344 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 18, 1893. 
to the industry of the coming spring. Pat, plump, round, 
woolly-looking, incipient growths cluster at the bases of last 
year’s, leafy fronds;, and await only the true stimulus of that 
Vernal time which shall impel them forward (enemies per¬ 
mitting) towards maturity, when they will, doubtless, become 
the cynosure of all admiring eye®. 
To "the ears, also, there is a music and a. rhythm borne of 
that progression; for, where there is growth there must be 
movement, and where movement, sounds, however inaudible^ 
must be delicately attuned. It is Nature’s; way ; and I feel 
sure that there must be some vague, indefinable abstract re¬ 
lationship between the cultivator and the plants he cultivates. 
Having now dealt in a very discursive manner with some 
of the leading varieties of the common ITarts-tongue, it only 
remains to me to indicate their culture, which I hope to* do m 
another paper. C. B. Green. 
Acton, W. 
Amaryllis at Sefton Park. 
Amongst the; many specialities grown for the; adornment of 
the large Palm house, the Hippeastrums. are, perhaps the 
most admired for their large and beautiful blooms, which are 
shown to; advantage; by the style of staging m the bank form, 
with an abundance of greenery of the Spiraea, and the back- 
mound of huge Palms, Tree Ferns., etc. There can be no 
doubt but this season’s exhibit is. the best yet arranged by Mr. 
H. Herbert, superintendent of the Liverpool parks and gardens. 
The; bulbs are' grown in pots varying from 41, in. to 6 in., and 
it. is surprising the size of bulb from so small a. portion of 
compost. Each bulb produces one or two spikes, carrying 
from four to eight blooms, but these are best thinned down to 
four or five to prevent overcrowding, which mars the beauty 
of the flower. . 
In colour they vary from an intense rich crimson to whites, 
with small stripes of pink; many are of large size and good 
form, being nearly round, with the edge of the petals being 
slio-btly reflexed, which adds greatly to the appearance. After 
blooming, special attention is given to provide large, solid 
bulbs for next season’s work. This is done by plunging m 
some suitable material, in. which the roots delight, making 
dense masses over the rim of the pots. No water is gn en 
more than can be obtained from the mixture in which they 
are plunged. To show the great strain that the bulbs under¬ 
go, in producing the flowers, the bulb shrinks until it becomes 
soft with a shrivelled skin, leaving a cavity between the bulb 
and compost. About 1,500 plants are grown, so that the 
display will be continued for some time, and should 
continue to attract large numbers of visitors, the bouse being- 
open free every day, Sundays included. 
Carrots. 
This much-esteemed vegetable, which in heavy soils is a, 
rather uncertain crop, is oftentimes sown more as a. matter 
of form than for its use; not to. say the crop is not requiied, 
but that they turn, out a. lot of burst-open stumps, or that they 
are destroyed at an early stage by the Carrot Fly, or, as is 
the more common, term, "go off with the worm” from year to 
year, and the conclusion arrived at is ; “ This ground is no. 
good for Carrot growing.” 
Where these results; are the case it is a good plan to make 
up a good large heap of soil composed of sand, lime rubbish, 
leaf-mould, finely-sifted ashes, both wood and coal, peat, old 
potting soil, and visit, the garden rubbish-heap and procure 
the siftings, from a ^-in. sieve, in a fair quantity for the mix¬ 
ture, adding a good dusting of soot. 
When this has been all mixed a quantity may be wheeled 
on to the Carrot ground and well worked with a, fork into the 
soil, after which it should be drawn up in. good deep ridges at 
least as deep as the distance apart will allow, when the remain¬ 
ing- part of the mixture should be used to make the furrows 
level with the ridges;, after which rake it over finely, and draw 
shallow drills on the top of the furrows to receive the seed, 
and after sowing cover slightly with some fine soil, and on 
'completing the bed give a dusting over with soot. When the 
Carrots appear, give a. watering with soot-water and a dress¬ 
ing with superphosphate, choosing a wet day for the operations, 
and the foliage a dusting with soot or wood ashes occasionally. 
When thinning do not do> it too early and not severely ; better 
do it at frequent intervals (and latterly the thinnings will be of 
use) until the desired distance is secured ; after each thinning, 
give; a dressing of superphosphate and soot, well watering it in 
and keeping the hoe well at work between the rows. 
For varieties for this work the stump-rooted are preferable. 
If the Carrot-bed has been deeply dug previously and the 
former rules adhered to no doubt the roots will be both useful 
and presentable. There is also the method of making holes 
and filling with light soil, but on heavy ground it means a lot 
of treading and time. J- R. B. 
The Nurserymen, Market Gardeners' and 
General Hailstorm Insurance Corporation, 
Limited. 
The eighth ordinary meeting of the above was held at the 
offices of the corporation, 41 and 42, King Street, Covent Garden, 
London, W.C., on April 3rd. 
Report. 
The directors have much pleasure in submitting to the share¬ 
holders their eighth annual report on the business of the 
corporation for the year ending February 23rd, 1903, together 
with the audited accounts. 
Hailstorms. —On May 8th a severe hailstorm passed over the 
Newmarket district, when considerable damage was done by the 
hail and frost. 
In the month of July a hailstorm visited Ipswich, when 
damage was done to glasshouses and crops. 
On September 10th a hailstorm of extraordinary severity did 
an immense amount of damage between Tunbridge Wells and 
Maidstone. The damage to glass and crops was estimated at 
quite £100,030. At Nettlestead hailstones were found lying 
two feet deep, some of the stones being six inches in cir¬ 
cumference. 
On January 3rd of this year hailstorms visited many parts of 
the country, among which may be mentioned Maidstone, where 
hailstones fell for fully ten minutes ; Reading; Bownham 
Park ; Minchinham.pton, where windows were broken; and 
Wdenfawr, near Carnarvon, where every pane of glass in some 
of the houseg was shattered. 
These, and other hailstorms, have resulted in a considerable 
addition to the number of insurers, including private cultivators 
as well as the trade. 
The directors are glad to find that., owing to the fact that the 
corporation settle all claims promptly in cash, and guarantees to’ 
allow insurers to replace immediately their own glass, large 
numbers of glassowners are valuing their glass at 6d. instead of 
at 3d. per square foot, thus wholly or partially covering the 
value of the contents of their glasshouses, and also increasing 
the premium income. 
As shown by the revenue account, the balance of profit for the 
year is £2,114 6s. 3d., which, added to the balance brought 
forward from the previous year, leaves £2,600 18s. lid. available 
for disposal. 
The directors are pleased to be able to recommend the pay¬ 
ment of a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum for the 
past year on the paid-up capital, free of income tax, and also 
a bonus of 2g per cent., amounting altogether to £750 ; and they 
suggest that a sum of £1,220 be placed to reserve fund, thus 
making up the reserves to £6,000 ; and that the balance of 
£630 18s. lid. be carried forward. 
The directors are much gratified with the continued success, 
increased strength, and satisfactory growth of the corporation 
as the result of the past year’s business, and desire to express 
their cordial thanks to the various representatives of the corpora¬ 
tion for their efforts during the year. 
Messrs. James Backhouse, Thomas Hamilton, William Iceton, 
Peter E. Kay, George May, and Henry B. May retire from the. 
Board in accordance with the articles Of association, and being 
eligible, they offer themselves for re-election. 
The auditors, Messrs. Baker, Sutton and Co., members of the 
Institute of Chartered Accountants, retire, and, being eligible,; 
offer themselves for re-election. 
