September  29,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
253 
hardened  for  final  planting  out  in  May.  Most  will  flower  the  first  year, 
but  better  the  following  season.  The  seed  can  also  be  sown  as  soon  as 
ripe  in  light  soil  in  the  open  border,  and  if  duly  watered  the  seedlings 
will  come  up  quickly,  and  the  following  spring  they  may  be  planted  out 
where  intended  to  bloom. — Gkower. 
GOODIA  LATIFOLIA. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  “  F.  W.  A.’s  ”  remarks  anent  the 
beauty  of  this  plant  are  perfectly  true,  and  we  are  glad  to  accede  to  his 
request  for  an  illustration  of  it,  which  is  given  in  fig.  45.  It  is  an 
Australian  evergreen  shrub  that  has  been  in  this  country  for  a  great 
number  of  years,  but  has  gained  a  small  share  of  popularity.  These  old 
plants  are  unknown  to  the  present-day  gardeners,  and  when  a  specimen  is 
exhibited  or  some  old  collection  is  visited  when  the  plants  are  flowering 
they  attract  as  much  attention  as  a  novelty.  This  Goodia  is  not  a  sen¬ 
sational  plant  by  any  means,  but  it  is  well  worth  growing.  The  golden 
flowers,  with  a  dash  of  red  at  the  base  of  the  “  standard,”  are  numerously 
borne,  though  comparatively  small  individually,  and  a  well-developed 
specimen  is  a  useful  occupant  of  a  conservatory  or  greenhouse.  Both 
G.  latifolia  and  its  relative  G.  pubescons  require  a  compost  of  loam  and 
peat  with  good  drainage,  and  they  can  be  increased  either  by  seeds  or 
cuttings,  the  latter  receiving  similar  treatment  to  Heaths  or  other  hard 
wooded  plants. 
BRASS1CAS  AND  DROUGHT. 
I  have  not  one  word  to  say  against  the  advice  given  so  freely  in 
gardening  papers  to  plant  Brassicas  in  showery  weather,  for  that  advice 
is  excellent.  What  I  have  to  say  is,  that  it  is  often  wise  and  safe  to  break 
that  rule  provided  your  land  is  in  good  order  by  having  been  well  worked 
and  pulverised,  also  stored  with  a  fair  quantity  of  plant  food.  In  the 
absence  of  such  preparation  respectable  growth  cannot  be  expected  at 
any  time. 
Some  years  ago  we  had  very  hot  and  dry  weather  in  the  summer 
about  the  time  that  Brussels  Sprouts  required  planting.  We  had  some 
hundreds  pricked  out  about  6  inches  apart.  When  the  plants  were  ready 
for  transferring  to  their  permanent  quarters  it  was  thought  the  weather 
was  too  dry.  It  was  decided,  however,  to  make  an  experiment.  Deep 
drills  were  drawn,  and  about  half  of  the  ground  planted.  About  a  pint 
of  water  was  given  each  plant ;  and  an  hour  after  a  little  dry  soil  was 
placed  round  the  plants  to  act  as  a  mulch,  which  it  did.  In  about  three 
days  after  planting  another  watering  was  given,  and  followed  with 
another  dusting  of  dry  earth.  The  plants  flagged  for  a  few  days,  but 
gradually  recovered  and  made  splendid  growth. 
The  other  half  of  the  ground  was  planted  when  the  rain  came  about 
three  weeks  later  ;  but  the  first  plants  had  got  hold  then,  and  grew 
splendidly.  The  second  became  rather  drawn  in  the  nursery  bed,  and 
never  made  anything  like  the  plants  that  were  put  out  when  the  weather 
was  dry  ;  in  fact,  the  later  planted  produced  more  than  one-third  less 
in  bulk  of  sprouts  and  of  poorer  quality.  That  was  a  practical  lesson 
on  “  not  to  wait  too  long  for  rain.” 
This  summer  we  planted  Yeitch’s  Autumn  Giant  Cauliflower  and 
Self- protecting  Broccoli  in  very  hot,  dry  weather,  and  have  cause  to  be 
thankful  that  we  did  do  so.  Planting  in  dry  weather  is,  all  the  same, 
almost  useless  if  the  land  is  in  bad  condition,  both  as  regards  working 
and  fertility. — G.  P. 
BULBS  FOR  THE  LONDON  PARES. 
The  London  County  Council  has  awarded  the  contract  for  bulbs  for 
London  parks  to  a  Dutch  firm.  This  has  caused  not  unnatural  indigna¬ 
tion  among  English  seedsmen  and  florists.  They  contend  that  our 
splendid  London  parks  are  English  in  their  character  and  use.  English 
money  has  provided  them,  English  rates  support  them,  and  English 
enterprise  should  be  used  to  beautify  them. 
The  London  County  Council  attends  to  the  beautifying  of  the  Chelsea 
nnd  Victoria  Embankments  ;  Leicester  Square  Gardens;  Royal  Victoria 
Gardens,  North  Woolwich  ;  Meath,  Island,  and  Bethnal  Green  Gardens  ; 
Myatt’s  Fields  ;  Lincoln’s  Inn  Fields  ;  and  the  following  parks : — 
Peckham  Rye,  Victoria,  Battersea,  Finsbury,  Brock  well,  Southwark, 
Dulwich,  Clissold,  Ravenscourt,  Kennington,  Waterlow,  and  Maryon. 
For  these  the  London  County  Council  requires  Snowdrops,  Crocuses, 
Hyacinths,  Daffodils,  Narcissi,  Anemones.  Tulips,  Gladioli,  Lilies,  and 
others. 
Twelve  months  ago  Messrs.  Carter  &  Co.  were  given  the  contract 
for  the  current  year.  On  a  “  Daily  Mail  ”  representative  inquiring  at 
Spring  Gardens  whether  an  English  firm  was  capable  of  providing 
Dutch  bulbs  of  suitable  excellence,  he  was  assured  that  the  present 
contract  had  been  filled  most  satisfactorily.  But  the  London  County 
Council,  while  not  binding  itself  to  accept  the  lowest  tender,  does  as  a 
matter  of  fact  do  so  if  its  solicitor,  after  instituting  careful  inquiry,  is 
satisfied  that  the  firm  who  makes  the  lowest  tender  is  capable  of  executing 
its  contract.  Moreover,  every  tenderer  has  to  sign  a  declaration  that  he 
pays  such  rates  of  wages  and  observes  such  hours  of  labour  as  are 
generally  accepted  as  fair  in  the  trade.  Subject  to  these  conditions,  all 
contracts  of  the  L.C.C.  are  open  to  firms  the  wide  world  over.  The  tenders 
for  the  supply  of  bulbs  to  the  London  County  Council  parks  and  gardens 
for  the  year  1899  were  as  follows  : — 
Vanzantenand  Nieuwerf . £376  9  OA 
J.  K.  King .  395  10  2 
J  Carter  &  Co .  413  15  11 
Miller  &  Co .  415  11  4 
W.  Cutbush  &  Son  .  431  19  1 
Messrs.  Yanzanten  and  Nieuwerf  are  a  Dutch  firm,  but  they  have  an 
office  at  Tottenham.  As  their  tender  was  4  per  cent,  lower  than  Mr. 
King’s,  and  as  they  fulfilled  all  other  conditions,  to  them  the  contract  was 
given,  sentimental  considerations  regarding  nationality  not  being  allowed 
to  obtrude  at  Spring  Gardens. 
It  was  suggested  to  the  “  Daily  Mail  ”  representative  that'as  all  bulbs- 
Fig.  45.— Goodia  latifolia. 
come  from  Holland  it  can  make  little  difference  whether  they  pass  through 
English  hands  before  they  reach  the  parks.  They  remain  Dutch. 
But  the  English  seedsmen  say  that  the  Dutch  grower  pays  neither 
rent,  rates,  nor  taxes  to  this  country,  while  they  are  not  only  heavily 
taxed  but  have  to  bear  their  share  in  providing  the  money  required  by 
the  London  , County  Council,  who  in  return  prefer  to  place  their  orders 
with  foreign  houses. 
Moreover  they  add  : — “To  allow  foreign  tenders  to  be  accepted  in 
preference  to  those  of  English  houses  is  one  of  those  strange  character¬ 
istics  of  the  dealings  of  public  bodies  which  is  difficult  to  understand.” — 
(“  Daily  Mail.”) 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
,T.  Cocker  &  Sons,  Aberdeen.— Bulbs. 
Daniels  Bros.,  Norwich. — Bulbs. 
C.  R.  Shilling,  Winchfield. —Bulbs. 
L.  Spiitb,  Baumschulenweg,  Berlin.—  Seeds. 
