THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 13. 
370 
point in their growth before the period at which the fly 
annually appears, and which I suppose to be about the 
second week in J une; the Early Horns , by this time, are 
are almost ripe enough to secure a store. I mean, there¬ 
fore, this spring, to sow my Altringhams in the second 
week of February, and I feel tolerably sanguine of 
success. 
And now let us take another family, consisting of so 
many members as almost to puzzle the experienced in 
finding places for them—I mean the Brassicas, or, as 
the whole group is more popularly termed, “ Cabbage- 
worts.” Here a difficulty occurs as to any very com¬ 
plete scheme of rotations. I have thought, and still 
must continue in the opinion, that, as to kitchen garden¬ 
ing, this one family must have more influence in biasing 
a rotation scheme than all the other culinary vegetables 
put together. It is of no use quoting the market-gar¬ 
dener, who is dunging and Coleworting all the year 
round. With all the sharp practice of this class of fast- 
men, they have not such a rapid recurrence of Cabbage- 
worts in their various grades and ages as a gentleman’s 
kitchen-gardener. And then, who manures like these 
worthies? The gardeners of the gentry have been oft 
accused of using immense quantities of dung ; but their 
consumption is not worth naming as compared with the 
market-gardener. The gardeners of the gentry generally 
prefer rotten dung, and this preference is not so much 
a matter of choice, perhaps, as people may imagine. 
They have their old hotbed linings to work up; and, 
indeed, seeing the demands on ordinary gardeners as to 
things requiring warmth in one shape or other, where is 
the gardener who can afford to dig in raw manures like 
the commercial gardener? Now, I take it for granted, 
that herein lies part of the strength of the market- 
gardener : his soil, long departed from the primitive state 
of rest, or leys (as our farmers term old grass lands), 
requires a constant renewal of organic matter, and since 
rest is out the question, the long dung at once furnishes 
quality in the character of ammonia and other essences, 
and also a great body of organic matter; lienee, the 
crop is what countrymen call a “ hired one”—meaning, 
I suppose, prepayment. I do think, then, that the 
gardening basis of all rotation schemes must, in the 
main, be sought in the fact, that all these Cabbage- 
worts either must have change, or club, and other evils 
will, in all probability, follow. 
I have before suggested, and must beg to repeat, that 
admitting the above principle, it becomes essential so 
to group cropping or rotation matters, as that not only 
a class of what I call “preparers” be kept constantly in 
view, but that subordinate crops, or, rather, things of 
second or third-rate importance, be made to subserve the 
future rotation. In all this I admit there is not much 
science ; hut there is, at least, common sense and expe¬ 
diency. Many an attempt has there been with high 
minds to banish this last awkward term from our 
Dictionaries, but all those who have hitherto attempted 
have somehow failed. 
Let me here at once say frankly what I call “ preparers.” 
To classify them, we may surely group all those tilings 
which, whether of primary or secondary importance, 
through the manorial processes requisite, together with 
the ameliorating character of cultural processes, are well 
known to leave the soil in better condition than when 
they took to it. As such, I may point to Celery, Endive, 
Leeks, Spinach, Lottuces, &c., as annual crops; these, 
if cultivated as they ought to be, of necessity improve 
the soil. Aud, as perennial crops, Raspberries, Straw¬ 
berries, Asparagus, Sea-kale, Rhubarb, Artichokes, and 
all the bush fruits. ’This latter section is eminently 
qualified to produce a fitting condition of soil for the 
Cabbage-worts; and as such things must he broken up 
at times, it becomes a quostion how long to suffer them 
to remain on a given spot; certainly, not when in the 
least degree unprofitable, seeing there are so many 
remunerating conditions waiting their removal. 
R. Errington. 
MEETING OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
0th February. 
For the last three weeks we have had such wintry 
weather as I expected we should, but not the sunny 
days which we look for during hard frosts in snowy 
weather. No sun; no air for early forcing, anymore 
than if we were in the middle of November fogs; and 
yet strong fires must be kept up almost day and night, 
not only to keep things as they were at the beginning of 
this hard weather, but to keep them from going back. 
The least experience of gardening and plants would 
teach that, of all others, this kind of weather is the worst 
for the gardener; and when I talked of going to Lon¬ 
don to see what the new regulations of the Horticultural 
Society could do, under this state of the weather, at such 
a season, people told me it would be daft to expect 
gardeners would run the risk of facing out, with their 
plants, in such weather; but I did not share in these 
forbodings. I had noticed all through life, that in 
gardening, at any rate, if a boy, or lad, or man, or 
master, put a bold face on, and took a step in the right 
way, be the weather or the times ever so bad, he was 
sure to succeed, so far, in gaining his point, whatever it 
might be. 
For the first time this Society offered medals of such 
and such value, for such and such things, at their 
meetings in London, and the exhibitor knew well 
enough, before he left home, what would be his lot if 
he wou in such and such classes. His British pride and 
love of emulation was thus aroused by a certainty, in¬ 
stead of how he used to feel on this subject, that is, to 
have no certainty of a prize, or award of any merit, 
except by the mere chance. To show that more than 
mere curiosity was at the bottom of this feeling of 
certainty, I may say, there were more nurserymen and 
good gardeners at this meeting than at any other in 
these rooms for the last thirty years; and there was a 
crowded meeting of the Fellows and their friends be¬ 
sides, all and every one declaring this to be the best 
show of plants and fruits he had ever seen in these 
rooms. 
The large room was full in all parts, both sides of the 
wide passage leading to it were covered, and a room 
behind the library was also so full of the finest things 
of the kind in England, that the crowd could only pass 
in single file to view the different productions. And, 
would you believe it! there was not a man or woman 
there, “ gentle or simple,” but one, who do not read 
The Cottage Gardener, and that one asked me if the 
Cottager had a good circulation! as he iutended to 
advertise in it. Almost everybody in our world knows 
me; they all knew about my “ Cavalry charges,” and 
about the winter setting in on the 15th of January; 
that told me what hooks they read. So you see, that 
if I do not just say how things really are, whether they 
are right or wrong, all my prophesying and soldiering 
would go for nothing. 
'The Messrs. Rollinsou, of Tooting; Veitch, of Chelsea; 
Jackson, of Kingston; and Wooly, gardener to II. B. 
Ker, Esq., Swiss Cottage, Cheshuut, Herts, competed 
with Orchids, such as you could not find their betters 
at a May show. “ A splice of Chiswick,” as they all 
said. 1 think the Messrs. Rollinson had the first prize 
with Anyrtccum eburneum, a magnificent specimen, with 
several wreaths of large, white, ivory-like blossoms, with 
the accompaniments round the flower being not quite 
so white. 
Phaltmopsis amalilis, the Indian Moth Orchid, with 
two long spikes of flowers, dexterously turned into one 
