678 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 27th, 1885. 
SCOTTISH GARDENING. 
Notes on Celery Growing. —The growth of large 
Celery (according to observations we have made in 
different parts of the kingdom) is not so common now 
as it was twenty-five years ago. Neither does the 
forcing of this valuable crop into gigantic proportions 
by the agency of strong stimulating manures receive 
the same amount of attention from growers as it did 
when the crops were judged by the great height of 
their leaves, which almost came to a level with the 
labourers’ heads when they were putting on the 
finishing touches during the last “ earthing up.” 
Good, solid, well-blanched produce from stem to core is 
what we consider the criterion for well grown Celery. 
A “nutty” flavour and little waste by having to 
remove non-blanched leaves are very important items 
with connoisseurs of Celery; and justly too, as a mass 
of long, hollow, gross leaves are qualities wdrich render 
Celery almost valueless. Such may be of use for soup, 
in the form of green Celery, which we have often had 
to supply all the year through. At some of the 
leading exhibitions, notably three “Internationals,” 
we have observed the judging of Celery, and the 
censors have wisely used the knife, splitting the 
stalks down, thus revealing the state of the hearts, 
detecting “bolting,” and showing the amount of 
blanched stems, which should be so compact as to 
appear as one solid stem. White kinds are more 
easily blanched than the pink or red kinds, but the 
latter, according to our experience, when well grown 
and thoroughly blanched, are appreciated more than 
the white Celeries. 
We have tried a goodly number of kinds of late 
years, but were we limited to three we should prefer 
Turner’s Incomparable Dwarf White, Ivery’s Pink 
Nonsuch, and Major Clarke’s Solid Bed. These have 
given us great satisfaction here and elsewhere— 
yielding a regular supply from August to May in a 
position far from being the best for Celery keeping. 
We have long ceased to form deep trenches, which 
may do very well on high and dry positions, and 
where the soil is exceptionally light. The system 
practised by many marketmen of planting on the 
level surface, taking one or two crops (such as Turnips, 
Lettuce, Peas, Cabbage, Trench Beans, &c.) from 
between the Celery rows, is a very suitable practice 
for some localities, especially in the valley of the 
Thames and similar low and flat surfaces, and for 
latest supplies anywhere we have known the system 
suit admirably. An important matter for consider¬ 
ation is the choice of suitable manure for Celery, 
many believing that because Celery is a gross feeder 
they can with impunity give the plants manure of 
the rankest description. If we had our choice, we 
would choose cow manure thoroughly rotted ; and the 
addition of rotted turves and leaf-mould is of much 
value when well incorporated and made firm before 
the Celery is planted out. Loose manure with much 
straw in it is conducive to the growth of rank, hollow 
stems, and the plants under such conditions never 
become solid or have the rich, nutty flavour of well- 
cultivated Celery. 
The raising of early crops is often attended with 
little success and much loss of time and labour. The 
sowing of a pinch of seed during January or February 
to raise a few hundreds for use, say in July and 
August, is too often made in strong heat so unnatural 
that piping or “bolting” is hardly avoidable. No 
matter what watering, mulching, or other care is 
bestowed on the crops when planted in the ridges, or 
for earliest in frames, handlights, or other auxiliaries, 
nothing can make up for the unnatural treatment 
given in the earliest stages of the plants’ 
development. Too often one has so much to do 
with their means that Celery raised in heat falls short 
of its requirements. A portion of a frame or pit 
where early Potatos are raised, Asparagus forced, or a 
very gentle even temperature, where plenty of light 
and air can be given, is a good position in which 
to start early crops of Celery. Cold drenchings of 
water, or neglect of moisture, will assuredly lead to 
“ bolting.” Second sowings may be made during 
March and April—two or three are not too many. 
These should be little more than protected from severe 
weather—frames and handlights will answer well— 
and no coddling should be practised. When the plants 
are pricked out, choose a firm bottom, on which is 
placed a few inches of solid manure made firm ; then 
2 ins. of light soil placed on the surface of the manure 
in which the seedlings are planted, and protected 
from cold winds and sun till the plants are in active 
growth, are their chief wants till they are planted out 
in then - permanent quarters. 
It is of some moment that when planting in any 
form there should be no doubling of the roots—the 
ruin of the crop can sometimes be attributed to this ; 
the plants make little progress, and the flower-stems 
are then formed. When lifting from the beds to transfer 
the plants to the ridges, &c., some lift as much of the 
manure with the roots as they can, and then squeeze 
the mass into balls as solid as the hands can make 
them, but this is a practice which should be carefully 
avoided. The roots often struggle to extend themselves 
into the new ground, and while this is going on the 
flower-stems are developing themselves, and before the 
plants are near their full size the piping appears, and 
absence of water or some other neglect is blamed 
for the misfortune. It is .well-known that Celery is 
almost an aquatic, and good drenchings of water may 
be given with great advantage, but in dry windy 
weather accompanied with sunshine, these drenchings 
are positively injurious and often lead to what one is 
very desirous of avoiding. Instead of daily drench¬ 
ings, we prefer to give a good watering and then to 
carefully mulch the surface with half-rotten leaves, 
or mowings of grass, or manure which is well 
decayed, which answers as well; indeed, we prefer 
the latter. 
At planting time we give a good soaking of water 
and carefully mulch the plants ; one or two soakings 
after this we have found abundant, in some of the driest 
districts of England. In northern and colder districts 
one good soaking of manure water after the plants 
have begun to grow is generally enough, but the state 
of the sub-soil and the amount of rainfall should be 
the guide in applying water. While we have planted 
Celery well into August in warm southern districts, 
and had good supplies from them, in cold and 
northern latitudes we do not find it profitable to plant 
later than the middle of July. We plant single rows 
for the first supply and generally two or three kinds, 
and for the main crop make ridges which take four 
l'ovrs about 8 ins. or more from plant to plant. There 
is much saving in this method. On a small space 
great quantities can be grown, and cropping between 
is easily practised. When the last earthing is given, 
the soil may be made circular, throwing off winter- 
rains to the sides. Dustings of lime as the Celery 
grows, or a watering over-head with lime water, will 
keep the plant tolerably free from vermin. During 
the winter much mischief is often done by leaving the 
protecting material on after a thaw has taken place, 
thus causing the Celery to rot in the hearts. A few 
dozen may be lifted when frost is anticipated, stood 
on their ends close together in a shed or out-house, 
protected with straw, &c.' Straw is a good protector 
for plants in the open ground, but it should be removed 
as soon as a thaw sets in.—If. T. 
Show and Fancy Pansies. —The fine strain of 
Pansies for which the Pinkhill Nursery of Messrs. K. 
B. Laird & Sons has for so. many years been famous, 
was well represented at the Begent’s Park Show last 
week. The Messrs. Laird sent up some five dozen 
blooms, which, for them fine size, bright and perfect 
colouring, and perfect form, were much admired by 
many besides Pansy fanciers, and who fain would 
grow these bright and showy blossoms if the climate 
about the Metropolis were only a. little more favour¬ 
able to their cultivation. Among the fancy varieties 
we were particularly struck with the merits of one of 
the firm’s new introductions of the present season, 
Mary Anderson, a flower -of fine size, with the dark 
velvety blotch edged with deep yellow, and the upper 
petals bluish-purple, with a narrow edge of white. 
Prince Edward is a brilliant dark purple, and all the 
petals were edged with white. Amongst the yellows, 
Harry Yeitch -was especially fine; and Joseph 
Fleming, a rich maroon, yellow edged, and the upper 
petals violet-purple, was especially pleasing. For a 
white self My Lady carries the palm, its dense violet 
blotch being very striking. The Mahdi is a rich dark 
self, and B. Glasgow Brown a large yellow, with 
purple belt. 
BALSAM CULTURE IN THE 
OPEN AIR. 
In the paper you quote on Balsams at page 669, 
it is stated that the soil in which these are planted 
out-doors should be deeply dug and well manured. 
Having had many years of Balsam culture in the 
open ground, and seen the results of diverse systems 
of culture, I have found ample reason to disagree 
with the advice you quote. The Balsam is a gross 
feeder, especially when under pot culture. There¬ 
fore the writer seems to have, jumped hastily to the 
conclusion that a plant which needs rich soil and 
ample feeding in pots must need similar treatment 
when grown freely in the open ground. The contrac¬ 
tion or freedom of root action makes all the difference, 
for whilst plants with restricted root space will pre¬ 
sently be induced to bloom most abundantly, plants in 
the open, having ample root space, and specially if as 
advised in rich soil, will grow into dense masses of 
stem and leafage, and bloom relatively but moderately, 
that bloom being smothered in growth and leaves. 
Thinning of the shoots and leafage too often fails 
in such case to remedy this defect, because the plants 
have too much headway, and fail to set bloom 
freely. My plan is to dibble out plants in rows some 
14 ins. apart, taking them when strong direct from the 
seed-bed, and not potting them at all. When they have 
been potted and thus favoured, even in rather poor 
ground, I have found the same inducement created to 
grow into dense bushes, indeed should the summer 
prove wet the same result happens almost in any case, 
I am -writing, however, of culture and growth for 
ordinary seasons, and experience shows that plants 
thus dibbled out and not encouraged to make too much 
root-action early, begin to show bloom early, carry 
more bloom in proportion to leafage, this bloom is 
finely displayed, and the plants continue to bloom 
freely until the close of the summer. Let those who 
contemplate growing Balsams as bedding plants try 
both ways, dibbling and planting|out of pots, but in 
any case avoid heavily-manured soil.— Z. 
—— 
THE COLUMBINE. 
Why Columbine ? it may be asked. It would 
appear that the English name of the Aquilegia is 
derived from the Latin columba, a pigeon, from the 
resemblance of its nectaries to the heads of pigeons 
in a ring round a dish, a favourite device of 
ancient artists. Then from whence comes the generic 
name of Aquilegia ? Well, that comes from Aquila, 
an eagle, from the fancied resemblance of the same 
parts of the flower to the claw of the king of birds. 
And it would seem that the plant was formerly called 
Hcrba leonis, from a belief that it was the favourite 
herb of the lion. I was greatly impressed with the 
beauty of the Aquilegias when visiting Messrs. Sutton 
& Son’s Seed Trial Grounds, at Beading, a few days 
ago. There they were to be seen in large patches 
of different types, and some of the golden hybrids and 
seedlings of A. coerulea were very handsome indeed. 
Then there are double and single varieties, and it is 
difficult to say which one admires most, only that the 
double forms are much more lasting than the single 
ones. Time was when not a few florists were greatly 
attached to the Columbine, especially the double 
forms, and made great progress with the improvement 
of them, but their work appears to have fallen away 
to a great extent. There are yet evidences that the 
Aquilegia is receiving more attention than it did a few 
years ago ; one of these was furnished by what I saw 
at Beading, and I know that Messrs. Carter & Co. 
grow some beautiful varieties in their large seed-farms 
in Essex, for I have seen them there. 
The Columbine of our gardens represents the many 
varieties that have been raised from A. vulgaris, the 
original species, which is a native of Great Britain. 
It is said to be rarely found now in a wild state. Then 
there are several imported species of great beauty. 
They are all classed under the general head of hardy 
herbaceous perennials, but some of the introduced 
species are not nearly so hardy as the varieties of 
A. vulgaris. These last can be grown in any good 
garden soil, and they are easily propagated by root- 
division or by seeds; and I would advise every lover 
of these beautiful flowers to grow a few seedlings 
annually, for it is a very pleasant occupation. 
