April  16,  ltd?. 
journal  of  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener. 
315 
during  the  coming  season  ;  and  if  properly  carried  out  they  will  not 
revert  again  to  the  clump  and  row  mode  of  planting,  as  they  will  find 
that  in  the  same  space  finer  flowers  and  larger  quantity  can  be  grown 
on  the  “single  crown  system.’’ — Grower. 
THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  VEGETABLES. 
Hume,  the  historian,  tells  us  that  it  was  not  till  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  that  any  salads, 
Carrots,  Turnips,  or  other  edible  roots  were  grown  in  England.  The 
small  quantities  of  these  vegetables  that  were  previously  used  were 
imported  from  Holland  and  Flanders.  Queen  Catherine,  when  she 
wanted  a  salad,  was  obliged  to  dispatch  a  messenger  abroad  on  purpose 
to  procure  it.  Although  the  Potato  was  imported  into  Spain  early  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  travelled  thence  to  Italy,  it  did  not  arrive  in 
England  until  1586,  on  the  return  of  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  from  Virginia, 
who  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  to  have  brought  it  here.  Sir 
Walter  did  our  fellow  countrymen  the  Irish  a  good  turn,  for  he  person¬ 
ally  distributed  a  large  number  of  tubers  throughout  that  country,  and 
it  was  not  until  after  his  death  that  they  found  their  way  to  London 
from  Dublin.  It  is  a  noteworthy  circumstance  that  Linnaeus  conceived  a 
violent  prejudice  against  the  Potato  ;  in  fact,  he  preferred  the  Jerusalem 
Artichoke,  alleging  that  the  former  belonged  to  a  poisonous  genus,  the 
Solanum,  and  was  injurious.  We  all  know  now  that  it  is  very  whole¬ 
some  when  well  boiled,  and  quite  indispensable  in  the  household. 
Peas,  perhaps,  take  the  palm  as  being  the  most  delicate  and  agree¬ 
able  of  vegetables,  wonderful  improvement  having  taken  place  in  their 
development  and  flavour,  more  especially  in  recent  years,  brought 
about  by  the  skill  of  our  leading  seedsmen.  They  are  even  to  be  had 
fresh  in  the  markets  during  nearly  half  the  year.  Attempts  have  long 
been  made  to  preserve  Peas  for  winter  use,  and  this  has  been  effected 
with  a  certain  measure  of  success,  but  we  agree  in  the  main  with  ApDert, 
a  horticultural  writer  of  a  hundred  years  ago,  who  wrote  that  “  They 
looked  pretty  enough,  but  flavour  they  had  none  at  all.”  They  are 
much  used  throughout  the  winter  in  this  state  in  the  hotels  and 
restaurants.  In  Queen  Elizabeth’s  time  they  were  also  imported  from 
Holland,  which  made  Fuller  say  sarcastically  that  they  were  “  Fit 
dainties  for  ladies — they  came  so  far  and  cost  so  dear.” 
Beans  are  the  first  vegetable  that  became  popular  and  generally 
used,  being  largely  eaten  by  the  ancients.  Pythagoras,  the  oil  Greek 
philosopher,  enjoined  his  followers  to  abstain  from  Beans,  because  it  is 
thought  he  intended  to  restrain  them  from  meddling  in  politics,  for  it 
is  well  known  that  votes  were  formerly  given  by  Beans,  placing  them  in 
urns,  the  forerunner  of  our  present  system  of  voting  by  ballot.  Haricot 
Beans,  boiled  and  eaten  wicn  oil  and  vinegar,  are  generally  used  by  the 
French  daily,  forming  a  portion  of  the  ordinary  diet.  They  are  whole¬ 
some  and  nutritious,  but  are  not  in  such  favour  with  us. 
Artichokes  (Gynara  scolymus)  are  a  pleasant  vegetable,  by  no  means 
generally  eateD.  Of  old  the  juice  enj  >yed  a  reputation  as  being  a  cure 
for  rheumatism  ;  this  virtue,  however,  is  not,  so  far  as  we  know,  claimed 
for  it  at  the  present  day.  Jerusalem  Artichokes  owe  their  name  to  two 
odd  reasons.  They  are  the  tubers  of  Helianthus  tuberosus,  a  species  of 
Sunflower.  Jerusalem  is  a  corruption  of  Girasole,  its  name  in  Laly. 
Artichoke  is  due  to  its  strong  leiemblauce  in  tas^e  to  the  real  Artichoke. 
Salads  are  very  popular,  but  are  not  highly  digestible.  A  distinction, 
however,  exists,  Cucumbers  ^eing  considered  the  most  indigestible,  and 
Lettuce  the  most  digestible.  Lettuce,  it  would  seem,  owes  its  innocence 
to  its  containing  a  small  quantity  of  narcotic  matter.  Nothing,  perhaps, 
more  shows  the  popularity  of  salads  than  that  an  eminent  man  like 
Evelyn,  of  diary  fame,  should  have  written  a  book  on  them.  He 
enumerates  seventy-two  herbs  fit  to  enter  into  their  composition  in  his 
“  Acetaria  :  a  Discourse  of  Sallets,”  published  in  1699. — Wm.  Norman 
Brown. 
NOTES  ON  DAHLIAS. 
Comparatively  few  flowers  enjoy  so  wide  a  popularity  as  the 
Dahlia,  and  the  reasons  are  obvious.  In  the  first  place  it  is  essentially 
an  accommodating  plant,  and  is  perfectly  at  home  in  the  gardens  of  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  Perhaps,  excluding  the  queenly  Rose,  no 
flower  finds  such  favour  with  the  working  thousands  to  whom  floriculture 
is  a  useful  and  elevating  hobby.  To  such  men  the  merits  of  the  blooms 
grown  in  tiny  gardens  and  allotments  form  the  subject  of  many  an 
animated  conversation  in  the  depths  of  the  mine,  by  the  forge,  and  amid 
the  never-ceasing  rattle  of  the  spinning  frame.  Yes,  to  appreciate  fully 
the  value  placed  upon  the  Dahlia  one  must  be  in  close  touch  with  this 
important  section  of  the  population.  Then  we  have  the  enthusiastic 
experts  who  display  their  flowers  and  crowd  round  the  tables  at  the 
Crystal  Palace,  Royal  Aquarium,  and  other  important  shows.  To  them 
Dahlia  growing  and  raising  is  a  fine  art,  and  one,  too,  wrought  with 
interest — yet  another  testimony  of  the  sway  which  the  flower  holds. 
Indeed,  one  might  go  on  at  length  enumerating  different  types  of  horti¬ 
culturists  to  whom  the  cultivation  of  the  popular  flower  is  a  pet  theme. 
I  said  the  plant  was  accommodating,  and  so  it  is  in  more  ways  than 
one.  Where  is  there  another  in  which  we  get  so  charming  a  variety, 
such  a  disparity  in  type  ?  Look  at  the  large  show  kinds — perhaps  not 
favourites  with  everyone,,  but  containing  such  a  substance  of  bloom, 
such  a  regularity  of  outline,  and  depth  of  colour  1  Then  the  “  fancy  ” 
kinds,  with  their  lesser  forms  and  strange  mixture  of  tints  1  They,  too, 
have  their  admirers,  and  during  recent  years  have  come  rapidly  to  the 
front.  Perhaps,  however,  for  p  'pulaHty  the  pa  m  mu*t  be  given  to  the 
Cactus,  as  its  pleasing  form  and  striking  colours,  coupled  with  its  use¬ 
fulness  for  decorative  purposes,  has  placed  it  in  the  forefcont  of  this 
extensive  family.  More  simple,  more  unobtrusive,  and  with  a  shyness 
that  courts  not  publicity,  are  the  words  that  perhaps  best  describe  the 
Pompons  ;  yet  they  have  a  beauty  quite  distinct,  and  peculiarly  their 
own.  Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  there  are  the  singles,  though  in  this 
section  opinions  divide,  and  the  beauty  of  single  Dahlias  does  not  appeal 
to  some  who  admire  the  double  and  more  substantial  forms.  To  be  seen 
at  their  best  they  should  be  planted  en  masse  in  a  garden  where  they 
are  in  character  with  the  natural  surroundings.  Those  who  have  seen 
the  large  masses  of  single  white  Dahlias  contrasting  with  the  bright 
scarlet  beds  of  Formosa  (one  of  the  most  floriferous  varieties)  as  grown 
in  the  naturally  formed  gardens  at  Alton  Towers  will,  I  think,  agree 
with  me  that  as  a  beautifier  of  the  flower  garden  we  have  few  superiors 
to  the  single  Dahlia. 
Ever  looking  ahead,  thoughts  are  already  centred  on  the  furnishing 
of  the  flower  beds,  and  propagation  is  in  full  swing.  Many  a  grower, 
both  large  and  small,  has  examined  with  anxiety  his  store  of  tubers 
during  the  past  few  weeks.  Let  us  hope  that  in  all  cases  they  have 
been  found  sound  and  in  good  condition,  for  on  careful  storing  depends 
the  success  of  the  following  season.  To  be  dry  and  frost- proof  are  the 
two  indispensables,  and  these  provided  no  fears  need  be  entertained. 
Shrivelled  tubers  when  taken  out  of  their  winter  quarters  denote  too 
high  a  temperature,  and  too  much  moisture  causes  wholesale  decay.  A 
dry  disused  cellar  where  frost  could  not  penetrate  was  the  best  place  I 
ever  had  for  storing  Dahlia  tubers,  and  there,  too,  Gladiolus  corms  were 
habitually  wintered  without  a  single  loss.  Care  should  always  be  taken 
that  each  variety  is  carefully  labelled  and  kept  separate,  otherwise 
confusion  is  sure  to  follow.  Some  varieties,  it  is  true,  can  be  detected 
by  the  foliage,  but  in  others  it  is  so  similar  that  this  is  impossible,  and 
what  looks  worse  than  when  planting  a  bed  of  one  kind  to  find  at 
flowering  time  that  there  are  several  others  mixed  with  it  1 
Old  tubers  for  providing  cuttings  are  placed  closely  together  on  a  slight 
hotbed  with  a  little  leaf  mould  sprinkled  over  them.  Soon  they  push 
an  abundance  of  stout  shoots,  and  these  taken  off  when  about  3  inches 
long  with  a  heel  of  the  old  tuber  attached  root  rapidly.  Tbe  most 
expeditious  way  of  raising  large  quantities  of  good  strong  plan's  is  to 
root  them  in  a  bed  over  gentle  heat,  and  then  transfer  to  4  or  5-inch 
pots  If  grown  in  the  cool  and  close  to  the  light,  being  gradually 
hardened  before  standing  outside,  the  plants  will  be  in  fine  condition  at 
bedding  time.  Spring-rooted  Dahlia  plants  are  often  grown  in  thumb 
pot*,  particularly  where  lack  of  space  is  a  consideration.  Arguments 
may  be  urged  against  the  method,  for  long  before  the  plan  s  can  be 
removed  to  the  open  ground  the  pots  are  one  mass  of  roots,  and  the 
growth  in  consequence  is  matured  and  stunted.  Several  weeks  elapse 
after  planting  before  root  action  recommences,  and  those  weeks  are 
practically  lost — hence  the  advisability  of  growing  the  plants  without  a 
check. 
But  what  about  soil  ?  perhaps  some  novice  is  impatiently  muttering. 
Well,  the  Dahlia  loves  a  fertile  medium,  but  an  over-liberal  supply  of 
strong  manure  is  a  mistake,  or  the  growth  is  so  rank  and  robusr,  the 
consequence  being  that  few  flowers  are  produced.  A  little  gu«no 
or  night  Boil  may  be  used,  instead  of ,  rich  farmyard  manure,  with 
good  results.  Somo  varieties,  however,  grow  much  stronger  than 
others,  therefore  it  ;s  difficult  to  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast  iulea  <>u 
this  point,  and  judgment  must  be  used  by  the  cultivator.  One  of  tbe 
blocks  over  which  many  Dahlia  growers  stumble  is  that  of  planting  them 
too  closely  together.  The  result  is  a  thicket  of  growth,  and  the  re  1 
beauty  of  the  plants  is  almost  undiscernible.  It  is  better  to  err  on  the 
other  side  when  placing  out  the  plants.  Neat  slakes,  sawn  out  and 
painted,  are  perhaps  the  best  to  use  for  supporting  the  plants,  though 
thick  bamboo  canes  are  also  largely  used.  Once  I  remember  a  young 
Larch  plantation  caught  fire  during  the  dry  days  of  spring  ;  the  charred 
poles  about  4  feet  high,  left  standing  after  the  conflagration,  formed  a 
stock  of  Dahlia  stakes  which  lasted  for  years,  the  charred  bark  seeming 
to  be  a  means  of  preservation. 
Dahlia  growers  have  many  enemies,  and  where  rabbits  abound  none 
more  deadly  than  these.  When  the  plants  are  young  and  the  leaves 
tender  the  furry  creatures  have  a  decided  liking  for  them,  and  unless 
adequately  fenced  out  will  devour  the  foliage  and  stems  wholesale. 
Later  on  there  are  earwigs,  for  the  capture  of  which  there  is  no  better 
plan  than  the  old-fashioned  one  of  fixing  inverted  flower  pots  on  stakes, 
looking  them  over  continually,  and  destroying  the  troublesome  pests. 
I  do  not  propose  wearying  the  re?,1er  with  long  lists  of  names,  as  a 
selection  of  the  best  varieties  and  >  ost  recent  introductions  may  be 
obtained  from  the  perusal  of  any  florist’s  catalogue.  One  word,  however, 
may  be  said  ;  do  not  be  misled  by  appearances,  particularly  with  the 
Cactus  sorts.  Many  of  them  look  beautiful  on  the  exhibition  table,  but 
in  the  garden  their  flowers  are  produced  on  such  short  footstalks  that 
they  are  completely  hidden  by  the  foliage,  and  the  ardent  amateur^after 
paying  a  good  price  for  the  plants,  is  disappointed.  Moral — Learn 
something  of  the  habit  of  the  plant  before  purchasing.  Single  Dahlias 
are  often  raised  from  seeds,  but  it  is  better  to  get  a  collection  of  such 
distinct  kinds  as  Formosa,  Negresse,  Duchess  of  Westminster,  Miss 
Roberts,  and  Paragon  and  propagate  year  by  year. 
Something,  too,  might  be  added  about  exhibiting,  treatment  of  the 
tubers  after  frost  has  asserted  its  power,  and  many  other  operations,  but 
these  can  be  left  till  later.  The  year  is  yet  young,  and  it  is  only  propa¬ 
gating  time,  but  to  those  enthusiastic  in  the  culture  of  the  ever-popular 
Dahlia  the  foregoing  reminders  may  prove  useful. — G.  H.  H. 
