Jan. 24th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
331 
used for either house or conservatory decorations. 
The older plants may be potted on into suitable sized 
pots, and can be grown into good-sized specimens, 
from which we can cut and come again.— E. Bumper, 
The Gardens, Summerville, Limerick. 
--- 
Poinsettia pulcherrima plenissima.—This is 
a valuable variety, quite as much deserving of general 
cultivation as the better known pulcherrima, and 
yet why, may I ask, is it so rarely met with ? I have, 
indeed, heard the question asked, “ What has become 
of it ? ” My first experience of this variety dates from 
about the time when it was sent out by Messrs. Veiteli, 
and the high praise then bestowed upon it was fully 
merited. As may be supposed, there was a great 
demand for it, and the plants sent out were necessarily 
weak, and I well remember that as soon as the 
gardener I then served under received the novelty he 
commenced to propagate it almost before it could well 
be called a plant, with results that, it need not be 
said, were not encouraging. My belief is that the 
health of the plant was greatly debilitated through 
constant propagation, and the necessary conditions 
under which it was placed for that purpose. Now 
that strong plants of this Poinsettia can be 
obtained for much less than smaller ones could be 
bought at that time, no establishment where gay 
and cheerful flowers are wanted through January 
and February, should be without it. The variety 
plenissima, if anything, supersedes the old variety 
in general appearance and effectiveness, with the 
valuable addition of coming into use much later, as 
under precisely the same conditions it does not come 
to perfection for nearly two months after pulcherrima, 
and that fact alone should commend it to all 
requiring a brilliant display for the longest season 
possible. 
The treatment recommended for the old variety is 
equally applicable to this one. Cuttings taken off in 
spring with a heel, inserted in sandy soil and placed 
in a moist bottom heat, or short pieces of last year’s 
growth with three or four eyes inserted in a similar 
manner, will generally strike root. After being 
established in their blooming pots, a cold pit with 
their heads brought near to the glass suits them 
admirably until the middle or end of September, when 
they should be placed in warmer quarters. To get 
them to develop their bracts perfectly they should be 
raised with their heads almost touching the glass, and 
be subjected to a fairly brisk heat. A mixture of 
loam and peat suits them well. 
This, as well as the single or common variety, is 
amendable to the planting-out system of culture. 
Old plants cut down will produce young shoots, and 
when these are a few inches long, say by the 
beginning or middle of June, they may be planted 
out in a sunny aspect, sheltered from cold winds. 
The addition of a little prepared soil at planting 
time is a wonderful help to them. This may not hold 
good in the north of England and Scotland, but the 
treatment is all that could be desired here in Wilts.— 
C. Warden. 
->*-.- 
Turves and Moss v. Pots. — I thought when I 
wrote the short note on growing bedding plants in 
turves, that the system might possibly be objected to 
on account of the difficulty that is generally experi¬ 
enced in obtaining turves for the purpose. Your able 
correspondents, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Warden, have 
quickly directed attention to this weak point, which 
would of course prevent many from giving the plan a 
trial; but where gardeners are so fortunate as to be 
able to get turf in abundance, I think the system 
will be found to possess the advantages I have urged 
in its favour. In a garden in the North, in which I 
was employed eight years ago, and where turves could 
be obtained in unlimited quantities, it was practised 
and had given great satisfaction for some years, and 
we always found it to be a great saving of labour 
during the spring months, taking all things into 
consideration. I believe that each of the above 
systems have their advantages and their disadvan¬ 
tages, and either of them might be adopted according 
to the convenience at hand, and the manner in which 
the preparation of bedding plants has to be carried 
°ut. I should like the opinion of anyone who has 
Practised the turf system.— H. Dunkin, 
The Kitchen-Gardener’s Calendar. —Pea and 
Bean-sticks should now, if not already done, be looked 
over, and the necessary quantities of both, together 
with those required for supporting standard Boses, 
young fruit-trees, and pot and border plants, be 
ordered forthwith of the woodman, so that they may 
be sharpened, sized, and tied up in bundles in readi¬ 
ness for future use, when time will be more precious 
than it is now. Bearing this fact in mind, also a 
good supply of labels, from 9 ins. to 12 ins. in length, 
should be made during inclement weather, and tied up 
in bundles for seed-beds, rows of Peas, Beans, Potatos, 
Cauliflowers, &c., later on. In short, any work that 
can be done as well now as three months later should 
be seen to at once, for gardeners, even more so than 
agriculturists, if they mean to succeed in their 
profession, must be prospective as well as economical 
in arranging and -working to the best advantage, 
individually and collectively, the several parts of the 
labour machinery, which, with good management, 
though frequently inadequate to the work wdiich it is 
expected to perform, can be turned to good account.— 
H. W. IF. 
- > 4 < - 
Broccoli and Cauliflowers all the Year 
Round. —There is no difficulty in maintaining a 
continuous supply of these vegetables in seasons like 
this and the past, providing a sufficient number are 
planted of suitable kinds. As regards these I observe 
that some of your correspondents’ selections differ 
entirely from mine, but as I have had no opportunity 
of trying any of the later introductions, I have had to 
rely on the following:—Early London, Walcheren, 
and Autumn Giant Cauliflowers; Walcheren Broccoli, 
Snow’s Superb, Dilcock’s Bride, Wilcove late White, 
Knight’s Protecting, and Cattell’s Eclipse. The latter 
is seldom over before there are plenty of Early London 
Cauliflowers. Last year we cut our first Cauliflowers 
on May 30th and the year before on June 2nd. The 
plants for our earliest crop are now in a frame, and 
some of the best will soon be potted and every precau¬ 
tion taken to prevent them from flagging. As soon as 
the weather is favourable they will be planted out 
under protectors, and covered with mats in very severe 
weather. Later on more will be planted out in a 
similar manner, except that they will not be previously 
potted, and the remainder will be planted in the open 
ground, generally on a south border, and these are 
succeeded by a sowing made in a frame in February. 
The Autumn Giant Cauliflower supplies us still with 
nice sized heads, and to make sure of them they have 
been protected by thrusting a handful or two of short 
dry litter in the centre of the plants. This will be 
succeeded by Snow’s and some late sown Walcheren 
Broccoli.—IF. P. It., Cuerden Hall, Preston, January 
19th. 
-- 
The Conqueror Tomato. —Last year I grew 
some ten plants of this variety in a cool, span-roofed 
house. They were trained to a trellis as double 
Cordons, and had no fire heat. They occupied only 
one side of a house 30 ft. long, with 180 square ft. of 
glass surface ; the aspect is full west, and they were 
planted on May 17th, 3 ft. apart, in a border only 
12 ins. wide and 18 ins. deep, filled with two-thirds of 
good loam and one-third of half rotted leaf soil and 
■well rotted manure, with a sprinkling of ^-in. bones. 
As soon as the plants were well established, they were 
watered with weak manure water about once a week. 
The produce of the ten plants thus grown was 2£ cwt. 
of good well ripened fruit. I obtained seeds of this 
variety from Mr. H. Deverill, seedsman, Banbury, and 
consider it one of the best that can be grown for a 
general crop of fruit.—IF. Baskett, Wykham Park, 
Banbury. 
-- 
Early Peas. —In the selection of Peas for the first 
crop our whole attention is given to the variety that 
will give us Peas fit to gather at the earliest possible 
date, rather than to the weight of the produce and the 
time the plants continue in bearing. We usually select 
three varieties—viz., Veitch’s Selected Extra Early, 
Day’s Early Sunrise, and William the First, which come 
into bearing in the order in which their names are 
printed. The former is well ahead of the other 
varieties, often giving two or three dishes before the 
others come in. It grows about 3 ft. in height and is 
an abundant bearer. All who have not yet tried it 
should give this variety a trial. The method we have 
found to answer best in the cultivation of the earliest 
varieties is to sow them on pieces of turves about 1 ft. 
long, 4 ins. wide, and 3 ins. deep, with a groove cut 
along the under side longitudinally about 1 in. in 
depth in which the seeds are sown, and covered with 
some fine soil from the potting bench. We have also 
succeeded very well with them sown in small pots, but 
when both methods have been tried together here the 
former had the advantage. This sowing usually takes 
place from the middle to the end of January, after 
which the turves or pots are placed in a cold frame 
and kept close till started, when the lights are drawn 
quite off to keep them from becoming drawn. If the 
weather permits they are planted out on a south 
border or in some other sheltered and sunny position 
about the latter part of February or beginning of 
March. If they are drawn at all, a little soil is drawn 
up to them and some Laurel or Spruce branches 
are got in readiness to be placed along the windward 
side of the rows to shelter them from the searching 
easterly winds. They are staked as soon as fit and 
the protecting branches again placed by their side. 
We can do no good at all with autumn-sown Peas, 
as the sparrows trouble us so much, lucking off the 
green leaves until the plants are exhausted. The 
sparrows are also very partial to the planted-out Peas, 
and for that reason it is well to plant them in some 
frequented spot where these depredators may be often 
disturbed, some white cotton placed over the rows will 
keep them off while dwarf, but it is not so easy when 
they get taller and are staked. Soot sprinkled over 
them while damp will preserve them until the next 
rain, when it will be necessary to repeat the operation. 
Here all wild birds are rigorously preserved, even the 
common house sparrow, so that we have to do the 
best we can under the circumstances— C. Warden, 
Clarendon Park, Salisbury. 
-- 
Forcing Vegetables. —For forcing Seakale, 
Bhubarb, Asparagus and Potatos, there is no heat so 
genial as that from dung and leaves, which, turned 
over and well mixed together, keeps regularly 
fermenting for a long time, and if beds are made 
up of it, so as to give w’armth below, all the above- 
named vegetables may be had in the greatest state of 
perfection. The easiest way to get fine Seakale and 
Bhubarb is to dig up the roots and then lay them in 
soil on a hotbed, or place them under arches or 
stages in any house where the temperature ranges 
between 60 degs. and 70 degs., and if there kept 
watered, with tepid water, when necessary, the crowns 
will soon start, and the Kale and Bhubarb quickly be 
ready to cut or pull. The most suitable position for 
Asparagus and Potatos is a pit having sufficient depth 
for dung and leaves and a hot-water pipe round or 
along the front for affording top heat, which at this 
early season is requisite for Asparagus, but Potatos 
must have very little or they become drawn in the 
haulm. In lifting Asparagus, the plants should be 
taken up with as much root as possible, and then laid 
in thickly in light rich soil, of sufficient depth to just 
cover the crowns, as then the heads come without 
being blanched, in which state they are far better, 
both in appearance and flavour. As Potatos are some 
time coming through, the frame they are in may be 
made good use of to get a crop of Badishes, or several 
sowings of Mustard and Cress may be made between 
the rows, or Lettuce dibbled in, where, by having a 
little warmth below, they will grow and soon be ready 
to cut.— Alpha. 
The Fox Gbape. —A foxy Grape in the old world, 
is one which has a brown instead of a black colour, 
as it should have—in short, a black Grape hardly 
coloured. It is more than probable that the term 
“fox Grape” was given to the American Grape of 
that name from its “ foxy” colour. Now we speak of 
the “ foxy odour” of a fox Grape, as if the fox had 
anything of a smell like that. The fox has no such 
smell. And then we have a “foxy taste.” It is 
interesting to note how words are led to have mean¬ 
ings quite different from original intent.— Gardeners’ 
Monthly. 
