262 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 22, 1900. 
is a white halo and a mauve ring that tips the ray 
petals, is one of the most attractive and strongest; 
Nancy Cherry is named after an old Brighton 
cbaracer, who was known under that designa'ion. 
It is one of the large-flowered singles, and is bronzy- 
gold. Gus Harris (small flowered) is mauve, and 
has an orange disc. Old Gold is a seedling from 
Scarlet Gem, and has the same habit as the latter 
variety. Pretty is pure white; Earlswood Glory, 
pure white, large sized even for its class ; Yellow 
Giant, very fine ; Framfield Beauty, bright purple ; 
Sarah Wells is a very persistent bloomer, and if the 
withered flowers on the top shoots are cut whenever 
they are past the bottom shoots continue to 
flower. The colour is rose-mauve. Purity is 
another large and distinct white. Miss Ellen Terry 
is bright amaranth ; Euchaiis, so named because of 
the form and colour of its blooms, and Buff Prince, 
a reddish-buff variety of merit. Besides these good 
singles, the “ decorative” varieties, which are meant 
to imply the spidery, thread petalled and bouton¬ 
niere sections, are all grown to perfection at Earls¬ 
wood. 
■ - -*•- 
SALADS. 
These are one of the most essential things the gar¬ 
dener has to supply forhisemployer.and with care and 
forethought he need never be lacking in having some 
to send up. If preparation was made some time four 
months back as regards the seed sowing of such 
salads as Endive, Winter Cos Lettuce, etc., these 
should by now have been taken up and housed in 
some cold frames or laid in soil of the cool orchard 
house, keeping them dry as far as possible, giving 
them just enough water to keep them from flagging. 
Where a sheltered spot was chosen for them to stand 
the winter these will not hurt, as a little dry bracken 
flung over ou a sharp frosty night will help to pre¬ 
serve them. The past week or two of damp weather 
has caused a few failures with those left out, as 
damp is quite as much an enemy to them as frost. 
" Marche d'ltalie,” better known as Lamb's Lettuce, 
comes useful as a change for the salad bowl. When 
in growth it resembles the blue Forget-me-not 
(Myosotis). Chickory and Dandelion also may be 
used if placed in soil within the Mushroom house, 
covering the crowns to a depth of 6 or S io., to well 
bleach it. Salads are a great feature with' the 
French. Even the humblest of our French brethren 
never fails to have his plot of salad ground. Mustard 
and Cress may be sown at intervals of about ten 
days. — S. Jordan, Frythesden Gardens, Great Berhham- 
sted. 
Knu»aa00GJ ■ ■ - ■'*“ 
NARCISSUS TRUMPET MAJOR. 
To flower the above by the end of November, when 
it is appreciated more than at any other time of 
the year, pot up five in a 48-sizsd pot half filled with 
crocks, using a rich porous compost. Before 
plunging the pots in ashes or fibre give a good water¬ 
ing. When the bulbs are well rooted gradually 
expose to light, and then place in greenhouse temper¬ 
ature. Bulbs potted in this way will gain about a 
week or ten days on those potted in the ordinary 
way. The idea of half filling the pots with crocks, 
is that the crocks retain the moisture, so that the 
roots can easily get at it. Another very important 
item is that of getting good sound bulbs. French are 
to be preferred before Dutch. Trumpet Major is 
considered by many people to be a difficult 
Narcissus to flower early, but by never letting the 
bulbs feel the want of water and not putting them in 
too high a temperature they will be found to flower 
satisfactorily.— B. Fleming, junr., Wexham Park, 
Slough, Bucks. 
ASPARAGUS BEDS, 
If net already taken in hand, should be as soon as 
possible. I should like to mention a method I have 
seen carried out for some years with excellent results. 
When ready in the autumn cut down, leaving 
sufficient of the old stalks, so as to ascertain where 
the roots are, but before manuring and making up 
draw as much soil from the bed as possible without 
interfering with the roots; then give a good layer of 
short well decayed manure. Leave the beds at this, 
after loosening up the soil in the alleys and making 
tidy until it has had a few good soakings of rain. 
Chcosing a fine day the beds might then be shaped 
u*\ throwing sufficient crumblings to cover the 
manure. By this method the beds are kept at the same 
height and the roots do not become buried deeper— 
a cause from which the roots often rot, more so in 
my opinion than from frost. On light soil it seems 
quite unnecessary to form beds for this delicious 
vegetable, providing the ground is well dug and 
manured. The roots can be planted on the level, as 
it retains the moisture better during summer, 
mulching with manure as stated above or dressing 
with chemicals now, or early spring, according to 
their natures. For instance, if Thomson’s Fertiliser 
and nitrate of soda were the two selected, the first 
named I should apply now, the latter in early spring. 
— W. Waite, South-fields. 
■ t » - 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS TO CHRISTMAS 
May be had in abundance by observing a few simple 
rules and selecting suitable varieties. I do not say one 
word against large blooms for exhibition or specimen 
glasses; but this season outdoor flowers have been 
good up to mid-November, which caused ’Mums at 
their ordinary season to be less appreciated ; and 
that gardener, who has plenty coming to Christmas, 
will succeed this year. Souv. de Petite Amie is a 
good white, and may be had from mid-November to 
the new year by growing three batches, the first on 
crown buds, the second on lateral buds, and the next 
batch on second laterals or third buds. The latter 
two batches, if allowed to carry three to four buds, 
removing the central-terminal bud, will produce 
pretty little sprays. Source d’Or is an admirable 
variety, with graceful orange-brown flowers. Faus- 
tine is a beautiful variety with peach shaded cream 
flowers. Nearly all the decorative section lend 
themselves to the above treatment.— Henry H. Gibson, 
The Gardens, Glencairn, Belfast.. 
FORCED ASPARAGUS 
At this time of year (and we have been cutting for 
the past fortnight) is a luxury, and entails a lot ot 
labour if anything like a supply has to be kept up,but 
no forced vegetable is more highly prized than Aspar¬ 
agus. It is easily brought on after this date. As 
with Seakale and Rhubarb various methods are 
adopted by gardeners, but I do not think the old 
hot-bed system can well be beaten, though a pit 
having a 3-in. hot-water pipe running along the front 
is useful in case hard frost sets in. It is then when 
we find the former a bit slack, but we rely upon this 
hot-bed of leaves and a little long strawy litter in 
Devonshire. We collect Beech, Oak, and Sweet 
Chestnut leaves as soon as they can be got, throwing 
the same up into a big heap for ten days or so. 
When making the hot-bed allow 2 ft. more space all 
around than a four, two, or three light box will 
occupy. For lining, in case the heat subsides, let 
the bsd be 18 in. or so higher at the back, so as to 
get all the sun possible, placing the box slightly in¬ 
clined to south-east. Three or more year old roots 
are best for forcing, placing 4 to 6 in. of light soil or 
leaf mould at the bottom and above the roots, keep¬ 
ing the lights closed until growth appears, when a 
little air is beneficial on all favourable occasions. A 
bo tom heat of 6o° will suffice. Where forcing is 
practised yearly a few ozs. of teed should be sown 
thinly each spring, transplanting same the following 
April 2 ft. by 1 ft.— J. Mayne, Bicton. 
-<«•- 
ORDERING SEEDS. 
In a very short time the seed lists of the various 
nurserymen will be in our hands. It has, therefore, 
occurred to me that a few hints on that important 
subject might be of interest. A great many gar¬ 
deners I know leave the dispatch of the seed order 
till the last minute, as I might say ; then they 
grumble if they do not get their supplies at once. I 
need hardly point out the unfairness of this method 
to the nurseryman. When a great many orders 
arrive at once late in the season it stands to reason 
that some one must wait. I therefore say send in 
the order by the middle of January, and then it will 
receive the very best attention, and you will receive 
your seeds in plenty of time, and, therefore, cause no 
worry either to yourself or your seedsman. Another 
reason for obtaining your seeds early is the advan¬ 
tage you can take to get them in whenever the 
ground is suitable for the various crops. Our 
climate is so erratic that the successful gardener 
must be ready to ulilise every opportunity. How is 
be to do so iif he has not the seeds brside him ? 
Several varieties of seeds, too, ought to be sown by 
the end of January, such as Begonia, Gloxinia, and 
Tomato, also Cyclamen if not done in autumn. 
There is one other inducement to order early ; that 
is, if you do so you get the best of everything. To¬ 
wards the end of the season there is sometimes diffi¬ 
culty in procuring certain popular favourites, ard 
the late comer has to be content with substitutes.— 
Chas. Blair, Binny, Uphall, N.B. 
BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 
On the dictum that too much cannot be said about 
a good thing, I once more refer to the above. The 
numerous beautiful examples to be seen this season 
are evidence that its cultural requirements no longer 
remain a mystery. However, as Adam V. Main 
asks a question, the answer to which may be of 
general interest, I will give my experience. The 
question, *’ Treatment of plants after they have done 
blooming." The first difficulty is they seem never to 
have done blooming, and it is a great mistake to cut 
the plants back until quite late in the spring. If 
they are allowed to go on without stopping or cutting 
back, the buds at the base will remain dormant until 
it seems natural for them to start into growth which 
does not flower, and it is these short shoots taken 
when they have made three or four leaves that make 
the best cuttings. The plants should be kept in a 
moderate stove temperature throughout the winter, 
and have a light open position and careful attention 
to watering. Good cuttings taken in April will 
make fine plants for the following autumn. I have 
found that cutting back only induces the plants to 
break away into new flowering growth, and is a loss 
rather than a gain. I may mention that it is not 
always that this Begonia will give good cuttings; 
those propagated from shoots after they begin to 
show flower do not break so freely as those grown 
from leaf cuttings, or the short growths which have 
no flower buds when they are propagated.— A. 
Hemsley. 
NOTICE OF BOOK. 
A Handy Book of Horticulture. An introduc¬ 
tion to the Theory and Practice of Gardening. 
By F. C. Hayes, M.A., Rector of Raheny, 
Lecturer in Practical Horticulture in Alexandra 
College, Dublin. With Illustrations. London : 
John Murray, Albemarle Street. 1900. Price 
2s. 6d. net. 
The book runs to 225 pages, including a good index, 
and the printing is in large type, on thick paper, so 
that the unaided eye can easily read it. The author 
in his pretace states that he writes more particularly 
for the benefit of amateurs and those young men 
who are placed in sole charge of small gardens, 
who have little aptitude for gardening, and no train¬ 
ing, and who look in vain to their employers for 
teaching or suggestions of any kind.” This young 
man is, we believe, a very common one, and we can 
but regret that so many start life in fin occupation 
for which they have no aptitude, or what is more 
likely, who take no trouble to turn their intelligence 
to account by reading books or gardening papers for 
instruction in the line to which they have turned 
their hand, haphazard as it were. The author 
thinks there is a demand for a simple book of horti¬ 
culture suitable for the class of men just named, and 
we hope there is, for it would be a pleasing sign that 
this particular young man is waking up. Gardeners 
who have spent years in studying the profession, 
practically and theoretically, would not, of course, 
admit this class within the pale of the profession. 
He has his duties, however, and should be educated. 
The author is also a lecturer on horticulture and 
takes this means of assisting his audience and 
others. 
Several illustrations, and diagrams are interspersed 
with the text, some of the former being beautifully 
executed reproductions of photographs, full page, on 
separate paper, interleaved with the text. Groups 
of Rodgersia and Bamboo, sffigle white Paeonies, 
Wistaria sinensis, Gunnera manicata and the Water 
Lily Pond in the Trinity College Botanic Gardens, 
Dublin, are certainly very interesting. 
The reader, before he or she has dipped very 
deeply into the subject, will find that this Dublin 
rector is a great enthusiast in his hobby, as was John 
Lawrence, M.A., Rector of Yelverstoft, North¬ 
amptonshire, mentioned in our last week's issue. 
The author of the present book is not discouraged 
