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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
^  September  5,  1895. 
phesied  that  they  were  destined  to  take  high  rank  in  the  embellish¬ 
ment  of  the  flower  garden  of  the  future.  That  these  forecasts 
have  to  some  extent  come  true  is  admitted,  yet,  methinks,  not  to 
the  extent  anticipated,  as  Fuchsias  are  not  used  for  garden  adorn¬ 
ment  nearly  so  much  as  their  many  merits  deserve,  as  whether  in 
sunshine  or  rain  they  continue  flowering,  and  in  beds  or  borders 
have  a  most  charming  effect.  Any  doubts  as  to  the  veracity  of 
such  a  statement  would  instantly  be  dispelled  on  paying  a  visit  to 
Hyde  or  any  other  of  the  famous  London  parks  where  Fuchsias 
are  largely  and  advantageously  used  for  summer  bedding  purposes, 
and  at  this  period  add  no  small  share  to  the  sum  total  of  floral 
beauty  displayed.  In  Hyde  Park  they  are  chiefly  used  in  the 
flower  beds,  towering  up  in  gracefulness  above  a  groundwork  of 
other  brightly  contrasting  plants.  This,  however,  is  not  the  only 
way  in  which  they  may  be  employed  to  advantage,  as  by  grouping 
several  plants  together  on  slightly  raised  mounds  on  the  grass, 
choosing  full-growing  varieties  of  branching  habit,  a  most  pleasing 
effect  is  formed.  Specimens  of  less  than  from  4  to  5  feet  high 
are  not  sufficiently  imposing  for  such  positions,  nor  should  the 
plants  be  less  than  2  feet  through  at  the  base,  and  the  branches 
graceful,  not  having  been  pinched  too  late  before  flowering 
commences. 
Another  method  is  the  arrangement  of  three  or  four  plants  of 
one  variety,  with  a  grass  space  of  several  feet  between.  In  this 
case  the  pots  may  be  plunged  over  the  rims  and  supplied  as 
required  with  water,  and  in  almost  every  garden  there  are  areas  of 
turf  where  a  little  variety  in  the  shape  of  groups  of  these  graceful 
plants  might  be  introduced  with  much  advantage.  With  the 
advent  of  September,  the  end  of  which  month  practically  closes 
the  account  of  the  display  of  summer  bedding,  many  readers  will 
doubtless  be  paying  extra  attention  to  this  department  in  the 
shape  of  taking  note  of  what  has  proved  the  most  effective  through¬ 
out  the  season,  and  perchance  forming  ideas  for  new  departures 
and  improvements  to  take  place  in  the  future.  To  those  who  have 
not  grown  Fuchsias  for  this  purpose,  and  perhaps  have  not  had  an 
opportunity  of  studying  the  merits  of  these  plants  for  summer 
bedding,  the  plea  for  them  is  especially  put  forward,  as  in  addition 
to  many  other  qualifications,  some  of  which  have  been  already 
stated,  they  add  what  is  often  sorely  wanted  in  bedding  arrange¬ 
ments — variety.  The  ever  increasing  demand  of  the  age  is  for 
something  fresh,  some  conspicuous  feature  that  the  eye  has  not 
been  accustomed  to  see,  and  in  many  private  gardens  known  to 
the  writer,  yea,  and  in  hundreds  of  others  entirely  unknown, 
this  demand  might  be  easily  and  satisfactorily  supplied  by  the 
introduction  of  Fuchsias  as  bedding  plants. 
They  are  more  earnestly  recommended  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
cost  of  production  is  practically  nil.  It  is  a  very  different  thing 
advising  the  cultivation  of  this  and  that,  the  possession  of  which 
may  be  entirely  beyond  the  reach  of  many  gardeners,  owing  to 
price,  scarcity,  or  other  reasons.  With  the  subject  in  question, 
however,  no  such  crotchet  bars  the  way,  as  everyone  grows  Fuchsias, 
of  course,  and  though  even  the  commonest  varieties  produce  good 
results  outdoors,  yet  some  are  more  suitable  than  others.  Lord 
Beaconsfield,  for  instance,  so  well  known  as  to  need  no  description 
13  a  most  effective  kind  for  the  purpose.  Mrs.  Marshall  is  also  well 
suited,  being  profuse  in  flowering  and  of  graceful  habit,  while 
Tower  of  London,  with  its  bold  appearance  and  large  flowers  ; 
Rose  of  Castile,  with  free  and  floriferous  habit  of  growth  ;  Daniel 
Lambert,  free  in  habit,  and  of  colour  scarlet  and  purple,  and  a 
charming  and  very  graceful  variety,  with  pale  green  foliage,  bearing 
large  clusters  of  bright  flowers,  are  all  in  possession  of  excellent 
qualifications  for  flower  garden  embellishment,  though,  of  course, 
there  are  many  others  that  might  also  be  added  to  the  list. 
How  to  proceed  to  obtain  suitable  plants  is  the  next  point.  In 
order  to  get  fine  specimens  in  good  condition  for  future  use  a  start 
should  be  made  by  rooting  cuttings  now,  keeping  the  plants 
growing  steadily  during  the  winter  months,  and  affording  them  a 
season’s  growth  in  the  greenhouse  until  large  enough  for  the 
required  purpose.  The  following  year  they  may  be  employed  in 
the  flower  beds,  and  afterwards  when  larger  they  will  if  necessary 
come  in  as  specimens  for  the  grass.  It  must  not  be  thought  that 
by  growing  them  in  strong  heat  they  will  sooner  attain  a  suitable 
size,  much  more  likely  will  they  be  to  shed  the  greater  part  of  their 
leaves.  A  cool  greenhouse  is  the  place  to  grow  them,  so  as  to 
induce  a  free  sturdy  habit,  without  which  they  will  not  take  freely 
to  their  new  quarters.  Water  should  be  freely  administered  during 
hot,  dry  weather,  this  being  most  essential  to  .success,  as  the 
Fuchsia  is  a  moisture-loving  plant  ;  and  in  cases  of  tall  specimens 
a  stout  stake  should  be  fixed  in  the  ground  close  to  the  stem,  and 
the  plant  fastened  securely  to  it.  Attention  during  the  summer 
must  be  given  to  picking  off  all  seed  pods,  as  their  presence  greatly 
taxes  the  blooming  powers  of  the  plant.  Liquid  manure  in  dry 
weather  will  assist  them  materially,  and  under  favourable  con¬ 
ditions  abundance  of  bright  flowers  and  graceful  foliage  will  assist 
m  prolonging  the  beauty  of  the  flower  garden  late  into  the  autumn 
until  at  length  Dame  Nature  steps  in  with  frost  that  closes  the 
bedding  account  for  one  more  season. — G.  H.  H. 
SALADS. 
The  importance  of  this  subject  can  hardly  be  over-estimated, 
and  though  it  is  here  purposed  to  treat  more  of  the  composition  of 
salads  than  of  cultural  details,  I  venture  to  think  that  in  doing  so 
no  infringement  of  the  duties  of  those  by  whom  the  final  operations 
are  generally  performed  is  implied.  Only,  perhaps,  in  those  large 
establishments  where  the  demand  exists,  and  a  good  salad  has  to 
be  supplied  all  the  year  round,  is  sufficient  interest  taken  by  all 
concerned  to  do  justice  to  the  matter.  In  this  case  salad-making 
is  an  art,  and  the  grower  instinctively  feels  that  he  is  encouraged 
to  produce  the  best  examples  of  each  kind  necessary,  and,  more¬ 
over,  that  his  efforts  will  not  be  marred  in  the  final  stage.  If 
these  conditions  were  the  rule  instead  of  the  exception  gardeners 
might  rest  content,  though  I  see  no  reason  why  they  should  do  so, 
nor  that  all  interest  in  the  matter  should  cease  when  the  materials 
leave  the  garden.  Anyway,  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  there 
are  innumerable  places  where  at  certain  seasons  a  good  salad  is 
appreciated,  and  in  many  of  which  neither  due  time  nor  thought  is 
given  to  accomplish  the  object. 
Although  the  subject  is  fully  recognised  in  our  day  by  the 
masses  in  the  elementary  form  of  a  good  Lettuce,  as  well  as  by  the 
classes  in  its  more  varied  form,  the  art  of  salad-making  is  no  new 
epicurean  fashion.  Charles  Dickens,  in  “  Barnaby  Rudge,”  speaks 
of  the  pride  taken  by  a  Chaplain  of  Newgate  in  concocting  a 
lobster  salad  after  a  more  gruesome  task.  With  lobsters — described 
by  a  compiler  of  the  dictionary  of  the  French  Academy  as  “  a  little 
red  fish  which  walks  backwards” — we  have  nought  to  do  ;  with  the 
salad  proper  we  have  all  to  do  with,  or,  at  least,  it  would  in  some 
instances,  I  think,  be  better  if  we  had. 
In  considering  the  constituents  of  our  salad  bowl  they  may,  I 
think,  be  allotted  to  three  sections — viz  ,  the  essential,  the  palatic, 
and  the  ornamental.  Given  the  harmonious  blending  of  the  whole 
will  yield  the  happy  consummation  of  the  salad  maker’s  art.  With 
the  essential  a  good  crisp  Lettuce  (or  Lettuces)  comes  first  on  the 
list.  All  else  may,  indeed,  be  a  matter  of  taste  ;  yet  I  will  here 
include  such  things  as  in  my  experience  are  usually  looked  for, 
according  to  the  season — viz.,  a  Cucumber,  Endive,  Mustard  and 
Cress,  Tomatoes,  Beet,  Radishes  (white  and  red).  Watercress, 
Chicory  or  Dandelion.  The  two  latter  articles,  also  Endive,  may 
rather  be  regarded  as  supernumerary  when  good  Lettuce  is 
procurable. 
With  the  Lettuce  general  opinion  appears  to  favour  the  Cabbage 
varieties,  of  which  All  the  Year  Round  may  be  regarded  as  the 
type,  and  the  delicate  blanched  hearts,  when  divested  of  the  coarse 
outside  leaves,  are  the  beau  ideal  for  the  groundwork  of  a  good 
salad.  These,  when  cut,  should  be  thrown  with  the  other  essentials 
into  a  tub  of  cold  spring  water  for  an  hour  at  least,  and  if  the  tap 
or  pump  is  made  to  contribute  a  running  supply  so  much  the  better, 
for  not  only  do  we  require  cleanliness  above  suspicion,  but  that 
cold,  crisp  freshness  which  makes  the  difference  between  mediocrity 
and  perfection.  Before  removing  from  the  water  the  Lettuce  (or 
similar  things)  should  be  pulled  leaf  from  leaf,  and  eventually 
drained  by  shaking  up  in  a  large  rough  (needless  to  say  clean) 
cloth,  to  be  finally  pulled  to  pieces  by  the  fingers — not  cut  with  a 
knife. 
Tomatoes  in  season  may  well  (and  I  think  usually  do)  take  the 
place  of  Beetroot.  Fruit  of  both  the  golden  and  red  varieties, 
rather  below  than  above  medium  size,  when  sliced,  are  in  addition 
to  other  qualities  highly  ornamental.  The  Cucumber,  unless  pro¬ 
scribed — for  it  must  be  understood  that  all  things  mentioned  here, 
with  the  exception  of  Lettuces,  depends,  as  previously  stated,  on 
individual  taste — is  rather  important,  and  the  provider  will  do  well 
to  ensure  that  it  is  not  cut  from  a  bitter  variety,  which  occasion¬ 
ally  occurs  ;  also  that  it  errs  on  the  side  of  youthfulness.  A 
delicate  green-skinned  Cucumber  is  sometimes  thinly  sliced  with 
the  skin  intact,  and  the  quantity  used  is  proportionately  small  to 
the  other  articles. 
Watercress,  of  which  the  tender  tops  may  be  used  whole,  is  best 
procured  from  a  running  stream  of  pure  water,  for  it  is  a  plant 
favoured  by  some  insects  (one  in  particular  of  which  I  do  not 
know  the  name)  and  which  the  most  vigorous  washing  will  often 
fail  to  eradicate.  In  places  where  this  pungent  and  wholesome 
herb  is  difficult  to  procure,  it  can  be  readily  raised  from  seed  (or 
grown  from  cuttings)  in  a  cool,  moist  corner  of  the  garden,  and  a 
daily  watering  will  give  good  results.  Of  Mustard  and  Cress  but 
little  is  needful  to  say,  beyond  that  the  qualities  are  impaired  when 
breaking  into  rough  leaf,  and  a  light  hand  is  required  in  cutting 
and  washing.  In  using,  small  tufts  of  each  may  be  deftly  inserted 
at  intervals  over  the  surface  of  the  salad  in  its  growing  position. 
