132 
JOURNAL  OF  HOETTGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Februar}'  10,  1898. 
they  will  never  be  an  incumbrance  to  the  Institution.  Consequently  it 
is  principally  from  them  and  them  alone  that  the  Institution  is  able  to 
exist,  and  this  is  a  fact  that  should  not  be  lost  sight  of.  Although  every 
candidate  commands  our  sympathy,  and  that  in  the  strongest  form,  still 
we  naturally  lean  most  to  those  we  personally  know  and  can  tnxly 
sympathise  with,  and  of  those  in  the  last  election  I  know  only  one, 
Wm.  Freeman.  This  man  has  been  known  by  my  employer  for  over 
forty  years  as  a  hard  working,  honest,  deserving  man.  He  was  in  his 
last  place  thirty-nine  years.  His  employers  and  all  their  family  are 
dead,  every  one  of  them.  His  brother,  for  many  years  manager  to 
Messrs.  F,  &  A.  Dicksons,  Chester,  is  dead,  and  his  other  brother,  for 
many  years  gardener  to  the  Right  Hon.  the  Early  of  Derby,  Knowsley,  is 
dead  also.  He  invested  his  money  in  a  business  in  the  hope  of  getting  a 
living  in  his  declining  days,  but  has  lost  the  whole,  and  he  now  finds 
himself  on  the  world  almost  without  a  friend. 
My  employer  said,  “  This  is  a  very  proper  case  for  the  Gardeners’ 
Benevolent,  as  he  comes  within  the  pale  of  their  constitutions  ;  bring  him 
forward  and  see  what  you  can  do.”  He  was  duly  nominated,  and  his  case 
canvassed  in  the  usual  way,  supported  by  a  Vice-President,  with  a  result 
that  in  three  years  1425  votes  were  recorded  in  his  favour — i.e.,  including 
my  employer's  own  votes.  In  glancing  over  the  list  of  subscribers,  other 
than  those  who  are  nursery  and  seedsmen  or  derive  their  livelihood  from 
gardening  pursuits,  how  many  are  there  who  have  supported  the  Institution 
with  a  more  liberal  hand  than  my  employer  has,  and  who  has  received  less 
support  ?  I  ask  this  question  in  the  interests  of  the  Institution,  and  not 
from  any  selfish  motive.  In  1866  he  gave  £105,  and  has  since  subscribed 
21s.  a  year.  In  1867  he  gave  £52  10s.  for  his  son,  then  a  youth  in  college, 
and  in  1889  he  gave  £10  10s.  for  his  grandson,  then  a  little  boy  ;  total 
£168,  Surely  such  a  donor  deserves  more  support  than  he  has  received. 
In  contrast  with  this  I  will  quote  an  instance  that  occurred  a  few  ^  ears 
ago. 
A  railway  porter  lost  his  wife  and  left  him  with  several  children,  one 
being  deaf  and  dumb.  I  suggested  to  the  porter  that  he  should  get  this 
child  into  an  institution,  to  which  he  agreed,  and  I  appealed  to  my 
employer  for  help,  and  he  at  once  said,  “  Oh,  yes  ;  I  am  connected  with 
an  institution  that  1  have  supported  very  liberally  for  many  years,  and  as 
executor  to  a  friend  have  £1000  to  hand  over  in  a  day  or  two,  but  she 
has  only  one  chance,  as  she  will  then  be  too  old.  However,  I  will  tell 
them  this  is  my  candidate,  and  shall  expect  her  put  in,  or  will  turn  my 
back  on  them,  as  I  will  not  risk  a  defeat.”  The  child  was  sent  for  ;  hence 
the  power  of  a  liberal  donor  ;  and  who  has  more  right  in  the  selection 
of  candidates  How  very  different  in  Freeman's  case.  Here  is  a  Vice- 
President  of  the  Institution  given  £168.  and  he  does  not  receive  support 
that  IS  accorded  to  a  few  subscribers  who  have  thrown  down  at  the  doors 
of  the  Institution  a  few  pounds  in  the  last  years  of  their  independency,  so 
as  to  enable  them  to  say,  “Being  a  subscriber  I  expect  your  votes.” 
What  a  recompense  to  a  Vice-President  who  has  supported  the 
Institution  so  well,  and  how  encouraging  to  other  gentlemen  to  become 
Vice-Presidents  !  Were  it  me  I  would,  with  all  respeqf,  request  the 
Institution  to  pass  a  wet  sponge  over  my  name,  as  a  more  suicidal  thing 
I  never  knew.  If  this  is  calculated  to  benefit  the  Institution  the  sooner  I 
am  a  stranger  to  it  the  better.  If  the  name  of  a  Vice-President  is  a 
guarantee  as  to  the  genuineness  of  an  institution  it  should  be  an  equal 
guarantee  that  a  candidate  is  worthy  of  support. — J.  Olleuhead, 
Wimbledon. 
GROWING  POTATOES  WITHOUT  TOPS,  AND 
PREPARING  TUBERS  FOR  GOOD  CROPS, 
I  WAS  much  interested  in  reading  Mr.  D.  Thomson’s  remarks  (page  83) 
on  “A  Curious  Way  of  Growing  Early  Potatoes.”  In  the  garden  where 
I  was  first  employed  early  Potatoes  were  grown  for  use  at  Christmas  and 
onwards  by  an  old  man  who  was  gardener  there  until  a  few  months 
previous  to  the  time  I  began  work,  when  he  died  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  grandson. 
I  heard  that  they  were  grown  by  breaking  off  the  shoot  of  the  Ashleaf 
variety,  and  that  if  the  first  shoot  was  broken  off  the  Potatoes  would 
not  shoot  again,  but  throw  out  tubers  instead. 
In  my  younger  days  many  people  in  Dorsetshire  firmly  believed  that 
the  old  Ashleaf  would  not  grow  if  the  first  shoot  was  broken  off,  and  some 
old  men  in  the  village  were  surprised  to  hear  of  a  dairyman  who  came 
from  a  distance  making  it  a  rnle  always  to  rub  off  the  first  shoots  of  his 
Ashleafs,  and  to  lay  them  out  to  form  a  second  growth  from  which  he 
depended  on  getting  a  much  better  crop. 
The  “  grandson  ”  above  mentioned  was  not  successful  in  procuring 
Potatoes  in  the  same  way  as  his  predecessor,  and  I  have  wondered  very 
much  how  they  were  grown.  It  is  only  about  three  weeks  since  I 
was  talking  about  it,  and  saying  the  old  gardener  had  a  secret  for 
growing  Potatoes  early  that  no  one  else  seemed  to  know  anything  about. 
If  I  am  not  mistaken  those  were  grown  outdoors,  and  covered  with 
ridges  of  ashes  ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  the  new  tubers  were  adjoined  to  the 
old  the  same  as  we  sometimes  see  small  tubers  growing  on  a  dry  or 
partially  decayed  one  when  stored  for  the  winter,  and  were,  I  should 
think,  about  the  size  on  an  average  of  a  large  Cobnut.  Do  not  you  think 
it  quite  possible  that  the  “  old  man’s  ”  new  Potatoes  were  grown  as 
described  by  your  correspondent,  Mr.  Thomson  I — Somerset. 
[We  know  that  by  persistently  suppressing  the  growth  of  tuhers  of 
Early  Ashleaf,  and  planting  such  tubers,  or  placing  them  in  boxes  with 
soil,  that  they  will  supertuberate,  but  the  progeny  is  very  small.  Large 
tubers  of  later  varieties  prepared  as  described  by  Mr,  Thomson  afford 
very  much  larger  “new  Potatoes  ”  at  Christmas  and  onwards.  As  to  the 
first  and  second  shoots  of  the  Ashleaf  variety  being  removed  or  retained, 
when  the  tubers  are  heaped  in  a  rough  and  ready  way  in  a  dark  warm 
place,  they  will  have  sprouts  like  straws  that  fall  off  with  the  slightest 
touch.  They  are  of  no  use,  and  the  second  growths  from  the  tubers 
made  m  a  light  position  are  much  better  ;  but  the  best  plan  of  all  is  to 
winter  the  tubers  thinly  in  a  light,  cool,  frost-proof  place,  and  let  the  first 
growths  develop  steadily  and  sturdily,  and  be  affixed  so  firmly  as  not  to 
be  easily  displaced.  Most  gardeners  can  find  suitable  positions  for 
preparing  in  shallow  boxes  the  planting  tubers  of  their  first  earlies.  A 
labourer  suspends  his  boxes  from  the  ceiling  of  his  back  kitchen,  and 
we  think  our  racy  correspondent,  Mr.  W.  Pea,  could  cite  a  case 
where  the  cost  involved  in  making  provision  for  preparing  the  tubers  in 
tons  has  proved  a  wise  investment,  as  resulting  in  earlier,  heavier,  and 
more  valuable  crops  grown  by  the  acre  for  the  London  market  ;  but 
whether  he  feels  at  liberty  to  do  so  we  do  not  know.] 
A  LITTLE  MIXTURE. 
Ten  Minutes’  Notes. 
Last  week  1  confined  my  notes  to  conservatory  climbers  ;  this  week 
the  following  subjects  have  entered  my  mind,  and  almost  in  an  involuntary 
way  run  from  my  pen,  for  I  do  my  jotting  first,  and  write  my  little  intro¬ 
duction  last. 
Centaurea  candidissima. 
This  is  not  so  much  grown  now]  for  bedding  purposes  as  formerly, 
possibly  on  account  of  it  being  somewhat  miffy  to  propagate.  We  use 
about  400  plants,  principally  as  an  edging  for  four  large  beds  of  the  now 
old-fashioned  Tom  Thumb  “Geranium,”  and  they  are'very  effective.  The 
beds  were  originally  laid  out  from  a  design  of  the  late  Mr.  Ingram  of 
Belvoir,  and  have  a  permanent  edging  of  Box  a  foot  high,  and  next  to  this 
greenerjq  with  the  mass  of  scarlet  behind  them,  the  Ceritaureas  show  to 
advantage.  I  am  usually  successful,  or  perhaps  fortunate,  in  raising 
sufficient  Centaureas  for  the  requirements  of  the  beds,  and  will  briefly 
describe  my  method  of  increasing  the  plants.  Wet  summers  are  rather 
unfavourable  for  the  production  of  good  cuttings,  as  the  growths  are  apt 
to  be  too  sappy.  In  this  case  they  are  better  cut  and  laid  on  the  potting 
bench  for  a  day  to  dry  somewhat.  Select  the  thinnest  and  most  wiry 
cuttings,  and  with  a  sharp  knife  take  them  off  with  a  heel  ;  trim  each  heel 
cleanly,  remove  with  the  hand  the  lower  leaves,  at  the  same  time  rub  off 
as  much  of  the  woolly  covering  with  the  thumb  and  fingers  as  possible 
with  discretion,  finishing  by  shortening  the  tips  of  the  leaves.  Insert  about 
eight  of  these  in  a  6-inch  pot,  filled  with  a  mixture  of  two  parts  loam^o 
one  of  leaf  soil,  and  a  good  sprinklng  of  sand  ;  well  crock  the  pots,  and 
make  the  soil  quite  firm,  using  dry  sand  on  the  surface,  so  that  a  little 
falls  into  the  holes  with  the  cuttings  ;  well  water  them  in,  and  plunge 
in  ashes  to  the  rim  in  a  cold  frame  in  a  north  aspect.  Keep  close  until 
rooted,  then  remove  to  cool  vinery,  water  very  sparingly,  pot  off  in 
spring. 
Sprouting  Potatoes. 
Although  an  advocate  of  setting  on  end  a  few  early  Potatoes  for  frame 
work  or  early  borders,  I  have  yet  to  learn  the  wisdom  of  thus  packing  the 
tubers  months  before  they  are  needed  for  planting,  whereby  they  exhaust 
their  vitality,  the  tubers  looking  like  shrivelled  mummies  with  abnormal 
growths  of  2  inches  and  the  box  full  of  cobwebby  roots.  I  contend  this 
is  against  Nature,  and  must  lead  in  many  cases  to  disappointing  results. 
The  chances  are  that  when  these  sets  are  put  in  the  ground  the  roots  will 
perish,  and  then  fresh  ones  must  of  necessity  be  produced  before  the 
shoot  can  be  sustained  ;  and,  moreover,  should  the  weather  be  cold  and 
wet,  decaying  of  the  sprout  is  inevitable.  A  medium  sprout  is  much  better. 
A  month  is  long  enough  to  allow  this  to  be  attained  when  the  tubers  are  set 
on  end  in  a  cool  place,  and  they  are  then  not  exhausted.  I  find  it  a  good 
plan  to  well  bake  in  the  sun  all  early  seed  Potatoes  after  they  are  taken 
up  by  placing  them  on  a  hard  path  for  several  days,  moving  them  over 
from  time  to  time  to  become  well  greened.  They  rarely  take  the  disease 
after  that  process,  and  will  stand  more  frost.  IVhen  coming  through  the 
ground  the  growth  from  these  ripened  tubers  is  always  firmer  and 
tougher — i.e.,  not  nearly  so  succulent  and  tender  as  those  from  unripened 
tubers,  and  these  may  be  damaged  by  a  slight  touch  of  frost,  which  the 
others  resist.  Another  point  is  worth  mentioning.  Vermin  have  an 
aversion  to  these  greened  tubers,  and  will  not  touch  them  so  long  as 
they  can  find  others  more  suitable  to  their  palate. 
Agapanthus  umbellatus  for  Permanent  Beds. 
An  outdoor  bed  of  this  Liliaceous  plant  is  somewhat  of  a  novelty, 
but  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  more  generally  so  employed, 
especially  in  the  southern  counties,  where  it  may  be  planted  in 
clumps  in  the  nooks  and  warmest  corners  of  the  hardy  flower  garden. 
We  have  only  a  small  bed  of  them  here,  and  in  the  rather  exposed 
position  the  plants  flower  very  well.  They  prefer  a  strong  loam,  with 
decayed  manure,  and  some  sharp  sand  to  keep  the  soil  porous,  plenty  of 
water  jin  summer,  and  a  covering  of  fallen  leaves  during  winter  to  pre¬ 
serve  them  from  severe  frost,  or  excessive  moisture  when  at  rest.  This 
covering  should  be  removed  gradually  to  allow  an  easier  transition  to  the 
elements  of  light  ahd  air.  After  being  removed  altogether,  a  dressing  of 
decayed  manure,  pointed  in  with  care,  benefits  them.  In  genial  summers 
they  flower  during  September.  This  plan  may  be  well  worthy  a  trial  by 
those  who  have  several  large  pots  of  Agapanthus  over  their  requirements. 
— Geo.  Dyke,  Stuhton  Gardens,  Newark, 
