108 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTTGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  3,  1898. 
Equal  Peizes  eok  Peemiee  Blooms. 
In  reply  to  the  Editor’s  query,  “  Were  equal  prizes  ever  awarded  in  the 
case  of  the  premier  bloom  in  a  Chrysanthemum  show  ?  ”  I  can  state  a 
similar  case  to  that  quoted  by  “  W.  Wilts,"  as,  at  our  leading  district 
show,  in  1893  (which  was  the  iirst  time  I  competed),  a  N.C.S.  certificate 
and  a  cash  prize  were  offered  for  the  best  bloom  in  the  show.  They  were 
divided  between  two  blooms,  my  friendly  opponent  receiving  the  certificate, 
and  I  the  cash  prize.  This  division  led  to  much  comment  at  the  time.  The 
next  year,  at  the  same  show,  I  was  more  successful,  as,  with  a  specimen 
plant,  I  secured  the  cash  prize  offered,  and  better  still,  the  coveted  “  bit 
of  cardboard  ”  of  the  N.C.S. — Foeloen. 
[Not  quite  “forlorn!”  If  there  had  been  no  money  prize  with  the 
certificate,  the  “  hit  of  cardboard  ’  itself  would,  presumably,  have  been 
divided,  as  it  would  scarcely  do  for  a  N.C.S.  certificate  to  be  “tossed 
for.”] 
A  Handy  Cheysanthbmum  Manual. 
Among  the  books  advertised  last  week  by  Messrs.  Blake  &  Mackenzie 
is  a  good  little  manual  with  the  comprehensive  title,  “  Modern  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  Culture  for  the  Million,  ’  by  the  experienced  and  successful 
cultivator,  Mr.  George  Garner.  The  author  says  he  has  endeavoured  to 
give  the  most  important  essentials  in  the  cultivation  and  management  of 
the  plants  and  flowers  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  and  these  so  plain  that 
he  hopes  his  methods  will  be  understood.  The  sixty-four  pages  evidently 
contain  a  narrative  of  his  own  practice  from  what  may  be  described  as  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  season  of  raising,  cultivating,  and  exhibiting 
Chrysanthemums,  or  a  whole  year's  routine.  This  is  not  done  in  the  form 
of  a  stiff  calendar,  or  anything  of  that  kind,  but  in  a  series  of  short  clear 
chapters.  The  photographic  illustrations  of  cuttings,  growths,  and  buds 
will  be  helpful  to  the  inexperienced,  w  ho  ought  soon  to  be  able  to  grow  better 
blooms  than  some  of  those  represented  in  the  pages.  The  most  distinct 
feature  of  this  manual  is  the  tabulated  list  of  sixty  good  and  genei  ally 
grown  Japanese  and  forty  incurved  varieties,  showing  at  a  glance  the 
colour,  height,  earliness  or  otherwise,  dates  for  securing  buds  of  each,  the 
size  the  blooms  ought  to  be  in  the  size  of  pots  given  for  growung  the 
plants.  These  eight  pages  will  be  tempting  to  many  who  are  anxious 
to  obtain  such  information  as  they  impart.  Mr.  Garner  meets  the  question 
of  the  time  for  bud-taking  given,  ))eing  suitable  all  round,  in  a  delightfully 
easy  way,  for  he  says  if  the  buds  form  later  in  the  north  than  the  south, 
the  northern  shows  are  later  too,  so  all  will  come  right  by  earlier  housing 
in  the  colder  districts.  No  doubt  northerners  will  compare  his  dates  for 
bud-taking  with  their  own,  and  note  agreements  or  divergencies.  No 
Chrysanthemum  grower  can  err  by  procuring  this  manual,  and  few,  we 
suspect,  will  begrudge  the  sixpence.  It  will  prove  handy  for  reference, 
and  afford  useful  guidance  to  those  novices  who  would  like  to  know  as 
much  about  Chrysanthemums  as  the  author  does,  who  seems  to  tell 
concisely  all  he  knows  about  them. 
THE  CULTURE  OF  LEEKS. 
Leeks  are  not  so  generally  cultivated  as  is  desirable,  and  we  doubt  if 
many  of  those  who  do  grow  them  have  them  as  satisfactory  as  they  should 
lie,  even  in  that  land  of  Leeks — Wales.  In  the  northern  half  of  this  island 
Leeks  are  generally  grown,  alike  in  the  nobleman's  many-acred  garden 
and  in  the  cottager's  “  kail-yaird,’'  and  are  appreciated  alike  by  peer 
and  peasant.  Possibly  the  difference  in  the  cooking  of  the  two  divisions 
of  the  country  accounts  for  the  different  degrees  of  popularity  in  which 
this  esculent  is  held.  In  the  north  vegetables  are  mostly  used  in  soups, 
and  seldom  is  the  Leek  otherwise  used.  “  Cocky-leeky  ”  is  a  favoured 
dish  among  the  upper  classes,  but  not  among  these  lower  in  the  social 
scale,  and  “cocky-leeky  ”  is  the  only  way  that  we  know  of  whereby  Leeks 
are  used  simply  as  a  vegetable.  In  this  form  the  11  avour  is  too  strong  for 
ordinary  tastes.  In  soups,  even  in  Leek  soup,  pure  and  simple,  this  strong 
flavour  disappears,  and  is  replaced  by  one  which  few  northern  palates  do 
not  appreciate. 
If  a  few  necessary  rules  are  observed  in  its  cultivation  a  crop  is 
certain,  even  in  the  least  favoured  positions.  It  is  like  Borecole  in  this, 
and  bleak  indeed  must  be  the  spot  where  neither  will  grow.  For  this 
reason  it  replaces  Onions  where  climatical  causes  make  the  latter  a 
precarious  crop.  It  is  also  particularly  free  from  insect  pests,  thriving 
where  Onions  are  destroyed  wholesale  by  maggots.  And  then  every 
portion  of  the  plant  may  be  used  ;  so  it  is  an  extremely  economical 
vegetable  to  grow  where  ground  is  limited  or  reasons  exist  for  growing 
only  the  most  productive  crop. 
It  is  of  no  use  attempting  to  grow  fine  Leeks  on  poor  soil,  for  when 
stinted  and  starved  the  crop  is  scanty  and  the  quality  poor.  The  first 
thing,  then,  in  the  successful  cultivation  of  Leeks  is  to  trench  the  ground 
at  least  two  spades  deep,  and  to  put  a  thick  layer— the  thicker  the 
better — of  rich  partly  decayed  manure  between  the  layers  of  soil, 
especially  under  the  upmost  one.  This  is  for  ordinary  crops,  for  these 
are  of  the  most  value.  To  produce  extraordinary  crops,  to  furnish 
examples  for  exhibition  or  other  extra  purposes,  the  soil  must  he 
trenched,  at  the  very  least,  2  feet  deep,  and  very  liberally  manured.  To 
thoroughly  incorporate  the  manure  and  the  soil,  re.  trenching  may  be 
necessary. 
The  next  point  is  the  preparation  of  the  plants,  and  various  ways 
are  in  vogue  among  those  who  strive  to  excel.  The  common  way  is 
to  sow  the  seed  in  a  sheltered  position  on  rich  soil  about  the  end  of 
February  or  beginning  of  March,  or  later  if  the  weather  should  not  be 
favourable  at  the  time  stated.  Battering  them  into  soil  at  once  cold 
and  damp  will  effectually  prevent  success.  The  seed,  though  smaller 
than  Onion  seeds,  will  germinate  under  the  same  conditions  ;  but, 
although  all  the  plants  are  to  be  eventually  transplanted,  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  sow  too  thickly  ;  indeed  we  are  not  sure  but  the  best  way  is 
to  sow  in  rows  1  foot  apart. 
In  order  to  forward  a  few  plants  hand-glasses  or  cold  frames  are 
sometimes  placed  over  portions  of  the  bed.  Deep  frames  should  not  be 
used  for  this  purpose,  as  the  plants  are  apt  to  be  weakened  thereby.  The 
seeds  are  often  sown  in  cold  frames  for  the  same  purpose. 
To  prepare  a  large  number  of  plants  in  order  to  secure  extra  fine 
crops,  ive  advise  those  who  are  ambitious  to  excel  to  make  a  mild  hotbed, 
and  to  cover  it  with  a  glazed  frame  about  the  middle  of  April.  A  strong 
heat  is  mischievous,  and  should  be  avoided.  Rich  soil  should  be  used  and 
the  seeds  sown  thinly.  Air  should  be  given  after  the  plants  are  up,  and 
care  must  be  taken  that  they  never  suffer  by  want  of  water.  An  occa¬ 
sional  supply  of  weak  liquid  manure  should  be  given,  which  will  forward 
the  plants  considerably.  If  carefully  treated  they  will  be  strong  and  fit 
to  put  out  by  the  middle  of  May — a  gain  of  two  months,  for  plants  raised 
in  the  ordinary  way  are  not  fit  to  put  out  till  July.  Two  months  of 
summer  weather  to  grow  in  make  a  difference  in  the  crop  that  needs 
to  be  seen  to  be  believed.  Leeks  so  raised  are  always  of  first-rate 
quality. 
There  is  yet  another  way  of  preparing  plants  that  is  practised  by 
exhibitors,  by  which  the  large  specimens  seen  at  northern  shows  are 
grown.  About  the  beginning  of  February — not  sooner,  or  the  plants  will 
be  apt  to  run  to  seed  prematurely — the  seed  is  sown  in  rich  soil  in  pots 
and  placed  in  heat.  As  soon  as  they  show  the  second  leaf,  by  which 
time  they  are  forming  the  second  root,  the  plants  are  placed  in  3-inch 
pots  in  very  rich  soil.  When  the  roots  are  coiling  in  these  they  are  shifted 
into  6-inch  pots.  They  are  kept  near  the  light,  and  occasionally  given 
a  little  sulphate  of  ammonia. 
By  the  middle  of  April  they  will  be  fit  for  hardening.  Do  this  by 
disposing  the  pots  in  a  frame  into  which  a  foot  or  so  of  hot  manure  has  been 
placed.  This  will  maintain  a  temperature  nearly  equal  to  that  to  which 
the  plants  have  been  accustomed,  and  as  it  cools  the  Leeks  will  harden. 
Then  ventilation  should  be  increased  for  a  week  or  two,  when  the  plants 
will  be  ready  to  put  out.  Instead  of  using  pots  for  the  plants  they  may  be 
pricked  into  boxes,  but  in  transplanting  a  check  will  be  given,  whereas 
when  pots  are  used  no  check  is  given  ;  at  the  same  time  we  have  raised 
many  fine  Leeks  in  this  way.  Melon  pits.  Cucumber  frames,  and  other 
warm  structures,  too  warm  for  forwarding  any  other  hardy  vegetables, 
will  do  capitally  for  Leeks  if  they  can  be  well  exposed  to  light.  A  high 
temperature  will  ruin  Cauliflowers  or  Celery  in  a  few  days,  but  will  benefit 
the  Leeks.  Those,  therefore,  who  can  neither  spare  manure  to  make 
hotbeds  nor  afford  cold  frames  for  this  may  utilise  any  spare  room  at  their 
disposal. 
Do  not  plant  the  Leeks  among  the  Celery,  and  do  not  plant  them 
in  trenches  like  Celery.  Earthing  them  is  a  mistake  ;  nobody  ever 
produced  good  Leeks  in  that  way.  Again  and  again  we  have  been  shown 
Leeks  grown  on  the  Celery-trench  principle,  but  they  were  not  satis¬ 
factory.  The  secret  lies  in  obtaining  strong  plants,  put  out  deeply  on 
well-prepared  soil,  at  a  time  when  ordinary  growers  are  watching  theirs 
coming  up. 
For  ordinary  crops  there  is  no  better  way  of  planting  than  the  old- 
fashioned  one  of  making  holes  with  a  dibble  a  few  inches  deep  (that  is, 
down  to  the  layer  of  manure  under  the  upper  spade  of  soil),  and  dropping 
the  plants  into  them  singly,  but  putting  in  no  earth  except  that  which 
falls  in  of  itself.  The  hearts  of  the  plants  will  be  much  below  the  surface, 
but  that  is  just  what  is  wanted,  for  the  hearts  will  come  to  the  surface, 
and  so  the  stems  will  be  drawn  out  to  the  same  length  as  the  hole  is  deep. 
We  need  hardly  add  that  the  long  blanched  stem  is  most  valued,  but  we 
warn  beginners  that  the  stems  can  only  be  lengthened  by  deep  planting. 
When  once  the  plants  have  grown  strong  earthing  will  not  cause  the 
stems  to  elongate. 
The  plants  in  pots  must  be  placed  in  holes  dug  with  the  spade.  This 
digging  loosens  the  soil,  which  would  fall  into  the  centres  of  the  plants 
and  spoil  them,  but  this  can  be  prevented  by  putting  a  stiff  paper  funnel 
round  each  plant.  In  a  week  or  two  the  stems  will  be  drawn  so  that  the 
centres  will  be  at  the  surface,  when  the  funnel  may  be  removed. 
Leeks  raised  in  the  ordinary  way  may  be  planted  in  rows  14  inches 
apart,  those  on  a  hotbed  2  feet  apart  in  the  rows  and  1  in  the  rows,  pot 
plants  2  feet  each  way.  A  thick  mulching  in  hot  summer  wdather  is  of 
great  benefit,  and  when  the  soil  is  fairly  well  filled  with  roots  a  thorough 
soaking  of  weak  liquid  manure  will  produce  surprising  growth.  Nothing 
is  better  than  diluted  drainings  from  stables  or  cowhouses,  but  sulphate  of 
ammonia  is  very  good. 
In  preparing  the  plants  for  exhibition  they  should  be  carefully  lifted 
with  all  the  roots  entire,  one  or  two  of  the  outer  rinds  being  removed 
from  the  stem,  for  these  are  generally  yellow,  and  dirt  is  almost  always 
seen  shining  through.  Closeness  of  texture,  solidity,  purity  of  white, 
straightness,  uniform  thickness,  and  length  of  blanched  stem,  are  the 
points  aimed  at  by  those  who  engage  in  Leek-growing  and  exhibiting. 
Anyone  who  finds  himself  in  spring  with  a  number  of  Leeks  running 
to  seed  need  not  conclude  he  is  going  to  have  a  great  loss.  If  the  seed 
stems  are  pinched  out  the  plants  will  form  bulhs  at  the  roots  like  Onions. 
These  are  preferred  by  many  to  either  Leeks  or  Onions  as  a  vegetable 
when  stewed  tender  and  served  with  roast  meat. — An  Old  Geowee. 
