August  1,  1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
101 
PHILADELPHUS  BOULE  D’ ARGENT. 
The  popularity  of  the  Mock  Orange  is  decidedly  on  the  increase, 
and  the  one  depicted  in  fig.  14  will  give  stimulus  to  the  movement,  for 
it  is  of  undoubted  value.  The  plant  is  of  the  same  habit  of  growth  as 
its  single  relatives,  but  only  attains  to  a  height  of  about  2  feet.  The 
growths,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  engraving,  are  clothed  with  double  white 
blossoms  of  good  size  and  substance.  It  was  accorded  a  first-class 
certificate  at  the  Drill  Hall  recently,  where  it  was  staged  by  Messrs. 
T.  Cripps  &  Sons,  Tunbridge  Wells. 
PROFITABLE  EMPLOYMENT  OF  GLASS  STRUCTURES 
IN  WINTER. 
(Silver  Medal  Essay  by  Mr.  G.  Hart,  Buckingham,  Old  Shoreham,  Sussex.) 
(^Concluded  from  page  90.) 
Tree  Carnations. — This  is  a  flower  of  great  value  to  the  market 
grower,  as  for  good  blooms  in  the  winter  months  I  always  find  a  ready 
sale.  It  is  a  flower  that  will  keep  in  good  condition  for  a  long  time,  and 
stands  travelling  and  packing  remarkably  well.  There  are  a  number  of 
fine  varieties  in  commerce,  but  the  sorts  I  find  do  best  are  Miss  Jolliffe, 
pink ;  Alegati^re,  bright  scarlet ;  and  La  Zouave,  red.  I  take  the 
cuttings  (or  pipings)  at  the  end  of  January,  and  insert  them  five  or  six 
round  the  sides  of  4-inch  pots  in  a  compost  of  one  part  loam,  two  parts 
leaf  mould,  one  part  silver  sand,  and  put  them  under  a  hand-light  in  a 
temperature  of  65°.  As  soon  as  rooted  they  are  potted  singly  into  3-inch 
pots,  and  returned  to  the  same  temperature,  topping  the  plants  when 
established  and  the  temperature  is  reduced  to  50°. 
As  soon  as  these  are  full  of  roots  the  plants  are  transferred  to  their 
flowering  pots,  6  inches  in  diameter,  in  a  compost  of  three  parts  turfy 
loam,  one  part  leaf  mould,  one  part  sand,  with  a  good  sprinkling  of 
charcoal  to  keep  the  soil  open.  After  this  potting  the  plants  are  kept 
close  for  a  few  days  till  they  begin  to  grow  again,  when  air  is  admitted 
night  and  day.  About  the  first  week  in  May  the  plants  are  stood  outside 
on  a  bed  of  ashes,  where  they  remain  until  the  beginning  of  September, 
when  they  are  removed  to  a  half-span  greenhouse  60  feet  long  by  20  feet 
wide.  The  front  of  the  house  is  6  feet  high,  3  feet  being  brickwork, 
and  3  feet  glass  sash-lights  used  for  ventilation,  but  air  is  also  admitted  at 
the  top.  The  house  is  fitted  with  a  stage  3  feet  wide,  running  along  the 
front  and  two  ends  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  brickwork.  Along 
the  back  wall  is  a  border  18  inches  wide,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  house 
is  a  ladder  stage  of  six  shelves,  made  to  take  to  pieces  in  the  summer. 
There  is  a  path  2  feet  6  inches  wide  between  the  front  stage  and  the 
middle  one,  and  between  the  middle  stage  and  the  border,  the  house 
being  heated  by  six  rows  of  pipes,  four  rows  being  fixed  under  the  front 
stage  and  running  round  the  house,  two  rows  under  the  centre  stage, 
and  having  a  water  tank  at  one  end. 
After  the  plants  are  housed,  air  is  left  on  at  the  top  and  bottom  for  the 
first  fortnight,  so  as  not  to  give  the  plants  too  sudden  a  change,  and  the 
temperature  is  gradually  raised  to  55°  or  60°,  at  which  it  is  kept  all  the 
winter.  By  treating  the  plants  in  this  manner  I  get  a  number  of  good 
blooms  from  October  to  March,  which  sell  readily  at  from  33.  to  Is.  per 
dozen.  The  secret  of  growing  the  Carnation  during  the  winter  is  to 
be  careful  not  to  overwater  the  plants,  and  to  give  air  at  every 
opportunity. 
The  back  wall  of  this  house  is  covered  with  the  double  scarlet 
Pelargonium  E.  V.  Raspail,  planted  in  the  border.  The  plants  are  cut 
back  in  June,  and  when  breaking  freely  they  receive  a  good  top-dressing 
of  loam,  manure,  and  sand.  From  September,  till  they  are  cut  back  again 
the  following  June,  some  hundreds  of  dozen  bunches  of  bloom  are  cut, 
which  sell  at  from  23.  6d.  to  6s.  per  dozen  bunches,  according  to  the 
season. 
Suspended  from  the  roof  are  two  shelves,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
ridge,  on  which  Strawberries  are  grown.  The  plants  are  introduced 
in  December  from  a  cooler  house,  and  are  stood  in  saucers  containing 
some  good  turfy  loam  and  manure.  The  plants  root  through  the  bottom 
of  the  pots  into  it,  and  it  serves  as  a  stimulant  when  they  are  swelling 
their  fruit.  The  heat  and  air  necessary  for  the  Carnation  suit  the  plants 
well.  The  result  is  a  good  crop  of  fine  fruit  about  the  middle  of 
February  or  beginning  of  March,  according  to  the  amount  of  sunshine 
experienced,  and  for  the  Strawberries  from  lOs.  to  12s.  per  Ib.  is 
obtained. 
Standing  on  the  front  stage,  and  trained  2  feet  apart  up  the  roof,  so 
as  not  to  exclude  the  light  from  the  Carnations,  I  have  Roses  in  pots. 
During  the  first  week  in  September  the  plants  are  top-dressed,  or,  if  they 
require  it,  they  are  repotted  into  larger  pots  in  a  compost  of  two  parts 
turfy  loam,  one  part  decayed  manure,  and  a  little  bone  meal.  The  pots 
are  then  plunged  in  ashes  outside,  and  the  first  week  in  November  they 
are  pruned  and  taken  indoors  to  a  temperature  of  45°.  At  the  beginning 
of  December  they  are  placed  on  the  front  stage  of  the  Carnation  house 
to  flower,  which  they  begin  to  do  in  the  middle  of  January.  The  best 
varieties  for  this  treatment  are  Madame  Falcot,  average  price  2s.  6d.  per 
dozen;  climbing  Niphetos,  3s.  per  dozen;  and  Catherine  Mermet,  6s. 
per  dozen.  The  plants  remain  in  this  house  till  the  beginning  of  May, 
when  they  are  stood  outside  under  a  south  wall,  and  their  shoots  tied  to 
wire,  where  they  remain  till  the  following  autumn. 
Under  the  middle  stage  I  grow  Seakale,  and  if  the  crowns  are  home 
grown  I  consider  it  one  of  the  most  paying  crops.  As  soon  as  the  leaves 
die  off  the  crowns  are  dug  up,  all  the  side  roots  removed,  and  made  into 
cuttings  about  6  inches  long  for  another  year.  As  the  crowns  are 
trimmed  they  are  laid  in  ashes  till  wanted  for  forcing,  which  I  startjthe 
first  week  in  December,  as  it  is  Christmas  time  and  through  January 
when  Seakale  commands  the  best  price.  I  purchase  a  number  of 
Orange  boxes,  and  partly  fill  them  with  old  potting  soil,  placing  the 
crowns  in  them  about  an  inch  apart.  When  filled  I  place  a  piece  of 
board  over  the  top  to  keep  off  the  drip,  cover  the  whole  over  with  bags 
or  mats  to  exclude  light  and  air,  and  stand  them  close  to  the  hot-water 
pipes,  the  result  being  in  about  three  weeks  some  fine  Seakale,  perfectly 
blanched,  for  which  I  get  Is.  fid.  to  2s.  per  dozen  crowns.  As  fast  as 
the  crowns  are  cut  they  are  pulled  out,  and  others  put  in  their  places. 
fig.  14.— PHILADELPHUS  BOULE  D’ARGENT, 
Never  water  unless  the  crowns  are  starting  into  growth  and  the  soil  is 
very  dry,  or  it  will  make  the  crowns  decay.  Under  the  front  stage  in 
this  house  I  grow  Lily  of  the  Valley,  packed  in  shallow  boxes  (2  feet 
long,  9  inches  wide)  quite  closely  together.  Then  I  get  some  boards 
and  case  part  of  the  hot- water  pipes  in,  covering  them  with  4  inches  of 
cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse.  On  this  I  stand  my  boxes  of  crowns,  put  panes 
of  glass  over  them,  and  cover  the  glass  over  with  moss  until  they  begin 
to  grow  and  show  their  flowers,  when  they  are  gradually  uncovered  and 
brought  to  the  light.  By  this  means  I  get  good  trusses  of  bloom,  with 
abundance  of  foliage,  for  which  Is.  6d.  per  dozen  from  December  to  the 
end  of  January  is  obtainable.  As  the  crowns  can  be  bought  wholesale 
at  303.  per  1000,  this  price  leaves  a  good  profit  for  the  grower.  In  this 
house  I  sow  some  Tomato  seeds  at  the  beginning  of  December.  For 
this  purpose  I  use  boxes,  covering  them  with  panes  of  glass  till  the 
seed  germinates,  so  as  to  have  plants  ready  to  fill  the  houses  as  they  are 
emptied  of  their  winter  occupants.  As  will  be  seen  this  is  not  the  sort 
of  house  one  would  think  of  building  in  the  present  day  for  market  use, 
but  it  is  one  that  I  had  to  profitably  manage, 
