266 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 7, 1887. 
children. ' This could easily be ascertained through the local horticul¬ 
tural societies and the local clergy. 
It ahould be clearly defined what constitutes a gardener. At present 
any man who works in a garden or nursery calls himself a gardener. 
It should also be a condition that the orphans of all who have subscribed, 
say, 10s. annually, should have prior claim. Unless this is made a rule 
gardeners will have little confidence in the scheme. I write 10s., but it 
may be found that a smaller sum may suffice. It should take the form 
of an insurance society for gardeners’ orphans, and in that form it may 
have a great future, but if it is to be a semi-benevolent Society I predict 
its failure.— Wm. Thomson, Clovenfords. 
[We readily insert this letter because it is brief and embodies the 
views of many gardeners ; but it is desirable that future communications 
on the subject be addressed to Mr. A. F. Barron, Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Hardens, Chiswick, London.] 
GEOWING CUCUMBERS FOR MARKET. 
A FEW words on this subject may be of some use to a few readers of 
the Journal, and I will therefore try and point out how I make my early 
bouse pay. This house is 24 feet long, with six rows of 4-inch pipes, a 
cistern at the west end ; two rows of pipes run' under the bed, and these 
are covered with large slates, leaving a good air chamber below. The 
first week in December I have the bed half filled with fresh leaves 
pressed down very firm ; I then have a little soil brought in for raising 
the seed upon, also for the plants when they are ready for placing out. 
This is not put on the bed but placed in a large box. I then bring in 
my first batch of 500 Lilies of the Valley for a start. These are placed 
on the leaves, packed closely in boxes about 3 inches deep, and seventy- 
five crowns in a box. They are covered with deep boxes, so as to exclude 
the light and help to confine the moisture. These are sold at a good 
profit. The other part of the bed is filled with Eucharises. These, like 
the Lilies of the Valley, pay very well. Then on the back wall I have 
two shelves filled with Spiraeas, which are now all cleared off at a good 
profit, thanks to Mr. Jannoch of Dersingliam for his fine crowns both 
of Lilies and Spine as. Azaleas are stood at the tank end, and these 
being forced every year arc soon in flower. Alba Bluthana is the best 
for early work, being a pure white with a pleasant perfume. Mr. Jannoch 
grows more of this than any other variety. As a double white Deutsche 
I’carlc is the best, being more like a Camellia. Adiantum Ferns are 
stood on the floor to come in for cutting when the others are done. 
This season I thought I would try a different way of treating my 
Cucumber plants. When they had made their ninth joint I pinched 
out the bud. They soon made the side shoots, and as soon as they 
•showed the first fruit I stopped them, removing also the lateral shoots 
from the fruit joint, and only leaving one maiden flower. Up to the 
present they have done well. I cut my first fruit on the 14th of 
February, and the plants are now carrying a fine crop of fruit. By this 
system the plants do not get so soon crowded with weak shoots, and 
although I have only nine shoots to each plant they are still thick 
enough. Some might wonder how long they will continue bearing, and 
think that 1 shall soon get plenty of old and superfluous wood. This I 
was prepared for when I first thought of trying this system, but there 
is always a certain amount of wood to cut out after the plants have 
been growing some time. When I have to cut back I shall have young 
wood to work on, as I see my plants are now breaking from joints where 
the fir.st fruits were cut. 
One writer in a contemporary talks of mildew being caused by 
damping. This is unknown to me in a Cucumber house, although 1 
syringe twice a day, and the house is full of plants until the end of 
April, for I propagate all kinds of bedding plants by hundreds, and can 
manage to keep the Cucumbers healthy and clean. Red spider is more 
often caused by allowing the roots to get dry, and although the top of 
the bed may be wet the bottom of it should bo examined if red 
spider should appear. Whitening and lime is very well for shad in-/, but 
Cucumbers like plenty of light, not a continual shade. The shading I 
use is scrim. This can be bought at 6d. a yard, 2 yards wide, and with 
care will last t*o or three seasons. I shall expect these plants to keep 
fruiting until October. They will then be cleared off, and the house 
thoroughly cleaned, ready for starting again. Cucumber-growing pays 
very well if you can dispose of the fruits near home.—J. Wallace, 
King’s Isynw. 
[Two excellent Cucumbers accompanied this letter, and flowers of 
the white Azaleas mentioned, Deutsche Pearle being much the better of 
the two.] 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND THEIR CULTURE—ANSWER 
TO A CRITIQUE. 
1 hoped that I had calmly read, and I certainly intended to have 
fairly interpreted Mr. Garnett’s arguments against the practice set forth 
in my book on Chrysanthemum culture. Mr. Garnett is altogether “at 
sea” when .he says I fumed at the audacity of anyone questioning my 
teaching on the subject in question. I felt satisfied when reading his 
critique that I could safely leave it to the general public to decide 
whether Mr. Garnett was more clear, plain, and practical in his teaching 
than myself. I do not see that he has proved my practice wrong in any 
respect. Had he brought forth any evidence I should have been pleased 
to have accepted his reasons, but after all he has advanced I fear we are 
as far from the desired point as we were before. If Mr. Garnett had 
brought forward on page 237 any new evidence I should have been 
pleased to reply to it, but he simply travels over the same ground and 
tries to prove that I perversely altered the sense of his arguments. This 
of course cannot benefit the general public in any way. I am of opinion 
that I answered his arguments clearly and fairly. Mr. Garnett cannot 
have the true variety Mr. Bunn, or he would not compare the quality of 
this variety to that of either the Beverleys. If he had Mr. Bunn correct 
he would at once determine that it is a much superior flower to Beverley, 
although it may bo of the same type, hence my reason for placing it in 
my selection of twenty-four varieties. I consider- it necessary to 
have representatives of various colours to make up a good stand 
of blooms, and were Mr. Bunn omitted what would Mr. Garnett 
substitute I wonder ? That is my reason for placing Mr. Bunn there.— 
E. Molyneux. 
WATERTIGHT ASHPITS. 
After the very practical contributions of Mr. Simpson, “ Albion,” 
and “ T. W. G.,’’ nothing further can be gained by extending the subject, 
and I will keep to the matter as it stands between Mr. Riddell and my¬ 
self. Firstly, then, ho v does Mr. Riddell fail to grasp my meaning as 
to the failing in his ashpit system? I distinctly stated that leakage- 
must play an important part. Will your correspondent tell us to 
what degree oxidation must take place in order to free the clinkers 
from the bars ? It will be interesting to know whether the oxidation 
spoken of takes place upon the bars in the gardens at Duncombe Park 
or in the furnace Mr. Riddell has hired for illustration. It appears not 
a little strange that Mr. Riddell must go outside his own domains to 
find what ho considers a perfect system, or one so superior to ours. The 
’specially constructed ashpit, Mr. Riddell says, is 4 feet 9 inches long, 
1 foot wide, and 10 inches deep ; ours as referred to is 4 feet long, 19 
inches wide, and 9.j inches deep, sloping about a foot from the front for 
drawing out ashes. In measure it holds about 20 gallons ; at high- 
water mark it is abont 10 inches from bars. That more or less water is 
evaporated, according to intensity of fire, goes without saying ; this 1 
termed in my first notes self-acting. But we are told that the specially 
constructed ashpit is simply to aid combustion. Your correspondent 
may think so, but combustion may be had by other means, and the 
better the draught the more intense the heat, and the more the need of 
keeping the bars cool. As a matter of fact, water is put thene first to pre¬ 
serve the bars, and what is added to combustion is a secondary yet 
economical gain, to sa 3 r nothing of useful minor benefits. On this point 
it may be useful to quote the following from a work by Mr. Samuel 
Hughes, C.E., on manufacturing and distributing gas, pages 74 and 75 : 
—“ The ash-pans below the firegrate are supplied with water, the 
evaporation of which keeps the fire bars cool.” Is it intended to convey 
that 1| inch is the usual distance of water from the bars ? If so, will 
Mr. Riddell say for what purpose the furnace is employed, because such 
is not the rule in gas furnaces, which appears to betaken as the standard, 
and yet not one writer has even hinted at destruction of the bars by the 
action of steam. [ 
If I thought Mr. Riddell was very sincere in his regret at the futility 
of my endeavour to preserve our bars I should feel even more grateful 
if possible. It is difficult to see why water in ashpits should have a 
different chemical effect than in others. If our bars have by the action 
of carbonised vapour in four years become partially converted into steel, 
and the same system be continued, when are we to expect destruction to 
commence ?— Edw. Burton. 
Having followed very closely the long discussion on the above, I 
had quite arrived at the conclusion that Mr. Burton’s able explanation, 
strengthened by “ Albisn ” and Mr. Simpson, had quite satisfied Mr. 
Bardney that as far as water was concerned it was better by far to 
have it in the ashpit. Yet he again appears with a long statement. 
Mr. Burton has said that water in the ashpits does preserve the bars, 
and he has also proved it as clearly as possible. I hope all the corre¬ 
spondents that are writing, or have written, on this subject will once 
more get a little nearer their own stokeholes, and give us their experience, 
and let Wilson’s or any work on chemistry alone ; we younger gardeners 
cannot always find all these works as quickly as they can be men¬ 
tioned. One word in conclusion, we have a boiler with a watertight 
ashpit, and also one with a leaking ashpit; the former has been working 
for four or more years, and the bars are still as good as new, while 
the latter has been working about six months, and already we have had 
to put two new bars in as well as having to suffer much inconvenience 
from the smell of sulphur and dust arising when cleaning the fire. I 
hope this instance will help Mr. Bardney to be a little less unbe¬ 
lieving.—T. 
CYCLAMEN CULTURE. 
I READ in No. 2007, page 212, Mr. Dunkin’s mode of growing the 
Cyclamen, which is good as far as it goes, but if he will try the following 
mode I think he will find it better. We take for granted that August is 
a good month to sow the seed. I winter my plants in shallow boxes, 
pricking them out in a light compost, half leaf mould and sandy loam, 
keep them close to the glass and always moist. They root more freely 
in boxes and grow stronger. I harden them and plant them out in a 
eold frame on a north border about the end of April, keep them close 
for a >veek or two, until they get a start ; then harden them, taking the 
lights off until the end of September, If the.flovvers are not wanted 
