December 16, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
953 
Vegetables 
# # 
If 
XVIII. AND XIX. 
ENDIVE-GOURD OR 
PUMPKIN- 
ALL 'THE YEAR ROUND. 
TTTTTTTTfVt T▼TTTT T f T * T TTTTT TT ▼▼ ▼▼ 
shape, very free from blight, but a poor 
cooker ; British Queen, poor shape, very fond 
of disease, but a good cooker and heavy 
cropper ; Discovery, good shape, sound, good 
cooker, bad cropper ; Langworthy, fair shape, 
fairly sound, grand cooker, but throws a lot 
of seed-size tubers and so on. His selec¬ 
tions for next season for garden cultivation 
are as follows : —First earlies : ^I)uke of York 
and Improved Early Aslneaf. Second 
earlies: Windsor Castle, Moneymaker, and 
Progress. Maincrop: Langworthy, Peace¬ 
maker, Duchess of Cornwall, and Dumfries 
Model. 
A PRETTY • • • 
Sy/aphytua. 
(S. officinale bohemicum.) 
The Symphytums are not, as a family, re¬ 
markable for "brilliant-coloured flowers, but 
the variety here named is an exception, for 
the coral-red flowers, borne in loose, drooping 
racemes, are bright and cheerful. The foliage 
is dense, dark, and plentiful, so that the 
flowers show up well against their setting. 
In damp, retentive soils the “ Comfreys,” as 
Symphytums are called, grow luxuriantly, so 
that in borders of hardy perennials on the 
margins of shrubberies, or round the edges 
of ponds, S. bohemicum may well find a place, 
while a fitting companion is found in S. tauri- 
cum, with lighter foliage, and creamy flowers 
tinged with yellow and green. This plant we 
have seen doing good service among rough 
stepping-stones in a bog-garden ; and even in 
the crevices of a rough flight of rocky steps 
that led from the bog to a more elevated 
rockery the Symphytum found a congenial 
home, and did much toward hiding the un¬ 
avoidable angles of the steps. By starting at 
one end with S. tauricum, and at the other 
with S. bohemicum, allowing them to meet in 
an irregular line, such a flight of steps may be 
well furnished, and made to present a pleasing) 
appearance, instead of a bare and uninterest¬ 
ing one. Heather Bell. 
Leptoderais LANCEOLATA. 
Introduced from Nepaul in the year 1842 
this species of Leptodermis is without question 
a most interesting and ornamental plant for 
the warm greenhouse or stove. Of the three 
or four known species of the genus, L. lanceo- 
lata is the only one in cultivation. The flowers 
of this species are white, borne in profusion at 
the apices of the branches and branchlets, the 
corolla being funnel-shaped. The leaves are 
opposite, shortly petiolate, lanceolate. The 
branches are quadrangular, and quite downy 
in a young state. 
The cultural requirements of this plant are 
the same as those which are usually adopted 
for the genus Hamiltonia, to which it is allied. 
Propagation may be effected from cuttings in¬ 
serted in a sandy compost, and subject to a 
gentle bottom heat. When sufficiently rooted 
the young plants should be potted off into 
various size pots, as the state of the roots 
permit, and grown on in a stove temperature, 
occasionally pinching the shoots whereby 
evenly-balancecl plants may be secured. Ex¬ 
cept where large specimens are required, 6 in. 
pots will be sufficiently large for them to 
flower in. The compost employed for the 
final potting should consist of good fibrous 
loam, peat, and sand. As soon as the plants 
begin to produce their inflorescence they may 
with impunity be removed to a warm green¬ 
house, where the flower; will retain their fresh¬ 
ness for a much longer period than when 
allowed to remain in the stove. F. G. T. 
Endive. 
As soon as the summer Lettuces are 
finished, the Endive comes in very useful, 
and, as its culture is somewhat easy, a nice 
batch of plants should be grown in every 
garden. 
Soil and Situation. —This plant, like the 
Dandelion, roots deeply ; consequently, a 
deeply-tilled soil suits it best. If the ground 
J, 
Endive.—Selecting young plants from the seed 
beds : a a, outside seedlings and the right ones to 
choose ; b, the central plants, which are generally 
overcrowded and weakly. 
is fairly dry, Endive will thrive well in a 
rather retentive soil, but the latter must not 
be in the least waterlogged. The best soil 
is a medium loam, and the ideal situation a 
border facing south-west. 
Sowing the Seeds. —Two sowings should be 
made, the first about the middle of June and 
the other early in July. In northern counties 
the June sowing will prove the most suitable. 
Sow the seeds thinly broadcast, and trans¬ 
plant the seedlings during showery weather, 
putting them out in rows 14in. apart, and 
the same distance from plant to plant in the 
rows. 
The object of. the grower should be to 
obtain a good, sturdy plant before the damp¬ 
ness of autumn comes. The earliest plants 
may be blanched by placing boards, slates or 
tiles on them ; the later ones by keeping them 
somewhat dark in a cold frame, as it is ad¬ 
visable to carefully lift and replant the Endive 
before severe frosts occur. 
The insect or pest which gives the most 
ti’otible is the white slug. Dry lime should 
be carefully sprinkled around each plant 
rmderneath the leaves, and, when lifted and 
placed in frames, all slugs found must be 
killed and a little fresh lime used. 
Varieties, —Green Curled, Moss Curled, 
White Batavian, and Green Batavian. 
In season from September until spring. 
G. 
Gourd or Pumpkin. 
The fruits of these plants grow to a very 
large size, and are of various shapes and 
colours when matured in the autumn. 
Soil and Situation. —A rich loam suits 
these plants best. If the soil is fairly good, 
but not rich in manures, sufficient of the 
latter should be thoroughly incorporated with 
it a few. weeks before planting out time. 
The situation should be one which is quite 
exposed to the sunshine, but the rooting 
medium must be a moist one, as the plants 
delight in moist, warm soil. 
Sowing the Seeds. —If there are any frames 
available, sow the seeds in April. But if there 
are not any frames, sow about May 15th on 
the bed where the plants are to fruit. 
The best compost, both for the seeds and 
the young plants is one containing plenty of 
fibrous loam and some well-rotted manure. 
The loam should be chopped fine for the seed¬ 
lings, but left in larger lumps for the older 
plants. Late frosts must be guarded against, 
as a few degrees only would kill them. 
Training the Plant?.— Allow a leading 
shoot to grow several feet in length, then 
pinch out the point; this act will cause some 
side bi-anches to grow, and on these you must 
look for the young fruits. Directly one is 
“ set ” on a branch, pinch off the end of the 
latter two> joints beyond the fruit. A fresh 
shoot may be allowed to grow on the leading 
branch again, and, in due time, pinched, as 
advised in the treatment of the first portion. 
A Gourd plant ready to put out in its i ermanent 
quarter. 
The branches may be trained on stakes, or 
allowed to run on the surface of the bed. 
Varieties. — Turk’s Cap, Large Green 
Hundredweight, Large Scarlet Hundred¬ 
weight, Large Yellow Hundredweight, and 
Orange Gourd. G. 
Tomato Lister’s Prolific. 
This year I got a packet of seed of the above 
Tomato from a friend to raise a few, and I 
must say I owe the grand lot of fruit I had to 
that variety. I had three others in the same 
house, and for a crop and fine fruits it far 
surpassed them. It has everything in its 
favour, being a grand cropper, free setter, and 
for shape (almost round) and flavour is all that 
could be desired. 
To those who are unacquainted with this 
variety I would advise them to try a few 
another season, as it is truly a grand* Tomato 
and is well worth growing. J. K. B. 
Mr. Jo rue Dingwall has recently been ap¬ 
pointed head gardener to B. T. Preston. Esq., 
Hayes Court, Hayes, Kent. Previous to this 
he acted in a similar capacity at Cumberlow, 
South Norwood, Surrey, where he stayed for ' 
eleven years. 
