40 
JOUEXAL OF HORTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDEXER. 
[Jantiary 10, 13 lO 
their neat yet brilliantly coloured scarlet flowers, shown off to 
perfection with a feathered edging of deep green leaves. At this 
time ot the year, when sprays are in great demand, a single flower¬ 
ing shoot makes by itself a finished addition to a lady’s dinner or 
ball dress, or when it is desirable to use a few white flowers as well. 
Lilies of the Valley or Roman Hyacinths irregularly fringed around 
the scarlet Euphorbia, with a few Fern fronds added, make a very 
effective and uncommon spray. For arranging in mixed groups of 
plants, when grown in 4 or 5-inch pots, carrying from one to three 
flowering shoots, they add a pleasing feature to such arrangements 
that cannot be obtained with any others flowering at the present 
time of the year. 
Although Euphorbias are such deservedly popular favourites, 
they are neither grown so largely or so well as they should be ; it is 
not unusual to find plants in anything but a thriving state by the 
time they approach the flowering stage. Having had plants under 
my charge at different places during the last dozen years, the 
opinion I have formed concerning the causes which often bring 
them into an unhealthy state may be worth recording. Here they 
are in an abbreviated form—too much root room, too much water, 
and too much peat. Those plants that are rooted during the spring 
months we flower in 5 and 6-inch pots, and by the time they are in 
flower the pots are crammed with roots, yet we have no difficulty 
in retaining their deep green leaves down to the rim of the pots till 
they have done flowering. 
When the plants have made about an inch of young growth they 
are shaken out of the soil, the roots are trimmed back, and they are 
placed into the same sized pots ; subsequently the strongest of them 
are shifted into 7-inch pots, and the remainder into 6-inch ones, and 
whenever potting is performed we always give small shifts. During 
the growing season when well established they should receive a good 
supply of water, but in autumn and winter we allow them to 
become drier at the roots than is good for most plants. Once get 
them into a sodden condition and they are certain to lose a great 
number of their leaves, and in some cases, to use a familiar term, 
“ go off ” at the collar, and I have noticed that the latter calamity 
occurs the most frequently to plants that are grown in a compost in 
which peat predominates, and when an unnecessary amount of root 
room is given. This not unfrequently happens to planted out 
specimens, and although the plant under notice is excellent for 
covering back walls in stoves or intermediate houses where they 
can receive a fair amount of light, yet great care should be exer¬ 
cised in watering, and the roots be restricted both as to depth and 
width and border. We often find that the simplest composts are 
the best, and after trying various mixtures for Euphorbias have 
found them succeed best in pure turfy loam, with a little sharp 
sand and charcoal added to bring the soil into that mechanical 
condition under which roots of all plants are the most rapidly 
produced. I would not, however, advise the use of loam alone in 
all cases, for the simple reason that loam differs so much in quality 
and texture, and it is not everyone who can obtain it in such fine 
quality as w'e are able to procure it here, being more inclined to be 
light than heavy, having a fair amount of fibre, and of a fine friable 
nature, in which so many kinds of plants produce roots abundantly. 
When the loam used is rather heavy an equal portion of good 
peat should be mixed with it, and in potting made the soil fairly 
firm. 
When the plants have done flowering they may be either 
removed to a slightly cooler temperature or kept in the stove, and 
be kept dry at the roots, giving a little water occasionally till they 
have started into growth, then they should be shaken out and 
repotted. If large numbers of cuttings are w’anted the plants 
should not be pruned back before being potted. Numerous side 
shoots will then be produced along the main branches ; these can 
be taken off with a heel when they are 3 inches long, and the old 
plants pruned back to the required height ; they will then send out 
fresh shoots and form good specimens. These old plants often 
produce a great number of shoots, and are very useful for cutting 
from. Young examples are, however, best for decorative purposes. 
When the whole stock of old plants is not required for another 
season the strongest should be selected for growing, and after 
being rested a month prune them, and take the cuttings from any 
not intended to be grown, and which of course will not require 
potting. 
The cuttings that have been taken with a heel should have the 
cut ends dipped in a little powdered charcoal or dry sand to stop 
bleeding, and then inserted singly in thumb pots, a lump of good 
peat or turfy loam being placed at the bottom of the pot, the 
remainder filled with a mixture of half loam and half peat sifted 
through the half-inch sieve. When the cuttings are put in a little 
sand should be dropped into the hole made with the dibble, and the 
cutting passed into it and made firm, and receive a good w'atering 
through a fine rose. As soon as the soil has drained the pots are 
ready for placing under handlights, in propagating or Cucumber 
and Melon houses, where they can have about 80” to 85°. They 
should receive daily attention to prevent moisture condensing 
on the leaves. As soon as condensed moisture is noticed inside the 
handlight it should be wiped dr}', and a little air admitted for a 
short time, otherwise some of the young leaves will turn yellow 
and fall, and the cutting eventually rot at the collar. Given a good 
brisk bottom heat, and daily attention to the details above mentioned, 
cuttings of this much-esteemed winter-flowering plant will root 
almost as certainly as Crotons.—H. Dunkin. 
FREESIA REFRACTA ALBA. 
Tiieee is an attractive group of Freesias at the present time- 
in the greenhouse at Kew. Many of the plants above referred to 
are grown in large 24’s, in which they have flowered successively 
for two years, merely receiving a top-dressing. For those requiring 
smaller plants, from eight to ten corms may be placed in 32’s about 
the third week in July, using a compost of light loam two parts,, 
leaf soil one part, and one part of well decayed horse droppings, 
with a mixture of sand. They should then be placed in a cold 
frame or pit. Plenty of air must be admitted, and on warm bright 
days the lights should be taken off to insure a dwarf sturdy growths 
When growing freely they delight in abundance of water, and on 
no account should the soil be allowed to get dry during the growing 
or flowering period. An occasional supply of soot water and a top¬ 
dressing of fish manure will greatly assist them. Attention must- 
also be given to staking, split bamboos being recommended for this- 
purpose. If required to bloom as early as November they must be 
placed in a temperature ranging from 55° to 60° Fahr., but they 
are best brought on gradually, the flowers lasting much longer. If,, 
as is the case at Kew, a second or even a third supply be grown the 
group can be renewed from time to time. 
After flowering the usual method is to dry them off and store 
in bags, but this practice should not be followed. Better results- 
will be obtained by allowing them to remain in their pots, gradu¬ 
ally lessening the supply of water. In the following summer a top- 
dressing of the compost recommended should be given.— Alpha. 
GOOD VEGETABLES. 
Christmas holidays are an excuse for most things, so perhaps 
you will allow me to plead them as an excuse for harking back to- 
the admirable article under this heading, page 554. Your corre-- 
spondent, “ J. L. B,,” is most kind in his advice to send early orders 
to the seedsman ; happily that advice is not so much needed to-day 
as it w'as ten or fifteen years ago, when early orders were the ex¬ 
ception, whereas from all good gardeners they are now the rule. 
Would that it were possible to compress seed catalogues after 
the manner he indicates, the seedsman’s lot would then be a (com¬ 
paratively) happy one ; but much as I deplore the bewildering list 
of varieties I fear that the seedsman has no alternative but to 
publish them, and although much has been done in the way of 
eliminating tbe names of varieties which have been proved to be 
synonymous with others, and in discarding those which have been 
superseded by newer and improved kinds, there still remains work- 
to be done. 
The seedsman is not, however, entirely to blame in the matter.. 
Take, for instance. Peas which, as your correspondent says, are a 
difficult class. Is it to the seedsman’s interest to grow thirty to- 
forty kinds if he could induce his customers to be content with 
ten ? Surely the smaller number would be easier to keep true and- 
cheaper to grow in large bulks, than the small lots required of 
many of the kinds. But there are many reasons why he cannot, 
reduce the list as much as he would like. Firstly, he has still to- 
put in names which are synonymous because there still exist, in¬ 
remote parishes, gardeners who are so sure that Sangster’s No. 1 
and Daniel O’Rourke are different Peas, that they year by year 
have a pint of each, out of the same sack, and come and tell you 
which was the earlier. Then one has the gardener who every year 
orders thirteen quarts of Peas in thirteen different varieties for his 
year’s supply. I do admire that man, how he manages to secure a. 
succession of Peas for table is always beyond my comprehension, 
but I suppose he does. 
Then, again, we hav'e the broad fact that tastes differ—one man 
will eat nothing but sweet peas which he usually calls “ Marrow¬ 
fats,” he cares nothing for early round peas, but will wait until his 
favourites are ready, and then wants them as long as he can have 
them. A second dislikes that class of Peas, and enjoys a class like 
Supreme, which has what I call a beany flavour. I knew a gentle¬ 
man who cared for no other Pea but Champion of England. Again, 
vve have the fact that certain kinds succeed better than others in a 
fixed locality, and as the seedsman has to send his goods north,, 
