ Keeping, Bed Italian Tripoli for winter, and The Queen. 
Melons .—Blenheim Orange is a good scarlet, Eastnor Castle a good 
greenflesh. 
Parsnip The Student.—To the beginner, perhaps this is the most 
difficult class, there are so many variertes (or rather names) to select 
from, and, in many cases, those that are highly recommended are the 
least profitable to the gardener. Many of those fine large podded sorts 
which are grown for exhibition are not good croppers. The best sorts 
for the gardener to grow are those with good flavour and good croppers. 
If they have large pods so much the better. Perhaps Telegraph is the 
most productive of the large podded sorts, but I consider Ne Plus 
Ultra the best gardener’s Pea, combining as it does quality with quantity, 
and a continual bearer. But some of the improved Ne Plus Ultras are 
not such good and continual bearers as the original type. If I were 
confined to three sorts only, I should grow William I., Telegraph, and 
Ne Plus Ultra, but as I am not confined to so small a number I will add 
afew more. William I., Prince of Wales, Telegraph, Hundredfold, and 
Ne Plus Ultra. 
Savoy .—I do not know one to equal Gilbert’s Universal Savoy. 
Spinach. —Sutton’s Longstanding is the best I have tried for summer 
use, as it does not run to seed nearly as soon as the ordinary sort. The 
Prickly is the best for winter. 
Tomatoes .—Hackwood Park Prolific. 
Turnip .—Early Milan is the earliest, but it is not very good flavour ; 
Early Snowball, and Veitch’s Bed Globe. 
Potatoes. —Kivers’ Boyal Ashleaf, Sutton’s Early Kegent, Beauty of 
Hebron, and Scotch Champion.—J. L. B. 
NOTES ON CAMELLIAS. 
The Camellia is one of the easiest to grow of all hardwooded green¬ 
house or conservatory plants. Heaths and Azaleas are not so readily 
managed successfully, and they are also more difficult to restore to good 
health when allowed to lapse into a bad state. I am therefore greatly 
in favour of amateurs and growers of limited experience giving atten¬ 
tion to Camellias. We have been cutting Camellias since the beginning 
of November, and there are still many buds to expand, but we do not 
think that Camellias generally—ours amongst the number—have been 
so good as in many previous seasons. The flowers have been more back¬ 
ward in opening, and they lacked their usual vigour. We attribute this 
to the deficiency of sunshine and maturing weather experienced during 
the whole of the time the wood and buds were developing, and if we 
thought that the coming season was to be as dull and backward, we 
should urge our plants into earlier growth than usual, that they might 
have a longer period in the autumn to gain a vigorous condition. By 
vigorous flowering condition I do not mean luxuriant growth and 
nothing more. Indeed I am never particularly anxious to secure undue 
luxuriance, as some of our plants which are most rampant are the least 
floriferous. A moderate growth, well matured, is far before great luxuri¬ 
ance in producing and retaining a profusion of buds and opening well 
formed blossoms. I put considerable stress on the word “ retaining ” as 
used above, because many Camellias may be grown rapidly to produce 
a great number of buds ; but how many of these fall prematurely ? This 
is attributed to various causes—excessive dryness at the root, and too 
much heat in the atmosphere ; but buds that are well matured will pass 
through many vicissitudes. 
It is immediately after flowering that mistakes ought to be rectified, 
and everything placed on a better footing, if such is wanted, for another 
year. Pruning is an operation which scraggy little plants in pots seldom 
call for, but it is a necessity with many planted-out specimens, as well 
as those in pots and tubs, that have become too large to be accommo¬ 
dated under glass. Healthy plants will bear pruning as well as a 
Privet, but it is a mistake to prune and cut back sickly specimens, 
unless it be to repot them, cut them hard in, and start them into growth 
sharply in a forcing pit. Those that are planted out and doing well in 
beds and borders are apt to push out until they obstruct the pathways, 
and to prevent this they should be cut back before growth is far 
advanced, but this should not be done in such a manner as to make 
them appear as if they had been clipped like a hedge. A flat surface on a 
Camellia is never graceful, and if they are cut in merely to avoid the 
path, and nothing more, the blooms that come out on the edge will be 
sure to be brushed and injured. The better way is to cut them back 
some little distance from the path, that they may have clear headway 
for a few years, and if the forward branches are cut out, and those in 
the background allowed to remain, there will be no appearance of a 
clipped surface. The same rule applies to cases of cutting them down 
when they are too near the glass. Often before the last of the blooms 
have expanded the young shoots have pushed forth several inches, but 
this should not deter anyone from pruning, as it will not prevent the 
plants growing freely on the old wood that remains. 
During the time Camellias are in flower they cannot be syringed or 
washed without injuring the blooms, and it is best to keep water from 
the foliage then ; but immediately flowering is over they should be 
thoroughly cleansed. If the leaves are only dusty syringing will gene¬ 
rally suffice, but where insects exist the leaves must be well sponged. 
The time to do this is immediately pruning is over, and before the young 
growth is advanced ; but healthy plants have a great power of resist¬ 
ing insects, and their deep green glossy leaves are very pleasing. It is 
at the end of the flowering season that repotting or planting should be 
done. They do not like overpotting. Neat little bushes may be secured 
in 7-inch and 8-inch pots, and large plants in 10-inch and 12-inch pots. 
An additional root space of 2 or 3 inches at a time is ample. Perfect 
drainage is most desirable, and a soil consisting of half peat and half 
loam, to which a liberal dash of sand or grit has been added, will prove a 
satisfactory rooting compost. In potting or planting in any form the 
soil cannot be made too firm about the roots, as the roots soon take 
possession of a firm soil, and remain healthy in it. If Camellias are 
well planted out they invariably give much satisfaction, and they are 
less trouble than when in pots and boxes. There ought to be more of 
them in beds and borders, but those who contemplate turning them out 
should be warned against one rather common practice. It is this. 
Plants that are in bad health in pots may be regarded as hopeless are 
thought sufficiently good to plant out, with the avowed object of restor¬ 
ing them. This is a mistake, as if they cannot be revived in pots they 
never will in beds, and failure will be the rule in cases of planting out 
half-dead specimens. There are only two kind of bushes we recom¬ 
mend being planted out—one is healthy young plants, the other over¬ 
grown specimens, and with both of these excellent results may be 
secured. Bushes that are long and shy in starting into growth should 
be freely watered with soot liquid, and they should be syringed freely 
twice on all bright days, moisture in abundance being applied to the 
tops and roots of all plants disposed to grow rapidly.—M. M, 
PALMS. 
Among the numerous plants now cultivated for the embellishment 
of the interior of the homes of England, Palms are most useful. Their 
bold outlines, diversified forms, and graceful habit always command 
attention, as well as serving to show to greater advantage the colours 
of the flowering plants associated with them. Another great point in 
their favour is, that with careful attention in the matter of watering,, 
and sponging the leaves occasionally with soapy water, the same 
plants will often thrive for months together in the drawing-room 
almost as well as in glass structures. I do not mean to say that this is 
the case with all Palms, as unfortunately some of the most beautiful, 
such for instance as Cocos Weddelliana and Geonoma gracilis, require 
to be changed frequently to prevent their falling into an unhealthy 
state. Happily there are many others of striking and varied beauty 
that can be depended upon to keep in robust health for a long time 
when used for house decoration. 
An important point in their management which must not be over¬ 
looked is, to take each plant out of the vase in which they stand once 
every two or three weeks, wash the vases, and after replacing the plants 
cover the surface of the soil and pots with fresh moss. If this matter is 
not regularly attended to the water that passes through the soil' and 
settles at the bottom of the vase in time becomes sour and unwhole¬ 
some, and in not a few instances has been the cause of plants used for 
house decoration getting into an unhealthy state much sooner than they 
otherwise would do. 
Those enumerated below are all reliable Palms for the purpose 
indicated, and collectively they supply great variety in the form of 
their fronds and in their habit of growth. Areca Baueri, A. lutescens, 
A. sapida, A. crinita, A. Verschaffelti, Caryota sobolifera, Chamaedorea, 
elegans, glaucophylla, Chamaerops excelsa, C. humilis, Cocos plumosa, 
Euterpe edulis. Kentia australis, K. Belmoreana, K. Fosteriana, Latania. 
borbonica, Phcenix dactylifera, P. reclinata, P. rupicola, Thrinax elegans. 
—H. Dunkin. 
MUSHROOM BED REFUSE. 
Having a considerable quantity on hand and a good run of beds 
laid down this season, I am anxious to see how to turn the material to 
account in the cultivation of other crops for market, for which this 
manure would be well adapted. 
Mr. Barter advised me to get a few acres of land and use up what I 
could not sell. What, then, would be suitable crops in rotation through 
the year ? 
I find a prejudice exists against the material “ as used up ” and 
“onlygood for potting.” I tried it with French Beans this summer in 
the open, the result was a splendid crop : also I transplanted some 
Jerusalem Artichokes so advanced in growth that I expected, if they 
survived, to find nothing but stem and leaf growth. This was vigorous, 
but to my surprise the tubers are grand also, far surpassing the others. 
They had a liberal dressing. 
i have had several analyses made, which do not bear out the 
misnomer “ spent bed spent only so far as concerns the bed’s capacity 
to produce Mushrooms, which evidently rob it but little of its original 
manure wealth. This seems to remain on hand, presenting the needful 
plant food in a more concentrated form. The analyses I have give over 
11 per cent, ammonia and 2 to 2£ per cent, phosphate of lime, with 
water under 50 per cent. When calculated on the dry substance the 
ammonia and phosphate of lime are only slightly under that found in 
ordinary farmyard manure, while the amount of moisture is considerably 
less—just under 50 per cent, as against 75 per cent. Surely, therefore, 
there should be a good field for its use in the way indicated.— 
Mushroom. 
[The material evidently suits the soil of our correspondent, and as it 
has proved so satisfactory for the crops mentioned it will be suitable 
