December  29,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
493 
these  conditions  Watercress  culture  is  a  commercial  enterprise,  and  is 
remunerative  to  many  who  have  proper  facilities  for  supplying  the 
markets. 
Endive. 
good  varieties  for  general  purposes,  including  French  Breakfast  and 
Scarlet  and  White  Turnip.  A  sowing  of  China  Rose  in  September  will 
maintain  the  supply  through  the  winter. — Grower  and  Judge. 
This  must  be  placed  among  the  most  useful  of  garden  salads,  as 
not  only  does  it  play  an  important  part  during  the  summer,  but  is 
mainly  depended  upon  for  the  winter  supply.  Among  the  best  sorts 
for  providing  a  succession  are  the  Improved  Round-leaved  Batavian, 
Green  Moss  Curled,  and  White  Moss  Curled. 
For  the  winter  supply  seed  ought  to  be  sown  at  the  beginning  and  end 
of  July  or  early  in  August,  and  the  plants  be  put  out  on  a  well-prepared 
border  so  as  to  encourage  strong  vigorous  growth.  Lift  plants  in  October 
with  balls  of  earth  attached,  and  replant  closely  together  in  cold  frames. 
Abundance  of  air  is  needed  to  prevent  damping,  and  rain  must  be 
kept  out.  Protective  material  will  be  necessary  during  severe  frost, 
but  any  coddling  or  artificial  heat  is  detrimental.  By  lifting  the 
plants  in  small  quantities,  and  placing  in  the  dark  in  a  Mushroom 
house,  keeping  them  moist  at  the  roots,  the  growth  will  blanch 
quickly,  and  be  of  crisp  tender  flavour,  suitable  for  salad.  Though 
frames  are  the  best  foi  the 
accommodation  of  the  plants 
they  may  be  kept  safely  in  soil 
in  dry  sheds  where  frost  can  be 
excluded.  By  growing  sufficient 
plants,  and  exercismg  care  in 
storing  and  blanching,  a  supply 
of  Endive  may  be  maintained 
throughout  the  winter. 
Lettuce. 
The  cultivation  of  Lettuce 
is  an  everyday  process  with 
gardeners,  and  the  details  are 
simple.  To  keep  up  a  constant 
supply  of  this  indispensable 
salad  is  a  matter  requiring  fore¬ 
thought  in  sowing  and  planting, 
as  well  as  care  in  the  selection 
of  varieties.  By  following  simple 
rules  Lettuce  may  be  obtained 
during  a  greater  pa 1 1  of  the 
year.  To  do  this,  sowings  of 
the  hardiest  sorts,  such  as  Black- 
seeded  Bath  Cos  and  Hardy 
Hammersmith,  should  be  made 
in  August,  and  the  plants  either 
be  put  in  a  cold  frame  or  be 
planted  on  a  sheltered  border 
where  they  can  be  protected  in 
the  event  of  severe  weather. 
For  wintering  in  frames  the 
Cabbage  varieties  are  preferable, 
being  of  more  compact  habit. 
For  the  supply  of  plants  early 
the  folio  wing  season  two 
methods  are  adopted.  The  first 
is  to  make  a  sowing  of  a  compact¬ 
growing  Cabbage  variety  such 
as  Continuity  in  September  in 
a  cold  frame.  If  these  are  protected  from  frost  during  the  winter  they 
will  keep  in  good  condition  and  be  ready  for  planting  in  the  spring. 
The  second  method  is  to  sow  the  same  variety  or  Commodore  Nutt 
over  a  gentle  bottom  heat  in  February,  growing  a  portion  in  heated 
frames,  and  planting  others  out  when  the  weather  permits.  The  next 
sowings  will  be  made  outdoors  periodically  as  required,  but  small  and 
frequent  plantings  are  better  than  large  breadths,  as  in  hot  dry  weather 
the  greater  portion  may  be  useless  through  running  to  seed.  Cos 
varieties  should  be  transplanted,  but  if  thin  sowings  are  made  of  the 
Cabbage  sorts  towards  the  middle  of  the  summer  they  may  be  left  to 
grow  in  the  seed  bed.  Well-worked  ground  that  has  been  manured 
for  a  previous  crop  suits  Lettuce  well.  The  banks  thrown  up  in  the 
formation  of  Celery  trenches  are  ideal  places  for  growing  Cos  Lettuce. 
Radishes. 
A  Radish  to  be  good  should  be  grown  quickly,  otherwise  it  will 
.not  possess  a  crisp  mild  flavour,  and  frequent  sowings  must  be  made 
if  a  constant  supply  is  required.  A  hotbed  frame  is  necessary  for 
the  earliest  sowings,  which  are  made  in  January  and  onward  for  suc¬ 
cession.  For  this  purpose  such  sorts  as  Wood’s  Frame  and  Early  Round 
Forcing  are  suitable.  From  the  end  of  February  till  September  make 
successional  thin  sowings  in  friable  soil,  and  during  the  hottest  part 
■of  the  summer  choose  a  rather  shady  border,  and  an  occasional  appli_ 
■  cation  of  liquid  manure  will  be  found  beneficial.  There  are  severa^ 
PRUNING  SHRUBS. 
Shrubs  are  pruned  in  various  ways,  but  not  always  the  best 
manner  of  doiDg  the  work  is  chosen.  Frequently  bushes  are  pruned 
in  a  too  formal  way.  To  see  a  beautiful  evergreen  cut  into  shape  as 
if  forming  a  hedge  is  to  destroy  its  individuality.  Flowering  shrubs 
are  practically  spoiled  by  severe  pruning  into  compact  shapes,  because 
the  young  growths  which  would  produce  the  flowers  are  cut  away. 
Regularly  shaped  bushes  and  trees  may  easily  be  secured  with  both 
evergreen  and  deciduous  species  when  more  rational  methods  are 
carried  out. 
A  considerable  amount  of  pruning  is  rendered  necessary  by  the 
evil  of  planting  too  thickly  in  the  first  instance.  Shrubs  ought  to  be 
so  planted  that  they  have  proper  room  for  extension  on  all  sides.  If 
Photo  hy  H.  Stokes, 
jjii  nui.gham. 
Fig.  85. — Pleasure  Grounds  at  The  Grove.  ( see  page  496.) 
not,  it  is  clear  they  cannot  grow  in  a  well  balanced  form.  Under 
favourable  circumstances  they  do  so,  and  need  little  pruning. 
That  which  is  really  necessary  consists  simply  of  equalising  the  out¬ 
line  by  cutting  back  an  extra  vigorous  shoot  or  branch.  This  should 
be  done  without  leaving  awkward  gaps  or  destroying  the  contour  of 
any  particular  tree  or  bush. 
The  demands  on  free-growing  evergreen  shrubs  for  Christmas 
decoration  may  be  met  by  judicious  pruning,  thinning  out  crowded 
parts,  and  reducing  long  shoots.  These  can  all  be  removed,  as  a  rule, 
without  making  the  cuts  unduly  prominent.  Formally  fashioned 
shrubs  are  not  nearly  so  useful  for  furnishing  material  adapted  for 
decoration  as  are  free-growing  specimens.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
secure  from  them  anything  further  than  mere  tips,  which  are  invari¬ 
ably  cut  with  the  shears.  Long  lengths  of  Ivy  ought  to  be  cut  with 
the  knife,  as  this  is  not  the  season  for  cutting  Ivy  closely  back. — 
E.  D.  S. 
Akebia  QUINATA. — There  is  a  plant 
growing  here  (near 
It  was  planted  in  the 
Bristol)  in  front  of  the  potting  shed,  facing  south, 
spring  of  1881,  but  I  am  not  so  fortunate  with  it  as  Mr.  Molyneux  is  with 
his.  It  is  quite  hardy,  and  produces  beautiful  foliage,  but  only  a  few 
flowers  yearly,  although  the  shoots  that  make  their  way  under  the  tiles 
bear  them  freely  enough.  The  flowers  there,  owing  to  the  semi-darkness 
in  which  they  are  growing,  are  of  a  lighter  colour  than  those  produced 
outside,  and  much  finer. — I).  W. 
