786 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 10, 1889. 
For garnishing, Parsley must be used in a fresh state, 
but for flavouring soups and other culinary preparations 
the leaves may be dried or preserved in various ways. 
If slowly dried in an oven, the foliage will retain much 
of its green colour and also its flavour. After being 
thoroughly dessicated, the leaves may be hung up in 
some dry, cool, and airy place, or pulverised while still 
dry and brittle, and stored in jars or wide-mouthed 
bottles until required for use. This drying process may 
be carried out now while there is an abundance of 
leaves that can well be spared. The portion cut down 
so that fresh foliage may be produced for winter can be 
utilised for drying. 
Before making the last sowing, which should be 
accomplished at once, the ground should receive a 
heavy dressing of good farm-yard manure, and then be 
deeply dug. Parsley to do well must have deep rich 
soil, into which its long tapering tap-roots may strike 
deeply. The seeds take a long time to germinate, and 
should the weather prove unusually dry an occasional 
heavy watering would prove very beneficial. As the 
seedlings attain size they should be well thinned out, 
in order to encourage strong growth and consequently 
large leaves. The distance that the plants should be 
apart at this period of the year will depend upon the 
mildness or open nature of the autumn. 
In making a selection of seeds it may be well to bear 
in mind that the plainer-leaved kinds are much hardier 
for winter use than the finely-curled kinds. The latter 
are invaluable and in great request for garnishing, but 
even plain-leaved kinds are preferable to none at all. 
Notwithstanding this fact, it is difficult to convince the 
chef de cuisine of it. The finely-curled leaved kinds 
are not only more delicate in constitution than the 
less-improved sorts, but are more susceptible of injury 
in winter bv the retention of water on their leaves.— 
J. R. 
-»>£<-»- 
POTATO DISEASE. 
Fears for some time anticipated are now fully realised, 
and it is possible, should we not be favoured with a 
change in the weather, the dire pest may assume a very 
serious aspect, more especially perhaps amongst the 
early kinds. I have some very good Beauty of Hebron 
which I have been using for some time, and last week 
I found unmistakable evidence of the attack of fungus, 
and as the skin of the tubers is well set, I am losing no 
time in lifting my crop before matters become worse. 
I never saw a finer crop, taking size and quantity 
together, and it really seems sad for the hopes of even 
little growers who cultivate sufficient for their own 
consumption to be blasted by so dire a calamity, which 
becomes a national one should it become general, for 
in such a case all man’s skill and painstaking is of no 
worth whatever. 
Having been only too familiar with the Potato disease 
ever since it made its first appearance in 1845, I 
have had ample opportunities from time to time of 
studying the character of the enemy, and of the best 
means of combating the same ; but although various 
methods have been adopted and promulgated, all 
attempts to prevent or arrest the evil have proved 
futile, as when the conditions of the atmosphere are 
favourable to the spread of this destructive form of 
fungi, man’s power however skilled and clever he may 
be, is wholly wrested from him, and he at once becomes 
the creature of circumstances. I am here speaking of 
the disease in its worst form—when the attack is gen¬ 
eral throughout the country. 
I stated in the Gardeners’ Chronicle in August, 1855, 
that the disease in that year appeared simultaneously 
with mildew which attacked my crops of Peas, and 
that it was a fungus analogous to that form of mildew 
which in certain seasons was known seriously to affect 
Peas, wall trees, Vines, Roses, &c., and so sure that 
this is experienced, it may be at once prognosticated 
that should there not be a decided change in the 
atmospherical elements the enemy is lurking in ambush 
fully prepared for its deadly attack, by infusing poison 
in a wholesale manner into the finest and most useful 
esculent ever introduced into this or any other country. 
We cannot dispense with the Potato ; it forms the 
staple food for the many. Good milk, bread and 
Potatos will build up the baby man to his normal and 
healthy state and proportions, even without the aid of 
other kinds of food. As may have been by many 
observed, the kind of weather that favours the Potato 
is also alike congenial to the maturation of the Wheat. 
After these crops have reached a certain stage in their 
growth, dry bright weather and a pure atmosphere is 
absolutely essential to ensure a successful ingathering. 
In the cultivation of all plants, whether indigenous or 
tropical, no successful issue is arrived at without or in 
the absence of healthy surroundings, more especially as 
regards the air imbibed, whether it be inhaled by plant 
or animal. 
It has been asserted again and again that diseased 
Potatos, either the haulm or tubers, should never be 
left to decompose on the ground., so that the spores may 
become incorporated with it, to avoid which is assumed 
to be sound practice, and advocated by all practical 
men upon scientific principles. I myself agree as to 
the importance of these views, but have had ocular 
demonstration during my lengthy experience of the 
very reverse practice being carried on with the mo3t 
successful results. I knew a piece of ground that was 
cropped with Potatos yearly for six consecutive seasons. 
The ground being rarely used for any other crops, the 
seed was saved from the Potatos thus grown, and on 
two or more occasions the crops proved more or less a 
failure. The sound tubers were selected, and the 
affected ones with the haulm left on the ground to rot, 
but not dug in until after subjected to the action of 
the autumn and winter frost. Grand healthy crops 
have followed this seemingly unwise practice—in fact, 
in the sixth year the ground produced the finest crop of 
Magnum Bonums, sound and healthy tubers being lifted. 
What is the inference to be drawn from this as bearing 
on the perpetuation of the disease ? Why, it seems to 
my mind that the primary cause is, I may say, purely 
atmospherical. We know well, or rather ought to 
know, that that kind of atmosphere which is conducive 
to the generation of numerous species of fungi is not of 
the most healthy description, and brings with it in 
some form or other the constituents of disease inimical 
to both plant and animal life. This has been proved 
by the presence of the Potato disease, and from this 
cause alone can its origin be traced. Mildew is generated, 
and lays hold of the plants, impedes healthy action, 
prevents assimilation in the functions of the plant, 
poisoning and decomposing the very life blood, and 
owing to the very succulent nature of the plant itself 
the effect is instantaneous in its progress, unless some 
great change takes place in the atmosphere, from humid 
and sultry to very hot and dry, or even cold and dry. All 
fungi are peculiar ; only under certain conditions are 
they seen to thrive. If an uncongenial change takes 
place, the whole tribe soon ceases to exist .—George Fry. 
--- 
PLANTS AND FLOWERS IN OUR 
HOMES. 
While it is a certainty that the admiration for plants 
and flowers as features in the decorative art of our 
homes is fast developing, it is a pity that a knowledge 
of their proper arrangement, care, and culture does not 
grow proportionally. It would be incredible, were it 
known, the vast amount of popular ignorance evinced by 
the ordinary lover of flowers and plants in their tasteful 
arrangement and mode of culture. How often are 
exquisite flowers seen stuck into vases without the 
faintest effort at design in such a soulless and unnatural 
way as to almost obliterate altogether every vestige of 
their inherent beauty? We are aware that the true 
arrangement of flowers is necessarily reserved for the 
few ; nevertheless, we believe that very much can be 
acquired by the many in making their flower vases 
more graceful and effective. Moreover we feel disposed 
to say that the imbecile style of massing colours, not 
unfrequently met with, betrays not only vulgarity but 
exceedingly bad taste. 
I am afraid that the education of our taste has not 
received the due amount of attention that it ought in 
our hurry to gain more prominent ends. Assuredly as 
long as we persist in taking delight in masses of strong 
untoned colours, we shall stand, as far as taste is con¬ 
cerned, on the same platform with the American 
Indian. There is always a possibility of deciphering 
the mental qualities of an individual from the arrange¬ 
ment of a vase of flowers. And from this fact alone 
there appears sufficient reason for ladies to make this 
art worthy of every attention. 
This, as well as table decoration, is undoubtedly the 
rightful province of ladies, but as yet it must be con¬ 
fessed with regret that so far as it has grown in their 
hands, too often natural beauty is sacrificed to 
the vagaries and absurdities of the ruling fashion. 
Some may be of opinion that this is excusable as an 
auxiliary aid, or a kind of index to the advancement of 
society. Whatever arguments can be put forward in 
favour of this in other spheres of life philosophically, 
none can be advanced where the arrangement of flowers 
clearly demonstrates a perversion of nature. Our chief 
object, therefore, should be to reproduce in the vase a 
faithful copy of nature, if we would succeed in effective 
and intelligent decoration. Most people will in¬ 
tuitively discover the power of attraction in the one over 
that of the other, though they may be quite oblivious to 
the real nature of the cause occasioning the distinction. 
Plants, as a means of assisting decorative art in our 
rooms, have of late years taken a prominent position, 
and few indeed will be inclined to dispute the relevancy 
of such a laudable step, provided it is not carried 
too far. Plants lend an enchantment and freshness to 
our rooms unparallelled by any other mode of decoration. 
To the sick who are unable to go beyond the threshold 
of their room the presence of plants must be an endless 
source of pleasure. The thoughts that arise through 
past associations with any particular plant will draw 
the invalid out of himself, as it were, and he finds 
himself once more (in mind of course) roaming in 
health and youth in the woods and green fields. 
There is one very important point in connection with 
room plants which demands the attention of cultivators, 
that is, the care with which we should select those 
that are likely to succeed under the conditions they 
are about to be subjected to. It is not reasonable to 
expect that a soft stove plant will give any lasting 
satisfaction in the cool atmosphere of a heavily- 
curtained drawing-room, where from one end of the 
year to the other a single ray of sunshine is never 
admitted. Such conditions, with the exception of the 
Cryptogamia, are at variance with the laws of vegetable 
life, and the result sooner or later is failure and dis¬ 
appointment. It is strange that so many otherwise 
intelligent people are ignorant of this fact. 
We have been often invited to go and examine the 
wrecks of delicate stove plants placed in a cold sunless 
room, and when we explained that no flowering subjects 
could exist under such conditions, the answer invariably 
wa 3 that sunshine on no account could be admitted, 
owing to its injurious effect on the carpet and other 
household goods. It was then clear that one of two 
courses only remained to be adopted—either to admit 
the sunshine or abandon the growing of flowering 
plants. As will be presumed, neither was followed. 
Until we forego this unphilosopkical and highly 
unhealthy notion we shall unmistakeably reap disap¬ 
pointment and failure in the culture of our room plants. 
Watering is another thing that seems to be little under¬ 
stood among growers of popular house plants. 
The tendency to work by rule of thumb is very 
prevalent. The only fact a great many seem to know 
is that plants do require water, but the reason why 
does not appear to be so clear, and consequently they 
are liberally supplied with the nourishing beverage 
as frequently as are their pat animals with food. The 
benevolent attention thus bestowed upon the plants in 
a short period terminates their existence. The honest 
plant vendor, on his first appearance at the door, is 
loaded with a round of abuse for the questionable 
nature of his wares, and pointedly informed he need 
not call again ; but, the next consignment fares 
not a whit better. The verdict is, “Bother these 
vendors and plant growers ! ”— Gamma , Edinburgh. 
-- 
THE COMMON LING OR 
HEATHER. 
IN traversing a moor or hillside covered with this in¬ 
teresting wilding, varieties may frequently be found 
differing considerably in their particular shades of 
colour, and albinos more or less decidedly pure are by 
no means rarities in some districts at least, and from a 
remote date the meritorious varieties now in cultivation 
have been picked up by different amateurs and col¬ 
lectors. No doubt some of these have been lost to 
cultivation, and others have taken their place. Many 
of the finer kinds have been cultivated for a long series 
of years, so that in one garden or other there are many 
distinct kinds. 
Some amateurs who take a fancy to this class of 
plants have carried their hobbies too far, including in 
their collections varieties which, although interesting 
from a botanical point of view, are of no value at all 
horticulturally. Nevertheless, after weeding the worth¬ 
less kinds out, there is a considerable number of very 
pretty forms, sufficiently ornamental even to be ad¬ 
mitted into small gardens, and for cultivation on 
rockwork. The chief requisites for the successful 
cultivation of Calluna vulgaris and its varieties is a 
soil rich in vegetable matter, such as leaf-soil, well- 
rotted farm-manure, or better still a quantity of peat or 
bog earth, when it can be obtained. A soil that is rich 
in humus is naturally a cool one, unless it be very 
black, when it is liable to become quickly warmed up 
by the heat of the sun. It is capable, however, of 
retaining a large quantity of moisture, and this is pecu¬ 
liarly grateful to the Heath tribe. 
