THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 29, 1859. 
ays 
plough.” “ What is the second point ? ” “ To plough.” The 
third is “ to manure.” In later days, Mr. Barnes, one of the 
best practical gardeners of the present age, says,—“ To secure 
good crops of Carrots, Parsnips, and Onions, I make it a standing 
rule to trench the ground well in whiter, throwing it into rough 
ridges, forking and turning it over during frosty mornings, which 
not. only sweetens and pulverises the earth, but eradicates insects— 
for I prefer a good preparation to early sowing; and practice has 
proved to me that a good season for sowing is aDy time between 
the 15th of March and the lOt-li of April. My practice is, sow 
in such mediums. Lastly, it was observed that plants whose 
roots are suddenly overflowed with water remaining afterwards 
stagnant, suffer sooner than if the accident had happened by 
means of a continued current. It is because, in the former case, 
the oxygen contained in the water is soon exhausted ; while in the 
latter it is not exhausted at all.— ( Keith , ii.) 
(To be continued.) 
every thing in drills ; hoe as soon as the plants can be seen 
breaking the surface, continuing the hoeing throughout the 
season at every opportunity when the weather will permit, but 
not during rain, or when flic ground is full of water,—not for 
the sake so much of destroying weeds and insects, which are 
rarely to be seen by following up hoeing with spirit, but with a 
desire of keeping one uniform pulverisation and moisture through¬ 
out, which is the means of not only continuing the present crop 
in the greatest of health and luxuriance, but at the same time is 
making a beautiful preparation for the succeeding crop. 
“I keep all ground, as soon as a crop is done with, well > 
trenched, burying all the refuse I possibly can in a green state ; 
casting the earth into rough ridges ; tumbling those ridges over 
with a strong fork on frosty mornings in winter and spring, and 
during hot sunny days in summer; continually changing the 
crops ; keeping the hoc at work at all seasons in suitable weather ; 1 
forking up all odd corners and spare ground without loss of time, j 
By this management, I find the ground is always in good con- ( 
dit.ion, and never tired by cropping; some judgment only being 
exercised in applying such properties again to the soil that have 
been taken from it, or that are likely to be required by the suc¬ 
ceeding crop. To rest or fallow ground for any length of time, 
is only loss of time and produce; more benefit will be obtained 
by trenching and forking, in frosty or hot sunny weather, in a 
few days, than a whole season of what is erroneously called rest 
or fallow. Trench, fork, and hoe ; change every succeeding crop ; 
return to the earth all refuse that is not otherwise useful in a 
green state, adding a change of other manures occasionally, 
especially charred refuse of any kind, at the time of putting the 
crop into the ground. Every succeeding crop wiil ho found 
healthy and luxuriant, suffering but little either from drought, 
too much moisture, or vermin.” 
The benefit derived from keeping the roots near the surface is 
more apparent in fruit trees and other perennials than in our 
annual crops, inasmuch as that the roots of trees being thus kept 
within the influence of the solar rays, they always vegetate early, 
and ripen well their young woodyet the quantity of oxygen 
absorbed by the roots of annual plants is very large, being, in 
the instances of the Radish, Carrot, and others, not les3 than 
their own bulk in the course of twenty-four hours. 
Saussure, having taken up some youug plants of the Horse- 
chestnut, furnished with their leaves and weighing about 460 
grains, he introduced their roots, which were nearly a foot in 
length, into receivers of about sixty cubic inches in capacity, and 
luted the base of the stem to the neck of the receiver. Into one 
of the receivers — each of which contained a quantity of dis¬ 
tilled water—he introduced twenty-eight cubic inches of nitrogen, 
which were in contact with the upper part of the root, while the 
under part was immersed in the water. Into another he intro¬ 
duced an equal quantity of hydrogen; and into a third an equal 
quantity of carbonic acid. The plant whose root was in contact 
with the carbonic acid died in the course of eight days : the 
others lived a fortnight, but had not diminished the volume of 
their atmosphere. But plants which were placed at the same 
time in a similar apparatus, furnished with atmospheric air, gave 
a very different result; for, at the end of throe weeks when the 
experiment was stopped, they were still fresh and vigorous, and 
the volume of their atmosphere was diminished.— (Sitr la Vcg., 
chap, iii.j sect, vi.) 
Perpendicular roots do not thrive so well, other circumstances 
being the same, in a stiff'and wet soil as in a friable and dry soil; 
while plants with slender and divided roots thrivo equally well in 
both; but this is, no doubt, owing to the obstacles that present 
themselves to tho passage of the oxygen in the former case, on 
account of the greater depth and smaller surfaco of the root. It 
was further observed, that roots which penetrato into dung, or 
into pipes conducting water, divide into immense numbers of 
fibres, and form what, is called the “ fox-tail root;” but it is 
because they cannot continue to vegetate, except by increasing 
their points of contact, with tlie small quantity of oxygen found 
ANNUALS. 
Tup following queries have been sent to mo from A. B. C., 
Barnstaple, and (he answers may be of service to many of the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener. 
“1st. How is Gaillardia to be raised from seed? Does it 
require heat? The writer has failed in raising it, either from 
saved or bought seed.” 
The Gailbmlias are all natives of the western hemisphere—some 
from Carolina, others from Louisiana, and the rest from North 
America, hence they require gentle heat to cause the seeds to 
germinate. The seeds should bo sown in warm peat and sand, 
in equal parts; and should not be covered more than a quarter 
of an inch deep, and just kept moist. I have never found any 
diflieully in getting them to grow. Probably your saved seed 
was not ripe, and you have sown them too early, and given too 
much water, or covered them too deep. You should have stated 
more fully how, and in what, you sowed your seed, and in wliat 
temperature you placed the pots. 
“ 2nd. Please to name the best aunuals, and add what annuals 
should be massed in a pot, or put two or three together, for 
greenhouse decoration in early spring.” 
There are here two or three queries in one. I will take them 
as they stand in the query, giving first the new annuals for last 
year (1858). In many parts of Britain they arc as little known 
as those that are now this year. 
Aceoclinium roseum. —A beautiful rose-coloured everlasting 
flower, a foot high, from South-west Australia, requiring a gentle 
heat to cause the seeds to germinate. The treatment required 
for tho old favourite Wtodanthe Manglesu suits it exactly. 
At.onsoa Wakczewiczii. — This is also a handsomo new 
annual, with scarlet flowers growing a. foot high, requiring the 
same treatment in raising it as the preceding species. 
CATLiorsis tenttifolia Buehidgit. A handsome, hardy 
annual, from Texas, with large cvimson-and-yellow flowers. May 
be sown in the open border towards the end of April. It grows 
three feet high, and requires plenty of room. 
Clabkia geandjeloea marginata. — Petals rosy crimson, 
beautifully margined with white, growing a foot high. It is a 
hardy annual, and a garden variety. Should be sown in the 
open border the last week in April. 
Eschscholtzia tenuitolia. —Yellow flowers, dwarf habit, 
from California. A showy, hardy annual, growing only six 
inches high. Excellent for bedding. Should bo sown in the 
open air the first week in May. 
Lettositiion aureus. —A golden-coloured annual, from Cali¬ 
fornia, growing only six inches. Should be sown in the open 
border, or in beds, in May. Very hardy. 
LlNUM GRANDIPLORUM VBEUM KERMESINUM. —A beautiful 
annual, from Algiers. Tho flowers are large, and of a rich 
crimson colour, growing six inches high. It forms, when in 
flower, a splendid bed, lasting from July to September. There 
has been some difficulty found, by many growers, in getting the 
seeds to germinate, the outer coat being so hard. The best ancl 
surest way is to soak the seeds in milkwann water for a day or 
two; then wipe them clean, and sow them in a wide, shallow 
pan, covering them half an inch, and placing them in a gentle, 
moist heat—they will come up in a few days. When large 
enough, transplant into other pans; and finally plant 1 hem out 
in the bed where they arc to flower in May. As this is a really 
handsome plant, it is worthy of this extra trouble. 
Lupinus iiybejdus insignis nova.— A garden hybrid of 
great beauty. It is of n dark-red colour, growing two feet high, 
and should bo sown in the open border in May. 
Lupinus subcap.nosus. —A hardy annual, from Texas, very 
beautiful, growiug a foot high. Should be sown the last week in 
April in the open border. 
GSnottieea Deummondii nana. —As its name imparts, this 
is a dwarf variety, growing six inches high. It is from Texas, 
and has clear yellow flowers. Well adapted for bedding, flower- 
