December 27. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
He speaks is made “ of none effect.” Beautiful as 
our simple churches are, many as are the spires that 
pierce the woodlands and point so sweetly to the skies, 
musical as are the chimes that merrily peal forth at 
every festive season, yet these are not “ the Way, the 
Truth, the Life ;”.we may delight in them—we do, we 
must delight in them; they are England’s own peculiar 
glory; they are her towers and bulwarks, and the 
strong cement that hinds together her deep founda¬ 
tion, her lofty structure, and her people’s hearts; but 
it is the “ Spirit” alone “that quickeneth.” “The flesh,” 
the outward shell, “profiteth nothing” to the soul. 
And now, once more, the fleeting year, as it rushes 
onward, cries with a voice of thunder to the heedless 
generation it leaves behind, “ How long, ye simple' 
ones, will ye love simplicity ; and the scorners delight 
in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” Which 
of us can reply to the warning voice, “ I am” not “the 
man ?” 
SOWING SEEDS OF BULBS. 
In your editorial of last week, you remarked upon 
the proper season for sowing the seeds of bulbous 
plants. I beg to state that, the beginning of the 
preseut year (February 9), I sowed the seeds of 
mixed gladiolus in a box—of peat and vegetable 
earth, about equal parts—which came up in due 
season and grew vigorously through the summer, 
the box being placed out of doors, and with no es¬ 
pecial attention in shading, merely supplying it with 
water, occasionally giving a little liquid manure; 
some have died down, but the greater part are, at 
the present time (10th Dec.), in full growth and very 
strong, and will, I imagine, continue to grow on 
until they show bloom. The box is now sheltered 
from heavy rains and frosty nights, but exposed 
during mild weather. One of the corms which died 
down, raised itself above the surface, and it is as large 
as a middling-sized crocus root. Also, on the 24th of 
danuary, 1 sowed a box of Ixia and Sparaxis seeds 
in drills, in similar soil, and, from the forest of foli¬ 
age which sprang up, every seed must have become 
a plant. These died down in the summer, and were 
kept dry, without being disturbed, until October, 
when I began to give water, and I find a few of them 
are now making their second appearance. Seeds of 
the tulip T sow in March (up to the 23rd), and ra¬ 
nunculus I sow about the same time, for, -when sown 
as eai’ly as January, I do not succeed so well with 
either of these last mentioned, as when sown later. 
[These directions being from a very good autho¬ 
rity, may he relied upon.—E d. C. G.] 
FORCING SEA-KALE. 
With regard to the forcing of sea-kale, so as to 
obtain good, well-blanched, short and stout shoots 
in the months of November and December, I have 
always found it a much more difficult matter at this 
season to produce such shoots by heaping round the 
plants a quantity of fermenting materials, than by 
lifting the roots and forcing them in some one of the 
methods that have been previously described by me. 
1 can always rely with more certainty on the latter 
plan, and the difference in the expense and trouble 
will bear no comparison, for, to force sea-kale in the 
natural ground, at that time of the year, when the 
plants have scarcely gone to rest, to excite them into 
growth and enable them to start kindly and strongly 
by the application of a sufficient quantity of ferment¬ 
ing materials, is no easy task. If not closely watched 
and daily attended to, much disappointment must 
177 
and will occur from sudden changes of wind, drench 
ing rains, and frost and snow, as well as the risk of 
too much exciting heat at intervals, which is sure to 
occasion a drawing up of the plants, causing them 
to become spindling and weak, with a tendency also 
to canker, &c., which is not the case when the sea- 
kale roots are lifted and forced in one moderate and 
uniform heat, which it is impossible to regulate and 
maintain with fermenting materials heaped and packed 
about the plants in the natural ground during the 
months of November and December. From the 
middle of January to the middle or end of February, 
indeed, sea-kale of the best quality may be produced 
by fermenting materials with pots, &e., to cover it 
where it has been growing and established, and from 
the middle of February to April, any amateur or 
cottager who has sea-kale plants, without either fer¬ 
menting materials or any of the conveniences pre¬ 
viously described, may produce it blanched, and of 
first-rate quality, by merely covering them eight or 
ten inches deep with dust of charred vegetables, fine 
cinder ashes, leaf-mould, or, indeed, with light earth 
of any kind; nature, at this season of the year, 
being so much in favour of its growth, that no artifi¬ 
cial assistance is required. Indeed, it is advisable 
for those who may have been forcing sea-kale all the 
winter in its various w r ays, to finish their last pro¬ 
duction of it in the mode last named. 
James Barnes. 
[We quite agree with our able coadjutor that 
forcing sea-kale in the natural ground during No¬ 
vember and December is more difficult than forcing 
it in-doors, and the plants require an abundance 
of fermenting materials, but then we have always bad 
finer shoots and the same plants for a dozen years. 
A correspondent (Delta) writesthus :—“ A word about 
Mr. Barnes’ article on sea-kale at p. 89. Last winter, 
I grew about 150 roots in my cellar, which is warm 
and quite dark, merely packing the plants thickly 
together in a box, and filling up with soil, and I 
must say, never have I seen more beautiful sea- 
kale than that produced. I had three distinct cut¬ 
tings from my plants, and after thus weakening them, 
planted out the roots in the open ground, in April, in 
good rich soil, and kept them well watered with 
liquid manure during.the summer, and they are now 
fine strong roots ready for treating again in the same 
way. I can only say that the quality and appearance 
of the sea-kale thus treated was so superior, that I 
shall never force it in any other way.” For those 
who can command an abundance of sea-kale plants, 
and are content with moderate-sized shoots, there is 
no doubt but that this mode may be adopted with 
advantage in November, December, and early in 
January, being least troublesome.—E d. C. G.] 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Celery Culture. — I was much pleased with the 
remarks of your correspondent “ W. C.G.” on celery 
culture, but more especially the hints thrown out 
with reference to using celery as a culinary vegetable, 
for by this means a great portion of the plant usually 
thrown away, may be profitably made use of. With 
reference to your correspondent’s plan of planting 
in double rows, I admit that more plants may by 
this means be grown on a given space of land, but 
I have found that they never grow so large as when 
planted singly, but I do think they may be grown 
5 or (ilbs., by planting them as he has described. I 
beg most respectfully to say, at the same time, that, 
in my opinion, your correspondent’s remarks on the 
i 
