Oct. 4th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
75 
many people fail to flower the Eucharis well through 
growing them in a too shady position, and this opinion 
has been confirmed by plants having often been seen 
growing most luxuriantly in a shady position and yet 
failing to produce flowers.— H. 
-- 
Second Flowering of the Lilac. —An example 
was given last week of the second flowering of the 
Horse Chestnut owing to the premature shedding of 
the leaves and the opening of the buds, which should 
have remained dormant until spring. As the result 
of a similar check, a Lilac blossomed in Sussex last 
winter. Just before the Hops were picked a terrible 
storm, which the farmers of the district will long 
remember, blew down the poles, bruised the bine, and 
divested a Lilac tree which stood in an exposed spot 
of nearly all its leaves. A mild winter followed, and 
before Christmas the tree was covered with blossoms 
and immature leaves. Under these circumstances, 
another crop of blossoms was hardly expected at the 
usual period in the following spring. But the Lilac 
proved itself to be a shrub of great fecundity and 
vigour, and at the customary time for the blossoming 
it came into full flower as usual, and showed no sign 
of any overtaxing of its powers, since its floral display 
was never more abundant.— II. E. 
Begonia fuchsioides as a pillar plant. —This 
fine old plant is well-known and appreciated, judging 
by the frequency with which it is met. There is, 
however, no position in which it is seen to better 
advantage than when planted out in a suitable border 
and trained on a short pillar in the greenhouse or 
conservatory. We have in our eye at the present 
moment two plants under these conditions. They 
grow freely, yet not straggling, and clothe their support 
to a height of five feet, with a dense mass of the 
brightest green foliage. They flower, too, in profusion, 
and for weeks the graceful pendulous racemes, with 
flowers of the most brilliant scarlet, have produced a 
charming contrast. The plant requires no special 
treatment, and is not liable to the attacks of insects. 
To those who have a suitable position we would say 
by all means try it, as it is one of the most effective 
and compact pillar plants we have met with. 
- > 4 <——- 
Salvia splendens. —Among the many beautiful 
species and varieties of Salvia now in cultivation, I 
think none are more beautiful than this useful old 
favourite, flowering as it does at a time when light 
sprays of richly-coloured flowers are in much request 
during the autumn months for dinner-table and vase- 
decoration. Cuttings should be put in some time 
during April or early in May, and be kept growing 
quickly without a check till the flowers appear. This 
is one of the most important points in their cultivation, 
for if once they get into a stunted condition through 
being too much pot-bound, or for want of proper 
feeding, they will never produce satisfactory results. 
During the summer months they may be either 
planted our or kept in pots, but I prefer the latter 
plan, as they are liable to loose their leaves when 
lifted unless they are placed in very large pots. When 
selecting the cuttings, take the soft upright-growing 
shoots which spring from the base of the plant, as 
they will root quicker, and grow more freely than the 
small shoots. Insert them singly in 3-in. pots, place 
them in a close frame, shading from bright sunshine. 
As soon as they have filled their pots with roots, 
shift them into 6-in. ones, using three parts of good 
loam, one of well-rotted hot-bed manure, a little soot, 
and plenty of sharp sand. Put them in the frame 
again till the roots have reached the sides of the pots, 
then remove them to the open-air for a few days 
previous to their final potting into 10-in. pots, using 
the same compost as before, only in a rougher state. 
After potting, place them in a shady place for a few 
days, then gradually inure them to the full sunshine, 
and when they have started into active growth, plunge 
the pots to within 3 in. of their rims in coal ashes. 
Always avoid placing them in an exposed position, as 
the shoots are easily broken by the wind, and the 
growth of the plants otherwise checked. Syringe 
freely during the afternoon of bright days, and when 
the pots are filled with roots give liberal supplies of 
liquid manure. About the middle of September 
remove them to a cool, well-ventilated house, where 
they will speedily develop their blossoms, and reward 
the good cultivator with a rich harvest of bright 
scarlet flowers,— H. Dunkin. 
Notes on Potatos. —To-day (Sept. 23) we finished 
lifting our Potatos, all of which have turned out very 
fair crops, clean and free from disease, until within the 
last week, when it began to be noticed. Our best and 
heaviest cropper has again proved to be the Golden 
Dwarf, a variety which seems to be little known, as I 
never see it mentioned, and yet, taking all things into 
consideration, it is one of the very best sorts that can 
be grown. The only fault it has is to be found in its 
rather deep eye, which would be against it on the 
exhibition table, but for marketing purposes no better 
Potato could be found. Being a second early, the crop 
can be cleared off the ground before disease sets in. 
Beauty of Hebron, and Climax, ready a few days 
earlier, were both very good. These were lifted just 
as required for the kitchen and before the disease had 
any chance with them. We began lifting with a small lot 
of Porter’s Excelsior, which was ready for use with us in 
the last week in June, following on with Sandringham 
Early Kidney, coming in in the beginning of July. 
This is the best early Kidney; it is a splendid 
cropper, first-rate in quality, and very dwarf in the 
haulm. We grow a large quantity of it. I may say 
that we have no need for forced Potatos here, as 
we make them meet all the year round. Beauty of 
Hebron is our next, followed by Climax and Snow¬ 
flake, and then Golden Dwarf. Where this variety 
originated I cannot say, and it may be only a local 
sort, but it is a good one. In shape it is much in the 
style of the Regent, with more or less of purple 
markings and splashings round the eyes. These finish 
what I may call the clean list. International Kidney, 
which comes next, is much subject to disease, which 
was very little noticed when lifted, but now that we 
come to use them we find very few sound tubers. 
Vicar of Laleham is also very badly diseased, and in 
connection with this I may state, that one serious 
objection I have to these dark-skinned Potatos is the 
difficulty of detecting disease or the first signs of it in 
the tubers at the time of lifting. I have grown a good 
many dark-skinned varieties and had to discard them 
solely on that account, and Vicar of Laleham must go 
too, although it is a good Potato and generally gives a 
heavy crop. Prince of Wales or Sandringham Kidney 
comes next. This has given a good average crop, 
of fairly clean tubers, but the haulm is rather tall for 
garden work. It is, however, an old favourite of mine, 
and I am therefore loth to part with it. Prince Arthur 
is a splendid cropper, but much subject to disease. 
Clark’s No. 2 has turned out well and clean. This 
deserves to be grown largely as a garden main crop 
Potato. It is a seedling from Magnum Bonum, but not 
exceeding a height of 20 in. or 22 in. in the haulm, and 
as nearly disease-proof as we can reasonably expect a 
Potato to be. Pride of the Market also turns out splendid 
crops ; the tubers are rather large and rough, but the 
variety has disease-resisting powers also. The haulm 
being about the height of that of its parent, Magnum 
Bonum, we cannot afford room in the garden to grow it, 
and have therefore relegated it to the field. This com¬ 
pletes the stock we depend upon for our supply, and I 
have given them in the order in which they come into 
use. Magnum Bonum grown in the field brings us 
round again to June or July.— R. Stevens , Poston 
Gardens, Gornhill, Northumberland. 
-- 
Autumn Crops. —No one could hardly have 
supposed that after the very heavy rain of the fourth 
of last month, when we had an incessant downpour 
for nearly twenty-four hours, that vegetables would be 
suffering for want of ■water, yet so it is, at least in 
light dry soils, and no wonder, for since then we have 
had quite summer weather, the sky having been clear 
and the sun almost as hot as it was during some parts 
of July and August. Brussels Sprouts and that 
splendid autumn Cauliflower, Veitch’s Giant, which 
at one time seemed to have cast off the fit of the 
“ blues,” have got the same malady again, although in 
a milder form, and to prevent it becoming worse and 
the plants receiving any further check, it is advisable 
to give them a good soaking of liquid manure. This 
we have done to ours, and the beneficial effect from 
it was so sudden and so plain, that it might be seen 
at once, as they seemed to drink it up and send it, or 
the nourishment they derived from it, right into then- 
leaves, which at once changed colour and have been 
improving in appearance daily ever since. Sewage of 
almost any description or strength may be given them, 
as nothing comes amiss to them, for so gross and 
greedy are they in their appetite that they can take 
up any strong food, and now is the time to feed them 
if fine large Sprouts or big heads of Cauliflower are 
wanted. Scarlet Runners, too, are thirsty plants, and 
always pay well for watering, as, when they become 
at all dry down comes their blossoms, which, instead 
of dropping, set freely if the Runners are kept moist 
at the roots.— Alpha. 
Celery. —Those who did not earth up their Celery 
are fortunate, as though one would have thought, after 
the heavy rain of the 4th of September, it would not 
require any more wet. It has been very dry again, 
that is, where it has been allowed to go without water, 
for, besides what the plants have taken up out of the 
ground, evaporation has been great, as the sun has 
been hot and has drawn much moisture into the air. 
To counteract this and keep the plants on at full 
growth for some time to come yet, a thorough soaking 
should be given, and if this is done with liquid 
manure so much the better, as Celery likes rich 
feeding, which not only greatly increases its size but 
makes it more crisp and tender when dug up for use. 
If not already done, a piece of matting should be run 
round each plant and tied, so as to keep the leaves up 
together, and make them grow erect, when they will 
be all ready for putting the soil to them for blanching. 
This can then be done quickly and without any of it 
finding its way into the crown and thus spoiling or 
crippling the heart, as is often the case when the 
leaves are left loose.— Alpha. 
Scab and Cracking- in Potatos. —If “ X ” will 
refer to the book he mentions, he will find that the 
author says, “ Continued drought, and possibly sudden 
and superabundant moisture, will also cause one form 
of Scab.” There is probably more than one sort of 
roughness of skin, scab, cracking, and even splitting 
in Potatos. The observations recorded were made 
during two years in Potato-fields in South Essex, in 
company with “ practical men,”—gentlemen held in 
great respect by W. G. S. 
-- 
Lettuce, Leyden or Hardy White Dutch.— 
This is one of the finest varieties of Cabbage Lettuce 
grown. It is a splendid summer variety, forming 
quickly large, crisp, white heads, and, to my mind, a 
Cabbage Lettuce when it is in good form beats the best 
of Cos Lettuces hollow. It is a black-seeded variety ; 
note that, and let it be included in the select seed list 
to be made out in February next for spring and 
summer use.— R. D. 
A Prolific Tomato. —Mr. Tolly, gardener at 
Nunwell Park, Brading, Isle of Wight, last week cut 
a bunch of Tomatos containing twenty-seven fruits. 
The plant came up as a chance seedling, and bears 
round fruits of a good red colour and fine flavour. 
Potatos and Strawberries. —In Northern Peru 
many plants, unavoidably treated as annuals in the 
north temperate zone, are grown as perennials near 
the equator. To take an instance in the Potato, 
which, in the Andes of the department of Piura, 
towards the towns of Ayabaca and Huancabamba, 
is cultivated in this way. The land having been 
ploughed and manured, is again ploughed over, and in 
this state is left for a whole year ; at the end of which 
time they plough it once more, and in the furrows 
drop Potatos, a vara apart, covering them up with 
their feet. When the tubers are ripe, they are scraped 
out as required, without uprooting the plant, which 
thus lasts many years without being renewed. At 
Ambato, in lat. 1J deg. S., ripe Strawberries of large 
size are exposed for sale in the market every day in 
the year. They are grown on adjacent sandy slopes, 
at an elevation of 9,000 ft. above the sea, by means 
of irrigation. I could adduce many other instances 
of the perennial production of fruits and roots in 
those favoured regions.— R. Spruce, in “ Notes on the 
Valleys of Piura and Cliira, in Northern Peru, and on 
the Cultivation of Cotton therein 
