184 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 28,1889. 
Martin Sec Pear (Cleric). —You are quite right in regarding this 
■as one of the oldest Pears, and the fruit is excellent when stewed. The 
-following description of and reference to this variety appears in Dr. 
Hogg’s “ Fruit Manual.” Fruit, medium sized ; pyriform or obtuse 
pyriform. Skin, entirely covered with cinnamon-coloured russet on the 
■shaded side, and bright red next the sun, strewed with whitish grey 
•dots. Eye, small and open, set in a plaited undulating basin. Stalk, 
1 J inch long, inserted in a small cavity. Flesh, breaking, rather 
<lry, but sweet and perfumed ; but when grafted on the Quince 
becomes very gritty. In use from November to January ; generally 
•considered a dessert Pear, but more fit for stewing and preserving. The 
tree is very vigorous and fertile, grows well either on the Pear or Quince, 
succeeds well as a standard. The Martins are perhaps the earliest 
varieties grown amongst us ; they are mentioned among the fruits 
■delivered into the Treasury by the fruiterer of Edward I., in 1292, and 
were at that time valued at 8d. per Pear. 
Testimonials.—Gardeners in America (Flore Plena). —Accord¬ 
ing to your statement of the case we fear your chance of recovery is 
•extremely remote ; but while we are bound to say the blame rests with 
yourself in departing from the conditions, a lawyer’s letter might 
possibly have some effect, and as you have incurred risk by your own 
want of caution, you might risk a little more in the way suggested, as 
you have not much to lose and a great deal to gain by the speculation. 
We fear you do not read the Journal very attentively, or forget what 
you see, or you would have noticed what we have said more than once, 
and recently, on gardeners emigrating. We decline the responsibility 
of advising them to do so without previously communicating with someone 
in America or elsewhere, where they think of going. An eminent 
American horticulturist told us that thoroughly competent, industrious, 
■and well educated gardeners, and to cite his own words, “ gentlemen in 
manners and character,” have a good prospect of succeeding, but he had 
met many gardeners in England who were not wanted in the United 
States. 
Vegetables for Exhibition (R. C. N.). —You unfortunately 
omitted to state whether you propose to compete in classes open to pro¬ 
fessional gardeners or to amateurs only, and also what facilities you 
bave for cultivating vegetables generally, and choice kinds in particular. 
An excellent gardener’s collection of eight varieties of vegetables in 
July would consist of Potatoes, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers, Peas, 
•Globe Artichokes, Cauliflowers, and either Onions or Turnips, whichever 
happens to be the finest and cleanest. Everything, however, ought to 
depend upon the quality of the kinds available. For instance, if the 
Globe Artichokes were small and thin, these ought to be omitted and a 
reserve kind, such as Vegetable Marrows, Kidney Beans, Broad Beans, 
•or even good Cabbages substituted. Globe Artichokes are rarely shown 
by amateurs, nor are Tomatoes often seen in their collections so early in 
the year. In any case your collection ought to include a good dish of 
Potatoes, and the remaining dishes may safely be selected from the 
•others named, preferably from the first list. The following varieties 
would be suitable for July :—Potato, Sharpe’s Victor or a good selection 
■of Ashleaf ; Carrot, Nantes Horn, which ought to be sown on a slight 
hotbed, with or without the temporary covering of a frame ; Onions, a 
Giant White Tripoli, autumn sown, White Elephant being a favourite 
•exhibition variety. Tomato, Hackwood Park or Perfection ; Cucumber, 
Carter’s Model or Telegraph ; Cauliflower, Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth, 
Veitch’s Pearl, or Sutton’s Magnum Bonum ; Pea, either Telegraph, 
Stratagem, or Telephone, Duke of Albany also being sometimes fit to 
rgather early in July ; Artichoke, Green Globs; Turnip, Snowball; 
Vegetable Marrow, Long White ; Kidney Bean, Canadian Wonder; 
Broad Bean, Carter’s Leviathan ; and Cabbage, Heartwell Marrow. 
Herbaceous Flowers for Exhibition (Idem). —Supposing these 
■are to be shown in a cut state early in July, the following might suit 
youAlstroemeria aurantiaca, Anthericum Liliastrum major, Aspho- 
•delus luteus, Campanula persicifolia alba flore-pleno, C. glomerata 
■dahurica, Erigeron aurantiacus, Lilium candidum, Dictamnus Fraxinella, 
Achillea Ptarmica flore-pleno, Lychnis viscaria splendens flore-pleno, 
•Bpirma Aruncus, double Pyrethrum, Geum coccineum flore-pleno, 
Delphinium formosum, and Francoa racemosa. From the foregoing it 
•ought to be possible to select good kinds, but it is always advisable to 
■cultivate more than are needed at one time, in case some of them should 
*be either too early or too late. 
Chemical Manures — Seaweed (F. Cantab). — A mixture of 
three parts superphosphate of lime, two of muriate of potash, and one of 
■sulphate of ammonia would be useful for your purpose. The solubility 
■of bone meal varies considerably ; the finer it is ground the quicker its 
action, hence steamed bone flour is preferred by some persons who wish 
•quick returns, but steady 'continuous action is not to be overlooked. 
Nitrate of soda assists somewhat in dissolving bones, but moisture and 
the carbonic acid and iron in the soil render the manure available to 
plants, steady moisture being an absolute necessity. It is easy to err by 
'using nitrogenous manures too freely, and their application must be 
•guided by the judgment of the cultivator. Whatever of lime your soil 
contains will not prevent the action of the manures. Phosphatie or 
potassic manures are often applied too late for being the most effective, 
as time is requisite for their solution, consequently they may not be in 
full action when they would do the most good. As a rule, they cannot 
be applied to the soil too early in the year which they have often given 
the best results used in the autumn, followed by a dressing of nitrate of 
soda or sulphate of ammonia in the spring if needed. The former is the 
quicker, and perhaps the best adapted for dry soils ; the latter the more 
enduring. We have seen them both tried on Potatoes, and in the Wheat 
crop that followed the effects of the sulphate of ammonia were very 
apparent, and the residue of the manure left in the land was of sub¬ 
stantial value; but there was no residue from the nitrate of soda, for 
what the Potatoes did not appropriate passed into the subsoil. We do 
not think it prudent to apply nitrate of soda in the autumn for garden 
crops, much of the nitric acid passing to the drains during the winter. 
If you have bone flour by all means use it in equal part with the super¬ 
phosphate. Bone shavings are excellent, and not very slow in action. 
Seaweed contains when dry about eighty-four parts of vegetable matter, 
thirteen parts of sulphate of lime and magnesia, with a little phosphate 
of lime, and three parts sulphate and muriate of soda. 
Amaryllis Culture (S.T.X .).—The plants require abundant mois¬ 
ture and nourishment when growing, then a period first of gradual then 
of complete rest. Perfect drainage must be secured. Strong hazel or 
yellow loam free from iron, with a little sharp sand, is all they need in 
the way of soil. Leaf soil and other vegetable matter, which slowly de¬ 
compose, are to be avoided. Too much heat when growing is injurious, 
as it causes drawn foliage and weakens the bulbs. They require as much 
heat when at rest as when growing ; and though this may appear to 
some the reverse of good management, it is only what they receive in 
their native habitats. The roots remain on the bulbs throughout the 
year ; taking them out of the pots when at rest therefore robs the bulbs 
of that which Nature has provided to collect food for the support of the 
scape of flowers. Deep narrow pots 8 inches in depth and double the 
diameter of the bulb are the best description to grow them in. Frequent 
potting and plenty of pot room is their bane, and potting a plant of this 
kind, because the pot is full of roots, will prevent its flowering. The pot 
never can be too full of roots, as the bulbs flower all the better for being 
cramped ; and so long as the drainage is perfect and the soil sweet it is 
immaterial how long the plants are kept in the same soil and pots, if 
only the offsets are removed and potted, thus preventing their exhaust¬ 
ing the parent. Examine the pots at once and see that the drainage is 
all right. Having made it perfect replace the ball in the pot, adding a 
little soil upon the drainage if the plant or bulb be too low, and gently 
stir the surface of the soil around it; if any fresh soil be added it should 
be dry, and the bulb will be none the worse if it be covered to the neck. 
Some of the tender kinds decay ; unless the bulbs are thus covered they 
are apt to decay at the base. In looking to the drainage and stirring the 
surface care should be taken not to injure a single root nor break the 
ball, for that is robbing the plant of so much absorbent surface, and is a 
direct way of weakening the bulbs. Place the pots on a shelf about 
1 foot, or from that to 18 inches from the glass, and if the temperature 
range from 55° to 60° it could not be better. The situation should be 
light and free from drip. No water must be given until the leaves 
appear, for the concentrated juices of the bulb are sufficient without the 
aid of water, when they must be slightly watered, gradually increasing 
the quantity as the leaves and scapes elongate. When the scape has 
risen 6 inches give a plentiful supply of water, and let every alternate 
watering be weak liquid manure, or, what is more safe for an amateur, 
1 oz. of Peruvian guano dissolved in a gallon of rain water, and with 
this water the plant every other day, and the intervening day with pure 
water. All waterings to be applied a few degrees over rather than a few 
below the temperature of the house ; enough to be given to run through 
the pot, and if it does not do this without having to stand on the surface, 
or is a long time in doing so, the soil is either dust-dry or sodden, or the 
drainage is choked. Examination being made, the defect, whatever it 
be. must be remedied at once. The leaves should not under any circum¬ 
stances be suffered to flag at this stage, and the atmosphere must be kept 
moist by syringing night and morning every available evaporating sur¬ 
face with water of the same temperature as the house. Air should be 
given on all favodrable opportunities, but cold currents must be 
studiously avoided. 
Plants for Herbaceous Border (A. D .).—As the wall is covered 
with climbing Boses it is unadvisable to have any plants nearer them 
than 3 feet, and herbaceous plants generally do not do well near a wall. 
This will give you space for three rows —viz., the back row 3 feet from 
the wall, middle row 3 feet, front row G feet 3 inches, or 9 inches from 
the edge. The plants in the back row should be 3 feet apart, the middle 
row plants quincunx with those in the back row, and the front row 
18 inches apart, planting so as not to have them opposite those in the 
middle row. In the back row, Achillea Ptarmica fl.-pl., Aconitum ja- 
ponicum, Alstroemeria peruviana, Anemone japonica, A. japonica alba, 
Anthericum Liliastrum majus, Aquilegia chrysantha, Asclepias tuberosa, 
Campanula grand is, C. latifolia macrantha, C. pyramidalis and var. alba, 
Coreopsis lanceolata, Chrysanthemum maximum, Dictamnus Fraxinella 
and var. alba, Doronicum plantagineum excelsum, Dracocephalum 
Buyschianum japonicum, D. virginicum album, Erigeron speciosum 
superbum, Gaillardia grandiflora, Geum coccineum plenum, Gillenia tri- 
foliata, Gypsophila paniculata, Helianthus multiflorus fl-pl., Hypericum 
aureum, Lychnis chalcedonica fl.-pl., L. vespertina fl.-pl., Monarda 
didyma, Orobus aurantius, Pentstemon barbatum, Pyrethrum uligo- 
nosum, Budbeckia Newmanni, B. purpurea. Salvia patens, Scabiosa 
caucasica, Senecio pulcher, Sparaxis pulcherrima, Galtonia candi- 
cans, Lilium auratum, L. longiflorum Harrisi, Aster dumosus, and 
A. Amellus bessarabicus. Phiox vars., Delphinium vars., are also 
good, also Tiitoma Uvaria glaucescens and Harpalium rigidum. Middle 
row :—Agrostemma coronaria fl.-pl., Anemone sylvestris, Anthericum 
graminiflorum, A. Liliago majus, Aquilegia cserulea, Bupthalmum sali- 
cifolium, Calochortus or Cyclobothra pulchellus, C. venustus, Cam- 
