November 5, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
151 
which “ bolted ” among a lot sown during February, 
numbers have escaped that evil. 
Good Lettuce during the winter months is not 
always attainable, and the cultivator who may have 
had his resources hard tried during past winters, will 
now be alive to the importance of harvesting as many 
full grown and growing Lettuces as can be found room 
for. Every pit and space available may be utilised. 
Elevated positions are most suitable in order to escape 
the evils arising from damp, such as accumulations of 
snow-water and frozen rain which cannot -find ready 
exit from tenacious surfaces. We have lifted a goodly 
quantity with roots as entire as possible and balls of 
earth attached ; they are planted close together (not 
crammed), firmly at root, then well watered, and over 
which a quantity of loose dry soil is placed; no further 
watering is ever required till February, when other 
successions will then be ready for use, and the pits and 
frames can be prepared for Potatos, Radishes, Carrots, 
&c. Endive, both Batavian and curled is treated in a 
similar manner, and blanching can be done by keeping 
the lights close and shading the plants with mats or 
any light-excluding material. Lettuce and Endive, 
however, should have the lights well tilted up and free 
air admitted at all times when frost is not severe. 
Lines of Lettuce for spring and early summer are 
placed at the base of walls, on slopes thrown up to the 
sun and also under wire-net frames, which are very 
valuable protection. Chicory is a good substitute for 
the above. 
The Housing of Cauliflower is important where 
there is a good Stock coming into use, and it is better 
to secure small heads than have large ones destroyed 
by frost or snow, which disfigures, if not destroys them 
at melting time. Though we have not had more than 
5° to 7° of frost at the most, others have had 12°, and 
snow has fallen in some parts, which prompts us to be 
on the alert. To secure all that is worthy of attention 
in the vegetable garden, sheds, outhouses, cellars, and 
similar quarters may all be utilised to protect the heads. 
If lifted and placed close together they last a long time 
in fresh condition ; and before being sent in for use they 
may be trimmed and immersed in a tank of clean water 
for a few hours to make them crisp and fresh. Veitch’s 
Autumn Giant is among the most serviceable kinds 
at this season, but full-grown heads become reduced 
in flavour, and the tender quality so much desired is 
greatly reduced. 'Walcheren Cauliflower and Grainger’s 
Autumn, though not of the robust character which 
distinguishes Autumn Giant, are kinds much ap¬ 
preciated for their delicate flavour. Drummond’s 
Autumn Selected is evidently a good selection of the 
Giant, and has been doing good service of late. Where 
orchard houses are available, or suitable pits with 
sound glass lights, one can with little difficulty keep up 
a good supply of Cauliflower till winter Broccolis come 
in. Veitch’s Protecting is of great value for winter 
supplies. 
Vegetable Forcing. —The forcing of choice vege¬ 
tables now demands attention where a desire for deli¬ 
cacies prevails, and really we never knew anyone who 
could not relish good Asparagus and French Beans at 
this season, and when Rhubarb or Sea Kale is ready 
for use early in December they are not treated as 
unwelcome adjuncts to change with tender Spinach, 
stewed Celery, Coleworts, &c. Rhubarb and Sea Kale 
seem to be early ripened, even in very northern 
districts, this season. Before placing them in their 
forcing quarters, ic is well to allow them to remain 
exposed for a short time to sun and wind after being 
lifted from the ground, but much frost is not desirable 
to the roots when about to be forced. We maintain 
that where there are not portions of ground which are 
conducive to maturation of roots for early forcing by 
free exposure to sun, it is well to purchase small 
portions for first supplies. Early Rhubarb, Prince 
Albert, has hitherto surpassed all kinds which we have 
tried for first crops, and can be forced easily in 
any position where warmth and moisture are applied.— 
Caledonian. 
Dipiadenia Boliviensis. —This splendid creeper 
for decoration of stove rafters is among the finest- 
flowering plants we have ever seen, and do not know 
one which lasts longer in supplying a display of snowy 
white inflorescence. A plant placed in front of a warm 
house some two years ago in a 7-in. pot with the bottom 
knocked out, and the roots allowed to run into the 
remains of old tan, &c., which at one time was used as 
plunging material over pipes of hot water, has done 
admirably, and the knife has been used weekly all the 
past season, to prevent the rapid and elegant growths from 
becoming matted. The roots being somewhat curtailed, 
may have been conducive to free flowering. The whole 
summer this one plant has been loaded with white 
flowers, and would have filled an immense space had the 
growths not been shortened, often severely, and thinned. 
Allamandas and some others have done fairly well 
beside the Dipiadenia, but flowering has not been so 
continuous. The using of bottomless pots with plants 
established in them, and allowed to root into suitable 
soil suits most creepers where space is limited for the 
extension of growth. Habrothamnus of sorts are 
flowering abundantly just now. — Caledonian. 
Scottish Horticultural Association. —At 
a largely attended meeting of this association, held at 5, 
St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, on Tuesday night—Mr. 
D. P. Laird, president, in the chair—Mr. William H. 
Riddell read a paper on “The Labelling of Plants.” In 
a discussion which followed, the opinion was expressed 
that Mr. Riddell had given too great prominence to 
ludicrous mistakes made by gardeners in labelling 
plants. Mr. Riddell replied that he had seen all the 
instances of wrong labelling to which he had referred, 
and that he could have increased their number by ten 
times. Mr. John Davidson gave a contribution on 
“Fruit Culture as a Profitable Industry.” He said 
that in 1883, 185,000 acres were occupied by fruit 
plantations in England and Scotland, and, taking all 
classes of hardy fruit, £40 would be an average estimate 
of the yearly value of produce per acre. The value of 
the total acreage would therefore be £7,400,000 per 
annum. Britain imported about £3,000,000 worth of 
fruit a year, making the total value of fruit consumed 
in Great Britain over £10,000,000 yearly. The quan¬ 
tity consumed was increasing year by year. Some fruit 
plantations and orchards in this country were at present 
in very bad condition, and the quantity of inferior 
fruit sent into the market had a great effect in lowering 
the price of really good fruit. If, he said, as much 
skill, attention, and scientific knowledge as had been 
applied to farming had been applied to fruit growing, 
British fruit would have been as popular in America as 
American fruit was in Britain. He advocated the 
formation of a Pomological Society for the investigation 
of the merits of the different varieties of hardy fruit, 
and the best methods for their cultivation. An 
interesting discussion followed. Votes of thanks 
were awarded to Mr. Riddell and Mr. Davidson. A 
large amount of exhibits were on the table. Messrs. 
Carruthers, Hillwood, Corstorphine, received a Cultu¬ 
ral Certificate for twelve varieties of Chrysanthemums 
—eighteen blooms. The exhibits also included a new 
White Grape from Mr. Webster, Gordon Castle, which 
the judges considered favourably of, and for which Mr. 
Webster would receive a Certificate if the Grape looked 
as well in daylight as it did at night. 
Prize Leeks. —At the Innerleithen and Traquair 
Leek Association’s annual show held recently, the 
heaviest Leek exhibited weighed 2 lbs. 12 ozs., and 
was grown by Mr. Adam Brydon ; and the heaviest 
half-dozen turned the scale at 15| lbs. These were 
exhibited by Mr. Thomas Bald, The Glen, who was 
followed in the competition by Mr. John Linton, of 
Howford, with examples weighing 15 lbs. The best 
half-dozen judged for quality were staged by Mr. A. 
Welsh, Cardrona. The weights above given were 
considerably exceeded at the Peebles Leek Club’s Show, 
where the six heaviest Leeks, entire, and blanched for 
not less than 6 ins., weighed 29 lbs. 6 ozs., or 10 lbs. 
more than the half-dozen which secured the second 
prize. The successful grower of these monster roots 
was Mr. John Elder, St. Mary’s Mount. 
Large-berried Jerusalem Cherry. —From time 
to time improvement continues to be made in the size 
and colour of the fruit of Solanum pseudo-capsicum, 
and possibly in the matter of productiveness ; although 
in the latter respect it depends greatly upon cultural 
treatment. The particular variety under notice is 
known under the name of Empress, the berries of 
which are very much larger than in the ordinary form 
most frequently cultivated. There is a well-fruited 
batch of plants at Style Hall, Gunnersbury, which are 
as well-fruited as the ordinary form, notwithstanding 
the much greater size of the berries. Mr. Beaton’s 
method is simple, and corresponds to that which many 
other cultivators pursue — generally with marked 
success. The secret is to grow young plants which are 
always most vigorous, producing large fruit and good 
foliage. Cuttings are struck early, and have made 
bushy little specimens by the time they can with safety 
be planted in a warm sunny border in the open air ; 
they then start away freely, and a free circulation of 
air causes the fruit to set well. In autumn they are 
lifted and put into small pots, consistent with the size 
of the plants and the bulk of roots ; and being now 
heavily laden with scarlet fruit they are very effective. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
Flower Garden. —Pleasure or recreation in this 
part of the garden will now be at a discount, owing to 
the general untidiness that everywhere prevails, through 
the falling of leaves and thenatural decay of most subjects 
that rendered the place gay in summer. Much of this 
can be overcome by keeping everything in an 
orderly state. If the lawn has been neatly mown up to 
the last, a smooth and even surface will now be the 
result, so that the least trouble will be entailed in 
raking or sweeping up fallen leaves. Many will 
doubtless grumble that this has to be done so frequently, 
w T hile the leaves continue to drop and blow about. 
This difficulty will soon be overcome if the weather 
continues as severe as it has been ; but in the meantime 
a general clean-up once a week will be well repaid by 
the fresh appearance it produces. The leaves collected 
from time to time should be stored in some convenient 
place or hidden corner, where they will not be offensive 
to the eye ; and when sufficiently decayed, there is no 
end to their usefulness in garden economy, so that 
ultimately the labour in collecting them is well repaid. 
Cut down the decayed stems of everything in beds 
and borders that have served their time, and are 
no longer of any good to the plants themselves. In 
doing so, however, guard against the mistakes that are 
frequently made in the destroying and despoiling 
plants of foliage that is still healthy and green. The 
result is that much of the available material necessary 
to finish growth, and enable the plants to start away 
vigorously next season, is carried away to the rubbish 
heap, and instead of vigorous growth and abundance of 
flowers next season, they are only able to produce a 
miserable and unsatisfactory display. Shrubs and 
evergreen herbaceous plants are often destroyed in the 
same way by those unacquainted with the real habits 
and nature of the subjects under their care. Plants, the 
foliage of which is evergreen, should never be cut down 
at any season, but merely have the decayed leaves or 
stems removed. If evergreens are indiscriminately cut 
down, not only will they in most cases fail to flower 
satisfactorily, if they flower at all, but a gradually 
decreasing vigour must be the result of such ill-timed 
operations. The aim should be to retain to the last 
every healthy leaf, as the garden will gain in more 
ways than one, and green foliage in winter can never 
be unsightly. It is true garden economy to preserve 
and utilise at some future time the stems, leaves, 
weeds, and other garden refuse that may from time to 
time be taken off the beds and borders. In crowded 
localities it may not be possible to secure a place for 
the deposit of such refuse, but where it can be done all 
the softer material should be laid in a heap to ferment 
and decay. When convenience offers the heap should 
be turned, and all the undecayed material put in the 
centre. By fermenting the refuse in this way the seeds 
amongst it will be destroyed, thereby preventing a 
great deal of trouble in weeding when it has been con¬ 
veyed back to the garden as manure. All woody 
material should be laid in a pile and burned, afterwards 
adding the ashes to the other decayed vegetable refuse. 
In returning this to the soil some reparation will be 
made to the ground exhausted in proportion to the 
amount of crops removed from it ; and inasmuch as 
fertilising material is removed by vegetation, so must 
compensation be made in one way or another. 
Flowers in Season. — Although commenting in 
the above strain on the general decay of vegetation, 
the garden is not left a wild waste without flowers ; 
and while we can admire the beauty of the decaying 
foliage of such things as the Virginian Creeper, Oaks, 
Thorns, Maples, Poplars, Liquidambars, and many 
others, both shrubs and trees, there may still be a 
gay part of the garden adorned with a profusion of 
Michaelmas Daisies, bearing their myriads of white, 
blue, purple, rose, pink, or yellow star-like heads. If 
they have been carefully tended in the matter of 
staking, to prevent them from being injured by the 
boisterous autumnal winds, a gay apperance will con¬ 
tinue for some time, provided the weather is not 
exceptionally severe. Under the same conditions we 
may expect a decent display, if not a decided show, of 
Chrysanthemums till well into winter ; and should the 
latter prove open, we may have a continuance of bloom 
till Christmas. Many hybrid perpetual and Tea Roses 
also give us an occasional stray flower that is highly 
prized. 
Dahlias. —The season has now arrived when prepar¬ 
ations will have to be made for lifting the tubers, where 
not already done. Frosty [nights have so blackened 
