April 14, If87. ] 
JOURNAL of horticulture axd cottage gardener. 
287 
a great number. Small varieties.—These are of the Syon House 
nice, having fruit on an average about 12 inches long. Carter's 
Champion, Monro’s Duke of Edinburgh, Masters’ Prolific, and 
laylors Montrose No. 1. Medium sized.—Cardiff Castle (Petti¬ 
grew), 'V eitch s Perfection, Telegraph (Rollisson’s), and Paragon 
(Kelway). Long or large sized.—Tender and True (Douglas), 
Sutton s Duke of Connaught, Carter’s Model, and Cox’s Volunteer. 
Large varieties for exhibition.—Carter’s Model, Sutton’s Duke of 
Connaught, Pearson’s Long Gun, and Douglas’ Tender and True. 
Varieties for market.—Rollisson’s Telegraph and Cuthbert’s Per¬ 
fection. Varieties with green fruit.—Maclndoe's Verdant Green, 
Cardiff Castle. Rollisson’s Telegraph (in a true carefully selected 
stock) is the finest Cucumber ; taking constitution, cropping, and 
reliableness into consideration, it has no equal either for winter or 
summer use. 
Times of Sowing. — For autumn fruiting the first week in July. 
These will fruit through the autumn to Christmas. For winter 
fruiting the first week in September ; these will fruit through the 
spring from Christmas. For spring fruiting the first week in 
January; these will fruit by April and onward. Instead of sowing 
in July and again in September, one sowing at the beginning of 
August is made to serve for both, and these give fruit prior to 
Christmas, and a full supply then and through the spring months, 
or until the January sown plants fruit in April, or until fruit is 
furnished by plants in pits or frames.— G. Abbey. 
(JTo be continued.) 
CULTURE OF TURNIPS. 
I am taught by experience that strong soil liberally dressed 
with farmyard manure produces, as a rule, large coarse Turnips, and 
that light soil enriched with Peruvian guano, and which has had a 
sprinkling of fresh soot raked into it prior to drawing the drills 1 inch 
deep and 12 to 15 inches apart, invariably produces clean medium¬ 
sized roots. The seed should be sown thinly, the soil closed over it, 
trodden with the feet, and then raked in the same direction as the 
drills, afterwards protecting the seed from the ravages of birds with 
apiece of garden netting supported by short forked sticks. From 
the first week in March up to the middle of May the seed may be 
sown in a border having a south aspect and a dry rather than moist 
subsoil ; but after this date aspect and conditions of soil the reverse 
of those indicated will during the summer months produce more 
satisfactory results. Sow seed for yielding late supplies of Turnips 
in the same situation as advised for eaily crops from the beginning 
to the middle or third week in August. 
As soon as the young plants are large enough thin them to 3 inches 
apart in the row, afterwards thinning them to 6 or 9 inches before 
they get crowded. This method of procedure is better than thinning 
the plants to the proper distance in the row at first, because it is 
pretty certain that all the plants left to form the crop at the second 
thinning will grow. The Dutch hoe should be run frequently between 
the rows, as much with a view to accelerate growth as to destroy 
weeds. 
As to varieties, having tested many we confine ourselves to the 
following, which may be relied upon to give satisfaction—viz , fer 
first crop, Extra Early Milan Strapleaf, of fine shape and excellent 
quality ; Purple-top Munich, resembling the above in every parti¬ 
cular except in the leaf, but a few days later sown side by side on 
the same date ; and Early Snowball, flesh white, sweet and tender, 
and of handsome shape. The last-named variety is the only one 
grown for summer and early au!uoin use. Veitch’s Red Globe, Cbhk 
Castle Black Stone, and Orange Jelly give every satisfaction for 
winter use. The Turnip fly is sometimes very troublesome, but on 
its first appearance on the young plants the latter while damp should 
be dusted with a mixture of lime and fresh soot. This appli¬ 
cation will not only have the desired elect, but will also prove bene¬ 
ficial to the crop.— H. W. Ward. 
NARCISSUS CYCLAMINEUS. 
Among the many bulbs introduced to our gardens of late years, few 
have been so full of interest to the cultivator as this one, not only from 
the distinct character of its flowers, which seem, on first appearance, to 
be a combination of the triandrus and trumpet groups, but also on 
account of the length of time it remained undisturbed and unidentified 
in a wild state in its quiet home near Oporto. Those versed in Daffodil 
lore have identified the present plant with descriptions and figures 
belonging to the seventeenth century. The first of these is dated 1623, 
Xo. 47, Jardin du Roy, under the name of X. liispanus minor amplo 
calico foliisreflexis. It is also figured in Rudbeck’s Theatrum Florae, 1637, 
tab. 20, as X. hispanicus minor luteus amplo calice foliis reflexis ; in 
Parkinson’s Theatrum Botanicum, under its present name, 1640; and by 
Haworth as X. minor cyclamineus. It is very remarkable that this plant 
had been quite lost sight of fur upwards of 200 years, notwithstanding 
that the figures and descriptions above quoted very accurately represent 
the plant as we know it to-day. Herbert, in his Amaryllidaceae, page 
306, quotes Rudbeck’s figure, but says that this is ‘‘another absurdity 
that would never be found to exist. It is probably an execrable repre¬ 
sentation of Ganymedes Capax, with the margin of the cup incorrectly 
given, and, looking at all the rest of ltudbeck's figures, I have no hesita¬ 
tion in recognising it as a nonentity. There is no account of the quarter 
from which it was obtained.” With living specimens before us, and 
also a copy of Rudbeck’s figure, we have not the slightest doubt as to 
thir identity. 
Its native habitat is in the neighbourhood of Oporto, where it was first 
discovered by E. Johnston, Esq., bulbs were collected by Mr. A. W. Tait. 
well known in connection with Portuguese plants, and distributed in this 
country. It flowers in March and early in April, and in its native home as 
early as February, growing in sandy loam on the banks of a stream, at 
an altitude of 3000 feet above sea-levei, and, we arc tohl, perfectly 
solated from all other Daffodils. The corona is orange yellow, very 
long and narrow, and spreading at the mouth, the perianth reflexed, 
lighter in colour than the corona, and in this respect only resembling 
the triandrus group. The tube is almost absent, the perianth and 
corona growing directly out of the ovary. It is likely to prove as 
tender as N. calathinus, &c., but that group we find to thrive fairly well 
in the open air, if placed in well drained soil in a warm sheltered spot. 
N. cyclamineus ripens seed freely, and no doubt before long it will be 
within the reach of all who care to possess it. 
The engraving (fig. 51) was prepared from a specimen growing at 
Kew, and a first class certificate was awarded at South Kensington on 
Tuesday last for specimens from Messrs. Barr & Son, King Street, 
Covent Garden. (Syn. Narcissus Henriquesii).—M. S. 
LATE-BEARING MUSHROOM BEDS. 
Mush room-growing lias almost become as fashionable a subject as 
Grape-growing, and nobody ever tires of that. It is not my intention 
to enter fully into details of general Mushroom culture here, but my 
remarks will refer to a point which is common in the experience of all. 
The winter has been a long and severe one, and in no way in favour of 
Mushroom culture where the means of carrying it on are not of the 
best. Indeed, the weather since Xovcmber has been such as to check 
the growth of Mushrooms in many instances, and I have no doubt some 
of your readers have beds that were made up in November and Decem¬ 
ber that have not produced Mushrooms, or anything like a full crop. 
