July  S,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  BORTIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
7 
It  is  rarely  that  success  follows  when  they  are  mixed  with  other 
plants. 
The  present  is  also  a  very  good  time  to  sow  seed  for  growing  single 
specimens,  thinning  the  seedlings  early  to  the  best  plani  in  each  pot, 
and  potting  as  required,  before  the  pots  are  crowded  with  roots  until 
the  plants  are  finally  transferred  to  their  flowering  pots.  The  great 
object  should  be  to  keep  the  plants  growing  freely,  the  shoots  soft  and 
stout  as  Watercresses,  and  the  foliage  as  large  and  green  as  Radishes, 
then  will  fine  spikes  follow  in  due  time. 
There  are  few  places  where  Mignonette  in  winter  is  as  plentiful  as  is 
desirable.  Many  attempt  to  grow  it  and  many  fail,  while  others  succeed 
without  apparent  difficulty.  A  few  common  causes  of  failure  are — 
soil  too  poor  and  too  light ;  the  seed  sown  too  thickly,  and  the  plants 
not  timely  thinned ;  too  much  water  in  the  earliest  stages  of  growth, 
and  too  little  when  the  plants  are  larger  ;  not  plunging  the  pots ; 
permitting  them  to  be  thoroughly  drenched  with  rain,  and  then  when 
too  late  placing  them  under  glass  and  keeping  the  plants  too  close 
and  dark.  They  cannot  have  too  much  light  and  air,  and  should  only 
have  the  protection  of  glass  when  unfavourable  weather — rain  or  frost 
— ia  threatening.  Soot  water  is  beneficial  when  the  pots  are  filled  with 
roots  and  larger  pots  cannot  be  given. 
There  are  different  varieties,  but  any  of  them  if  the  plants  be  well 
grown  wdll  give  satisfaction.  The  “  giant  ”  becomes  a  dwarf  in  the 
hands  of  a  bad  grower,  while  the  “  old  sort  ”  becomes  refreshingly 
robust  when  the  right  treatment  is  given  throughout.  Tn  a  word,  more 
depends  on  culture  than  on  the  selection  of  any  so-called  variety. — W. 
PRUNINGS. 
Spinach — gammon  and  Spinach  may  I  term  the  interesting  ariicle 
on  page  506?  for  the  writer  seasons  his  acceptable  dish  with  jnst  a 
soupgon  of  the  former.  But  gammon  whom  he  will  among  the  penmen, 
the  fact  remains  that  the  who  eaome  foliage  has  not  received  any 
conspicuous  attention.  His  dissertation  has  pretty  well  covered  all  that 
can  be  said  for  or  against  Spinach  ;  yet  would  I  like  to  add  further 
testimony  of  its  repute  with  the  medical  faculty,  for  in  a  multitude  of 
doctors  there  should  be  wisdom.  On  one  occasion  an  aged  man  applied 
to  me,  saying,  “  My  doctor  won’t  doctor  me  any  more,  but  prescribes 
Spinach.”  So  I  gave  him  a  little  ;  moreover,  that  was  followed  up  by 
further  doses,  from  which  he  derived  great  benefit.  One  other  expe¬ 
rience  of  another  doctor  recommending  Spinach  came  under  personal 
notice  with  similar  good  results.  As  a  rule,  Spinach  is  generally  appre 
ciated  at  those  tables  where  variety  is  sought  for,  yet  not  so  its  substi¬ 
tute,  the  so-called  New  Zealand  Spinach.  Those  families  I  have  catered 
for  banned  it  from  their  menu,  and  not  being  quite  satisfied  about  the 
cook’s  part  of  the  business  led  to  a  home  trial.  1  boiled  it  myself,  ate 
it  myself  (for  Mrs.  S.  and  the  little  Sayuora  would  have  none  of  it),  and 
I  must  add  that  1  hate  it  still. 
“  A  Country  Gardener  ”  must  be  congratulated  upon  his  descriptive 
holiday  notes,  and  complimented,  too,  upon  the  able  manner  in  which 
his  experience  is  set  forth  (page  321-548)  for  the  benefit  of  less  fortu¬ 
nate  brethren.  Less  fortunate  or  more  ?  Which,  I  wonder,  in  noting 
his  adventurous  ending  with  a  night  In  the  big  wheel.  Presumably 
the  bonus  (which  I  hope  he  received,  although  he  does  not  mention  it) 
would  affect  the  opinion  of  whether  it  was  for  weal  or  woe.  Anyway, 
we  thank  you,  ”  Country  Gardener,”  for  describing  the  sensation  of 
being  poised  for  a  night  in  mid-air,  which,  like  O’Rourke’s  noble  feasts, 
will  ne’er  be  forgot  by  those  who  were  there  and  those  who  were  not. 
From  general  observation  of  recent  reports  in  the  matter  of  Orchid 
nomenclature  the  thought  arises  as  to  what  magnitude  this  varietal 
naming  will  eventually  attain.  With  those  aristocratic  Odontoglossums 
alone  one  may  imagine  that  they  will  soon  require  a  peerage  to  them¬ 
selves.  Unless  to  the  specialist,  there  are  many  of  ua,  I  fear,  who 
will  accord  to  the  method  that  faint  praise  elicited  by  a  reverend 
employer  from  his  perplexed  retainer  in  the  matter  of  a  sermon  ; 
the  response  of  the  bothered  one  being  that  it  "Just  joombled  his 
judgment.  ’  _ 
1  think  “  P.  0.”  is  unduly  severe  in  his  “Jottings”  (page  568) 
upon  the  various  blight  specifics,  which  presumably  have  been  more  or 
less  practically  tested  before  their  advocates  set  forth  their  opinions  in 
print.  Yet  “  P.  0,”  advances  his  own  remedy  of  quicklime  with  no 
uncertain  sound.  There  is  a  fund  of  argument  in  his  last  paragraph, 
which  should  have  the  power,  at  least,  to  elicit  further  opinion  on  the 
subject.  There  is  also  one  little  qualification  of  his  sweeping  condemna¬ 
tion  where  he  says  “outward  appliances  of  anti- blight  and  other 
powders  are  useless  to  the  plants,  except  as  preventives.”  Well,  “  P.  0.,” 
“  prevention  is  better  than  cure.”  I  fully  endorse  his  concluding 
remarks  on  the  advisability  of  planting  in  firm  borders.  This,  with 
due  attention  to  airing  to  prevent  a  stagnant  atmosphere,  wards  off, 
1  believe,  many  of  those  ills  the  Tomato  is  heir  to. 
The  notes  on  “  Leafy  June  ”  (page  569),  by  that  ardent  amateur 
and  lover  of  Nature,  the  Rev.  D.  R.  Williamson,  duly  and  deservedly 
glorify  the  Aquilegia  family,  and  tempt  me  to  further  eulogise  their 
beauty  and  variety  by  the  adaptability  these  plants  have  to  semi-wild 
gardening.  Under  some  deciduous  trees,  where  I  once  planted  a  number 
of  seedlings,  they  were  more  than  able  to  take  care  of  themselves, 
reproducing  their  kith  and  kin  with  commendable  facility,  and  to  my 
mind  their  are  few  prettier  objects  than  informal  gronps  of  Columbines 
growing  all  natural.  _ 
The  “  Old  Boy  ”  further  descends  on  the  half-holiday  question 
(pa~e  662)  from  “  neutral  ground.”  Yet  how  hard  it  is  to  free  oneself 
from  personal  feeling  in  this  or  any  matter.  That  he  has  endeavoured 
to  do  so  may  be  admitted,  possibly  with  some  degree  of  success,  as  some 
of  his  views  at  least  are  endorsed  in  the  foot-note  by  those  who  have, 
probably,  a  higher  vantage  ground  for  observation.  I  like  to  see  our 
boys  of  the  bothy  try  their  “  ’prentis  hands  ”  at  the  pen,  therefore  I 
trust  “A  Wiltshire  Gardener”  will  not  hit  “Another  Subordinate”  unduly 
hard,  not  less  than  “  Another  Subordinate  ”  will  derive  some  comfort 
from  the  reflection  that  the  wings  of  time  will  remove  that  disability  he 
and  all  young  men  labour  under :  finally  to  have,  as  “  A  Wiltshire 
Gardener  ”  aptly  puts  it  “ .  .  .  the  advantage  ...  of  being  able 
to  view  the  grievance  (?)  from  both  sides.” 
Apropoa  of  “  Sunshine  and  Suffering,’’  on  page  577,  I  have  culled  the 
following  from  a  London  weekly  under  date  of  June  2Ist  : — “  A  noted 
‘  water-finder,’  Mr,  William  Scott  Lawrence,  has  just  died  at  Bristol. 
He  had  used  the  divining  rod  for  sixty-five  years  in  all  parts  of  England.” 
•— SAYNOB. 
PEAS  AND  TURNIPS  AT  CHISWECK— A  NEW 
STRAWBERRY. 
On  a  previous  occasion  the  early  varieties  of  Peas  and  Turnips  on 
trial  at  Chiswick  were  examined  and  three  marks  of  merit  awarded  to  tha 
following  ; — Pea,  Sutton’s  Bountiful  ;  Turnips,  Yilmorin’s  Half  Long 
White  Forcing,  aleo  Early  White  and  Early  Purple  Milan.  On  Monday 
last  the  later  varieties  were  carefully  inspected  by  the  following  members 
of  the  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Committee: — Rev;  W.  Wilks,  and  Messrs. 
H.  Balderson,  A.  Dean,  W.  Farr,  A.  J,  Laing,  T.  J.  Miles,  G.  Sage,  J. 
Smith,  J.  Willard,  and  J.  Wright. 
Peas. 
As  in  many  other  gardens  in  the  south  of  England  the  growth  of  the 
Peas  was  prejudiced  by  the  drought,  and  if  the  land  had  not  been  deeply 
trenched  by  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright  something  like  a  general  collapse  would 
have  been  inevitable.  The  rows  have  been  neither  wa’ered  nor  mulched, 
as  it  was  considered  the  fairest  to  all  to  allow  them  to  grow  and  bear  as 
best  they  could  under  absolutely  identical  conditions. 
As  a  result  of  the  critical  examination  of  the  several  rows  three 
marks  of  merit  were  recorded  for  the  undermentioned  varieties,  in  each 
case  unanimously, 
Sutton's  Prizewinner  Marrowfat. — Growth  sturdy,  nearly  3  feet 
high;  pods  large,  deep  green,  and  well  filled,  but  not  produced  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  or  they  would  not  have  been  so  fine.  A  fine  Pea 
for  exhibition,  also  sweet  and  of  good  quality. 
Sutton's  Eureka. — Height  about  3  feet,  most  of  the  well- filled  pods 
borne  in  pairs,  rendering  the  crop  bountiful.  Evidently  a  serviceable 
variety,  and  the  seeds  tender  and  sweet. 
Carter's  Michaelmas. — Though  the  crop  was  by  no  means  ready  a 
few  pods  were  sufficiently  advanced  for  testing  the  quality  ;  and  the 
luxuriant  green  of  the  plants  and  their  freedom  in  bearing,  led  the 
Committee  to  regard  this  Pea  as  a  late  variety  of  much  promise  ;  it  was 
certainly  distinct  from  all  others,  and  had  withstood  the  drought  well. 
Boston  Unrivalled  (Johnson). — Plants  nearly  4  feet  high,  well  laden 
with  large  rather  pale  green  pods,  and  these  filled  with  peas  of  good 
quality. 
Hero  of  TrovJridge  (Stokes).  —  Similar  in  height  and  general 
characteristics  to  the  last  named,  and  regarded  as  a  serviceable  variety. 
Lord  Granhy  (Harrison),— Height  about  3.^  feet,  bearing  good 
square-ended  pods  abundantly,  similar  to  those  of  Omega  and  Ne  Plus 
Ultra,  but  not  so  dark  in  colour  ;  seeds  green,  sweet  and  tender,  regarded 
as  a  very  useful  variety. 
The  Lord  Jf/xynr  (Nutting). — “Of  where?”  was  the  request.  “Of 
York  ”  was  the  quick  response  of  one  who  had  been  there,  and  evidently 
came  home  satisfied.  But  whoever  the  chief  magistrate  may  be  to  whom 
the  variety  is  dedicated,  the  Lord  Mayor  is  a  stately  Pea  growing  4  feet 
high,  bearing  fine  pods  can  ainirg  large  pt  as. 
ihe  Gladstone  (Holmes). — A  sturdy  Pea  growing  3  feet  high  and  pro¬ 
ducing  very  large  curved  deep  green  pods,  which  shelled  out  abundantly 
— just  like  as  was  heard  in  a  whisper — “Just  like  the  G.  0.  M.” 
Tall  Butter  Sugar  (Vilmorin). — This  Pea  needs  no  shelling,  as  the 
pods  are  cooked  and  eaten  in  the  same  way  as  Kidney  Beans.  Some 
were  cooked  for  trial  and  were  found  excellent — buttery,  sugary,  and 
delicious  ;  the  best  Pea  of  its  character  yet  introduced,  and  worthy  of 
trial  by  those  who  desire  vegetable  delicacies  on  their  tables. 
Turnips, 
For  these  also  the  ground  had  been  trenched,  and  hence  their,  for 
the  season,  excellent  growth.  It  may  be  said  that  the  “  Half  Long  ” 
White  Forcing  Turnip,  approved  at  the  previous  examination,  was  still 
regarded  as  one  of  the  best  in  quality  in  the  extensive  collection.  The 
varieties  honoured  with  three  marks  on  the  present  occasion  were — 
Jersey  Lily  (Vilmorin), — An  excellent  well-shaped  white  Turnip, 
which  had  been  little  affected  by  the  drought. 
Sutton’s  Early  Snowball, — Medium  sized,  symmetrical,  white,  sweet, 
and  teflider  ;  a  good  summer  Turnip, 
