290 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 7, 18S3- 
EUCHARIS ALWAYS 
GROWING. 
It is the custom of many cultivators to withhold 
water and even to place their plants in a cooler 
house after flowering, to induce them to go to rest; 
and after continuing in this dormant condition for a 
time they are then brought back into heat. This 
practice is never pursued by Mr. G. Reynolds, gar¬ 
dener to the Messrs, de Rothschild, at Gunnersbury 
Park, Acton, yet he never fails to get plentiful sup¬ 
plies of flowers. For some time previous to Christ¬ 
mas a succession of flowers was being produced, as 
well as a supply for Christmas. 
The plants are always kept in the same stove from 
one year’s end to the other, without any variation in 
temperature, except that between tbe night and day 
temperature for the different seasons of the year, in 
fact just those variations which are customary. 
Under this treatment the plants keep on growing and 
flowering at all times. Probably the bulbs never 
all flower at the same time; but the mere fact of 
their keeping up a succession of bloom is quite satis¬ 
factory inasmuch as a supply is always to hand for cut 
flower purposes. A bed of fermenting leaves is 
made up, and through this runs a flow and a return 
pipe from the main pipes heating the body of the 
house. The fermenting leaves and the hot water 
pipes therefore maintain a regular and appreciable 
bottom heat. The pots are stood on the surface of 
the bed, not plunged in it; but after having stood 
for some weeks in this position, they gradually sink 
into it more or less, thus making up for the decline 
of heat in the leaves. 
The secret of success Mr. Reynolds considers to be 
the pot bound state of the roots. There is very 
little soil in the pots, the space being chiefly occupied 
by roots and bulbs; the latter are pushing one 
another up out of the pots. The bulbs are fed 
chiefly with soot water and a little weak liquid 
manure. The foliage is of a rich dark green and 
always appears healthy. Should the Eucharis mite 
ever be present it never succeeds in undermining the 
health of the plants nor in reducing the amount of 
healthy foliage. This status has been maintained 
for a considerable number of years, so that no plea 
can be made out against the suitability of the treat¬ 
ment. 
GARDENERS IN COUNCIL. 
(Cominued from p. 277.) 
Carnations. 
This being one of the best of the florist’s flowers it 
does seem to me a great pity that it has not a wider 
cultivation, and that in nine cases out of ten where 
it is taken in hand that it is doomed to be grown in 
masses. To me the greatest enjoyment of flowers is 
their endless variation, and to come upon them as 
it were unexpectedly and in spots where least expected. 
This of course applies especially to 'such things as 
may be grown outdoors, it is therefore easy to 
understand why beds and masses of the Carnation 
do not commend themselves to every one. Com¬ 
parisons are odious, consequently unless all your 
varieties are equal in point of perfection, both as 
to form and colour, some must suffer ; whereas if 
planted in small groups all would come in for a full 
share of admiration and enjoyment. 
Although I believe there is an endless amount of 
pleasure to bs obtained from the cultivation of the 
Carnation, I cannot go so far as to say that I should 
prefer one plant to a gold watch set with diamonds. 
Possibly this is my bad taste, which I often feel has 
but little distinction for anything that appears good 
and beautiful; it has in fact, to be honest, a morbid 
craving for the possession of all of them, and while 
at present I find it impossible to attain the one I 
have the good sense to be content with the other. 
Mr. Landsdale gives us an idea of what a perfect 
Carnation should be. It has always been a mystery 
to me why, in flowers—and I have that same opinon 
as regards animals—these limits to perfection should 
be so placed. To me a flower that, taken as a whole, 
is pleasing and beautiful to the eye is in itself simply 
perfection. 
Many of our most beautiful acquisitions are dis¬ 
carded because they have blemishes either in form 
or marking, which are said should not appear in 
perfect flowers. Yet these very flowers would more 
than gladden the heart of such a poor judge of perfec¬ 
tion as myself, I should like to say a few words as to 
the dressing of flowers for exhibition. There is 
nothing which offends my eye so much, and which I 
consider tends to destroy the perfect, especially in a 
Carnation flower, as this pernicious dressing ; it 
certainly gives to * the flowers an uniform and 
symmetrical’appearance.and so does the garb provid¬ 
ed by our wise authorities for those who find them 
selves compelled to take shelter in our Unions, and 
either is j ust as pleasing and natural as the other. Had 
nature considered this necessary to perfection, depend 
upon itj'the petals would have beenj so dressed 
without any artificial aid. This treatment should, to 
my mind, be in every way discouraged, as tending 
to destroy all that is natural and artistic in the for¬ 
mation of the flower. 
Daffodils. 
The paper of Mr. Hope’s not only contained much 
instruction as to the best varieties to cultivate and 
the best recognised modes of doing so, but came 
somewhat as a charm and led us as it were quite out 
of ourselves into the realm of love and beauty which 
had been created so to speak for this most charming 
of all our spring flowers by the olden time poets, 
of which they seemed never tired of singing. To 
flowersjof any kind these old world legends seem to 
add undoubted charms, and if were possible make 
them appear even more lovely than they are. With 
the Daffodil this would seem hardly possible ; coming 
as it does in the early spring tide when outside 
flowers are rare, it cannot fail to awaken a sense of 
of endless joy that speaks of winter past and summer 
joystocome. No garden, however small, can be perfect 
without the charm even of one single clump of this 
lovely flower to gladden the heart and eyes of its 
possessor, and to the cultivator for market its endless 
varieties present a most useful contingent, and must 
add greatly to the income of those who have the 
good sense and means to cultivate it in quantity. 
Wordsworth, in his “ Ode to Daffodils,” leads us 
to believe that its greatest charms lie in cultivating 
it in masses. I hope I may be forgiven if my taste 
tells me otherwise. Certainly when grown in this way 
they are a sight scarcely to be forgotten, but here the 
interest fades ; and to be as Keats says, “ A joy for 
ever,” they must be seen singly. My greatest charm 
in flowers of any kind is to come upon them in this 
way unexpectedly, in a sheltered nook, in the bend 
of a walk placed as it were by nature, blooming in 
all its peerless glory, and it is in this 'way I would 
lead the ordinary cultivator to grow them. Every 
one has not the space at his command to do this and 
must therefore be content to do otherwise, yet the 
charm need not be less on this account. The 
greatest charm in a small garden is not to have too 
much of one thing, and so make it monotonous, bnt 
rather to have variety, and this so arranged as to 
carry interest right through the whole year. In this 
way a small garden may be of endless joy and 
interest. 
Truly has Mr. Hope said the Daffodil is unsur¬ 
passed as a decorative flower. Especially so is this 
the case at the special season of its flowering, but as 
is the case with most flowers it requires carefully 
handling; like the Primrose it becomes hideous in 
large bunches crowded together as we mostly see 
them on the market stalls—pleasing probably to 
the lovers of mass and those who think only of the 
quantities they get for their money, but not so to 
those who love rather elegance and artistic arrange¬ 
ment. This applies specially to the Narcissus, but 
is true also of all flowers, and it is most pleasing to 
those who think so, to find the taste of our best 
florist tending in this direction. 
-—4-- 
VEGETABLES FOR EXHIBITION. 
POTATOS. 
In dealing with the Potato, it is important to have 
the sets thoroughly prepared in shallow boxes as 
soon as possible after the crop is lifted from the open 
ground. The sets, which should be of uniform size, 
and as large as a hen’s egg, should be placed on 
their ends with the eyes upwards, and put in a cool 
position where they will be safe from frost, and will 
receive as much light and air as it is possible to give 
them. In the early spring they will begin to grow, 
and on the top of each set will be found one strong 
stem, with probably several weaker ones. These 
* A paper read by Mr. James Gibson, gardener to Mrs. 
Berkeley James, The Oaks, Carshalion, at a recent meeting of 
the Croydon Gardeners' and Amateurs' Mutual Improvement 
Society. 
latter should be rubbed off, thus concentrating the 
sap towards the strong one. If the best results are 
desired Potatos for planting, especially for exhibition, 
should never be clamped or thrown together in a 
heap, as they are sure to sprout prematurely, this 
causing the stems to be weak, and the haulm to 
become a ready prey to the disease. By keeping 
them in boxes quite cool, with plenty of light and 
air and one strong stem, an excellent foundation is 
laid for a crop of exhibition tubers. The prepara¬ 
tion of the soil next demands attention. This is best 
done in the autumn, or early winter, by thoroughly 
trenching to the depth of two feet. If the bottom 
spit is not so good as the top it is better not brought 
to the surface. If the ground has been manured 
for the previous crop none will be required, but 
should it be in poor condition a dressing of leaf soil 
will be found beneficial. Fresh manure from the 
farmyard induces soft and sappy growth. It is much 
better to add to the soil such ingredients as will en¬ 
courage strong, stocky growth, with firm leathery 
foliage. Probably nothing better can be had for 
this purpose than a good dressing of wood ashes, 
and if the soil is heavy and stiff a sprinkling of hot 
lime just before forking the ground over will be of 
great service not only in improving the soil but in 
killing little insects. 
After the ground has been thoroughly forked over, 
the lines should be drawn to the depth of 6 in., and 
at least 3 ft. apart for strong sorts, and 3 in. less for 
smaller. The sets should not be planted closer in 
the lines than 2 ft., in fact 6 in. more would be better 
for robust sorts. This may seem waste of ground, 
but one cannot get well-formed tubers when they are 
planted closer, because the leaves are so crammed 
together that it is impossible for the sun and air to 
reach them, and if the leaves and stems are not 
properly matured it is impossible to have tubers of 
first-class quality. In many soils it is difficult to get 
the tubers with clear skins. When this is the case, 
wood ashes, burnt soil, and a little soot form an 
excellent mixture to place over the sets when plant¬ 
ing. Where the soil is of a light sandy loam, this 
is, perhaps, not required. The soil should be drawn 
over the sets in the form of a ridge, when nothing 
more will be required except keeping the ground well 
stirred and free from weeds till the haulm has 
reached the height of 9 in. or 10 in., when they 
should be finally earthed up. When lifting the crop 
great care is necessary not to prick any of the tubers, 
nor in rubbing off the skins. The tubers should be 
selected of a uniform size, and if the show is near at 
hand they should be carefully washed, before the 
soil becomes dry, with soap and water and a sponge. 
As soon as dry they should be wrapped in soft paper 
and placed in a drawer. As regards varieties, much 
depends on the season at which they are wanted. 
For early shows, Snowdrop and Sutton’s Seedling 
are two of the best, and 11 Satisfaction ” may be sown 
for later purposes. 
Peas. 
Many different ways are adopted in growing Peas 
for exhibition, but none is better than growing them 
in trenches prepared as if for Celery. The trenches 
should not be less than 2jft. deep, and the same in 
width, and filled in with well-rotted farmyard 
manure mixed with part of the soil taken from the 
trench. If plenty of wood ashes could be had they 
would be an excellent addition to the soil, as they 
generally contain potash, which the Pea is much 
benefitted by. Three inches of soil should be placed 
on the top of the manure, bringing up the trench 
level with the surface. As regards sowing, 
much will depend on the time they are wanted, but 
the careful exhibitor will seldom trust to one sowing 
of the variety he wants to exhibit, for the sea¬ 
sons vary so much that one sowing might either 
be too early, or, what is worse still, too late. It is 
best, therefore, to make two or three sowings at 
intervals of eight days. Three inches will be quite 
deep enough for the seed, and the Peas should not 
be closer than 2^in. They require plenty of 
room to develop, and in allowing plenty of room you 
not only get as many and more pods, but they are 
handsome and of better flavour. It is a good plan 
to pinch out the top of some of the stems after 
they have made three or four trusses of bloom, as 
the sap gets checked, and larger pods are obtained. 
Feeding should commence as soon as the pods 
begin to set, and may be continued as long as they 
throw up flower. The Peas like plenty of water, 
and should never get dry at the roots. Soot is an 
