424 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r Ma7 2, \m. 
showed by the drooping foliage that they required water, and ex¬ 
amination of the soil showed great dryness. Since that time all 
shrubs transplanted up to the beginning of April were thoroughly 
watered twice, spring planted shrubs being well watered as they are 
placed in the soil. By continuing to water as required until soak¬ 
ing rains come, all well-rooted healthy plants will make roots 
sufficient to keep them in fairly good condition, and make it im¬ 
possible to say they had been removed at all; and when rain 
comes most of them will be practically established, and need no 
further attention. 
I have no doubt that many transplanters will consider the 
watering of well prepared shrubs quite unnecessary ; but I can 
safely affirm that I do not know an instance of transplanting in a 
dry locality and -with a dry soil to deal with, where a shrub or a, 
tree, unless of a very small size, could be left to itself without 
suffering for long after. The first essential under such local con¬ 
ditions is to see that a good ball of roots is secured, by cutting in 
the roots some months previous to removal ; then, following on 
that, water must be given until the roots have taken to the new 
soil. I consider the method of watering so important that one man 
is deputed solely for this work. He knows how to apply it so that 
the plant may benefit, and not the surrounding soil at the plant’s 
expense. A plant which may require say four gallons to thoroughly 
moisten the ball and the close surrounding soil may be left com¬ 
paratively untouched if the water is poured on rapidly, but if one- 
third is applied, then a neighbouring plant receives another portion 
and a third the remainder. The water is thus allowed time to soak 
slowly through the soil, when the process is repeated until each 
receives the necessary quantity. It takes some little experience too 
just to know how much will be sufficient for a particular plant, as 
an insufficient supply is inoperative, and a superabundance is 
wasteful. An experienced hand also understands the great saving 
of labour it is to return to the watering before moisture is 
greatly needed. Water applied in time quickly finds its way 
thronghout the part to be moistened, and, as a matter of course, in 
the latter case, the tree or shrub never suffers from dryness. The 
importance of guarding against newly transplanted shrubs becoming 
too dry cannot be over-estimated. 
As to the disadvantage of watering shrubs, I know none when 
it is properly conducted except the time and labour involved when 
there are great numbers, and the water supply is far distant. 
It is certainly quite the opposite of hurtful to the plants watered, 
and if there does arise some little need on the part of the plant for 
continued artificial irrigation, that may be entirely obviated by 
mulching during autumn or at the end of summer with a thick 
coatings of cut grass, or with soil or manure, as most convenient. 
By the next spring, except on particularly gravelly soil, the plants 
will need no further attention. 
It may not be amiss to say that for some species of plants it is 
more necessary to keep the soil moist than for others. On dry 
soils Rhododendrons are very difficult to succeed with. The only 
way is to plant in plenty of leaf soil, keep this and the ball of the 
plant always moist, and mulch repeatedly with sound manure. But 
the keeping of the plant in a moist medium until w'ell rooted 
is the main point to consider. Box needs plenty of water, so 
does Yew. Holly quickly makes itself at home, and all kinds of 
Laurel are quickly established. I have found the various Spruces 
most easy to establish, none more so than Abies orientalis. Of 
Silver Firs Picea Nordmanniana requires much attention, while P. 
nobilis, P. lasiocarpa, P. pinsapo, and others are easy to take hold. 
Retinosporas and Junipers mostly need little water, while the 
Deodar, the Mount Atlas Cedar, and Wellingtonia are among the 
most difficult to establish. But in each of these cases never 
allow the plants to feel real dryness, and mulchings are of extra¬ 
ordinary benefit.—B. 
THE EDIBLE STACHYS. 
However much we have derived from Japan in the w'ay of 
flowers, and rich indeed have bien the introductions of late years 
which we have received both in flowering plants, the grand Lilies, 
Irises, and other plants, entitle the Japanese gardeners who have 
cultivated these things to our profoundest gratitude, we cannot say 
the same with regard to vegetables. Some years ago we were told 
of a wonderful Radish, which was to beat anything of the kind, 
to be had in winter, and all sorts of good merits ascribed to it. 
Well, it came. The seeds were sold at a high price (for such 
things) ; people tried to fancy there was something in it, but it 
very soon disappeared, and its name is never mentioned now. Three 
years ago, I think it was, we had another announcement of a 
remarkable new vegetable. The announcement came from Paris, 
and Messrs. Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co. gave it the name of Crosnes 
de Japon. It has over here been called Spirals, Japanese Arti¬ 
choke, and Stachys, while I observed in your columns the very 
ridiculous name of Winter Whitebait given to it. I remember once 
dining in London, the menu was on the table, and under the bead 
of fish was written Winter Whitebait. Most of us at the table 
selected the little fish— i.c., the veritable Simon Pure—and 
wondered what its hybernal namesake could be. When it came 
on the table to our intense disgust it proved to be—sprats ! but 
after all it was fisb. What would have been our feelings if 
instead of the sprats we had found a dish of Stachys I cannot 
presume to say. 
Let me detail my experience in this matter. When I saw it 
announced I wrote to Messrs. Vilmorin and obtained a small supply. 
These multiplied very rapidly, and we cooked some of them. 
They were treated somewhat in the way that Salsafy is sometimes 
cooked—that is, prepared with bread and milk, pepper and salt, and 
escaloped. We could not detect any particular flavour in them, 
but thought it might be our own fault, so I determined to grow 
them for another year. I made a row of them, planting them 
about a foot apart, and planting two roots together. The result of 
it was a very large crop of the queer looking roots, reminding one 
of the larvae of some species of ants or bees. 
Seeing that they were for sale in the Paris markets I thought 
surely if anything can be done with them the French chefs have 
found it out, so I wrote to my friend, M. Henry de Vilmorin ; with 
that courtesy which always distinguishes him (but which I feel 
bound to say is not characteristic of all Parisians) he very obligingly 
took steps to ascertain what was best to do with them. I was 
advised to try them boiled, and I did ; I boiled them, I ate them 
raw (as one would eat a Radish), but all were a failure. Mons. 
de Vilmorin then told me that the introducer had said that their 
great merit was that they had no flavour whatever, and that conse¬ 
quently they would take any that might be given them ! This was 
conclusive, and it was quite true when fried you could only taste 
the fat in which they were done. Their fate has been sealed ; they 
will follow the Radish, and be no more seen in my garden, but of 
that, by-the-by, I am not quite sure ; they are a perfect weed, and 
I fear it will be some time before I can get rid of it. 
It is somewhat remarkable that while the world has been 
ransacked for new productions in the vegetable kingdom, while 
glorious flowers, and beautiful trees and shrubs have been added to 
our stores, next to nothing has been done in the way of vegetables. 
We are occupied in improving (?) the sorts which have been grown 
in our gardens for centuries, but it is rarely that we can welcome 
anything new in the way of a vegetable, and certainly we do not 
care for them if they are no better than Raphanus caudatus or 
Stachys tuberifera.—D., Deal. 
Dendrouium Brymeeianum. 
We have been fairly successful with the above named Dendro 
bium this season, having had thirteen and fifteen blooms on a 
plant. To make it bloom satisfactorily it must have a thorough 
season of rest and be well ripened. The growth must be made 
in a high temperature and be well exposed to the sun when the 
growth is finished. When showing for bloom very little water is 
necessary, or the buds will turn to growths. 
CaTTLEYA LAaVRENCEANA. 
This is an excellent addition to the spring flowering Cattleyas. 
We have three good sized plants, two of which being of the 
ordinary small flowered variety and calling for no special comment, 
but the other was beautiful, the flowers being fully G inches in 
diameter, the sepals and petals being of a very deep rose and the 
lip a rich purple. This Cattleya requires more warmth and 
moisture than the usual occupants of the Cattleya house. I think 
many grow it in too cool a temperature. 
CYRRirEDIUM CAUDATUJI. 
The above Cypripedium is another Orchid which is usually 
grown in the peat and sphagnum mixture, but if growers would 
substitute good loam for the peat and apply plenty of moisture 
there would soon be an improvement and without dead ends to the 
foliage. The sepals of our plants usually grow from 35 to 
37 inches long. 
