3(54 T11E COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION.— Avgust 10, 1800. 
a mild bottom-beat. When young plants are shifted on, 
care should be taken to do so before the roots are much 
matted on the outside of the ball. Sandy, fibry peat, 
with a little leaf-mould, is best when the plants are 
young. Add fibry loam as they attain age and size, and 
mingle pieces of charcoal and pieces of pots with the 
compost to keep it open, though it be pressed firmly to- 
i gether. When done flowering in summer, cut it back 
moderately to sustain a compact bush character, and 
keep close and warmish until it has broken, and is 
growing freely, when it should have plenty of air to 
keep it stubby. It will stand well in a cold pit in 
autumn. In winter keep it in an average temperature 
of 45°, with plenty of air when possible, and a rise of 
10 Q from sunshine. As the days lengthen in spring, 
keep the plant near the front glass, and here the tem¬ 
perature can be kept down by plenty of air, and the 
shoots will be numerous and stubby. In winter water 
only when needed. In spring and summer water more 
freely, and avoid sending the water on the collar of the 
plant. 
Schizanthus. —Sow in August and September, pot off 
as soon as the plants can be handled, keep under glass 
close at first, aud then give plenty of air. Place in 
the front shelf of a greenhouse by the end of October, 
and where there will be plenty of air, and no drip from 
the roof; keep moisture merely sufficient about them to 
secure them from flagging. Shift into flowering-pots in 
March and April, and few things will look more gay. 
At the shifting for blooming the soil should be light and 
rich; for keeping the plants over the winter the earth 
should be sandy and poor. 
These are a few of the most showy; others are less 
interesting, or have already received more full attentions. 
R. Fish. 
SCRAPS FROM MY NOTE BOOK. 
THE RASPBERRY. 
In the culture of this most useful fruit there is, in my 
opinion, great room for improvement. It is well known 
that it is a kind of biennial shrub, that is, it bears its 
fruit on the preceding year’s shoot, which shoot, when 
it has borne its crop of leaves, side shoots, and fruit, 
dies. Hence, to keep up a yearly crop, it is necessary to 
have growing together, or simultaneously, both the bear¬ 
ing shoot and the young shoot, or shoots to bear the crop 
the succeeding year. The common way of managing 
this is to have stakes to each bunch of shoots, that 
bunch consisting generally of three shoots of each kind. 
Some cultivators have been at the expense of three 
stakes to each pile of shoots, placing a small hoop at 
the top of the stakes, and tying the bearing shoots 
separately to the hoop ; others train them to espalier 
rails, which is, I judge, not a bad plan; but oven the 
best of these methods is open to the objection of crowd¬ 
ing the two kinds of shoots together, thus excluding 
light from the lower foliage and fruit. 
I had the pleasure of seeing a method of training the 
shoots quite separately, this summer, in the market- 
garden of a good old friend of mine, Mr. John Flintham, 
who resides at Rotherham, in Yorkshire, and cultivates 
the Raspberry to a considerable extent in a very superior 
manner. The seeing this method has drawn from 
me the above remarks, aud a determination to make 
I known to the readers of Tiie Cottage Gardener the 
mode he adopts to obviate the evil of crowding young 
and old shoots together. 
In forming a new plantation, the best and strongest 
suckers are chosen. The ground is set out in rows six 
feet apart, and the suckers (three together) are planted 
four feet distant in each row, exactly opposite each other, 
so that, in fact, there are distinct rows crossing each 
other at right angles; the only difference being that 
one way they are six feet apart, and the other four feet 
apart. The ground is, of course, in good order to re¬ 
ceive them. After the canes have grown sufficiently ; 
strong the old ones are pruned away, and the young 
ones shortened in a little ; they are then bent down, and 
made to meet those in the opposite row, and are tied to¬ 
gether, so that they form a series of arches across the 
six feet space, leaving every alternate space vacant. In 
these vacant spaces the hoers and gatherers of the fruit 
walk to perform their operations. (In a small garden, 
where every inch is wanted for vegetables, small salading, 
Spinach, or even young Cabbages might be grown in these 
spaces; the latter to be pulled up, not cut, when gathered i 
for use.) The fruit in Mr. Flintham’s garden was the 
best I ever saw both for size, colour, and quantity. The 
free admission of light to the bent-down shoots gave 
them every advantage, whilst, at the same time, the 
young shoots for next year had all the benefit of the 
same necessary and congenial element. 'I ho next 
autumn the old shoots will be cut away and the young 
ones trained as before, only reversed, that is, the space 
vacant this year will be covered with the bearing shoots 
next season. 
My friend does not claim his practice on this fruit as 
original. It has been practised before, but, as I think, 
not so systematically. I have seen shoots bent down 
aud formed into arches, but they were formed in the rows 
longitudinally, not across from one row to its opposite, 
which is a great advantage, both to the present year’s 
shoots and the bearing ones made last summer. In 
many places there is a further advantage by this method, 
uauiely, the saving of stakes, for they are not necessary 
unless the garden is much exposed. 
I can confidently recommend this mode of training 
the Raspberry. Lot all growers that have even a 
moderately large garden give it a fair trial, and I am 
certain they will be gratified with the result. 
A NEW KIND OF BROCOLI. 
In the same garden (Air. J. Flintham’s), I saw, this 
spring, a new kind of Brocoli, raised by him two years 
ago. Its parents were Miller's Dwarf White and the 
Walcheren, combining the dwarf habit and perfect 
hardihood of the first, and the colour, firmness, size, 
and flavour of the latter, with the additional quality of 
coming in very late; in fact, later than any oilier 
Brocoli I know. It will be remembered that Rother¬ 
ham is considerably north, aud Mr. F.’s garden is by 
no means sheltered; yet he very rarely loses u single 
plant through the most severe winter. 
This variety grows to an enormous size, frequently 
more than two feet in circumference, and often weighs as 
much as fourteen pounds,yet remains perfectly close, aud 
of a good pure white colour. Its season is May and June, 
and there is a good succession, rendering it far superior 
to Miller's Dwarf, which, though a good, hardy, dwarf 
variety, comes in too much altogether, and is, con¬ 
sequently, soon over, answering well enough for a 
market-gardener, but not so well for a private garden. 
I understand Mr. Flintham intends sending out this 
new variety next season. The time he will do so will 
be duly advertised. 
A NEW SECOND EARLY REA. 
There is, in the neighbourhood of Sheffield, a place 
named Park Springs. It is a plot of ground some nine 
acres in extent. About five -years ago this plot was 
purchased by a few industrious mechanics and others. 
It is laid out in portions of a quarter of an acre each, 
and lotted out to the different members. Most of the 
lots are built upon, some with one cottage, and others 
with two, and the ground is nicely laid out in cottage | 
gardens. There are good roads, aud plenty of excellent l 
