108 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 15,1887. 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
Early Bulbs.— The earliest potted batch of bulbs 
should now be uncovered, lest any of them make too 
free a start. It will be advisable to turn out a few 
pots of each kind so as to ascertain if the bulbs are well 
furnished with roots, for unless such is the case, they 
cannot be successfully forced. Those that are fit for 
removal from the plunging material, should at once be 
placed in a cold pit, but well shaded from the light 
until the foliage, by degrees, takes on colour ; the best 
way of assisting this is by the removing of the mats 
from the pit in the evening, replacing at 6 a.m., by 
which means they are only subject to a modified light 
at this season of the year. If by any means some of 
the stock of bulbs remain unpotted, lose no time in 
completing the work, or the bulbs will become sadly 
impoverished, and the flowers be anything but satis¬ 
factory either in size or colour. 
Plants for Forcing.— It will now be advisable to 
attend to the stock of plants for forcing purposes, 
such as Spiraeas, Deutzias, and such-like. Generally 
speaking these are planted out, but if left until required 
to be placed in heat, do not succeed so well as if potted 
up in good time, and the roots allowed to thoroughly 
settle in their new quarters, before being expected to 
furnish a full supply of flower. After potting up they 
must be placed in a sheltered position, and a good 
watering be given to settle the soil about the roots ; in 
the case of the former, we always contrive to keep the 
last few dozen pots (which are not subject to forcing) 
over, standing them in a sheltered place, aud keeping 
them regularly watered ; these, we find, start much 
more readily than newly lifted clumps. S. palmata 
will be best left until later on before being introduced 
to heat, but in each case it will be better to afford all 
this class of plants a gentle bottom heat. 
Chrysanthemums.— Storms now prevail with us, 
in fact, the season has now arrived for unsettled 
weather ; it will, therefore, be advisable to house the 
Chrysanthemums ; but as the work proceeds let the 
growths be tied as may be required, the pots washed, 
and all decaying foliage removed. Be careful to see 
that the pots are placed quite level, as they will require 
an abundant supply of water at the roots if they are 
expected to produce flowers of goodly proportions, 
and manure of some kind should be given at every 
application, varying it as much as possible ; in case of 
the light being very strong, it may be found advisable 
to turn the plants round once a week to prevent the 
growths drawing. Continue disbudding as each variety 
is forward enough, but be careful not to over-do it; 
particularly is this advice necessary with new or 
untried varieties. Our specimen pots will have to be 
practically re-staked, so freely have they grown ; but 
some varieties, notably Striata perfecta, are very blind, 
and we shall not include this in our next season’s list. 
Mignonette.— The autumn-sown batch of Migno¬ 
nette has received its final thinning, and must shortly 
be staked to keep the plants in position ; they will want 
but little water now, and must be kept as near the 
glass as possible in some airy position. It will be as 
well now to house all bedding Pelargoniums, as if left 
out longer the heavy rains are apt to cause the soil to 
become sodden, when it will be found a difficult matter 
to winter them well. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Mushroom Beds. —We hope this week to make up 
one more Mushroom bed, and so by these means be 
enabled to keep up a full supply all through the season. 
The collection of droppings must still be carried on for 
succession beds, but, by all means, where room is 
available, have a heap of fermenting material in the 
house, which should be turned daily, then there will 
be no need to damp down. If at all pushed for vege¬ 
tables, a batch of the stoutest crowns may be lifted 
from the square of Sea Kale, and planted in leaf- 
soil in this house, where it will come on gradually ; 
also a couple of potfuls of Chicory roots, making room 
for them in the darkest corner. We find the best way 
is to put an inverted pot over the crowns, give a water¬ 
ing to settle the soil about the roots, and they will 
quickly start, and as a change may be used as a 
vegetable, as well as in the salad bowl. 
Asparagus, &c.— A hot-bed should at once be made 
up for the first lot of Asparagus, which may be lifted 
for forcing at any time, presuming that the beds for 
this early work were not cut from last season. The pit 
should also be cleared for the earliest Potatos, and in 
making the bed avoid the use of any green manure, or 
it will be necessary to wait for the heat to subside. 
Leaves are now falling in abundance, and with the 
grass cut from wild portions of the grounds, form first- 
rate material for the purpose ; above all, let the beds 
be made as firm as possible. The soil to the depth of 
8 ins. or 9 ins.'may be at once put on, and will become 
warmed for the reception of the sets, which, if required, 
can be at once started in boxes with leaf-soil. Be care¬ 
ful that full bottom heat is maintained to the 
Cucumbers, and do not allow the plants to carry more 
fruit than is actually required. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
General Work. —The rain has put a stop to work 
in this department for a day or two ; but its effect will 
soon disappear, unless we get a lot more. We want to 
give the late Celery another earthing up, it having 
grown very rapidly lately. The remainder of the 
Cardoons must also be similarly attended to, or they 
will suffer from frost, which may be looked for at any 
time. Then —weather permitting—all the late Potatos 
must be lifted, placing them in heaps preparatory to 
their being turned over and finally pitted. It will be 
advisable to allow them to remain out rather longer 
this season than usual, as many of the tubers are unripe 
even now. 
Again, there is the lifting and storing of the root 
crops, the first needing attention being the Beet, which 
must be carefully raised, getting the fork well down to 
the bottom of the roots to avoid breakage, as in that 
event they are almost useless. These we store in a 
cellar in small quantities, and they generally keep 
quite sound until the following July, when the new 
crop is ready for drawing. Carrots we lift and store in 
the same way, also Salsafy ; but Chicory and Parsnips, 
we find, are better if pitted outdoors, the crowns being 
stacked outwards, and covered over with straw and 
coal ashes. 
To ensure the full swelling off of Jerusalem Arti¬ 
chokes, the stems may be headed down half way, which 
will greatly assist them. Fill up the blanks in the 
beds of Lettuce, and distribute gas-lime among the 
plants if slugs are. at all troublesome. It will be 
advisable now to make up a mild hot-bed, whereon a 
box-frame can be placed for an early sowing of Radishes. 
Mustard and Cress will be found to do much better in 
this way than if sown in boxes, as it is so liable to 
damp off. Make preparations for pricking off the stock 
of August-sown Cauliflowers. — JFalter Child, Croome 
Court. 
-- 
FLORICULTURE. 
Carnations and Picotees.— It is all very well to 
term the Carnation a hardy plant, which it undoubtedly 
is ; but after the experience of last winter, it is not my 
intention to leave in the open ground, to the tender 
mercies of the winter, anything that is at all choice, 
and which I should be sorry to lose. What with frost 
and snow, rain and fog, the occupants of my Carnation 
beds—planted with strong and robust sorts—were 
terribly punished. Fog and frost combined, following 
upon a saturating rain, seemed powerful for harm, and 
I know of many instances where large plantations of 
the old crimson Clove suffered severely, and were 
almost destroyed. The florist is fair game for any 
critic, and many such, of scant knowledge, rate him 
because he pots his rooted layers of Carnations and 
Picotees in autumn, and winters them in a cold frame. 
He does not do this because he has any doubts as to 
the hardihood of his plants, but because he knows that 
winters are frequently disastrous in their effects, and 
he is sensible enough to take certain precautions. 
I am following this lead, for I have a number of good 
stock plants of bizarre, self, and fancy Carnations that 
flowered finely in the open air. I have lifted and 
trimmed them, and then shaking almost all the soil 
from the roots, I have placed them in a good Carnation 
compost, using pots only just large enough to contain 
them. They now occupy a cold frame, which is left 
open day and night for the present. When the heavy 
autumn rains come, the lights will be closed, only 
just sufficient to ward off rain, freely admitting plenty 
of air at the same time. In case of severe frost they 
will be shut down close, but only so long as it is abso¬ 
lutely necessary. In potting I use the soil nicely— 
without being “sticking”—moist, and no water is given 
for a week or ten days. A gentle and warm autumnal 
shower, if allowed to fall upon the plants, does them 
more good than a watering should they need moisture. 
Let no one rail at the lover of Carnations and Picotees 
who pots up his plants to flower in early spring. It is 
a great advantage to layer in pots, and decidedly so in 
my own case, for they appear to root much more 
quickly than those in the open ground. Then how 
much more convenient it is to layer in pots than in the 
open ground ! A number of pots can be stood together 
on a gravelled path, and a temporary covering extem¬ 
porised to ward off sun and showers, and so prolong 
the beauty, while it adds to the purity and finish, of 
the flowers. My choicest varieties go into pots, those 
of an inferior order being placed in the open ground ; 
and it is the best of these I am now potting up for the 
winter. 
The Carnation has been affected by the lateness of 
the season, and layers appear to be slower than usual 
in rooting. My own look remarkably well, and so 
long as the weather keeps mild and open, I shall not be 
in a hurry to pot them. 
The autumn is the time to purchase Carnations and 
Picotees, and I think I cannot do better than give a 
select list of what I know to be good flowers in their 
several sections. I will take the scarlet bizarres first, 
and venture to name Arthur Medhurst (Dodwell), 
Edward Adams (Dodwell), Fred (Dodwell), George 
(Dodwell), James McIntosh (Dodwell), Mars (Hextall), 
and Robert Lord (Dodwell). Crimson bizarres: 
Harrison "Weir (Dodwell), H. K. Mayor (Dodwell), 
John Simonite (Simonite), Master Fred (Dodwell), and 
Rifleman (Wood). Pink and purple bizarres : James 
Taylor (Gibbons), Mrs. Barlow (Dodwell), Purity 
(Wood), Sarah Payne (Ward), Sir Garnet Wolseley 
(Hewitt), and William Skirving (Gorton). Purple 
flakes: George Melville (Dodwell), James Douglas 
(Simonite), Mayor of Nottingham (Taylor), Sporting 
Lass (Flowdy), Squire Meynell (Brabbin), and Squire 
Whitbourn (Dodwell). Scarlet flakes : Frank Turner 
(Dodwell), Flirt (Abercrombie), Henry Cannell (Dod¬ 
well), John Bull (Dodwell), Matador (Abercrombie), 
Scarlet Keet (Dodwell), Tom Lord (Dodwell), and 
Sportsman (Hedderly). Rose flakes: Dolly Yarden 
(Dodwell), Jessica (Turner), John Keet (Whitehead), 
Mrs. Bridgewater (Bridgewater), Mrs. Matthews (Dod¬ 
well), Sybil (Holmes), and Thalia (Dodwell). 
Of Picotees, the following :—Red edge : Dr. Epps, 
Hilda (Dodwell), J. B. Bryant (Ingram), John Smith 
(Bower), Mrs. Bower (Bower), Laura (Dodwell), Mrs. 
Gorton (Simonite), Princess of Wales (Fellowes), 
Thomas William (Flowdy), and William Summers 
(Simonite). Purple-edged : Baroness Burdett Coutts 
(Payne), Catherine (Fellowes), Clara Penson (Willmer), 
Her Majesty (Addis), Juliette (Fellowes), Mrs. A. 
Chancellor (Turner), Purple Prince (Dodwell), and 
Zerlina (Lord). Rose and scarlet-edged : Daisy (Dod¬ 
well), Edith Dombraiu (Turner), Ethel (Fellowes), 
Fanny Helen (Niven), Favourite (Liddington), Louisa 
(Addis), Miss Horner (Lord), Mrs. Payne (Fellowes), 
Mrs. Sharpe (Sharpe), and Royal Visit (Abercombie).— 
R. D. -—x£<—- 
LAW NOTES. 
Important to Pea Growers. — At the Malton 
(Yorkshire) County Court, recently, his Honour 
Judge Bedweil had before him a case of considerable 
importance to growers of Peas, and to seed merchants 
generally. Messrs. Black & Duggleby, of the York¬ 
shire Nursery and Seed Establishment, Malton, sued 
Mr. G. H. Blackey, of Church Fenton, for £12 3s., the 
price of seventeen bushels of Laxton’s Supreme Peas. 
Plaintiffs were represented by Mr. H. W. Pearson, 
solicitor, Malton, and the defendant conducted his own 
case. A jury was empannelled at the request of the 
defendant, who had also filed a set-off amounting to 
£20 5s. 6(f. for loss sustained by the Peas not being 
what plaintiffs had guaranteed them. When the case 
was called, defendent objected to the jurisdiction of 
the court on the ground that no portion of the claim 
arose in its districts ; but Mr. Pearson showed that 
part of the contract was entered into by letters written 
by plaintiffs at Malton, and by replies to them from 
defendant. The objection was consequently overruled, 
and the case proceeded. 
Defendant first gave evidence in support of his set-off. 
His contention was that there were so many “runners” 
in the crop that they were not true “Supremes,” and 
that he consequently suffered the loss claimed by him. 
He admitted in cross-examination, however, that he 
had not before been a Pea grower, that he was not 
aware that many Peas, and especially “Supremes,” 
had a tendency to produce “runners,” and that he 
had not examined them closely as to their character. 
He contended that the “runners” were Peas of a 
different kind. Three farmers from the neighbourhood 
