384 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 6. 1905. 
Late Seakale. 
A dish of Seakale at the present time is much appreciated 
■when the Brussels Sprouts are over and all kinds of winter 
greens are approaching the flowering stage, the autumn-sown 
Cabbage not ready, with Asparagus only just peeping through 
the soil. We shall send in our last dish the end of the first- 
week next month cut from roots left in the ground (each crown 
being covered with a 9-in. pot with the hole plugged to exclude 
light). I prefer this method on the score of economy to cover¬ 
ing the crowns with earth or ashes, as is so frequently recom¬ 
mended. If I adopted the latter mode of blanching the kale-, 
I would lift the roots and pack them in some comer to be 
covered up; but lifted roots, with me, though placed in a 
sunless corner, are a fortnight in advance of those left in the 
ground. 
The leaves of those left in the ground mature a little earlier 
than the cuttings planted this month, and are consequently 
used for our earliest batch for forcing. All the others are 
taken up and stored where they can be got at in the most 
severe frost. Some growers advocate growing the roots two 
rs. If properly managed they can be got strong enough 
first year. I have cut heads 8 in. high weighing 11 lb. 
years 
the first y< 
this time of the year from yearlings. 
W. P. R. 
Ansellia africana. 
The individual flowers of this Orchid do- not offer anything 
special when compared with an Odontoglossum or Cattleya. 
The mass of flowers produced by a large and well-grown plant 
is, however, highly effective, and those who have warm houses 
suitable for Dendrobiums might well find a place for the above 
African plant, A well-grown specimen would stand about a 
yard in height, but of course the width of it would depend upon 
the number of stems. A large specimen now in bloom in the 
East Indian House at Kew carried six panicles and flowers 
bearing in the aggregate hundreds of flowers which we did not 
stay to count. The largest panicle, however, carried 120 
flowers. These flowers are sweetly scented, which is an addi¬ 
tional recommendation to the effectiveness of the mass. The 
sepals and petals are thickly barred with dark purple-brown on 
a pale yellow ground. The lip has a bright yellow terminal 
lobe, and the side lobes are striped and netted with pale brown 
and purple on the inner face. At a short distance the brown 
and yellow colours are the most dominant, and determine the 
general aspect of the flowers, the segments of which are U in. 
to 2 in. long or nearly. 
Obituary. 
Mr. George Houlden. 
Mr. George Houlden, who died on April 25th last, at- the 
a<re of seventy-six, and who for over forty years was registrar 
of the Burnley Cemetery, was for a considerable period of Ins 
life a professional gardener. In the floral decorations of the 
craves at Burnley Cemetery, and in the care of the flowers and 
trees, his professional knowledge and skill was no less apparent 
than the pride which he took in the work. When at Rochdale 
he v T as one of the best Dahlia growers in the district, and fre¬ 
quently officiated as judge at Burnley and other shows, his 
special line being cut flowers. For thirty years he> attended the 
Whitsuntide flower show in Manchester, which was formerly 
a meeting ground for professional gardeners for miles round. 
He took a deep interest in the Padiham flower show. 
The Thistle Pest ix Tasmania. —Farmers and gardeners in 
Tasmania are loudly complaining of the Thistles which are 
permitted to bloom on some lands, and more particularly oil 
Government roads and railway lines. In some parts the plan 
adopted to deal with the scourge is to gather crops early, so 
cutting the Thistles with the crop before they come into flower. 
Then stock are turned on the land, which eat off all remaining 
heads, or any which may afterwards spring up. It is main¬ 
tained that the Crown should assist the agriculturist by destroy¬ 
ing the Thistle blooms in time. 
Ax Irish Flower Farm. —Some ten years ago Messrs. Hogg 
and Robertson, of Mary-street, Dublin, started in a small way 
at Rush, near the Irish capital, the cultivation for the market 
of Daffodils and Tulips ; the farm now occupies over thirty 
acres of ground and gives employment to a good many persons. 
Most of the land is unmitigated sand, and but for this enter¬ 
prise would now lie derelict. The display made by the very 
line blooms here grown have lately been attracting numerous 
vistors from Dublin. 
* * * 
Application for Allotments. —At a meeting held at Stoke 
Gardens, near Windsor, it was decided, after a discussion, and 
following an explanation of the Allotments Act, to apply to the, 
Urban District Council to provide suitable allotments under the 
powers allowed by that Act. The County Education Committed 
are meantime arranging for lectures on gardening, etc. ; the 
syllabus will include instruction in the cultivation of both fruit 
and vegetables. The- hope is expressed that arrangements may 
be made for the lecturer to visit Slough at an early date. 
* * * 
Mrs. Br.amwell Booth on Vegetarianism. —Mrs. Bramwell 
Booth, of Salvation Army fame, in the course of a recent lecture, 
delivered under the auspic-es of the Irish Centre of the Vege¬ 
tarian Federal Union, told her hearers that her family of seven 
had been brought up on strict vegetarian principles. Since 
she herself had become a vegetarian she had been in the enjoy¬ 
ment of perfect health. She had advocated a vegetarian diet 
in the Army’s inebriate home, and this had led to a. largely- 
increased percentage of permanent cures from the drink craving. 
* * * 
Light Railway for Clydesid| Fruit Growers. —During the 
past few years the Caledonian Railway Company have been 
repeatedly petitioned for a railway which would afford facilities, 
to the Clydeside fruit growers. At length the company are 
moving in the matter to the extent of having the district sur¬ 
veyed by their engineers with a view of ascertaining whether 
the proposals of the petitioners are practicable, and also if they 
yyoulcl be likely to prove remunerative. Should the proposed 
light railway be carried out local fruit culture will receive a 
great impetus, and the industry be very likely greatly extended. 
* * * 
British Manufactured Potato Spirit. —A correspondent of 
the “ Mark Lane Express,” referring to- the removal of excise 
duty mentioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, observes 
that this will enable spirit manufactured from home products 
to be used for mechanical purposes, and throw open another 
trade to our manufacturers, a trade from which they have 
been shut out for so many years in consequence of our peculiar 
Revenue laws. He suggests that as the mot-or-car is ousting 
the horse-, and so reducing the demand for- oats, we may find- 
compensation by cultivating Potatos for the purpose of pro¬ 
viding spirit-fuel for the automobiles. 
* * * 
Sweet Brier Hedges. —A writer in the “ County Gentle¬ 
man ” asks why, when we make a. hedge for our garden, we 
usually choose Privet or Whitethorn ? Why not Sweet Brier 
hedges? These are easy to make, because all the Briers grow 
strongly in anything like good soil—indeed, they grow as well 
as anything in thoroughly bad soil, and well repay the trouble 
of planting. A hedge which provides you with pretty flowers 
for at least a month in the year, and is fragrant for another! 
six months, makes a pleasanter and more attractive hedge than 
the -old Quick-set, 
* * ■* 
A Fine Amaryllis Display. —The grand display of Amaryllis 
in the stove-house of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens has been 
attracting large crowds of sightseers, no less- than 13,000 people 
having visited the gardens on Easter Monday. There are somei 
200 plants altogether, the majority of which have- thrown up 
two flower stems, each bearing as many as half a. dozen choice 
blooms. In addition, 1 there is a fine group of Orchids, embracing 
many interesting varieties, as well as a collection of beautiful 
Calceolarias. 
