122 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 11, 1905. 
here, but the Americans state that it is a marvel, being four 
to six times as large as the old form, the burrs containing live 
or six of these great nuts. It is a prolific bearer, and com¬ 
mences -when very young. 
Several American Peaches do well in this country, and per¬ 
haps the latest, named Juneripe, may suit us. In New York 
latitudes it begins to ripen in June, outdoors, and it crops 
heavily and annually. 
Several Melons are being offered, and Dobbie’s Victoria 
looks like being a grand addition to the netted type. A small 
red-fleshed sort hails from France. It is called the Pocket 
Melon, and is said to be very early and easily grown. 
Numerous other things are obtainable, but those enumerated 
should satisfy the most enthusiastic novelty hunter. 
Cal. 
Apple Flower of Kent. 
The above is a culinary Apple of large size, oblate and 
bluntly five-angled. At the present time it is still firm and in 
excellent condition with those who have it in their collection. 
The skin is of a pale shining green, lightly bronzed on the 
sunny aspect. The eye is closed and seated in a narrow, 
moderately deep cavity. The stalk is short, stout, and seated 
in a wide, tairly deep cavity. The flesh is white, tinted with 
green, soft,-crisp, and remarkably juicy for this season of the 
year, but is not very highly flavoured, such as - would be ex¬ 
pected in a table or dessert Apple, but for cooking purposes 
it would no doubt prove in all respects worthy. When kept 
in a close place for a time it gives evidence of being- very 
highly fragrant, somewhat similar, in fact, to Warner’s King. 
A very fine specimen of it was recently sent us by Mr. Herbert 
H. Morris, The Gardens, Dashwood, Gravesend, who is a very 
successful cultivator of Apples. 
Acacias in Bloom. 
In the dull months of the early year, when flowers are rather 
scarce, the Acacias come in extremely useful for giving the con¬ 
servatory a touch of brightness. 
Their culture may come under two heads—pot culture and 
planting out in the open border, and trained upon a pillar or 
rafter. A good return of flower i's obtained either way, more 
especially by the latter method, when the effect, when seen in 
flower, is magnificent 
For training up a pillar or where room can spared, A. deal- 
bata, indispensable in Lent in catholic foreign countries, forms 
a veiy striking object when seen in flower. Visitors to Kew 
can testify to. this when they have seen the plant in the Tem¬ 
perate House;' just now it is one mass of yellow, and when 
viewed from a little distance the picture is enchanting. 
This species is a very strong-growing one, and requires 
judicious pruning at the proper season. Good results can be 
obtained by grafting this species on some of the slower-growing 
sorts, and in this way it can be grown in a pot fairly well. A 
good loamy soil.suits it best - , 
A. leprosa is essentially a. pillar plant, as its growth is of a 
slender habit, with long, narrow, linear, lanceolate leaves which 
give off a peculiar odour when, moisture is about. Careful 
pruning is necessary before the plant has reached the top of 
the pillar, then shortening back and thinning out is all that is 
necessary. This species is extremely free flowering; sprays 
2 ft. in length, covered with little yellow globular heads, are 
freely produced, which are very pleasing arid graceful in them¬ 
selves w r hen cut. 
For pot culture A. Drummondi, A. obliqua, A. armata and 
its varieties are very useful, of dwarf and compact habit. Firm 
potting is essential, otherwise they become loose in the collar, 
and failure will be the result, A. baileyana, one of the earliest 
to flower, is another fine subject for a wall or pillar, its deep 
yellow globular heads of flower contrasting well -with its silvery 
bipinna-te leaves. The flowers are borne on long, loose, erect 
racemes, and give' off a pleasant though faint odour. 
Cuttings struck from lialf-ripened wood in summer root 
freely and flower w T ell after the second or third year. This 
species is undoubtedly one of the best, and w-ell worth cultivat¬ 
ing. 
All the plants named above can be seen in the Temperate 
House at Kew in flower at present. 
“The Last Twenty Years.” 
Within the last twenty years- quite a change has come over 
gardening and gardens. Those of us who do not very much 
concern ourselves with anything outside the limits of the 
narrow present do not perhaps see' any veiy extraordinary 
thing in this fact. They will tell you that such a fact is the 
natural outcome of things, and could not possibly be an}^ other 
way, for as day succeeds day the wmrld and its men and things 
must accordingly be progressing. With due deference to such 
as attach their faith to this irresponsible and easy-going happy- 
go-lucky state of things, I would draw their attention to the 
past history of the world. There it can be seen very clearly 
that the human creature has a capacity for retrograding as 
well as for progressing, and from which it- may be inferred that 
either state depends upon the responsible or irresponsible 
views taken of life. Gardening and gardeners, it is quite true, 
have been slowly groping onwards for the last two hundred 
years, but more perhaps has been achieved in the last twenty 
years than in the two centuries before. And why? The answer 
may be chiefly found in the- fact that gardeners have within 
the specified period awakened to the importance of their 
duties, and the necessity for a better and higher standard of 
education. 
We all remember with what amount of opposition any such 
travesty on the sacred creed of centuries w r as met with, even 
by the Press (which should be expected to lead rather than to 
follow in the rear with the wet blanket), in the pioneering days 
of “ More Education for Gardeners,” The Gardening World 
from its inception opened its arms to progress and freely lent 
its aid and columns to the ciy of youthful members to- give 
expression to thoughts and ideas which hitherto found as small 
sympathy in the horticultural press as freedom of speech at 
present does in the empire- of the Tsar. Nowwe have a different 
state of affairs before us. How few will da-re venture at this 
time of day to deny the need for knowledge other than the 
correct- manipulation of tools? It is no longer the powerful, 
brawny arm of brute force, but the nice, discriminating judg¬ 
ment of the man of parts and culture that is really required, 
and that is likely to be required for the future, D. C. 
Late Sown Carrots for Winter Use. 
A Carrot that has not a sweet flavour wdien used as a 
vegetable to me is worthless, and a large coarse root is 
equally as bad. This latter does very well for soup or cattle, 
but surely not as a separate dish. I fail to see wdiy these 
should be wanted for this purpose, seeing nice young tender 
roots may be had almost through the winter, if a little thought 
and attention is given to sow-ing at the right time. Many of 
the old gardening books recommend sowing the main crop in 
March and April, but for general use two months later is 
far better. Many of the old text-books on gardening need to 
be much revised. 
Everyone who appreciates a nice young tender root should 
not fail to sow during the month of July. I have seen nice 
small roots for drawing young in spring in good soil from 
seed sown the first week in August, For years I have sown 
about the middle of July. Last year some land that was in 
good condition, that- Potatos had just been lifted from, was 
levelled. Strawberries that had been forced and still in pots 
were planted out 2 ft, from row to row; between each row 
w r e sowed one row of Early Nantes Carrots, thinning them 
somewhat. When these w-ere large enough we commenced 
drawing, and nowq the middle of January, the remainder were 
drawn to put a dressing of manure on the Strawberries. 
Nothing can be more tender and sw-eet than these. Surely no 
one need be without a supply of this useful root, if thought is 
given to sowing. Con. 
