174 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ November 
thing that leaves the ground early and allows the 
Cauliflowers plenty of room to themselves, and if 
they can have a mulching of littery manure and a 
soaking or two of sewage, the two are a very great 
help. Next in point of value to the Giant Cauli¬ 
flower comes Yeitch’s Autumn Broccoli, which is 
much like the former in every respect, except in 
being later, and on this account it carries the supply 
on vs'ell into the winter. On the approach of frost, 
“ J. S.,” who writes the above, recommends laying 
them in on a sheltered sunny border, protecting with 
mats or straw by night, and thus preventing injury 
to the hearts. 
— $$R. R. Thompson long since recom¬ 
mended the plan of driving the Turnip Fly 
from a garden plot by watering the ground 
from one side, and proceeding in regular order, 
driving the fly before the watering-pot. A writer in 
the Garden suggests that the plants should be sur¬ 
rounded by a cordon of wood shavings saturated 
with coal-tar in a cold state, and that the beds 
should then be watered with a watering-can having 
a small rose, since by thus slowly driving the fly 
forwards, they wili hop at last into the shavings 
and be held fast by the tar. 
— $1 new Black Currant called Black 
Champion, shown by Mr. Dunnett, of Dedham, 
was recently awarded a First-class Certificate at 
South Kensington. It is the finest variety yet 
known, being extremely prolific, with large berries, 
ripening simultaneously in the same cluster. It 
will be quite an acquisition among new hardy small 
fruits, and will be especially valuable for market- 
growers, on account of its free-bearing habit. 
— 3The following are the weights of the 
Heaviest Gooseberries exhibited at the 
National Gooseberry Show at Manchester : — 
Premier red, Hover, 29 dwts.; premier yellow, 
Ringer, 26 dwts.; premier green, Shiner, 25 dwts. 
6 grs.; premier white, Princess Eoyal, 23 dwts. 
10 grs. 
— ^he mode of Propagating . Double 
Chinese Primroses adopted at Chiswick is 
thus described:—“Early in June the large 
plants that need division are thickly surfaced with 
sandy soil, the stems of the crowns being first well 
cleansed of all decayed leaf-stalks. These after 
a time are turned out and divided, wdien each shoot 
forms a plant, all having good clumps of roots, and 
being fit to pot into 48’s at once. It is beyond ques¬ 
tion an excellent plan.” 
— Fn Sir H. Peek’s flower garden at 
Wimbledon, Cockscombs have been introduced 
as a novel feature, with good effect. One of the 
beds on the terrace near the house was planted with 
Cockscombs, evenly grown, and the behaviour of 
the plants was such, that they may possibly be more 
extensively used as bedding plants in future. In 
Battersea Park the Cockscombs were dotted about, 
but at Wimbledon Mr. Ollerliead had them planted 
en masse with much better effect. The combs were 
well formed before the plants were planted out, and 
the fact of their doing so well in a wet season is a 
point in their favour as out-of-door decorative 
plants. 
— Amongst the ornamental grasses, Apera 
arundinacea appears to be a pretty novelty, 
and is highly spoken of. It is quite hardy, and 
either for the ornamentation of the border or for the 
decoration of the flower vase, the paniculate fea¬ 
thery inflorescence, slender, graceful, nodding, and 
purplish in colour, is exceedingly graceful, and is 
said to be as persistent as pretty. 
—- writer in the Garden describes his 
success in the cultivation of the Edelweiss as 
follows :—“ My patches of it, three in number, 
are growing luxuriantly, in a mixture of about two 
parts good rotting turf from an old pasture, one 
part peat, and one part coarse sandy grit. The 
latter contains pieces from the size of a walnut 
downwards. This mixture I use for all truly alpine 
plants. My three patches face three different 
aspects, but I see no difference in their growth. 
They are all above the ground-level from 1 ft. to 
1 ^ ft. The finest piece, formed of three plants, 
now carries twenty-four heads of flowers, and many 
have been gathered, so charming are they for but¬ 
ton-holes, used in conjunction with sprays of Thalic- 
trum minus, which stands very much better than 
the fronds of the Maidenhair fern. Ladies are all 
charmed with it, and use it in their hats and bonnets.” 
—- j$oth Malt-dust and Kiln-dust are 
valuable as manures. Malt-dust consists of the 
slioots of tlie germinating barley separated 
from the grain by the process of screening, while 
kiln-dust is that portion of tho small rootlets ■which 
falls through the wire gauze and becomes mixed 
with some of the ashes of the kiln fire. Dr. Voelc- 
ker states that “ both kiln and malt-dust are excel¬ 
lent manures, particularly when used in a slightly 
fermented state. When kept in a heap, fermenta¬ 
tion soon sets in, especially w'hen the heap is occa¬ 
sionally moistened with urine or liquid mamire. 
Added to compost heaps, their value becomes very 
much enhanced, but it is not usual to apply this 
refuse matter in such a form. Generally, malt and 
kiln-dust are used as a top-dressing, and applied with 
success to almost any crop. They act quickly, and 
produce striking effects on vegetation. Their effects 
on grass-land are especially surprising.” 
— % writer in the Journal of Horticulture, 
referring to Coleworts for Winter and 
Spring Use, observes that they form one of 
the staple crops of market gardeners, who occupy 
with them ground that has been vacated by early 
peas, potatos, &c. They are also planted between 
rows of dwarf kidney beans—in fact, everywhere 
where space can be found either between other crops 
or under trees. They are pulled up and sold in 
bunches during the winter and spring, and when 
fresh no green vegetables are more delicious. Cole- 
worts, then, form an adventitious crop of such value 
as to be regarded as a staple product of the garden. 
Almost any of the small cabbages of the early York 
type may be used as coleworts, and as regards 
quality, nothing of their kind can surpassJhem ; but 
they lack the all-important essential of hardiness, 
which is possessed by the true Rosette colewort. It 
is questionable if the frost-enduring property of this 
variety is sufficiently understood by cultivators 
generally. During the last extremely severe winter 
large breadths passed almost scatheless through the 
ordeal, while Savoys and kales were killed. Pro¬ 
bably the dwarf habit of the colewort was much in 
its favour, as the plants could be the more effectu¬ 
ally protected by the snow; but apart from this it 
is a distinctly hardy vegetable, and as such it has 
strong claims to the notice of gardeners. An im¬ 
pression prevails in the minds of some people that 
