Decomber ID, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
247 
roots passing out into good vegetable ground may and 
often do well for many years : abundant evidence of 
this we find in market establishments where the ground 
has little more preparation than for a plot of Goose¬ 
berries, still it is generally more desirable to have roots 
under entire command and know where they are finding 
their food, so that supplies can be given to the feeders as 
necessity demands ; firm borders in our opinion are 
most economical, and, so far as observation goes, we 
think are best for producing fine fruit. — M. T. 
The White Plume Celery has, by some, been 
greatly recommended ; but I think in few localities it 
will be of much value for late supplies. With us it 
grew fairly well, and seemed to be true to its charac¬ 
teristics ; but its tender habit will prevent its being 
extensively grown for late work. For a first supply it 
would be useful, and be easily blanched ; but after 
October we should be sorry to depend on the'White 
Plume. For an early well-doing white, none have ever 
pleased us better than Turner’s Incomparable, a kind 
which was well received about thirty years ago : but 
now it has many synonyms, and among them the 
Sandringham may be named as a good type. As a red, 
none have ever been more serviceable than Major 
Clarke’s.— M. T. 
Early Asparagus.— It is notable that when 
Asparagus has to be forced early it should be grown in 
a warm early position, rather thin, and where it will 
ripen its crowns early and have a rest. Ours has be¬ 
haved extra well in this respect this season, coming in 
strong and good early in October. For first supplies 
we never trust to home-grown, but have a few hundreds 
which have been prepared for forcing in the south of 
England. The same applies to Sea Kale and Rhubarb. 
The latter has not done so well this year as formerly, 
not having gathered a dish before the first week of 
December ; Sea Kale coming in at the same time offers 
better.— M. T. 
Cut Flowers. — Habrothamnus of sorts, espe¬ 
cially aubletia and elegans, are of immense value as cut 
flowers at this season. Plants well established in pots, 
and placed in an intermediate house where air can be 
admitted freely, will give in the winter months flowers 
by the basketful. Rhododendron Nobleanum, once so 
fine in Scotland, is now difficult to procure with plenty 
of buds ; but when grown specially for present use is 
of great value. — M. T. 
-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Climbing Plants. —Excepting Tacsonias which are 
almost perpetual bloomers, the greater portion of climb¬ 
ing plants will now have done flowering, and should be 
severely thinned by cutting out all shoots that are not 
absolutely required for furnishing the roof, as now the 
days are so short it is necessary to let in as much light 
as possible, without a full share of which the plants 
below will suffer and soon show signs of ill health. 
Chrysanthemums.— The beauty of these has been 
prolonged to a later period than usual this season, but 
the bulk of the sorts are now fast fading, and as soon 
as they become shabby, ought to be headed down and 
stood or turned out of their pots and plunged in light 
rich soil in a cold frame, where, if kept protected from 
sharp frosts, they will quickly break around the crowns 
and afford strong cuttings or suckers for propagating 
from, and starting again. Late Kinds : There are, 
fortunately, many varieties of these, and they are even 
more valuable than the early bloomers, as they are only 
just coming in, and with care in keeping the atmosphere 
of the house dry and cool, will last in condition for 
weeks yet to come. 
Heaths. —Although Heaths are not generally grown 
by amateurs, there are "several sorts that are very easy 
to manage and of most floriferous habit; the best and 
showiest among them being E. hyemalis and E. 
Willmoreana, the first named coming in at this season 
and lasting during the greater part of the winter, and 
the other following on in the spring, while both set 
well with buds, may be bought for a very small sum. 
Epacris. —These, too, are remarkably cheap, and with 
a little care in watering may be maintained in health 
for a number of years, but to have them in this condition 
they must be kept cool, as artificial heat, especially of a 
drying nature, weakens them much. 
Azaleas. —These like a little warmth, and by 
affording' them this, with’ moisture, by syringing 
them overhead, they will begin to swell their buds 
at once and come early into flower. For bringing on 
in this way, the varieties of A. mollis and other hardy 
Ghent kinds are most valuable, as, besides being 
brilliant in colouring, many of them are deliciously 
fragrant. 
Rhododendrons. —There are many kinds of Rhodo¬ 
dendrons that flower too early to open their buds and 
stand the weather’Iout-doors, that are admirable for 
pots to embellish the greenhouse, and if these are ob¬ 
tained now, they will make a grand display by and by, 
as they lift with good balls and feel little or no check 
in removal. 
Cytissus and Coronilas. —These are both desirable 
plants that any one can manage, and are very showy, 
as they bloom with great freedom even in a small state, 
the first named sending out long racemes of clear yellow 
pea-sliaped blooms from almost every joint, and the 
other, rich clusters of the same pleasing hue. 
Cinerarias. —It is time now that young plants of 
Cinerarias, that are intended to come in in the spring, 
should have their last shift, as nothing interferes with 
them so much, and causes such a stunt, as allowing 
them to become pinched at the roots, which checks 
their growth and forces them to flower prematurely ; 
to prevent which they should be potted at once. The 
soil most suitable for this purpose is a mixture of good 
fibry loam and leaf mould with a little rotten cow dung 
and sand, and if potted moderately firm in this they 
will send up fine heads of blooms. The best place for 
growing Cinerarias in is a brick pit or frame, having a 
coal ash bottom, as they like plenty of atmospheric 
moisture, but to prevent the foliage damping, it is as 
well to stand the plants on inverted pots, which will 
allow of a fuller play of air among the leaves, and 
bring the plants up near the glass were they will get 
good light and keep sturdy and strong. 
Calceolarias. —The same remarks apply to these, 
and the two will do remarkably well together, but as 
both are very tender, great care must be exercised to 
protect them from frost, the slightest touch of which 
will spoil the whole lot. 
Primulas. —Primulas require a rather drier and 
warmer position, the most suitable situation for them 
being a shelf in the greenhouse, and as they are apt to 
go off at the collar, it is necessary to water carefully and 
not to pour it into the hearts. Plants that are fully 
grown and have filled their pots with roots will be 
much benefited by liquid manure, which, if weak, may 
be given frequently, and will add to the strength and 
size- of the blooms. 
Perpetual Carnations. — To flower these success¬ 
fully during the winter, they must have a temperature 
of about 50°, and a light airy place, or they become 
drawn and the buds open weakly; but when favoured 
in the way referred to, the plants are sure to do well. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Frost, cold and cruel in its effects, has laid its 
icy hand on vegetation, and made the flower garden 
look bare, and as plants are in a tender condition after 
so much wet, and such a mild autumn, it will be 
necessary to take more than usual care to prevent 
them receiving harm from the cold. Fortunately, the 
snow in some places has been a little protection, but all 
things of doubtful hardiness will need more shelter 
than that affords, and the best that can be given for 
Tritomas, Pampas Grass, and other low-growing sub¬ 
jects of that class is dry leaves, which may be kept in 
position by sticking evergreen branches closely around 
them, and the crowns of the plants, rvliich are their 
vital parts, are rendered proof against frost. 
Tea and Perpetual Roses. —These may be pro¬ 
tected in the same way, but first of all it is a good plan 
to mulch the ground with stable manure, and if this is 
light and long, and comes well up the stems, it will 
take a very hard season to injure them much. 
Herbaceous Plants and Bulbs. —The best ma¬ 
terials for keeping frost from herbaceous plants and 
bulbs are leaf-soil and cocoa-nut fibre, both of which 
are capital non-conductors, and a thin layer of either 
laid over the crowns will prevent the ground freezing 
and maintain the plants snug for the winter 
Magnolias, Roses, or other climbers on walls can 
easily be sheltered by tacking mats up in front, which 
should be taken down 'again as soon as the weather 
breaks to let in the light and air to the branches. 
THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
Operations here must in a great measure be sus¬ 
pended from now till the frost goes, the only thing 
that can be done with comfort being the thinning 
out of orchard trees, and the scraping off of moss from 
their tranks and main stems, which is a very important 
matter, as with a parasite of this kind on the bark 
the health of the trees soon goes wrong, and they cease 
to yield fine fruit, which comes spotted and bad in the 
skin. 
Currants and Gooseberries. —Many people fail 
to get good crops of these through the depredations of 
birds, sparrows being the most troublesome, which get 
on the bushes and eat out the buds ; and especially is 
this so during the severe weather, the only way of 
keeping them off being either to net or syringe the 
bushes with lime-wash, the latter being the cheapest 
and easiest, as it may be put on in very quick time, 
and if fresh will stick during the whole of the winter. 
Mulching. —The value of this to newly transplanted 
trees cannot well be over-estimated, and any that are 
without this most necessary protection, should receive 
it at once before frost reaches and damages the roots so 
lately disturbed. 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
Trenching and Turning-up Ground. —It would 
appear, from the change of wet to dry and cold, that 
winter is setting in, and as frost in its action is so 
beneficial to land, all vacant plots should be at once 
trenched or turned up rough, and left in that state in 
order that as much of its surface as possible may be ex¬ 
posed to the weather ; but before this is done it will be 
necessary to wheel on any rubbish-heap stuff or manure 
that can be spared to work in, as by giving a dressing 
now it will be in a more fit state for the plants to feed 
on after it becomes decompose 1 and well mixed up 
with the soil. 
Broccoli. —Some of the early kinds of these will 
now be getting in a forward state, and any that are 
turning in will need protection, the best way of 
managing with them being to take the plants up and 
heel them together in a border or other sheltered spot 
where they can have litter or clean straw thrown over 
them to ward-off the frost. 
Cauliflowers. —Young plants of these should either 
be pricked out in a cold frame or potted singly in small 
pots, the latter being the better plan, as then they 
may be transferred to the open quarters in spring with 
good balls without feeling a check, but in either case 
they should be kept well up to the glass and have 
plenty of air, that their growth may be sturdy and 
strong. 
Celery. —Sharp frost is fatal to this, and to prevent 
injury it will be needful to earth-up closely, nearly as 
high as the tops, and to have in readiness to put on 
along the ridges some straw, which will lie light and 
make the plants safe. 
Cabbages. —The best way of dealing with these at 
this season is to run the hoe by the side of the rows 
and draw a little earth up to the stems of the Cabbages, 
which will steady them against wind and protect them 
from severe weather, but if slugs are troublesome a 
sprinkling ,of soot and lime-dust should precede the 
work mentioned. 
Parsley. —This is always in request, and a good 
plan of keeping a plentiful supply is to tack three 
boards together so as to form a long box-like cover that 
may be placed over a row of plants by night and lifted 
off again in the day, or if the Parsley is growing in a 
bed it may be sheltered by hand-lights or any old 
frame. 
Rhubarb and Sea Kale.—T he easiest way to get 
early Rhubarb and Sea Kale is to take the roots up and 
force them by placing them on fermenting material in 
a pit, where they can be covered and kept dark, as 
then both come well blanched and are sure to be of 
delicate flavour. 
-—MH—- 
The American Exhibition. —It is announced that 
Governor T. M. Waller, the popular United States 
Consul-General in London, has been appointed one of 
the Vice-Presidents of the General Council of the forth¬ 
coming American exhibition to be held in London, 
