372 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ M y 12, 1887. 
out now without receiving the slightest check or being in danger of 
seeding prematurely. 
Good Leeks may be grown by planting them about 1 foot apart 
on the level ground, but the easiest and best mode of securing long 
b'anched specimens is to grow them in trenches. These should be 
thrown out at a distance about 2j feet from centre to centre, making 
the trench 1 foot wide at the bottom and banking the soil up on 
each side. They must be 8 inches or 10 inches down from the level, 
and when dug out apply the manure. This should both be good 
and plentiful, as it is almost impossible to give them too much. 
We fork it in to the bottom of the trench largely, and apart from 
this we generally try to mix a quantity of small loam and manure 
in about equal parts, and place this in the trench to the depth of 
2 inches or 3 inches. The Leeks are then planted in it and soon 
commence growth. 
Previous to planting, we invariably grow them in boxes at a 
distance of 2 inches or 3 inches from each other, and in lifting 
them from these to plant, we take the utmost care to secure a good 
ball of soil to the roots. They are planted at a distance of 1 foot 
in the trenches if the weather is dry, immediately afterwards they 
are watered freely. As they gain size liquid manure is given liberally 
in dry weather, and as soon as they gain a few inches in height 
earthing is begun and continued every fortnight until they are of 
the desired size. We find frequent earthing suit them better than 
at long intervals, and the soil is pressed very firmly to the stems. 
Probably some may think that 2i feet from row to row is a great 
space for Leeks, but one of these large specimens is as valuable as 
four or five ordinary Leeks, and as soon as the trenches are thrown 
out for them the ridge planted with Lettuce, which attain a size 
that we have tried in vain to secure on the level ground.—A Kitchen 
Gardener. 
ANTHRACITE COAL. 
Having had some experience with this coal, I have much pleasure in 
giving my opinion thereon for the benefit of “ Daventry.” I consider it 
an excellent fuel, a long way in advance of coke or any kind of coal I 
have yet tried. The fire is easily kept in by its use. It does not burn 
nearly so rapidly as other kinds of fuel, while a much greater amount 
of heat is obtained from it, and it certainly requires much less attention 
than ordinary coke, and it is several shillings per ton cheaper. We 
consider that two tons of this coal is equal to three tons of coke, and 
the young men who have to use it are loud in their praise of the small¬ 
ness of the labour, the ease with which the heat can be maintained in 
the various houses, the cleanliness, and the small quantity of ashes made 
from it. Another important point in its favour which should not be lost 
sight of is its smokeless character. There appears to be no smoke from 
the chimney, which in our case is not more than 20 feet long from the 
top of the boiler—a saddle with a waterway back, it has a good draught, 
which is all in favour when using anthracite coal. 
I will cite an instance of the lasting qualities of this coal over coke. 
A short time since a new saddle boiler was fixed to heat the mansion. 
The flue and chimney were connected with one of the stacks of chimneys, 
but quite independent in its working. This, owing to its tallness, ren¬ 
dered the draught very sharp, but it was capable of being regulated 
with the damper. The boiler was found to be too small for its position 
and requirements, inasmuch as when the fire was made up, at say 
six o’clock in the evening, piling as much fuel on as possible, and 
checking the draught, it was found in the morning at seven that the fire 
had burnt out and the pipes had become cold, therefore a considerable 
time was required to light the fire anew and raise the requisite heat in 
the house, which is warmed by coils of pipes. To obviate this defect in 
the heating, and to save such a loss of time each day, we were persuaded 
to try anthracite coal, with the result that by making up the fire at the 
same time as previously with coke, next morning at seven o’clock there 
is always plenty of heat everywhere throughout the house, and so much 
unburnt fuel in the furnace that very little addition is required to the 
fire, to maintain the necessary heat, and until the same afternoon, when 
at five o’clock the fire is again made up for the night. Thus it will be 
seen that our fire only requires attention twice a day, and not at all 
during the night. We find the coal burns best when kept moist and 
broken into pieces about the size of a cricket ball, or perhaps a little 
larger. It forms so few clinkers and ashes that very little poking at the 
bars is required to keep them clean. For the reasons I have stated I 
consider this coal a boon to gardeners.— E. Molyneux. 
ROSES AND MIGNONETTE. 
The conservatory at Hillside House, Hythe, Kent, the residence of 
H. Makeson, Esq., is gay with a well-grown collection of Roses in pots, 
and, we may say, hundreds of blooms of Marechal Niel and Gloire de 
Dijon on climbers overhead. The flowers of the latter old variety are 
particularly fine ; some of them can be truly described large, globular, 
high centred, and free from coarseness ; blooms which would grace any 
exhibition stand of Teas. The pot plants are vigorous and clean, each 
bearing from half a dozen to twenty welt-developed flowers. Such well- 
tried sorts as the following are. included :—Annie Laxton, Baroness 
Rothschild, Duke of Edinburgh, Dupuy Jamain, Countess of Rosebery, 
Madame Lacharme, Magna Charta, Marie Rady, Prince Camille de Rohar, 
Anna Ollivier, Devoniensis, Jean Ducher, Niphetos, and La France, 
which, as a pot Rose must stand alone. There are several half-standards 
of this variety, with heads about 2 feet through, carrying splendid blos¬ 
soms, very large, perfect in shape, while the petals possess that satiny 
texture so much admired, and in outdoor Roses so easily spoiled. The 
gardener, Mr. Hewitt, certainly deserves credit for producing such a dis¬ 
play. It may be of use if we hint his practice. When received from a 
nursery, in pots, during the autumn of 1883, the plants were given a 
slight shift, pruned closely in the winter, and “ brought on ” steadily in 
a vinery where heat is employed only to keep out frost and on dull days. 
After flowering last spring the plants were again repotted, mostly into 
those of 9-inch diameter, plunged out of doors in ashes, where they made 
capital growth ; and started again this season with the Vines. By the 
healthy colour of the foliage it is seen that stimulants have been judi¬ 
ciously applied. 
We must also notice the Mignonette, which is unusually well grown. 
Sown in 5-inch pots in August last, thinned out to three plants in each, 
placed in pots 9 inches across in February, using ordinary soil containing 
a good quantity of mortar rubbish, grown on a greenhouse shelf and 
several times pinched. This is the treatment these bushes have received, 
for they are now from 2 to 3 feet through, in full bloom, filling the house 
with the i leasant scent peculiar to that old-fashioned flower.—S. 
INDIAN EXPERIENCES. 
( Continued from page 358.) 
Labour to cultivate the Coffee estates was derived from several 
sources, but consisted chiefly of Canareese coolies from the adjoining 
Province of Mysore ; which being purely an agricultural country the 
labourers, both men and women, proved excellent workers. The 
average rate of wages paid to these people was I annas or 6d. per day to 
the men, and 2 annas or 3d. per day to the women. But if the women 
worked all the six days they received a gratuity of 4 annas, which made 
their week’s pay up to 1 rupee, or 2s., and out of these sums they 
managed to save sufficient to take back with them to their country to 
pay taxes and other charges on their small holdings in Mysore. The 
working season in Wynaad usually lasted from beginning of May till 
end of March, or eleven months of the year, the different members of a 
family taking it in turn to work on the Coffee plantations and on their 
own holdings in the Mysore. The food of these labourers consisted 
mainly of cakes and a kind of porridge made from the ground grain of 
the raggy plant (Eleusine corcana), which indeed is the staple food of 
the whole native population of Mysore. Curried meat and vegetables 
were used with this food according to caste. Rice was seldom used by 
this class of native, believing as he did that raggy cakes or porridge 
contained more sustaining elements, and that he was enabled to perform 
a better day’s work on it than on rice or any other grain. The grain, 
which resembles millet in size and appearance, is ground in real Eastern 
fashion between two small round granite stones, which are exposed for 
sale in almost every bazaar. They are about 18 inches across and 
G inches thick. The nether stone is a fixture, whilst the upper stone is 
turned by a handle and has a cavity in the middle through which the 
mill is fed with grain. Two women are usually allotied to the task of 
grinding, and are frequently seen outside the doors of their huts seated 
on the ground with the millstones placed on an outspread garment, but 
too often recently taken from the body and on to which the flour falls 
and is afterwards collected for use. The wages above quoted were con¬ 
siderably in excess of what the labourer could obtain iu his native 
village ; he had therefore the greatest inducement to migrate to the 
Wynaad, in order that he might save money to assist him in the working 
of his little farm. But his anxiety on this score, in too many cases, led 
him to pinch himself in the matter of food in order that he might have 
the heavier purse when the season’s work had ended. This led to 
disastrous consequences with regard to his health and constitution, in 
too many instances resulting in disease and death. 
The general system in India of advancing money in various sums to 
the native before he will undertake to do work of any kind, obtained at 
one time to an extraordinary extent on the Coffee plantations, and was 
frequently the cause of great annoyance and heavy loss to the planter. 
Sums ranging from 50 rupees to 500 rupees were advanced to each of 
the dufladars or gangers before returning to their country for the 
purpose of procuring and advancing gangs of coolies to perform the 
work of the plantation for the ensuing season ; and it was no uncommon 
thing for a single estate of from 200 or 300 acres to have an outstanding 
advance of from £100 to £300, of which there was no chance of 
recovering a single penny for at least eight or ten months after disburse¬ 
ment. These duffadars were invariably bound over by properly drawn 
up agreements on stamped paper, but these contracts were not uufre- 
quently more honoured in the breach than the observance, the men 
having every temptation to expend a large portion of the sums on 
matters appertaining to their own private affairs in connection with their 
farms, &c., and, as a consequence, often failed to appear with their 
promised gangs of coolies at the appointed time, causing great loss and 
vexation to the planter, who had rarely any redress whatever. Warrants 
for arrest were difficult of execution, and when the delinquent did 
happen to be brought before a magistrate, tried, and perhaps sentenced 
to two or three months imprisonment, the planter could then only 
recover his money through the aid of the Civil Court, a plan rarely 
adopted, the defaulter being in nine cases out of every ten a man of 
straw. Local labour to a limited extent was generally available, the 
jungle tribes already spoken of being excellent axemen and clearers of 
