February 27, 1904. 
THE HARDENING WOULD 
11 
Leeks 
Few vegetables excite more interest or are more generally 
admired than a well-grown dish of perfectly-blanched Leeks 
when exhibited at our autumn and winter exhibitions. The 
honour of bringing these to the high state of perfection in which 
we now often see them must certainly belong to our Scotch 
friends, and even now they are generally better grown in the 
north than further south. Many are under the impression 
that it is owing to more favourable climatic conditions, but 
depend upon it, by giving the same care and attention, we 
can produce them here equally well. Leeks, in my opinion, 
can hardly be grown too large, providing, of course, they are 
perfectly finished, and this applies both for exhibition and 
home use. I am well aware that a. great many people argue 
that it is so much waste, but I often wonder where the waste 
conies in, and if these critics have ever attempted to grow 
them properly, or have ever passed an unbiassed opinion on 
these and those grown in the ordinary way after being cooked; 
if not, I most respectfully ask them to do so, and I venture 
to say a very different conclusion will be arrived at. 
Leeks, like Onions, require a long season of growth. For¬ 
tunately, the plant is perfectly hardy, the most severe frosts 
we experience doing them no harm. Consequently, it form's 
one of our most valuable and important winter vegetables. 
The seed should be sown at once in shallow boxes, and raised in 
a gentle heat of from 50 deg. to 55 deg., and immediately 
the young plants are large enough these should be pricked 
off into other boxes 3 in. to 3i in. apart, using a. compost 
of loam two parts, and one part each of well-decayed leaf-soil, 
horse droppings, and sufficient road grit to keep it open, and 
grow on in the same temperature for some time to come. A 
free, quick growth is all important, especially in. the early 
stages, though an undue amount of forcing should not be 
indulged in; no harm will happen to them if they become 
slightly drawn. It is a capital plan about every ten days or a 
fortnight to shorten back the flags with a short knife. Spray 
over the plants with tepid water two or three times during 
the day when the weather is bright, but strictly guard against 
excessive moisture at the roots till the plants become well 
established. By the middle or end of March these should 
have made good strong plants, and ready for transferring 
to a cool pit or cold frames, and gradually harden, preparatory 
to planting out in their permanent quarters by about the 
middle of April. 
Good trenches should he prepared much in the same way as 
for Celery, which should be at least 2 ft. in depth, and filled 
to within 6 in. of the top with good half-decayed horse and cow 
droppings, jm equal proportions, on which should be placed 
from 3 in. to 4 in. of the best of the soil taken from the trench. 
Fortunately, the Leek is not at all fastidious as to the nature 
of the soil, providing a. liberal amount of manure is provided 
for the roots to ramble in. Choose a calm day for planting ; 
lift with as good a ball as possible, using a garden trowel for 
the purpose; plant, in single rows 1 ft. apart; make moderately 
ffini, and thoroughly water in, allowing a distance of 3 ft. from 
row to row. Every inducement should be afforded the plants 
to recover from the.slight check experienced as speedily as 
possible. Should cold, cutting winds prevail, a slight shelter 
should be temporarily erected on the side the wind is blowing, 
and unless April showers are fairly prevalent, damp overhead 
m early afternoon. Indeed, all through the summer months 
a shower bath in the afternoon, especially during hot, bright 
weather, will prove very beneficial, and abundance of water, 
both clear and in a. liquid manure form, must be applied to the 
roots. 
Blanching.-—This is probably the most important item in 
connection with good Leek culture, and requires great care to 
cany out efficiently. Good specimens, when lifted, should 
have a blanched stem from 12 in. to 18 in., and from G in. 
to 8 in. in circumference, and the stem should be of a uniform 
thickness throughout, without any apparent sign of bulbing, 
and free from any trace of grit between the skins. 
To attain this length, it will be necessary to commence the 
blanching operation soon after they are planted out, and this 
is best done with paper collars, which are specially made for 
the purpose, or these can be manufactured at home, which will 
answer the purpose equally well. Gradually draw up the 
collars as the plants run, placing sufficient fine soil to exclude 
light and air to the bottom of the collar, repeating this till the 
desired height is attained, finally banking up plenty of soil to 
the top. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Sweet Peas. 
The time is at band wlien the main supply must be sown, 
although at the present moment the soil is in such a deplor¬ 
ably wet condition that to sow in the open, would be folly. 
Most strongly would I urge readers to sow in pots at once 
and stand in a cold frame, or in a position where they will 
not get washed out. 
Where large quantities are grown, and lack of pots and time 
prevents the usual method of placing half a dozen seeds in a 
pot, I advise sowing thickly in pots and boxes and standing in 
any sheltered corner. 
The seedlings when 4 in. high may be pricked out in their 
positions quite easily, but they must be dibbled in, so that 
the radicle may be run straight down. 
To- curl up the roots of Sweet Peas when planting generally 
ends in disaster, whereas, if planted with a, dibbler, they prac¬ 
tically all grow, and equal those sown in the open ground. 
Some may—indeed, many clo—say that Sweet Peas cannot 
be pricked out, but, being a large grower, and cultivating 
about sixty varieties annually, including- every novelty ob¬ 
tainable, I can back my statements by facts. 
Having lost hundreds of plants through the depredations 
of the slugs last season, I do not intend to sow any seed out 
in position this .spring; rather would I spend a few hours in 
tire evening pricking out the seedlings after shaking them 
out of the pots. 
Exhibitors need not fear the. method, for last season I showed 
sixty bunches (non-competitive), and other growers in the dis¬ 
trict, including trade, could not exhibit a single bunch owing 
to the havoc wrought by constant rains. 
The treatment of tlie soil for Sweet Peas is so well known 
that it need not be dilated upon. My own heavy loam is 
bastard trenched, with a little rotten dung worked in, followed 
by a dressing of superphosphate. After the plants have got 
under way they receive a sprinkling of nitrate of soda, and 
scrubby short sticks are provided, previous to' placing the 
tall stuff. 
Buds are not allowed to remain until at least 2 ft. has been 
attained, but if the plants have 4 in. or 5 in. of space a-piece 
they generally get away strongly before showing bud. For 
exhibition the flowers must not be allowed to. develop much 
until shortly before the show, and it is an advantage to' pinch 
out tlie tops of the plants when 3 ft. high. If an exhibitor 
hopes to stand well in the prize list Ire must cultivate some of 
the newest varieties', and having cultivated the whole of the fol¬ 
lowing twenty-four, save the three first, which, however, I have 
seen both on the exhibition table at Shrewsbury and in the 
raiser’s own grounds at Wean, I can vouch for their merit for 
the purpose. I nofte that a speaker at the Dulwich. Chrysan¬ 
themum Society recommends growing both Dorothy Eckford 
and Blanche Burpee in. a collection of eighteen varieties, and 
also Salopian and King Edward VII., which to my mind is 
quite out of order. 
Plainly Speaking, my selection of the finest twenty-four 
varieties is: Scarlet Gem, a great grower, and a remarkable 
colour. At threepence a seed this novelty is cheap. Mar¬ 
chioness of Cholmondeiley, absolutely the largest flower I have 
seen and of exquisite colour. Mrs. Knights Smith, a beauti¬ 
ful new pink, unlike any I have seen, although the description 
of Countess 'Spencer resemble® it somewhat; the latter, how¬ 
ever, is given to sporting, and, considering tlie smallness of 
the stock planted last spring, I am wondering whether the 
Countess will not “sport” even more during the coming 
