Dec-ember 23, 1905. 
THE GARDES IS'G WORLD 
973 
Vegetables 
^ ^ ^ 
-N 
XX.—LEEKS. 
ALL THE YEAR ROUND. 
TTT ftT HM i yttffT >TTTTtYTTn 
Campanula persicifolia marginata. 
Of Campanula persicifolia there are a con¬ 
siderable number of varieties in commerce. 
Some are very fine, and well merit a distinc¬ 
tive name, while some are really but little 
removed from the type or its white counter¬ 
part from which they sprung. In the case of 
a plant that ripens so large a quantity of 
seed, which germinates with great freedom, a 
certain amount of variation is bound to result, 
and while it may be admitted that some seed¬ 
lings are of finer form than others, it is un¬ 
desirable that a great host of these seedlings 
shall be christened and trotted out as new 
varieties. Given good cultivation, almost any 
of the blues or whites are of good size, form, 
and colour, and there is no reason why any 
that are not should be preserved at all. In 
C. p. marginata, however, we have quite a 
departure from the ordinary run, and a plant 
of much beauty to boot. The flower is white, 
with the exception of a margin of blue, 
Picotee fashion, and, as may be imagined, ag= 
plant in bloom presents a novel and most 
attractive appearance. This phenomenon of 
condensing all the colour to the margin of the 
blossom appears to be a popular notion among 
plants of late. We have Zonal Pelargoniums 
both double and single with Picotee edges, 
also Begonias ; Papaver nudicaule has fallens; 
into line with yellow-edged white flowers, and~ 
a case has recently been recorded of a Cycla¬ 
men displaying the same peculiarity, the 
edging in this case being of a rosy hue. 
Among Roses even we have a dark crimson 
variety with a pure white edge—to wit, Roger 
Lamberlin. What will be the next plant to 
imitate the Picotee? Heather Bell. 
This is one of the most useful of all vege¬ 
tables, and, like the Onion, is often grown 
to a large size for including in collections of 
vegetables, and it is always welcome in the 
kitchen. 
Soil and Situation. —We cannot very well 
provide a too rich soil for the Leek, if it is 
Early Leek plants growing in a cold frame and 
ready for transplanting to the trenches. 
sweet and not made sour by too frequent appli¬ 
cations of cold, organic manures. Artificial 
manures are valuable, and should be judiciously 
A shallow trench may be made on a piece of 
ground which has been heavily manured all 
over, and not merely just in a narrow line 
where the plants are to be put out. 
Single rows are better than double. ones. 
Allow a space of 1 ft. between the plants in the 
row ; carefully take them from the box or bed 
and plant them with a trowel. The ends of 
the leaves should be cut off at the time of 
planting. 
Give plenty of water and frequent doses of 
manure water and artificials, but do not have 
the doses too strong. Towards the end of 
August the stems may be blanched by the 
placing of soil to them. The finest mixture for 
this purpose is sand and fine soil sifted together 
and placed directly against the stems, the 
remainder of the earthing compost being the 
oi’dinary garden loam. Although the earthing 
up has been done, care must be taken to water 
the roots regularly when the soil begins to dry 
up. The earthing up does not induce the 
plants to grow : it only blanches them. 
Winter Treatment.— The Leek is fairly 
hardy ; but plants, the result of high culture, 
are marred considerably if subjected to severe 
frosts. Cover them at such times with litter, 
or when the opportunity occurs lift and store 
the plants in sand in a cool shed or cellar. 
Apple Flushing Spitzenberg. 
Some fine samples have been sent us of the 
above Apple by the Agent-General for British 
Columbia, Salisbury House, Finsbury Circus, 
London, E.C. The Apple is ovate in outline, 
narrowed to the crown, and furnished with 
five ribs alternating with five grooves in the 
hollow or cavity surrounding the eye. The 
eye itself is perfectly closed. The stalk varies 
somewhat in length, but is generally slender 
and set in a fairly deep, even cavity, me 
skin is perfectly smooth, glossy when the 
bloom is in any way rubbed, and of a deep 
crimson on the sunny aspect, fading a little 
on the shady side, where a large or smaller 
patch of pale yellow is thinly overlaid with 
crimson specks and slightly splashed. 
It is thus a very handsome Apple, more so 
than any British variety we could name, ex¬ 
cept Gascoigne’s Scarlet Seedling or highly 
coloured samples of Peasgood’s Nonsuch and 
Baumann’s Red Winter Reinette. At the 
present time the Apple is very nard, as if it 
would keep for months, but wlien cut it is 
found to be perfectly usable at the present 
time. We have, however, the idea that it 
will keep in season for some weeks to come. 
The flesh is white, fairly crisp and sweet, with 
perhaps some resemblance to that of Gas¬ 
coigne’s Scarlet Seedling, but with more 
flavour than any samples of that variety 
which we have tasted. _ 
The fruits formed part of the exhibit made 
by the Agent-General for British Columbia at 
Vincent Square on the 5th and 6tb inst. under 
the auspices of the Royal Horticultural 
Society. These apples are very welcome at 
this period of the year, when home-grown 
Apples have mostly all been consumed. In 
private establishments home-grown fruits will 
be serviceable till April or May, but they will 
soon become quite a scarce commodity in the 
•market. 
Leeks growing in trenches b, beiDg loin, wide, and, as shown at a, 15in.apart; c, the trench 9in. deep. 
used, especially during the growing of the 
plant about the middle of summer. 
The situation may be a low one if the ground 
is thoroughly drained, as stagnant moisture 
prevents a free growth, and, moreover, often 
discolours the stem of the plant. 
Sowing the Seeds. —Early-raised plants are 
better than late ones. To obtain the best re¬ 
sults sow the seeds in boxes not later than the 
first week in February. The middle of January 
is the best time to sow. Provide deep boxes, 
quite 6 in. deep, place some old Mushroom bed 
manure in the bottom of the box, which only 
needs a few holes in it for drainage, and then 
fill it to within 1 in. of the top with a rich com¬ 
post of new loam (two parts), and leaf mould and 
manure and sand (two parts). Make the com¬ 
post moderately firm in the box, sow the seeds 
about 1 in. asunder, and cover them a I in. deep. 
A cool frame will do for these boxes, but a 
heated frame or a warm greenhouse will be 
much better. The seeds will germinate quicker 
and the young plants grow more healthily if 
not checked by cold weather and frosts. 
When the seedling are in. high transplant 
them to deeper boxes or to a prepared bed in a 
frame. By this means they will become stocky 
aud strong. 
Planting Out and Summer Treatment.— 
Deep trenches are a mistake if fine Leeks are 
to be grown. A deeply-tilled soil is necessary ; 
the roots of the plants will penetrate down 
several feet. 
Insect Pests and Diseases. —The Leek is 
singularly free from insect attacks, and the only 
serious disease is that of rust or rot brought on 
by the lodgment of strawy manure—and con¬ 
stant rains in the early part of autumn— 
between the leaves and stem of the plant, when 
protecting the latter from frosts. 
Varieties. — The Lyon, London Flag, 
Musselburgh, Ayton Castle Giant, Conqueror. 
In Season from August to the following 
April. G. 
/, c^. 
1. A bad seedling drawn up in the seed bed. 
‘2. A robust young plant, the result of tTans 
planting. 
