Febrnaty 27, 1830. ] 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
169 
the plants should not be starved, so that they grow only with 
difficulty and produce three or four puny flowers on each truss.— 
Wm. Bardney. 
THE BRUSSELS SPROUT. 
There is scarcely another vegetable with which we have to do 
that is of greater importance considered as a kitchen garden 
crop than this one, and perhaps, with the exception of Peas, no 
-other vegetable has had more time and thought devoted to its 
improvement within the last few years. 
This extra attention has resulted in producing hybrids and 
varieties in great numbers, all of them claiming to be improvements 
:in one way or the other over the old Brussels Sprout. Novelty and 
'Variety have charms which are irresistible to most people, and I am 
•afraid that very few have resisted its influence with this vegetable 
'but have sought for the new and sacrificed the old. All honour 
to those who are endeavouring to improve this important vegetable, 
and I hope that success may crown their efforts, but up to now, in 
my opinion, it has entirely eluded their grasp. 
stem and also of the sprout, improvement no doubt 
‘has been effected, but I believe at a great sacrifice in other im¬ 
portant respects, the chief of which is in quality, weight, and 
economy. 
In determining the relative value, or quality, as between the 
^all, hard, knotty sprout of a few years ago against the loose and 
large sprout of the present time, apart altogether from my opinion 
on the subject, let anyone inquire of their cooks which are pre¬ 
ferred at table, or of the salesmen which are preferred at market. 
As regards value or weight from a given quantity of ground I hold 
that the small sprout has also the advantage. 
^ In planting ground with the Improved or, as they are some¬ 
times called, the Giant Sprout, it is advised that they be planted 
3 feet apart, and sound advice too, as the plants will meet even 
planted at this distance apart before the winter. They have stems 
and leaves like Castor-oil Plants, and almost as ornamental, but 
■unfortunately these stems and leaves are fit only to be eaten by 
pigs or cattle. The sprouts are usually large and loose, and when 
-once in the kitchen half the outer leaves are stripped off in being 
prepared for cooking, and it frequently happens that many of 
the largest sprouts are diseased in the centre, and therefore 
■useless. 
smaller Brussels Sprout may be planted from 18 inches to 
5 feet apart each way, according to the richness or otherwise of 
the ground, thus giving double the number of plants to the same 
area, and nothing like the weight of useless leaves and stems, and 
^ much greater weight of serviceable sprouts of far better quality 
:^d with scarcely any waste in preparing for cooking.— Owen 
Thom.a^, Chatsworth 
SOME EARLY CROCUSES. 
While the large Dutch Crocuses are ever welcome in their 
•season, there are many species of the genus which flower earlier 
'and gladden our eyes with their brightness. True harbingers of 
spring, heralding its approach, and with it the glowing masses of 
golden yellow, or the purples and lilacs and whites of their larger 
•congeners. These winter Crocuses begin early in the year, opening 
"their blossoms with the first gleams of sunshine which peer through 
the gloom of our early January days. Some of these Crocuses 
appear to have greatly exercised the reporters of some of the daily 
journals at the recent meeting of the Eoyal Horticultural Society, 
and one of these seemed to suspect that the specimens exhibited by 
■a, well-known firm had undergone some mysterious operation to 
induce them to flower at such an early season. 
As yet I cannot boast of the possession of a large number of 
these ; but year by year some are added, and others increase in 
number, so that I look forward hopefully to the possession of large 
dumps of the winter flowering species. It is fortunate that some 
•of the best of these early Crocuses are moderate in price, so that 
the amateur who has to study economy, and the gardener who re¬ 
quires to be careful in his expenditure to avoid involving his em¬ 
ployer in a heavy bill, need not be without some of these charming 
little flowers, which peep brightly from the earth when all around 
is dull and dreary. The present notes have no pretension to being 
exhaustive of the many species, but are penned with the view of 
drawing more attention to the claims of some of the cheaper 
species which may be purchased in quantity. 
My first acquisition among these was C. Imperati, which I have 
previously mentioned in these pages, and which, although compara¬ 
tively common, is still absent from the vast majority of gardens. 
Few are more beautiful to the admirer of the genus, with its deli¬ 
cate fawn coloured outer petals beautifully pencilled with dark 
purple, so dark as to be not far from truthfully called black by 
many. Thus when in bud the flowers exhibit a delicacy and re¬ 
finement which charm the careful observer, but when the flowers 
open the expanded petals are of a beautiful -violet or purple. There 
is also a white variety which is stiU high in price, and another new 
form named C. Imperati longiflorus. Another neat little Crocus, 
apparently closely allied to C. Imperati, is C. minimus. This is 
inferior in beauty to the former, the colours and pencilling being 
less distinct. 
Another very pretty little winter flowering Crocus is C. Aucheri, 
a Greek species, which is well figured in Wooster’s “ Alpine Plants.” 
The flowers are small but freely produced, and are of a beautiful 
orange with a blackish stain at the base of the petals. This species 
possesses one advantage over C. Imperati in being as bright when 
in bud as when expanded, an advantage not to be under-estimated, 
as it must be remembered that sunny days are none too plentiful 
in January in our northern clime. C. Aucheri is said to be synony¬ 
mous with C. Olivieri, but, unless I am mistaken, the latter is 
commoner and cheaper, being known to the Dutch by the name of 
Botergeel (butter yellow). I am not so fortunate, however, as to 
possess Mr. Maw’s monograph of the genus, the recognised authority 
as to the various species. 
Another beautiful species possessing the advantage of brilliant 
outer petals is C. Siaberi, which forms a fine companion to 
C. Aucheri. The flowers of this are usually described as pale 
purple, a description which, while possibly correct from a colourist’s 
point of view, deprives the mind of the reader of a realisation of 
the brightness of the flower. This is a bright little species, and 
was in bud with me on New Year’s Day, and is still in flower. 
C. Sieberi has a yellow zone inside, and is marked with deep yellow 
stains at the base of the outside of the petals. This is also a native 
of Greece. 
A species which is so cheap that it may be deemed almost 
unworthy of special note, costing little more than the Dutch 
Crocuses, is C. biflorus, known as the Scotch Crocus—why I know 
not, as, so far as I am aware, it is not a native of Scotland. This 
species in time of flowering links together the early and the later 
Crocuses. The type is white outside, assuming a purplish tinge with 
age, and feathered with deep purple. When expanded the flowers 
are pure white with a bright yellow zone. C biflorus is a special 
favourite with the bees, which seem to prefer it to any others. It 
has a distinct sweet perfume, which may possibly attract them. I 
have often watched them as they hummed about and extracted the 
nectar from a large clump which delighted me with its beauty. 
Some other species and varieties might have been named, but I 
fear these notes have already extended to an undue length, and 
they must be reserved for some other time. There is no need to 
give details as to their cultivation. A sunny sheltered position 
should be chosen for them, and a sheet of glass or a handlight 
placed over them in stormy weather will give all the protection these 
charming flowers require to enable them to open their beautiful 
blooms, and reward their possessor for his little care and expense. 
—S. Arnott. 
THE NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. 
We learn that in view of the Centenary Festival of the above 
Society, the list of Vice-Presidents is being extended, and donations 
are flowing in to Mr. Holmes at quite an overwhelming rate. Amongst 
the latest additions to the dignitaries named, are the Duke of West¬ 
minster and the Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P. Several fresh 
societies have also become affiliated. Matters generally, indeed, seem 
to have a roseate tint. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM ANALYSIS, 1885-1889. 
The last November Show of the National Chrysanthemum Society 
was the smallest they have yet held. The fixture was well timed for 
anything like an average year, but the flowering season of 1889 proved 
so remarkably forward that a very large number of the best flowers were 
over in many localities before this Exhibition came on. For our present 
purpo83 this may be regarded as rather a fortunate circumstance than 
otherwise. The fact is the early varieties having been in recent years 
unduly favoured by the seasons now stand somewhat higher, and the 
later sorts somewhat lower in the analysis than they are justly entitled 
to do ; it is therefore only right and fair that on this occasion the late- 
flowering varieties should have had a little extra consideration shown 
them. The following short table shows the total number of incurved 
