154 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Xovember 7, 1885. 
VEGETABLE CULTURE AT 
PORT ELIZABETH. 
The regular arrival of your most interesting Journal 
constitutes one of my greatest pleasures, as you know 
I have been out here over six years, and am becoming 
quite a colonist. Indeed, I like the colony very much, 
but at the same time I am much interested in what is 
going on at home, and your well-filled columns keeps 
me well posted up. If I thought it would be of any 
interest to your readers to know what is going on in 
this part of the world, I would, with pleasure, send you 
a few lines from time to time. 
I am myself chiefly interested in the cultivation of 
Vegetables for the Port Elizabeth market, and may say 
that most kinds of Vegetables do well here. Asparagus 
grows well, and is ready to cut the second season. Of 
Artichokes, both the Globe and Jerusalem do well. 
French Beans crop splendidly, and we have them 
nearly all the year round in sheltered places. Broad 
Beans are not so good. Of Beet, the Egyptian or Tur¬ 
nip-rooted is principally grown ; it is grown all the 
year round, and largely used. Brussels Sprouts I have 
not yet succeeded with, nor do I know anyone else who 
has. The hardy Broccoli we do not require. Cabbages 
are good all the year round, and range in size from 
Little Pixie to Robinson’s Defiance. All are used at 
table, the growth being quick, and the flavour 
consequently sweet and good. In Cape Ca*bbage 
we have the best variety for summer use. 
It stands the drought and fierce sun without 
flinching or changing colour, in fact it is the best Cab¬ 
bage I ever had brought under my notice. It is like 
your sugar loaf, dark green in colour, solid, and sweet. 
I send some thousands of it to market every year, and 
do not care to grow any other. All kinds of Cucum¬ 
bers do well during our short summer. I say short 
summer advisedly, for our real summer is of very short 
duration. I am, of course, alludingto Cucumbers planted 
out on ridges, for our resources at present do not ex¬ 
tend so far as glass-houses for them. Carrots of all 
kinds do well; and Celery comes very good, especially 
in our winter. Onions grow up to 3 lbs. and -1 lbs. in 
weight, but do not keep long when grown so large. 
Peas crop well, dwarf kinds in particular, but they are 
rather apt to rust. 
Potatos do fairly well, and we can get three crops 
during the year—splendid work this, you will say, but 
I must add that Potato growing in this locality is not 
a very profitable business. In some parts of Africa 
Potatos do much better, for instance, in the Transvaal 
and Zululand, and I saw plenty of them in Basutoland 
some five or six years ago. Cauliflowers do well for 
eight or nine months in the year, if seeds are sown in 
November, the plants come into use in April, and the 
succession is kept up until the following Christmas. 
Those which are planted out during our hottest and 
driest season are always the best; all they get in the 
shape of watering is one application when they are 
planted out, and a dull day, if we can get one, is taken 
advantage of for planting them. The soil is so warm 
that the roots strike into it in two days, when they are 
practically safe. As to going blind, [well, not above 
one or two per cent, do this, and of clubbing we have 
none. The land is, of course, well prepared and hea¬ 
vily manured, and under such conditions we get large 
solid heads; larger, in fact, than any I ever saw at 
home 
Pumpkins do well, and are much esteemed hero as a 
vegetable by the natives and all old colonists. Lettuces 
we have all the year round, both Cos and Cabbage, but 
the latter are most preferred. Everyone here who has 
a bit of ground grows Sweet and Water Melons. The 
latter will grow' on any fairly good, sandy, dry ground, 
and quite out in the open fields, without any manure of 
any kind or water either, except what they get in the 
way of rain. The seeds are sown broadcast and har¬ 
rowed in, and the hotter and drier the weather the 
better they do, provided it is fairly moist at the time of 
sowing, September and October. They are, of course, 
all the better for a shower of rain when the fruits are 
swelling off, and they grow to a great weiglxt, sometimes 
as much as 40 lbs. The Sw T eet Melon, however, does 
better in well prepared and heavily manured ground, 
and likes more moisture than the Water Melon. The 
seeds are sowm where they are to grow, and the plants 
are well thinned out and kept clear of weeds ; but they 
have no pinching or pegging of any kind. They grow 
splendidly, and are well flavoured. It is quite an 
usual thing to see them up to 20 lbs. and 25 lbs., and 
heavier than that in the western province. 
The Tomato crop is a most important one. The 
variety principally grown for market is The Trophy. 
On well prepared ground we can either sow the seeds 
where they are to grow, or plant them out from 4 ft. to 
6 ft. apart. The plants are kept clear of weeds, and 
encouraged to spread themselves over the ground without 
any trimming or pegging, and from about December to 
May the crop is a sight to be remembered. As in all 
hot countries, Tomatos are largely used here, being 
eaten raw, either with or without Onions, baked, 
boiled, fried, in stews, or made into pies, and they are 
good, no matter how treated. I mention this, because 
though I grew them largely at home I never appreciated 
them. 
The season for sowing such things as Carrots, Onions, 
Beet, Turnips, &e., is during our autumn, when the 
earth is cool and moistened by rains ; but Mealies, 
Marrows, Pumpkins, Sweet and Water Melons, Cucum¬ 
bers, and such like produce can only be sown during 
spring and early summer—August to November. After 
landing here with a full knowledge of the proper 
seasons for sowing at home, one feels some difficulty in 
adapting one’s self to the altered circumstances; but 
after a year’s work all comes right. -—James Hall, Port 
Elizabeth. 
[We feel sure our readers would much appreciate an 
occasional letter from our friend, and if he would give 
us some information on the colony, likely to be useful 
to gardeners desiring to emigrate, we should be very 
greatly obliged to him.— Ed. ] 
--- 
FLORIDA. 
Fop. those who have to depend solely on their own 
exertions, Florida offers few inducements, and success 
is almost impossible. Anyone intending to grow 
Oranges should have at least £800 ; but other pursuits 
can be followed successfully with about one-half that 
sum. I would advise those with little capital to leave 
Orange-growing alone, and try some other business 
better adapted to their means. If they go south they 
will have much greater chance of success. 
The north of South Florida unquestionably has the 
best groves and gardens in the state, but they are much 
older, as the railroads have more recently brought the 
lands of the south in communication with the northern 
markets. The southern portion of Florida is the only 
spot in the United States that is free from severe frost. 
The winter storms are moderated, as they pass down 
the narrow peninsula, by the counteracting influence 
of the ocean and gulf, and when they reach the warm 
waters of the large lakes that compose the great lake 
region of Florida they are rendered harmless. The 
lake region lies in Orange and Sumter counties, and is 
the finest section of Florida, The chain of lakes is 
recognised as the dividing line between the cold and 
warm portions of the State. I can support the accuracy 
of this statement from personal experience. I have 
seen injury done by frost north of this line during three 
different winters. The winter of 1883-4 was one of 
the coldest ever known in the State, and many large 
Orange trees were killed north of this line, but little 
harm was done to the south. Well-grown trees can 
endure many degrees of frost, but nursery trees cannot, 
and sometimes the Orange nurseries north of the lake 
region suffer severely. Many fruits, such as Bananas, 
Guavas, and Pine Apples, cannot be grown north of the 
lake region without protection from frost. 
Vegetable raising or “trucking” is now a leading 
industry in Florida. It can be carried on with great 
success everywhere, and offers inducements to those who 
have not much capital. Tender vegetables cannot be 
grown north of the lake region without risk until 
spring ; but in that section and to the south of it 
settlers can make two crops every winter. Truckers 
commence to send vegetables to market in December, 
and continue to do so until the produce of other States 
is ready for market. Even if vegetables r get hurt by 
frost, the loss is not serious, as the settlers can replant 
and have ample time to make a successful crop. As 
“ trucking” is over in May, truck farmers have little 
to do during the hot weather. This business ought to 
be carried on by Orange growers until their groves 
commence to bear.. Groves require little attention from 
September to February, so there is time to devote to 
some remunerative business during the cool months. 
“ Trucking has advantages over Orange growing, as 
it is carried on during the cool season ; it requires less 
capital, and gives quickerreturns for the money invested. 
With its climate so well adapted to the growth of 
fruits and vegetables, and so beneficial to invalids, 
Florida must have a great future, and is attracting great 
attention. 
Middle-class emigrants are arriving from England in 
large numbers. Few' of these Englishmen are aware 
that delay and caution are necessary on arriving in 
Florida, and many buy land and commence to prepare 
it for Orange trees before they have been longer than a 
few days in the State. From experience I can say that 
those who are not in too great a hurry at first, invariably 
succeed best here. There are many things that settlers 
have to keep in view in selecting localities for their 
groves, and Englishmen ought to travelround for several 
months and get information and experience before 
making a start. The money thus spent would never be 
regretted if it procured for the settler a locality desirable 
in every way for his permanent home, and as Orange 
growing will not yield a profit for many years, a few 
months’ delay at first makes little difference. The plan 
of paying premiums to learn Orauge growing is useless. 
— E. Hay Barclay, Lane Park, Florida, in The Field. 
-- 
CASTLE ASHBY. 
In the gardens at Castle Ashby, the princely residence 
of the Marquis of Northampton, many good old-fash¬ 
ioned plants are well cared for. Luculia gratissima is 
represented here by a fine specimen bearing many 
dozens of fine trusses of its sw'eet-scented rose-coloured 
flowers ; of Brugmansia sanguinea and B. arborea there 
are huge specimens flowering freely ; and Cassia corym- 
bosa with its bright golden blossoms, is also a most 
conspicuous object at the present time. Mandevilla 
suaveolens is also extensively grown. 
A span-roofed vinery 86 ft. long, 20 ft. wide, and 25 
ft. high, is just now a prime feature in the garden, the 
crop of mixed Grapes being a remarkably fine one, the 
bunches being large, and the berries well coloured. 
The following varieties are well represented :—Fran- 
kenthal, Muscat Hamburgh, Gros Colmar, very fine, 
Barbarossa, bunches over 7 lbs. in weight, and well 
coloured, Lady Downe’s Seedling, Alicante, superbly 
finished, Muscat of Alexandria, Mrs. Pearson, Raisin 
de Calabre, White Tokay, Mrs. Pince’s Black Muscat, 
Ashby Black Seedling (what is this ?) and Trebbiano, 
all very good indeed. The Black Hamburghs have also 
been very fine, but are now over. 
The collection of hardy fruits is a very good one, and 
good crops have been gathered in. The kitchen garden 
is a large one, and well situated, and contains abundant 
crops of vegetables. The place is well kept, and reflects 
great credit upon Mr. Birch, who is known in the craft 
to be a good all round practitioner— A. O. 
-->X<-- 
FRUITS, FLO WERS & V EGETABLES. 
Lemoins’s New Double Bouvardias.— 
These are very welcome additions to this useful class of 
plants. They should prove very valuable for cut pur¬ 
poses, their compact trusses of beautiful double flowers 
being particularly adapted for sprays or button-hole 
bouquets. B. V. Lemoine is the brightest colour, 
being of a bright fiery scarlet. Lang Lorrain : This is 
also a scarlet, but of rather a different shade to the 
first-named ; the plant is of very vigorous growth and 
remarkably floriferous. Gloire de Nancy: This is 
rather a delicate grower; the flowers are soft rosy salmon, 
and produced very freely. It is somewhat remarkable 
that we should get so few new single varieties of 
Bouvardias, as the double varieties that have lately 
been added prove that they have not been neglected by 
the hybridists.— A. Hcmsley. 
Alnwick Seedling- Grape.— At p. 139 I ob¬ 
serve an answer to a correspondent who is anxious to 
know the weight of the heaviest bunch of this variety 
that has been grown. Mr. Campbell’s 4 lb. bunches 
are certainly very good, and much above the average ; 
but it may interest many of your readers to know that 
Mr. Murray, of Culzean Castle, has cut and exhibited 
many bunches of this variety over 5 lbs. in weight, and 
which for size, shape, and finish have been considered 
the finest examples of this variety yet exhibited. I 
will send you a photograph shortly of a bunch of this 
variety, grown at Culzean this season, which will giv<? 
you some idea of their fine appearance.— D. B. 
