March  24,  1898 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
251) 
The  end  of  May  and  early  in  June  are  good  times  to  make  the 
final  transplantiugs,  this  allowing  for  a  long  season  of  growth,  and 
the  distance  apart  must  vary  according  to  the  variety.  If  due  care 
has  been  taken  with  the  plants  in  their  seedling  state  they  will 
be  strong  and  sturdy,  and  lift  with  good  balls  of  earth  attached.  If 
the  weather  he  dry  they  should  be  well  watered  the  day  before 
transplanting.  Brussels  Sprouts  may  be  removed  in  any  weather  if 
in  good  condition,  and  if  the  ground  be  dry  a  thorough  watering  will 
settle  the  soil  round  the  roots,  and  there  wdll  be  little  or  no  flagging 
afterwards.  The  after  cultivation  consists  in  frequently  moving  the 
surface  soil  with  the  hoe,  which  conserves  the  moisture  during  dry  hot 
weather,  and  when  the  plants  are  growing  strongly  applications  of 
liquid  manure  from  the  farmyard  may  be  given  with  advantage. 
When  the  sprouts  are  formed  and  jndling  commences  all  decayed 
leaves  should  he  removed  from  time  to  time,  hut  I  fail  to  see  the 
advantage  of  tlie  wholesale  cutting  of  the  leaves  which  is  often 
practised,  as  in  the  ordinary  course  of  Nature  this  mutilation 
must  have  a  detrimental  effect  on  the  plants.  The  terminal  head  is 
different  in  flavour  from  the  sprouts,  and  should  not  be  removed  till 
the  latter  have  been  gathered,  as  in  severe  winters  it  forms  a  protection 
from  frost.  There  are  numerous  varieties  of  Brussels  Sprouts  in 
cultivation,  of  which  Northaw  Prize,  President  Carnot,  Matchless, 
Scrymger’s  iGiant,  and  Sutton’s  Gem  are  amongst  the  best.  — 
Grower  and  Judge. 
TEN  MINUTES’  NOTES. 
In  order  to  diversify  these  note.s  I  contribute  a  trio  on  kitchen  garden 
crops,  as  being  seasonable,  with  a  pendant  on  Dendrobium  and 
Centaurea. 
Green  Vegetables  versus  the  Mild  Winter. 
Many  gardeners  will  be  anxious  in  this  advanced  season  to  have  all 
available  ground  cleared  of  winter  crops,  and  dug  preparatory  for  spring 
planting  and  sowing.  A  word  of  caution  is  called  for  to  prevent  any 
undue  haste  in  making  away  with  anything  of  the  Brassica  tribe  that 
may  yet  prove  useful.  We  are  a  long  way  off  a  good  cutting  of  that 
delicious  esculent  Asparagus  in  quantity,  or  of  Cauliflower,  and  spring 
Cabbage  will  most  likely  bolt  in  many  instances.  Spinach  seems  the  only 
crop  likely  to  be  plentiful  as  a  change  vegetalile.  I  would  then  urge  on 
those  who  possess  old  Cabbage  beds  from  last  spring  cuttings  to  let  them 
remain  for  the  present.  Late  planted  Brussels  Sprouts  or  Kales  may  yet 
be  useful.  The  true  Buda  Kale,  also  Purple  Sprouting  Broccoli,  raised  in 
May  or  early  June,  are  often  highly  serviceable.  The  early  sowings  of 
Cauliflower  should  be  well  ou  the  way  by  this  time.  It  is  well  to  sow  a  few 
rows  of  Spinach  now,  to  relieve  and  succeed  the  winter  sown.  No  mistake 
will  be  made  in  forwarding  spring-sown  Lettuce,  and  having  relays  of 
French  Beans  and  Peas  in  pots.  Any  little  exertion  that  is  needed  to  bring 
about  choice  early  produce  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  ease  of 
mind  attained  thereby. 
Succession  op  Broccoli. 
How  frequently  do  we  see  whole  breadths  of  these  coming  in  together, 
to  be  half  wasted.  This  comes  of  the  common  habit  of  planting  too  many 
of  the  same  variety  at  the  same  time.  The  safe  plan  for  obtaining  a 
steady  successional  supply  all  through  the  season  is  not  to  depend  on  two 
or  three  varieties,  but  to  have  at  least  six  or  eight  of  the  most  approved. 
Most  seed  catalogues  class  them  into  four  divisions — namely,  certain 
varieties  that  form  heads  in  autumn,  in  early  winter,  early  spring,  and 
late  spring.  Select  two  for  each  division.  For  autumn,  Sutton’s  and 
Veitch’s  Autumn  Protecting  are  good,  Snow’s  Winter  White  and  Sutton’s 
Winter  Mammoth  follow,  and  so  on,  until  the  seasons  are  provided  for. 
We  cannot  always  rely  upon  certain  varieties  coming  to  time,  as  in  mild 
winters  like  the  present  they  come  in  in  advance  of  their  proper  season. 
By  sowing  the  two  first  divisions  in  March,  the  next  two  in  April,  and 
others  still  later,  a  long  supply  is  maintained  by  planting  two  or  three 
rows,  or  more,  as  necessity  demands,  of  each  variety  in  turn  on  firm 
ground.  Some  of  the  best  Broccoli  I  ever  had  were  put  in  with  a  crow 
bar  without  the  ground  being  dug.  The  plants  should  be  2  feet  apart, 
well  watered,  blind  or  dead  plants  replaced,  and  a  steady  succession  will 
be  the  outcome,  instead  of  a  glut  at  one  time  or  a  stint  at  another. 
Seakale  Culture. 
The  present  time  is  suitable  for  forming  new  plantations.  Formerly 
and  in  isolated  instances  at  the  present  day  the  plants  are  allowed  to 
do  duty  for  years,  being  forced  with  fermenting  material  on  the  beds. 
This  serves  the  purpose  to  a  degree,  where  the  plants  do  not  canker. 
This  they  do  with  me  after  the  first  year,  and  therefore  I  have  adopted 
the  yearly  planting  of  thongs,  and  shall  not  revert  to  the  older  system 
again.  I  always  use  the  same  ground  ;  the  soil  is  naturally  of  good 
depth,  being  annually  trenched  to  secure  the  roots  intact,  as  every  little 
piece  overlooked  will  grow.  When  a  sufficient  number  of  crowns  have 
been  dug  for  forcing,  the  roots  are  broken  off  from  the  main  stem,  and 
the  strongest  of  these  selected  for  sets.  These  are  formed  in  7-inch 
lengths,  cutting  the  head  square,  and  the  opposite  end  slantwise,  so  that 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  when  planting  in  determining  the  right  way 
uppermost.  When  the  ground  is  cleared,  holes  are  made  18  inches 
apart,  and  a  set  dropped  into  each,  with  the  crowns  an  inch  under  the 
surface.  The  holes  are  made  with  a  Potato  dibber.  This  leaves  a  good 
margin  for  some  fine  rich  soil,  such  as  potting  bench  refuse,  with  which 
each  hole  is  filled.  When  growth  commences  we  remove  all  shoots  but 
one — the  strongest.  We  keep  the  ground  clean  by  the  use  of  the  hoe,  and 
apply  a  dressing  of  nitrate  of  soda  about  three  times  during  the  growing 
season,  and  crowns  are  obtained  of  the  highest  merit. 
Dendrobium  sreciosum  Hilli. 
The  short  note  by  “  Herefordshire  Incumbent  ”  on  this  variety  of 
Dendrobium,  in  a  previous  issue,  with  the  attendant  difficulty  in  coaxing, 
or  shall  we  say  starving  it  into  flower,  tallies  exactly  with  the  treatment 
meted  out  to  a  small  specimen  of  Hill’s  variety  at  Lillesden  some  years  ago. 
Amongst  a  collection  this  one  absolutely  refused  to  flower  until  Mr. 
Channing,  the  gardener,  suggested  what  might  be  determined  as  “  a 
shocking  case  of  neglect.”  The  plant  was  in  a  broken  pot  to  commence 
with,  and  its  destination  a  shelf  in  the  sunny  end  of  the  greenhouse,  with 
a  final,  “  let  it  take  its  chance,”  which  it  did  ;  once  in  a  way,  perhaps,  it 
had  a  sprinkle  from  a  passing  watering-pot,  and  remained  there  for  some 
months.  I  forget  exactly  how  long,  but  one  day  towards  the  latter  end  of 
the  summer,  in  glancing  at  it,  I  saw  several  small  growths  appearing.  The 
plant  was  taken  down,  its  dusty  leaves  sponged,  the  thirsty  roots 
nourished  with  a  dip  in  the  tank,  and  in  the  end  we  were  rewarded  with 
five  fine  spikes  of  its  cream-coloured  flowers.  I  have  a  photo  of  it,  but 
it  is  not  suitable  for  reproduction,  and  I  think  it  is  a  variety  hardly  worth 
the  trouble  to  grow. 
Centaurea  candidissima. 
On  page  132,  in  a  previous  issue,  I  referred  to  these  being  used  here  in 
beds  with  Box  edging  a  foot  high.  I  am  reminded  by  “  H.  H.  R.,”  page 
176,  in  his  remarks  anent  the  same,  that  plants  grown  in  such  a  “shady 
depth,”  as  my  impression  seems  to  suggest,  would  be  unsuitable  for 
cuttings.  Undoubtedly,  but  I  should  have  explained  that  the  beds  were 
raised  9  inches,  and  the  Box  edging  so  thick  as  to  keep  the  soil  in 
position,  hence  the  plants  inside  had  ample  room  to  develop  and  grow 
sturdily.  I  agree  with  “H.  H.  R.”  that  Coleus  Verschaffelti  and  the 
Centaurea  form  a  splendid  contrast,  not  to  be  excelled  by  any  other 
combination. — Geo.  Dyke,  Stubton  Hall  Gardens. 
CARNATIONS  IN  THE  MIDLANDS. 
You  have  doubtless  received  ere  now  from  your  estimable  Birmingham 
correspondent  a  report  of  the  beautiful  show  of  spring  flowers  held  in  the 
Botanic  Gardens  at  Kdgbaston  recently.  It  was  when  down  there  for  a 
day  just  to  see  and  assist  at  this  show  I  was  favoured  with  a  look  over 
Mr.  Robert  Sydenham’s  collection  of  Carnations,  which  he  grows  so 
admirably  in  his  garden  at  his  Bristol  Road  residence.  I  found  the  entire 
collection  of  several  thousands  of  plants  j  ust  getting  established  in  their 
flowering  (10-inch)  pots,  and  were  all  in  light  airy  span  frames  or  in  cool 
houses.  What  must  be  seen  in  the  matter  of  bloom  and  beauty  in  July  it 
is  not  difficult  to  forecast ;  but  finer  evidence  of  the  value  of  the  Carna¬ 
tion  as  a  town  plant — and  Birmingham  is  indeed  a  smoky  city — could  not 
very  well  have  been  furnished. 
The  Bristol  Road  garden  is  hardly  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  centre 
of  the  great  hardware  borough,  yet  the  Carnations  seem  to  revel  in  the 
smoky  atmosphere.  Perhaps  they  rather  like  the  sooty  compound  after 
all.  The  plants  were  all  potted  in  fours,  and  all  from  the  previous  year’s 
layers.  There  was  not  about  them  the  least  vestige  of  maggot  or  fungus. 
They  were  full  of  health  and  vigour  without  displaying  any  undue  coarse¬ 
ness.  The  effort  of  the  grower  just  now  is  to  keep  them  as  cool  as 
possible  by  furnishing  an  abundance  of  air. 
Mr.  Sydenham,  in  a  little  treatise  on  “  Carnation  Culture,”  published 
in  the  Midland  Carnation  Society’s  schedule,  mentions  that  he  gets  his 
chief  factor  (yellow  turfy  loam)  from  Kettering.  I  saw  this,  and  noted 
that  it  was  of  a  medium  texture,  full  of  fibre,  and  was  undoubtedly  good. 
This  loam  constitutes  about  one-half  the  final  compost,  as  to  it  is  added 
in  limited  quantities  old  leaf  mould,  burnt  ash,  and  sea  sand,  he  having  a 
high  opinion  of  the  value  of  salt ;  good  old  well-decayed  stable  dung,  or 
spent  hotbed  manure  ;  and  a  little  sifted  old  mortar  refuse,  an  ingredient 
that  is  most  useful  for  many  plants  that  have  alpine  origin.  This  is  a 
compound  that  anyone  who  can  first  obtain  the  turfy  loam  can  mix  for 
themselves.  Then  with  respect  to  drainage,  he  mixes  with  the  broken 
potsherds  pieces  of  charcoal,  crushed  bones,  and  bits  of  mortar.  The 
mortar,  bones,  and  a  little  soot  all  have  the  credit  of  rendering  the  flowers 
brighter  and  the  colours  purer.  The  potting  should  always  be  done 
before  the  roots  in  the  small  pots  become  hard  or  bound. 
The  soil  need  not  be  too  hard  pressed,  as  it  will  settle  down  firmly 
through  frequent  watering,  and  a  small  top-dressing  may  be  given  later 
as  desired.  Of  course  very  much  more  may  be  said,  but  I  infer  from 
what  I  know  and  have  heard  and  read,  that  given  good  varieties,  good 
compost,  fair  surroundings,  and  some  material  attention  Carnation  culture 
for  exhibition  is  not  at  all  difficult,  or  such  as  should  deter  anyone  who 
loves  the  flower  from  embarking  in  it.  With  love  of  course  must  be  some 
enthusiasm,  and  that  feature  is  becoming  very  marked  in  the  Midlands. 
Mr.  Sydenham  has  no  nursery,  or  one  rod  of  ground  anywhere, 
except  what  he  has  at  Edgbaston,  and  this  is  a  veritable  amateur’s  garden, 
and  no  more.  Without  doubt  men  of  his  temperament,  whether  pro¬ 
fessional  or  amateur,  can  do  great  things  in  the  interest  of  horticulture, 
and  they  do.  It  would  be  easy  to  enumerate  scores  of  men  of  both 
descriptions  who  have  accomplished  much.  All  honour  to  them. — A.  D. 
