SOS 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 13, 1894. 
VEGETABLES FOR 
EXHIBITION. 
The time of year is at hand when seed must 
he procured with a view to sowing where it is 
intended to have vegetables ready for exhibiting at 
the early summer shows. Those who are in the 
habit of showing know full well how to go about the 
work, so that it is not necessary to inform them, but 
for those who are novices at the business a hint or 
two may be of service. In the first instance such 
must not be disappointed if they are unsuccessful, 
for often it is not the best specimens that receive 
the awards, as most of us well know. Judges are 
not always, however, to blame for this, for schedules 
are often drawn up in such a loose way, that those 
called upon to adjudicate are often puzzled to know 
how to act. We will take a collection of Potatos as 
an illustration. Now all good kitchen gardeners 
would make quality the first point, whereas nine 
judges out of ten go for appearance. It is not all 
gardeners who are able to judge a collection of 
Potatos, for some in large establishments do not take 
sufficient interest in that branch of their profession 
to enable them at first sight to form a correct opinion 
of their merits. 
It is puzzling to those who thoroughly understand 
their qualities to pick the best collection out of a 
couple of dozen lots. The colour of the skins with 
some have a great charm, while others are attracted 
by the oil that has been rubbed over their surface 
to give them an attractive appearance, but neither 
of these should have any weight with well qualified 
judges, for those whose beauty is their only recom¬ 
mendation should be passed over, and any that have 
been oiled or otherwise polished should be disqualified 
at once. All schedules ought to specify that no 
artificial means should be used to alter the natural 
skins. Medium sized, even shaped, shallow-eyed, 
rough-skinned tubers are the best. Most judges give 
prizes to coloured tubers, but this is a great mistake, 
as some of the coloured kinds do not present that 
attractive appearance when cooked, and as it is for 
quality the awards should be made this should be 
the first consideration. If two collections are 
exhibited in which all points were equal except the 
colour of the skins, then the one that contained the 
greatest number of white varieties should receive the 
award, for though in some varieties the colour does 
not go beyond the depth of the skin, in others it 
causes a discolouration through the tubers. 
Let us go a little further. How often do we see 
good quality vegetables passed over and the prizes 
awarded to inferior exhibits simply because the 
judges fancy they ought not to award big vegetables 
a prize. No person understanding anything about 
such work would give a first prize to a dish of small 
Tomatos. Then if this hold good, why should not a 
dish of Potatos be treated in the same way, pro¬ 
vided there is quality as well as size ? If one thing 
is to receive a prize because it is big and another 
because it is small, exhibitors are at a loss to know 
how to dish up their wares. Parsnips, Carrots, 
Beet, Leeks, Onions, Cauliflowers, and in fact any 
vegetable, cannot be too large, provided quality, 
shape, and other things are combined. Is there not 
more food in a large specimen well grown than in a 
small one ? If so, then why should not the pre¬ 
ference be given to the former. 
As the majority of such vegetables cannot be 
grown in the ordinary way of gardening, it may per¬ 
haps interest some of your readers to learn how this 
may be accomplished. Supposing for example the 
show at which it is intended to exhibit, say, a col¬ 
lection takes place about the end of June. It is evi¬ 
dent that most of the vegetables must have some 
assistance to bring them forward, or they would be 
small at that date. The seed of Onions and Cauli¬ 
flowers, unless sown in the autumn, will needs be 
sown in about a fortnight. If these are sown in a 
pan which is afterwards placed on a slight hot-bed 
the seed will soon germinate. As soon as the plants 
appear above the soil they must be kept close to the 
glass to prevent them becoming drawn and damping 
off. When large enough to handle they should be 
pricked off on to a slight hot-bed, the Cauliflower 
about 3 in. apart each way, and when they have 
made five or six leaves they should be lifted and 
potted in 5-in. pots, after which they should be 
again plunged in a gentle bottom heat to encourage 
root action and give them a fresh start. Air must 
be admitted freely on all favourable occasions to 
keep the plants dwarf, and by the first week in April 
they should be hardened off ready for planting in the 
open ground if the weather be favourable. But 
should cold winds prevail, defer planting for a few 
days till there is a change. Each plant should have 
at least 3 ft. of space alloted to it, so that there may 
be no crowding. 
The soil on which Cauliflower is grown cannot be 
too rich, for the more robust the plants, the larger 
the heads, and if these can be grown a foot across 
without the leaves unfolding from over them they 
will be perfect. To produce heads of this size more 
than ordinary skill is required, for the plants must 
be supplied with the proper kind of food for their 
growth. Lime must be given in some form. 
Sulphate of ammonia must also be supplied, in 
addition to potash and sodium sulphate. If these be 
supplied liberally, and the soil is rich in vegetable 
matter, there is little tear but what good heads will 
be the result. But it must be remembered that 
upwards of 90 per cent, of these plants consist of 
water, so that it is absolutely necessary that this be 
given in abundance. Very few soils except where 
lime abounds in quantity, contain sufficient for the 
growth of Cauliflower, so that this must be added 
Chelsea Gem. 
either in the way of newly slacked or superphosphate. 
We have often noticed that where a heap of stalks 
have lain to decay, and a plant of the same kind has 
been grown on that spot a year or two after, that 
growth has been very robust, thus showing the 
necessity of giving the right kind of food to induce a 
luxuriant growth. 
Onions are one of the most difficult crops to grow 
well, as they require constant attention. The plants 
raised from seed sown in a pan must be carefully 
handled till they are ready for transplanting in the 
open ground, which will be about the first week in 
April, if they have been well looked after, by which 
time they will have grown to be about the thickness 
of a lead pencil. The ground on which they are to 
be grown should have previously been well prepared 
by manuring and deep digging. They must be lifted 
carefully with all the roots possible attached to them, 
and transplanted at once. This work is best done 
either in the evening after the decline of the sun, or 
in showery weather. They should not be planted 
too deeply or the result will be thickneckedness, and 
each plant ought to be allowed at least a space of a 
foot every way. As planting proceeds a small stick 
should be put to each, to which the foliage should be 
loosely tied to prevent it from flagging. The plants 
will need constant attention, for they, like the Cauli¬ 
flower. are gross feeders, but as they require a much 
longer time in which to perfect their growth, too 
much nourishment must not be given at one time, for 
the plants would not be able to take it up. Never¬ 
theless, good bulbs may be had by the date named if 
no mishap happens as we have had them three inches 
in diameter at that time. Onions require sulphate of 
iron, potash, and nitrate of soda, so that if a little of 
these be dissolved in water and the plants watered 
frequently they will grow apace. Lime and soot are 
also very beneficial, the former may be spread on the 
surface to be washed in, and the latter put in a bag 
and allowed to remain in the tub where the other 
ingredients are being dissolved.— KitchenGardener. 
^ ^ 
SOME GOOD PEAS. 
Peas are amongst the most useful of the summer 
supply of vegetables, and being used almost solely 
in the green state, there is a demand for them from 
the earliest possible time of obtaining them till frost 
or cold weather puts a stop to grow thin the autumn. 
The question then resolves itself into the possibility 
of obtaining varieties that will fruit as early in the 
season as possible and as late. During the height 
of the season there is no difficulty in obtaining many 
varieties that will prove useful at that time. Heavy 
cropping and good quality are then the chief 
requisites, but those are qualities which are expected 
in both early and late kinds if possible to procure 
them. Those requisites are supplied by Veitch's 
Chelsea Gem, Veitch’s Main Crop, and Autocrat. 
The first-named is a dwarf early variety of the 
American Wonder type, but a larger Pea and a 
heavier cropper. The haulm varies in height from 
15 in. to 2 ft. according to the soil, season and 
treatment. The pods are round, slightly curved, 
bearing eight to ten good-sized seeds in each. They 
are much larger than those of the early Peas which 
have met with so much favour from cultivators all 
over the country simply on account of their earli¬ 
ness. Notwithstanding its greater size (see illustra¬ 
tion) it takes a leading place for earliness, and seeds 
sown about the end of January have given produce fit 
for use about the beginning of the third week of May 
or even earlier. The pods hang in pairs, and the 
Peas, when cooked, are excellent. The variety gives 
equal satisfaction when sown in July or August for 
a late crop. A First-class Certificate was awarded 
it some years ago when grown with a large number 
of others in one of the trials conducted in the 
gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Main Crop (see illustration), on the other hand, is 
a new variety now being sent out for the first time. 
The pods are of large size, slightly curved, dark 
green, and so handsome in appearance that they 
must find great favour for exhibition purposes. They 
are produced in pairs and contain nine to eleven 
Peas each of rich colour and excellent flavour. The 
stems have a branching habit, and are so robust 
that last year they withstood the drought, and 
fruited more heavily than any other mid-season 
variety in last year’s trials. They stand about 3 ft. 
high, yet carry a crop that continues fit for use a 
long time. This is a recommendation, for it is 
difficult as a rule to get duration from a dwarf Pea, 
and recourse is had to varieties with tall stems, such 
as Ne Plus Ultra, Telegraph, Duke of Albany, and 
others of those types. 
Veitch’s Autocrat is comparatively a new Pea, 
although it has been in commerce for a number ofyears. 
The stems grow 4 ft., are very robust, and branched; 
and its constitution is such that it escapes being 
attacked with mildew when various other more 
tender kinds succumb to it through long-continued 
drought. They also produce an abundance of pods 
till late in the season, and the variety owes its value 
to this habit of fruiting late. It is, of course, 
equally suitable for mid-season use by sowing it 
sufficiently early. The pods are large, straight, 
handsome and bear on an average about ten seeds of 
great excellence. Their fine appearance secures a 
favourable opinion from the judges at exhibition 
tables. Seeds sown about the beginning of June 
will supply pods fit for use till well into October. 
We are indebted to Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, 
Chelsea, for an opportunity of figuring the very 
meritorious varieties above described. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society’s Catalogue.— 
Centenary Edition. Containing i.ooo new varieties. All the 
novelties. A history and complete bibliography of the Chrysan¬ 
themum, by Mr. C. Harman Payne. Price, is.; post free, 
IS. ijd. Publisher, Gardening World, i, Clement's Inn 
Strand, London, W.C. 
