February  25,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
163 
most  lavishly  bestowed,  for  no  less  than  352  were  given  all  round.  Yet 
in  this  case  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  the  recipients  set  a  far  higher 
store  upon  it  as  an  honour  than  it  deserves.  At  the  best  it  indicates 
very  good  average  merit  and  no  more,  and  that  is  not  much  to  boast  of. 
Often  no  doubt  the  award  is  good-naturedly  bestowed,  but  so  long  as 
awards  of  merit  are  sanctioned  so  long  will  they  be  freely  given.  Very 
much  no  doubt  are  they  given  on  the  principle  that  they  please  someone 
and  nobody  is  hurt. 
It  is  said  that  the  greatest  criminals  in  the  matter  of  awards  are  the 
rloral  and  Orchid  Committee?.  I  think  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  of  the 
latter  body  that  it  is  largely  composed  of  pure  enthusiasts,  who  are  in 
their  awards  guided  by  no  such  severe  considerations  as  animate  members 
of  other  committees,  and  every  trifling  variation  in  form  or  colour  or 
marking  in  any  Orchid  excites  the  greatest  admiration  ;  hence  the 
abundance  of  awards.  Possibly  the  purposed  subjecting  all  honoured 
flowers  to  the  ordeal  of  the  artist’s  brush — and  it  is  hoped  the  work  of 
illustrating  these  flowers  will  be  performed  with  absolute  accuracy — for 
presenting  to  the  Committee  fac-similes  of  previous  exhibits,  and  tend 
to  somewhat  cool  members’  fervour  in  relation  to  minute  divergences 
henceforth. 
With  respect  to  the  Floral  Committee,  if  that  body  be  specially 
chargeable  with  laches  no  one  seems  to  trouble  to  defend  it.  Perhaps 
the  members  think  its  reputation  is  safe  in  the  hands  of  its  Chairman, 
who  was  not  a  member  of  the  Council  when  the  paragraph  in  the  report 
I  comment  upon  was  indited.  In  any  case,  it  is  fair  to  say  that  the 
number  of  exhibits  placed  before  that  body,  whether  in  the  form  of 
thiDgs  for  certificate  or  for  medals,  is  vastly  in  excess  of  what  comes 
before  either  of  the  other  Committees. 
I  attended  the  recent  general  meeting  specially  in  the  hope  that  the 
President  in  his  annual  address  would  show  some  way  or  lay  down  some 
principle  by  which  the  Committees  might  be  guided  in  making  awards 
in  the  future.  That  seems  to  me  to  have  been,  what  the  Council  should 
have  done,  or  otherwise  have,  beyond  publishing  the  table  of  awards, 
made  no  further  reference  to  it.  I  was  also  disappointed  that  no  Fellow 
referred  to  the  subject  at  the  meeting,  and  that  fact  indicates  indiffer¬ 
ence  with  every  desire  to  eee  much  higher  standards  in  relation  to  awards 
prevailing,  for  they  are  now  far  too  cheaply  bestowed.  Yet  I  cannot 
see,  without  the  Council  take  action  and  formulate  some  definite  rule, 
how  any  reform  is  to  be  effected;. — Alex.  Dean. 
FORCING  VEGETABLES. 
{Concluded  from  page  135.) 
Asparagus. 
Naturally  this  choice  vegetable  is  more  esteemed  than  Seakale 
with  most  people,  especially  by  the  majority  of  cooks,  and  I  presume  more 
satisfactory  results  are  obtained  in  cooking  this  than  Kale.  The  plan 
usually  adopted,  and  which  I  do  myself,  is  to  make  up  a  hotbed  with 
fresh  leaves  and  stable  manure,  two  parts  of  the  former  to  one  of  the  latter. 
This  should  have  been  thrown  together  previously,  and  turned  over  a  few 
!v,me8e  °  swee,en  it;-  Tlie  Asparagus  will  stand  more  heat  top  and  bottom 
than  Seakale.  But  this  must  not  be  much  above  60°.  A  sheltered  place 
should  be  chosen,  but  where  plenty  of  light  and  sun  can  reach  the  bed. 
In  putting  the  material  together  it  should  be  well  trodden,  as  this  helps 
to  retain  the  heat  for  a  longer  period.  The  bed  should  be  a  trifle  higher 
at  the  back,  especially  if  the  frame  at  command  has  not  a  good 
angle,  and  space  allowed  for  lining  all  around  the  frame.  In  fact,  it 
should  (the  bed  I  mean)  be  made  18  inches  larger  each  wav  than  the 
frame  to  be  placed  upon  it,  so  that  the  lining  can  be  renewed  when 
necessary, 
\\  hen  the  frame  is  placed  upon  the  bed,  3  or  4  inches  of  short  manure 
or  rough  leaf  soil  should  be  put  into  it  in  readiness  to  receive  the  roots 
as  soon  as  you  ascertain  that  the  heat  is  safe  to  do  this.  A  test  stick 
should  have  been  placed  in  when  the  hotbed  was  made.  If,  after  a 
week  or  ten  days,  when  you  withdraw  the  stick  and  can  comfortably 
hold  it  in  your  hand  without  finding  it  too  hot  all  will  be  well.  It  is 
far  better  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  as  one  can  always  add  heating  material 
in  the  way  of  lining.  In  fact,  such  a  winter  as  we  had  up  to  Christmas, 
a  bed  of  leaves  only  would  be  enough.  Now,  the  next  thing  to  see 
about  is  the  crowns.  These  should  be  not  less  than  three  years  old,  but 
can  be  much  more,  and  an  advantage  no  doubt,  as  the  crowns  should  be 
larger.  They  should  be  lifted  and  placed  in  the  frame  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible,  putting  the  roots  thickly  together  and  placing  about 
4  inches  of  sifted  leaf  soil  over  the  roots  and  crowns,  and  when  all  is 
finished  there  should  be  6  to  9  inches  clear  of  the  glass.  This  will  give 
room  for  the  “  grass  ”  to  grow. 
The  lights  can  be  kept  closed  until  you  see  the  heads  appearing,  when 
a  little  air  should  be  given  on  all  favourable  occasions,  according  to  the 
state  of  the  weather,  which  will  assist  in  giving  a  green  tint  to  the  grass, 
and  which  should  be  cut  when  about  6  inches  in  length,  tied  in  bundles 
of  fifty,  and  stood  in  a  little  water  if  not  required  for  immediate  use. 
The  frame  muBt  be  well  matted  every  night  in  case  a  frost  should 
occur.  And,  again,  I  say,  do  not  neglect  to  see  to  the  lining.  I  usually 
start  my  first  batch  about  the  loth  of  November,  but  this  season  it  was 
on  the  20th,  and  cut  on  December  7th,  juBt  eighteen  days.  My  frames 
are  6  feet  by  8  feet,  and  I  fill  one  of  these.  It  takes  about  eighty  crowns. 
But  as  with  Seakale,  more  or  less,  must  be  the  grower’s  motto  according 
to  his  requirements.  I  continue  to  cut  from  this  first  batch  just  one 
month.  In  the  meantime  the  second  frame  had  been  planted — namely, 
December  18th,  or  four  weeks  from  the  first  batch,  and  I  find  this  is 
quite  often  enough.  It  is  not  necessary  to  make  a  new  hotbed  each 
lime.  A  renewal  of  lining  and  move  up  the  inside  of  the  bed  is  all  that 
is  necessary  as  a  rule  for  two  or  three  batches. 
Those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  pit  (lean-to)  with  a  3-inch 
hot-water  pipe  running  along  the  front  can  use  this  with  advantage,  and 
if  there  should  be  bottom-heat  pipes  all  will  be  right.  If  not,  new  leaves 
with  a  little  manure  will  give  enough  heat  for  this  if  placed  in  the 
bottom.  Here,  again,  the  temperature  should  not  much  exceed  60°,  or 
the  grass  will  be  spindly.  Very  little  water  will  be  required  during  the 
dull  months  of  December  and  January,  a  syringing  occasionally  will 
generally  suffice  unless  hot- water  pipes  supply  the  bottom  and  top  heat, 
when  more  will  be  necessary,  and  this  should  be  at  a  temperature  of  75°, 
when  none  will  be  required  in  the  hotbeds  until  the  sun  has  more  power. 
Later  batches,  say  from  the  middle  of  March,  can  be  brought  on  in  a 
cold  pit  that  has  been  recently  filled  with  fresh  leaves  during  the  winter 
months,  the  sun  at  this  date  being  no  mean  factor.  Some  gardeners 
introduce  a  few  batches  into  a  vinery  that  may  be  started  early  in 
February,  but  I  do  not  consider  it’s  a  good  plan  ;  it  appears  out  of  place, 
and  I  do  not  think  very  good  results  are  obtained,  there  being  nothing 
like  a  little  bottom  heat  for  this  delicious  and  easily  forced  vegetable. 
Kidney  Beans. 
This  is  another  acceptable  vegetable  early  in  the  year,  but  I  find  from 
experience  that  unless  one  has  good  light  and  well  heated  houses,  satisfac¬ 
tory  results  are  not  obtained  by  sowing  much  earlier  than  the  new  year, 
and  in  a  temperature  or  60°  to  65°,  with  a  rise  of  10°  by  sun  heat.  It  will 
take  about  seven  weeks  to  have  them  fit  to  gather  from  the  time  of 
sowing,  8-inch  pots  are  the  most  suitable  for  the  first  few  batches.  Some 
sow  as  early  as  August,  so  as  to  carry  on  without  any  break  after  the 
plants  in  the  open  ground  have  ceased  bearing,  but  during  November 
and  December,  generally  dark,  dull  months,  the  returns  are  not  very 
satisfactory.  I  think  the  end  of  December,  or  early  in  January,  is  soon 
enough.  Seeds  should  be  sown  every  ebree  weeks  or  a  month.  Plenty 
of  light  is  necessary  for  this  vegetable,  or  they  get  drawn  up  very  soon. 
They  require  to  be  kept  fairly  near  the  glass,  and  do  well  on  shelves. 
The  syringe  must  be  constantly  moved  among  them  whenever  the  weather 
is  favourable,  if  not  they  soon  fall  a  prey  to  that  horrid  pest,  red  spider. 
A  fairly  light,  though  rich,  soil  is  necessary  ;  loam,  leaf  soil,  and  a 
little  manure  from  a  spent  Mushroom  bed  forms  a  good  compost.  The 
pots  should  be  filled  to  within  3  inches  of  the  top  and  made  fairly  firm, 
and  about  ten  seeds  sown  iD  each  pot,  and  covered  with  inch  of  soil. 
If  all  the  seeds  come  up,  one  can  easily  thin  them  out  to  six,  which  will 
be  enough  to  leave.  I  generally  pinch  out  the  tops  as  soon  as  the  first 
pair  of  proper  leaves  are  formed,  which  causes  them  to  throw  up  two 
growths.  They  will  take  a  fair  amount  of  water  at  this  stage  :  in  fact, 
they  must  never  be  too  much  on  the  dry  side  or  spider  will  soon  appear. 
As  soon  as  they  are  from  4  to  6  inches  high  some  twiggy  shoots  should 
be  placed  around  them  as  a  support.  Old  worn-out  birch  brooms  are 
useful  for  this.  When  in  flower  they  should  be  kept  rather  drier  over¬ 
head,  and  a  circulation  of  air  is  beneficial  at  this  stage. 
As  soon  as  they  are  set  some  kind  of  manure  should  be  giveij 
them  two  or  three  times  a  week.  I  find  a  little  weak  guano  water,  also 
diluted  farmyard  drainings,  suit  them  very  well.  They  should  be  well 
syringed  morniDg  and  afternoons,  when  closing  time  arrives.  The  beans, 
as  they  become  fit,  ought  to  be  gathered  and  tied  up  in  small  bundles,  and 
their  ends  stood  in  water  until  you  have  enough  for  a  dish.  Ten  and 
twelve-inch  pots  can  be  used  after  the  month  of  February  is  past,  and 
they  do  not  dry  up  as  fast  as  the  smaller  pots.  Boxes,  too,  are  often 
made  use  of  for  later  crops,  about*  2  feet  3  inches  long,  9  or  10  inches 
wide,  and  the  same  in  depth.  These  crops  can  be  brought  along  in  Peach 
houses  or  the  like,  while  many  gardeners  have  to  grow  them  in  their 
vineries  ;  but  I  must  say  I  do  not  like  them  brought  in  here  in  case 
that  foe  of  ours  I  have  spoken  of  makes  its  appearance.  Heated  pits, 
similar  to  those  I  mentioned  anent  the  Asparagus,  make  excellent  places 
to  grow  them  in  when  sown  in  rows  15  inches  apart.  A  crop  can  also 
be  hastened  a  few  weeks  by  sowing  in  a  frame  or  cold  pit,  and  shut  up 
early  in  the  afternoons  and  well  syringed  and  matted  up  at  night.  Ne 
Plus  Ultra  I  find  very  good  for  forcing,  and  Canadian  Wonder  for  the 
latest  batches. 
Potatoes. 
These  are  forced  in  several  ways.  I  find  9  and  12-inch  pots  suitable 
for  a  few  early  dishes.  I  place  one  tuber  in  the  smaller  pot  and  two  in 
the  larger  one.  Loamy  soil,  with  a  little  horse  droppings,  makes  a  good 
compost.  I  start  a  batch  early  in  January,  and  place  them  in  an  early 
Peach  house  at-work.  The  tubers  should  have  been  previously  prepared 
— that  is,  stood  on  their  ends  in  a  box  with  a  little  leaf  soil  scattered 
among  them,  and  placed  in  the  house  about  ten  days  before.  These 
must  be  placed  in  their  pots  when  2  inches  of  growth  has  taken  place. 
They  must  be  given  plenty  of  light,  also  air,  when  at  all  favourable,  and 
I  keep  moving  mine  from  house  to  house,  Peach  or  vineries,  as  they  are 
started,  because  they  do  not  like  too  much  heat.  I  leave  room  in  the 
pots  for  an  earthing  up,  as  it  were,  when  they  get  about  6  inches  high. 
Frames  placed  on  a  hotbed  make  a  very  suitable  place  too,  and  most 
excellent  crops  can  be  grown  here.  A  foot  of  soil  should  be  placed  in 
the  frame,  and  the  tubers  planted  5  inches  deep,  8  inches  apart,  and 
10  inches  from  row  to  row.  I  also  make  a  point  of  earthing  mine  up 
with  3  inches  of  soil  when  about  6  inches  high.  This  assists  to  keep  the 
growths  upright.  Here  they  will  take  a  fair  amount  of  water  when  in 
active  growth,  and  the  lights  are  drawn  back  altogether  very  mild  days, 
but  placed  on  early  in  the  afternoon  and  matted  each  night.  Heated 
and  unheated  pits,  too,  are  useful  for  forwarding  this  ever-required 
vegetable.  As  I  have  already  said,  they  must  have  abundance  of  air  as 
the  season  advances,  and  when  water  is  necessary  it  should  have  been 
