February 15, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
387 
VEGETABLE CALENDAR. 
Jerusalem Artichokes. —These may now be dug 
up and a fresh plantation made. This vegetable, like 
most others, does best in an open position, but a fair 
return is had when they are grown in less favourable 
spots, consequently they are often planted with a 
view to blinding out some unsightly object. The 
ground should be well dug with a liberal quantity of 
rotten manure added to the rows and the rows 
made 3 ft. apart and the sets placed the same distance 
in the rows. 
Peas. —Should the weather continue favourable, a 
sowing of Peas may be made outside on a warm 
border. The ground will by this time have been 
trenched and manured, and should now be forked 
over, and the seed sown at the same time. Flat rows 
drawn with the draw-hoe are best, as this allows the 
seed to be sown thinly. The distance between the 
rows will depend on the height of the variety, but 
5 ft. is a fair distance for early round-seeded sorts, 
which should be sown at this date, as they stand the 
damp and cold best without rotting, as might be the 
case with the Marrowfat section. I would advise 
covering the seed with dry, light soil, which may be 
got by sifting the refuse of the potting bench ; wood 
ashes, or even leaf soil is also very useful. Nothing 
is gained by sowing too early, and the chances are 
much may be lost. Ringleader and Lightning, of the 
round-seeded sorts, are as good as any to sow now. 
Those sown in pots will now be through the soil and 
should be grown perfectly cool, admitting all the 
air possible on mild days. 
Carrots. —Should plenty of manure be at hand a 
hot bed may be made up for an early batch of 
Carrots. Add plenty of fresh leaves to fresh stable 
manure, and after turning over several times build 
up to the size of the frame required, always allowing 
18 in. extra all round. The main point in making 
hot beds up is to make sure that the corners are 
firmly and evenly built, and the whole bed at the 
same time uniformly made up so as to allow the heat 
to rise equally all over. Six inches of any good 
garden soil will be sufficient to grow the crop on, and 
this should be placed there immediately the hot bed 
is put up, and will then be in readiness for the seed 
when the heat has risen and has fallen to a tempera¬ 
ture of, say, 6o°. The seeds should be sown thinly, 
broadcast, and slightly covered. Sutton’s Early 
Gem and Veitch's Model are two of the best varieties 
of the short-horn type. 
Parsnips. —The main crop of Parsnips should 
now be sown, and no time lost, when the ground is in 
favourable condition, to get the seed in. However, 
it is better to wait than proceed if the ground is wet 
and sticky. If the ground has been trenched, as it 
should be, without having received any fresh manure, 
it should be well broken up with the fork, and a good 
dusting of hot lime worked in, then the lines drawn 
and the seed sown thinly and neatly covered in. 
This method is the best for an ord inary crop where 
Parsnips do well, but if it should happen (as in our 
case here) that the soil does not suit them, then 
holes must be made to secure a crop. A crowbar is 
used and holes made 2J ft. or 3 ft. deep, and filled 
up with burnt soil, wood ashes, and a little soot 
and gently firmed down. Then a few seeds should be 
sown on each hole, and covered in by the usual 
method. By this means a good crop is secured of 
fine roots, and, of course, an excellent choice is 
easily got if any should be required for exhibiting, 
as they are much more perfect that if grown by the 
ordinary method. Dobbie’s selected and the Student 
are favourite and excellent varieties for any purpose. 
Parsley. —A sowing of any choice strain should 
be made in a frame with a view of transplanting out 
early. None is better than Dobbie’s selected. 
Lettuce. —A pinch of the Cabbage and Cos 
v arieties can also be sown in a frame. They will 
make much more useful plants than if started in 
heat, and the constitution of the plant weakened 
thereby .—James Gibson, Devonhurst, Chiswick. 
TIE ORCHID HOUSES. 
Dendrobiums. —This is such an extensive genus, 
and so varied is the treatment required, that it would 
take up too much space to refer to more than a tenth 
part other than in general terms. I shall therefore 
only mention those which are the most suitable and 
easy for amateurs to grow, 
First and foremost for all purposes then is our old 
friend D. nobile; with a dozen or so of plants they 
may be had in bloom quite six months, or even more, 
out of the twelve. They will stand a lot of knocking 
about when in bloom at various shows, and come up 
smiling again the following season. There are two 
things inseparable from their good culture, viz.—any 
amount of heat and moisture when growing, and a 
thorough rest when the growths have been made up. 
You may have the best peat and moss that can be got, 
but without heat and moisture their culture should 
not be attempted. 
For exhibition purposes D. nobile has no equal, as 
by keeping it cool and dry when at rest, it may be 
had in bloom at any time. In fact it is as easily 
timed as are “ ’Mums.” There are no really bad 
varieties of D. nobile, but there are some better than 
others, such as D. n. nobilius, D. n. Cooksonii, D. n. 
intermedium, &c., which are real gems. This species 
is best grown in pots which must be well drained; 
rather large, lumpy pieces of peat, and fresh sphagnum 
moss, with a fewpieces of charcoal or crocks intermixed, 
are what they like. This admits of the water passing 
freely away. Make the plants firm by placing a few 
neat stakes to keep them in position. 
The second on my list is D. wardianum. It 
requires similar treatment to D. nobile and can be 
retarded and brought into flower at will. Then we 
have those charming hybrids D. Ainswortbi and D. 
leechianum, of which good old D. nobile is one of 
the parents, and the Violet-scented D. aureum the 
other ; as may be expected, the treatment required is 
precisely the same as for the parents. They grow 
equally well in pots or baskets. The best plants I 
think I have seen were grown in baskets and shown 
by Mr. Thomson, of Clovenfords, at a meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, when the meetings 
were held at South Kensington. D. crassinode 
barberianum, too, requires the same kind of treat¬ 
ment as does D. findlayanum. 
Propagation.— Those enumerated may be in¬ 
creased by division and from the stems. To propa¬ 
gate any special variety the best plan is to cut off 
the old back pseudo-bulbs that have done blooming 
These may be cut into lengths and placed on some 
moss in a warm and moist house ; a Cucumber pit 
would do. This will induce them to break from the 
nodes. When the young shoots are large enough to 
push roots they may be potted up and treated in the 
ordinary way. 
Potting. —The best time to do this is just after 
they go out of bloom. Those that were placed in 
heat for providing flowers for the new year will now 
be in a fit state for the operation. 
The beautiful Australian species should include D. 
bigibbum, D. superbiens, D. Phalaenopsis, &c. I 
must refer to it at an early date. 
Temperatures.— Keep them as low as is consis¬ 
tent with the well-being of the plants, as we may yet 
get hard weather.— C. 
TIE PLOWED GAR5EN. 
Although the year is as yet very young we are not 
without a few flowers to cheer us. Where Snow¬ 
drops have been planted in batches as we have 
previously suggested they will now be affording a 
brave display with their profusion of white blooms. 
The little yellow Aconite is also much in 
evidence, and Crocuses and some of the Scillas are 
likewise making their appearance upon the scene. 
With such a fine open season as we have had there 
is no excuse for being behindhand with the work. 
Not only have we been free from frost, but we have 
in like manner been spared any heavy deluges of rain 
or downfalls of snow. As may be expected, the 
mildness hitherto characterising the winter of 
1895 96 is causing a corresponding forwardness of 
thiDgs generally, and thus the season for many kinds 
of work will be slightly shortened. As the planting 
season is now drawing rapidly to a close, work of 
this class if not absolutely finished should be well on 
towards completion. Wall subjects must also be 
seen to for pruning and nailing as quickly as possible. 
Push forward the pruning of hybrid perpetual Roses 
as fast as circumstances will permit. Those of the 
Tea section may also be operated on with the kniie 
in the course of the next week—at least, in the 
southern counties. In the northern ones it will be 
safer, however, not to touch them until quite the end 
of the month. 
Sweet Peas. —Thanks to the skill of our florists 
we have now represented in this charming race of 
plants innumerable shades of colour, whilst with the 
introduction of the dwarf varieties, of which Cupid 
may be taken as an excellent example, we have a 
good deal of difference in the habit. Not only do 
rows or clumps of Sweet Peas prove most excellent 
subjects for masking objects which it is desirable 
should not be exposed to view, beautifying ugly 
corners, and turning odd pieces of ground to account, 
when viewed in the mass, but their flowers come in 
admirably for cutting, as they last well in water, and 
stand the semi-darkness of some dwelling rooms 
better than the majority of flowers. When suitably 
arranged with their own foliage a bunch of Sweet 
Peas is indeed no mean object. One or two rows 
should be sown not later than the middle of 
February and others a fortnight later for a 
succession. 
Border Carnations. —Where these were put out 
last autumn in the quarters in which they are 
intended to flower the beds may be looked over now, 
and any deficiencies made good with other plants 
which have been kept in pots for the purpose. In 
very many places, however, spring planting finds 
favour, especially where the soil is of a retentive 
character. The proposed site will have been given 
a good coating of manure, and have been roughly dug 
up last autumn. Now it should receive a further 
dressing of soot, this being nicely forked in, and the 
surface levelled over. Planting of course need not 
be thought about until about the middle of March. 
Ranunculuses. —Beds that were manured and 
dug over last autumn with a view to preparing them 
for the reception of Ranunculuses, should likewise 
be forked over without delay. Planting, however, 
must be seen to as soon as possible now, at any rate 
before the expiration of the third week of the present 
month. An expeditious method of planting is to 
draw drills about a couple of inches deep and six 
inches apart from each other. The roots must be 
put in claws downwards, about four or five inches of 
space being allowed between them. Cover with soil 
and level the surface by means of a small-toothed 
iron rake. It is almost needless to say that planting 
should be conducted if possible when the soil is fairly 
dry. It is in excellent condition at the present 
time.— A. S. G. 
ARDENING |§ISCELLANY. 
NEW LOBELIA THE MARQUIS OF CAMDEN. 
We have received a flowering shoot of this new 
variety of Lobelia from Mr. A. Methven, gardener to 
the Marquis of Camden, Bearwood Abbey, near 
Tunbridge Wells, who was the raiser of it. Being a 
variety of L. Erinus, so largely used for bedding 
purposes, we are surprised to see that the flowers are 
of a bright, rich rose with a white eye, and so widely 
distinct from the ordinary blue form. It retains its 
colours from first to last. The plant is robust in 
habit and well suited for outside work. The plant 
from which the flowering specimen was cut had been 
grown in a warm house on purpose to flower it, so 
that, under more favourable conditions as to sunlight 
and air, the flowers should really be darker than they 
are at present; but in any case the brightness of the 
rose colour, as it is, should insure its being widely- 
grown for bedding purposes in the future. 
_ '< 
PRIMULA, 1 HE LADY. 
One of the most notable varieties of the Chinese 
Primula to be found in Messrs. Cannell & Sons’ 
superb exhibit at the Drill Hall, on the 141 h ult., was 
undoubtedly that known as The Lady. Certainly in 
appearance it is as distinct from the ordinary form of 
Chinese Primula usually to be seen in our green¬ 
houses as can well be imagined. When full grown 
the plants average from 18 in. to 2 ft. in height, 
producing vigorous rosettes of leaves with remark¬ 
ably long petioles, above which the tall many- 
flowered scapes rise erect and imposing, forming 
a truly pyramidal outline. How different this is 
to the other varieties in which the flower scapes hug 
the leaves and do not rise well above them until the 
season is well advanced 1 When Messrs. Cannell 
& Sons have succeeded in producing a race of 
plants with the splendid habit characterising The 
Lady, and imparting to it the rich and varied hues 
to be found in the dwarfer varieties which are now 
